Here are my immediate thoughts on today's shell-shock of a football game with a calm understanding that it would take a miracle for the Bears to find themselves anywhere near the postseason (even though they're still only one game out).
1. The entirety of the coaching staff needs to be let go. I'm not being rash here either. Bob Babich does nothing with a great deal of talent. Ron Turner embarrassed the entire Bears organization today. Lovie is responsible for all of it.
2. The next four games are about the evaluation of Rex Grossman. Right now I want him back. He missed a couple deep balls down the left sideline but his ball protect was much better. When Turner took away the short passing game, the points went away. Rex Grossman has a chance to be a very good quarterback.
3. Why does our defense stink?
4. Why doesn't Greg Olsen play for us anymore?
5. Why can't Robbie Gould kickoff past the ten yard-line?
6. Today was the kind of game where I sat on my couch and literally waited for them to lose. Not once in the second half did I think this coaching staff had the ability to keep this lead.
Midway will be with you tomorrow. We're fixing some glitches.
#2 Mike said . . .Always next year.
December 3, 2007
#3 Al in WI said . . .The defense gave up 200 rushing yards and over 6 yards per carry to a no-name running back. Combined that with the Bears having the most pathetic run offense in football and you have recipe for a loss against a dysfunctional opponent you should have been able to beat.
It is TIME to start the REBUILDING PROJECT.
December 3, 2007
#4 Rancid said . . .I am just sick over this loss. Are we sure the network just didn't put in a tape of a game from the Dick Jauron era? This was classic Shoop/Jauron; get a lead early and try and run out the clock the entire 2nd half.
Absolutely pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!
Goats:
1. Ron Turner, great opening game plan gave way to moronic 2nd half. Not enough Olsen, or Berrian underneath. This should be the last straw to fire him.
2. O-Line. Fucking disgusting, we can't even block one guy on a screen play!!! Not to mention run a coulple plays without a false start. 3.1 yards per rush, and 6 sacks tell the story today. Metcalf's dumb penalty on the 6 yardline killed us.
3. Hester. I'm sorry, I know he's a great player, but if he catches that pass the Bears blow the giants out and probably have a 17-0 lead @ the half.December 3, 2007
#5 Al in WI said . . .My only beef with Grossman today was his perceived need to run 10-15 yards backwards before taking the sack. I am glad he didn't fumble/throw picks on those but he's not going to get away from the Gmen on a scramble there so he's just making the FGs harder. I don't fault him as much on the bad deep balls down the sideline as they were in my mind poor play calls given the wind. Overall a solid QB performance foolishly squandered by a pitiful excuse of a OC who deserves no less than to have the Bears emblem ripped from his sleeve and then be ushered out by security. NOW.
December 3, 2007
#6 Viva said . . .I forgot a couple of key points:
4. The once proud defense. That was horrible, as Mike mentioned 200 yards rushing to a no-name running back for the 2nd straight week is disturbing enough. The fact that Adam Archuletta had nothing to do with the defensive preformance is downright depressing.December 3, 2007
#7 Rancid said . . .Why are D sucks?
1. Interior line is not healthy.
2. Safeties can not wrap up. (We need Mike Brown)
3. Constantly over-pursue.
4. Take too many stupid penalties.December 3, 2007
#8 Mike said . . .Al - good point on Arch Deluxe. I can see him whining on the sidelines "see coach, they stink too, and I'm making more money than them, why can't I play?"
December 3, 2007
#9 Giants Fan said . . .The defense can no longer stop the run because the defensive tackle position is a mess. Tommie Harris hasn't been healthy and we are learning week-by-week why Darwin Walker and Anthony Adams were available on the open market. Neither is any good.
On offense, it's very difficult to get a running game going when the offensive line is as bad as ours is. Troy Aikman is normally bright and astute but I have no idea what he was talking about when he said the Bears have a good o-line. That unit is hopeless and needs to be completely blown up. John St. Clair and Terrence Metcalf aren't solutions.
December 3, 2007
#10 Big Rob said . . .I feel sorry for you guys - seriously...
