Training Camp Opens Today

Nothing takes my mind off a last place White Sox team quite like Bears training camp, which opens today in Bourbonnais. I know I’ve written a lot about basketball and the Bulls for this site, but the Bears have always had a slight advantage over them and the Sox for my favorite team. Here are some quick thoughts on some key players going into camp:

Grossman: I really think Rex is poised for a huge year. Last year, people focused on the negatives so much, they forgot about all the good things he did. Sure, he threw 20 interceptions, and that’s not good. But in his first full season as a starter, he also threw over 20 touchdowns, something that doesn’t happen very often. Say what you will about Rex, and everyone has, but one thing I love about him is his confidence. A mentally weak quarterback would have crumbled late last season facing all the pressure Grossman did. Remember how bad the media pressure got after his 0.0 QB rating suckfest the final regular season game of the year against Green Bay? He put that behind him and played two real good playoff game right after that. I have a feeling this is the year Grossman proves to everyone he’s for real and establishes himself as a top 5 NFC quarterback. If he can cut down on the interceptions- which will happen, there is no chance in hell he throws 20 again- to say 13 or 14, the Bears should be right with the very best of the conference. Also, don't be surprised if the Bears become a passing team this year....

Benson: Thomas Jones might be one of my five favorite Bears of my life time. He was fantastic; basically the only offensive player the Bears could rely on the past two seasons. But the only reason he isn’t on this team is because he didn’t want to be. Do you really think Jerry Angelo wanted to trade him? Of course not, the combo of Jones and Benson worked far too well last year for him to want that. But Jones forced his way out of town, so now it’s Benson’s turn and he’s been getting a lot of negative publicity. Simmons said today on his podcast that the Bears have “5-11 written all over them” and that he hates Benson for fantasy purposes. Maybe the Sports Guy should just stick to basketball. It’s almost like people forget everything Benson accomplished at Texas, where he was one of the most dominant college running backs of his generation. Benson is virtually guaranteed of being good this season, he’s more talented then Jones, who rushed for 1,210 yards last year. I’d expect at least that many yards from Benson this season with more touchdowns because he’s better in short yardage situations. The only problem is that he’s kind of a head case. That Super Bowl injury was awfully suspicious and it’s well known that his teammates don’t really like him. I think part of the reason for that is because Jones was so beloved; a few 100 games by Cedric should erase that easily. Look for Cedric to get over 120 in the opener against KC. That should get his, and his teammates, confidence up for the rest of the season.

Briggs: It’ll be interesting to see how Briggs is greeted when he arrives in training camp on Sunday. The public really hated him the past few months, now he’s reneging on all his promises and coming to play for the Bears from day one. It’s pretty clear he won’t be with the Bears next season, what kind of impact will that have on the team? I can see him having another big year, hopefully his third straight pro bowl, but every time he misses a tackle he’s going to hear boos.