No ifs ands or buts — Bears are flat-out good

Graduation Day … Validation Day … Glorification Day …

Call it what you want, but the Bears took a giant leap into credibility late Sunday afternoon.

This was this team's first victory that didn't come with a big, fat, old “but.”

Other teams have been the rage of the NFC this season. The Saints were coming in, then the Giants, then the Packers, then the Falcons.

Atlanta still is at the head of the conference's class by virtue of a 9-2 record and a validation victory of its own over Green Bay on Sunday.

But the Bears are 8-3 and in the team picture of quality teams after a 31-26 victory over the Eagles in Soldier Field.

How did this happen? Well, the Bears' offense has started looking like Bears' offenses rarely looked the past, oh, century or so.

For a few weeks quarterback Jay Cutler said the Bears would be a good team when the offense caught up to the club's defense.

That's what happened on this day, whether for just a day or for good. The Bears outscored the Eagles, establishing season highs in both points scored and points allowed.

More than anything, the Bears made it look like offensive coordinator Mike Martz's system can be all it can be.

“I don't think we're anywhere near where we want to be,” veteran center Olin Kreutz objected. “We're trying to improve every week.”

That has to frighten the rest of the NFL, even if the Bears' remaining schedule includes Super Bowl contenders the Jets, Patriots and Packers.

The Bears sure did appear close to complete against the Eagles, championship hopefuls themselves.

Bears wide receivers ran free. With the defense spread thin by the passing game, the Bears rushed for 131 yards on a 4.7 average.

Then there was Cutler. Boy, was there ever Cutler. His steady improvement in Martz's offense enjoyed a pronounced growth spurt against the Eagles.

No, this wasn't The Greatest Show on Turf, as Martz's offense was labeled in St. Louis while reaching two Super Bowls and winning one.

But it wouldn't be wrong to refer to it as, say, The Greatest Show on Loose Turf outdoors on Soldier Field's slippery November grass, a bit slower for sure but danged dangerous just the same.

“It's pretty close,” said wide receiver Earl Bennett about whether the Martz attack was nearing completion.

Cutler, Bennett, Kreutz and the rest are experiencing their first season in Martz's complex system and progress finally is starting to be measured in light-years rather than yards.

“We're getting there,” Cutler said after outplaying the fabled Michael Vick. “There still are some things happening that we have to clean up. You can just tell that we're young in the offense ... we just haven't grasped it yet.”

The Bears certainly didn't overwhelm the Eagles with statistics and style points, but they did with efficiency and execution. Penalties didn't nullify big plays and turnovers didn't end long drives.

The Bears are scoring in the red zone now, running the ball well, playing at a nice tempo and overall showing signs of what might be.

“I would definitely say our arrow is pointing up,” head coach Lovie Smith said.

If the Bears' offense continues to catch up to the defense, there's no telling how high the arrow will reach.

Heck, the Bears might earn a postgraduate degree sooner than later.