New York Giants vs. Chicago Bears Betting Line & Preview: August 22nd 2009

New York Giants vs. Chicago Bears 8:00 ET (August 22nd 2009)
Current Betting Line: CHI (-2) 34.5
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SOLDIER FIELD OPENS UP FOR ‘09
As the Chicago Bears try to makes sense of an extremely mediocre start in Buffalo last week - by new quarterback, Jay Cutler… by the secondary… by the standards of every Bears fan - the New York Giants are geared up and ready for a Saturday trip to the Windy City, as Soldier Field gets its first taste of the ’09 NFL season. Saturday will mark just the second time since September of 2000 that the G-Men will visit Soldier Field, with their last appearance coming in the form of a 21-16 win back in December of ‘07. If you really want to talk about a long awaited due, consider this: when playing in Chicago, the Bears have only beaten the Giants once in their last five tries (20-17 in September of 1991); Jay Cutler was eight years-old. At this point, Bears fans aren’t even concerned about history or the fact that it’s a preseason game; they just want to see their investment pay off. You have to assume the Giants want the same from their quarterback, Eli Manning, who signed a record, $97 million dollar extension in the off season.

PRESEASON BLUES
While Buffalo Bills quarterback, Trent Edwards, threw for 79-yards on a perfect 10-for-10 outing in Saturday’s 27-20 Bills win over the Bears, Jay Cutler struggled mightily in his Chicago debut. The highly touted 26 year-old Vandy product completed just five of his ten passes on the night for 64-yards and an interception; he was lucky to have thrown just one after Buffalo’s defense let a pass pass slip through its hands in the 1st quarter. After the game, Cutler remained calm, saying, “It’s too early to start to panic. It’s preseason. I feel fine about it.” Obviously Cutler does not and cannot speak for the fans, which dwindled in numbers at the Bears training facility at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois this week. “We’re just calling base stuff and seeing what happens out there right now,” Cutler said, in trying to justify his performance. “As soon as we start getting into the game plan, really nailing stuff down, that’s when it’s really going to count.” What truly counts is how he’s perceived, not only by the media, but his teammates as well. Cutler and Bears linebacker, Brian Urlacher have already exchanged words at training camp, and this week was said to have brought on a feud between Cutler and Devin Hester; after the allegations, both Cutler and Hester claim to have misunderstood one another. No need to misunderstand the numbers, however, as the Bears committed five turnovers last Saturday, was out gained by 150-yards and totaled just 13 first downs to Buffalo’s 23.

A GIANT FINISH
Thinking that Giants quarterback, Eli Manning would steal the show on the premiere of Monday Night Football this week seemed reasonable. In fact, it almost seemed necessary after signing his contract extension, but then you have to factor in that it’s just the preseason, and game one at that for New York, who surprisingly escaped with a 24-17 win over the Carolina Panthers at Giants Stadium. Why surprising, you ask? Surprising because :00 showed on the clock as Giants rookie DE Tommie Hill carried an 18-yard interception into the Panthers’ end zone on the games’ final play from scrimmage. “I’ve never seen a game end like that, not that way,” said Hill, the former Colorado State star who kept the game ball, marking his first touchdown since high school. Hill, who’s vying for a roster spot, added, “Anything like that that helps the team win in turn helps me. It was just a fortunate situation and I made the most of it.” With the game tied at 17, Panthers fourth-string quarterback, Hunter Cantwell dropped back to pass rather than taking a knee to wind out the clock. Cantwell had his arm hit by New York’s Leger Douzable, which popped the ball into the air, allowing Hill to steal the show, and the victory. As for Manning, who only played two series, he finished two for three through the air for 31-yards as the Giants moved to 1-0 against the odds with the improbable cover.

GAME INFO
The Chicago Bears and New York Giants square off at Soldier Field, this Saturday night, August 22nd at 8:00pm Eastern Time. Chicago enters as the -2 point favorite with the over under sitting at 34.5.