With four minutes and five seconds remaining on a surprisingly warm Chicago afternoon in October 2007, Brian Griese threw an interception to Vikings safety Dwight Smith that seemed to end any hope of a Bears victory on a day when they'd allowed Adrian Peterson to rush for 224 yards. Sure enough, after forcing a quick punt, Griese led the Bears with two implausible touchdown passes in a little more than a minute - one an 81 yard bomb to Devin Hester down the right sideline. Game tied at 31. A buck and half remaining.
Kickoff to Adrian Peterson. 53 yards right up the gut. A couple wasted plays. Field goal. Ballgame. The Bears fell to 2-4 and spent the season trying to dig themselves out of that hole.
The similarities between Sunday's loss in Atlanta and the day most commonly remembered as AP's coming out party are there. The Broken Record Bears - as seems to be the case so much during the Lovie Smith era - couldn't make THE PLAY. That day on special teams. Sunday on defense. A bad personal foul against Tampa Bay. A failed 3rd/4th and 1 at midfield in Carolina. Beat writers and coaches never want to reduce the whole of a game to one play but in this NFL, more than half of games come down to a single play. Ask the 2006 San Diego Chargers about a fumbled postseason interception against New England. Ask the 2007 Giants about a Super Bowl title won on the helmet of David Tyree. (I hear all the time, "The Giats beat the Pats with their pass rush." If Tyree doesn't make that improbable play, the vaunted Giants pass rush would have earned them a cool second place finish.)
Two of three Bears wins this season have been blowouts. That puts them at 1-3 in games decided by single digits. Sunday looks to be one of those games as that same Mr. Peterson returns to town in a stirring act of symmetry. It should be close, physical, angry football in the city that loves to see it. The question remains: are the Bears tough enough to win under pressure? Are they capable of winning when one mistake can cost them victory? Are they capable of winning when they need a crucial yard on third down? Are they a tough football team?
So far in 2008, the answer is no.
#2 Z said . . .FIRST!!
October 14, 2008
#3 Phillip from NYC said . . .And 2nd! We will dominate. Mostly because everyone is doubting the team again and that seems to be the only way they can close out a victory is with a big chip on their shoulders. They can't seem to translate that into self-motivation. Defense and coaches especially.
And we have been stopping even very good RB's and their passing attack will be a mere fraction of a shadow of what we just dealt with. (Ryan is definitely legit)
Oh yeah and their best WR is 1 that every DB worth their salt on the Bears should love to projectile themselves into leveling him and rendering him useless for the remainder of the game and subsequently watching him removed from the field in various pieces. Sorry BB you brought this on yourself.
Enormous division game.
BEAR DOWN!!
October 14, 2008
#4 jdawg said . . .I'll be at that game, and it's going to be my first Bears game in Soldier Field. So, if any of our Bears read this blog, please win, as it's also on my last day as a single guy.
That said, step it up Bears. I'm not happy with you being a "next year" team - laying the groundwork for a great season "next year." I've been a Cubs fan for too long to know where that gets you. There is never a "next year," there's only a "right now."
Bear Down - Right Now. Not Next Year.
-pl
October 14, 2008
#5 Al In WI said . . .Jeff -- I don't necessarily see the correlation. The D wore down against the Panthers in the second half. My brother-in-law was at the game. He said it was the hottest football game he'd ever attended. They were wearing the dark uni's in the midday sun. I live in the South (actually the gateway to the South, Louisville). I don’t wear dark clothes from May thru September. The uniform color was Fox’s greatest coaching move of that game.
They fucked up against Griese.
They outplayed both teams. They didn't outplay the Falcons. The Falcons should have won that game.
If that last field goal is made we're not having this conversation. If Gould executes the squib we aren’t having this conversation. Hamilton made a cardinal sin on that last play. He's been with the team 3 weeks. If he covers even halfway-properly we’re not having this conversation.
These are all losses but 3 different types of losses.
That being said, I like our O’s chances against the Vikes. I think the D can stop AP. If there’s a god in heaven they can stop Gus Ferrotte.
