No, I'm not referring to Sarah Palin's magazine of choice.
Outside of maybe Carl Pavano, there was not a more aggregiously overpaid athlete in professional sports than Muhsin Muhammad during his stint with the Chicago Bears. He was a glorified slot man - with a cunning knack for drops in big spots and a penchant for throwing his quarterbacks under the team bus.
Not content with stealing pay checks for a few years, Moose decided to say a few derogatory words about the organization to Peter King of Sports Illustrated. "Where receivers go to die" he opined. Death, apparently, pays you thirteen million dollars a year.
Ron Turner was asked to comment. "I could say a lot,’’ he said. ``But I won’t.’’
It's not his job to disaparage former players in the press. It's Mike Brown's job to disfigure them on the field. Charles Tillman's too. And Kevin Payne's. If this defensive unit needed a means to maintain the level of intensity they displayed Sunday night, Mushin Muhammad should provide ample caffeine. Hit him hard. Hit him often. Because even if you harbor no ill will towards the man, you should know something.
We do.
It's Moose Week.
Editorial Note: I'll be writing a weekly "Around the League" type column every Wednesday to bridge the crevace between post-game analysis and pre-game planning. It will make it's debut this week and we'll see how it goes. I'm trying to find something to setit apart from the Peter King, TMQ type material.
#2 Max said . . .FIRST!
September 9, 2008
#3 Max said . . .Its now hunting season. I want Moose's head on my wall. I want someone, anyone, to destroy him.
But what I want more, is for Moose to drop a couple because he hears footsteps. I want him playing scared. I want Moose after the game to say the Bears D is REALLY where receivers go to die. . .
and i want him to say this from a stretcher.
September 9, 2008
#4 what the hay... said . . .And maybe this is just on my computer, but the ad by google at the bottom of the article is "Moose watching in NH"
How about :
"Moose Hunting in CHI" . . . yeah, that has a much better ring to it
September 9, 2008
#5 enderwiggin said . . .moose made a fair comment. where were the WRs last night? bears love their running game and does not have a quarterback with the precision to throw to WR. short passes and handoffs....thats all you'll see this year. game management. recievers shine in dallas...new england...to name a few.
September 9, 2008
#6 animal said . . .Jeff, I look forward to your Wednesday column
Max, calm down, take a deep breath. thats three post in three minutes.
whatthehay, i dont think the moose comment was fair. Berrian didnt die in Chicago. Booker didnt die. i hope Hester doesn't die as a reciever. If moose would have grabbed half the passes rex threw to him last year he may have led the NFC north in reception yards.
September 9, 2008
#7 RIC said . . .speaking of WRs, where the hell was Earl Bennett this week?
Saved my negativity all this time, but Kevin Payne sucked and they should give McGowan the job back.In fact, it actually is moose hunting season in Alaska right now. Several of my employees have taken personal leave to go hunting this week. I'll be sure to tell them if they accidentally shoot our ex number 87, I won't hold it against them.
From what I can see, I won't get the game this week (I have dish network here). Any suggestions???
September 9, 2008
#8 RandomName said . . .Animal, DirecTV to get the Bears game unfortunately.
Moose should have kept his mouth shut to Peter King. He dropped so many passes. Plus he should recognize great receivers are great because they get yards after the catch, something he didn't do last year at all. The Bears have had great receivers but for different reasons they have let them go, (Berrian--too expensive and wouldn't block hard, Marty Booker--Ogunleye, Bobby Engram--???)
I hope the Bears take Moose out of the game and that they open up their passing attack a bit more this week. I know Hester & Davis can do some real damage.
September 9, 2008
#9 AfroCelt said . . .Speaking of former players I'm waking up cold and missing the ninja Rickie Manning Jr. I call him the ninja cause around this time of cold year he wears the turtle neck Bazooka Joe height and snags balls out the air ancd runs them back the other way. that was awesome.
morning temp 45Degrees
September 9, 2008
#10 Shady said . . .About 20 miles west of me was 34 degrees when I woke up...where did autumn go?
I'll second the congrats to Lloyd Lee...he stood out on the sidelines because of his huge fire.
September 9, 2008
#11 BearDown1982 said . . .Animal, Bennett was inactive on Sunday - not exactly sure why though.
September 9, 2008
#12 willie from chicago said . . .'moose made a fair comment. '
- what the hayTrue...we have had our QB issues through the years...anyone can tell you that. Still, coming from Mushin, this is FAR from a fair comment. If he didn't lead the league in drops last season he was damn near close. For a guy who signed such a huge contract, he obviously did not step up his game...regardless of who was playing QB.
