| | | | | | | |  Friday, October 4, 2002
Packers and Bears must fill in holes
By Melissa Stark
Special to ABC Sports Online
The rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears is as old as the league itself. I'm thrilled to have a matchup like this on Monday Night Football (ABC, 9 p.m. ET). It will be the first time the Bears have been on MNF since 1997.
It's the 163rd matchup between them, and of course there is so much history there. If you talk to any of the players or coaches, that's what they talk about. Brett Favre, Mike Sherman -- they tell you it's as big as it gets.
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Banged up:
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It is going to be a busy night for me on Monday because there are so many injuries. Because of that, it's going to be very hard to predict who is going to win. Neither team can remember the last time that they had so many injuries. Bubba Franks (sprained knee), Antuan Edwards (out, broken arm), Tyrone Williams (bruised ribs), David Martin (concussion), Marco Rivera (sprained knee), Terry Glenn (migraines), Javon Walker (bruised thigh). It's crazy. The Bears could be without four starters on defense due to injury. The list is endless.
--Melissa Stark
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Favre has the Bears' number. He has had more success against the Bears than any other team in the NFL (16-4 since 1992). He is such a great player. He's what football is all about. It will be his 162nd consecutive start. I talked to former coaches Bill Walsh and Don Shula this week about how amazing that streak is. It is Ripkenesque. There's not much you can compare it to in football.
I remember Dan Marino saying that of all of his accomplishments, playing in 145 consecutive games stood out the most. But because of the strike in 1987, there were three games that he did not play in, so that streak will not go in the record books.
This week's Packers-Bears game is even bigger than it has been in the past. With realignment this season, division games have become so much more crucial since you only play six division games, and with the Vikings and Lions down, this game is huge for the NFC North.
The Packers have a one-game lead over Chicago right now, and they would have full control of the division if they won this week, but Mike Sherman said it's too early to be counting on that and getting excited about it. Yet clearly this game is important.
|  | | Donald Driver has become a fan favorite with his career-high four touchdown catches. |
Donald Driver has really emerged for the Packers this season. He is the most experienced receiver in the system, but Favre will be the first person to say that they did everything they could to get rid of him. As a restricted free agent last season, he would have made more in his signing bonus alone from the Chiefs than he will make this entire season in Green Bay. He gambled by staying, and it looks like it is paying off. He's tied for the NFC lead with four touchdown receptions. Sherman is kicking himself that he didn't play Driver more last year because he's been terrific.
But the rest of the receiving corps is banged up, although Terry Glenn (migraines) and Javon Walker (bruised thigh) should play this week.
On the flip side, the Bears could be without four starters. Ted Washington and Warrick Holdman are definitely out, R.W. McQuarters is likely and Phillip Daniels is questionable. It is going to be hard to get any pass rush going for Chicago.
There will be a lot of young guys filling in, and they are expecting a lot from rookie defensive end Alex Brown. Chicago coach Dick Jauron told me that Brown was the steal of the draft. His character was in question coming out of Florida, but they haven't seen any problems. They have been very happy with his development.
On offense, last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Anthony Thomas is not putting up the same numbers as last season. Last year, he averaged 4.3 yards per carry, and this year, it's just 3.0. They are having trouble running the ball, and Thomas says that he's thinking too much and overanalyzing it.
There won't be any change in Chicago's philosophy, though. The Bears are a run-oriented team, and it will come down to the offensive line. Pat Williams and Chidi Ahanotu of the Bills said the Bears' offensive line wasn't tough enough last week, so the challenge has been issued. The Bears cut out that article and hung it up in their lockers.
The Packers know that the Bears want to run the ball, and they are not concerned with the explosive gains. The Packers want to get them in third-and-long stiatuons, where the Bears are not comfortable. That is their plan. Tune in Monday night to see how it all turns out.
Melissa Stark is Monday Night Football's sideline reporter and a regular contributor to ABC Sports Online.
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