John Clayton, ESPN Senior Writer 17y

Bears QB under the microscope in Week 1

NFL

Rex Grossman can't escape the pressure.

Despite playing in the Super Bowl last season, Grossman remains one of the league's most debated quarterbacks. He spent a lot of time in the offseason studying film. He has worked on his throwing mechanics. Teammates like him.

But Bears fans go crazy -- and not in a good way -- when he's on the field. Though he vowed to become a 60-percent passer in an offense that should have more weapons, Grossman took a few steps back this preseason. He'd fumble a snap or throw an interception … and fans would go berserk. The mistakes make them worry.

Chicago's season opener Sunday might not provide any relief. The Bears open in San Diego against one of the meanest, most aggressive defenses in football. The Bears are the Monsters of the Midway with their Cover 2 defense, but the Chargers are monsters in their own right. Their defensive line is big and physical, with Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips forming one of the best pass-rushing combos in the league.

The problem for Grossman is figuring out which way the Chargers will attack. Under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips last season, the Chargers had 49 sacks off blitzes. Ted Cottrell, who takes over for the departed Phillips as coordinator, plans to keep the blitz assault coming.

For Grossman, there couldn't be a tougher opener. Sure, the outcome of this game probably won't affect the Bears' chances of repeating as NFC champs, since they reside in the easy NFC North and are expected to win the division with games to spare. And while Sunday's matchup will be their toughest nonconference game, at least they get it out of the way early.

Still, it's first impressions that linger. Even if the Bears do the expected and win at least 12 games this season, a bad outing by Grossman in any given week will linger in fans' minds.

Of course, the Chargers have their own concerns.

Sunday is, quite frankly, a must-win situation because the Chargers travel to New England in Week 2. An 0-2 start, particularly after a 14-2 season in which the Chargers fired their coach, would be unnerving.

That's because Norv Turner was hired after GM A.J. Smith tired of Marty Schottenheimer's failures in the playoffs. Everyone knows this is a Super Bowl-caliber team. The Chargers had 11 players in the Pro Bowl last season, and most of them are young and heading into their primes. Any losing streak, particularly at the start, would result in panic signals.

That's why the Chargers will keep charging with the blitz, hoping to make Grossman as uncomfortable as possible.

1. New England Patriots at New York Jets
Bill Belichick was a busy man this offseason. For Tom Brady, he acquired WRs Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte' Stallworth and Kelley Washington. For the defense, he picked up versatile LB Adalius Thomas. After losing in the final minutes of the AFC Championship Game to the Colts, the Patriots put everything into this Super Bowl run.

Considering the Jets won 10 games and nipped at the Patriots' heels in the AFC East last season, this might be Belichick's most important road game. He can make a statement by beating a top division foe. Unfortunately, his defense won't have Richard Seymour or Rodney Harrison to help him. Seymour's out at least six weeks with a knee injury and Harrison is serving a four-game suspension for receiving HGH. The absence of two key playmakers will force the defense to work even harder to stop the Jets.

The buzz on the Patriots involves Moss, who missed most of the preseason with a hamstring injury. The week began with Moss' talking about the frustration of how long it took for him to recover from his injury. Some wondered whether the Patriots were giving up on Moss. They weren't. Moss returned to practice and Belichick didn't even put him on the injury report, so everyone expects him to start. Brady needs him. The Patriots' quarterback remembered one sequence last season in which the Jets blitzed on 16 consecutive plays. Against that kind of a rush, Brady will need Moss.

2. New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts
Saints QB Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton shocked the NFC with their offense. Brees is a master of working a scheme and getting touchdown drives. But as good as Brees is, no one is better than Peyton Manning.

Thursday's season opener will be the first test for the Colts' new left tackle, Tony Ugoh, who replaced retired Pro Bowler Tarik Glenn. He'll be going against Will Smith, and how well Ugoh performs will determine whether the Colts can unleash their three-receiver attack or have to keep in a tight end for blocking purposes. If Ugoh holds up, Manning can use his newest toy, Anthony Gonzalez, a proven college slot receiver with speed.

The second challenge for the Colts will be their run defense. Anthony (Booger) McFarland, out for the season, is replaced by undrafted rookie Ed Johnson. The Saints have the most talented and versatile backfield in football. Deuce McAllister is the inside runner. Reggie Bush makes the big plays running and catching the ball. The Colts' challenge will be to stop them and allow Manning to get back on the field to work his magic.

3. Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, Monday night
The AFC North might be the best division in football because of its top three teams -- Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. It's not out of the question for this trio to make the playoffs. But for that to happen, the Bengals need a good start. Though the Bengals haven't had the arrests and distractions they endured in 2006, Marvin Lewis has been juggling the roster because of injuries. His biggest worry is at linebacker. Odell Thurman is out for a second year because of a suspension. They cut Brian Simmons, who left for New Orleans. Linebacker Rashad Jeanty was supposed to start on the strong side but is hurt.

On the positive side, Carson Palmer is back to 100 percent. Chad Johnson wants to put on a show. The Ravens are coming off a great preseason. Steve McNair looks more comfortable in the offense. Brian Billick is trying to spread the field with receivers. Willis McGahee makes his 2007 debut after a less-than-stellar preseason. The great part about this game is the rivalry. Johnson will fire up the Ravens' defense, a unit that loves to play angry.

4. Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers, Monday night
This nightcap to the ESPN "Monday Night Football" doubleheader offers two up-and-coming teams in the NFC. The 49ers have been building under Mike Nolan for the past two seasons. They've added more weapons -- wide receivers Darrell Jackson and Ashley Lelie --- to go with emerging stars Vernon Davis and Frank Gore to an offense once so inept that quarterback Alex Smith had to run for his life.