October 14, 2008
#6 Viva said . . .If the Bears lose this game Smith should be fired on the spot. The vikings had to have two cheap calls by officials to come from behind and beat the worst team in football at home. If this game is even close, it will be disturbing.
October 14, 2008
#7 Bearman on the Sangamon said . . .Jeff -
Truth is we can answer each of the questions you asked with a sometimes yes, and a sometimes no, which is the trademark of an inconsistent team.
We have a new Good - Bad complex and it has nothing to do with Rex. We have Good Bears, Bad Bears. The good news is that throughout the course of a season, teams can get better, and well coached teams usually do. The Super Bowl Team of 06 is an example of a great team going backwards throughtout the course of the year, and 07 was a great example of an inconsitent, but well coached, team getting better throughout the season (NYG).
I will say that, in answer to your question, are the Bears a tough team, I believe that they are willing to sacrifice themselves for the team. I don't think there is a guy on the roster with alligator arms, and if there were, they would be weeded out. (Ced was called out for being a pussy)
Phil NYC- Good luck with your marriage. Tell her you love her every day. Be patient. Never give up the clicker. Why were we not invited to the bachelor party? I live in Vegas for crying out loud.
October 14, 2008
#8 Urlacher FTW said . . .This is probably the greatest Bears run defense in many years, thanks in large part to the Mug. I don't really fear Adrian Peterson or Chester Taylor as much as I do Gus Ferrotte and Bernard Berrian (who I hope gets hit extra hard). This is possibly the most porous pass defense in many years as well...few interceptions, few broken passes, and the pass rush is just simply non-existent. Or am I just full of shit and Matt Ryan, Jake Delhomme, and Brian Griese are just that good?
October 14, 2008
#9 AfroCelt said . . .I must have been watching a different game. I thought Ryan was mediocre, he didn't make any horrible decisions, he didn't make any great, unbelievable throws. Closest thing to a great throw was his last pass to set up the win, and it was only really great beacuse of the situation, normal situation thats just a big first down to a wide open reciever who had blown coverage.
He did pick apart the D but every time we got pressure he screwed up, even his TD should have been a pick, the throw wasn't well placed our coverage was just that bad. Our Defense with 2nd and 3rd string corners, is worse than the Lions D with it's starters - yet when Orton picks them apart you say it was because the Lions suck but Ryan is some great QB. Pathetic. He is a hand of stability in ATL and with the run game they have he will get the job done; he is 100x times the QB Vick was but that isn't saying a ton. Our D played like total crap. I don't think ATL ran a screen all game, make them pay for that; blitz until they run one. Yes they stopped the run, but with Cover 2 you have to stop the run and generate pressure without blitzing. It seems like simple math; we are 0-2 when not generating a sack. Unless Harris is gonna show up, you have to throw out the cover 2 ; I like the sliding cover 4 look when they are in definate pass but it really only works when you blitz from an unexpected position; I really, really, REALLY.. want to see Payne line up one of his Scud missle hits on an opposing QB, sack or not.October 14, 2008
#10 mikebdot said . . .Say goodbye Adam Jones. We won't miss you.
October 14, 2008
#11 Phillip from NYC said . . .Urlacher: That TD pass from Ryan was pass interference. The offensive player pushed off. Plain and simple. It's easy to have all kinds of space on an out when you just judo pushed a dude out of the play, an undrafted rookie at that...or did Tampa actually select him? Could be wrong...either way, a dude not that great, only in because four players were hurt and one sucks super bad as well (Vasher, Tillman, McBride, and McGowan were all hurt [I would bet money they'd put McGowan in at corner before playing that kid after 3 weeks of practice], and Daniel Manning can't cover anything anyway). It's like praising Rex for a bomb to finish up the Oakland game...against a third string scrub...
