There's only one team left in the National Football Conference that can beat the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. And if you want to visit a website created by and for their fans, go here.
Yes, that's right. It appears that fans from the outside world have confused the tension on this website and around Chicago with fear for their respective teams. Let's get something straight: whether the Bears win or lose has absolutely nothing to do with who they play. Last night while I stumbled through a bullshit five and a half hours of sleep in New York and Pissed Off seemingly did the same wherever he is, the Seahawks were not on my mind.
Johnny Vegas has set this line at eight and a half points - second only behind Pats / Jets for this postseason's largest differential. All of the analysts at Sports Illustrated have the Bears winning easily. Why? Because they should win easily. But no team beats the Chicago Bears more consistently during the Lovie Smith era than the Chicago Bears and that's what will make the next few days so hard.
I believe the Bears are going to win Sunday and for the first time since 1994 we're going to rejoice a playoff thrill. I believe the Bears are going to win Sunday and for the first time since 1988 we're going to play for the chance to go to the Super Bowl. I believe the Bears are going to win Sunday because damn it all to hell...I'm a Chicago Bears fan. And the day I stop believing this team can win the whole thing, shoot me in the head and keep the casket closed for the wake.
I believe the Bears are going to win Sunday. (Just as long as the Bears don't beat them)
Addendum: Great column on the Bears by Wayne Drehs at ESPN. Take a look and post your thoughts.
#2 Pissed off said . . .I think this will be an interesting game. It will be most interesting to see the reaction of the Seahawks secondary when the Bears players consult them for help in refinancing their 30 year fixed mortgage. Pete Hunter will likely respond "Hey Brian, call me this week, I am back in the office again."
Should be kinda reminiscent of the gaurds game at Shawshank when they come to Andy for advice.
January 11, 2007
#3 grnndgld said . . .Exactly! The only team beating the Bears this weekend are those damn Bears! No need to worry about the Seahawks and their feared secondary that includes Pete "Head" Hunter (great job on that one).
We need to fear oursleves....fear that rex will complete more passes to the Hawks than to the Bears WRs, fear that he may fumble 37 times when getting hit from the blindside, fear that the defense looks more porous than Bush's Iraq plan and that a QB such as Tim Rattay (therefore certainly Hasselbeck) will move up and down the field more than Pack is Back moves up and down on his cousin and finally, fear that the O-line doesnt look like a saloon door.
C'mon team get it all together this weekend, or at least some of it cuz that would still probably be good enough to win.
January 11, 2007
#4 Midway Monster said . . .I agree. The bears are much more crappy than the competition is good. Even though there's some good teams in the playoffs, there's more than ample worrying to do about how bad the bears team is.
January 11, 2007
#5 BRIANsong said . . .The Birds are not going to just roll over- we all know that. We'll have to give them a good punch in the mouth and bloody them up out of the gate.
The key to killing these guys off is our D being 'mean enough to knock their grandmothers down a flight to stairs'. Bust em up boys... bust em up. After all this is a contact sport isn't it & they do have physical therapists in Seattle right? Our Defense will have to step up to another level; they have been coasting the last few games and have given up way to many points.
The second key will be the Special Teams (yes, count the Field Goal team as ST). The ST will give our Offense points as well as positions position position.
Third, we just need our O to not F-up, keep turn overs low, and score ~21 points. Rex, time to be the man or put your $hit in a box and leave town.
Lastly, the blog fans need to start sporting a tude. Get that mental edge and stop taking crap. We ought to still be smoldering from that dam Pack game and not tolarate a loss (even if it was stragetic to rest folks). Put on that mind set that we are gonna wade through this team and spill their blood. Send them to the sidelines and make them use the ice chest.
The 06-07 Bears are a Defense then Special Teams then Offense team. Its just the nature of our DNA. So, everyone relax when the D takes the field and don't cring that Rex isn't out there. Our opportunities lie in D, then ST, then O.That's the way I see it and I am open to ideas but be forewarned- anyone that disagrees is wrong.
--Midway--
January 11, 2007
#6 grnndgld said . . .Bears. Sixty-two ta tree.
January 11, 2007
#7 Pissed off said . . ."The key to killing these guys off is our D being 'mean enough to knock their grandmothers down a flight to stairs'. "
So basically you're saying that the bears will lose, huh?
January 11, 2007
#8 Pissed off said . . .I will disagree and be right.....the offense can lose the game for us before any other unit can. They are the ones we need to rely on. Traditionally we have been a defensive team but we've seen the offense single handedly lose games for us, (Miami, Green Bay) If they had lost to Arizona that one too, the New England game is debateable but Miami and Green Bay were lost soley due to the offense. We won in Arizona despite the offense.
Besides that, as of late the defense has looked shitty....against Tampa and St. Louis for example, therefore the main unit will be the offense unless there is a turnaround from the past month or so. The return of a healthy Peanut, Vash and Johnson will help.
All that being said I predict a Bears win, a big one, as I've said before, by 2 scores. The D will be the main unit (TBD) and Rex will be sharp. We'll be like we were early in the year. So the reality lies with what I've just said but what Midway has just said will be what really happens Sunday.
January 11, 2007
#9 grnndgld said . . .If we had beaten the Pack on New Years Eve like we were supposed to, in a fairly easy manner, knowing what we know, like what we've seen earlier in the year against teams like New England, Arizona, Miami, both Minnesota games, etc., do you think we would feel more confident, less confident or about the same as you feel about our chances against Seattle on Sunday.
I am starting to think that the loss to GB was a blessing in disguise, we almost know for sure that it was a wake up call of sorts and the Bears will be prepared now. Had we won in mediocre fashion vs. GB I think I might be more nervous about Sundays game having seen what can happen like in the games I previously mentioned.
