My Friends,

 

It will be a far cry from last Sunday’s conditions as the Bears descend upon the Meadowlands for the second time in a week. Forecasts call for partly cloudy skies with highs in the 50s, nothing like the windswept downpour that rained havoc on the Giants.

 

The weather should provide the perfect trifecta for our guys’ visit. The sunny daylight weather means they’ll get the full experience of the sights and sounds of the genial tailgaters and the cheery area surrounding East Rutherford, while the lack of rain will allow them to truly appreciate the distinctive northern New Jersey aroma as they approach their contest with the surprising Jets. Nothing wafting from the south farms of Champaign the last time these two teams met could have prepared them for this.

 

Coming off their road victory over the Patriots, New Jersey’s other NFL entry will pose a greater challenge to the Bears than the injury-riddled Giants managed to provide. This is because Lovie Smith’s teams have traditionally struggled against the AFC, as well as the relative health of a Jets defense that blitzed and gave Tom Brady fits last week. While the depleted Big Blue couldn’t keep up their early pace, expect more of the same, as the rest of the NFL tries to copy the Vikings, Cardinals, and Dolphins’ blueprint for stopping Rex Grossman. Continued success with a single running back will help keep the red dogs at bay.

 

The Bears defense should have some more fun this week. The Jets offense has allowed 22 sacks, which should provide some opportunity for the pass rush. Quarterback Chad Pennington’s arm resembles that of a latter-day Cade McNown, while running back Kevan Barlow’s 75 yards last week represents his best day as a Jet. This should come as some comfort to Ron Rivera, whose squad has allowed three straight rushers to reach the century mark.

 

With a two game lead in the conference over the Saints, the other objective for the Bears this weekend should be to stay healthy, no small task in another one of those “Field Turf” games. It’s no coincidence that the Giants were as beat up as they were and that the Jets injury report this week boasts a cool 15 names, playing on that God forsaken crap. That the upcoming Patriots are being allowed to switch to the same surface in midseason and the Bears will be among the unwitting guinea pigs to find out how well the new track has settled should be against NFL rules, but that’s the price you pay for letting soccer teams and aging rockers tear up your backyard. This won’t help extend the careers of Bill Belichick’s squad, but that’s good news for the rest of the AFC and a story for another time.

 

As far as the Bears go, they’ll be fine if they just manage to keep the cart parked and hold on to the ball.

 

LBF

11/17/2006