Dan Pompei

Last week's ranking in parentheses 1. 49ers (5): People don't want to believe this team can be this good with Alex Smith at quarterback. Believe it. 2. Patriots (3): This is what you call an overpowering offense. 3. Ravens (4): Joe Flacco was...

1. Packers: The addition of Cedric Benson could give the Packers a dimension they lacked. 2. Giants: They are a little beat up at cornerback, but their pass rush should be able to compensate while they get healthy. 3. Patriots: Questions about the...

With the NFL draft less than three weeks away, it's time to take a first stab at how things might shake out in the first round. At this point, NFL teams already have about 95 percent of the information that will influence whom they select. Now it's a...

I have seen the Bears' safety problem hang around for most of the post-Mike Brown era and now with the injuries to Brandon Hardin and Chris Conte. Could we see Peanut Tillman make the move to safety and have Kelvin Hayden slide into a starting...

Jay Cutler was sacked six times Sunday, which usually is grounds for putting the offensive line in solitary confinement with no visitation privileges. But a review of the tape revealed the big boys didn't play all that poorly. In fact, the linemen were...

The temptation is to define the man, or at least his body of work, by 140 character messages. Yes, the Colts' owner is an active and wildly popular tweeter with more than 180,000 followers. But the owner of the Colts is Jim Irsay, not @JimIrsay. That...

Mike Tice probably is more popular than any offensive coordinator in Bears history. Of course that could change Sunday on the Bears' first possession against the Colts, which also will be Tice's first chance in the job. Though the Bears don't have a...

We should not get too excited or upset about anything we see on a football field before the start of the regular season, with the possible exception of the Democratic National Convention at the Panthers' stadium. But it is a tad concerning that the...

ALBANY, N.Y. — When the Giants look in the mirror, what do they see? Is it the team that was 7-7 late last season, fighting for postseason survival as its coach was in danger of being fired? Or is it the team that finished with a flourish,...

BOURBONNAIS — If resiliency is a critical trait in a cornerback, Tim Jennings has an edge that distinguishes him. The player who was benched late last season and given the cold shoulder in free agency now enters Bears training camp as the most...

There is little doubt that, on paper, the Bears have a highly talented team. But how does their talent stack up against their competition? With that in mind, the Tribune asked five personnel evaluators from different teams who have studied the NFC North...

BOURBONNAIS — Brandon Marshall and Shea McClellin are not the only notable newcomers to the Bears' offensive and defensive meetings rooms. There is an elephant in the offensive meeting room — the contract situation of Jay Cutler. And there...