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Even before Bears fans could get the foul odor of last night's stinker against Green Bay out of their minds, news reports today say star linebacker Brian Urlacher could be out for the season after dislocating his wrist early in the second half at Lambeau Field.

After so much optimism entering this season with Jay Cutler as the franchise quarterback and Coach Lovie Smith calling the shots on defense, it took less than 24 hours for nerves to be frazzled and blood pressure on the rise for much of Bears Nation.

Urlacher appeared primed for a top-notch season to quiet the critics suggesting his career has been on the decline for the past few seasons. Now it's up to the brain trust at Halas Hall to replace the leader of the defense. A couple of ideas debated on ESPN Radio 1000 this morning on the Waddle and Silvy show included moving outside linebacker Lance Briggs to the Urlacher's spot as middle linebacker, and/or brining in a veteran linebacker such as former Tampa Bay great Derrick Brooks to help fill the void.

Signing somebody off the street might be a necessity at least to provide some depth since another starting linebacker for Chicago, Pisa Tinoisamoa, was injured early in the game, and did not return. The Bears do have former starter Hunter Hillenmeyer, Nick Roach and Jamar Williams as options at linebacker, but obviously opposing teams will not have to fear any of these guys as much as 54.

Now,  a review of the game, which the Bears lost 21-15.

OFFENSE: Shaky ballhandling and throwing the ball up for grabs were characteristics of former quarterback Rex Grossman. Seeing them from new QB Cutler was like the reoccurrence of a bad dream. Cutler did make two big plays, one to Devin Hester for a touchdown and one to Johnny Knox, but favorite target Greg Olsen was blanketed by the Green Bay defense. Wide out Earl Bennett did have a team-leading seven catches, but made a bone-headed error of lining up offside in the second half. Cutler's four interceptions were unacceptable, but Knox and Bennett's obvious inexperience played a role, and gave defensive coordinators around the league a blueprint to shutdown Olsen and Matt Forte (no catches) from the passing game. Hester had a nice game, but showed he's a No. 2 receiver not a No. 1. Speaking of Forte, it was frustrating to see offensive coordinator Ron Turner keep calling those runs outside the tackles that went for minimal yardage. Garrett Wolfe had a few decent runs, but didn't play a significant role in the game.

DEFENSE: One of the few pleasant surprises of the evening. Consistent pressure on Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers helped limit a potent Packers passing game until the winning touchdown pass to Greg Jennings. Adewale Ogunleye had a pair of sacks, and Danieal Manning sacked Rodgers in the endzone for a safety in the second quarter. It was good to see defensive end Mark Anderson show up (4 tackles), but tackle Tommie Harris didn't do a lot (1 tackle). Rookie safety Al Afalava made a solid debut with a sack and four tackles. Corner Nate Vashar was beat for the game-winning score. The defense did get the safety, but did not force any turnovers, which Smith said in his postgame comments was a big reason for the Green Bay win.

SPECIAL TEAMS: In a game of many questionable plays, the decision of long snapper Patrick Mannelly to hike the ball to the up back, Wolfe, on a 4th and 11 on the Green Bay side of the field was the biggest head scratcher. Replays showed the Pack momentarily having 12 men on the field, which prompted Mannelly to snap the ball to Wolfe, with a possibility of a big play, knowing if it didn't work out Green Bay would be penalized, and the Bears would then punt on the ball on the following play. But the Packers 12th man, Clay Matthews, did get off the field in time, and a replay showed Wolfe pointing this out. But Mannelly still snapped the ball to Wolfe, who looked as surprised as anybody in the stadium, and was stopped well short of the first down. Robbie Gould was his usual consistent self with two field goals, and punter Brad Maynard had a good night (49.5 yards average on four punts). There were no long returns from the Bears, though Jordy Nelson started the game with a 46-yard return for the Packers.

WRAP-UP: Even with all the miserable things that happened to the Bears, if they had converted the opportunity they had inside the GB five-yard line into a touchdown instead of a field-goal late in the fourth-quarter I think they would have won. It's not time to push the panic button, yet, but Cutler must show more composure and leadership in this week's home opener against Pittsburgh. And, Forte and Olsen have to have better games. Defensively, it could be another good week since the Steelers do not have an exceptional offensive line.

Just a quick shoutout to my blogging partner Matt Frost for kicking off our live blogs of Bears games this season. He did a fabulous job, and I will also be jumping in to blog some of the games live this season as well.
I also want to encourage you to leave your comments for both Matt and I. Do you agree with our analysis? Were you sick to stomach watching last night's game unfold? We want feedback.

- Tom