The Chicago Bears are 1-2 and I'm not pleased so this week's look around the league will focus on teams and situations worse than what's happening late to the boys in navy and burnt.
Philadelphia @ Chicago
The Daily Herald takes the pole position with their coverage of the Bears in the aftermath of Sunday's disaster. Mike Imrem wonders whether Bill Cowher or Mike Holmgren might be better options at the top. Marty Booker wonders what his role in the offense might be. Mine answers: (1) They'd both be bette options and (2) Small.
You want to know how important Brian Westbrook is to the Philadelphia Eagles? There's no line on the game yet. I'm expecting the Eagles to be road favorites. Something like 3 1/2.
Gregg Easterbrook did not believe the tiring defense was a good excuse for the Bears blowing Sunday's game. Scroll down to the bottom of that piece.
Atlanta @ Carolina
Dan Connor is out for the year for Carolina. That's literally all I got on this one.
Cleveland @ Cincinnati
The implosion is imminent in Cleveland, Ohio. Jamal Lewis can't understand why he's not getting the ball and Romeo Crennel is readying Brady Quinn for action. Anyone still doubting my 5-11 prediction?
**Quarterback note #1: Derek Anderson won't finish Sunday's game. 3 years. 24 million.
Houston @ Jacksonville
John McClain's headline in the Houston Chronicle tells the story: "Schaub remains starting QB for Texans." Richard Justice - the best sportswriter name in the country - adds about head coach Gary Kubiak: "If he's sticking with Schaub because he's unwilling to admit a mistake, because he has two second-round picks and a $48-million contract invested in Schaub, he has taken a huge step toward getting fired."
**Quarterback note #2: Matt Schaub won't finish the season. 48 million.
Arizona @ New York Jets
New York is a great city but the New York Times has no business covering sports. Who writes out the words "American Football Conference"? Answer: the Times.
In other Jets news: (1) Brett Favre stinks and he's limping. (2) Mr. Gholston made his first tackle which means he's currently making 1/21 of a tackle per guaranteed million in his contract. (3) Brett Favre stinks.
**Quarterback note #3: Matt Leinart's not starting this week. 6.75 million per. 14 million in guarantees.
San Francisco @ New Orleans
Apparently Mike Martz and J.T. O'Sullivan considered Sunday's game against the Lions a revenge game. Speaking of the Lions, here's Mitch Albom's response to the latest Lions debacle: "Watching the Lions this season is like watching a kid’s game of electric football. You throw the switch and the little men move, maybe even move in the right direction. But they don’t make anything happen. They just hum around. Occasionally, one gets stuck in the corner, spinning aimlessly. This would be a Lions cornerback."
**Quarterback note #4: Alex Smith doesn't even live in San Francisco anymore. 6 years. 49.5 million.
Green Bay @ Tampa Bay
Hey Jon Gruden. Help us out buddy.
Al Harris is out for the season with a ruptured spleen. This leaves a major hole in the Pack secondary and led to my favorite sports headline of 2008 from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "More on Spleens".
Minnesota @ Tennessee
Hey Jeff Fisher. Help us out buddy.
Someone explain to how the team (the Vikes) can rank last in the league in red zone offense with the best running back and arguably best offensive line in the sport? Brad Childress never had any real responsibility in Philadelphia and he may not have much in Minnesota before long.
**Quarterback note #5: Vince Young will be watching this game from the coaches' booth. 5 years. Option for a sixth. 25.7 million guaranteed and an overall value that could reach $58 million with option and roster bonuses and salary.
San Diego @ Oakland
Lane Kiffin refuses to quit as head coach of the Oakland Raiders and that's a damn good thing. Now the old man Al Davis and his organizational cronies are planting stories in the media and accosting reporters at press conferences. Al Davis is old. Very old. He's cover-me-with-a-blanket-cuz-it's-cold old. Roger Goodell has gone out of his way to publicly chastise every player who has violated the "conduct policy" of the game but Davis' behavior in Oakland violates something much more profound that that. Al Davis is violating "the game". He's turning a beloved sport into a rich man's play thing. He's making a personality more important than the sixty minutes between the lines. George Steinbrenner always wanted to win. Al Davis always wants control and he should be removed from ownership today. Not tomorrow. Not at season's end. Today.