January 11, 2007
#10 Phil from SATX said . . ."as of late the defense has looked shitty"
You can say that again, but since you probably won't, I will:
As of late the defense has looked shitty.
January 11, 2007
#11 Phil from SATX said . . .As I told my favorite Packer fan today (you know not all Packer fans are completely obnoxious unlike certain blog mascots) I'm not even praying from Rex not to throw picks - that may be too much to ask for, and I'm not greedy. I'm asking for the picks, when they come, to be GOOD picks - you know what I'm talking about - the one's earlier in the season which were long passes that acted like punts and did not doom the Bears. That's why we were able to win some of those games despite unbelievable turnover numbers - many of them were on the opponents' side of the field. There were not that many pick-6's this year, but two of them came in the last game. It is those picks, and the blind side fumbles deep in our territory, that cost us games. So if you must throw it to the other team, Rex, THROW IT DEEP. That way our defense can get back on the field and score points through safeties and defensive scores. Is that asking too much?
January 11, 2007
#12 Phil from SATX said . . .As I told my favorite Packer fan today (you know not all Packer fans are completely obnoxious unlike certain blog mascots) I'm not even praying from Rex not to throw picks - that may be too much to ask for, and I'm not greedy. I'm asking for the picks, when they come, to be GOOD picks - you know what I'm talking about - the one's earlier in the season which were long passes that acted like punts and did not doom the Bears. That's why we were able to win some of those games despite unbelievable turnover numbers - many of them were on the opponents' side of the field. There were not that many pick-6's this year, but two of them came in the last game. It is those picks, and the blind side fumbles deep in our territory, that cost us games. So if you must throw it to the other team, Rex, THROW IT DEEP. That way our defense can get back on the field and score points through safeties and defensive scores. Is that asking too much?
January 11, 2007
#13 Megan said . . .So that's what happens when you click twice. Feel free to read only once.
January 11, 2007
#14 Pissed off said . . .The Bears will win on Sunday. I can't put it any other way. No sense in loosing any more sleep. They will win.
That was a really good article by Drehs. It's hard for Joe Bag-of-doughnuts Bear's Fan to see Rex's commitment to the team. Like we've all said and felt before, how many other professional football teams, on both sides of the ball, support their quarterback and his commitment like the Bears do?
I can't wait for Sunday's game, and I have the day off so, hold all my calls.
January 11, 2007
#15 Pissed off said . . .Picks? Rex wont be throwing any picks this Sunday, mark my word. He will look like he did against Green Bay or Detroit or Buffalo or SF early in the season. He wil have a Great game... 200 + passing yards, 2 tds and no picks. I guess you cant control everything as a QB but the only way he's throwing a pick this week is if its tipped at the line or by the WR or defender and it hangs there helplessly as a Seattle defender settles under it.
He will be prepared this week, sharp and on his game, and no I'm not delusional (PIB's favorite word) its just my prediction, or as Peanut says "I just feel it"
January 11, 2007
#16 No More Vocal Cords said . . .Kinda how Pack is Back feels his cousins scrotum.....
And by the way PIB, your not fooling anyone now using the name "grnndgld" we know your trying to make it look like more packer fans are hereJanuary 11, 2007
#17 jeff said . . .Extreme nervousness to blatant confidence. How many more times will you guys fluctuate (or should I say flatulate) before Sunday?
1) The Hawks lost to GB in a meaningless last game of the year last year and went to the SB. Relax.
2) The Hawks always have and always will be, for various reasons, overlooked by the rest of the NFL nation (most of whom still think Seattle is an island somewhere off the coast of Alaska). This ignorance used to be frustrating, but it's become expected and mostly comical these days. We are thrilled that "we shouldn't even be in the playoffs" and that "the only team that can beat the Bears is the Bears" and that "our DB's were signed just this week" (by the way folks, Pete Hunter was released after pulling his hammy against Dallas) (also check the stats to see how many catches/TD's TO and TG had last week).With each and every offensive starter spending time being injured this year it's actually pretty remarkable that they've been resilient enough to make it here. The pressure is off now, but the intensity will be LARGE. If the Seahawks play the kind of game they are capable of playing, Da Bears will have their hands full no matter which Rex shows up. If both teams show up and play, this will be one hell of a game! Despite the injuries, this is essentially the same team that went all the way to Detroit last year.
Oh, and by the way, not that any of you watched one minute of Seahawk football played in Seattle this year, but the weather was CRAZY here all season. Snow, sleet, rain, freezing rain, wind, etc. We're not a dome team anymore, so the coldy conditions you're expecting for Sunday won't be as much of a factor as you think.
January 11, 2007
#18 Phil from SATX said . . .vocal cords, i can pretty much assure that i watched a ton of football in seattle this year and the precipitation is much different in 20 degree weather. also, you are not the same team that went the super bowl last year by any means. you'd won 11 in a row, you had the best offensive line in the conference and a fast, effective secondary. you had a running back at the top of the game and a quarterback having his best season. i like the seahawks and everyone who knows me knows that i don't expect the bears to beat anyone in the playoffs, but if the bears play the way they've played ten times this year, they're a much, much better football team.
January 11, 2007
#19 FlowControl said . . .Vocal Cords, let me explain. We are up and down just like our team. You know we have Good Rex/Bad Rex - we become Good Fan/Bad Fan, or maybe more accurately, Believing Fan/Disbelieving Fan. It makes perfect sense to me.
Also, your quarterback disagrees with you. Quoth Mr. Hasselbeck: “This is a brand-new team and any success that we had last year, that was last year. It has no bearing on this season." This is NOT the same team as last year, which by the way should have won the Super Bowl last year but for horrible officiating that the whole world could see. Just ask the Bears if they are the same defense as earlier this year - obviously the answer is we aren't. However, as important as Tommy and MB are, our losses still seem significantly less than yours, since yours include major issues with the offensive line.