You guys operate under the delusion that these Bears ought not relinquish any advantage, or edge in momentum, or lead as if they are playing by themselves on the field. The problem with that delusion is that only fans of very good to excellent teams can expect that. There are exactly two teams in the NFL that are very good or excellent: The Colts and The Patriots. The rest of us are mediocre at best (maybe the Cowboys and Steelers are a little better).
My Giants, a mediocre team if ever there was one, had there way with your team in the second half. They beat the Bears physically. Can't you just admit that rather than obsessing over the play-calling. Only the Colts and Pats can expect to turn every advantage into a victory. For the rest of us it's a coin flip.
I think the reason you are deluded is because you were under the impression that last year's Super Bowl team was actually a very good team. It was not. They were the best team and a lucky team in an awful conference. In the Supr Bowl you could actually see what the Bears were as they were basically dominated in every phase of the game except kick returns. The fact that the game was close on the scoreboard is a testament to Dungy's humanity (or stupidity). Is there any doubt that if Bellichick were coaching the Colts that day they would have beaten the Bears by at least 28 points?
My advice is to chill a little. Your team is not that good that they MUST WIN every time they have a perceived advantage (as they did today at half time). You don't really have the personnel to support that expectation.
December 3, 2007
#11 Midway Monster said . . .and don't forget the fact that we got 4 turnovers.... didn't give up any and still lost... this hurts...
December 3, 2007
#12 Rancid said . . .Jeff - no biggie. I am up Thurs night and I can post then.
I thought we had this in the 1st half but we played the second half was an acid trip- a bad trip... The last 7 minutes were the worst.
Here I sit; with my Bear hat, Bear jersey... where's the Bear Beer?
-- Midway--
December 3, 2007
#13 Giants Fan said . . .Giant's fan - I quit reading your post when you questioned our criticism of the play calling. This is not the first game we've had this issue. This discussion has gone on all season. What makes you think a group of fans who have an intimate knowledge of their team and it's coaches want the opinion of an opposing fan who's watched the Bears once this year. You won. Congrats. And your Giants outplayed the Bears in the secind half, especially on D. Which has nothing to do with RT. So good job. But you don't even know what "RT" is, which is why you don't belong in the conversation. I won't pretend to know or care much about the Giants coordinators, cause I'm not a Gmen fan. Stick to gloating or shut up.
December 3, 2007
#14 Jimbo said . . .Rancid...
RT is Ron Turner.. and I watch at least a little of the Bears every week.
Honestly, Turner may be bone-headed but you guys dropped a lot of balls today. It's hard to make a game-plan when your receivers can't pull in easy catches.
December 3, 2007
#15 Rancid said . . .Lovie's not going anywhere, for better or worse. The coordinators on the other hand should expect to have dead fish mailed to them. It's a sicilian message for "you're fired."
We need help at Safety, O-Line, and WR. I think we should also look at drafting a quarterback. I like Grossman, I think he could be good, but I don't trust him. Anyone who's comfortable going into '08 with our current crop of QB's is naive. If we can't draft one or pick one up, that's fine, but we need to make an honest effort. The season is over but hope springs eternal every April at draft time.
Go Bears.
December 3, 2007
#16 Giants Fan said . . .Eli hurt you much more than the drops hurt us, yet you win. I disagree completely with your comment. Ron goes conservative (either short runs or long throws that won't hurt us if picked) and thinks we can hold a 9 point lead for an entire half, thus abandoning the game plan that got us our TD. Your offence stops giving us the ball, and you win. Dumb play calling. I'm not saying that the WRs didn't have some drops, but that's not the difference. This one is on the calling.
December 3, 2007
#17 Jim said . . .Rancid...
I respectfully disagree. Eli was, indeed, awful until the last 8 minutes of the game. But I think if you want to measure dominance than consider what would have happened if we zeroed out all of the drops and unforced turnovers. The Giants were in the Bears end for a lot of this game and they would have won big.
December 3, 2007
#18 Mike said . . .You forgot to mention Jerry Angelo..who is now officially burned for mis-handling the back ups this year. The Bears are slow slow slow; the offense is slow; backs don't run well ( do you think Walter Payton would have gone down with an ankle slap tackle as Peterson did); predictable high school offense; speed receivers have no hands and not much speed; Its a mess...it will be 5 years to re-build the team. Maybe Miles had the right idea..stay a LSU and get a good pro job...then the Bears can pass him up.