Buffalo @ St. Louis
The worst football team in the history of St. Louis football believes Trent Green can save them. I think Marc Bulgeris a terrific quarterback and Scott Linehan is a coward, hiding behind the easiest adjustment in the coaching canon. St. Louis should have him clear his desk before he destroys the confidence of a good football player.
**Quarterback note #6: Bulger signed a 6 year, 65 million dollar deal in 2007. Sunday he'll take the same number of snaps as Henry Burris.
Washington @ Dallas
Jason Taylor is not playing against the most explosive passing game in football. Not that it matters. Remember when defensive coordinator Greg Blache preached to the Chicago press about the unimportance of sacking the quarterback? If they don't get to Romo Sunday, they'll lose by three touchdowns.
If Tony Romo and T.O. stay healthy this season, I just can't see this team not making the Super Bowl.
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
The Eagles didn't just beat the Steelers. They beat them up bad. Don't buy into the Eagles defensive revival. The Steelers offensive line is a disaster and the Bears will mount a nice running game - leading to screens and tosses to the tight ends to counter blitz packages. Most important thing for the Bears Sunday night: understanding that punting is not the worst thing.
By the way, at last count, 54.8 percent of Baltimore Sun readers don'tbelieve the Ravens will allow a hundred yard rusher all season. Sixty percent of Americans also believe there actually was a Noah's ark.
#2 Luke said . . .FIRST~
September 24, 2008
#3 DTB said . . .More on Spleens!?! That is great.
September 24, 2008
#4 Knight of Ownage said . . .Don't be suprised to see this guy signed to the p-squad and Rideau brought up to the big leagues...
September 24, 2008
#5 Mongo's Chihuahua said . . .If Bulger was on Da Bears, he'd be right up there with Brady, Manning, Manning, Cutler, Roethlisberger. He's that good behind on piece of s*!t offensive line, with a good but not great tailback, and an old but descent wideout. That's the Rams for you. Bulger, Jackson, and Holt. The rest is f*!#ing bulls#@t. Here's to beating those sorry mother f*!&ers in Nov. I just don't want the win. Remember the Bears @ Redskins, the year, 1940, the score, 73-0, Chicago. We can beat that. Kyle passes for 6TD's. It's so bad, they put Rex in as a reliever in the fourth, and he throws for another 3TD's. M. Forte - 5TD's. K. Jones. 3TD's.
Chicago Bears-119
St. Louis Rams-0
FINALHave a Good Day. May God Bless The Chicago Bears & their fans.
September 24, 2008
#6 animal said . . .The media have been after Lovie since Sunday to get mad and fire somebody, and by golly, he did. It all becomes clear now:
-- It wasn't Tillman who made a stupid personal foul leading to the game-winning score. It was Mark Bradley.
-- It wasn't Rashied who let the ball slip thru his fingers on third-down plays twice in two games. It was Mark Bradley.
-- It wasn't Orton who threw that godawful pick 6. It was (a carefully disguised) Mark Bradley.
So the Bears will be fine now. Really.
September 24, 2008
#7 animal said . . .Still to depressed to do anything but swear at idiots.
Good column Jeff. We need some hope for the Eagles game. I know come Sunday night Ill be fired up. Just not there yet.September 24, 2008
#8 animal said . . .I change the name of my FFL team to "Al Harris' Spleen"
September 24, 2008
#9 Max said . . .Sour Officiating Moment: City of Tampa defensive end Gaines Adams intercepted a screen pass and returned it for a touchdown against Chicago. The play was a tight end screen, and Adams not only got into position for the interception by interfering with Bears tight end Desmond Clark, he practically threw Clark to the ground. That would have been legal in high school, where there is no pass interference behind the line of scrimmage. But in the NFL, Adams should have been flagged, and it should have been a first down for Chicago.
September 24, 2008
#10 Bearman on the Sangamon said . . .Animal, that could be the greatest FF team name ever
September 24, 2008
#11 animal said . . .Hot off the presses...Mark Bradley cut.