October 14, 2008
#12 Phil from SATX said . . .Viva, thanks - I've tried to talk her into letting me put a recliner in our (small-ish) living room, and it's no good. She's going to be at the game sunday wearing the Bears garters she got to be her "something blue" for the dress: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vt_related_1&listing_id=15962494
Anybody who's interested in visiting us during the tailgate (which is basically the bachelor party) sunday (we've got a parking pass) let me know, I'd be happy to share a beer and talk Bears.
October 14, 2008
#13 Phil from SATX said . . .Hah! There is SOME justice yet in the world - of course Jerrah didn't think there was anything bad to warrant a suspension, so the characterless Cowboys did NOTHING.
Thanks, Goodell, you're making those teams who make character an issue LIKE THE BEARS feel just a wee bit better today! You're my new favorite sports commissioner!
Urlacher, I don't understand the concept of mediocre with respect to Matt Ryan's performance. The dude was flawless on third and long. There's 11 defenders working against him, and many of those have been Pro Bowl in their career. I appreciate the implication, that our D sucked that bad and maybe it did, but it sure looked to me like Ryan was the real deal.
Regarding Jeff's article, the "one-mistake" deal - I just reiterate what I think about the skill level of our coaches - it's really going to be up to the players to do it themselves - Kyle if RT sends in another ridiculous destined-to-fail play, CHANGE THAT F-ER!
Mike B and Brian U, take control men! If you can't quite get there yourself, make damn sure the youngsters around you know what their job #1 is. And for God's sake don't allow any premature celebrations get in the way of gameplanning your way through 60 minutes of the game! And if Babich Patch (sure loved that nickname) stops dialing up blitzes, get in his freaking face and scare the crap out of him until he agrees to do what you want!
An aside - I never knew Hunter H was as tall as he is until that game - he's 6'4" just like Urlacher - never knew that! Still think he had a pretty great game. Could be wrong though.
Another aside - was Kyle telegraphing the 3 step drop, when Abraham knocked down two of those in a row? Can we change that? Also can we learn from that and start reading their 3 step drops too? We have the height to do that on our line. Sometimes we're good at it, but not so much recently.
One last aside - so now we can't strip at all? I know last year we went crazy trying to strip and thereby couldn't tackle at all. So now we're a much better tackling team, but it looks like the strip and takeaway are a thing of the past. Is there some combo of tackling and stripping that works? I miss it.
Just like I miss Hester runbacks. 6 games in and counting....
October 14, 2008
#14 Worm0922 said . . .Phillip, you sound like you got yourself an awesome BearBride! Nice job, and good luck to you both! Wish I could be there!
October 14, 2008
#15 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .The rich get richer
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AnlyQJZyIQmSQ644Rh4UakVDubYF?slug=txcowboyslionsroywilliamstrade&prov=st&type=lgnsOctober 14, 2008
#16 jeff said . . .Good I'm glad he went to the Cowgirls,We only have to worry about covering Johnson at the WR spot.I will misss him calling out our DB's before the game an then watch him eat crow afterwards.
Cowgirls motto:Felons an loud mouths need only to apply
An on a sidenote as much as we can love/hate some of the things this team does,remember it could always be worse(Lions,Bengals,Raiders,St Louis,49ers,etc...imagine being a fan for any of those team.. ugh)
October 14, 2008
#17 shonbear said . . .that feels more like the emotionally brittle get emotionally brittler. they dont need roy williams. they need someone to replace the other roy williams. they need a cornerback. and they gave up a whole damn draft to get him.
October 14, 2008
#18 Ronaldo said . . .Viva,
Best comments yet!
Good Bears Bad Bears, you won't see the same disgust for the team as was given to Rex when he was the focal point of the same kinds of issues.
These are all correctable, but we are taking too many injuries now in the process, we need to handle Minnesota regardless of the injuries, go into the bye and health up for the Detroit game, create momentum and another winning streak, lovie's challenge is to do something different than he usually does after a win to keep this team up so they can continue to win.