Regarding the weather, many of us did see the night games with the snow and the rain cascading down the stairs - pretty awesome to see. So I have to agree with you about the weather issue - you've handled more bad weather than we have this year - and can only wonder --- WTF were you guys thinking in putting a non-closable dome -- in SEATTLE???? Seems like a pretty strange decision but makes for some great TV, especially for us in the weather-deprived South.
January 11, 2007
#20 No More Vocal Cords said . . .Uhmm i believe it was mentioned somewhere that 5 hours of reading you did that the hawks could beat the bears.
Wrecked Grossman will have a great game and could still get beat.
Also I like the excuses beginng to be written here "only the bears will beat the bears" its a predetermined excuse for losing.
I like you guys thats smart!
Its gonna be a good game win or lose!
Hey we got the best excuse for losing we are a shit team anyways right (our record says so?)?
We are going on a bear hunt! and the first one we see gets it! Duh Bears!
Go Hawks...January 11, 2007
#21 Mo Maxius said . . .Good replies. No arguments.
Football should be played outdoors. End of story.
I must say that out of all of the various blog sites I've visited the last couple of years, you guys (for the most part) seem to be the most savvy and down to earth.
Home field, no matter the weather, might be the difference in this one. I wish you guys were coming here instead.
January 11, 2007
#22 jeff said . . .If it doesn't matter who the Bears play, then perhaps they shouldn't bother to show up. Maybe they should just kick back, and bask in the glory. Then, when the Seahawks are on their way to the NFC championship game, the Bears can smile, knowing that the Seahawks didn't beat them, they beat themselves... constantly...
January 11, 2007
#23 Flowcontrol said . . .wow, you can never predict how someone will read your column. i'm more and more convinced that some people just read what they need to in order to respond the way they planned. the bears are a better football team than the seahawks. all of their losses have come off of massive amounts of turnovers. i mean, like, MASSIVE amounts. not a bad one at the wrong time. 5 and 6 in a game from one player. i'm not killing the hawks or their fans and have basically laid out the ideology that the bears are more than capable of losing this game.
January 11, 2007
#24 jdawg said . . .Jeff,
I am pointing out the fact that this blog of fans has already determined that the bears will beat themslves (if they lose), based on the opening post.
The part that reads "And if you want to visit a website created by and for their fans, go here." I got the point and see it as a excuse waiting to say I told you say in the event Duh Bears do lose.
No one is giving us hawks a chance and thats cool, but we still say Go Hawks!Way to go Bear Fans!
(Dont let Wrecked Grossman see this it might mess with his head)January 11, 2007
#25 Coxy said . . .Hey Vocal Cords....
Thanks for making my day. I had completely forgotten the the Packers beat the Hawks in the final game of last year. As you can see we have a few Packers fans that are pretty fascinated with the Bears these days.
Jeff, I agree with you. Anyone who's followed the Bears this year knows how and why the Bears lost.
January 11, 2007
#26 Flipped said . . .The only thing close to as sweet as this victory on Sunday is going to be Monday when PIB (and his vowel hating pseudonym) bash the Seahawks and say the victory was only bc they have rent-a-corner in the secondary. I wish I could take a 2 day roofie so it would just be Sunday already. PIB, you probably have some of those in your stash. Do you mind if I take one?
January 11, 2007
#27 BRIANsong said . . .Like Flow Control said, this is sad and you should be better supporting your bears.
January 11, 2007
#28 Pissed off said . . .So you'd rather have blind faith than an honest approach to the game?
January 11, 2007
#29 Pissed off said . . .Flowcontrol is right, no one is giving the Hawks a chance to win....and thats OK cuz when they get destroyed on Sunday you can still say..."no one gave us a chance to win"
January 11, 2007
#30 FlowControl said . . .Hey Hawks fans, do you remember this. "We want the ball, we're gonna score" at the start of overtiem vs the pack and shortly after Al Harris is housing it for the wild card win for the Pack. Hass sucks.
By the way your seachickens team is a real storied franchise, they have lots of championships and hall of famers dont they? The bears have been winning championships since the 30's.
January 11, 2007
#31 jhazmar said . . .Yeah I do remember that unfornatley! That damn hasslebeck, man he was acting more sure of himself then he really was at the time(Rex), and went on to lose in the superbowl in 2006 (again unlike rex). What shame that was.
Pissed off said . . .
Flowcontrol is right, no one is giving the Hawks a chance to win....and thats OK cuz when they get destroyed on Sunday you can still say..."no one gave us a chance to win"FlowControl Says,
You finally woke up and understood that!
Thats exactly what you were doing when you started this! Setting ur self up for an excuse and ready to blame Wrecked Grossman and the bears, cuase it could'nt possibly come from another team, no way man, that cant happen you got the best team in the NFC.
Duh Bears and Der fanz!January 11, 2007
#32 jeff said . . .Love the dialogue. If the Seahawks can come out blitzing and get Rex flustered it's all over. Matt will pick apart the Bears defense. That's what happened last time right....Oh yeah well that's my wishful thinking anyways. It's going to e a kick ass game anyway's. Bloody Mary's at my house on Sunday morning. Your all invited.
GO HAWKSJanuary 11, 2007
#33 jeff said . . .welcome hawks fans and good luck to you. i hope we win but if we don't, go on and win the whole thing.
January 12, 2007
#34 Mikey said . . .and by the way....GO BEARS
January 12, 2007
#35 No More Vocal Cords said . . .The Seahawks have absolutely nothing to lose on Sunday. It's like walking into a Vegas casino and playing with house money. They'll be loose and flowing, while Grossman and gang will be playing with sphincters so tight if they fart they'll hit a triple high C.
Hmmm... the Seahawks secondary sucks? T.O. was held to two catches all day so I guess they can't be all bad. Particularly, since Romo makes Grossman look like a a JV high school QB.
