Rams Vs. Bears: A Closer Look At This Week's Opponent

Another week, another Q&A.

With Jay Cutler bein all Jay Cutler with one of his teammates last week, smoking aside, and offensive line changes afoot, I linked up with Dane Noble, the manager of Windy City Gridiron, SB Nation's community for fans of the Bears.

After the deflating loss to Green Bay last Thursday, the majority of coverage centered around Jay Cutler. That's understandable, and if nothing else, made for some good headlines for you guys over at WCG. Is there any reason to be concerned with the locker room? It sounds as if Cutler and Webb have moved on, publicly if nothing else. Is there any worry that the chemistry is now seriously upset and will impact anything on the field?

Lovie Smith doesn't deal with drama, and bad publicity is not something that he will tolerate. The Bears locker room is very tight, and anytime there has ever been drama with players, it always seems to just work itself out. The confrontation between Cutler and Webb was unfortunate, but not really significant. Webb was having another terrible game, and got chewed out about it from the guy that was taking all the punishment. Cutler isn't known to be Mr. Congeniality in the first place, so it's not like it hurt his reputation or anything. Something tells me this will get worked out in the locker room like always...

The rest of the Q&A after the jump.

The Bears' offensive line against Green Bay...yeah. Unless I missed something, Chilo Rachal's promotion at left guard is the only change on the O-line. How worried are you about the line this week?

It's gotten to the point that we don't really worry about the OL... We are pretty numb at this point. We have maybe two guys that should really be starting for us, but it is what it is. Former GM Jerry Angelo's philosophy for offensive linemen was just 'plug and play', without much regard to talent, and it will take a while for new GM Phil Emery to get us in better shape. Until then, we hold our breath when Cutler gets blitzed, and hope that he comes out alive.

Your defensive front seven is strong. Really strong. How would you categorize the secondary? I think the Rams are going to have to go to the air again this week in order to have a shot. Any apprehension about the Bears' passing defense as a whole?

The secondary is better than it was a couple seasons ago, and CB Tim Jennings has been this year's version of Johnny on the Spot. However, we still don't have the talent to sustain down-field coverage for very long, and depend HEAVILY on the front-4 getting pressure on the QB. If they do that, then the LBs can take care of the underneath routes, and force the QB to either make a bad decision or eat the dirt. However, if the QB pressure is not there, the secondary will get eaten alive.

Who's a surprise or under the radar player that you think Rams fans need to know about? How about someone who's poised for a breakout performance this week?

We have a few that come to mind... Rookie WR Alshon Jeffery (the guy is huge and has been likened to Brandon Marshall), DT Henry Melton (everyone focuses on Julius Peppers, but Melton has become a serious threat), and the previously mentioned CB Jennings. Those guys can each change the course of a game, and definitely worth keeping your eyes on.

I'm a big draft guy. If you had to project some needs for the Bears by the end of the season, what would be in your top tier?

Left Tackle, Left Guard, Right Guard, and Center. But that's just me. Honorable mention: CB and LB.

Thanks again to Dane for taking the time to answer these.