Official Week 1 Green Bay vs Chicago Thread

[BCOLOR=#fbfbff]I'm not sure that's a totally fair assessment realitybytes. The Bears gave Wannstedt 5-6 years, Jauron 5 years and Lovie 9 years. The Trestman firing only happened because that whole team was a big ol' dumpster fire by the end of last season. He completely lost the team and left the front office with no choice, otherwise I suspect they might have given him another year or two. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#fbfbff]Since Ditka left, the Bears have had 5 coaches including Fox and the Packers have had 4 including Holmgren at the point Ditka left until now with Mac. Not really that much of a difference other than we have had a pair of really long tenured guys in there compared to the Bears who have only had 1.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#fbfbff]I'm pretty sure they will give Fox 3 years minimum to get things back to respectable. The bigger question is will they give him enough talent. Seemed like half the fault for the Bears situation was they they just kept getting older and never really found effective replacements. Oh yeah, and there is that Cutler mistake. ;)[/BCOLOR]
 
57packer said:
[BCOLOR=#fbfbff]I'm not sure that's a totally fair assessment realitybytes. The Bears gave Wannstedt 5-6 years, Jauron 5 years and Lovie 9 years. The Trestman firing only happened because that whole team was a big ol' dumpster fire by the end of last season. He completely lost the team and left the front office with no choice, otherwise I suspect they might have given him another year or two. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#fbfbff]Since Ditka left, the Bears have had 5 coaches including Fox and the Packers have had 4 including Holmgren at the point Ditka left until now with Mac. Not really that much of a difference other than we have had a pair of really long tenured guys in there compared to the Bears who have only had 1.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#fbfbff]I'm pretty sure they will give Fox 3 years minimum to get things back to respectable. The bigger question is will they give him enough talent. Seemed like half the fault for the Bears situation was they they just kept getting older and never really found effective replacements. Oh yeah, and there is that Cutler mistake. ;)[/BCOLOR]
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you are correct, of course. i did exaggerate. i was thinking about the fact that fox is the third head coach that the bears have had in the last four seasons and that makes it sound like they change coaches more often than they really do.
 
The Packers may barely recognize their season-opening opponent Sunday

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great read, thanks for that.... the one thing that will make things difficult for a bit is there is no tape to watch of this new Bears team. Nothing that has happened past couple season matters in terms of scheme, plays, strategy.

Gonna be interesting to watch
 
I have a little anxiety about our pass defense. I don't put too much stock into preseason, but the rookie DBs really looked lost in that 4th preseason game against backups. And everyone got torched by the Eagles. I think they'll get better with experience, but they look very green right now.

Fortunately the Bears receiving corps are dinged up and their offense is terrible, so it should be a win for us.
 
The regular season is finally here! I’ll do my best to contain my excitement long enough to write this article. No promises though. This season kicks off with a huge rivalry match as we trek down to Chicago to take on the Bears. Here’s the breakdown on how we match up.

Green Bay Offense vs. Chicago Defense

This could be a long day for the Bears defense. After changing schemes in the offense to John Fox’s preferred 3-4 base, their first test is against reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and his dynamic supporting cast. There is some talent on this defense, but the players have little experience in a 3-4 setup, and a painful adjustment period should be expected.

Their starting defensive line of Ego Ferguson, Jeremiah Ratliff and Jarvis Jenkins all hover around 300 lbs., which means they’re not likely to be overly quick in the pass rush or too stout in run defense. It’s strange to say that Ratliff, who is 6’4” and 303 lbs. is undersized, but at nose tackle, you need someone heavier than that to plug up the running lanes. At linebacker, they have four solid, but not spectacular starters. Jared Allen was a playmaker at one point, but that was several years ago. Asking a man in his mid-30’s to switch positions to one that requires more athleticism is a tall order. The secondary has Kyle Fuller and… not a whole lot more. Antrel Rolle is a solid veteran safety, but not much of a playmaker.

Let’s switch gears to the Packers’ offense, which figures to be one of the best offenses in the league again this year, even with the loss of receiver Jordy Nelson. With the exception of Nelson, the offense is returning all of their starters. That fact is especially important for the offensive line. The center position has been a revolving door for the past five years, and Rodgers will be happy to work with the same guy for a second straight year. This unit is the best the Packers have had since Rodgers took over as quarterback.

Rodgers, as usual, has no shortage of weapons at his disposal. With Lacy as the featured back, you can expect the run-game to be top notch once again. And, even without Nelson, the Packers have a group of receivers that many good teams envy. The X-factors are Davante Adams and Richard Rodgers. The MVP will be looking to throw their way often. How successful this offense is will depend on their development.