Matt has seven playoff starts including a Superbowl, Grossman just one.
Seahawks by 3... and I'll be laughing so hard I'm going to wet myself.
January 12, 2007
#36 Midway Monster said . . .Even though we missed preseason expectations by a mile, we're here and it feels kind of nice, for the first time in a while (dismiss SuperBowl game) to NOT be the team that is "supposed" to win. Sooo much pressure comes with that.
It will be that much sweeter when we win this game. Kind of reminds me of going to Miami in 1983.
Was watching some Hawks coverage this evening and it seems like our guys are VERY relaxed. We'll find out if that's good or bad, but if we can find a way to jump on Duh Bears early, Grossman will feel like he's in a pressure cooker.
Lot's of snow out here yesterday (by Seattle standards), by the way. Practice this week in sub freezing temps. Chitown whether will be no factor.January 12, 2007
#37 District Selectman said . . .Welcom all the Bird fans to the blog. (oh and the Seattle Center for the Prevention of Violence called... they reviewed and approved your playbook).
--Midway--
January 12, 2007
#38 jdawg said . . .Re: the ESPN piece, I think Big Daddy Drew would agree wholeheartedly that Rex Grossman is skirt steak. Throbbing, jizzmatic skirt steak.
Anyway, as bad as the skirt steak has been, he won't need to have a stratospheric passer rating to beat the Seahawks. He just can't cough it up seven times.
January 12, 2007
#39 Rex said . . .fuckity fuck fuck fuck
Those are my thoughts.
I think I've reached critical mass in the Grossman debate. Every time I see the term "Wrecks Glassman" I don't even get angry anymore. Its more like watching a comedy that is boring rather than not funny. How many fucking angels can dance on the head of a fucking pin.
Well, I'm out of Weller so I'm drinking my Old Rip Van Winkle that was a Christmas present. It goes great with brauts and potato salad.
Sorry, I'm just impatient for the game.
January 12, 2007
#40 12th man said . . .Take the Hawks and the points.
January 12, 2007
#41 Midway Monster said . . .Shit. Bears fans aren't bad.
Doesn't matter. Seahawks will win. My new hat worked for the Cowgirls game, and it WILL work again!!! That's as good an indicator as anything else. The NFL is a crazy bitch.
I remember last year how much talk there was about how excellent the Bears defense was.
Do you remember?
Seahawks!
January 12, 2007
#42 Coxy said . . .Did I hear it'll snow during this game? If so, that'll make my prediction (or shall I say indisputable facts) about the D, then ST, then O as keys in this game.
(Again, if you have a different opinion... you're wrong.)
--Midway--
January 12, 2007
#43 said . . .I like it much more when Grossman has added pressure. Like when he was given one half of play against Minnesota or he would be riding pine for the rest of the year. Last year in the playoff game, solid performance.
It's when there is little pressure (Green Bay, Dolphins, Cards) where he blows.
Trick question. Ditka is God.
January 12, 2007
#44 Phil from SATX said . . .In flowcontrol's #30 post...you made no sense, none of it, not one word made a bit of sense. Good thing you dont write childrens books or something, you could really fuck someone up. By the way did you get your name because you have some sort of urination problem or abnormal discharge? Just wondering on how that name came about.
Rex is much younger than Hass and thats the reason for the lone playoff start, that and the injury bug but he wouldnt have made playoffs in his second year probably anyway.
Also is "wrecked" grossman the name you use for him in Seattle cuz until you douches...er...dudes started posting here I had never heard that one. I get "wrecks" but not "wrecked". Maybe I should start calling Hass "Bald crybaby" hasselbeck....it makes about as much sense as "wrecked" grossman.
January 12, 2007
#45 Pissed Off said . . .Wow there are a lot of Hawks fans around here now - must be playoff weekend! Everybody's up for it, kinda cool if you ask me. I am going to try to explain, Hawks fans, why we say "the only team that can beat the Bears is the Bears." Out of all the possible outcomes of this game (outcomes meaning not just who won/lost but how they won/lost) there is only one which could cause us to all agree that yes, Hawks are better than the Bears. That's if the Bears offense plays well, zero turnovers, let's say at least 14 points, and no Hester turnovers thrown in, and Seahawks manage to march down the field multiple times and score more points than us - i.e. a standard type win, no surprises, no turnovers - yes, we'd then have to agree that Hawks are simply better, and we were wrong. Problem for us is, we don't even see that kind of game as a possibility here. To us, there will be two possible outcomes - offense plays well, no turnovers, Bears win big (or at least control throughout the game such that there is not a lot of drama as to the final outcome) or Rex gags it up, maybe gets some help from special teams, Bears lose. In that event, we would call that Bears beating themselves. I know what you're thinking - why don't the Seahawks get credit for causing those turnovers - see, we've had a lot of experience with "turnovers in bunches" games this year, and most of them occur with us being bad, not the other team being good - i.e. Bears beating themselves. Again, if the outcome is different from the two possibilities just described, that would be where you'd get your props. It's not disrespect to you, it's just what we've seen with our Bears. When they don't "beat themselves" with gobs of stupid turnovers, they win. Capiche?
January 12, 2007
#46 12th man said . . .Phil, why are catering to the hawks fans? Who cares what they think or why they dont understand that the bears can only beat themselves? They wont be around here after next week anyway......and I know you believe that too. Dont back down Bears fans! It seems that some of you are catering to Hawks fans so if the Bears lose on Sunday they will be nice to you on this blog come Monday.
First of all the Bears arent going to lose and second of all, no matter how much you kiss Hawks fans' asses this week if the Bears lose they will still rip you a new one on Monday. So lets all band together and get the fucking thing done Rog. (couldn't resist Jeff-from an earlier post)
January 12, 2007
#47 Vocal Cords said . . .Pissed off, Phil is just being civil which is a nice change. Many Cowboy fans were on our blog last week and let's just say they are a little immature.
