A note before I get to my week sixteen prognostications. Watching ESPN at Live Bait on 23rd tonight (great New England chowder), the John Clayton news story "Pick sixes at highest level since 2003" came on the screen. I'm not a stat guy so I won't even go into the stat's utter lack of meaning. What befuddled me was the year: 2003. 2003 was five years ago. Something at its highest level since five years ago is not news unless that something is the homicide rate in a particular region of the country. At what point will ESPN just pull down the shades at 5:59 pm and say, "You know what, America? We got nothing today. Nothing to talk about. Go watch something else."
I'm waiting to pick the Monday Night Football game until I see what transpires on Sunday. If Atlanta wins, I truly believe we're going to see a big-time performance from the blue and orange. If Atlanta loses, I just don't know. As for Sunday, here are the games I care about.
BALTIMORE @ DALLAS
The only way the Baltimore offense is going to be successful Saturday night is if "Joltin" Joe Flacco can get the ball downfield and exploit the weak backend of the Cowboys secondary. That's not going to happen when Demarcus Ware is in the midst of one of the greatest seasons in the history of pass rushers. I don't expect much of Dallas either but I see them hitting something big in the early fourth quarter to put away a close game. Dallas 16, Baltimore 9
PITTSBURGH @ TENNESSEE
Call me crazy (You're crazy! You're crazy!) but I think the headline in the football world on Monday morning is going to be, "Can the Titans win it all with Kerry Collins at quarterback?" Kerry played awful against a Houston defense that isn't in the same stratosphere as Pittsburgh - who'll shut down his run game and harass him on third-and-longs all days. 11-39. 123 yards. 3 INT. (Sidenote: Not enough can be said for the Pitt defense ranking number one ACROSS THE BOARD. Do people know how impressive that is?) Pittsburgh 24, Tennessee 10
SAN DIEGO @ TAMPA BAY
So if you didn't pay attention to the NFL the last couple weeks, here's what happened. (1) The Jets went from a Super Bowl contender to a pile of poo. (2) The Giants went from a Super Bowl favorite to the league's biggest question mark. (3) Tampa Bay forgot how to tackle. San Diego 20, Tampa Bay 17 OT
ATLANTA @ MINNESOTA
Atlanta. Get the football. Run the football. Don't turn the football over. You do that, you'll win. Atlanta scores whatever, Minnesota scores less
PHILADELPHIA @ WASHINGTON
If you can tell me why I think the Redskins are going to win this game, you're a smarter man than I. Philly is hot. Westbrook is healthy. Dawkins looks like a kid again. Washington just lost to the Bengals. Portis is hurt and hates the coach. The defense digs twenty-point holes every week. Yet something tells me that when a coach like Jim Zorn starts feeling down and out, he'll start inventing goofy shit we've never seen before and win games he has no business winning. So there. Washington 27, Philadelphia 23
CAROLINA @ NEW YORK GIANTS
Since the story broke that PB&J (the J is for "jerkoff") shot himself in the leg with a gun, the Giants have played like shit on offense. That's an actual fact. They have been wretched. So if the Giants would like to claim it's had no impact, go right ahead. But they might want to complete some passes while they're lying. If the Panthers leave north Jersey with a win, the Giants will have to play hard against the Vikings in Week 17 to avoid a four-game losing streak to end the season. Two things here. (1) Steve Smith tends to gain 200 yards in games like these. (2) John Fox will try and run the ball right up the gut over and over to make a statement. I think he and his team make a big one. Carolina 20, New York 16
#2 Windy City Packer Fan said . . .To the vampire-like insomniacs go the
FIRSTS!!
I hope you are right about everything but Dallas. Exciting weekend for Bears playoff implications all over the place.
I think John Clayton's and Chris Collinswoth's voices annoy me more than any other sound on Earth. I think I would rather have that chick form The Nanny do the NFL shows and her voice makes me want to gouge my own ears out of my head with a blunt object.
Go Bears, Go Atlanta, Go Baltimore, Go Washington, Go Carolina, Go San Diego
Is that too much to ask for?
