Inside the Bears/NFL

• Anyone still think that the Ravens' defense is better than the Bears' defense? Baltimore got the Steve Smith treatment yesterday afternoon. Haven't teams learned from what Seattle did to the Panthers in the playoffs last season? You have to at least double-cover Smith, if not triple or quadruple him, in order to stop him. Beating the Panthers is really just about stopping Smith. They lost their first two games of the season without him, they've won their last four with him. I know that Keyshawn Johnson has had a pretty good season so far, but if I'm an NFL defensive coordinator, I double or triple Smith and leave Keyshawn in single coverage. Why? If Keyshawn goes off, you still can win the game. If Smith goes off, you have almost no chance.
• What a wild Rams-Seahawks game that was. Josh Brown hit both goalposts with a field goal (and it stayed out). That catch by Torry Holt (you know which one), just amazing. And that call at the end of the game, even I thought there was supposed to be a ten-second runoff.
• Don't be fooled by the fact that Cedric Benson ran for two TDs against Buffalo last week, Thomas Jones is in no danger of losing his starting job or goal-line carries. Benson just happened to be inserted for a second-quarter series, and he finished it with a TD. Jones ran well against Buffalo, notching his first 100-yard game of the season, and he likely won't lose his starting job unless he gets hurt or suddenly struggles big-time.
• That said, you can see the difference between the two RBs pretty easily. Benson shows good burst and runs over tacklers, while Jones is more of a dance around, hop-step kind of back. You can see why people thought that Benson was a better fit for the offense with his power running, but it's nice to have both of them as options. Jones has become a widely respected team leader with his great work ethic and low-key attitude.
• Bernard Berrian is for real. So is Rex Grossman. In case you didn't know by now. Berrian is likely to attract more defensive coverage now, leaving Muhsin Muhammad open more often for intermediate routes.