[revrew]

Season 7, Week 1: Chicago comes to town

One of the biggest storylines of the off-season has been the heated and public clashes between Chicago Bears Coach Sebastian Sweeney and their former No. 1 overall draft pick Grayson Shello (out of the University of Iowa). Shello, apparently, has struggled significantly with reading NFL defenses and making accurate throws, especially on third down. And the rumors out of camp are that the former Heisman finalist has not been putting in the work necessary to develop into an NFL QB. His rookie campaign, marked by a dismal 64.1 QBR, already has some wondering whether Shello was worth the hype.

Coach Sweeney, meanwhile, is a tough S.O.B. who won't tolerate a prima donna and isn't afraid to bark about it. His heated interchanges with the "golden boy" Shello were the stuff of SportsCenter.

Then came the stunning news – Coach Sweeney has actually benched Shello. Made him a healthy scratch for the first game of the season, in favor of 13-year veteran Steven Ellison. Whether Sweeney means to stick with Ellison, or is merely showing young Shello how a veteran handles the spotlight, remains to be seen.

Coming into Des Moines, however, it soon became clear that Chicago was not ready for teeth of the Dragon defense or … are we really saying this? … Des Moines' scorching passing attack, led by veteran QB Dakota Corriveau.

Combining with WR1 Louis Forbes (14 catches on 19 targets, 159 yards and a score), Corriveau racked up a 103.3 QBR on 30 of 43 passing for 384 yards, 2 TDs, and a pick. The Bears, meanwhile, passed for a net 111.

Rookie DE Bo Tremmel picked up a fumble forced by Ricardo "ManChild" Huering for a touchdown, and fellow rookie DT Harris Fredrickson notched a pair of sacks in this 27-7 victory.