It would have been insincere to write a positive column about this football team yesterday, especially after the complete lack of effort on the field Sunday. I spent yesterday on the phone ranting about the misuse of Devin Hester on offense, the unwillingness to deviate from a misguided offensive scheme and Adam Archuleta’s belief that cross-checking wide receivers is easier than turning around and knocking down the football.
I’m about to give reasons for Bears fans to be optimistic but I want to stress that the postseason for this club is an extreme long shot for two reasons: (1) the Bears are going to be chasing a Detroit Lions club for a wild card that has now beaten them twice and (2) the New York Giants look like they’re going to coast to ten wins. The numbers don’t look good but still we hope…
Reason #1 The Schedule
I like the second half schedule. (a) The Bears open at the Raiders. If they lose there, we don’t have to waste the rest of the calendar year talking about the postseason. (b) The Bears won’t have to do a lot of scoreboard watching because they’ll play meaningful conference games against Green Bay, the Giants, Washington, Minnesota, Seattle and a resurgent New Orleans. (c) They get Denver at home. (d) They end the season with the Saints in Chicago. If they’ve put themselves in a position to make the playoffs, that’s a perfect setup. (Note: The Lions still have to play the Cowboys and Chargers.)
Reason #2 Getting Healthy
When Nathan Vasher returns after the bye week, this should create a domino effect of players in the right positions (and Adam Archuleta on the damn bench). No one quite knows the extent of the injuries to Urlacher, Harris, Briggs and Walker but two weeks off should bring them back to somewhere near 100%.
Reason #3 They Cant Play Worse…
…can they?
I’d like to write reasons like “the Bears will utilize Greg Olsen� or “Devin Hester� but I think I’ll wait until our fearless leadership pull their heads out of their collective asses. Then I'll show faith in them. I’m also a little pissed off at Monday Night Favre tonight which was the worst Brett Favre suckoff in the history of recorded tape. What the hell do I care about his wife? Does she play sports? Get her the hell out of the broadcast booth.
The Bears giveth, the Bears taketh away...and so ends a terrible first half of the 2007 football season. I'm not going to write a column about yesterday's game because it was the single most depressing game I've watched in a long time. I never once, ONCE believed the Bears could win yesterday and at one point in the game I predicted four consecutive Bears offensive plays correctly - including an interception. My brother thought I was possessed.
Today I present my reasons why the Bears find themselves in this 3-5 predicament. Tomorrow I'll give reasons to believe they can turn this ship around down the stretch.
Reason #1 BREX GRIESMAN
Four interceptions yesterday - three in the endzone - and I've had enough. After last week's cocktease to end all cockteases, the quarterback position of the Chicago Bears once again proved to be about as reliable as a homemade condom. Grossman stinks. Griese stinks. And now people will start clamoring for Kyle Orton. The Bears could have won three of the five games they've lost with efficient if unspectacular play from the signal caller. How many years (or decades) do we have to repeat that phrase?
Reason #2 BRING OUT YOUR CED!
I haven't seen a football player with worse body language since Kris Brown was missing all those kicks in Pittsburgh. The Bears traded their leader and put their faith in Cedric Benson, who has rewarded them with a string of gutless performances. When Thomas Jones got a big first down, the stadium felt it in the way he sprang to his feet and ran back to the huddle. Forget Kris Brown, Benson hangs his head more than Charlie Brown and it's time for this team to move on. I love the Bears but I haven't disliked a Bears player this much in a long time.
Reason #3 ADAM ARCHULETA IS THE WORST PLAYER IN FOOTBALL
I don't know what to add. I've never seen a player so transparently terrible at playing football. He can't cover my mother. He takes terrible angles at running backs. He misses tackles. On blitzes, I'm confident I could block him. I underrated Mike Brown's injury significantly. Adam Archuleta sucks.
Reason #4 TACKLING?
The success the Bears had last year stripping the football seems to have had an embarrassingly negative effect on the 07 team. They're constanly thinking ball first, tackle second and its lead to a defense surrendering more big plays than producing three and outs. The Bears play a soft cover-two which is only effective if players make tackles in one-on-one scenarios. One of these days they'll make one of those tackles.
Reason #5 IF LOVIE DIDN'T GET EXTENDED...
...we'd all be calling for him to get fired. The coaching staff has been awful. Defensive coordinator Bob Babich can't decide if he wants all out blitzes or soft zone - leading to players being consistently out of position. Ron Turner has yet to realize his running back stinks and his receiving corps doesn't - so the ball is constantly in the hands of the wrong players. Lovie Smith continues to expose his incompetence in press conferences - stubbornly defending his putrid gameplans and inability to develop young players. If Big Bag Bill up in New England had this roster's talent, I guarantee you they wouldn't have a losing record.
It was just a short while back that we heard Lovie repeatedly saying that we just weren't getting much done offensively. We thought that may have gone by the wayside for a while but the fact is, what Lovie said then still holds true, at least it did today.
Ok for the positives, we kept Greg Olsen involved and the defense held the Lions to a low enough point total that should have been manageable enough for our offense to win. Now that we've discussed all those good things lets move to a few concerns I have.
The quarterback is still the number one question mark on the team. Most have said it was that way for quite some time now, dating back to Rex days but it still holds true. I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks was the main cause for our loss today. I know what I think it was. I'll give you a hint....it involves a noodle for an arm. Take away the padding of stats with some passing yards late, Griese wasn't very good.
Benson looked the usual part....bad. I thought that the first play of the game where he dropped the pass pretty much summed up the day. He dropped a few more I believe as well. No big yardage plays, no showing of emotion or passion, just another day at the office for that guy.
I was happy to see the defense finally create a meaningful turnover, it gave us a glimmer of hope late but that was quickly erased. It will be very interesting to see what happens over the bye coming off a home loss to the Lions. I dont think Lovie will shake things up much but maybe a little polishing, or lets face it an entire new paint job, could be in order. Lets get refreshed, come out and win some damn games.
Rip away.....
For your Saturday night/Sunday morning reading pleasure, I present Mike Downey's Tribune column regarding the once - and possibly future - king. Every once in a green sky we present a piece in its entirety and I'm happy to do it for a terrific columnist like Downey.
ORTON WAITS FOR A CHANCE
Mike Downey
In the wake of the news
October 28, 2007
Question: "Don't you miss all those questions about who's playing quarterback, Coach?"
Lovie Smith: "Oh, I can't wait for them. It was a part of every interview I did for so long.
"Kyle Orton, by the way, is doing a heck of a job behind the scenes. Let's get that quarterback controversy going again."
Kyle Orton came off the practice field on a sunny Friday afternoon, perspiration dripping into his beard.
I intercepted him to ask, "Kyle, wasn't it like two years ago this week that you and the Bears beat the Lions in overtime?"