Not one showed up after we beat them either.
I could care less who the better team is. I just want to win.
I'll come back if we lose and you can all make fun of me and the hawks.
Seahawks!
January 12, 2007
#48 Jerry said . . .You're right. I won't be around here on Monday, so no need to "suck" up so that I'll be nice. On Monday, I will have said long goodbye to this site and will be looking for a Philly or New O blog to share my infinite wisdom.
You guys are entertaining, though, I must say. It's been fun reading your justifications.
I'll be here today and a bit tomorrow, but then have to head over the mountains (natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2,000 ft - see Mt. Rainier @ 14,411 ft.). to watch the game in Urlacher's home town (c'mon now; how many of you really knew #54 was from our state?). O Kreutz and Tank (er guns) Johnson also get a lot of love around here when they're not playing the Hawks (UW Huskies).
Vocal Cords have healed. Hawks leave Kirkland today at 2:15 PST. By the way, it was 19 degrees when I drove to work this morning.
Seahawks 23
Bears 20January 12, 2007
#49 Pissed off said . . .PO, you nailed it. Kissing their ass to somehow get favor is just like prevent defense, it has never, and will never, work.
January 12, 2007
#50 Phil from SATX said . . .Thanks Jerry.....12th man, vocalcords, abnormal discharge (or whatever your blog name was) you will not be back here on Monday contrary to what you say.(12th man)
Trash talk and banter is all in good fun but you and I both know that after your squad loses you wont show up here again. And if for some reason you have the balls and do show up, you will be ripped for your takes, which will have seemed idiotic at that time. Just remember, what you post today, tomorrow or what you have posted earlier this week will all be saved on this site and we can go back, read all your shit from the past week and rip apart every word you have blogged come Monday.
January 12, 2007
#51 Vocal Cords said . . .Appreciate that 12th man - now I gotta object - this is not kissing ass it is debate and discourse. PO'd and Jerry, from reading 12th and vocal cords, I think these are fans who will stand up either way, win or lose. The purpose of my discussion was to enlighten non-Bears fans as to the particular nature of our team and fandom. No one knows 0ur team like we know it (meaning Bear fans) - and the same is true for Hawks fans and Packer fans. It is pretty interesting to look up other teams' blog sites - I think everybody goes through pretty much the same thing we do - with passion, loyalty and hope - but not wild-eyed irrational optimism. I have stuff I believe and stuff I hope for. I hope (and I think) that the Bears will be the Bears I know they can be this Sunday. I know that if the Bears "be all they can be" Seattle cannot beat them, even if Seattle plays at its top level. Do I have doubts? Sure, I've been watching for decades now, so of course I have doubts - last year is certainly fresh in my mind. If it was a sure thing, being a sports fan wouldn't be worth the time. That said, it will all come together on Sunday, and Midway's post early on here is dead on - this team is Defense, Special Teams, then Offense. All 3 phases will bring it, and when they do, this game will be decided by halftime. Bears 34, Hawks 10. GO BEARS!!!
January 12, 2007
#52 BRIANsong said . . .Pissed On...
...Same goes.
The Edge:
QB: Seahawks
Running Backs: Seahawks
Receivers: Seahawks (slightly)
O Line: Bears (slightly)
D Line: Bears
Linebackers: Bears (slightly)
Secondary: Bears (massively)
Special Teams: Bears
Coaching: Seahawks (experience)
January 12, 2007
#53 said . . .You're pretty much on except at running back, where the Bears have a distinct advantage. There's something wrong with Alexander. I'd also say that the linebacker advantage for the Bears is significant - they have TWO of the best linebackers in football.
January 12, 2007
#54 Phil from SATX said . . .Can I get this in before everybody else? I'm sure everyone wants to weigh in.
Here's my rebuttal:
QB: If Good Rex - Bears If Bad Rex - Duh
Running Backs - Last year - Hawks Right now - Bears
OLine - Last year - Hawks Right now - Bears
D Line - Bears by a good measure
Linebackers - Are you kidding me? Bears Massively
Secondary - Agree with you
Special Teams - Bears MASSIVELY
Coach - THE JURY IS OUT UNTIL SUNDAYHow bout them apples?
January 12, 2007
#55 Vocal Cords said . . .That was Phil.
January 12, 2007
#56 Flowcontrol said . . .C'mon now Phil from SA. Now you're kidding yourself.
2 of you're linebackers are great (Urlacher & Briggs). A little better than our 2 best (Tatupu & Julian Peterson - also ProBowlers). Our 3rd backer (Leroy Hill), has edge over Hllenmeyer. If you don't think so, it's because you don't know enough about Hill's speed and versatility.
Massive advantage? We'll see.
Something wrong with Alexander??? Yeah, he spent the first part of the season playing with a broken foot! and then sig time on the bench healing. he's back (see 140 yds 2 td's vs. Chargers in week 15). Big difference btw Hawks without Alexander (see previous Bears-Seahawks game) vs. Hawks with Alexander. Don't overlook this one.
There's not a GM in the world that would have Grossman over Hasselback. You're dreaming. If you have to say "Good Rex or Bad Rex" do determine who you think is better, isn't that enough said?
January 12, 2007
#57 Barely Conscious said . . .LOL....#43...lol!
#43 I got Wrecked Grossman from the Chicago Sun-Times a couple days ago when they were wieghing in on which Bears QB would show up they refered to the Bears QB as Wrecked and Rex! Excuse me I do not remeber which articles had that in them but i am sure you get the paper..you should read it sometime and see whats going on.Well ladies and gents, let the best team win...we have 2 days to go, honestly I do hope Rex Grossman shows up and not Wrecked Grossman so he doesnt get the credit for why we won, you know like Tony Romo did in the wild card he had a bad grab for the ball but even if they did make a field goal we still had a minute to go and who is to say we wouldnt have kicked our own field goal soon after, you have to remeber we did it to the Rams twice (as it was mentioned in this blog).
