It's all about the QBs here, Carolina's Cam Newton and the Bears' Jay Cutler.
Carolina Panthers
Last season: A tale of two halves. The Panthers were simply brutal in their first seven games, losing six, though they had more than their fair share of close defeats. However, they finished strong, winning five of their last six, saving coach Ron Rivera's job. Whether that was a good thing or not we'll find out real soon.
This season: The Panthers have a lot things to like. Cam Newton is a fantastic QB, and the team's leading rusher to boot, and if Steve Smith can nab a few more TDs, they could turn those narrow defeats into wins. In virtually every category the Panthers scream 'average' so it would take very little improvement to their 2012 record (7-9) into a winning one.
Verdict: That said, it would also take very little for that to slip to an even worse record. The Panthers have the toughest schedule of all 32 teams this year and divisional rivals New Orleans will be much stronger. A similar record, maybe 8-8, seems likely, and that won't be enough to make the post-season.
Chicago Bears
Last season: Another year where the Bears thought they'd found the missing piece to the jigsaw that is their offence, only to see it not really work out for them as they missed out on the playoffs for the seconds straight season.
This season: Brandon Marshall is going to be a great weapon for them again, and possibly even more so this year than he was last. Alshon Jeffrey is in his second year, and had a decent showing last season, but word on the street is that he has really impressed in preseason and training camp, and they're expecting big things from him.
New head coach Marc Trestman is in charge after Lovie Smith was somewhat unexpectedly fired, and he comes in with a reputation as an offensive innovator. However, he also arrives straight form Canada, and hasn't been in the NFL in the best part of a decade, which is a slight worry.
The offensive line that Jay Cutler has in front of him is still a point of concern, as it has been for the past few years, and if he ends up on his ass as much as he has been the norm, then you won't be seeing too much of his undoubted talent. That said, he's got one year left until he's a free agent, so this year he could either play like a man possessed while looking to get picked up by someone else, or in the hope that the Bears overpay for his services.
Matt Forte is also still going to be a beast with carries, and if Trestman can create some interesting plays, both Forte and Cutler could be great. They've also added Martellus Bennett at TE, which could work out well too. On defence, Brian Urlacher, who was to the Bears what Lewis was to the Ravens, is gone, and took a big part of the leadership in the locker room with him. The burden of leadership might well fall to Julius Peppers, who is, and we mean this in the nicest way possible, a genetic freak. He's a scary talent, and could lead the defence to a good season. They've also still got Charles 'Punch It Out' Tillman, so things aren't too bleak on the other side of the ball.
Verdict: Even though there are some positive points, all the signs point to there not being an improvement on last year's record. The head coach is essentially an unknown, and we get the vibe Jay Cutler just doesn't care enough. We'd like to be as optimistic as the famous Super Fans of Saturday Night Live are of DA BEARS, but we simply can't be. Maybe a .500 season, but to be honest, they're a complete surprise package since there has been so much change.
