Big key: Where Benson is at in Week 5 and beyond
Q. In 2005, the day the NFL schedule was released, you picked the Bears to go 11-5 and make the playoffs, which they did. Last year you predicted 13-3 and a trip to the Super Bowl, which also happened. What about this season?
A. 11-5 and they win the Super Bowl.
Q. What's the biggest concern that could prevent them from falling short of that?
A. I want to see what Cedric Benson's mentality is in Games 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. It's easy to get excited about the first game, the first home game. But then the monotony of everyday abuse sets in. It's a very abusive position, but you have to be ready, willing and able to go every Sunday. It's similar to what everybody went through with Rex (Grossman) and his whole scenario of starting 16 games last season. What's going to happen down the road?
Q. Any concern on your part that there isn't a proven workhorse behind Benson as there was when Benson was behind Jones?
A. No, because they have a guy who's respected in the locker room as much as any player on the team, and that's Adrian Peterson. He's given the effort on special teams, and he's showed the desire that he has.
And the couple of plays that Garrett Wolfe made in the Cleveland (preseason) game, he showed how elusive he can be in the open field and how he can contribute in certain situations.
And when you talk about a player who was drafted as high as Cedric was, you have to look at 1,200-plus yards out of him.
Q. What will be the most pleasant individual surprise on this year's team?
A. I think the guy who can make the biggest difference, by the way he carries himself and the effort he's been giving, is Dusty Dvoracek. If he can compete at the same level he did through preseason, he brings a lot with him. Like Steve McMichael used to say, "He's got some swagger."
To create more competition on the defensive line is always better for the football team, and he's created competition there with Anthony Adams, Darwin Walker and Tommie Harris.
Q. What is the key matchup today?
A. Identifying, communicating and blocking Shawne Merriman because he is a great player. You have to identify his whereabouts, but he also opens the door for other players.
Jamal Williams is a heck of a nose guard, (outside linebacker) Shaun Phillips is a heck of a pass rusher, and he can do a lot of things. But Merriman can create the "uh-oh" blocks, where you miss him and then, as you're watching him go after the quarterback, you're saying, "uh-oh." Merriman riles up the whole stadium; he gets everybody going.
Q. Will the Bears ever leave their offensive tackles alone to block Merriman 1-on-1 without help?
A. You're going to have to. Eventually (left tackle) John Tait, (tight end) Desmond Clark and (right tackle) Fred Miller will all be assigned to him 1-on-1 because of the way the Chargers can put pressure on their opponents and how they can use their scheme to make sure they get Merriman in a 1-on-1 battle.
Q. What can the Bears do to slow his pass rush or to take advantage of it?
A. You're going to have to try to run the ball right at him, make him be involved in the abusive part of the game, don't always let him pursue from behind.
And, in the passing game, you're going to have to be able to get the ball out of the quarterback's hand quickly. Use Cedric Benson as a receiver because he has very good hands and he can get some open-field scenarios, and get the ball to Desmond Clark. It's the way you pace your pass protection, making sure they don't have to hold their blocks for four seconds.
Q. How close do you believe Tommie Harris is to 100 percent?
A. To go 100 percent, running one sprint straight ahead, I think he's ready to go. But, when fatigue sets in, are you mentally strong enough to overcome it, and are you confident enough that your body is willing to accept the fatigue and still push it for the 100 percent that it can give?
I still think there's a little bit of the mental part of the game that he's got to overcome this week.