Green Bay Defense vs. Chicago Offense

There’s not a whole lot to say about the Bears’ offense. They still have questions on the offensive line, and they still have Jay Cutler at quarterback. Those two facts almost negate the positive qualities this offense has. Things were looking good at receiver until rookie Kevin White injured his leg, leaving them with Alshon Jeffery and a bunch of guys. They do have Matt Forte, who John Fox would be wise to use a lot. Forte was misused by the previous regime. This coaching staff is a lot smarter than the last, so I would expect a great season for Forte, starting with a great game against Green Bay.

The Packers’ defense was much improved in the second half of last season. They’ll be hoping for more of the same this week against the Bears. Expect to see Clay Matthews line up at all four linebacker spots again. If the opposing offense never knows what he’s going to do, it’ll just be that much harder to account for him. The Packers have a very young, but very talented secondary. Expect to see some rookie moments from this unit, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same young players intercept a few Jay Cutler passes.

The defensive line will be without Datone Jones and Letroy Guion, who are serving one and four game suspensions, respectively. However, the progression of Mike Pennell and the return of BJ Raji, who missed all of last season with a torn bicep, should help the unit to hold up against the Bears in the absence of Jones and Guion. Mike Daniels is entering a contract year, so I expect him to be wildly productive early and often.

Special Teams

The Bears still have Robbie Gould, one of the best kickers around, but nothing too scary in the return game, where Marc Mariani is expected to handle both kick offs and punts.

The Packers have Crosby, a good kicker, and a return game with some potential. We’re all excited to see what Ty Montgomery can bring to the return game. The Packers concern is with punter Tim Masthay, who is coming off of his worst season as a pro. He had a solid game against the Saints last week, but has otherwise struggled this preseason. If he struggles against the Bears, Coach McCarthy might hear pressure to start looking for other options.

Prediction

The Bears are not in a good place right now and are at least a few years away from competing again. This season, which could very well end with the worst record in football, starts off with a matchup nightmare for them.

I expect the Packers to dominate in everything but stopping Matt Forte. He’ll make things difficult for the front-7, but the Packers will win by at least 10 points.

Thank you for reading. Brian Fonfara is a staff writer for Titletown Sound Off. You can follow him on Twitter @TTSO_Brian. For even more Packers content, follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.

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Really it's a simple game plan sunday. Don't let Forte rush for 200+ yards, wait for Cutler to turn into Cutler....... Win by 20.

Even minus Jordy + early season rust there's no excuse not to put up 30+ on that defense
 
huckleberry said:
Really it's a simple game plan sunday. Don't let Forte rush for 200+ yards, wait for Cutler to turn into Cutler....... Win by 20.

Even minus Jordy + early season rust there's no excuse not to put up 30+ on that defense
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I don't want their TE going off in us or forte catching screens and us seemingly having no answer.

These guys do not have a lot of weapons our lbs better not F this up.

Also don't want to see us having red zone problems. Time to get 7pts on those.

I expect a win but those 2 things would make me cringe.
 
Green Bay — The following is a summary of Packers coach Mike McCarthy's press conference Friday morning:

- (On James Jones) James has done well. He's kind of picked up where he's left off. The adjustments, as far as the mental challenges, have gone pretty smoothly. I think he's practiced well the last few days. ... James is a smart football player.
- (On Randall Cobb and other injuries) Today is a big day for the guys that are fighting through the injuries. That's the design of it. Hopefully there will be some progress.
- (On Cobb playing) I anticipate him getting better today. He practiced the last two days.
- (On Morgan Burnett) I think today will really help Morgan. I'm hoping we make some progress there.
- (On headset communication) I think any time you compete in this league long enough there are things that go wrong and you adjust. It's definitely not the first time it's happened in a game and I'm sure it won't be the last.
- (On rookie cornerbacks) I think the rookies battled. They're on our football team. They're part of the plan going into Chicago. ... I think all of our rookies have really stepped up and earned their position in the locker room.
- (On the Bears' energy with a new coach) I think any time you have a new program, new coach, new system there's obviously a new outlook. I definitely feel that that will be part of it. This is a game the fans love. There's always that type of energy. ... I think there will be a ton of energy come Sunday.
- (On Jones' influence for the young WRs) I think any time you have veterans that have been with you a long time, it's a positive influence on all the younger players. Now James has the experience of being with two other organizations that he can share.
- (On the emotion of the night before a game) The night before the game in a hotel I pretty much spend the afternoon working through my call sheet. That's something I've always done. Watch a lot of video, prepare my final remarks for the team. ... We have our team meeting, and then frankly I go to bed.
- (On Jared Allen the outside linebacker) Jared looks good. He looks lean. I think he's adjusted to his role very well.

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In their weekly video series, LeRoy Butler and Tom Silverstein discuss five keys to the Packers season, how Green Bay uses Randall Cobb, and the season opener Sunday against the Bears.

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