Nolan also is upgrading the defense. Though more work needs to be done along the defensive line, the 49ers look better with the additions of cornerback Nate Clements, safety Michael Lewis, and linebackers Tully Banta-Cain and Patrick Willis.

New Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt takes over a team that has hopes of the playoffs. Assistant head coach Russ Grimm is trying to change the mentality of the running offense with his coaching. Whisenhunt plans to be creative with one of the league's best three-receiver sets. The 49ers were swept by the Cardinals last season and can't afford to lose to them at home this season if they hope to win the division. The NFC West is perhaps the tightest division in football. All four teams have a chance. The Seahawks and Rams have dominated the division for years. This game is a glimpse of the future and how it plays into the present.

5. Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Titans surprised everyone with their late-season surge and -- by a tiebreaker -- moved past Jacksonville into second place in the AFC South. Titans coach Jeff Fisher can make a statement by winning this critical AFC South division game.

Jack Del Rio didn't help himself for this home opener. He spent the entire offseason and preseason using Byron Leftwich as the starting quarterback and then cut him last Friday. Del Rio always has seemed to prefer David Garrard, but wouldn't it have been easier if Garrard ran the offense as the starter for more than a week of preseason? But the Jaguars have had other problems. Despite using five years of first-round choices on offense, the Jaguars signed Dennis Northcutt to be their No. 1 receiver and Tony Pashos to be their right tackle. Northcutt as a No. 1 receiver? We'll see about that. Pashos has struggled at right tackle.

There is a special feel for the Titans because of quarterback Vince Young. He might not have the prettiest passing numbers but he wins games. He finished the preseason strong even though he doesn't have the most talented group of receivers. LenDale White stepped up in the final weeks of the preseason to claim the starting running back job. Del Rio always has fielded a good run defense, so the Titans' running offense will be challenged.

6. Miami Dolphins at Washington Redskins
These could be two of the league's sleeper teams … or two teams that could stay asleep all season. Joe Gibbs has worked hard to fix last year's disappointing five-win season. He put all his energy into making Jason Campbell a good young starter, and so far Campbell has showed a lot of progress.

The biggest change is on defense. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams didn't have the talent to run his scheme last season. The additions of LaRon Landry and London Fletcher will help immensely. Fletcher does a great job at middle linebacker and works well with Rocky McIntosh. Suddenly, the Redskins are formidable in the middle of their defense.

The Dolphins have a chance to be an AFC sleeper if Trent Green can add four or five points per game to the offense with his efficient passing style. Green is coming off a great week of practice. Cam Cameron, a former Redskins quarterback coach, is making his debut as the Dolphins' head coach.

7. New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
It's a battle between two NFC East rivals, but the biggest fireworks might come during the pre- and postgames when Tiki Barber and Tom Coughlin speak. Barber is on the NBC broadcast and has been bashing Coughlin, the beleaguered Giants head coach. Poor Tom. He has taken two Giants teams to the playoffs but gets no love. His defense might struggle until

Michael Strahan, a holdout during training camp, gets up to speed.

The Cowboys have the chance to be among the NFC elite. Tony Romo still seems to have the magic that carried him and the Cowboys to the playoffs last year. If he can maintain that 65-percent completion percentage, it could be a fun year for the Cowboys' offense. Meanwhile the defense will enjoy Wade Phillips' aggressive schemes. Its mission will be to pressure Eli Manning into mistakes.

8. Carolina Panthers at St. Louis Rams
Marc Bulger collected a $65 million contract because of his accuracy and leadership. There will be no doubt what he and Scott Linehan will attack in the opener: the Panthers' safeties. Mike Minter retired and Nate Salley has struggled with a minor knee injury. The Panthers probably will use Deke Cooper and Chris Harris as their safeties. The Rams have a long history of driving safeties crazy with play-action fakes and sending receivers into the middle of the field.

The Rams are loaded on offense. As if they didn't have enough with Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Steven Jackson, they added tight end Randy McMichael and wide receiver Drew Bennett. Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme hopes to bounce back from a tough 2006 season but he will doing it against a Jim Haslett-coached defense that loves to blitz.

9. Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills
Sure, this has the chance of being an upset because the Broncos' defense is changing on the fly and the Bills are at home. The Bills are better on offense than people give them credit for. J.P. Losman is an accurate passer. He has weapons on offense, particularly wide receiver Lee Evans. He also has a good scheme directed by offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild. Mike Shanahan brought in six new players to the Broncos' defensive line, including Simeon Rice, Sam Adams and Alvin McKinley. The problem is getting them on the same page with so little time together.

On defense, though, you'd rather be the Broncos than the Bills. The Broncos added players. The Bills lost Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher and Nate Clements. The Bills have had trouble stopping the run, which could mean a 140-yard game for former Bill Travis Henry.

10. Detroit Lions at Oakland Raiders
This one is fascinating. The Raiders will go against the Lions with former Lions quarterback Josh McCown likely throwing passes and former Lions receiver Mike Williams being a role player, possibly in the red zone. Here's the other key element: The Raiders drafted JaMarcus Russell instead of wide receiver Calvin Johnson but haven't signed Russell. Now, Johnson gets an early chance to burn the Raiders.

The pressure is on the Raiders and Lane Kiffin to win home games against the Lions and Browns and get off to a good start. Kiffin hasn't announced his starting quarterback but expect it to be McCown. Kiffin gains or loses credibility in the locker room based on that decision. The key is winning. Kiffin needs to be right on this one.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

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