McCown to start for Bears at Green Bay

A month ago, I walked out of Soldier Field thinking about how much I couldn't wait for the Bears' Dec. 25 Sunday night showdown at Green Bay.

The 7-3 Bears had just won their sixth straight after beating the Chargers. Everything was clicking. Jay Cutler and the offense were something better that respectable and probably short of good, but possibly on their way to being good. The defense was rounding into form. The special teams were what they usually are — dominant. I already had seemingly realistic Christmas visions dancing in my head — of the Bears going to Green Bay and spoiling a perfect Packers season as part of a Super Bowl run.

Now, I'm looking forward to Christmas only because it's Christmas ... and, to some extent, because of the slate of NBA action that's on tap. Sunday night, I'm hoping I have something fun to do while the Bears get pummeled by the already imperfect Packers on a television in the background. We all know about the total disaster the Bears have become since Cutler went down immediately after that Chargers game with a broken thumb. There is little hope of the Bears competing with Green Bay; there's virtually none of them making the playoffs.

There at least is a slight glimmer of hope that the Bears won't completely embarrass themselves in Sunday's only game. It just became official that journeyman Josh McCown will replace the inept Caleb Hanie as starting quarterback. I have no real hopes for success for McCown, and frankly I don't understand why the Bears don't see what they have in Nathan Enderle, but at least there is a chance that McCown can take care of the ball, which is more than Hanie can say.

Otherwise there is nothing to look forward to in this game from the perspective of a Bears fan. The Bears can't ruin the Packers' quest for perfection now that the Chiefs took care of that last week. There is only a minimal chance that, even with a loss, Green Bay will fumble away the No. 1 seed in the NFC. A loss might upset some Cheeseheads, but it's not really damaging to the Packers in any way, much like a win doesn't really do much for the Bears.