The moment of truth

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CHICAGO -- Poised on the precipice of a brand-new Chicago Bears regular season, I am filled with anticipation, curiosity and the excitement that accompanies every opening day. That, and a desire to add at least one more victory to my season-record prediction after watching the Minnesota Vikings, Thursday night.

I am also reminded of the sage words of Bears head coach Lovie Smith as he stepped under the Olivet Nazarene gazebo for the first time this year and told us, "I know what a good football team looks like. This is a good football team. Every week, everything will take care of itself."

He was right on one count. Every week, everything will take care of itself. The great majority of the time, the Bears will win if they deserve to win and, let us not forget, vice versa. That's usually how it works. And as much as we think we know what to expect from the season, each week will provide new clues and clear-cut answers to what will indeed unfold.

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Dennis Wierzbicki/US PresswireExpectations will be high for free-agent addition Julius Peppers.

The Lions game Sunday should tell us significantly more than we know now. But it will not tell us whether the Bears are a good football team. Though the Lions should be much-improved, they are not expected to roll into Soldier Field with a great offensive line and a reliable secondary.

The Lions' offense, like that of the Bears, is hopeful at best. It's hopeful that second-year quarterback Matthew Stafford will continue to mature; that the addition of No. 2 receiver Nate Burleson will make Calvin Johnson more dangerous; and that first-round draft pick Jahvid Best will make defenses honest.

I'm excited to see Julius Peppers in a real game. I'm dying to see how the Bears use him, what kind of support he receives up front and relieved that head coach Lovie Smith finally broke down and made the call at the other end spot and that we won't have to see Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije skip onto the field hand-in-hand for the Bears' first defensive series.

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said stopping Peppers (seven sacks and three forced fumbles in four career starts against the Lions) will be a priority, but made it sound more like the priority.

"It's going to be not just our front five," Schwartz said, "it's going to be our quarterback, it's going to be our tight ends, our running backs and it's also going to be our receivers being able to get open. ... That's a one-on-one matchup, but it's more than just a one-on-one matchup."

I am also more than a little curious to see how Brian Urlacher responds with a calf injury that kept him out of the final two preseason games and cut significantly into his practice time. Having built up a healthy bit of skepticism regarding Bears' injuries over the years and seeing how Urlacher's absence seemed to affect his team last season, every twinge is worthy of our attention.

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AP Photo/Paul Spinelli The Bears are hopeful Major Wright will be the answer to their problems at the safety position.

Meanwhile, rookie safety Major Wright, sidelined for half the preseason by a broken left index finger, said this week he was "full go" for Sunday. The level of enthusiasm among media and fans to that news tells you all you have to know about our confidence in the rest of the Bears' secondary.

Moving Wright into the lineup at free safety would probably not create any real adjustment for Chris Harris, who is more comfortable on the strong side. Strong safety Danieal Manning will likely shift back to nickel in place of D.J. Moore. But that might just be moving the proverbial deck chairs with an unproven rookie counted on to pick up all the slack for a unit largely responsible for the Bears' preseason woes on third down.

All the more reason Jay Cutler and the Bears' offense must deliver on their promise to show us wonders we can only imagine. If Cutler can escape veteran defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, he will still have to contend with rookie tackle Ndamukong Suh, who has already been fined for tossing around Cleveland quarterback Jake Delhomme in an unkind manner.

"His hype is well deserved," Bears center Olin Kreutz said of Suh.

But how about the hype Mike Martz's offense?

Though he has consistently improved the passing offense of teams with which he has worked, he has not automatically made them winners. Now is when we will find out not just if Martz means what he says but if he has said what he meant.

Will Matt Forte and Chester Taylor be utilized enough to keep them both effective and difference-making? Will Greg Olsen simply become a receiver? If so, is there enough room on the field, considering the Bears will need another tight end to help block.

Bears receivers insist good things are ahead and they should continue to improve.

"We definitely held some things back," Devin Aromashodu said of the preseason. "We're focusing on our opponents now. ... I think there will be some surprises. We know what we're capable of so we won't be surprised, but maybe fans will be."

Cutler said game week has been a lot more intense and detailed.

"It's a totally different ballgame right now," he said. "Mike is one of those game-planners that gets a great feel for defenses and is able to call plays when there's a high probability of getting the right defense."

Of course, the right play doesn't mean a whole bunch if the quarterback is running for his life.

"That's why we have Mike Tice here," Cutler said. "Mike is very sensitive to the issue of quarterbacks getting hit. We've talked about it many times. A lot of our stuff is timing. The ball is supposed to be out. And if everyone is doing their job and Mike [Martz] is giving us good plays, then the ball should be gone."

If and when the play breaks down, however, Cutler assures us he's going to go. "I'm not just going to sit in there and take a sack," he said.

I wonder if the Bears, frankly, are tough enough after another soft camp under Smith. And I wonder how long it will take for the discussion to focus on the coach's fate even though Smith will not be going anywhere if there is a lockout. Bears management is simply not going to pay two coaching staffs to play golf.

And so I am curious. And I am excited, just as I am for every NFL season. But optimistic?

Urlacher said it would not be "the end of the world" if the Bears lost to the Lions on Sunday. And Cutler said it was "not a bad thing" that the Bears are going into the game "under the radar."

Perhaps in the big picture. But not in Chicago, Jay. Never in Chicago.

Melissa Isaacson is a columnist for ESPNChicago.

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Melissa Isaacson

Columnist, ESPNChicago.com

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Melissa Isaacson is a sportswriter and author who has covered Chicago sports for the last 22 years of her 29-year career, most recently as an award-winning columnist and feature writer for the Chicago Tribune.