"Was it?" he asked back. "Your memory is better about things like that than mine."
"Didn't you throw a 54-yard pass to Mark Bradley that day?"
"Did I?" Orton replied.
Yes, you did.
As a matter of factâ€â€stop me if this sounds familiarâ€â€Orton on that October day in 2005 took the Bears on a 99-yard touchdown drive that ended with a leaping catch by Muhsin Muhammad in the end zone.
Brian Griese a week ago led a 97-yard touchdown drive that ended with a leaping catch by Muhammad in the end zone.
A whole lot has happened to the Bears in between. I suppose that's why a few gaps exist in their ex-quarterback's memory of it all.
"It has been a long couple of years," said Orton, a qualified pro quarterback who is ready, willing and able but will be inactive Sunday for his 27th Bears game in a row.
"I'm still happy here. I think I have got a future with this team. But I do know there's a demand out there for quarterbacks who can play in this league, so who knows?"
Quarterback is not the panic-stricken, polarizing position in Chicago that it used to be.
The head coach even was able to have a tongue-in-cheek moment about it in his conference call with Detroit's reporters, jokingly inviting a quarterback controversy to resurface.
Maybe later, coach. Best/worst we can come up with for the moment is this:
Is Donovan McNabb an option for 2008?
Or is the football in good hands with Griese for a while?
Is Rex Grossman coming back to be a backup or going off to a Buffalo or an Atlanta or an Arizona for a fresh start?
Or is there a college quarterback the Bears should snap up in the draft?
And where would any of this leave Orton, who is only 24? He isn't blind to the way desperate NFL teams grasp at straws and give a shot to a green third-stringer or to a washed-up 43-year-old like Vinny Testaverde.
"I saw how long Brian Griese had to wait for a chance to get back on the field," Orton said. "It's hard to not play."
Orton is in NFL limbo, so much so that even J.T. O'Sullivan has a better chance to play in Sunday's game than him.
O'Sullivan is the No. 2 to Jon Kitna at quarterback for Detroit. The Bears released him July 7 and he signed three days later with the Lions.
After a comment by Kitna a few days ago about how much he hates to play an opponent twice in one season, Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz couldn't resist kidding Kitna this way: "OK, we're just going to play J.T. this week."
At least the 28-year-old O'Sullivan did get into a game this season, throwing his first NFL touchdown pass. Orton won't play unless both Griese and Grossman can't.
Smith gave the ball to Griese for the Sept. 30 game in Detroit, the veteran's first start as a Bear.
"Of course his first start wasn't exactly how we envisioned it," Smith said after Friday's practice, ruing the interceptions that were costly in a 37-27 loss. "But he really has made progress."
It wasn't a snap decision to bench Grossman, a quarterback who had steered the Bears to a Super Bowl.
It also wasn't the first hard call Smith had to make. Orton was in the midst of an eight-game winning streak on Oct. 30, 2005 when he and the Bears beat the Lions 19-13 on a Charles Tillman interception in overtime.
Orton was a player thenâ€â€a player who played.
He threw for more than 9,300 yards for Purdue. He then became the first Bears rookie to start a season opener at quarterback in more than 50 years.
But not only hasn't Orton been in a game for the two NFL seasons since, he hasn't been activated.
Football isn't a sport like baseball or basketball where a bench guy can grab a little playing time in a one-sided victory or defeat.
"Do your starting days seem a long time ago?" I asked him.
"A real long time ago," Orton said. "My time will come. I still believe that."
Until then, no one needs to ask the coach who his quarterback is, so we don't.
Maybe next year?
Copyright © 2007, The Chicago Tribune
I’m worried about the Bears this week but more worried about myself. There are two things I hate more than anything else in sports: (1) when the Bears lose and (2) when the Bears are on their bye week. Let’s add a third. I hate it when the Bears lose heading into their bye week. Oh and God forbid Brian Griese play poorly. This website might explode over the next two weeks.
Enough with all this losing talk.
YOUR 2007 CHICAGO BEARS 37
Detroit Lions 13
Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?
1. I always like the Chicago Bears.
2. I think you’re about to see the first great, complete game of the season from this team. The Bears dominated the Lions for three quarters on the road. They should dominate all four at home.
3. The Lions won on opening day at Oakland. Since then they’ve played two road games, lost both and been outscored 90-24. That’s not a misprint. Overall on the road this season, the Lions defense is allowing 37 points a game.
4. Tommie Harris said he’s going to do whatever he needs to do for the Bears to win and get to 4-4. I’m not going to argue with 91 and I look forward to all that is entailed in "whatever he needs to do."
5. Kevin Jones’ running style won’t intimidate the Bears, who are more susceptible to shifty, make-you-miss-style runners. The only guys Adam Archuleta can tackle are guys that run right at him. Jones will, preventing big plays.
Don't forget to wear orange if you're headed over to the stadium Sunday. Take it away...
The calls for Adrian Peterson to start at running back didn’t begin on this website and they certainly won’t end here. Division I-AA’s all-time leading rusher is the most popular player in the second city as Jerry Angelo’s first round superhero, Cedric Benson, is simply waiting for the gas to run out of the Bustmobile. Before you listen to any more incorrect analysis from coaches and writers, here’s actual information.
THE BEARS ARE THE WORST RUSHING TEAM IN THE NFC
They average 3.2 yards per carry and 81.1 yards per game. How is this worst, you might ask? The only team averaging less yards per game is the Green Bay Packers (65.7) but they’re doing it on 5.5 less carries per game. They acknowledge their lack of running ability and throw it more but if they wasted time running those five and a half times at their average of 3.3 yards per carry – they’d shoot to 83.85 yards a game. Almost three yards better than the Bears.
AND IT ONLY GETS WORSE...
(1) Only three teams in the conference have gained fewer first downs on the ground.
(2) St. Louis has no rushing touchdowns. The Bears have two and that’s tied for next-to-worst.
(3) The Bears are the ONLY team in the league without a rushing gain of 20 yards.
(4) Sick yet? Still a running football team?
Is Adrian Peterson the answer? Probably not. But even though his sample size isn’t nearly as large, his statistics (4.5 yards per carry) show a significant improvement over Benson’s (3.1 yards per carry) and Peterson has not received the bulk of his carries in junk time or in unattainable third and longs.
With apologies to a discussion I’ve just had with Noah, I’m not going to turn this into a column about the application of behavioral economics to the athletic world but it appears the only reason the Bears are expressing such unjustified loyalty to Benson is monetary. Football is about winning not about getting a return on your investment. When a stock is nose-diving, you sell – even low – before you lose everything. The question is simple: Does Cedric Benson give this team the best chance to win? If the answer is yes then I should probably spend less time on these columns because we’re screwed.
