Chicago is one of those teams...and has pretty much always been since I started watching back in '85 when they crushed my Pats in SB XX, one of those teams that has not been QB-centric. They usually have at best an above average QB with great other pieces (the '85 team had a crushing defense and Sweetness himself running the ball...I still have nightmares, but Jim McMahon was an average QB) and sometimes you can find success like the aforementioned '85 Bears as well as the '00 Ravens and the '02 Bucs but I feel that most of the time you need at least a good QB to have consistent success.
Case in point, the Bears wouldn't return to the SB until '06 with Grossman (who is now 2-0 with the Redskins, go figure) and sure they made it to the NFC Championship last year, but with yet another average QB (Cutler). The Bears won't have a consistent run until they get a better QB.
Berman just said Brady has had the two biggest back-to-back passing weeks since the AFL/NFL merger. Brady is one of the greatest QB's ever and the Patriots have been consistently successful, even with at times a weak running game.
A couple of teams I am keeping my eyes on are Detroit and Carolina. Detroit can snatch a Wild Card spot this year and I think they will definitely make the playoffs next year with Stafford and Megatron and once Cam Newton learns how to control himself the Panthers will have a nice long run of success. This won't happen for a few seasons because Newton is green and making too many key mistakes and the Panthers are in a super tough division with New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa.
If you would have told me that the not only would the Pats be 2-0 going into Week 3 against Buffalo but the Bills would be as well I would have laughed. Unfortunately it looks like I will have to find a stream on Sunday because I doubt my local TV will carry the game.
