Blogging the Bears

I had this idea that I was going to blog after every practice at Halas Hall this season. Then I realized there are others who are way better at that than I am! So, my plan is a Friday wrap up of what happened in prep for each game. And whoa -- this place has been busy.

Since cut day last weekend, the Bears instantly got better. Signing three-time pro-bowl former Packer guard Josh Sitten: "A real pro who knows how to play football," according to Jay Cutler. No one knows the value of that more than the Bears QB. Bears LB Jerrell Freeman said Sitten's "wide as a refrigerator," and tough to move. This can only be good things for this o-line.

But there remains some concern about Kyle Long's status. He's been limited all week with that shoulder "issue," and remains questionable for Sunday's game. He may be able to push through, which would arm the Bears with one of the best guard combos in the league.

The fear, of course, is in the questionable status of Kevin White who is still limited with the hamstring injury. Didn't speak with the media at all this week, and wasn't even available to do so today. Hmmm... Not sure how to feel about this.

On one hand, White's preseason hardly landed itself to believing he'll catch 12 passes for 100+ in game one. So if he isn't 100 percent will we notice? However, the anticipation of his regular season debut, after missing all of his rookie year, could not be higher.

But with his injury past, should the Bears be asking him to push through? John Fox says last year has nothing to do with his status versus Texans, adding that, "part of coaching is putting players in a position to succeed." So is pushing through discomfort putting White, or the rest of his teammates in position to succeed versus Houston? This is the question. There is obvious work to do once the team heads south.

Houston is no cupcake opener either. J.J. Watt and former Illini linebacker Whitney Mercilus anchor a Texans pass rush that will absolutely challenge the Bears offensive line. Remember they've practiced together a total of four times. Yikes.

Full disclosure guys: I am awful at predictions. Just the worst. But for the sake of the blog, I must. Texans win 23-12. However, I do think the overall picture will be brighter. I say the Bears finish 8-8. Would love for them to prove me wrong, starting on Sunday.