Here's to hoping Vasher and Lloyd can start a spark with a turn over and more receptions and that one game the overpaid Tommie (so far) will be the break through he needed to square himself away. The other thing is that it's time for Hester to make a play on special teams. This antzy, fair catch stuff when there is still time needs to go to the wayside. Your going home and the fans want to see a runback by now.
The only way to get over that most demoralizing and emotionally draining loss to the Falcons is to crush the Vikings at home. Crush Bernard Berrian and stop AP and CT. Don't allow the busted up secondary to give Berrian a good fantasy day.
October 14, 2008
#19 shonbear said . . .I don't have it in me to post anything noteworthy today. I'll be in Louisville this Sunday looking for a good sports bar to catch the game, if anyone has any recs, holla.
Jeff, I hear ya on the Cowboys secondary. Almost worse than ours on pass defense. At least we're not the only ones.
October 14, 2008
#20 PANKSTER AT FORT BRAGG said . . .again, the power rankings are stupid, but even more interesting is that Roy Williams is going to Dallas? Just what they needed someone to at more character to their already stellar team demeanor.
What's the point in suspending Adam Jones again, how many second chances does a guy get? Is it like how many (fill in the blank) does it take to put in a light bulb shit?
October 14, 2008
#21 mikebdot said . . .we signed Bowman? he was on practice squad why the hell didnt we deal anyone to get some players wit a damn heart who can lay the WOOD and cover some one? I still say lovie save face and quit baby sitting Babich Patch cut your losses throw out the Cover 2 and put in the 4-6 and Blitz the shit out of everyone create turnovers and Whip some ASS!!!!!
BEAR DOWN BEARS NATION BEAR THE FUCK DOWN!!!!
October 15, 2008
#22 ANIMAL said . . .When was the last time we blitzed from the corner position? I'm pretty sure whenever it was we either sacked the guy or caused a shit ass throw. There should be a corner blitz at least once per game, especially if you play nickel a lot...though, we don't necessarily do that anymore without any healthy corners.
October 15, 2008
#23 Shady said . . .holy wow, The Cowboys gave up a #1 pick for Roy Williams.
Here's an idea- when you have cancer, try curing it by getting more cancer. Cancellation by double negative.Corner health was a MAJOR reason for our struggles last year. Now we are there again. That is painful and scary.
October 15, 2008
#24 Shady said . . .These two teams are gonna beat the hell out of each other come Sunday. I feel like the difference in the game is going to be which QB is going to handle it better, Gus or Kyle.
October 15, 2008
#25 animal said . . .Has there ever been a team with TWO diva wide receivers like TO and Roy?
Dallas really gave up a 1st, 3rd and swap 6th for 7th rounder next year?? Wow, Jerry Jones is nuts... maybe not Al Davis type of nuts, but this move has balls if nothing else. This move reminds me of the move the Brewers made picking up Sabathia. Maybe Jerry will get lucky with Williams, but I think Jerry will soon realize his team doesn't add up to the sum of their parts.
October 15, 2008
#26 UB said . . .Ok, here is another one we SHOULD win. We have to win these.
October 15, 2008
#27 UB said . . .We need to beat the hell out if the Queens!
If you honestly look at the schedule.
@COLTS (f) - BEARS Win by 16
@Panthers(f) - BEARS Loss by 3
BUCS - BEARS (f) Loss by 3
EAGLES (f) - BEARS Win by 4
@LIONS - BEARS (f) Win by 27
@FALCONS - BEARS (f) Loss by 2
(f) Favored
BEARS 4away 2-2/2home 1-1/(f) 1-2 ( ) 2-1
EVEN- As hard as the 3 losses are BEARS can get better and finish up the season strong.6 home and 4 away games.
First Vikings, BYE, LIONS, and tuff Titans
and we are halfway there.
Also the Opponents QBs seem to get a little worst accept maybe Brees.
Then JAGS, Aints, and PAC hopefully in the cold and snow.
Simply WIN at home and away @RAMS
10-6 NFC NORTH Champs or Wild CardOctober 15, 2008
#28 UB said . . .We need to beat the hell out if the Queens!
If you honestly look at the schedule.