ADDENDUM: Congratulations to Brian Griese - named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Check out Reuben Frank's excellent column on Griese from Sports Illustrated.
ADDENDUM 2: David Haugh is a day behind me in today's Trib. Still worth reading.
Say what you will about Jim Johnson relegating his normally blitz-happy unit to prevent status for the still goosebump-inducing final drive in Philadelphia. There are clear lessons to be learned from the formally inept Chicago Bears offense’s ability to move the ball ninety-seven yards in less than two minutes without the benefit of a time out only a week after throwing the ball at will against the Minnesota Vikings, eradicating a fourteen point deficit in 2:56. Not tiny little lessons about scheme either. Sunday’s drive and its predecessors should have taught the Bears that the entirety of their offensive ideology is significantly flawed.
Lovie Smith is as stubborn as a bitchy bartender after last call but one thing is certain: the Bears are no longer a running football team. They don’t run “getting off the bus� – though unless the opponent’s bus pulled up next to them, that might be their only chance to be successful in the ground game. So how would a change in ideology reflect on the field?
BENCH CEDRIC BENSON
If the Bears commit to passing on early downs, having the best blocker/ball catcher in the backfield will be essential. Neither of those is Benson – who would become a very expensive version of Michael Turner in San Diego, wearing down defensive fronts late in games. When you’re averaging what Benson is on the ground, having AP in the game on early downs won’t mean any kind of drop in yards per carry either.
UNDERSTAND / UTILIZE YOUR WEAPONS
If you were to rank the five best offensive weapons on the Bears, how would they fall? (5) Bernard Berrian. (4) Muhsin Muhammad. (3) Greg Olsen. (2) Desmond Clark. (1) The Skunk. Even if you disagree with the order, I don’t think you can argue against the players. The five best playmakers on the Chicago Bears are receivers and its time Turner & Company understand that putting the ball in their hands as often as possible is the only way to sustain drives. Throw early. Throw often. The run will come. The success of the passing will put defenses on their heels and breathe new life into an offensive line whose run-blocking seems locked in neutral.
NO HUDDLE
Name a single NFL franchise with the defensive speed to contain Olsen, Hester and Berrian. Olsen will wear out safeties and linebackers while Skunk is soon-to-be demanding double teams on every go route he runs. The no-huddle hasn’t been an option in Chicago of late because it requires a poised, veteran quarterback with a feel and intelligence for the game. Brian Griese isn’t Bob Griese but he isn’t Bobby Hebert either. Griese’s on-field intelligence might be his finest asset and the no-huddle might be the perfect method to take advantage of it. At the end of these last two games, Griese has looked like a Pro Bowl player.
If you want to take a negative approach to yesterday's absolutely thrilling 19-16 win in Philadelphia, maybe you missed the last two minutes. Maybe you had to take a long piss. Maybe you had a craving for Rocky Road with whipped cream and walnuts. Maybe you're more interested in your fantasy team and needed to see how many yards Kenny Watson could ring up against the Jets. Whatever your reason may be, I don't care. Because for the second consecutive week, the quarterback of the Chicago Bears was brilliant at the end of regulation and took HIS team 97 yards into the endzone.
Every great story needs a hook and oh boy did Brian Griese have one. As he was set to begin The Drive 2: Electric Bugaloo, Griese's communication with the sideline evaporated in a Bellichickian twist of fate. Griese didn't panic. Not even close. He called his own plays - perfectly mixing outs to the tight end to stop the clock and underneaths to AP to move the chains. Facing a 3rd and 3 at the Bears 39, Griese completed three perfect passes.
Berrian. 25. Spike. The Skunk. 21. Spike. Moose. 15. Touchdown.
Brian Griese is the quarterback of the Chicago Bears and as much as I loved what he did on the field, I loved what he said after the game even more:
"If we don't win next week, this game means nothing."
Maybe for the team, Brian, sure. But for a fanbase desperate for smart quarterbacking...desperate to believe the guy taking snaps can provide stability at the most unstable position in all of professional sports...desperate for greatness...
Yesterday sure as hell meant something.
Down 4 points, under 2 minutes with the ball placed on the 3-yard line…update the record to 2-5, right? Naw, not with a methodical game winning drive under the steady hand of #14. In what was otherwise a classic game of field position and field goals, it came down to what field general could administer the coup de grace…and it was Brian Griese, not native son Donovan F. McNabb.
Bend But Don’t Break: The defense turned in a solid performance, holding a potentially explosive offense to 16 points. The odd thing is there weren’t any turnovers…but that proved to not be an issue. Brian Urlacher played well enough in his matchup with Brian Westbrook, and the secondary made enough plays to limit any damage from their aerial attack. Tommie Harris is a beast, and seriously needs to be given every effort for the biggest and best contract we can offer him…he is everything we want in a Chicago Bear and has the potential to add his name in Canton.
DH Effect: I’ve never seen anyone in the game of football influence a game so much without even touching the ball (on ST). It’s like when pitchers won’t throw to a big hitter, I want to mock opposing teams fans with my best impression of a squawking chicken.
Game Management: No turnovers and making the plays when they had to, the offense deserves equal amounts of propers for this win (& Robbie's solid game). This puts us at 3-4 with a nice road win under our belt. Next week is Detroit, where a win will even up our record heading into the bye week, equipped with a new identity, momentum and self-confidence. Keep the faith. If this game is a microcosm of the season, maybe we've got 'em right where we want 'em.
BEAR DOWN!
For those of you who don't know, the Bears haven't failed to win the NFC North since we launched this website. I've also never picked against them in the two years I've been giving my picks. Well it looks like one streak is coming to an end but will I pick against the Bears this week?
In a word...no.
CHICAGO BEARS 20
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 19
Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?
1. I always like the Chicago Bears.
2. I think the Bears have a sizable mismatch to exploit on the perimeter of their defensive line. With McNabb seemingly unable to scramble like the McNabb of old, Mark Anderson should have at least a pair of sacks and his finest game this season.
3. How can Brian Griese not gain confidence from the way he ended the Minnesota game? The Bears must leave it all on the field on Sunday if they're planning on contending for a postseason birth and that means a heavy dose of the passing game. Two things about Griese: (1) His Wednesday press conferences are terrific. He's affable and funny. (2) When he drops back to pass, I don't close my eyes.
4. Robbie Gould is a hell of a kicker but he's currently ranked 32nd in the league on kickoffs and has only one touchback. The Bears kickoff coverage was terrible last week and I'm hoping Dave Toub will have that fixed Sunday. David Akers has a much bigger leg and he'll be doing his best to avoid Devin Hester by going over his head. If he doesn't get out of the endzone - it's Skunk time.