December 3, 2007
#19 startOlsen.. or throw to him already said . . .I would be stunned if either Ron Turner or Bob Babich weren't back next season. Lovie Smith is fiercely loyal to his coaches. And it simply isn't the nature of the Bears' organization to whack head coaches or coordinators until the absolute bitter end. Terry Shea was rare exception.
To be honest, complaining about the play-calling today is a copout. The Bears were going up against a very good defense. The offensive line and running game of the Bears is wretched. And it showed. On defense, the Bears literally cannot stop the run anymore. Why opposing offenses don't just run the ball 50 times a game is beyond me. Next Thursday Clinton Portis will run roughshod once again.
December 3, 2007
#20 Ram in San Antonio said . . .this hurt so bad. hopes up---- hopes dashed.
I cannot fathom why Olsen was not a target in the red zone, with the game on the line, etc.
Hey we have a 6'5" physical specimen at TE who can outrun and outleap anyone in the Giants' secondary.... lets not put him in the game.AP is a warrior, the anti-Ced.
I am disgusted and tired of this Bears team. No doubt they'll beat Washington next week, to continue driving us nuts.
December 3, 2007
#21 Phillip said . . .This is freaking depressing, I really got excited for a whole quarter there! Only to watch the ugly Bears show thier true colors. I am seriously thinking of not watching any more just to keep my blood pressure down. Maybe a peak here and there!
December 3, 2007
#22 Stink Pickle said . . .At least Rex was Good Rex. 7 consecutive completions is definitely a new trick for him.
December 3, 2007
#23 Shady McBears Fan said . . .Wow, was that depressing. This team cannot stop the run to save it's life. I never even heard of this Ward guy before today. The offense of the Bears was bad, but at least for a change Rex wasn't the primary reason. The Bears have no running game. It's just that simple. The Giants figured this out and pinned their ears back and went after Grossman. The offensive line couldn't stop a rush of 3 old ladies in wheelchairs let alone a very good Giant pass rush.
Ugh.
December 3, 2007
#24 T said . . .It was good to see the defense create some turnovers. It's been a while. 'Wale played well again. The no-huddle looked fantastic. Robbie was good as Gould. And that's about it for the positives.
Inconsistency has killed the Bears all year long. What a contrast between 2 halfs.
Penalties killed the team. How does Briggs go off-sides on a play where he falls back into coverage? The false-starts are always a killer, but at home? C'mon.
Where was Garrett Wolfe? Fuck.
Just when I thought the Bears might be able to run a screen effectively, the damn O-Line can't block the 1 guy who could stop the play. How many times was AP brought down by the ankles by a defender that should have been blocked? I was throwing shit all over my living room watching this sorry excuse of an offense.
Didn't the offense only have 1 yard in the 4th quarter before that last drive?
Somebody fill in the blank:
Watching the Bears offense operate is like watching _____________ .
I'd say even though the Giants got the Win, Grossman outplayed Manning today. Aside from running backwards while getting sacked, Rex looked like he's become a better QB since the beginning of the season. Fuck Eli Manning. He looks half retarded anyway. Pouty motherfucker reminds me of Eeyore.
Ron & Lovie, you got some 'splainin to do.
I agree with Mike about bringing back the coaches for next year. Loyal Lovie isn't letting these guys go anywhere. Chances are we see Ronald calling plays again in '08.
And the Win-Loss Cha Cha continues...
December 3, 2007
#25 BearDown1982 said . . .Shady,
Watching the Bears offense operate is like watching a Ron Turner Illinois team. Been there. Seen that. Ain't pretty.December 3, 2007
#26 Bill said . . .As a Mizzou alum, I was hoping the Bears would at least help ease my pain from last nights loss...instead, they only made it worse.
Seriously though, this has been the strangest season I can remember. We really never know what to expect from this team. It's too bad we don't play the Pats this year, seems like this season has been just crazy enough where we would pull off some BS victory against them and then lose the following week to the Cardinals or something...only a little humor for you.Clearly, the Bears are not very good. Our O-Line practically got Rex killed today against a superior D-Line. Ward ran for over 150 yards...huh? Devin drops an easy TD pass. Our offense ruins every opportunity when blessed with good field position. Why go on...it's a broken record at this point. As they say on the Score, the Bears are just another BLOB team with the rest of the mediocore teams in the NFL.