And you are right about Pittsburgh. I should go bet some money that they will win the SB. If they lose to Da Bears then serves me right.
December 19, 2008
#3 Windy City Packer Fan said . . .Second...like the city.
Thought I would repost this:
We all know that the Packers-Bears series is the oldest rivalry in the NFL. For me, seeing pictures from some of the early games really puts it into perspective.
Check out this link, with photos from 1941 and 42 at Wrigley Field.
How about the ultimate throwback game...Bears and Packers at Wrigley once again. Crazy? Yes. Pretty cool? Fo' sho'!
December 19, 2008
#4 Phil from SATX said . . .I wonder if the Cubs ownership wanted to charge the rooftop owners back then?
(see pic number 4 from above post)
December 19, 2008
#5 Z said . . .Jeff, two things I'd like to request from you. First, you have never given us anything but a cursory post about your attendance at the Thursday night game. I know I'd like to here some details about your experience.
Second, you made a reference to updating us later on an interesting day for our blog. What was that about?
I just want a win Monday night. And a Vikings loss Sunday. That's it, Santa.
December 19, 2008
#6 mikebdot said . . .What Phil said.
And I am sure Phil meant to say hear instead of here.
See Willie, it happens to the best of us.
Same for me Santa.
December 19, 2008
#7 Z said . . .What if Atlanta, Tampa, Philadelphia, and Dallas all lose?
Oh, that's a lot of 'if's', isn't it?
Regardless, it's a possible scenario. And a favorable one even if Minnesota wins.
Or, if they all won (besides Atlanta) I'm pretty sure that would eliminate us from playoff contention. It's THAT scenario I would be most concerned about...
December 19, 2008
#8 BearDown1982 said . . .If Tampa and Atlanta win we are eliminated from the Wildcard because they both have the tie breaker over us. I don't know how we stack up with Dallas for the tie breaker. Philly only needs to lose one for us to get ahead of them but their last game is against Dallas.
What a mess.
December 19, 2008
#9 Adam said . . .Best case scenario...Minny loses (obviously) and the Giants lose to the Panthers making their final game against the Vikes more than meaningful for them. C'mon road teams!
I'm not even going to think about the wildcard scenarios...just too much needs to happen there.
Sad to think that we may only have two more Bears games to watch this season. As maddening as the season has been at times, it has still been one of the more entertaining ones I can remember in recent history...and it has been a hundred times better than last year!
That said, I will think optimistically, and say that the Bears have at least three more games to play this season...
December 19, 2008
#10 jeff said . . .Who goes to a southern style cajun/creole place for chowdah?
Just sayin'... ;)
December 19, 2008
#11 NittyGritty34 said . . .adam, it's also a seafood place. seafood makes the chowdah!
December 19, 2008
#12 AfroCelt said . . .Great Pics WCPF. Got me thinking though. There must have been a lot of interceptions back before people saw in color.
Obviously, I jest.
Go Bears, and all those other stupid teams.
December 19, 2008
#13 big rob said . . .Report from Packerland:
They're all down and out about their team....the Pack are last in the league in scoring in the 4th quarter and they're getting ready to can McCarthy or Thompson (the GM). I think heads may still roll on the "Fav-rah Incident". Rogers isn't horrible though....the fans seem to realize that #4 did hurt them often.
How bout we kick 'em while they're down?
December 19, 2008
#14 jonathan said . . .FUCK THE PACKERS!!
December 19, 2008
#15 John said . . .aw yeah, Live Bait, the pulled-pork sandwich there is simply amazing.
December 19, 2008
#16 Pankster in da carolina's said . . .Hasn't he picked the vikings to lose every week for like the past couple months. LOL. You delusional bears fans crack me up. Come Monday Night, the bears-packers game will be meaningless.
December 19, 2008
#17 Kevin from Wisco said . . .a holiday gift for Babich Patch and the packers FUCK YA BOTH!!! Very simple Bears win 2 and Minny loses 2 all that other shit is confusing Bear the Fuck Down America!!!!!!