5. Most of all, I choose not to imagine a scenario where I have to wake up Monday morning and acknowledge that any success this season is a longshot. I'm hoping...truly hoping...the players feel the same way.
Not a lot of great analysis there, I know. You guys take it over and do better.
There isn't much to say about a ballgame it'd be redundant to call a must win. Redundant and wrong. The Bears are no longer in must win territory. The Bears have entered just win territory. This organization is entering the disaster zone. Steve Rosenbloom is writing about the complete lack of intelligence from the coaching staff, Mike Mulligan has outside scouts confirming what I've been writing about Brian Urlacher for weeks and today David Haugh has a cover story on the apparent lack of effort from the Bears defense. Not to mention the fans and loyals readers of this site seem more interested in how to acquire Donovan McNabb than how to stop him on Sunday. I'm not.
The Eagles offense is not very good but - then again - neither was Minnesota's. However the Vikings have the best left side of an offensive line in football and they dominated Sunday - allowing the Vikes to pound left, away from Lance Briggs. Don't expect the Eagles to mirror this while starting the worst left tackle in football and an offensive line that surrendered three sacks to a Jets defense that only had three total coming into the game. The Bears perimeter rushers should have a field day and dominate up front.
And I'll add this. I expect the Bears to play as pissed off Sunday as they've played in a long, long time. I expect this team to hit people before and after the whistle. If there's even a sense of lethargy from the defense Sunday, then the season is all-but-over. The Eagles can't block and they have a quarterback with severe accuracy issues underneath. If the Bears play angry they won't just win Sunday, they'll dominate. If the Bears play like they played at home against the Vikings, they'll find themselves 2-5 Monday morning.
And then I'm gonna be pissed off.
Trying to take my attention away from the Bears for a day or two but can't. I'm ready for Sunday and that disaster of an offensive line in Philadelphia. If you're not quite ready to forget Sunday's defensive debacle, go to da site and watch the highlights. It's worth hearing Joniak's voice crack during the Griese-to-Hester touchdown to tie it late. Again, I think a lot of you forget how damn exciting that was. I know they lost but damn if they didn't make me happy for ten minutes or so.
For those of you writing off the 2007 season, here's a couple thoughts. If the season ended today, ths six playoff teams would be the Cowboys, Packers, Panthers, Seahawks, Giants and Bucs (in that order). The Bears trail twelve teams in the standings (which is awful) but they play SEVEN OF THEIR LAST TEN games against teams they currently trail. The Bears have wasted the first six games of this season but their season is still in their hands. Writers have written them off. Fans are talking draft. Lovie has created the new tiresome mantra, "Adam Archuleta is our strong safety."
But a season is not dead til they've closed the Bible and shoveled the dirt. The Bears can win Sunday in Philadelphia and - if they do - we'll be here Monday morning with a chance to get to .500 before the bye. I wrote two weeks ago that I thought the Bears needed to go 3-1 in the second quarter to have a shot at the postseason. Until they fail at that, I'm holding out hope that this team hasn't played anywhere near their best football. I think they're going to win Sunday. But that's just me.
ADDENDUM ALERT! Please go to this video of Bill "The Tuna" Parcells from ESPN so you can understand why I'll now be referring to Devin Hester as The Skunk.
Let me make one thing very clear at the very top of this column: I'm not throwing in the towel on a season where the Bears are basically two games back of being a playoff contender. I'm not throwing in the towel because yesterday I saw things that genuinely excited me. Has there ever been a player as good as Devin Hester in the navy and burnt? Did his late fourth quarter performance yesterday solidify Brian Griese as this team's starting quarterback?
All those points are moot when it came to complete defensive meltdown at Soldier Field. And not just your run of the mill defensive meltdown. The Bears allowed four touchdowns and no drives. The ever-threatening Big Play sank a Bears defense we were meant to believe was one of the best in the game. They're not. And there's a couple of obvious reasons why. They didn't tackle. They inexplicably kicked the ball to AP at the end of the game after their amazing comeback. But one thing bothered me most, Scarecrow.
Adam Archuelta stinks. This guy was brought in because of his tackling and he had chances to stop two of three Peterson touchdown runs. Peterson ran right through him. If the arm is preventing him from making plays, get off the field. On the touchdown pass, he was embarrassed by Troy Williamson. Hey Adam, you have one job in the Tampa 2 system: DON'T LET THE RECEIVERS BEHIND YOU. I said it to my brother at halftime. If Mike Brown were playing yesterday, the Bears were up two touchdowns at halftime.
We've got all week to talk about the other issues facing this team. But remember. They are a two-game winning streak against mediocre teams from going into the bye week at 4-4. This team isn't winning a division but if they make the postseason they can hang with any team in the conference - especially in the first round. But I'll tell you one thing: I wouldn't want to be a Bears defender in practice this week.
They still a team of destiny, Lovie?
34 may be a revered number in Chicago, but today it made me vomit in my mouth. The Chicago Bears defense, the same defense that carried us to a Super Bowl berth last year, just gave up 34 points to the Minnesota Vikings. I know Adrian Peterson is going to the hall of fame, but where was Brian Urlacher? Where was form tackling? Where was the rush from the front 4? Where was pride and effort?
I don't care about the comeback...it was like picking up the hot girl at the bar only to get cock-blocked at the last minute...Ryan Flippin' Longwell. Some things to take away in the positive...Devin Hester...he is simply unbelievable. I love watching him play and everytime he touches the ball, I'm wondering what he can do with it. It's like watching a big hitter in baseball...he could go yard at any time. Greg Olsen, our first round pick, looks like he is starting to find his groove on the field....I think he looks really sharp and should be a force the rest of this year.
The take home message from this game is that the Bears are now 2-4 and in DEAD LAST PLACE in the NFC North...the reported worst division in professional tackle football. I'm not saying throw in the towel, but I'm saying bookmark Mel Kiper Jr's draft class page and start dreaming of Andre Woodson in Chicago Blue.
JB put on a show last week with his commentary prognostication of Bears/Packers, coming closest with his 26-20 final score guess. Here's his comment. I bolded the good stuff:
Favre reverts back to '05 Brett and commits 3 turnovers, one fumble forced by Mark Anderson, one silly ball in the air INT to Daniel Manning, and one nice pick by 54.The offense doesn't have far to go all day and gets it in the endzone twice, to B-Twice and Adrian Peterson, along with a solid day from Robbie Gould who adds 4 field goals. Player of the game is Desmond Clark with 8 catches for a buck 10. Packers score a late TD to make it interesting but the offense runs the clock out to seal a 26-20 W.
It ain't perfect, but who is. We've done the contest twice...both victories...the tradition continues. Get the final score and win the Wednesday column. As for me?
YOUR 2007 CHICAGO BEARS 29
THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS 10
Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?