Time to start evaluating this team position by position for next season.
December 3, 2007
#27 jeff said . . .We're not a good football team. We're OK some games; OK parts of others. But we cant play a whole game.
To the Giants fan, who Im sure was excited about the comeback - it was a comeback led by an ineffective offense on the Bears part in the second half. Yes - your D got a lot of pressure (as we knew they could and would) but Rex missed some open receivers (and not due to pressure) and we had some drops again. So we deserved to lose - you deserved to win.
Most games, the winnig team figures they shoudl have won and the losing team figures they coudl have won. And usually both are right - that's why we all love NFL football.
Manning sucks badly - he's taking up HOE MUCH SALARY CAP SPACE?? How much per interception does that work out to?
Rex - I'm sorry, but he doesn't have what it takes. He's the best we have - clearly. But that was a game he should have taken control of IF he wanted to show he canoperate at a high enough level.
I don't feel like re-reading it - but did the Giants fan actualy say "if they didn't have so many turnovers they woudl have won by a lot more"?? Did he actually say THAT??
If I had a lot more money I'd be rich.
If it was warmer and didn't rain it woudl have been a nice day.
If my grandmother had balls she's be my grandfather.
Hey Giants fan - that was dumb.
December 3, 2007
#28 Shady McBears Fan said . . .bill, i agree to some degress. i think rex grossman needs a good offensive coach. i think he needs a guy to develop what is certainly an immense talent.
December 3, 2007
#29 Jimbo said . . .I tried to ignore that one Bill, but you made it funny.
Lemme break down just how bad the 4th quarter was:
After the Giants drove the ball to the Chi 1 yd. line, they decided to pass the ball which was subsequently intercepted by Charles "peanut" Tillman. The Bears were set up on their own 20 after the touchback, when Grossman connected with Des Clark (who made some plays today) for a 44 yard gain. But it would be downhill from there:
1st possession: 3 and out.
2nd possession: 3 and out.
3rd possession: 3 and out.
Last possession: Didn't get it done.
Say all you want about getting away from the no-huddle offense, the fact is, these players didn't play with the same sense of urgency as they did early in the game. It seemed as if they got too comfortable with their (surprising) early successes and became way too complacent which allowed TDs to turn into FGs and FGs to turn into squadoosh. Now all the players have to play for is their pride.
A cloud of sadness and anger will follow the Bears as they prepare to face another grieving team in Washington this Thursday.
December 3, 2007
#30 jalber9648 said . . ."i think he needs a guy to develop what is certainly an immense talent."
Come on now. We've always known Grossman can have good games. Let's not forget we have be absolutely terrible at times too. I can't believe we're going to have to go down this road again.
We need to bring in another option next year, at least to make RG compete.
December 3, 2007
#31 Phil from SATX said . . .With all due respect, why expect a team to do well with NO impact players on the field. Urlacher is finished through no fault of his own. Once great, no longer a factor. Harris is obviously hurt. A pitiful offensive line. Slowish defensive backs. A mediocre quarterback. Peterson is a warrior, but with limited skill. This is NOT a recipe for success. The RT mess just exacerbates a bad situation. Last year had the following elements...a healthy Harris, a serviceable Urlacher, an O-line one year younger, a real running back that they gave up on (T. Jones), Ron Rivera. The only consistently great player across both seasons is Hester and he dropped a pass playing out of position (due to offensive ineptitude and desperation). Give up the fantasy. 1985 is 22 years ago.
December 3, 2007
#32 prince campbell said . . .Very very depressing. Actually that statement plus about 17 million more "very"s.
Didn't Shady almost nail this one on the head? He should get a column. This is a poorly coached team. So many penalties, a team that's penalized a lot is poorly coached. All those offensive false starts without any crowd noise. The Briggs penalty was totally maddening, yet there were about 3 other guys that were vying for the same penalty on that play - if it wasn't him, it would have been somebody else.