What do you think?
September 24, 2008
#12 Bearman on the Sangamon said . . .Who cares? When has that guy done anything?
September 24, 2008
#13 animalistic tendancies said . . .My thinking exactly.
September 24, 2008
#14 zmac said . . .Think life is bad? Visit a Raiders blog.
Think KO is bad? Go watch Jamarcus Russell play quarterback.
Think our high-priced defense full of highly paid pro bowl guys is letting us down? you get the picturehttp://www.ibabuzz.com/darthraider/
I left them a nice post. Im off to find a packers and cowboys blog now.
September 24, 2008
#15 Animal I have an idea for your remedies..... said . . .13: Uh... how has Russell been worse than Orton?
September 24, 2008
#16 Note to #15 said . . .GO SMACK YOUR MONKEY! It may overcome your anxiety of feeling small and the whole world is out to get you.
September 24, 2008
#17 Phil from SATX said . . .When you steal my move of using a header for your "name", try to follow it up with a clever follow-up, not a juvenile reference to "self-service" and a small-minded reference to one's endowment. Kapeesh? You may not come across as so intellectually inferior.
September 24, 2008
#18 Ohh by the way #15 said . . .Jeff, your best recap yet - great stuff! I love the recurring theme of the QBs - you're highlighting the fact that it is simply the hardest position to fill, IN ALL OF SPORTS, and in the meantime teams kill themselves for years in the money they spend. At least we don't pay any money for OUR crappy QBs. We may not be any better than those other guys but we're smarter.
Also loved the Al Davis line - blanky time - excellent!
Here's what I have to say about the Mark Bradley cutting. That guy better never do one thing for another team - he better not turn into the highly productive receiver I think he could have been with us. Because if that happens, AND I AM VIRTUALLY CERTAIN IT WILL, I will hate every single person in Bears management FOREVER - or at least until they're FIRED, after which I'll go ahead and root for Bradley, because I think that guy was sorely mistreated here. I'll say the same thing this year as I did last year - it's not like there are so many great receivers on the field for us he just can't wedge his way in - au contraire.
Some day maybe we'll get the real truth about this - but for now consider me dumbfounded. This seems like a typical knee-jerk reaction of these guys - we hate Bradley, we don't want any more questions about why he doesn't deserve a snap out there given the woeful condition of our WRs, and DANG, that corner on the Bucs team that just beat us looked pretty good beating us! Maybe this is a position of need now, especially if Tillman may have problems (is that true?) - but again, we don't have problems at WR? More so than corner?
I think he may have been the most talented receiver on our roster and yet he never got any chances to play, even though he was a 2nd round pick. My belief is this was a personality thing, whether it was with Turner or Lovie, and it doomed him from the start.
If he succeeds on another team like I think he will, this group of management is DEAD to me.
September 24, 2008
#19 said . . .I think you meant to say:
Animal , I think I have an idea for your "ailments" (not remedies). The remedy would be the treatment for his supposed "feeling small". You ignoramus.If you're going to go, go all the way. Not halfway like you and your neanderthal brethren.
September 24, 2008
#20 Viva said . . .Bears are better than their record. They will surprise this league
September 24, 2008
#21 Anytime said . . .Jeff Fisher is a stud.
Mark Bradley must have humped somebody's wife.
QB note 7: Kyle Orton always looks like he is throwing into the wind. ($5 Million).
September 24, 2008
#22 JWilson said . . .Neckbeard is now the only player left on the Chicago Bears from his draft class.
How do we go about getting rid of angelo and replace him with a monkey that can do sign language, could probably do his job better, and most likely would be better in interviews?
September 24, 2008
#23 jdawg said . . .Anyone want to trade for Marc Bulger?
September 24, 2008
#24 Al In WI said . . .marc bulger?
I think one of the points of this post is to point out the major QB busts, in terms of dollars, in the NFL today.
I think after the Grossman debacle, or semi-debacle, or debacle-lite, JA and Co. are going to be very cautious about drafting QBs.
And as a side note: what's this stuff about Orton looking like he's throwing into the wind? I thought, when needed, his passes had a good amount of zip on them.
