The Chicago Bears: Over or Under rated?

[GI Cake]

As it appears in the Sports Stadium here in WZCW. The Chicago Bears seem to be either called the worst team of their division or the word I hate the most, overrated. So here is a thread dedicated to dissecting the debates to or against the Chicago Bears. But first, here is a couple terms that are often tossed around.

To overestimate the merits of; rate too highly.

To rate too low; underestimate.

Now lets start with this statement.

The Chicago Bears are Overrated:
Now I hate using the word, overrated this is even more the case when a fan likes to say that a team they do not like is doing well during the season. For instance, lets take the Chicago Bears. Chicago was predicted by NFL experts that they were to win only 5-6 games this season. But later in the season they go 10-6 and capture the NFC North and go onto the NFC Championship game, where they lost to the Superbowl Champions, the Green Bay Packers. Now if Chicago were to be Overrated, they would have won 4 games or less.

The Chicago Bears are Underrated:
As much as a Chicago Bears fan I am, I do not like to use these words when I describe my team. I think their stats and their record last season speak for themselves. But lets take a look at last season, like above, they were predicted to only have 5-6 wins. But since they played better than expected, that would be considered, underrated.

Now when a fan likes to describe their team (Let's use the Dallas Cowboys as an example) as underrated. Because none of the fans out side of the Dallas fan base gives their team respect, well is just plain stupid. Dallas was a team that was picked to be in their own stadium for the Superbowl last season. They didn't play up to par, there for making them an overrated team.

Now here are a few questions for you readers.

Do you think The Chicago Bears are an Overrated team? If so, why?

Which team(s) would you consider, overrated?

Now which team(s) would you consider underrated?

 

[Mr. HD]

I think Chicago is underrated.

Nobody gave Jay Cutler a look last season. They thought he was gonna fumble like Denver and look what happened. NFC North Championship and #2 seed.

Now, the reason I say underrated is because Jay Cutler "quit" on his team in the NFC Championship Game and this season, most people probably didn't have the Bears in the playoffs. They probably didn't even think they'd beat Atlanta. Surprise, surprise. I have faith in Chicago.

Their defense will always be up to par, isn't missing anybody (I don't think) and will make the stops when they have to. Cutler has all the pieces around him on offense. It's not a BEAST receiving core, but it's damn sure enough to get the job done. I will say, he WILL miss Greg Olsen. Badly. This is Cutler's chance to prove make everyone forget about last season and lead his team back to the playoffs. Maybe to actually get to the Super Bowl this time.


Now, since we're talking about overrated and underrated.

You wanna talk overrated? I was gonna rant about The Jets but seeing as how they've made the playoffs the last two years, my rant will have to wait for another day.

A perfect example of overrated has to be The Cowboys.

Dallas was picked to be in THEIR house for the Super Bowl last season and failed....miserably. I don't get it. They clearly HAVE the talent. They just can't seem to get over the hump. They have such high expectations every season and can't seem to even make the playoffs some seasons. When they do, they get booted out of the first round.


Underrated Team - Oakland. Yes, The Oakland Raiders. The team that swept their division last season. They are flying under the radar... again. Jason Campbell is playing better than he ever was in Washington and McFadden is FINALLY the beast he was in College. The Raiders receiving core are some young, hungry players and lest we forget Jankowski who can now make any Field Goal.

And although they're missing Asomghua, I think their defense should still be good. With Seymour leading that front 4, they should be fine for the time being.

People probably have San Diego winning this division. Probably the same people who picked them last season

Oakland has been along with Detroit and Buffalo as the laughing stocks of the NFL for quite some time. A few changes here and there and Oakland is now a team not to be taken lightly.

The Chiefs are going to finish last proving to everyone they were a one year wonder.

The Chargers will start slow like they always do, but they'll be too late to play catch up.

The Broncos will be.......well The Broncos.

This division is going to the Oakland Raiders. I'm not saying 11-5. No, they aren't THAT good yet. 9-7, 10-6 at best and a #4 seed.