Not to mention...the first 5 or 6 games of 2006 when our offense was smoking hot, Moose was not a catalyst of much of that. I remember Bernard, Clark, TJ, and even Davis being a bigger part of what we are doing at that time.
So yes, while being a receiver in Chicago has been a bit lonely for the last 20 years or so...Moose didn't do anything to warrant that comment. It was a dick move. Period.
And yes...I hope the Bears make him eat his words this week. I'm sure we take this stuff more personally than the players to a degree...some of them probably have a good relationship with Moose, but you shouldn't say stuff like that after the fact. Not classy.
That said...it will be nice to see Chris Harris out there. I hope he doesn't lay any wood on one of our receivers...dude can bring it!
September 9, 2008
#13 Willie from chicago said . . .This is a very winnable game. With no Steve smith we can stck up on Moose and make him pay.
September 9, 2008
#14 Crown said . . .This game wont be easy on the road, like the Indy game, we will most likely need to be ahead early. We cannot play catchup on the road with a "manage the game" quarterback. If we can run the football and play some defense, we will come out of Carolina with a win.
BEAR DOWN
September 9, 2008
#15 Viva said . . .Pissed Off,
Based on one of your prior comments, it seems as if you would rather lose and have KO (really Rex) throw 2 TDs and 250 yards than win a game. What kind of Bears fan is that? You should stop tormenting yourself with the Rex is better talk for your own psychological well-being. Put your ego aside and root for the Bears. It doesn't even seem like you enjoyed that win because KO was in there rather than Rex. That is why I think you are Grossman in disguise. I did not write those other posts. Also, lets keep this a site about Bears talk and content and not get into professionalism. I don't care what you do, I just care about reading and ripping your ignorant couch potato football notions about Rex Grossman.
September 9, 2008
#16 Very Good said . . .Here is why I can't stand Mushin: Seattle playoff game, Bears are driving down the field, Grossman throws a strike to Moose at the 3 yard line, it bounces off of his shoulder pads, and guy who was writing mortgages two weeks earlier picks it off.
Chicago is not a destination where receivers come to die: it is the destination Moose came to shit.
Fuck off Moose!
September 9, 2008
#17 jeff said . . .Viva....Just perfect. Short, simple and dead on.
September 9, 2008
#18 NY Bears Fan said . . .earl bennett and mark bradley were inactive sunday night.
September 9, 2008
#19 Bill said . . .I thought this was interesting from David Haugh's column: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-080908-haugh-chicago-bears-critics,0,2873454.column?page=2
"By the way, when Orton finished with an 83.4 passer rating that was higher than Manning's 81.8, it marked the fourth straight start dating to last season in which Orton has finished rated higher than his quarterback counterpart."
This is not just a group of "any" quarterbacks. It includes Drew Brees, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning. Going back to even 2005 the defense has played better when Orton is in. A big part seems to be a reduction in turnovers and time of possession. The defense was on the field way too long last year in each game.
September 9, 2008
#20 Pissed Off said . . .Two comments - first to NY Bears Fan; that a very incisive point and one I intend to spread around in my conversations about the QBs. An efficient QB like Orton actually allows the defense to do their job, wheras a resckless QB makes that job harder (where they have to make up for mistakes, and poor field position etc.) While I'd much rather see a better QB than Orton leading the Bears, he is clearly the best option given how the team is built.
Second - Moose is a class A jerk. He always through the QBs under the bus as mentioned, and his comment about "where receivers go to die" was just another way of him not taking responsibility. He was saying "sure, I didn't do well, but what do you expect? It's the Bears."
September 9, 2008
#21 animal said . . .Crown...Al, Phil, Midway, Jeff, JB can all vouche that I'm not Rex Grossman. It would be pretty sad for Rex to come on here and talk himself up. So you say my notions are uninformed huh? What about what I've said is uninformed? I've asked this question before but you've given no answer. I watched every vid available during camp, and most of preseason (full 1st halfs for sure and all of the SF game) and every snap of the Indy game. Thats just this year. I'm seeing everything you've seen and probably more. I pride myself on wathcing every element of the game available (on TV anyways which is limited). Before each snap I scan the TV screen for all the personel thats out there for that particular play and what formation we're in and then as the play progresses I try to watch every nuance of the QB, RB and O-line (WRs are usually not in the picture). I know what I've seen from all positions including QB so far this year and its simply my opinion that Rex is better and gives us a better chance to win. Nothing more.