Thanks for keeping a open blog!
I will visit periodically and will be back when the game is over win or lose since someone seems to beleive it takes balls to post in a blog from accross the country. (really its easy to do)!Go Bears!
Go Hawks!!!!
Thanks for the blog space!January 12, 2007
#58 Phil from SATX said . . .Rex Grossman is fine.
Rex Grossman is fine.
Rex Grossman is fine.
Rex Grossman is fine......I'm starting to believe it now.
Rex Grossman is fine.
Rex Grossman is fine.
Rex Grossman is fine......If I just keep saying it a little longer.
Rex Grossman is fine.
Rex Grossman is fine.
Rex Grossman is fine.
Rex Grossman is f'upd......Oh, dammit! I lost my train of thought. Concentrate!
Rex Grossman is fine...
January 12, 2007
#59 Vocal Cords (Still Bitter) said . . .Flow Control, you make a good point. Within the bell curve of casual and hardcore fans I consider myself hardcore - but I don't know much about the Seahawks - or other teams for that matter, unlike Jeff who runs the site and probably others here. I did not realize you had two Pro Bowl linebackers, and I wouldn't really put up Hunter Hillenmeyer against anybody. I'm never really sure why he's out there - maybe someone can enlighten me.
Regarding Hasselbeck vs. Grossman - don't disagree with you about who I'd rather have in front of the Bears, but my comment still stands - when we get the +100 passer rating Rex, I'll take that guy over anybody. Hopefully we'll get that guy on Sunday. Alexander is improving but still does not look that close to the guy he was last year. They replayed last year's Superbowl on NFL Network last night - I still can't believe you lost that game.
You're right too, doesn't take balls to post on a blog, just a click and you're done! (Sometimes two clicks and you're done twice)
January 12, 2007
#60 The Pack is Back said . . .Unfortunately, I tortured myself by watching that NFL Net replay yesterday. I had to send the kids to their room (for fear of taking it out on them) during that span in the 4th Q when we were BENT OVER and drilled repeatedly by the jokes in stripes.
Early 4Q Down 14-10
1) Pass to J Stevens completed to the 2 yard line called back for the most ridiculous holding penalty ever!
2) Next play, Left DE jumps a full step offsides before the snap on his way to a QB sack. No call.
3) Alexander run arond left side for decent gain before getting blatantly Horsecollared by Joey P. No Call.
4) Hasselback interception (can you blame him for forcing it?): Called for personal foul for blocking below the waist when he was TACKLING THE RETURN MAN!!!! AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!This little time frame doesn't even mention all of the other early game officiating blunders that kept us from running up the socre early.
Thanks, Phil, for totally distracting me. I'm done now. On to Chicago to face the Bears and hopefully not the stripes too. Give me a fairly called game and I'll accept the outcome whichever way it goes.
January 12, 2007
#61 scott said . . .I count a maximum of 3 games this season where you could say the bears won "conventionally." The rest of the wins weren't "real," because of turnovers and such, so the bears are actually 3-13. We know for certain that turnovers weren't required when the bears were utterly thrashed by the Green and Gold, and since the game was between the league's biggest rivals, it should count as two losses. So we all agree that the bears are equivalent to the 1st 3-14 team ever.
January 12, 2007
#62 Coxy said . . .3-14? You are an astute analyst, PIB. I'm sure the nets will be calling you soon for a full time gig. Ahem.
Optimistic? Yes. It's the nature of being a fan. Nervous? Yes. Same thing. Go Bears. Let's move on to the Champ game.
January 12, 2007
#63 Phil from SATX said . . .PIB - Your comments do not merit response.
About Hunter Hillenmeyer, I think he is just out there to avert the attention of the opposing blockers. Like when linemen are pulling or fullbacks are coming through to block Urlacher, we pull the stunt of putting another white guy out there to free up Urlacher.
January 12, 2007
#64 jdawg said . . .Stunt double, Coxy? You may be on to something! Maybe he engages in pyschological warfare out there, with his job being to shout out opposing player's Wunderlich scores in an attempt to undermine morale. Possible?
January 12, 2007
#65 The Pack is Back said . . .Be nice to Hunter. Take a real, real close look at the play against the Cardinals where 54 strips the ball out of Jame's hands.
January 12, 2007
#66 Phil from SATX said . . .So when it comes to a bears win (13-3), it doesn't matter if the other team "screwed up," but if the bears turn over the ball this weekend, it really isn't Seattle winning. Its the bears beating themselves. Is that you're position?
January 12, 2007
#67 The Pack is Back said . . .You're right jdawg, Hunter was holding him up allowing the strip (greatest play of the season). And I assume my opinion about him is my ignorance - he never seems to be in jeopardy of losing his starting position and there has to be a reason for that. Is he responsible for something that just doesn't ever show up on television?
January 12, 2007
#68 Coxy said . . .As I've said in the past and now the bear's fans have confirmed, Jame's progress was stopped. The play was over. The win was a gift from the officials. There were a few of these during the season.
January 12, 2007
#69 Pissed off said . . .Was Hillenmeyer the guy that also unloaded on two guys during Hester's return against the Giants. I remember there being a whitey in there clearing the way.
January 12, 2007
#70 jonathan said . . .A few points, man I dont check the blog for 2 hours and it blows up!
Vocal cords.....You dont know enough about Hunter Hillenmeyer then if we dont know enough about Leroy Hill, Bears have big advantage at linebacker, Peterson is OK but Tatupu is a shell of himself from last year....no contest there. Plus Briggs and Urlacher are ALL PRO, who's all pro out of your linebackers, um NONE.