 

[Ash_Ketchum_All]

I think the very fact that anyone thinks the Bears are over rated makes them under rated. They got to the NFC Championship game last season and I bet noone thought they would so they were definetly under rated last season. This season noone is expecting them to go back they expect it to be Saints or Eagles vs Packers. I think the Bears looked very good destroying the team who had home field and the best record in the NFC last year Atlanta. I don't see how Chicago could be underrated. I think they're the best team in the division personally.

I'd say the Steelers are over rated they got destroyed by Baltimore. The Jets are over rated too, Dallas totally choked that game away. and San Diego eww division. When's Rivers gonna get over the hump?

Under rated? The Bears, Jaguars, and Bills.

 

[Big Sexy]

I'd say they are rated just right. They overachieved big time last year and got to the NFC Championship game partly because the only team they had to beat in the playoffs to get there was Seattle. If anyone truly thinks they were the second best team in the NFC last year then they are sadly mistaken.

In terms of this year it's way too early to tell. Yes they beat up on Atlanta but that's another overachieving team from last year that has a lot of holes on defense. Chicago may be better then some give them credit for but I certainly wouldn't say they are elite at this point in time. Let the season play out before anyone makes absurd assumptions about them.

 

[PsychoBlack]

I think the Bears are rated perfectly. Me and my friend had a conversation the other day with both of us being Bears fans we decided that they were the worst upper echelon team in the league. I'd say that puts them right where they belong because they have not showed anything special to put them in the ranks of the Patriots or the Peyton Manning led Colts however they are indeed no Miami or even a playoff Seattle for that matter

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

I'll give them underrated status based on four of their players and their coach.

Jay Cutler, Underrated: I think people give him way too much flak. Josh McDaniels wanted to trade him to the Pats for Matt Cassel after he got the starting gig in Denver. Not only does this add further reason to believe McDaniels is an idiot, but it also shows you just how much people undervalue Cutler's worth to a team. He seems like an asshole and a very unlikable guy, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want him starting as my QB.

Brian Urlacher, Rated Correctly: Everything thinks this guy is a stud, beastly mangod, and he is. Next.

Lance Briggs, WAY Overrated: Mediocre linebacker who somehow got into the Pro Bowl last year. Before the season started, he was a malcontent in Chicago. Keep on bitching, Briggs, you're not worth the money you want; you'd be lucky to get half of what you think you deserve.

Matt Forte, Underrated: Very good (maybe even great) back that deserve to get paid by Chicago. He doesn't deserve AP or CJ2K money, but he at least deserves DeAngelo Williams money.

Lovie Smith, WAY Underrated: I have a total mancrush on this guy, so maybe my reasoning for him being underrated is a little biased. Anyway, coaches that can succeed in the NFL without ever raising their voices or losing their cool are a rarity. In the long run, it's much easier for a man of Lovie's disposition to gain the respect of his team. He's an invaluable asset and Chicago would be complete idiots to ever can him.

 

[Scuba 06]

I'd say they are rated just right. They overachieved big time last year and got to the NFC Championship game partly because the only team they had to beat in the playoffs to get there was Seattle. If anyone truly thinks they were the second best team in the NFC last year then they are sadly mistaken.

Oh yeah they only beat a crappy 7-9 team right ? I'm sorry, who dat lost to the only losing team to ever make the post-season ?

Bears didn't overachieve, they took the schedule they were given, pretty much identical to the Packers and won 11 out of 16 games. Its hard to win in this league, ask the Packers they barely made the playoffs. Got to give the Packers credit though, they proved 10-6 was better than 11-5.

 

[maryamchaudhary]

wow with very strong muscles look to be very nice and amazing here

 

[Big Sexy]

Oh yeah they only beat a crappy 7-9 team right ? I'm sorry, who dat lost to the only losing team to ever make the post-season ?

The Saints who played a poor game lost to the Seahawks in Seattle. Nice win for the Seahawks but they are a completely different team at home then on the road.