I missed the first hour on Tivo, instead of setting it to end late I set it to start late (nobody said Bears fans were all that smart). So I missed the sole touchdown, yet got to see the Bears with a 2 score lead and an incredible Peanut INT to set us up to stretch the lead. Then I watched offensive futility.
Unfortunately, Rex did not look that "on" in the fourth, with many long balls out of reach or in the sidelines. Of course, the question is, why was he throwing so many long balls anyway? And on this windy day?
The only good thing I saw on offense was Berrian providing (hopefully) enough evidence to management of why their offer better be quite low -- too low, in fact, to keep him. He has no heart as a receiver - he's shown us that this year, and he showed us that in this game when he refused to lay out for a ball that could have been catchable, and when he let a high but catchable ball glance off his fingers. I didn't see him do one good thing out there. Bye bye Bernard, and good riddance. Bye bye Moose too, you provided some great moments but never really lived up to the hype, and you're old and not worth a lot now.
Hester showed why he isn't a receiver, at least not at this point in his career. He looked amateurish trying to catch that ball. RT has looked amateurish all season in his futile efforts to use DH. That fake reverse does not work when you hand it to AP before you've even faked the reverse and everyone is still right in the middle. Just might as well hand it to AP for his no gain without the fake sizzle from Devin.
I agree with whoever said AP is a warrior but with limited skills. A better RB would not let large men get him with solo tackles around the ankles, which happens to AP repeatedly.
The D played very well for most of the game (although I missed some of the gaudy run yards, so I'm probably wrong about that) but there wasn't enough pressure on Bad Seed Manning. He sucks, by the way, and I would rather have Rex than him, even after he came back in that game.
I loved the principle of benching AA, that was great, although McGowan obviously didn't help us much. We desperately need an impact safety, maybe two.
Keep trudging on with trying to win until the next loss (let's check the calendar, hmm, that should be the Vikings after the Redskins win). Then put Tommie AND 54 on ice for the rest of the year, and let the substitutions begin on offense.
We're starting the Rex arguments, but I think there's really not that much of an argument, right? He's shown enough improvement and upside to resign him (as long as he's realistic about the money) but we HAVE to get another young guy in here through the draft, or maybe free agent signing of a young backup (no old FA's). We'll go into next season with Rex if we can reasonably sign him, Griese as emergency backup, and the future in a draft pick. I'm against spending the highest pick on a QB because of our Oline, safety, RB and now receiver needs. But that's the right plan for next year. And I agree with Jeff that I really want to see Rex with a real offensive coordinator and a better line and running game. He really could turn into our QB of the future with the right pieces around him.
Sucks.
December 3, 2007
#33 Jimbo said . . .The problem with Rex is the fact that though he has the physical abilities, he does not have the mental abilities to be an NFL quarterback.
December 3, 2007
#34 Phil from SATX said . . .Phil from SATX,
I agree with you 100% on how to handle our QB situation. Sign Rex for reasonable $$, but absolutely make an effort to bring in another serious candidate for the position.
It's not bashing Rex to say he can't be trusted. I've never been a big CYA person, but when it comes to the gunslinger Rex, we need to CYA.
December 3, 2007
#35 Bill said . . .My Chicago-based brother who was able to see the beginning of the game pointed out the fact that the initial play calling was fantastic, with a hurry up offense and balls being sprayed everywhere, and Rex looked really comfortable in it.
As the game progressed, the play calling turning more conservative and much less dynamic. He suggested the possibility of someone helping RT with the pre-scripted plays for the beginning of the game, but when RT had to actually call plays based on the flow of the game, the offense disintegrated.
Makes sense to me. Even if it was RT's pre-scripted beginning, he is woefully bad at the all-important task of improvising as the game goes along.
Also, prince, have to disagree with you, Rex didn't do any really dumb things during that game except turn the wrong way as he was being pressured. His arm became somewhat errant in the wind at the end of the game, but he hasn't been too stupid at all since he returned from the bench. And I think that the offense that was being run at the beginning of this game shows what he could be with a good coordinator.
