Bears' first official Super Bowl prediction
July, 26, 2012
By Kevin Seifert | ESPN.com



BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- I was about a mile away from Chicago Bears training camp when this sign caught me eye. We all know the Bears entered the summer of 2012 as a trendy favorite of the NFL prognosticator class, but the folks over at Alan B. Shepard and Shabbona elementary schools have taken it to the next level.

The school is presumably short on Roman Numeral figures, but you get the picture. While you might not race to Las Vegas off the recommendation of an elementary school marquee, you should understand that in these parts, at least, there are the absolute highest of expectations.

And it isn't coming just from the local schoolchildren. Make sure you check out this appearance by Bears place-kicker Robbie Gould on ESPN 1000's "Training Camp Tonight." Gould told our friends Jeff Dickerson and Michael C. Wright that this is the most talented Bears team he has been on.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_ ... prediction

Urlacher says the Bears aren’t as good as they thought they were
Posted by Michael David Smith on September 14, 2012, 10:14 AM EDT

Dennis Green famously said in 2006 that “the Bears are who we thought they were.” Brian Urlacher is concerned in 2012 that the Bears aren’t who they think they are.

Urlacher said after the Bears lost to the Packers on Thursday night that “we got our butts kicked,” and that the Bears need to get better in a hurry.

“Maybe we’re not as good as we thought we were,” Urlacher said, via CSNChicago.com. “We’ve got a long ways to go and that’s obvious. Maybe Green Bay’s just that good.”

At age 34 and dealing with a bad knee, Urlacher may never be as good as he once was. Every great player loses a step at some point, and Urlacher appears to have reached that point.

Still, not everyone in the locker room is as concerned as Urlacher. Bears receiver Brandon Marshall didn’t catch a pass until midway through the fourth quarter, when the Bears were already trailing 23-3, but he said after the game that he still believes the Bears are every bit as good as he thought before the season.

“We’re definitely as good as we think we are, but offensively we have to do a better job,” Marshall said. “They’re a great team, they won the Super Bowl two years ago, so it’s going to take more than just walking on the field to dethrone them.”

Marshall’s view sounds more optimistic. Urlacher’s view sounds more realistic.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... they-were/