And to think how excited I was when Lovie became coach... I had some high hopes this year. Cutler was doing a decent job, and the defense seemed to be stepping up when Urlacher was injured. I've always liked Briggs, despite alot of my friends seeming to think he's worthless (although they base their thoughts purely on sacks/interceptions. Meh.).
Plain and simple, when the defense allows 45 fucking points in a game, some changes must be made. They can ride on not having Urlacher for 20 points allowed, maybe. But 45 means that there's a problem. Plus, Briggs alone is not enough star to make up for the whole team. Manning has the ability to step up and get some momentum going. He has 40 or so tackles and at least 1 interception, but seems to be to comfortable just being a safety.