Bears didn't overachieve, they took the schedule they were given, pretty much identical to the Packers and won 11 out of 16 games. Its hard to win in this league, ask the Packers they barely made the playoffs. Got to give the Packers credit though, they proved 10-6 was better than 11-5.

The Bears also got 2 wins from questionable calls and one win from the Packers shooting themselves in the foot. They did what they had to and did good with the schedule they were given but they sure as fuck were not the second best team in the NFC. They were overrated last year and obviously this year as well because they have shown they aren't an elite NFC team.

 

[GI Cake]

The Saints who played a poor game lost to the Seahawks in Seattle. Nice win for the Seahawks but they are a completely different team at home then on the road.

Who are you to take away from what Seattle has done in the post-season? They beat the Saints, something not many people were able to say last season, even with home field.

The Bears also got 2 wins from questionable calls and one win from the Packers shooting themselves in the foot.

Last Sunday, the officials took away 14 points from the Chicago Bears against the Green Bay Packers which lead them to lose. Does that take away from Green Bay being a elite Superbowl team? No, of course not. You can call Chicago's one win against Green Bay "Green bay hurting themselves" But lets take a look at the stats. Jay Cutler threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. That game was just as much of Chicago winning it as Green Bay was giving it away.

They did what they had to and did good with the schedule they were given but they sure as fuck were not the second best team in the NFC.

No one ever said they were the second best team in the NFC.

They were overrated last year and obviously this year as well because they have shown they aren't an elite NFC team.

Do I need to pull out my dictionary? No one expected them to win 5 games, then they end up going to the NFC Championship game. That is called underrated. Chicago has faced 3 playoff teams in the first week and lost 2 very hard fought games against playoff caliber teams. Carolina will be a good measure of Chicago's defense when the Offense is not up against a top 5 Defensive unit.

 

[Big Sexy]

Who are you to take away from what Seattle has done in the post-season? They beat the Saints, something not many people were able to say last season, even with home field.

I'm not taking anything away from their victory, I was merely stating that the Seahawks at home were a completely different team then on the road. Including the playoffs last year they were 6-3 at home and 2-7 on the road. They were a competitive team at home and a shit team on the road.

Last Sunday, the officials took away 14 points from the Chicago Bears against the Green Bay Packers which lead them to lose. Does that take away from Green Bay being a elite Superbowl team? No, of course not. You can call Chicago's one win against Green Bay "Green bay hurting themselves" But lets take a look at the stats. Jay Cutler threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. That game was just as much of Chicago winning it as Green Bay was giving it away.

Green Bay outplayed Chicago last week. Last year when the Bears won early in the season they were outplayed for the most part, they just benefited from Green Bay committing stupid penalties. A wins obviously a win but when it really came down to it in the NFC Title game the Packers proved they were definitely superior.

No one ever said they were the second best team in the NFC.

There were a ton of Chicago fans saying that last year when the Bears made the NFC Title game and had the second best record in the NFC.

Do I need to pull out my dictionary? No one expected them to win 5 games, then they end up going to the NFC Championship game. That is called underrated. Chicago has faced 3 playoff teams in the first week and lost 2 very hard fought games against playoff caliber teams. Carolina will be a good measure of Chicago's defense when the Offense is not up against a top 5 Defensive unit.

And exactly what the fuck does what people thought of them last year before the season have to do with them being over or under rated right now? At the start of last year they were underrated. Once people started hopping on the bandwagon and calling them an elite team in the NFC they became overrated and that is where they stand now. Losing by double digits in each of the last two weeks to actual elite NFC teams has shown that.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

The Bears could win 3 or 12 games this years and all I would do is shrug. They have some of the best weapons in the NFL on offense (Cutler, Forte), defense (Peppers, Urlacher) and special teams (Hester) but they have a huge weakness in their O-Line and their wide-outs are inconsistent.

Any facet of the team can win a game for the Bears. The weapons I mentioned have big play capability but I feel like they live and die on big plays and they are not going to win many games again that way. They were also seriously hampered by the new kickoff rule.

It's too hard to make predictions or rate this team, especially when they play in such a solid division. I'm going to call them unrated.