1. I always like the Chicago Bears.
What do I think the Chicago Bears should do this week?
1. Take advantage of a Soldier Field crowd that's going to be floating in on the clouds of Sunday night's comeback at Lambeau. If they start on defense, get a three and out. If they start on offense, throw it down the field. Even if you're unsuccessful, the crowd stays excited. The worst way to let the air out of the balloon would be to run the ball into the middle of a damn good rush defense twice and face a 3rd and long early.
2. Stack the box. Stop the run. Make Tarvaris Jackson beat you. It is one of the most overused phrases in football analysis (Make __ beat you!) but this is Tarvaris Jackson. If he's forced into definite passing situations, he'll fold quicker than a poker player holding deuce six off-suit. That means sacks, interceptions...blowout.
3. Use the perimeter early. Throw the ball in the flat and make their corners tackle in space. If you don't spread these guys out and soften up their front seven, the run game won't be there late in the game.
4. Make them go 90 plus. When you're starting every drive at your own 35, there's no excuse for every punt going into the endzone. Brad Maynard has had a subpar year kicking the ball and Sunday he comes out of it. Pin these guys deep, Brad. If Tavaris can take em 90, at least we'll all know to make plans in January to do other things when football is on.
Now somebody win the damn column.
I woke up this morning figuring I'd have nothing to say but alas I am mistaken. After reading David Haugh's plea to stop the Rex bashing followed by Mike Mulligan's apparent belief that Brian Griese will be starting here for threee years (freeing up Lance Briggs money) - I knew a day off was not meant to be. Then Jonathan's insightful comments (#26) on our last post solidified it. Just like always with the Monster of the Midway...there's always something to say about the quarterback, stupid.
I know it was a different era, but only in Chicago could we wax poetic about a quarterback who barely completed half of his passes (51.8%). Only in Chicago could we compare all signal callers to a man who threw only five more touchdowns than interceptions. Look at his career stats and the man only had one Hall of Fame season - the brilliant 1943 campaign and lays claims to quarterbacking the Bears in their greatest game: the 1940 championship win over Washington 73-0. Take the 1943 season out and Luckman threw 109 touchdowns as opposed to 120 interceptions. If Luckman played today, he'd be boo'd off the field and replaced by another guy with a three-letter first name and a Jewish last name.
And it makes sense. Imagine the Yankees going since 1920 without ever finding a great shortstop. Imagine the Boston Celtics going since 1920 without ever finding a good center who can dominate the paint. Imagine the Buffalo Sabres...just kidding. I'm not talking about hockey. The truth is the Bears should have stumbled upon a great quarterback by pure luck at this point. In 87 years we've had Luckman, a Super Bowl year from the Punky QB (where Steve Fuller played just as well) and an amazing season of Erik Kramer in 1995 - easily the best ever by a Bears quarterback which included nearly 4,000 yards and 19 more touchdowns than picks.
There's a reason every post on this website - no matter what the subject - erodes into a comments-debate over the quarterback position. It haunts us, made ever-more clear by the longevity of the guy taking snaps in Cheeseville. We all want a quarterback and we treat those attempting to fill our greatest void like the lady we believe is "the one." It's okay that she throws interceptions, I love her. It's okay that she fumbles too much, she can make that throw that no one before her could make. The younger generation of fan exudes this youthful romantic optimism - THIS COULD BE THE GUY! The older generation has seen it all before. The media very rarely contains any of the former.
So we sit and wait and speak fondly about a guy whose greatest ability was handing the T-formation of fight song fame. There's never been a dynasty in the NFL - or any consistent success over several years - without consistently good quarterback play. When the Bears get it, it'll be the first time.
Football joy is fleeting, especially early in the season. The Bears went on the road to their only rival Sunday night and beat the 4-0 Green Bay Packers, moving them within two games of the division lead and re-invigorating a team and its fans. We believe - perhaps for the first time since Rex Grossman threw an errant ball into the arms of Kelvin Hayden in February - that this team has life. The lethargy of the first quarter of the 2007 season will hopefully be a memory as the Bears progress through a ridiculously easier second quarter.
That starts Sunday at home against the Minnesota Vikings who'll be returning Tavaris "Is Brad Childress serious?" Jackson to the starting lineup. If the Bears don't win this week, Sunday night's a myth. It never happened. And we'll reconvene Monday morning to write the post-mortem on the 2007 season. The Bears must win but even more importantly, the Bears face an issue they never faced during early 2006...
The Bears must continue to improve offensively. Their commitment to the run needs to see an increase in the yards-per-rush numbers. Even with the emergence of TEA Time (Tight End Attack), the Bears can not ignore the wideouts - especially the deep play ability of Bernard Berrian. It doesn't all need to work Sunday at Soldier Field but if they can add a piece here and a piece there, the Bears offense can be more than effective; it can be downright good. And as the defense gets healthier by the week, the Chicago Bears can climb back up the ladder of the crapshoot (more crap than shoot) NFC and play in another one of those big February games.
I don't know what excuses other people use to get blackout drunk but last night a tough, grind-it-out victory over a bitter rival did the job for me. Nine reasons cancer couldn't wipe the smile off my face today:
9. Brian Urlacher's interception. Scratch that. Brett Favre's interception. Favre made an only-Favre-can-make mistake that changed the feel of the entire football game. I won't lie. Sometimes I wonder if Favre isn't really, really stupid. He sure plays like a lot.
8. Brian Griese's intelligence behind center. One bad interception aside, Griese made consistent, efficient throws and took sacks when he needed to. I never hated Grossman but you never got the sense that Rex thought much while he was playing. Griese threw the Detroit game away. He outplayed Mr. MVP in the second half last night.
7. Green Bay's kickoffs. I've never seen anything like that. Mason Crosby did a nice job keeping the ball in play but if teams are going to use this gameplan, the Bears are going to have short fields every week and they're going to need to put a non-defensive line in the middle of the kickoff return.
6. Last night was arguably the best coaching job this staff has done since they've been here. In the second half, the defensive and offensive schemes were perfect - especially Ron Turner's pitch-perfect call on the touchdown pass to Desmond Clark (which shocked me ). Committing to a failing run game set that throw up. They actually used failure to create success. That's great coaching.
5. Peanut Tillman's first half performance gave the Bears a chance to win this game. His two strips - and they WERE great strips - kept the Packers off the scoreboard on two drives and kept the Bears alive. I have a terrific love/hate relationship with Peanut but last night there wasn't any hate to be found.
4. Fourth quarter score: 10-0 Bears. It ain't hard to figure out, kids.
3. Here's a stat I couldn't find in any of the newspapers today. The Packers only ran the ball nine times in the second half. Lance Briggs was a tackling machine, single-handedly stopping Wynn six times for 10 yards. If last night didn't prove it, nothing will: the Chicago Bears should not end this season without signing Briggs to a lengthy and lucrative extension. He's a better linebacker than Brian Urlacher.