Granted, he undethrew Booker once and Lloyd once, but I think criticizing him for ball zip is a little kooky. There are plenty of other things to focus on, but ball speed isn't near the top of the list.
September 24, 2008
#25 mikebdot said . . .I've been on the road lately and haven't commented since Sunday when I was enraged. So I'll come back now with some time and perspective. I have to say that over the last view days the best post I read was from Shady. He pointed out that the offense blew the game in the first half, and then the defense came out and blew it in the 2nd/OT.
That pretty well sums it up for me. The defense overall only allowed 17 points (in regulation) and did force 4 turnovers. That should be enough to win at home.
The offense produced 24 points and won the time of possesion battle as well. Again that should have been enough.
So you can clearly make a case for either side of the ball, I guess at this point I chose to blame both. However it's also clear when you break it down that the play of the game was the atrocious inteception for td that Orton threw to the defensive lineman. That was the difference in the game. If he throws that one away or even throws a pick down the field again the Bears win that game.
I agree with Jeff's mention of Cowher and Holmgren as the next head coach. I'm sick and tired of Lovie's emotionless approach. He was given a huge contract in 2007 and set out putting his mark on this team by firing Ron Rivera. He actually gave a press conference declaring that the media/fans should "trust him." Since that point the Bears are 8-11. And this season is on the brink of disaster this Sunday.
I actually think if the Bears are bold there are some quality qbs set to hit the market this offseason. High on my list are Carson Palmer and Mark Bulger. It would take a big trade, but by God it'd be worth it to finally have a long term answer.September 24, 2008
#26 Bill said . . .Fuck Holmgren. He can eat a dick. Damn walrus. He coached the Packers, guys, no dice.
Orton could not have thrown the ball downfield as it was a TE screen. Sure, on Madden the other receivers do something as well, but there is no way they were running a route. He should have thrown it away. I just think he didn't even see that lineman or he thought Clark would have done his job...i.e. knocking the lineman on his ass or running away from after failing to do so. Clark got knocked around on the play and it looked like he had no clue the play was designed to go to him.
I still think the defender fumbled the ball before crossing the plane. Of course, the moment the ball crosses the plane it's a dead ball.
I had a thought upon watching the Colts game my friend asked me to record. On a scoring play or turnover play you ought to be able to challenge non-calls. There was a play where Harrison was clearly interfered with and it cost the Colts a pick-6. I think you should be able to challenge illegal motion (like, say, two tight ends in motion at the same time, not backing up or moving forward to get to the appropriate "cover up" space), false starts, interference, and other such penalties. Shoot, I actually think you ought to be able to challenge all penalties but nobody would go for that. I think it's bullshit you can't simply challenge a personal foul in a scrum like Tillman was involved in. Refs do a piss-poor job at taking care of cheap shots. Actually, refs do a piss poor job in general. It's not that fucking hard. Put a ref in front of all the cameras...duh. And, furthermore, stop showing shots of the fucking crowd. It prevents another angle at an "incredible" interception that may or may not have actually been caught. I hate shots of the crowd. Of the coach. Of anything but the play when the play is actually occurring. Sure, they can pan all they want between plays, but how hard is it to have at least 4 angles of the ball? You know, four dedicated cameras who look at the ball at all times. It can't be that hard to make the ball trackable without a man at the camera. The technology exists. Make it happen NFL.
September 24, 2008
#27 Ronaldo said . . .From Dr. Z's SI rankings this week - just what was said in a previous post:
"I've never liked offensive RT Jeremy Trueblood that much but he won them a game Sunday. The Bucs were stopped on their own 10-yard line in overtime, Trueblood comes into the pile late, as usual, goes after somebody, a fight breaks out, naturally, Bears cornerback Charles Tillman runs over to avenge the perceived wrong, and we know what the result will be, right? Tweet! Referee Tony Corrents flags Tillman. New set of downs on the 25, and Griese drives the Bucs the length of the field against the exhausted Bears for the winning field goal. Now here's my point. Officials almost always blow the call in this instance. Use the replay camera in situations like this. Make it a call from the booth. That way they'll find out who the real culprit is, and who should get the flag. It'll never happen, of course. Much too sensible for the monolithic world of the NFL."
