New year, yes, but same old Bears' issues

The seasons in which there is very little reason to be optimistic going in are often the seasons that carry great surprise.

So feel free to lean on that possibility, if it makes you feel any better about the 2008 Chicago Bears.

The truth is it's tough to ward off pessimism, especially when the cynic in you thinks the only reason the Bears brought back Rex Grossman was because they intend to hand him the job again.

And if that's the case, we all know where this is going, especially when his supporting cast may be the worst he's had yet.

Of course the Bears want you to believe there will be a legit QB derby this time around, and if it occurs it will be the first time the club has asked Grossman to compete for a job - in his five-year professional career.

On the other hand, lumping Kyle Orton in with Grossman using any scale is patently unfair.

Orton has shown to be capable of managing a game, and even making a throw.

Unlike Grossman, he can take a hit and won't throw the ball up for grabs or offer Grossman's Three Stooges routine every time the pass rush is hot.

There's reason enough to project that Orton could be an above-average NFL quarterback with some time on the field to learn, but since he's never gotten a chance to prove himself, it makes you wonder how anyone can judge him.

And if he's half the player he was at Purdue, he will have a nice NFL career.

Proving it this year is going to be tough, because the Bears' offense has an opportunity to be dreadful, and since draft day the Bears have acted like a team flushing this season and preparing for free agency 2009.

The shame of it is, it's a mistake to flush any NFL season with the league as parity-stricken as ever and divisions wide open, even the NFC North.

The Lions are the Lions, and the Packers' soap opera can't end well, regardless of which way the world turns.

The Vikings seem to be loaded, but with Tarvaris Jackson as their quarterback (9 TDs, 12 INTs in '07), the 2007 Vikings became the first team in 25 years - since the 1982 Lions - to miss the playoffs despite having the best rushing game and best rush defense in the NFL.

If that sounds impossible, it just about is, but shaky QB play cost them the postseason, and if that sounds familiar, it should.

This year the Vikes are dumbing down the offense, something else that ought to sound familiar, and if their QB is just decent, Minnesota will play in January, yet one more phrase that ought to sound sickeningly familiar.

Meanwhile, the Bears should be in most games if Devin Hester, Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown can stay healthy, and they might even win half the schedule if all three play as you know they can.

So there you have it, on a day the Bears report to Bourbonnais.

If a whole lotta things go well, the Bears could win as many as they lose, and that would put them right on the fringe of the postseason.

And with some decent QB play, they might even sneak in.

This many years into the Grossman experiment, why does so much of this sound hauntingly familiar?

Haviland on way?

If you've the feeling that the Blackhawks ought to have their next head coach on staff in case anything goes haywire this year, you might be right.

That guy ought to be Rockford coach Mike Haviland, who's going to be in the NHL real soon if the Hawks don't do something to keep him, and some in the organization believe it's one reason he's headed to Chicago as an assistant this summer.

Haviland is a power-play expert, something the Hawks lack, though he's solid in all phases of the game and knows how to run a training camp, another necessity. On top of that, he has developed most of the Hawks' young players and knows the best way to utilize them.

There's going to be a lot of pressure on the club to get out of the gate quickly, with expectations very high and a deep playoff run an absolute must.

GM Dale Tallon's gotten much praise for his moves lately, but getting the next head coach on staff, should he need him, would be his smartest move yet.

Congrats

To former Hawk Danny Richmond, for escaping the circus of the last couple of years and perhaps giving him a chance to play in Pittsburgh.

Tiger tales

ESPN and ABC tried so hard to convince us that we didn't need to see Tiger Woods to have a compelling British Open, that all they did was remind us that Tiger Woods was unavailable to make it a compelling British Open.

The suddenly youthful Greg Norman, and Padraig Harrington repeating despite a wrist injury, did provide a mildly interesting Sunday, but by bringing up Tiger's name every five minutes, you also couldn't help but wonder how much fun it would have been to see him bag the driver and still win the Open Championship by 7 or 8 shots.

Best observation

E-mailer Arlington Heights John points out that since the Brewers have no chance to re-sign CC Sabathia, it gives them an advantage in one sense. They have no interest in his future beyond October, so they also have no incentive to watch his pitch count in 2008 and can milk every possible pitch out of him now.

That'll work

Comedian Alex Kaseberg: "Pacman Jones announced he is dropping his nickname and going by his given name, Adam. In an equally effective move, Trenton, New Jersey, just changed its name to Malibu, California.''

Best headline

Sportspickle.com: "Maple bats to be completely drained of syrup before being cleared for play.''

And finally -

Mark Kriegel of foxsports.com, on the Chiefs' Tony Gonzalez saving a man with the Heimlich maneuver: "Question is, will he be able to do the same for Herm Edwards?"

brozner@dailyherald.com