well......hell, i'll chime in with my take anyways.
Who is the better team: Chicago or Green Bay. Let's break it down a little.
Quarterback: I don't think there's much room for debate here. Jim Miller has been a surprise and is having a fine season, completing nearly 60% of his passes and not making many mistakes. Brett Favre, however, is on his way to the Hall of Fame and although he still tries to do to much (makes too many mistakes), is clearly one of the top QB's of his generation. He leads Miller in TD passes, completion percentage, yards per attempt, QB rating, and a host of other catagories. Edge: Packers
Running Back: Anthony Thomas has also been a pleasant surprise this season, ending the Bears' drought of RB flops (see Curtis Enis). Thomas' most impressive attribute is the fact that he has not fumbled this season with over 150 carries. When healthy, he is a servicable back. However, not convinced he is 100% healthy right now. Back-up James Allen is average at best. His yds/carry average of 3.3 is not very impressive, nor is his longest run of the year: 19 yards. Neither Thomas nor Allen is a threat as a receiver out of the backfield. Packer RB Ahman Green is having a breakthrough season: 2nd in the NFC in rushing yards, 4.7 yds/carry average, 7 TD's, and breakaway speed. He also has 49 receptions out of the backfield, more than any other back in the NFL except Marshall Faulk. Levens and Henderson (when used) provide a nice contrast. Edge: Packers
Wide Receivers: Chicago WR Marty Booker is for real. Big, strong, fast, good hands, and a knack for the big play. David Terrell has alot of potential but has a ways to go to be a top notch guy. Marcus Robinson has not been healthy and has been a non-factor (only 23 receptions). Antonio Freeman may have lost a step, but is still in the upper class of WR's in the NFL. Not spectacular, but consistent. Bill Schroeder the same to a lesser note. Edge: Packers (slight).
Tight Ends: Quick...Who is the Bears' Tight end? No comparison here. Franks/Martin: 33 catches for 8 touchdowns. Edge: Packers
Offensive Line: Toss up. Take your pick. Edge: Even.
Defensive Backs: This is a weakness for both teams, which is why im on the over this week (hint). Pack suffered a huge loss when Leroy Butler went down and Bhawoh Jue has been torched as his replacement. CB Antuan Edwards was also lost for the season and S Chris Atkins was a disaster and was cut yesterday. Things are so desperate in GB they have been considering signing Mark Carrier who retired in 1931. Despite some big plays and heroics in Chicago's secondary, this is not a strong point for this team. The Bears are 30th in the NFL in passing yds/game allowed, 20th in yards per attempt, and 23rd in completion percentage allowed. Despite an edge in the stat column, the Pack's unrest at this position is a problem. Edge: Bears.
Defensive Line: Strong point for both teams. Bears lead the NFC (3rd in the NFL) in rushing yards allowed per game. The Pack are 4th in the NFC (8th in the NFL) in this catagory. Chicago, however, leads the NFL in average yards/run at 3.2 and have forced 21 fumbles, most in the NFC. The Packers lead the NFL in QB sacks with 42, but almost half of these belong to G-Baj, and he's only had 1 sack since week 6. Edge: Bears (slight)
Linebackers: I've watched enough Bears games this season to come to the conclusion that Brian Urlacher is among the most dominate defensive players in the NFL today. This guy is all over the field, has a nose for the ball, and is sneaky quick. He makes every player around him better and this is an attribute that can't be taught. Edge: Bears
Special Teams: Both of these teams have excellent punters and punt coverage teams, so that is basically a wash. The difference in these 2 teams is their kicking game, kick returns, and kick coverage. Ryan Longwell is having an awful season, converting only 61% of his kicks while Paul Edinger has only missed twice all year. Green Bay's return game has been even worse. Despite what somebody mentioned above, Alan Rossum is NOT the most exciting KO returner in the league. In fact, he ranks DEAD LAST and has had problems holding onto the ball. It's actually a good sign that he is OUT for the game on Sunday with a bad knee. Edge: Bears
Intangibles: Coaching is a difficult thing to measure because there is so much more to it then what we see on the field each Sunday. But, I've seen my share of questionable decisions by Mike Sherman. Jauron, meanwhile, is probably the NFL coach of the year at this point. The Pack have a HUGE edge in experience that I don't even need to get into. And for those of you who believe in luck, faith, whims, whatever, I guess you can tally that one up for the Bears. Edge: Even
So, in conclusion, which team do I feel is the better overall team? I dunno, but in actuality, who does?
