Wisch: For The Bears, Numbers Don't Add Up
By Dave Wischnowsky--
With a record of 7-3, the Bears aren't a joke.
But I still can't take them seriously.
Can you?
Yes, it's nearly December and the team is tied atop the NFC North with Green Bay. And, yes, with weak sisters Minnesota and Detroit still remaining on the schedule, the Bears have a reasonable shot of getting at least nine wins and within striking distance of a postseason berth.
So, they might end up being a playoff team.
But I still can't believe that the Bears are a good team.
The offensive line remains wobbly. The quarterback is yet to lead a team (any team) to a postseason game (any postseason game) since he was a senior in high school. And the head coach is still a guy who probably should have been sent packing after last season.
Beyond all that, the Bears just haven't played anybody, let alone beaten them (Green Bay withstanding).
Ponder this: Of the Bears' 10 opponents thus far, only two (the Packers and Giants) have winning records, and the foes have a combined record of 39-61, which equates to a wretched winning percentage of .390.
Meanwhile, the winning percentage of the seven teams that the Bears have beaten is even worse: .329.
Ugh.
With a résumé like that, it's next to impossible to buy stock in the 2010 Bears. The numbers just don't add up. Especially when you look at the rest of their schedule.
Of the six remaining opponents, their combined winning percentage is a solid .583 (35-25) and four of them (the Eagles, Patriots, Jets and Packers) are either leading their divisions or tied for the lead. In fact, that quartet is humming along at a sizzling combined winning clip of .750. Of the last six, only the Vikings and Lions are sub-.500, but both of those games are on the road, making them anything but gimmies for Chicago.
Now, I do like the Bears' defense this season. And with Devin Hester (finally) returning kicks again, I like their special teams, too. But I still don't like their chances to make any legitimate noise this season.
With a 7-3 record, I'll admit that the Bears have already surprised me this season (I predicted 7-9). But I'll still wait for them to stun me with a big victory before I buy anything that the team is selling.
Although, if they want to do that on Sunday vs. Philly, I'm all for it.
Do you agree with Dave? Post your comments below
If nothing else, Dave Wischnowsky is an Illinois boy. Raised in Bourbonnais, educated at the University of Illinois and bred on sports in the Land of Lincoln, he now resides on Chicago's North Side, just blocks from Wrigley Field. Formerly a reporter and blogger for the Chicago Tribune, Dave currently writes a syndicated column, The Wisch List, which you can check out via his blog at http://www.wischlist.com.