December 3, 2007
#36 JB said . . .I want to put this one on RT, and there is no doubt he cannot adjust during a game to save his life. The plan must have been to use the no-huddle for the opening series and then maybe establish a running game after that. Whatever - the Bears were relatively ineffective after the first drive. That they gradually got worse and worse as the game went on is on RT.
BUT - there were certainly plays to be made. Hester is not a receiver yet but he will be. Lost in the disappointment is how easily he beat two guys. The plays Turner calls for him are PATHETIC. Like someone said - fake reverse, but they handoff first? So they were supposed to bite on the handoff - which they did - and it actually was handed off?? Hey Ron! The WHOLE TEAM is not going to follow Hester - the guys in the middle are going to stay in the middle. Dumb.
The penalyies are horrible. Briggs especially - he wasn't even blitzing, just faking it. False starts at home are inexcusible.
But what got me most was the screen passess where one block woudl have made a huge gain, but we can't get it. (In case the Giants guy is still lurking, I agree that both times they were very good defensive plays.) But from the offensive side, you have to block. Or the back has to get away. They were GREAT play calls that were poorly executed.
And add to that overthrows without serious pressure, and catachable balls that aren't caught.
And horrible run defense. We play with 10 guys on the field, and either a guy who can't tackle or a guy who tackles way before the ball gets there (and then acts like he doesn't know why he got a flag. Way to make the coaches llok good for starting you, Brendon. Good luck in your new career next year - I doubt it will be football.)
In fact, nothing happened yesterday that hasn't happened many time before. It's who we are this year. After 12 games now, there is no denying it - we're a 5-7 team destined for 7-9 at best.
December 3, 2007
#37 DTB said . . .I guess I was seduced by that first drive and thought we were going to keep doing that...what an idiot I can be. That was a tough loss, but I'll agree with Jeff...it really didn't surprise me.
I'm not sure why Rex was running backwards constantly, but it's better than fumbling and throwing picks. And I would be okay with bringing Rex back, but I really think we'll see some big shake ups...D. McNabb or a high draft pick. With the 7th loss of the year, it's probably time we start talking draft.
*Positive notes* I think Charles Peanut Tillman will make his first Pro Bowl this year...I've been impressed with his play all year. It's great that Devin Hester can have that much influence on a game where he really didn't do anything...once we get our offense figured out, we'll be putting a lot of points up. The Real Adrian Peterson played well...he's more versitile, can make guys miss, catches balls well out of the backfield, and picks up blocking assignments.
December 3, 2007
#38 Bill said . . .I'll ride the Yo-Yo. And I'll cautiosly sip the "we're one game out" kool-aid. Have fun with this. It's been an emotional rollercoaster. This is what competition is all about. As enjoyable as it was to be dominant a year ago, there were games in which I couldn't get excited to watch. This year, on the other hand is a different animal. We are the most bipolar team in the NFL, coupled with an ignorant coaching staff. This shit is great, you never know what you are going to get.
December 3, 2007
#39 pguilian said . . .I forgot to add what JEff said. Why doesn't Greg Olsen play for the Chicago Bears anymore. He used to be pretty good. I wish we had him back.
Actually, I suspect it was the pass rush that made him stick more with Clark. I'm jsut not in the mood to give Turner any credit since the offense can never play anything close to 60 minutes.
December 3, 2007
#40 B.A. Baracus said . . .I agree with the general sentiment expressed already: the defense is mediocre, we have no impact players at the skill positions, and the OL is awful. If we pulled this one out we would've lost down the line. I get it. The Bears are bad.
BUT...I am curious about two of those challenges. I was at the game so I didnt get the benefit of the full complement of video angles, but the video board replays of that Toomer catch looked inconclusive AT BEST, so everyone in our section thought there was no way that would be overturned. Were we wrong?
And the Ward run that set up the Giants first touchdown. I was four rows away from that sideline and was fairly certain I saw him step out at the seven-yard line. Were my optimistic eyes playing tricks on me. I havent seen any replays from the game, so Im curious if others felt that we were jobbed on those two critical plays.
December 3, 2007
#41 Bear Fan In Minnesota said . . .Second refrain, same as the first...
