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Trestman’s offense boosts Bears’ playoff chances

The Chicago Bears are now 3-0 and even though 75 percent of the NFL teams that start out this way make the playoffs, there is still plenty of work to be done with 13 regular-season games left.

With respect to former defensive-minded head coach Lovie Smith, this is what can happen when you pay as much attention to offense as you do to defense. Hoping for turnovers and playing not to lose, Smith managed to win 10 games, but was shown the door.

At the time of his firing, I felt he should have been brought back, but I can’t say that anymore.

With players such as Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler, Trestman is personally directing the offense and producing results. General manager Phil Emery knew he wasn’t getting enough results from his unit and had to make a change.

In Sunday’s victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cutler didn’t throw for 350 yards, Forte didn’t run for 150 yards and Marshall didn’t catch 10 balls, and even though the pedestrian numbers from that game are similar to what they were under Lovie Smith, there were two major differences.

First, you can’t predict what play Trestman is going to call, and you could with Lovie. Second, the new offensive line with Kyle Long and Jordan Mills has been a revelation, and for the most part Jay Cutler’s uniform has stayed pretty clean, unlike in past seasons.

Now don’t forget the Bears started out fast last year at 7-1, but as I watched all the games on Sunday I wondered which of the undefeated NFC teams seems the most complete at this point: the Bears, the Seattle Seahawks or the New Orleans Saints.

I enraged Seattle fans by stating Sunday night on my national Fox Sports radio show that it would be the Saints and the Bears in the NFC Finals. You would have thought these two teams were 0-3 the way the Seahawks fans carried on.

Look at the Bears: good special teams play with a great kicker in Robbie Gould, a rejuvenated Devin Hester and a defense with playmakers like Charles Tillman, Tim Jennings, Major Wright and Lance Briggs.

While the defense won’t collect three or four turnovers for every game, the offense will have great days as the season progresses. I see a team that can go deep into the playoffs and possibly to the big game.

So buckle up and get ready for what could be a memorable season, but first things first — we have Detroit on Sunday at Detroit.

I’m not worried!

Program notes:I will be filling in for Fox Sports radio from 6-9 p.m. Friday. Check me out on XM 247, iHeart radio or Fox Sports radio.Listen to The Mike North Pregame Show from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday on WIND 560-AM, The Answer.Ÿ Mike North#146;s column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.

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