@COLTS (f) - BEARS Win by 16
@Panthers(f) - BEARS Loss by 3
BUCS - BEARS (f) Loss by 3
EAGLES (f) - BEARS Win by 4
@LIONS - BEARS (f) Win by 27
@FALCONS - BEARS (f) Loss by 2
(f) Favored
BEARS 4away 2-2/2home 1-1/(f) 1-2 ( ) 2-1
EVEN- As hard as the 3 losses are BEARS can get better and finish up the season strong.6 home and 4 away games.
First Vikings, BYE, LIONS, and tuff Titans
and we are halfway there.
Also the Opponents QBs seem to get a little worst accept maybe Brees.
Then JAGS, Aints, and PAC hopefully in the cold and snow.
Simply WIN at home and away @RAMS
10-6 NFC NORTH Champs or Wild CardOctober 15, 2008
#29 Ronaldo said . . .We need to beat the hell out if the Queens!
If you honestly look at the schedule.
@COLTS (f) - BEARS Win by 16
@Panthers(f) - BEARS Loss by 3
BUCS - BEARS (f) Loss by 3
EAGLES (f) - BEARS Win by 4
@LIONS - BEARS (f) Win by 27
@FALCONS - BEARS (f) Loss by 2
(f) Favored
BEARS 4away 2-2/2home 1-1/(f) 1-2 ( ) 2-1/ 2-1 Inside 1-2 Outside
EVEN- As hard as the 3 losses are BEARS can get better and finish up the season strong.6 home and 4 away games (2 Inside 2 Outside- Texans should be open)
First Vikings, BYE, LIONS, and tuff Titans
and we are halfway there.
Also the Opponents QBs seem to get a little worst accept maybe Brees.
Then JAGS, Aints, and PAC hopefully in the cold and snow.
Simply WIN at home and away @RAMS
10-6 NFC NORTH Champs or Wild CardOctober 15, 2008
#30 Z said . . .#21, we've blitzed with Daniel Manning out of nickel against the Eagles a couple times. From what I remember, it worked well. I agree, we don't do it enough. By "it", I mean pressure the damn QB (not just corner blitz).
October 15, 2008
#31 Max said . . .That is a lot of ammo to give Detroit for next year. Whiner or not he was a Pro Bowler. Will they turn all that cheddar into better players than him? Hmmm. No Millen to pick 4 more WR's next year. Makes me a little nervous. But not this year.
October 15, 2008
#32 Max said . . .L:KNF ;df sdnf jna kgjdn ldf g;fkjg nfkg f;kd nads;fk gjnd;fk n;df g;nadf g;jkfdg ;kjfda npignreahith ert h349u54jknp5 jn psvjifg5[j nsdp[ -s0d98 5lok sodig josk;wekm [aerot43 54k' kl5' l45 m[o9 =alker 5' lm z/.,m sgq40 RLTKG JSLK 054 m'lmg [oirjt ,l',rmty 'klsfm g'klf mgsfl,g r
. . . fuck me. Im still pissed off
October 15, 2008
#33 Rancid said . . .Oh, but Phillip, Congrats man. You got a good one there. Enjoy the game and Bear Down for some real old school "NFC Central" football
October 15, 2008
#34 Shady said . . .The real losers in this trade won't be known until the 2009 NFL draft. Right now somewhere there are 3 guys who would've been drafted by other teams but will now end up in pro football hell. They are the real victims. Poor bastards.
October 15, 2008
#35 BearDown1982 said . . .Best uniforms in sports are gonna be broken out on Sunday.
October 15, 2008
#36 Viva said . . .Phillip...enjoy your first Bears game at Soldier Field...awesome! I'll be there when they play the Titans later this year.
Have these last two seasons been a roller coaster or what? I'm still holding out hope for this season...we have shown promise at times and I think this team is capable of putting a string of 3 or 4 wins together.
The NFL is wide open this year...it would be a shame to miss out on the playoffs when there are no clear cut favorites at this point.