STILL - doesn't excuse Peanut. It would have been offsetting fouls and TB given another chance. I'm still waiting for the TB guy to get a fine - not only did he instigate this, he freely admitted it. There ought to be some sort of penalty for conduct detrimental to the game.September 24, 2008
#28 jdawg said . . .bdot, KO couldn't thrown the ball away, he was still in between the tackles. I guess he could have thrown it over Dez's head, but that would have gone into the crowd behind him. Probably would have ended up being a similar result.
September 24, 2008
#29 pankster in nc said . . .there's been some speculation that Gaines held Clark illegally on that play.
I can't bear to download the game and watch it again some someone else is going to have to chime in here.
September 24, 2008
#30 marc said . . .Well gent's sunday is d-day.
either this team formed by angelo that is overpaid and damn talented will show up and salvage this shit or madden/micheals will talk all damn night on how mcnabb is set for the super bowl in week 4 !i sure hope these guys without the help from lovie and his circus of job holders known as coaches show up man up and kick the shit out of the eagles who are beat down thanks to the cowboys and pittsburg so we have a chance!!!!Bear Down!!!September 24, 2008
#31 Z said . . .WHY DO BEARS SUCK????
THE FUCKEN COACHES THATS WHY!!!
September 24, 2008
#32 jeff said . . .Great points about the replays mikebdot. With so many millions riding on the outcomes of just a few games, how about a little more technology and lets actually get some of this shit right. You know just for a change of pace.
Well we all knew we had too many set WR's performing way too great out there. I guess if they were never going to use him at all then what difference does it make. Some of our former castoffs seem to be having at least decent careers other places. Starting to piss me off.
Trading valuable players or cutting potentially valuable players because of personality conflicts that are not necessarily hurting the team is a bunch of sissy ass whiny bullshit. This is football not an interior design project runway/ American Idol fucking contest. As long as they back eachother up on the field and get the W, I don't care if they key eachother's cars on the way out of the stadium and can't stand eachother.
How many great coaches mesh all kinds of fucked up personalities together and find a way to win instead of so and so doesn't like so and so and said they were being mean to them. What a bunch of high school days of our lives bullshit.
Don't u want players that are pissed when they are playing better than the person getting their spot and they want to start and play?
If we can't have a great QB maybe we should at least get a great coach. Cowher. Throw him a bus full of money. Then tell him to run the buss over Phillips, JA, Lovie, RT, Babich and Heinekenstandschmidt (whoever that fucker is).
There are so many valid reasons that could have excused losing to good teams this year. But the ways that we are losing are crushing my spirit. This team is so damn close. To me that falls on the coaching and captains and veteran leaders an awful lot.
Get it done!!
Bear Down!!
September 24, 2008
#33 jdawg said . . .i want lovie.
why? because that means we win the division this year.
September 24, 2008
#34 Z said . . .well... what a crazy season this has been so far. maybe fucked up is a better term.
Like I said earlier, I never expected losing this way.
I guess at the bottom of it all is our guys didn't go down fighting, they just went down. This calls into question professionalism, courage and desire.
I don't resent Lovie for his demeanor. Shit, I think Tom Landry was pretty successful and he makes Lovie look like Woody Hays.
If we lose to Philly I want it to be a fight.
September 24, 2008
#35 Z said . . .Oh absolutely Jeff my 1st choice is we keep winning divisions and super bowls and Lovie can stay forever. He just better get it done. At least the playoffs or I say gone.
September 24, 2008
#36 Jimbo said . . .Or at least somebody better be gone besides Mark Bradley. I wonder if he was a decent WR? I have no idea and that is ridiculous.
September 24, 2008
#37 jeff said . . .National TV vs Philly with everyone doubting... sounds like the type of thing that gets this team motivated to play. I think we win by 10 pts.
2-2 in our hardest month of the season (or at least thats how it looks now) would be ok. That being said, we should be 2-1 right now (probably 3-0).