Good Rex is better than any Hasselbeck, bar none, plus with age on his side I bet more GMs would have Rex than Hass.
And if you think your team is good and back to form with Alexander, didnt you lose to the Vikes, Cards and Niners twice, with Alexander in the cards and most recent niner game, your teams "back" my ass.
And lets not forget the point here that you lost to the Cowboys last week and if your ballboy didnt give Romo a K-ball you wouldnt even be here.
Again, Phil stop kissing the Seahawks fans asses, you did it again in post #50 and especially #58.
Even though it doesnt take balls to blog from across the country , still none of you Hawks fans will be here Monday.
Vocal cords. Post #59.....no one here cares about the play by play of the Hawks game so spare us. Your team sucks, lets leave it at that. Your not exactly Joe Buck. And cry me a river about officiating, Terry Glenns safety should have been an incomplete pass so again, you shouldnt even be here.
Pack is back your statement is so stupid you dont deserve a reply but I'll humor you anyway, you team is 1-15 this year, you played only one good game therefore you are 1-15.....stupid logic huh.....yeah I know I learned from reading your DELUSIONAL(your favorite word) posts.
January 12, 2007
#71 FlowControl said . . .PIB -- with regards to the James fumble, you're wrong on the forward progress. Jerry Markbreit's "ask the ref" column addressed this very issue a while back.
Officials give the runner every opportunity to gain additional yardage before blowing the whistle on forward progress. If I recall, James was still moving or at least had not yet been pushed backwards, thus giving him an opportunity to squirm free, attempt a lateral, whatever.
Watch any NFL game and you'll see that the whistle on forward progress is always "late", that's by intention and by rule.
January 12, 2007
#72 jonathan said . . .Damn Dude blew the f&*# up!
LOL...
I guess its starting to get to Pissed off.
"The only team beating the Bears this weekend are those damn Bears!" (excuses i say, predetermined excuses)
- BTW you dont know who will be there now do you? Didnt think so!
Its not like WRITTING in your blog tells you anything about the people WRITTING in it will be at the game or not (hell hawks fans are in your city going to your field) put your picture up here in the blog so we can see who you are!
-The bears will beat the bears! Got it man now calm down already, if you dont want to hear from Hawks fans then close the blog.
- You started this post (i wrote post) with negativity towards the bears, what did you expect?Twill be a good game!
Go Bears!.
Go Hawks!!!January 12, 2007
#73 jonathan said . . .PIB: I always like to cite my sources --
Quoth super-ref Jerry Markbreit:
"The runner is given every opportunity to break away in situations like the one that you describe. James was still moving when the ball was stripped."January 12, 2007
#74 The Pack is Back said . . .Oh, and Markbreit's column is syndicated nationally, so don't try to claim any bias because the link came from the Tribune, they just run his column.
January 12, 2007
#75 jonathan said . . .You guys are the ones attributing the defensive player with "holding up" James so the ball could be stripped. You guys admitted it. No me.
The Seahawks were also helped by the refs this year. The Packers/Hawks game took a big turn when the Green and Gold's sack was taken away just as Hasselbeck intentionally grounded the ball. The refs called it roughing the passer even though it was a clean tackle.
Another bad call that changed a game in a big way was the grossman fumble just before the half in the Rams game. In that game they said his fumble was an incomplete pass but on replay the ball clearly leaves his hand without being touched by a defender and lands BEHIND the point of the throw. Either way it was the Rams' ball, but the refs gave the gift to the bears. But that wasn't enough to beat down the Rams. Moments later, after forcing the bears to punt, the Rams' receiver caught the ball and ran out of bounds to conserve time on the clock but the officials refused to stop the clock.
I could go further but the bears fans are to delusional to understand that their team isn't all its cracked up to be, especially since the guys who were injured are not the same as they were and #54 isn't 24 years old anymore.
January 12, 2007
#76 Coxy said . . .PIB: "You guys". Your freaking hilarious. Yeah, I'm standing here in the same room with everyone else who's posting for the Bears.
Jesus, what kind of deluded delusional fantasy delusion are you living in? I hadn't posted a single comment until minutes ago. But go ahead, respond to "the group" again. Maybe we can get back to you after we make a committee decision.
Hilarious.
January 12, 2007
#77 Megan said . . .He sounds so ridiculous. Does anybody else laugh out loud with every post? I Particularly liked how he turned it on the Seahawks there and made yet another excuse for the fudgies sucking. This guy is like Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory.
January 12, 2007
#78 Pissed off said . . .Ahem, Guys?? (Checking private parts... )
Nope, still a Gal...January 12, 2007
#79 Vocal said . . .Abnormal Discharge, are you talking to me in post #71, I didnt say anything about bears beating themselves, not since thursday anyway. The rest of what you said in that post about WRITING made no sense so I cant respond to it???
Coxy and jonathon are right on, I laugh at every Fudgepacker post. Makes no sense...much like the flowcontrol posts.
Well I am off for the weekend, wont be back until Monday probably when I can brag up the win, doubt I will find any Hawks or Packer fans here then. I may post Sunday after the Bears win but the chance of me being to inebriated to post is great. Go Bears, I wish you all a good weekend...the banter has been great.
January 12, 2007
#80 The Pack is Back said . . .Pissed On...
Right. The Seahawks Suck. Good one. That's always real enlightening to hear. You're really on top of your game. Very insightful banter.
Most of the comments on here have been interesting or entertaining at least. Yours, however, is just Bear Fan spewing.
You will not be here on Monday either because you will be wallowing in your sorrow after the team that "sucks" walks off your field with a "W".
Once again, the Bears will generate hope and dreams in the Windy city and win their way through the regular season only to disappear and disappoint when the real season starts.
Think about how bad it's going to hurt to lose another home game after posting the best reg season record. Soooo much promise. So little to show for it.
