First Thoughts On The '09 Schedule

Hello all -

Well, the 2009 NFL schedule has been released and it bodes well for our beloved Monsters. Not only do the Bears have the league's easiest schedule (thanks, '08 Lions), the division games all seem fairly spaced out - at least, a little better than in some previous years. At any rate, if you haven't yet seen the schedule, here it is (all times CST):

Sept 13 @Green Bay 7:20pm SNF
Sept 20 Pittsburgh 3:15pm
Sept 27 @Seattle 12 noon
Oct 4 Detroit 12 noon
Oct 11 Bye Week
Oct 18 @Atlanta 7:20pm SNF
Oct 25 @Cincinnati 12 noon
Nov 1 Cleveland 12 noon
Nov 8 Arizona 12 noon
Nov 12 @San Francisco 7:20pm NFLN Thurs.
Nov 22 Philadelphia 7:20pm* SNF
Nov 29 @Minnesota 12 noon*
Dec 6 St. Louis 12 noon*
Dec 13 Green Bay 12 noon*
Dec 20 @Baltimore 12 noon*
Dec 28 Minnesota 7:30pm MNF
Jan 3 @Detroit 12 noon*

* - subject to 'flex' scheduling

I LOVE the Steelers coming to town for the home opener! This is a great early test of how the Bears stack up against an elite team. I do subscribe to John Madden's theory that one can't really tell how a team shapes up until after Week 4. This being the case, I think it's crucial to get off to a good start and rack up wins early. I'm sure Brian Urlacher is complaining about the number of prime-time games but that is the price of being a marquee team with renewed buzz throughout the league. I'll go out on a limb and say the Bears will finish 12-4 with losses to Atlanta in Week 6, Arizona in Week 9, Minnesota in Week 12, and Baltimore in Week 15. The schedule release has whetted my appetite for football even further! Can't wait to be standing in that Soldier Field parking lot on September 20, drink in hand and anticipating a GREAT season of Bears football!