Every week, former Bears fullback Jason McKie will tackle four questions facing the team. Some serious, some far from serious.
More Top Picks Beats Pill Plus
1. Some players feel pressure to live up to their contracts: true.
“Some players do because obviously with the media market we’re in, there’s always going to be some type of scrutiny. Jay Cutler, people like me are saying, ‘Hey, his contract was pretty much based on his potential to lead this team to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl; he has all the tools to be a great quarterback.’ But the thing that’s been a question about Jay Cutler throughout his entire career has been his consistency, his leadership and his intangibles.
When you look at it, some players do feel the expectation to live up to their contract, some players get their contract and they feel like they can relax, and some players, they have a down year because it’s like, ‘Hey, I worked my butt off and I got paid, now I can go out here and relax because I’m going to get paid regardless.’ [And] some players go out to prove that they’re deserving of a new contract—they want to get paid even more.”
2. Some players go out of their way to draft themselves on their fantasy teams: true and false.
“For me in fantasy football when I was playing [in the NFL], you’re not going to draft a fullback. I would look to see if my name was on the list, which it was, but I wasn’t going to draft me because I know I wasn’t going to get 20 or 30 carries a game. Yeah, I would get some goal line touchdowns, but you’re better off getting a player that’s gonna have the ball in his hands the majority of the game. I would say in my situation, [I would not draft myself]. But if I was Matt Forte, then yeah I would draft myself because if you’re going to bet on somebody, why not bet on yourself?”
3. The Bears offense must average 30 points per game to win the division (the defense allowed 29.9 last season): false.
“I’m going to out on a limb and say this defense will get better with the additions of Jared Allen and LaMarr Houston. I really think Houston’s going to be the [Bears’ defensive] MVP because 1) he’s a young guy and can get after the passer, and 2) he plays the run really well and that’s something people in Chicago haven’t been paying attention to. I think he’s the total package and that’s why the Bears spent so much in free agency to get him. So that’s why I’m going to say they’re not going to have to average 30 points a game. Will they be a Top 10 defense? I don’t think so, but if they’re somewhere in the middle of the pack, that’s better than what they were last year and the Bears won’t have to average 30 points.”
4. If the Bears lose to Buffalo, they don’t deserve to make the playoffs: false.
“Teams are still trying to find their identity. They’ve played four preseason games, but you look at the starters and they haven’t had ample time to play. Some teams jell faster than others. Buffalo may come in and on paper we should beat them, all the bookies in Vegas feel like the Bears should win this game easily, they’re heavily favored. But you’ve still got to go out there and play the game. If they do lose, they may get booed off the field, and the fans have every right because it’s the home opener, but at the end of the day you’ve still got 15 games and Buffalo’s not a division opponent, so it’s not really going to mean that much.
Former Bears fullback Jason McKie can be heard on “The Double J Show” from 2-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays on 87.7 FM The Game.
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye Sports’ Facebook page.