Early Surprise Teams set to do Battle in Week 2 – Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers

Early Surprise Teams set to do Battle in Week 2 – Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers

By Alex V

This is a matchup that intrigues me deeply. Both the Bears and the Panthers pulled of rather huge week one upsets against Super Bowl contenders while playing on the road. The Bears did it with their usual run-oriented, turnover free passing offense, and ball-hawking defense that brought them success back when they reached the Super Bowl. The Panthers on the other hand blew a nine point lead in the fourth quarter, and still managed to come back and win in the last second of the game.

I really like this matchup, because there are two possible after-thoughts once the game is over. One of these squads should inevitably win, barring a rare tie. But the game could end up being sloppy where despite bad play, one of the teams had to end the week 2-0. On the other hand, if the winner of the game can play well, or even great, then the January chatter begins to amount. Let’s look at how each team succeeded this weekend.

The Bears have Kyle Orton who didn’t do great, but didn’t do bad either. He finished his game with an 83.4 quarterback rating, completed 13 of 21 passes for a 61.9% completion rate with a more-than commendable 7.1 yards per pass average and 150 total yards. The main facet that got the bears their win on offense was the veteran type performance of Matt Forte. He finished the game with a workhorse load of 23 carries, 123 yards, and a rather gaudy 5.3 yards per carry and one touchdown. Forte managed these stats against a defense that got back Bob Sanders and usually tends to stack the line against teams who do not present a formidable passing threat with him in the line-up (I hesitate to mention the return of Dwight Freeney as he operates mainly as a pass rusher).

As for Jake Delhomme, he finished the night with 247 yards, one touchdown, went 23 of 41 (which culminated in a not so substantial 6 yard per pass average) with a QB rating of 82.1. His running game came in the form of Deangelo Hall (18 carries, 86 yards, and 4.8 per carry) and Jonathan Stewart (10 carries, 53 yards, and 5.3 per carry).

The most notable factor in the Bears’ victory was how they were able to hold Indianapolis to 13 points. On the other hand, the Panthers who faced an opponent with just as much offensive potency in the Chargers, still gave up 24 points, which is just around the average a team like San Diego should get. In hindsight though, the Panthers have comeback ability, which they showed versus the Chargers, whereas the Bears usual strategy is to have the victory in hand by the start of the 4th quarter if possible.

So, in conclusion, the Bears should be the favorite to win, as they played well throughout their entire game, and the Panthers blundered, but managed to eke out a win in literally the waning seconds of their game. As long as the Bears can prevent the big play as they did against the Colts, and not falter anywhere down the stretch, they should come out on top. However, regardless of coming out the victor in this week’s matchup, the winner must display a continued consistency in what they do to earn the respect of NFL fans, columnists, and analysts alike, even if one should remain undefeated.

Matt Cassel Fantasy Stock Rising

By Alex V

If you’re looking for an insurance policy for your fantasy team at the quarterback position, look none further than Matt Cassel. The obvious reasons why Cassel could turn out to be a good pickup may be Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and even dump-off pass catching play makers like Kevin Faulk and perhaps even Ben Watson.However, there are three other reasons why I’ll say that Matt Cassel is a good guy to spend a buck on right now.

Number one would be if you’ve drafted one of the more injury-prone quarter backs, like Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, or even Jake Delhomme. If you have one of these guys on your team or another like them, Matt Cassel could wind up saving your season.

If you need a little belief, look none further than reason number two! Laurence Maroney, up until the Patriots game against the Chiefs this weekend, has averaged just 13.3 carries per game, and that includes last year when he was the feature back. His numbers are likely to go up with Tom Brady being gone, but he’s more of a scatty flashback type than a work horse so perhaps 16-17 total is most likely. Ergo, Matt Cassel should still average anywhere from 175-225 passing yards per game, and if Maroney can’t punch it in the red zone, then Cassel could get the call, so he could be a great pick up.

The final key reason for joining in the “Cassel Run” is the aging defense of the Patriots. New England’s defensive unit may be slowing down as the season moves along with veterans starters at the linebacker position; Teddy Bruschi, 35, Mike Vrabel, 34, and Adalius Thomas, 31. Even in the secondary where strong safety Rodney Harrison sits at age 35, the burden may be on the defensive line in a 3-4 scheme to create pressure for the majority of the Patriots’ games this season. This should create more situations where the Patriots will be forced to pass, rather than to prefer to pass like last year when going to Tom Brady was the ideal option.

My suggestion… at least don’t sleep on the potential of Matt Cassel. What he lacks in game experience, he could wind up making up for in the privilege of having gotten to watch and learn from one of the greats, in Tom Brady.