Cory’s Corner: Aaron Rodgers will be the Bear tamer again

The moment the schedules came out, Aaron Rodgers must’ve practiced his Grinch smile.

The Packers open the season with the Bears. This is the same Bears team that got swallowed by Green Bay 93-31 in two games last year.

Yeah, Chicago has a new coach with a new vision, the grumpy Brandon Marshall is gone and Matt Forte is still the featured back.

But none of those things matter when you can’t stop anyone. The Bears were 30th in the league in passing defense by allowing 264 yards a game through the air.

Rodgers scoffed at those averages and threw for 617 yards and 10 touchdowns against the defenseless folks from the Windy City.

To make matters worse, the Bears didn’t pick a defensive back until the fifth round in Adrian Amos — who will be in a dogfight for the starting free safety job. Granted, the Bears did take cornerback Kyle Fuller as the 14th pick in 2014. But after grabbing three picks in the first three games, Fuller only had one in the final 13.

Fuller did suffer a broken hand, a hip pointer and a minor MCL sprain last year. Still, teams began to pick on Fuller in the second half of the season and the rookie began to crumble.

Fuller finished 2014 pretty lousy, but he’s the shining light for the Bears in the secondary.

I don’t care how much of turnaround Jay Cutler makes. He can drastically cut down on his 18 picks — which were his highest since he threw 26 in 2009. But he can’t — and he never could — put a team on his back with obvious deficiencies.

The success of the Bears hinges on its defensive backs. And since the Packers have the best tandem of wideouts in the league to go along with the best quarterback, more nonconference college football scores could be in store.

Couple that with a Lions offense outfitted with Calvin Johnson and a Vikings offense that has an up-and-comer in second-year pro Teddy Bridgewater and the entire division should be smiling deviously.

John Fox may have come from coaching Peyton Manning. The NFL is a quarterback’s league, but if Fox doesn’t get some answers from a new 3-4 scheme, it’s going to be another long year in Chicago.

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Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn

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15 thoughts on “Cory’s Corner: Aaron Rodgers will be the Bear tamer again

  1. The Bears are of no threat to Green Bay this season. A much easier opening game for the Pack than last year vs. Seattle. The Bears have lots of work to do. I honestly don’t even know where to start. Talk about holes. We complain about middle linebacker? Give me a break. Be glad we are not the Bears. We could be talking a decade or more before they turn it around. Why? They have no quarterback.
    Ted

  2. Who will be the NFC North bottom dweller, Detro or ChiCo? I think Cutler assures ChiCo bottoms out. Maybe they stop oozing in 2016.

  3. As long as Jay is at the helm we will not have a problem with da bears. Jay is best described as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest…

  4. The games still have to be played and won. The wild card for the Packers will be the play of its LBs and D-line this year, and whether the rookie additions to the secondary can make-up for the losses of Tramon Williams and Davon House. Any NFL team, I don’t care how weak it looks on paper, can beat the Pack if it keeps its turnovers to a minimum, controls the clock and time of possession and is able to run the ball up the middle. It is a mistake to sell any team, even the Bears, short. John Fox will have his team ready for opening day.

    1. “John Fox will have his team ready on opening day.”

      Unfortunately for the Bears, so will Mike McCarthy.
      Ted

    2. The Packers beat the Bears 38 to 17 by playing off the line and letting Forte run. Then waiting for Cutler to throw us the ball. The Bears got 238 yards rushing and we still beat the by 3 TDs because Jay turned the ball over and their D couldn’t stop Rodgers.

      No matter how long they hold the ball, the Bears have to score. And then they still have to stop the Packers or it is still just a tie.

      TOP will not matter if we get returns for TDs. In ST or on D. No matter how long the Bears have the ball, unless they score, it is useless. No matter how quickly the Packers score, the Bears still have to put up points to keep up.

      Beating the Bears will depend on how well we can score on their D. Which shouldn’t be a problem. And how well we can shut down Cutler. Which shouldn’t be a problem. Forte will be a non factor like last year. It was like the Bears were trying to win a drag race with a tractor.

      1. You have to remember Buck Few. You are talking to a guy who lives in a submarine. He obviously is clueless as to just how good Green Bay is compared to the pathetic Chicago Bears. Oh but wait, the great John Fox is the coach. He’ll have them ready!! Ooooh, the Packers are shaking now. lol
        Ted

        1. Mr. Tomsin: Please return to grammar school so you can learn how to read. My comment concerned the weakest part of our team, the defense, which has not been improved by free agency or the draft. As a result of that weakness, it is possible for any team to beat us if it does what I suggested. Please note that I did not predict that the Bears or any other team will beat us. Yes, the word, “will,” has a different meaning from “could,” “can,” and “it is possible that.”

  5. I have the Bears finishing 6-10 this year. They could easily start 1-5 heading into the bye week with their schedule:

    Home vs. Packers (predicted loss)
    Home vs. Cardinals (predicted loss)
    Away to Seahawks (predicted loss)
    Home to Raiders (predicted win)
    Away to Chiefs (predicted loss)
    Away to Lions (predicted loss)

  6. I feel sorry for Fox he is a good coach but Cutler will be the cause for his demise like all the other coaches, Cutler is a coach killer plain and simple!

  7. I’m glad the Packers finally get a warm up game out of the gates. Yes, John Fox will have his team as ready as they can be,but, the Packers have to much talent to lose to the bearlys. This will be a tune up game before we play the Seachickens, which is good because the Packers still seem to be in preseason mode out of the gate.

  8. Many GB fans are pretty much agreed that Aaron Rodgers has carried this team on his back. I don’t think that is true anymore. Since the arrival of Lacy (to provide a run game) Bakhtiari (to shore up pass pro at LT, instead of Newhouse) and Linsley, the offense has good to excellent talent at most offensive positions. OT talent: check. OG/OC talent: check+. RB talent: check. WR talent: check. Slot WR talent: check+. TE talent: okay, you got me there. QB talent: check++. Rodgers is the most valuable player in the NFL, but he is now surrounded by good talent on offense.

  9. Nothing sucks more than learning the check bounced after you’ve already spent the money.

    No team in the NFL is a lay down. People forget that too easily, especially when it comes to the Bears-Packers.

  10. In other news, scientists expect the Earth to continue in its orbit of the sun for at least the next 24 hours. We’ll keep you posted.

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