Chicagobears.com posts are talking about how it's time to support good ol Rex. "Let's get loud and show him our support people" is pretty much how the conversation is going.
Great advice: When Rexy is under center you guys should all get as loud as you can to show him how much you support him! C'mon, stand up and cheer for your hero when he's on the field. The louder you get, the more he'll appreciate it.January 12, 2007
#81 The Pack is Back said . . ."Jesus, what kind of deluded delusional fantasy delusion are you living in? I hadn't posted a single comment until minutes ago."
I obviously wasn't referring to you. Obviously you aren't capable of figuring that out though. bear fans have a difficultly figuring things out it seems. They're delusional. They think everything is about them.
January 12, 2007
#82 The Pack is Back said . . ."Ahem, Guys?? (Checking private parts... )
Nope, still a Gal..."Well, you coulda fooled us!
January 12, 2007
#83 Midway Monster said . . .Do shitcago schools go past 2nd grade? For some reason the bear fans can't seem to understand words.
January 12, 2007
#84 josh Silberman said . . .Back is Pack:
Check it out:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kbNMCXYVf18
--Midway--
January 13, 2007
#85 jonathan said . . .I am not too sure about Rex. I mean with Martin Luther King day comming up on Monday. I don't see how Rex could possibly have the focus to keep his head in the game.
January 13, 2007
#86 mikebdot said . . .PIB: Seriously man, check this out:
http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?q=delusionMix it up a bit, try "out of touch", "disillusioned", "not living in reality", these are called synonyms, you should try one some time.
I'm not expecting Shakespeare-quality material here, this is a football blog afterall, but come on man, don't your fingers get tired typing the same goddam word over and over again?
January 13, 2007
#87 Nick said . . .PIB: While I agree that the call about Grossman throwing the ball backwards ought to be called a fumble, the rules state that if the arm is moving forward if a defender knocks the ball loose it matters not which direction the ball goes, it is ruled a forward pass regardless of direction. This happens quite a bit actually. It's a terrible rule. Yes, that play should have been a fumble in the spirit of rewarding a defender for his play after the rules limit his play so much with regards to hitting the quarterback in certain places of his body as well as holding off if he slides or not hitting him at all if the actually lets go of the ball (as opposed to pump faking it).
Also, speaking of throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage. Riddle me this. Why is it that late in the game, say 20 seconds left, and a team has no timeouts they don't throw the ball towards the middle of the field and since they'll be so wide open, catch it, plant and wing the ball out of bounds just behind where they are throwing it. If it goes forward, what is it, a 10 yard penalty from the spot of the foul for an illegal forward pass, 15 yards? Let's say it's a 40 yard completion or so, certainly it's worth the risk of the penalty or not throwing the ball hard enough to get to the sideline in the air (and over defender's heads). Shouldn't be more than a 10 second play. I've always thought someone should try this out for shits and giggles. The lost art of the lateral makes me sad.
January 13, 2007
#88 Jerry said . . .Bears 17
SeaHawks 10January 13, 2007
#89 Jerry said . . .Midway, loved the video. Too good. He may have those tendencies.
January 13, 2007
#90 Midway Monster said . . .Mikebot, that is a very interesting proposition. I think, if introduced this playoff season it will quickly result in a new rule during the off-season, but I like it. Maybe it is already been thought of and implemented. If anyone knows, please let me know. PiB, I don't want to hear none of your shit.
January 13, 2007
#91 Todd O'Connor said . . .Bears 27
Birds 3--Midway--
January 13, 2007
#92 Adam from Pittsburgh said . . .Da Bearss...
79, zip.
January 13, 2007
#93 jonathan said . . .I've been stressing over this game for weeks now, but I've realized that it's time to just sit back and fully enjoy the Bears.
I drew a pitcure of Ditka on my fridge dry erase board.
I played the matchup in Madden 07 at least 6 times.
I did the Superfans hula dance.
I bought a fake mustache and aviator sunglasses to wear during the game.
I busted out my Bears stuff and laid it out.
And I thought about the fact that the Bears are two games away from that ring, and Brette Favruh is sitting at home with a bum ankle, becoming incontinent.
I realized, this is our time. Fuck the doubters, fuck the critics. The Bears are going to roll, and we're going to sit back and enjoy.
It's time to bring a playoff win to the windy city.
Our team.
Our fucking time.Also, guys; stop giving PIB the benefit of the doubt all the time. You're too nice to him.
He is to be ignored, just like his team.
When does the Pack play this weekend?
Oh yeah...
January 13, 2007
#94 The Pack is Back said . . ."Fuck the doubters, fuck the critics."
AMEN.
January 13, 2007
#95 The Pack is Back said . . ."Mix it up a bit, try "out of touch", "disillusioned", "not living in reality", these are called synonyms, you should try one some time."
You can't expect shitcago fans to understand more than one word, so I'm forced to stick to delusional.
January 13, 2007
#96 Mikey said . . ."if the arm is moving forward if a defender knocks the ball loose"
The defender didn't knock it loose. He threw it.
January 13, 2007
#97 Phil from SATX said . . .Ok, I'll give credit where credit is due. Kudos to the Bears. BUT, if this is the best you can do at home against a team riddled with injuries on both sides of the ball, New Orleans is going to embarrass you on national TV in your own stadium.
If anything, you need to send a big fat thank you note to our offensive coordinator and Mike Holmgren. It was their pathetic play calling in the last series that gave you the game, because let's be realistic... you have a somewhat above average team led by an average quarterback.
My prediction - Saints 34, Bears 17
Enjoy the victory, but you and I both know that the Seahawks would have won this game by 10 or more with their starting secondary in place.
January 14, 2007
Hey Mikey, you and I both know with Tommy Harris and Mike Brown in place, 37-6 - just like before!
Great win Bears!
January 15, 2007
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.