October 15, 2008
#37 Phil from SATX said . . .Rancid - that was hilarious.
Z - Millen was canned in Detroit the week before we showed up to kick their ass. I believe Milen's firing was the result of him flirting with the idea of signing Cedric Benson.
Phil SA - Babich Patch....that is a keeper of a nickname.
October 15, 2008
#38 Z said . . .Babich Patch was not mine - can't take credit for it. Pankster was it you? I do love it though.
Double kudos to Rancid. Always thinking of the other guy!
Got to give Jerrah some credit - the man lives large. He has a lot of fun running that team, he thinks big, and as a result has created what some call sport's biggest and most important franchise. I too worry a little about those extra picks to Detroit.
It's great that Babich Patch changes strategies on different teams - he's obviously strategizing SOMETHING - but when you have a rookie QB, why wouldn't your #1 strategy be to get to that guy? The game plan he installed for that game DIDN'T WORK. Don't just change to change BP.
Can you believe we're talking more shit about our D coordinator than our O this year? Who'd a thunk?
October 15, 2008
#39 Phil from SATX said . . .If flirting with the idea of signing Benson can get Millen fired in Detroit after all the other dumb shit he did, what will they do to Marvin Lewis in Cincy if he actually starts him and Benson stats falling/laying down in the backfield.
I love watching arrogant/low character teams implode and self destruct. Screw u Dallas and NE. And yes I hate our division opponents even more but for different reasons.
Bear it Down! Way Down!
October 15, 2008
#40 Anytime said . . .I'll say it again - Z, don't be surprised if Benson turns into a servicable back. He does have talent, and somehow has manufactured an apparent desire to play since he left us - or maybe just a desire to make money. But I wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was a huge wakeup call for a somewhat immature but ultimately good guy.
I'll still be pissed at him if it happens though.
October 15, 2008
#41 NittyGritty34 said . . .Its really nice to see that guys like Terrance Metcalf are really going above and beyond to make a special effort to make this bears team a winner. I think the whole team should start taking roids.
October 15, 2008
#42 zmac said . . .Phil from stax, It would seem obvious to blitz the hell out of a rookie quarterback wouldn't it? Especially since we've been blitzing a lot this year. I think everyone thought Babitch Patch would bring the house. Perhaps that's why he didn't. They expect blitz, we show blitz, then drop into coverage and pick off an errant rookie pass. Perhaps. But, after he saw that wasn't going to happen, he should have actually blitzed the hell out of him. Not defending Babich Patch, merely offering a possible reason. Because personally, if I think there was an actual thought process involved here, I rest easier. If I think he's just an incompetent douche bag, then I'll be angry and resentful all season. It's all for sanity.
Oh and if anybody thinks this will be a blow out this Sunday remember, it's a division rival, and those games are usually close regardless of who the better team is. So be prepared for another cardiac-Sunday, Bear Fans!BEAR DOWN!
Destroy the Dike-Queens!!!!
October 15, 2008
#43 Z said . . .Actually... didnt the Defense and Offense make crucial plays against Philly?
October 15, 2008
#44 Buying Digital Camera said . . .Any injury updates floating around?
And Cincy seems like the place to go to encourage the misbehaving, not get them in line. Shit you gotta pull off something big to even make the top 10 of the team police blotter there sometimes. Good Luck Benson. Fucker. Blown ACL/MCL/PCL and LCL on the 1st carry. At least Ricky Williams runs hard when he is out there. Shit even Pacman is all business on the field. If you are going to have any BS off it, you really better bring it when you are on it. It's actually OK cause I love the deuce deuce.
Stuff AP and go get the QB. Disrupt. Attack. Mayhem.
Da Bears!
October 15, 2008
Thanks for your article on this install. From my own personal knowledge, over again times softening up a photograph may supply the photographer with a dose of an imaginative flare. Oftentimes be that as it may, that soft cloud isn't what exactly you had under consideration and can oft-times spoil an otherwise good photo, notably if you sensible about enlarging them.
May 19, 2011
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.