2. Greg. Olsen. Star. This kid has a chance to be the best tight end to put on the navy and burnt since Ditka. Last night - in a big time game - he provided a big time offensive performance and energized a unit that looked dead for weeks. I waited a long time but I've found my new Tom Waddle. I'll be wearing a white 82 by season's end.
1. Last night at Lambeau Field, we beat the Green Bay Packers.
It's a fact ladies and gentlemen, when we head up to "Soldier Field North" we win. Very happy to see the trend continue for at least another year.
I am also happy about several other things I saw from the team. I don't know if I will be able to cover them all but I'm sure as hell going to try. The first person I would like to thank is Peanut Tillman. With his two forced fumbles this man saved us from two scoring drives that at the time may have made the game seem out of reach. Lets also not forget the fact the we finally got Greg Olsen involved in a big way, one of the things Lovie had stressed we needed to do to win games. Benson did not fumble, no sir, not today. Though he had a horrible yards per carry average he was able to get the amount of carries he needed to be effective and allow this offense to control the clock. And even Brian Griese looked competent, a feat that he struggled with last week. His play was by no means stellar but he got the job done and made plays when he needed to.
What we have now is momentum. Momentum that should carry us for the next few weeks into the bye week and show that we are still a contender is this mediocre NFC. There are just so many things to be thankful for and so many bright areas for the time being that will allow us to sleep better at night. We have plenty of concerns that hopefully will work themselves out as the season progresses but right now, for tonight, the positive progress we have made in various areas far outweights the issues that plague this team. ENJOY IT!
Don't believe David Haugh's Mariotti-esque negativity in today's Tribune which includes the excruciating-to-read line, "There isn't much else to look forward to Sunday night for a Bears team lost on offense, hurt on defense and in need of its special teams to save a dying season." There is a great deal to look forward to tonight, David. It is the Chicago Bears. It is the Green Bay Packers. And I don't care how jaded you become as the Bears beat writer for the city's best sports section, it'd take a coma for me not to get juiced for this.
I grew up a Yankees fan and yesterday I was offered a ticket to Game 3...a must-win...tonight...and turned it down. Turned it down to watch the Bears and Packers on television. Why? Because the Yankees could win every World Series until 2025, who cares? I'd sell them finishing in last place for eternity for one Super Bowl title.
The football world expects the Bears to lie down on the tracks tonight and let the Favre train roll on over. Not tonight, football world. Not tonight, Favre. Tonight the hibernation comes to end. And these goddamn Bears are hungry.
A rare Saturday morning appearance by yours truly must mean we're playing the Packers this week. The Bears are being tight-lipped on injuries which is BY FAR the worst development of the Bill Bellichick era. Does anyone think Mike MCarthy's game plan for Sunday night changes drastically based upon whether or not Charles Tillman suits up? It doesn't. But here's what we're looking at for tomorrow night.
OFFENSE
It looks like John St. Clair is going to start at left tackle for John Tait, putting St. Clair on the spot against the most underrated pass rush in football.
Ruben Brown and Fred Miller are playing. Adrian Peterson is still banged up and all signs are pointing to Hungry Like the Wolfe moving into the backup / change of pace role at Lambeau.
DEFENSE
Put me number one on the list of Most Shocked To See Tommie Harris Play In Detroit. He was supposed to be out a month according to ESPN but everything seems to point to him starting Sunday night. Exactly who is doing the injury reporting at ESPN and why are they always so wrong?
All the other problems are in the secondary. Adam Archuleta and Jersey City's Own are playing Sunday. All the reports on Charles Tillman are that he's rapidly improving and the Tribune hinted that he might have been pretending his injury was more serious than it is. Nathan Vasher's groin is starting to look like it's going to be a nagging injury for awhile. He's apparently not even close to getting back on the practice field.
The Bears need Lance Briggs tomorrow night, even in a limited role. He practice somewhat on Friday. I think he pulls a Tommie Harris and suits up.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Devin Hester has been hobbled by what doctors are calling "awesomeness". Hester has been bothered by it for the past two seasons and he's listed as probable.
...Every now and then I get a little bit restless and I dream of something wild.
Here's how I OBJECTIVELY look at the second quarter of the Bears season, beginning Sunday night in Lambeau. Win 3. Win 3 of the next 4 and get to the bye week at 4-4. With home games against Minnesota and Detroit and a trip to the offensively-challenged Eagles, it's incredibly possible. This week's a different matter. Would I love to win Sunday night? Absolutely. Do I actually believe the Bears are going to go on the road in primetime, not turn the ball over and pull the upset over the resurgent Packers? Well....
YOU BET YOUR ASS I DO!
BEARS 20
PACKERS 19
Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?
1. I always like the Chicago Bears.
2. The Packers know their offensive line can't hold up against the Bears pass rush so look for Favre to throw a relentless number of slant patterns to Driver and Jennings. The Pack make their money chewing up yardage on first and second downs. There's one way to stop to slant: you have to hit the receivers and hit them hard. Make them afraid to catch the ball over the middle. The middle, you say? Hit somebody 54. Knock somebody into the locker room.
3. The Packers have killed the Bears for years on the screen pass. They've been much less successful during the Lovie Smith era because of the increased speed of the front seven and Urlacher's ability to get sideline-to-sideline. Not with these running backs and not with a complete lack of a running game. This thing's going to be played vertically.
4. The Bears will run the ball and run the ball and run the ball and that means one thing: less interceptions. If the quarterback position doesn't turn the ball over, the Bears will have a chance to win this late.
5. I think this week we're going to see the first real impact of Devin Hester on opposing coaches. Mason Crosby is a rookie kicker who'll be under a great deal of pressure all week not to put the ball in 23's hands. I think he's going to make mistakes and if the Bears are starting drives consistently from their 40 - they're going to score points.
6. 19-17 Packers on a shocking Favre to Jennings touchdown with over a minute to go. Crosby kicks the ball out of bounds. Griese hits Olsen for 22 yards, then Rash Davis for 18. Robbie Gould splits the uprights from 37 yards and the Bears turn their season around.
Nobody won the contest a few weeks back so here's another shot. Gimme a score and a breakdown. You nail it and the Wednesday column is yours next week.
Two weeks ago I put the Dallas game on the shoulders of Rex Grossman. Game played. Rex benched. Last week I put the game on Brian Urlacher. Fourth quarter played. Urlacher was invisible against the run and Roy Williams-esque against the passing as receivers ran alone across the middle of the field.