A couple nice wins against the pack and lions plus a split with the vikes gets us a division lead and 7 wins. We beat the rams, anit's and texans... 10 wins and playoffs.
if only it was that easy.
September 24, 2008
#38 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .nobody claimed mark bradley. that's bizarre. i'm telling you that this guy must have a black mark. there's just too much ability there.
September 24, 2008
#39 Brian in Sec 430 Row 25 said . . .I'm suprise that Seattle hasn't pick up Bradley yet,They are WR needy right now.
September 24, 2008
#40 Brian in Sec 430 Row 25 said . . .We will learn everything we need to know about the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night. I this team really buys into the Lovie/RT/Babich system then they will still believe they have a good shot at a playoff appearance. If they do not believe in the system (which is what I expect) they will roll over, get pounded and feel good about themselves because they knew this was coming and their supreme talent is being wronged by a bad coaching staff. I do not think it is a conincidence that the guys playing well this season are the guys with something to prove (Lloyd, Forte, Payne, O line for the most part) and the guys playing poorly are the one's who think they are the shit (You know who these guys are..think defense and 2nd yr TE's). The guys with something to prove don't care about the system..all they care about is being on the field, giving 110% and showing the NFL they belong...on the other hand, the high paid veterans hate the system and look for excuses as to how their talents are not being maximized. This team has a cancer and it is so close to the surface I am not sure they can overcome a 1-2 start with 2 heartbreaking losses.
I hope I am wrong because that walk back to the 31st street lot at 11pm will be looooong if we are sitting at 1-3.
September 25, 2008
#41 SEAN said . . .We will learn everything we need to know about the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night. I this team really buys into the Lovie/RT/Babich system then they will still believe they have a good shot at a playoff appearance. If they do not believe in the system (which is what I expect) they will roll over, get pounded and feel good about themselves because they knew this was coming and their supreme talent is being wronged by a bad coaching staff. I do not think it is a conincidence that the guys playing well this season are the guys with something to prove (Lloyd, Forte, Payne, O line for the most part) and the guys playing poorly are the one's who think they are the shit (You know who these guys are..think defense and 2nd yr TE's). The guys with something to prove don't care about the system..all they care about is being on the field, giving 110% and showing the NFL they belong...on the other hand, the high paid veterans hate the system and look for excuses as to how their talents are not being maximized. This team has a cancer and it is so close to the surface I am not sure they can overcome a 1-2 start with 2 heartbreaking losses.
I hope I am wrong because that walk back to the 31st street lot at 11pm will be looooong if we are sitting at 1-3.
September 25, 2008
#42 mikebdot said . . .OBSERVATIONS FROM LAST NIGHT'S REPLAY:
-The defense did not sit in prevent in the 4th and OT they blitzed on multiple occasions.
-Forte is by far the best offenisve weapon in years. He could be the next Westbrook. If Williams pans out, it'll be a helluva draft for Angelo.
-The offensive line has to practice the screen more. Linemen are too slow to get to their blocks and this team needs to effectively run a screen.
-There were so many occasions for the Bears to win. The team as a whole simply failed to make plays when they needed to.
-Brian Griese was awesome. With blitzes in his face he made plays. The defense was tired, but Griese was as good at quarterbacking in the 4th and OT as any QB around.According to Biggs in the Sun Times, Bradley was a bad route runner and couldn't get open. Until I go to games and focus on the receiver who never gets the ball, or until networks broadcast angles away from the ball, I will trust the management. Maybe we'll see some more young receivers now. Hopefully this isn't just a green light to get Booker more looks.
September 25, 2008
#43 Shady said . . .Orton could have pulled a Peyton Manning and thrown it at the intended receivers legs. Which ought to be intentional grounding. Same with spiking the ball to stop the clock. You should have to leave the pocket for shit like that. I've actually grown quite tired of the clock stopping on incomplete passes in general. Why should you be rewarded for an incomplete pass late in the game and not for a 15 yard run? You should have to backwards lateral stuff out of bounds for the clock to stop.
