Fairy. I replied in your post last week warning you to take the Panthers in Chicago. I said that the Bears defense was the best in the NFL in my opinion and they played like it yesterday. I played the Bears ML and won a decent amount of $ yesterday. However, Im not sold on them this weekend. This doesent look like a good spot for them. They were obviously extremely pumped up yesterday after having to listen to the media, even local media, slam the Bears all week and not giving them any chance of winning that game. That was the most inspired I have seen them play in a long time. It would not surprise me if they had a let down this week. TB is a very good defense witht the same MO as the Bears. They play good defense, try to create as many turnovers as possible and they try to run the ball down your throat on offense. The Bears may still win this game because like I said before, they have the best defense in the entire NFL, but this will be a tough game for them, especially on the road. The one thing that could lead to a Bears win this weekend is the inexperience of Chris Simms. The Bears defense will put a lot of pressure on him and they fly around the field. This will be the fastest defense Simms has had to face in his young career. You saw what happened to an experienced QB in Delhomme when he got pressured. He threw 2 picks and was sacked 8 times. Simms could be in real trouble if the same pressure is applied. However, if TB can run the ball effectively, it will negate the ability to put pressure on Simms and then Bears could struggle.
Once again, Im not trying to encourage/discourage you from making any bets, Im just providing my perspective as a long time Bears fan, and a local, who usually has a good feel for how the Bears will play from week to week. Good luck in whatever you play.