The game is won and lost in the trenches. The Bears employed a sieve for a run defense and they couldn't run the ball because the O Line's walkers got in the way. Our defense was gassed in the fourth quarter after the Giants ran the ball down our throats. Our O line could not open up holes to kill the clock when they needed to. It is time to re-tool the trenches.
I though Grossman played relatively well (I can't believe I just wrote that). However, he needs to be taught to step up in the pocket to either avoid or minimize sacks. In light of the disastrous QB situation in the NFL as a whole, it would appear that RG will get offered a 1 or 2 year incentive laden deal with the Bears this offseason.
The bottom line on this team outside of the personnel problems, is that the coaching is sub-par - too many penalites, too many wishy washy playcalls and too many losses.
December 3, 2007
#42 Phil from SATX said . . .As I was thinking about the game this morning I realized we got a dose of our own medicine. It reminded me of all the games last year where I QB sucked and we had no business winning the games and we did. In my opinion we should have seen this result at the end of the year when Ron Rivera was let go, Thomas Jones was traded and Rex Grossman choked in the SB. Although Rex had a decent game yesterday he looked an awful lot like he did last year where he refused to step up in the pocket and just went down like a litte school girl. In my opinion if he can't turn that around this year GET RID OF HIM! It's hard to see the potential this team has and how bad they were coached yesterday. Hey RT let's try that fake reverse to Hester, give up the middle to Peterson. Maybe they forgot it since haven't done it for three plays.
December 3, 2007
#43 Pissed Off said . . .There was some video clips being shown of Hester, and I see #46, Chris Harris, making me realize that I was watching one from last year.
I was not a Chris Harris fan, dating back to his play in the Carolina playoff game and to positional mistakes he made when subbing for injuries last year. I WAS a Todd Johnson fan. Seeing his number, however, made me miss him terribly. The safety transactions in the offseason, more than anything else, doomed this defense. I tend not to blame the BT for the move because AA looked like a former Pro Bowler and highly sought after safety that simply had a bad year on a bad team at the Redskins.
Maybe I should blame them, because they had plenty of game film to look at in his first 7 games with the Redskins that caused them to bench him after spending huge $$ on him. And maybe we would think differently about AA had Mike Brown stayed healthy. But I think this would have been a different year if the AA move had not been made.
Injuries have hurt us on the inside D line and at corner, we know that. Things will be better next year if TH and Dusty can stay healthy - Darwin Walker and Anthony Adams are credible backups. Corners will be fine, even if Angelo also screwed up with Ricky Manning, who really is not very good. We MUST have an impact safety to pair with D. Manning, who's okay but cannot be the best safety - he has to be paired with someone who's better than him.
We had good depth at the safety position and totally stripped it out. McGowan looks like a special teamer, not a starter.
Kudos to Jamar Williams for a simply spectacular play to break that wedge and smash the returner. That was thrilling. It seemed like he looked wide enough to be a lineman.
Maybe it's time to resurrect the "Urlacher for strong safety" conversation - not because he's not great at LB, but because he could immediately solve our safety problem and it may lengthen his career given his chronic condition. We have been drafting linebackers in Williams and Okwo, assuming that Williams would be the fill-in for Briggs, and now it seems that Briggs will likely stay.
Would this be at all possible or just ridiculous?
December 3, 2007
#44 Phil from SATX said . . .Needed to post, will read everything later, actually busy at work today. It was absolutely gut wrenching watching this game. We had that game and we just sqandered it away the whole second half. What the hell man. I just dont even know what to say. Very disgusted. I cant believe this crap we saw. Can we win two in a fucking row for Gods sake. We have no shot at playoffs now, NONE! I will stick by that. If we cant win two in a row all year how are we going to win the next 4 in a row?
December 3, 2007
#45 Mike said . . .Went back and read yesterday's game time thread. My favorite post was from Viva, with a great boxing analogy and an even better terse description of Ron Turner:
He has a little mind, and the instincts of a fool.
Can we offer to pay for RT's tombstone, as long as that sentence is the carved epitaph?
Happy Birthday Decatur, sorry it didn't have a better ending.