A couple things have crossed my mind. (1) I’m cursing these players and if so, why not put Sunday night’s game on Brett Favre or Donald Driver or A.J. Hawk? (2) The Bears have very glaring and obvious deficiencies that – if a playwright from Jersey can find – I’ll assume professional game planners on the other sideline don’t have trouble locating.
I don’t care, here’s a stat. Cedric Benson has one hundred yard rushing game. The Bears have one win. Guess what? Shock of all shocks…same game. Lovie Smith has said he’ll be returning this team to its roots; to running the football yet – as brilliantly pointed out by Steve Rosenbloom – his first orders of business are getting Devin Hester and Greg Olsen more involved in the passing game. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it?
Cedric Benson needs to un-muddle the confusion. Cedric Benson needs to take over Sunday night’s football game. Is he a fumble machine? Yes. Is he an emotional disaster? It certainly seems so. But is he capable of dominating a defense over the long haul? Based on his late game performances a year ago, I say yes. The Bears threw away a win Sunday in Detroit due to a lack of faith in a consistent running game. Benson must eradicate that lack of faith by making the best of the 25+ carries he's sure to receive.
I trust the defense to play its signature brilliant three quarters and it’s on Benson and the rushing attack to keep them off the field in the fourth quarter. If they don’t play, they can’t stink. Show some guts Sunday night, Cedric, and surprise us all. Hold on to the football until you're standing the endzone and then do whatever the hell you want with it. You wanted Thomas Jones gone. He's gone. Now it's on you...starting Sunday night.
The Bears needed to win at home against the Minnesota Vikings a month ago. They needed to win at home against the Detroit Lions a few weeks ago. They failed on both occasions with an appalling grandeur: not only did they lose but it seemed all fifty-three men on the active roster, the coaching staff, the front-office, the practice squad were eager to stand among the hallowed Soldier Field columns and scream WE ARE NOT A GOOD FOOTBALL TEAM.
I’m relieved the Chicago Bears are playing a good team on the road Sunday. I’m excited that Rex Grossman will resume the starting role amidst one of the more hostile audiences in the National Football League. I feel that way because Sunday will answer THE question: are the Chicago Bears a good football team? Because a good football team – a playoff-caliber football team – a football team that has turned off Shit Street onto Save Our Season Boulevard wins Sunday in Seattle. It doesn’t matter how.
CHICAGO BEARS 16
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 13
Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?
1. I always like the Chicago Bears.
2. Because I believe in the resurgent defense. Over their last three games, they’ve allowed only two touchdowns and an average of 12.7 points. The Seahawks will attack the Lovie-Deuce underneath all afternoon which will move them down the field but not into the end zone.
3. Because Rex Grossman’s press conference early in the week made me happy. He was mature and loose, actually cracking up a room of writers who’ve taken great joy in carving him up like a Thanksgiving turkey with a joke about blowing his chance for the big contract. Rex has nothing to lose Sunday and everything to gain. Call me crazy but I like my quarterback in that spot.
4. Because I’m hoping the outcome of the successful Raider strategy of kicking to Devin Hester is that teams will continue to kick to Devin Hester. (Acknowledging of course that Hester was a dumb Moose hold from scoring in Oakland) If they kick to him, he’s going to score this week. To paraphrase the late, great Jim Croce, “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit into the wind. You don’t pull the mask off the ole’ Lone Ranger and you don’t kick to Devin Hester unless you’re a fucking idiot.�
5. Because from everything I’ve read, the Bears are strongly considering moving Adrian Peterson and Hungry Like the Wolfe onto the field and Cedric Benson into the Curtis Enis Wing of my heart. The next time Benson tries to bounce a run outside will be the first time he’s done so in the navy and burnt.
6. Greg Olsen. I’m just putting him here because I wanted to remind Ron Turner that he’s on the active roster and a tremendous football player. So if you think, Ron, that Greg might be a nice way to make Rex’s life easier – that’d be cool.
As you can see by the Friday column’s Thursday appearance...I’m juiced. Strange as this may sound, a win Sunday and a solid game from Grossman might be the tonic that cures my still-lingering Super Bowl blues. A loss Sunday and I’ll be about as excited for next week’s game against the Broncos as I am for the release of the next Tyler Perry movie.
Bear down.
The Bears needed to win at home against the Minnesota Vikings a month ago. They needed to win at home against the Detroit Lions a few weeks ago. They failed on both occasions with an appalling grandeur: not only did they lose but it seemed all fifty-three men on the active roster, the coaching staff, the front-office, the practice squad were eager to stand among the hallowed Soldier Field columns and scream WE ARE NOT A GOOD FOOTBALL TEAM.
I’m relieved the Chicago Bears are playing a good team on the road Sunday. I’m excited that Rex Grossman will resume the starting role amidst one of the more hostile audiences in the National Football League. I feel that way because Sunday will answer THE question: are the Chicago Bears a good football team? Because a good football team – a playoff-caliber football team – a football team that has turned off Shit Street onto Save Our Season Boulevard wins Sunday in Seattle. It doesn’t matter how.
CHICAGO BEARS 16
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 13
Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?
1. I always like the Chicago Bears.
2. Because I believe in the resurgent defense. Over their last three games, they’ve allowed only two touchdowns and an average of 12.7 points. The Seahawks will attack the Lovie-Deuce underneath all afternoon which will move them down the field but not into the end zone.
3. Because Rex Grossman’s press conference early in the week made me happy. He was mature and loose, actually cracking up a room of writers who’ve taken great joy in carving him up like a Thanksgiving turkey with a joke about blowing his chance for the big contract. Rex has nothing to lose Sunday and everything to gain. Call me crazy but I like my quarterback in that spot.
4. Because I’m hoping the outcome of the "successful" Raiders strategy of kicking to Devin Hester is that teams will continue to kick to Devin Hester. (Acknowledging of course that Hester was a dumb Moose hold from scoring in Oakland) If they kick to him, he’s going to score this week. To paraphrase the late, great Jim Croce, “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit into the wind. You don’t pull the mask off the ole’ Lone Ranger and you don’t kick to Devin Hester unless you’re a fucking idiot.�
5. Because from everything I’ve read, the Bears are strongly considering moving Adrian Peterson and Hungry Like the Wolfe onto the field and Cedric Benson into the Curtis Enis Wing of my heart. The next time Benson tries to bounce a run outside will be the first time he’s done so in the navy and burnt.
6. Greg Olsen. I’m just putting him here because I wanted to remind Ron Turner that he’s on the active roster and a tremendous football player. So if you think, Ron, that Greg might be a nice way to make Rex’s life easier – that’d be cool.
As you can see by the Friday column’s Thursday appearance...I’m juiced. Strange as this may sound, a win Sunday and a solid game from Grossman might be the tonic that cures my still-lingering Super Bowl blues. A loss Sunday and I’ll be about as excited for next week’s game against the Broncos as I am for the release of the next Tyler Perry movie.
