POSTED 11:15 p.m. EDT, August 3, 2006

PFT POWER RANKINGS:  NO. 9

Okay, we're doing our gosh-darnedest to get the last nine of these done by Sunday without phoning any/many them in.

Here's the newest.  Number 9. . . .  Number 9. . . .  Number 9. . . .  Number 9. . . . 

Who in the hell should we make . . . Number 9?

The Chicago Bears.

The Bears are the class of the NFC North, which is sort of like saying that Len Pasquarelli is the skinniest dude at the fat farm.  Yeah, they had a great year in 2005, but five of those 11 wins came against the other teams in their division.  The only loss within the NFC North was dropped on the Bears in a meaningless New Year's Day game at Minny, when most of the starters got a weekend off.

Then again, four of the wins came at the expense of the NFC South, which consists of three quality teams . . . and the Saints.

But facing an NFC South team when it really mattered -- at home in the playoffs -- the Bears couldn't hold serve. 

For the second time in their last two trips to the postseason.

This year, we don't see a much better team on paper.  Gone is cornerback Jerry Azumah.  Taking his place is cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr.  Brian Griese is in place to serve as the backup, in the unlikely event that Rex Grossman has a body part blown up at some point before Halloween.  (Of course, now that the Bears finally have a backup to Grossman who actually can throw the ball to open receivers, Grossman will be healthy from August until January.) 

And while the personnel is relatively the same (and perhaps a bit better), there's a sense of discontent hovering over several players on the team, most notably linebacker Lance Briggs, running back Thomas Jones, and cornerback Nathan Vasher.  All want more money, none are likely to get it.  And their discontent could pose a challenge in a locker room that to date has managed effectively some players with a relatively significant degree of turd potential.

The schedule's roughly the same this year from a difficulty standpoint, if not a little weaker.  The AFC North (against which the Bears were 1-3) is replaced by the AFC East (which probably is a 2-2 proposition).  The NFC South is swapped out with the NFC West (a/k/a Conference USA).

And then there are those six games against the other three squads in the NFC North.

We don't think that the Bears will have it as easy this year, primarily because they enter the season as the top dog in the division.  They start off with games at Green Bay, against the Lions, and at the Vikings. 

If they emerge from that three-pack with one win or fewer, the wheels could come off.

The defense is solid, as usual, and the offense could be suspect.  As usual.  Rex Grossman will be looking over his shoulder (if he can avoid dislocating it while doing so), and Thomas Jones' decision to stay away from offseason workouts likely has landed him in the doghouse.

 The receivers are still Muhsin Muhammad and a bunch of guys from the local flag football league.

They'll do well given their schedule, and likely will make the playoffs.  But this team isn't ready to make a run at the Super Bowl, and can't get past the best teams in the conference during the postseason.

Now for the fantasy grades.

Quarterback:  Rex Grossman has yet to show that he can be a consistent, productive starter.  We'd throw a late-round pick on Grossman, or on his backup Brian Griese, as a possible No. 2 for the fantasy team.

Running back:  Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones are likely going to swap roles this year, given Jones' dissatisfaction with his deal and a hamstring injury that is keeping him from getting reps in camp.  Ced-Ben gets a B-.

Wide receiver:  The presence of Rex Grossman and Brian Griese should help Muhsin Muhammad improve on a 750-yard debut in Chicago.  We expect him to rack up at least 1,100 yards, and at least eight scores.  He gets a B-.

Tight end:  The only way they'll be a real tight end on the Bears' offensive line is if center Olin Kreutz has resumed his jazzercise routines.

Defense:  Great unit.  Without question.  A.  Maybe A+.

Kicker:  Here's a good general rule for kickers.  If after looking up the name of a team's kicker you think that NFL.com might  have listed the wrong guy, it's time to look elsewhere.