December 3, 2007
#46 Phil from SATX said . . .The Bears were up 16-7 and LOST. That would have never happened before. As bad as the offense is the defense is nearly as bad. Tommie Harris is a shadow of his former self. Darwin Walker and Anthony Adams aren't very good (gee, I wonder why they were each so readily available last offseason???) , the safety play is bad (Daniel Manning included) and Brian Urlacher is a mess.
A complete teardown is in order. Rex Grossman will be gone at the end of the season no matter how well he plays here on out. I am his fiercest critic, but yesterday he did a serviceable enough job. But there is zero way Jerry Angelo can sign him to a contract extension. Not with Grossman' s gory past in this town. Angelo would be run out of town by the media and fans.
December 3, 2007
#47 Bill said . . .Mike, that didn't make any sense - by your description the fact that a free agent is available means he must be bad. Walker and Adams are serviceable backups, which is what they were signed to be - injuries elevated them to starters.
Also, public opinion is mercurial - I think that one of the strongest positives of the last 3 games has been Grossman's play, which has been coupled with a growing understanding that the offensive coordinator is a mighty contributor to this team's downfall. As RT's stock plummets, Rex's rises. Same goes for the growing public understanding of the problems with the offensive line (a perfect moniker for them) and the visual evidence of receivers dropping balls that should have been caught.
I think Rex WILL be here next year, and I will welcome him along with his new offensive coordinator, who will hopefully be chosen by someone other than Lovie Smith.
December 3, 2007
#48 pguilian said . . .pguilian - regarding the challenges, from my perspective.
The first one - he didn't step out of bounds. VERY close, and maybe with better technology we migh have seen a tiny part of the sideline under a tiny part of the foot. But it wasn't at all clear. (And the flag came in too late for the challenge to be allowed, as TV replays clearly showed. Which made me wonder something - if the play had been overturned, could Coughlin have challenged whether the challenge shoudl have been allowed?)
The second one was maddening to me. Buck and Aikman both felt it woudl not be overturned, because there was not enough evidence to overturn it. They were both in firm agreement with that. However, to me it looked like a catch - until I saw it one more time on one of the sports shows after the news. Then I thought it possible that the nose of the ball MIGHT have touched the ground - so it should not have been overturned.
So I though (too much) about it, and concluded this. They originally called incomplete because it looked like it skipped the field before he caught. Once the referre saw it DIDN'T skip the ground first (and it didn't) he concluded it was a catch (I thought the review was relatively quick.) I don't think he looked at the possibility that the nose of the ball may have been on the ground. That is - once he realized it didn't skip the gorund, that was enough. I'm sure I'm over-thinking, but it was a crucial call.
December 3, 2007
#49 johnny said . . .Thanks Bill.
Your skip hypothesis is interesting. I didn't see a skip initially so I just assumed that the ref was looking for the point of the ball hitting the turf within the cradle of his arms. Im glad to hear that Buck and Aikman were thinking the same thing Sec. 143 was thinking.
What is more upsetting about that call is that two officials were right on it calling no catch. There was no conference or even eye contact between them and they were calling the play from opposite sides.
December 3, 2007
#50 Dirty said . . .I hate to read all of these blogs and see eveyone make excuses about the team. The team played like a team and the only downfall to this season is the poor calling of ron turner and bob babich. The Bears need to start looking into hiring an offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and a head coach. The teams downfall is in the coaching style of the team...........
December 3, 2007
#51 Shamen said . . .Ok, so we didn't deserve to win, but the zebras fucked the Monsters. No way there was solid evidence on the TD catch. Sure it looked like a catch, but there was no 100% proof. That's horseshit.
December 4, 2007
I agree with earlier posts about Rex looking positive. My heart was warmed when, each time he felt pressure, he put both hands on the football and pulled it close to his body. That instinct has been lacking with him previously.
That first drive was awesome. Rex showed that when you let him throw the short and mid passes it works. I was screaming when they were marching down the field, "I don't know who you are or what you did with Ron Turner, but how much can we pay you to keep him away until the game is over?"
I agree we should resign Rex and bring in some legit competition for him. Be that McNabb, Derek Anderson or a draft pick, we need to have a contingency plan for Rex if he doesn't do better under a new coordinator. He has proven himself enough to merit a chance to succeed when he isn't being sabotaged by RT.
December 6, 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.