Bear down.
The Bears needed to win at home against the Minnesota Vikings a month ago. They needed to win at home against the Detroit Lions a few weeks ago. They failed on both occasions with an appalling grandeur: not only did they lose but it seemed all fifty-three men on the active roster, the coaching staff, the front-office, the practice squad were eager to stand among the hallowed Soldier Field columns and scream WE ARE NOT A GOOD FOOTBALL TEAM.
I’m relieved the Chicago Bears are playing a good team on the road Sunday. I’m excited that Rex Grossman will resume the starting role amidst one of the more hostile audiences in the National Football League. I feel that way because Sunday will answer THE question: are the Chicago Bears a good football team? Because a good football team – a playoff-caliber football team – a football team that has turned off Shit Street onto Save Our Season Boulevard wins Sunday in Seattle. It doesn’t matter how.
CHICAGO BEARS 16
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 13
Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?
1. I always like the Chicago Bears.
2. Because I believe in the resurgent defense. Over their last three games, they’ve allowed only two touchdowns and an average of 12.7 points. The Seahawks will attack the Lovie-Deuce underneath all afternoon which will move them down the field but not into the end zone.
3. Because Rex Grossman’s press conference early in the week made me happy. He was mature and loose, actually cracking up a room of writers who’ve taken great joy in carving him up like a Thanksgiving turkey with a joke about blowing his chance for the big contract. Rex has nothing to lose Sunday and everything to gain. Call me crazy but I like my quarterback in that spot.
4. Because I’m hoping the outcome of the "successful" Raiders strategy of kicking to Devin Hester is that teams will continue to kick to Devin Hester. (Acknowledging of course that Hester was a dumb Moose hold from scoring in Oakland) If they kick to him, he’s going to score this week. To paraphrase the late, great Jim Croce, “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit into the wind. You don’t pull the mask off the ole’ Lone Ranger and you don’t kick to Devin Hester unless you’re a fucking idiot.�
5. Because from everything I’ve read, the Bears are strongly considering moving Adrian Peterson and Hungry Like the Wolfe onto the field and Cedric Benson into the Curtis Enis Wing of my heart. The next time Benson tries to bounce a run outside will be the first time he’s done so in the navy and burnt.
6. Greg Olsen. I’m just putting him here because I wanted to remind Ron Turner that he’s on the active roster and a tremendous football player. So if you think, Ron, that Greg might be a nice way to make Rex’s life easier – that’d be cool.
As you can see by the Friday column’s Thursday appearance...I’m juiced. Strange as this may sound, a win Sunday and a solid game from Grossman might be the tonic that cures my still-lingering Super Bowl blues. A loss Sunday and I’ll be about as excited for next week’s game against the Broncos as I am for the release of the next Tyler Perry movie.
Bear down.
Say what you will about the so-called football gods but sometimes they know what they’re doing. The reigning champions of the National Football Conference are 1-3, hanging from the cliff of the 2007 season by a thread thinner than their depth at corner back. If they can pull themselves up, a playoff spot in a weak conference is there for the taking. If they fall, wake me up on draft day. When the clock strikes midnight and Sunday turns to Monday, the punctuation shifts. The question mark becomes a period. We’ll know what the 2007 is.
That’s because it’s Packer Week so I hope the Bears don’t need the added incentive of a season-on-the-line to get motivated. If the Bears lose Sunday night, they’ll be 1-4 – an almost unfathomable four games back of a division lead they’ll never see. Put 1-4 in perspective: the Bears would need to go 9-2 down the stretch to win 10 games. If the Bears win Sunday night, they’ll be 2-3 with a bad Minnesota team coming to Chicago next weekend as they’ll play at home to get to .500. 3-3. New season.
Bears. Packers. Primetime. When it comes to the first quarter of the season, it’s easy to be down, pessimistic, negative…other words that mean the same thing. I’m going to spend the next five days believing the Bears are going to win in Lambeau Field and turn this thing around. The football gods have decided that if the Bears are to matter this season, they must start in the home of their greatest rival. They must do so in front of the entire country, while Madden and Michaels wax poetic about how much fun a certain #4 has on the field. They must win a game no one will expect them to win.
It’s Packer Week. Win or lose I'll find a new way to believe Monday morning. But oh wouldn't it be sweet to hand the Packers their first loss in their building and announce the Bears aren't dead yet on national television.
Bear down. It's Packer Week.
...but they'e pretty damn close.
After four games, the Bears can't get the hell out of their own way. I could write a Tolstoy-size novel about this team's issues but I don't have the time and you don't have the emotional energy to endure it. Yesterday the Bears wasted three quarters of defensive line brilliance. Yesterday the Bears wasted more Devin Hester heroics. Yesterday the Bears folded like a bad poker player and they've got six day to get it fixed. Two years ago they rebounded from 1-3 to win the NFC North. A loss at Lambeau Sunday night leaves our team fighting tooth and nail for a winning season. There's two major issues.
THE PASSING GAME
I know the Bears can't run the ball. I know Ron Turner didn't attempt to test one of the weakest secondaries in football down the field. I don't care. The Bears threw the ball too much but PLAYS WERE THERE TO BE MADE. (1) The receivers have to catch the damn ball, especially Bernard Berrian. Berrian was single-handedly responsible for the end of two drives because of drops. (2) Brian Griese was responsible for a 17 point swing. He threw a sure touchdown into the arms of Fernando Bryant. He threw a wild pass behind Berrian inside the five. He threw one of the ugliest pick sixes this side of Rex Grossman. If he's smarter with the football Sunday, the Bears win easily. (3) The protection is another disaster. In any sure passing situation, the Bears quarterbacks have no shot. Teams are teeing off on an overmatched (and perhaps aging) o-line. Fix it.
THE DOOM QUARTER
This is a defense full of professional athletes paid an awful lot of money to put on pads and hit other guys. I don't wanna hear about tired. I don't wanna hear about a busted morale. The Chicago Bears have outscored their opponents 46-37 over the first three quarters of football games thus far. They're being outscored 58-14 in the fourth quarter. Detroit's last three offensive drives - all for touchdowns - were 70, 80 and 62 yards. Whatever the hell is going on, it needs to change before Sunday night in Lambeau.
That's all for me on this depressing Monday morning. This is a must-win game Sunday night if these guys hold out any hope of making a dent in the NFC playoff picture. I take solace today in one thing and one thing only: that I'm not a Mets fan. Don't think the Packers won't come to their stadium Sunday night knowing they have a chance to end the Bears' run at the top of the division. Don't think #4 won't try to tear this secondary apart with an avalanche of slants patterns - something the Pack does better than any team in football. Fix this shit, Lovie. Fix it now.