IF YOU’RE A BEARS FAN,YOU HAVE TO LIKE . . .
Rashied Davis: Two touchdowns in as many games, tops on the team with six catches. Davis has accounted for 30 percent of all Bears yardage through two games, with 265 of 868.The undersized wideout even gains yardage on his drops, having drawn a taunting penalty from a mouthy Charger after one got away.
New old guys: Thomas Jones and Muhsin Muhammad are expected to be back for all or part of Game 3 on Friday against Arizona, when starters will play the most in the exhibition season. The two accounted for nearly 60 percent of the Bears’ points by offensive position players last season and more than half the offensive yards. C’mon in, fellas; Rex has been waiting for you.
Clarity: Coaches are leaving no room for a quarterback issue. If Lovie Smith’s statements are to be taken at face value, Rex Grossman will be the opening-day starter. Period. And every indication is that Cedric Benson will be the featured back.
Devin Hester: Three fair catches without a drop, two of three punt returns longer than 20 yards and a recovered fumble. Bernard Berrian is listed as the No. 1 punt returner, but he has played both games without returning a punt. When Hester’s ability to read blocks becomes second nature, he might be worth considering.
The defense: The No. 1 group has allowed no drive longer than 55 yards in 10 opposing possessions for 283 yards through two exhibitions. And 45 of the 55 yards on San Diego’s drive came on one run. Neither the 49ers nor the Chargers managed more than three first downs on a possession. And this is with bad tackling and no Mike Brown on Friday.
. . . BUT YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
No QB competition: The coaches’ clear choice at quarterback is Grossman. Never mind that Brian Griese has run the offense for four series, and three have finished in the end zone. He is averaging 13.63 yards per pass play, one of the most telling indicators of NFL success. But Griese has never driven a team into the playoffs. The Bears are betting Grossman will.
Limiting Peterson: Adrian Peterson was one of the best No. 2 tailbacks in the NFL last season. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and has a 4.7 career average. But he is at just 1.9 yards this exhibition season. More consistency in the passing game would take off pressure, but Peterson’s struggles have highlighted the need to use Benson or Jones as the lead dog and leave Peterson as the change-of-pace back.
Line control: A running team averaging just shy of 3 yards per carry does not reflect the kind of dominance by an offensive line the Bears must have. The first unit has yielded only one sack. But center Olin Kreutz said: “I know we’re nowhere close. We’ve got to get to where we want to be. [The regular season] is coming fast, and we need to get there.”
The Favre factor: Receivers know they are in play with Grossman, whether or not they are part of the planned progression of a play, and that Grossman will attempt throws that many lots of other passers wouldn’t, similar to Brett Favre. But Grossman threw a bad interception Friday reminiscent of his pass into triple coverage in his return last year against Atlanta. Grossman needs to eliminate the turnovers that raised doubts about Favre last season.
Tackling: The defense is showing signs of its classic power but almost to a man pleaded guilty to poor tackling. Smith eschewed a lot of hitting in camp, so the defensive players need to return the favor and tackle like they actually have done some in camp.