I am happy for the team to win, I'm a bears fan but I'm also a Rex fan and an Urlacher fan, Tommie fan, Olsen fan, etc. etc. Some players I like more than others and thats based on how they play. While Arch was in the games last year I hated the guy, he couldnt tackle. Did I want him to tackle..yes. Do I want the team to win...yes. Do I want Kyle to perform like an NFL QB..yes. Do I think he's better than Rex at being able to do that and lead this team....no. I dont hate Kyle....I simply dont think he has the ability. Winning cures everything and thats why some crazies think Kyle had some outstanding performance Sunday night when really it was below average of what would be expected of an NFL QB. For this team (and our past QB woes) mabye it was OK and efficient enough since we won but still well below what a league average would be expected to be.
I really cant say more cuz as long as we're winning theres no reason to hate on anyone...winning cures all. This was evidenced by some of Rexs bad outings in 2006 while we were still winning. We will just have to wait until the time comes...and it will....when we need the QB to perform at an average NFL QB level and we'll see how Kyle does. We didnt need him Sunday night, anyone could have played QB and we would have won that game. He simply didnt turn it over and that was good enough. But it wont always be. The team will not be ahead of the competition all year long and we'll just have to wait to see how Kyle does when we need him. And its my opinion that for those situations Rex is better suited to play.
Now enough with the QB shit. Lets knock Moose out with a season ending injury from a big hit by Peanut. Lets hope Chris Harris doesnt do his best Mike brown impression and pick 6 it. Carolina is going to be tough but I think as soon as the D settles in we can win a grinder like Sunday with good protection and run game. Without Smith the panthers arent too aggressive. I wathched a bit of the Car/SD game last week and Carolina is beatable but they're kinda like the Bears in that just when you think your taking a hold of a game they chip away at you with good Defense and come back and have a chance to win at the end.
September 9, 2008
#22 jeff said . . .Jeff
Why the hell didn't they just cut Bradley??? Ridiculous.
September 9, 2008
#23 Viva said . . .i think sunday had a lot to do with the gameplan. clearly they knew they could exploit the colts from the tightend spot. i'd be surprised - having looked at the gaping holes in panthers pass coverage - if bradley isn't active sunday.
September 9, 2008
#24 Shady said . . .My guess is that Bradley was retained because he knows the playbook at 3 wide-out positions...and can fill in in the event of an injury.
It probably didn't hurt that he was a 2nd rounder, and the Bears had to cut 1 2nd rounder already (Bauzin)...
I don't know if it's just me, but Bradley does great things when he gets the ball in his hands.
September 9, 2008
#25 jeff said . . .I don't know PO'd, if Sunday's game proved anything, it proved that if Kyle were the QB in 2006 the Bears would have won the Super Bowl. Obviously.
Kidding, kidding... But seriously. haha.
September 9, 2008
#26 Pissed Off said . . .i'd love to interview bradley. i think he has no. 1 receiver ability. i just dont get it.
September 9, 2008
#27 Jimbo said . . .We've been discussing Bradley seemingly for years. I agree that when he gets the ball he does good things, its like when he's in there and catching balls he's a #1 type WR but yet he's inactive half the time. I really dont get it but then again I dont get why Lovie and Co does a lot of things.
September 9, 2008
#28 jdawg said . . .That was a sound ass whooping handed out by the bears D. My favorite is when Addai got knocked out of the game by Briggs... who was bringing the hurt all night.
I think we just put the NFC on notice... if we can just figure out how to get more out of the passing game, we will be in good shape.
The colts were playing to stop the run, so will the panthers. We'll see how the O-line and Forte respond. I'd like to see a little more play action. Maybe instead of running the ball 39 times... take that down to 30. Of course alot of that had to do with us leading by 2 scores in the 4th quarter.
Manning is a MUCH better QB than any we will face in the NFC north. I hope Moose gets owned by tillman... or maybe, just maybe, gets in #54 sights.
Bear down.
September 9, 2008
#29 Joist said . . .a few thoughts:
My favorite part of the game was actually after the game, when Andrea Mitchel explained to 54 that this was an upset. He looked like he was going to kill her for a split second.
Rex may give us the best chance to win, but he also give the opposing team the best chance to win; hence, I will now refer to him as Harvey Dent.
September 9, 2008
#30 jdawg said . . .I also thought entering the preseason that Grossman gave the Bears a better chance to win than Orton. Obviously the big-play ability is in his favor, but I also thought Grossman's failure, and later his bad reputation, became a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Moose drop in the Seattle playoff game is a prime example - Grossman is the one with the INT in the box score, even though it was no fault of his own. He seemed to get blindsided a lot (which is partly his fault but also the fault of the suspect O-line), and those tend to lead to game-killing turnovers (this happened most recently in the preseason game against SF). I was thrilled that they gave him a one-year deal with a chance to compete in the preseason (even if many believe the competition was rigged).
