FanHouse BrianUrlacher

With attention spans dwindling, we forego full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. We call it The Once-Over.

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NFL Twitter nation had plenty to say on Week 1 of the NFL season, with the main topic of conversation being the Chicago Bears, who struggled through questionable decisions by Lovie Smith and questionable passes by Jay Cutler, and also lost Brian Urlacher for the season.

We also have comments about Brett Favre, Jon Gruden and Tom Brady in our NFL Twitter mailbag, which is below.

On the surface, the past 24 hours have been really bad for Bears fans. After months of excitement, the Bears lost a heart-breaking season opener to their hated division rivals, the Green Bay Packers. To make matters worse, strong-armed Jay Cutler threw four interceptions and defensive captain Brian Urlacher has already been lost for the season. That wasn't all that was bad. The offensive line couldn't run block, receivers appeared to have very little rapport with Cutler and that fake punt call -- teamed with a ridiculously bad challenge by Lovie Smith -- was an unmitigated debacle.

Good thing the season doesn't end after one week.

Chicago Bears Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher is likely out for the season after suffering a dislocated right wrist during the first quarter of Sunday night's Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

The Tribune reports:

When asked about his status Monday, Urlacher said in a text message that his "season is over."

He was scheduled to undergo surgery Monday morning upon the team's arrival back in Chicago from Green Bay. A dislocated bone had to be surgerically put back in.

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Expectations in the Windy City are sky-high, coming off an offseason in which the Bears acquired who should be their first franchise quarterback in ages: Jay Cutler. He's doing photoshoots, selling jerseys with ease and playing well in preseason games. Can it translate into a playoff run ... or more?

Second-hand information is sometimes dangerous, unless it's taken with a grain of salt. And friend-of-a-friend is even worse. But right now, the word on the street from KFAN, a Vikings radio station, via ProFootballTalk.com, is that Bobby Wade, Minnesota wide receiver, spoke out earlier and said that Brian Urlacher thinks Jay Cutler is, um, not the toughest cookie in the jar.

Or, to put it more like Wade apparently did, Urlacher thinks Cutler is a 'p***y.' Now, provided this (meaning either Wade's statement or Urlacher's actual feeling; either one will suffice, really) is true, well, me-ow. Take it away, Florio.

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet the ...
First Chicago Bears team with a franchise quarterback since face masks were invented. A message to non-Bears fans from Bears fans: Don't bring us down. If you want to make fun of us for being a bit overzealous about Jay Cutler, then maybe you should take a gander at the load of crap the Bears have been using at quarterback. From Cade McNown to Moses Moreno to Chad Hutchinson to Peter Tom Willis to ... whatever. You get the point. Let us also remember that having Cutler doesn't necessarily make everyone fantasy gold automatically. The tremors are more real than fantasy.

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In 2003, Pisa Tinoisamoa led the 12-4 St. Louis Rams in total tackles as a 22-year-old rookie. His defensive coordinator was Lovie Smith. After five seasons apart, the two will once again be working together in 2009, as the Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year deal with the linebacker.

At first glance, due to the hulking presence of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, you might think there's no way the Bears need a linebacker. Tinoisamoa does, however, represent an upgrade to the serviceable yet unspectacular duo of Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach at the strong side linebacker position. It will be a two-down job on many possessions, as Urlacher and Briggs never leave the field.

Jay Cutler is going to the Bears for three draft picks and Kyle Orton. Jay Mariotti has already discussed how much it means to have a good quarterback in Chicago. Still, I bring the voice of the fan, and I've got something to say: I love this move. One thing that's great about sports, though, is there are always opposing fans trying to bring you down.

I've taken time to check out many message boards and comments sections across the internet. What I'm finding, for the most part, is that fans of teams other than the Bears think this is a terrible deal. Their "evidence," though, is usually incredibly flawed. Here are some of the reasons people think the deal is poor for the Bears, followed by my rebuttals.

CHICAGO -- So the Summer Olympics must be coming in 2016. And a minefield of potholes soon will be magically filled. And the Cubs will win a World Series for the first time since, oh, your grandparents' grandparents were double-dating in Henry Ford's Model T. And those wicked, face-eating winters will be replaced by pleasant, sunny, balmy, gorgeous ... all right, I'm obviously overcome by shock.