advertisement

North: Can Cutler handle Houston's defensive pressure?

The Chicago Bears season seems like it has sneaked up on us, maybe because the buzz has been tempered by the Cubs taking center stage.

The team's NFL opener is in Houston on Sunday, and fan excitement is an automatic.

Playing the Bears might be just what the doctor ordered for Brock Osweiler and the Texans. Defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker and forgotten man Jadeveon Clowney have the Houston defense believing Osweiler is the quarterback to take the Texans to the playoffs.

Jay Cutler and newly signed offensive lineman Josh Sitton will try to keep it manageable, but Cutler is the guy who has to get it done because it will still take to time to develop some team chemistry.

With the first game of the season against a contender and a somewhat green QB, I'd like to see Cutler deliver a big game, though I don't ever recall "Big Game" Jay being a catch phrase for the Bears QB.

Osweiler has looked good under pressure, but most of his games last season were inconsistent.

It's actually better for the Bears that they are playing him in Texas. I would think a game in Chicago with a porous defense and a lack of skill players could create the perfect storm for Osweiler and a victory.

Hey, the Bears are getting six points and this game is winnable, but it's the Houston defense with Watt and company that will get the job done. Look for Houston to throw a lot of different defensive line schemes featuring stunting and blitzing to confuse the Bears offense.

Cutler has to be in command under that pressure and try to steal this game. If he can, the Bears will have some steam and being 1-0 would halt a lot of the second guessing to start the season.

Here's what I believe: John Fox knows how to coach and did a great job last year. Despite losing a few games that could have been won, I like that he was able coach up his talent. General manager Ryan Pace, however, is still cleaning up the mess left by the former GM Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman.

Every team starts 0-0 and although I'm feeling good about this game I believe the Bears will come up short with a 20-14 loss.

Program notes:

You can follow me on twitter @north2north. Listen to Andy Furman and myself Sunday mornings from 5-8 a.m. on Fox Sports radio, iHeart radio on your smartphone or Foxsportsradio.com.

• North'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.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.