I also retain all-too-vivid memories of 2005, when Orton simply going back to pass made my ulcer flare up. Contrary to what revisionist historians like to believe, the Bears did NOT win that year because Orton did a good job "managing the game". They won because they had TJ, an oustanding, opportunistic defense and a healthy O-line, and in spite of Orton's erratic play. I have a particularly haunting memory of Orton getting called for an intentional grounding penalty because, with a defender wrapped around his legs, he simply lacked the arm strength to get the ball anywhere near his intended receiver. Does nobody else remember the elation at Soldier Field when Grossman returned at halftime of that Minnesota game and zinged that first pass over the middle? (Of course, ironically, that pass went to Moose, the rightfully vilified subject of Jeff's post.)
However, I now see the error of my ways. I still think Grossman's got the ability, and probably more ability than Orton. But Orton's what we need now. Grossman has no confidence; Orton's got all the confidence in the world, especially after a tough, convincing road win over an AFC perennial contender. More importantly, Orton is not the QB he once was, and I mean that in a good way. He showed a strong enough arm on some throws, as well as nice touch on some others. My ulcer didn't flare up once all game!
Where was I? Moose? Oh, yeah. He's a jerk. Go Bears.
September 9, 2008
#31 Jimbo said . . .I agree with you Joist.
Orton, to an extent, is an unknown. We can't judge him by 2005. He was the last man standing. He seems like a different QB out there -- and don't underestimate him being named a team captain. That's huge.
When it is all said and done, I think fate decided to back up and poop on Grossman. Those two injuries in back to back seasons fucked his development and killed whatever mobility he once had.
Sad, but true.
I'll always have a warm spot in my heart for #8, but Chicago will not be where he ends his career.
September 9, 2008
#32 Joist said . . .I like rex. I really respect him as a competitor and overally solid guy. That said, whether you want to blame the media, Turner, Moose et al, or whoever... he lost his confidence and, thus, his job.
Since Orton has won 3 in a row dating back to last season. He did everything he needed to in order to win on sunday. Turner seems like a better OC when he is calling conservative plays for Orton, and with our lack of explosive WR options, maybe a guy who is less apt to force things is what we need right now.
Is rex more talented than orton... yes. is he a better QB, i think right now the jury is out on that (i still think yes). Lets see what happens in the next 3 (tough) games. If we come out 3-1 or 4-0... how can you argue that Lovie didnt make the right choice?
September 9, 2008
#33 Joist said . . .Oh, and Jeff, the one aspect of this I would disagree with, re: Moose, was that while Moose was certainly a cancer during his time here, and he certainly didn't live up to his contract, part of the blame has to go to the person whose comments make him out to be some sort of hapless victim in this whole ordeal - Ron Turner. Let's face it - Turner wasn't exactly bending over backwards trying to figure out ways to get the ball into his highly-paid receiver's hands. While his comments showed an abject lack of class, I doubt I would have been able to restrain myself if I were in his position, stuck between a rock (the ugly Bears QB carousel) and a hard place (Turner's utterly underwhelming playbook).
September 9, 2008
#34 Max said . . .Oh, and Jeff, the one aspect of this I would disagree with, re: Moose, was that while Moose was certainly a cancer during his time here, and he certainly didn't live up to his contract, part of the blame has to go to the person whose comments make him out to be some sort of hapless victim in this whole ordeal - Ron Turner. Let's face it - Turner wasn't exactly bending over backwards trying to figure out ways to get the ball into his highly-paid receiver's hands. While Muhammad's comments showed an abject lack of class, I doubt I would have been able to restrain myself if I were in his position, stuck between a rock (the ugly Bears QB carousel) and a hard place (Turner's utterly underwhelming playbook).
September 9, 2008
#35 mikebdot said . . .This is my daily "Fuck Moose" comment.
Good day
September 10, 2008
#36 Sacsac said . . .animal: I disagree about Payne. He made some solid plays. He missed one tackle pretty badly and maybe another one, but, you could say that for anyone if you look hard enough. He played in his proper zones, didn't let people get behind him when that was his job and is learning to be the run support that Mike Brown used to be. Give him a game or two to actually earn some real disdain...
September 10, 2008
#37 Bearskin said . . .Hmm...moose hunting....indeed.
September 11, 2008
Don't hate the player. It was stupid management that gave him the contract when no one would give him half that much money.
September 13, 2008
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.