You can talk about the bomb passes to Bernard Berrian and big time Ricky Manning interceptions. I leave that to Mulligan in the Suntimes. Here are my five plays...five essential plays that have led to the Chicago Bears' brilliant start to this season.
#5 URLACHER CAN COVER YOU, WEIRD NAME TIGHT END
Seattle drives the field with ease and Bears fans everywhere are thinking, "Oh shit, maybe they're not that good." No score in the first quarter and the Hawks have first and goal at the Bears seven. Incomplete, poor run...and then Brian Urlacher mauls a seemingly open Itula Mili and prevents a touchdown by knocking it down. The Bears fed off the momentum of that playfor the rest of the game.
#4 NOT THIS TEAM, YOU OLD PIECE OF SHIT
Green Bay, Wisconsin. Week One. Leading 7-0 with a chance of putting the Packers in a huge hole, Grossman throws a silly thing for an INT in the endzone. Normally this leads to a Favre 80 yard touchdown pass but on 3rd and 3 of the very next drive, Lance Briggs shot through the line of scrimmage and sacked the has-been QB.
#3 THE GOULD STANDARD
Coming off the only other terrible Grossman pass of the year, the Bears set up Robbie Gould for a 49 yarder that would have far surpassed the longest of his career. He nailed it and moved the score to 13-12. More importantly, he re-invigorated a somewhat deflated defense.
#2 THE PASS BEFORE THE PASS
Grossman's defining moment may have been the Rash Davis TD pass to put the Vikings away in the Metrodome but the more impressive THROW was just two earlier: an 11 yard strike to Moose on 3rd and 8 to set up the touchdown pass. It was the moment where I first thought, "Man, this kid is something else."
#1 REX: BEFORE AND AFTER
Leading Detroit 24-7 in the third quarter, Grossman throws a ball into the arms of Boss Bailey who walks into the endzone. The score is 24-14...BUT WAIT! THERE'S A FLAG ON THE PLAY! The Bears keep the ball and an angry Rex throws for 63 yards on the ensuing drive including a five yard TD to John Gilmore. 24-14 became 31-7 in a matter of minutes.
And they are 5-0.
#2 jeff said . . .The Bears are overrated. Look at their schedule the only halfway decent teams they play all year are the patriots and the cards (and I am using the term "halfway decent" very loosely). Sure they will make it to the playoffs and maybe even the superbowl, but the NFC is weak this year.
October 12, 2006
#3 Noah said . . .The Cards? If you're going to try to ruffle the unruffable feathers of this crew, you might want to start not insinuating that the Cardinals are better than the Seahawks...or Giants...or Rams at this points...
The Bears aren't overrated. They're 5-0. I've got them rated right there and so does everyone on the 53.
October 12, 2006
#4 CommonMan said . . .No one is going to deny they have a soft schedule and maybe they are overrated. But for any of us who have watched these games they are undoubtedly a team firing on all cylinders. It's not like 2003 where they won by 1, 2 or 3. These games are not close (minus Minnesota of course).
As for the NFC being weak, what about the AFC? The Colts barely escaped the Jets and Titans. Are they the best team in the league? The Ravens? They only play offense for one quarter a game. Seems to me the whole league is either very weak, or very strong.
October 12, 2006
#5 jeff said . . .I was afraid of shortsighted comments about the Bears not being as good as they seem because of a "soft" schedule. Still, Charles, get the facts striaght, man. I agree the Cardinals have more potential on their roster than should be dismissed, but the facts remain that they're on the bottom and havn't had much success putting their talent to work on the field. The Bears, on the other hand, have, most of the time, looked nothing short of supreme. Overrated is hardly the term to use to describe a team as together as the Bears (not to mention how traditionally underrated they are - although, that's been earned more than I'd like to admit).
October 12, 2006
#6 Superbowl Bound said . . .i don't get the whole concept of overrated/underrated. who is doing the rating? i just usually go by what i see and what the records are...the only sport where "rankings" matter is college football because they arbitrarily choose a champion. right now the bears win more than everybody else and by bigger margins. i like it.
October 12, 2006
#7 Brad said . . .Please, some will find any reason to say why the Bears aren't the best. After 2-0 it was because we had only played Detroit and GB. Then after Minnesota it was, gosh you got lucky at the end. After Seattle it's well they didn't have Alexander. After Buffalo... people go back to schedule. Name one team that has played better. The answer is simple... no one has -- arguably on either side of the ball. I can't wait to hear what the excuses are after our East Coast trip ends and we are still undefeated.
October 12, 2006
#8 jeff said . . .Another key play... Grossman gets sacked -- big-time, for at least a 10 yard loss -- still fairly early in the Seattle game. Just the kind of momentum killer that would fluster Bears QBs in the past. Rex gets up, runs what looks like the same exact play, with a completion over the middle that turns 2nd-and-20 to 3rd-and-2 -- and they get the first down on the next play. Granted, the competition (except Seattle) hasnt been that tough this year, but all signs point to a resilient team that doesn't get flustered and never gives up.
October 12, 2006
#9 jeff said . . .go through the analysis for these games: people predicted the lions, seahawks and bills would shut down the bears
October 12, 2006
#10 fred said . . .the reason the bears are good. last year over the first five games of the season, they were allowing 12.4 points per game. they were 2-3.
only five teams allow less than 12.4 points per game through the 2006 season thus far.
October 12, 2006
#11 Criminal Appeal said . . .Didn't get to pick our schudule, just play the games. Most have been blowouts and that's what great teams do in that situation, they win big, so that's a stupid reason to hack on 'em.
As for that Minn. game, the defense got the ball back and the offense scored. Come from behind victory.
That's what great teams do.
Third down conversions, Rex getting smarter every game, Tommie Freakin' Harris, both lines, play calling, special teams, running game is on, etc....
These are your Chicago Bears!
Best Team In Football.October 12, 2006
#12 DaBearsFanInTN said . . .Even adjusting for strength of schedule, Football Outsiders has the Bears as the best team in football by a pretty wide margin. One sign of a good team is mauling inferior competition. The Bears have done that this year. Along the way they also mauled the defending NFC champs. And, while the AFC is deeper than the NFC, I'd take the Bears, Eagles and Seahawks over anyone in the AFC. Don't even bother arguing for the Colts and their 27th ranked defense, 30th ranked run defense. Can things change between now and the Super Bowl? Of course. But right now the Bears are the best team in the NFL, hands down. Arguing otherwise puts you in company with Michael Irvin, and that is not someplace you want to be (unless you like coke and hookers, then by all means, that is exactly where you want to be).
October 13, 2006
DOMINATING...
That is the only one word that describes The Chicago Bears.
Slack Schedule... Fuck that! This is the NFL people and they all are the best of the best, most talented football players in the world... Any given team can win any given Sunday. It's how bad you want it ... and the Bears want it bad!
Besides the 5-0 record the Bears have the most points scored and least points allowed, The top rated QB, top ranked defense and 4th ranked offense. Every which way you turn theres Urlacher smacking you down reminding you that... The Bears are THE BEST IN THE NFL!
Every commentatoir and NFL analyst are in agreement, with there multilatteral offensive attack, and unpenatrable defense they will be the hardest team to beat this year.
For all you doubters, the proof will be in the pudding, A big bowl of the Bears wooped your Ass Pudding!
Lovie has a NO LOAF system implemented, and that is why you see our guys playing harder, longer, and faster than any other team in the league. If you get to touch the ball when your up against the Bears defense you can count on getting hit by 3-5 of em everytime. No Loafing = No Losing .
Da Bears are #1 Period!
October 13, 2006
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.