Anyhow, the option existed. He also could have just taken the damn sack. I would have been angry, but seeing how Clark was man-handled I would have gotten over it. I don't believe he was held. It looked like Clark was trying to block him, as though it were a screen to some other player and Clark was already blocking...the other guy "out-physicalled" him. It was really a great play for a lineman...or was it a linebacker? Regardless, sucks for Orton if any of the above are true. Actually, sucks regardless because it looked awful.
September 25, 2008
#44 shonbear said . . .Gotta love the Maddenisms, BOOM.
On the Bradley release... a move had to be made. Either play the guy or release him. Yet another player highly touted by Angelo and this organization who has failed to make it in the NFL The 2005 draft is becoming one of the worst in Chicago Bears history.
I would love to see this team make a QB FA splash next year. If you can't draft one, buy one. Maybe Caleb Hanie will actually learn something. Carson Palmer and Marc Bulger sound like 2 good vets to me. The Bears should also sport for another OC, you know one that can actually utilize his players correctly on a consistent basis. Jerry Angelo had been active in the FA market in recent years, but has since backed off. I think it's time to give this offense a legitimate shot in the arm.
It doesn't look like there are too many intriguing matchups this week. I'm most interested in the games inside the division.
I expected to have some of the questions about this team answered by now, but it seems as if these first few games have brought about even more. The one game they would probably lose would be the Indy game, but the Bears won in somewhat handily fashion. The next two games however, we saw something no one would ever believe would happen to the Chicago defense causing both games to end in excruciating fashion. The fact that many of the big question marks about this team haven't been answered yet gives this Bears team an opportunity. Maybe this Sunday night the Bears will make another statement in the face of adversity in front of millions of people. Thanks for the shout out by the way, Al.
September 25, 2008
Jeff,
After seeing the replay of the game I've decided that you are correct, I pleaded with you to re-watch the game several times to assess what happened as I disagreed with your "defenses fault" statement.
Putting aside the 10 point lead, even worse is we had the ball with a 7 point lead, less than 2-3 minutes remaining in the game and the defense had like 2-3 opportunities to kill that too.
So I down with the O killed the first half and the D killed the second half statement.
Now I have thought about this extensively this week and last week with the following conclusion:
It's all mental (I know genious, right?)
In the past we had success, media scrutiny and lack of respect and our team was having fun proving them wrong, they were loose and relaxed and making plays. They were having a blast and enjoying themselves.
Now they are still good, even in that game when they imploded in the 4th quarter and overtime, they were still a gnats ass from like 4-5 mistakes/opportunities on defense only from making that play and winning the game.
Now they are playing tight, they are thinking too much. Maybe this is what's in their head: "Its on the line and I absolutely have to make this play for my team to get us out of this rut and earn us the respect I know we deserve from everybody"
They are pressing themselves, but they just need to free their minds and do their jobs and have fun doing it. They have been playing absolutely incredible overall and we should be 3-0, so how do you fix a team mentally? This is the coaches job for sure, it's the captains jobs, but it really is the coaches responsibility, he needs to pull some Phil Jackson shit out of his ass and get these guys to do something that will alter their psyche and right this ship.
Normally W's will right the ship and loosen their minds up, give them the swagger all that, but I think that the great elation of the Colts payback victory may have put them too high, so when they clearly had the win in their hands for the second of a difficult road trip, they relaxed just a hair (enough to lose) and were unable to create a Win streak like they expected. Possibly that's what got in their heads and then when TB kept themselves within reach of the game and shocked the Bears with that shotgun no huddle shit, (not to mention the clock was down there quite a bit), they saw a flashback of the previous week.
So yea there was coaching errors, player errors, penalties, bad calls, no calls, bad play calling, sometimes poor player usage, etc...
The biggest thing I think has to be the mental errors, mainly on the D's part.
Will we or will we not overcome this issue against the Eagles??? Did we take a step forward witht he offense???
If they were going to release Bradley, why didn't they get rid of him sooner during the final cuts, he didn't look bad in training camp, I thought he was going to contribute. Thought Hamilton had a few good plays against the Bears, he was also burned several times by Brandon Lloyd. Why do we need a practice squad guy, unless their is some other strategy they are planning.
Go Bears!
September 25, 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.