Bears Prep For 2010 With New Schedule, Draft
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Apr 21, 2010 4:40PM
It's a busy week for the NFL as the league desperately grasps for some off-season attention. On Tueaday, the league released its schedule for the 2010 season, meaning we finally know who, when and where the Bears will be playing this fall. As always, they'll face division rivals Detroit, Green Bay and Minnesota twice. They'll also play the NFC East and AFC East. Rounding out the final two opponents are the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks. For the first time since 2004, they'll open at home when they host the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on September 12. The Bears wrap the season on the frozen tundra, facing the Packers at Lambeau Field on January 2. For the first time in the team's history, they'll be playing an international regular season game as the Buffalo Bills host the Bears in Toronto on November 7. In spite of a subpar year in '09, the Bears still managed to land as many prime time games as the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. The Bears host Green Bay on Monday Night Football September 27 and also play the Vikings on Monday Night on December 27. On October 3, the Giants will host the Bears in the Sunday prime time game. November 18's meeting with the Dolphins is a Thursday night game.
Michael McCaskey Stepping Down
Bears chairman Michael McCaskey has announced he's stepping down after the 2010 season. He'll be succeeded by his brother George. And if the Bears don't improve after last season's underwhelming performance, more front office changes might be coming.
NFL Draft
The NFL has changed up its draft format for 2010 to make it more TV friendly. We guess they received too many complaints from wives and girlfriends about eating up an entire weekend with draft coverage, and decided to move the early rounds to prime time. The first round kicks off on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening, the second and third rounds will take place starting at 5 p.m. By Saturday, only the most hard core draft fans will be tuning in as the teams pick for rounds four through seven. So what can we expect?
For Bears fans, this will be a fairly quiet draft. The Bears have no picks in the first or second rounds, thanks to last year's trades for Jay Cutler and the late Gaines Adams. They'll make their first selection with the 11th pick of the third round (75th overall). Currently, the team holds five picks -- one in each round from third to seventh but the NFL's draft day is always a big swap-o-rama, so that might change as the event unfolds. Look for the Bears to focus on the secondary early, as they have holes to fill at safety and cornerback. They also still need help on the offensive line, and could be looking to land a center as Olin Kreutz ages. Perhaps GM Jerry Angelo can work his late round magic, but he clearly approached this off-season as one to retool via free agency. We'll break down the Bears' draft picks next Monday.