December 19, 2008
#18 Kevin from Wisco said . . .@John - Obvious troll is obvious!
Bear Down, MNF.
December 20, 2008
#19 Shady said . . .Addendum to last comment:
John, shouldn't the Packers-Bear game become "meaningless" Sunday afternoon? Fail much?
December 20, 2008
#20 AfroCelt said . . .Windy, tanks for the retro pics, that's pretty cool. I know the Blackhawks are having a winter classic at Wrigley, and I think it would be equally awesome if the Bears could do the same, for traditions sake.
All I know is that if minny loses Sunday, which should be a great game by the way, then the Bears are going to come out Monday Night with a passion and fire that we haven't seen in a while this year. Again if minny loses, it gives the Bears hope and inspiration that will lead them to beat the shit out of GB. If Minny wins, the bears will win, but not as convincingly as they would if minny lost.
Gotta love the NFC North style of football. Run the ball, play great defense and special teams. IF minny wins the division, and I hope to hell they won't, then I won't mind rooting for a fellow NFC North team that isn't the Packers. I'd like to know that our (The Bears) style of football can win in the playoffs.
Long week at work, time to DRINK.
December 20, 2008
#21 Z said . . .Shady, I love ya, and this may be regional bias creeping in, but I'd rather see the Pack go to the show than the vikings. Bears-packers is friendly rivalry...Bears (or Packers)-Minne is blood sport. I want to smash that stupid horn over their fans' heads every time it goes off. Viqueens. Seamen from the North. Grr.
cmon Bears...
December 20, 2008
#22 Phil from SATX said . . .After growing up in Chicago, I was stuck in both Wisconsin and Minnesota (yes you can feel bad for me, so very bad). Cheering for either GB or Min is blasphemy. But if I had to chose, GB's fans are way more legit and they have a respect for our rivalry and tradition. They are intense as shit about their team which makes beating their ass so much sweeter. The Vike's fans love their team but their passion pales in comparison to GB and they both ain't got shit on Da Bears Fans!
December 20, 2008
#23 Z said . . .Here is probably more insight and discussion on Lovie's coaching style than I have ever seen in an article.
Check it out. It does give one a SLIGHTLY different perspective, although what I noticed was him taking several minutes to study photos before showing Briggs and Ur about wrong spacing. Should that take that long? I may be nitpicking. But the article was interesting to me.
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/hey_missy/
December 20, 2008
#24 big rob said . . .Interesting Phil. I really don't care if the Coach goes and takes a nap all game behind the bench as long as we are playing the right way and winning football games. Obviously you can't completely 180 degree change who you are (didn't Coughlin change a whole lot and that has worked out pretty good) but you gotta mix it up a little. Scare a few people. Keep them on their toes or have an enforcer (bad cop) Coordinator or Assistant Coach to do that for you. Or the Veterans should be doing it. Something.
This is how I want the leaders on my team to be.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ian_thomsen/12/17/paul.west.hornets/index.html
I like having NFL football on Thurs, Sat and Sundays. Give me more, more, more.
December 20, 2008
#25 CA BEAR FAN said . . .FUCK THE PACKERS!!
December 20, 2008
#26 shonbear said . . .CLASSIC! Cowboys got BOOED on their last game of their stadium
December 21, 2008
#27 big rob said . . .What I fail to understand is how Phly ends up ahead of us in the wild card race when we beat them. The tie counts as a win?
Ok Dallas loses today and now plays Phly next week, so we want phly to lose this week and win next week and we still need to win two.
Alright, alright, Minny lose two, Chicago win two! So much easier.
This is stressful, yet I hve felt better about this season than last season, but the season is not over, if they come out flat in their last two games, regardless of the vikings games I will have to say the only reason this season was better than last season is because of "good" Kyle and Forte. Forte gives us hope for the future. Now lets get a receiver (not from the draft) and get Chris Williams and Bennet some real game time.
Well not now, but if we get eliminated.
Go Bears!
December 21, 2008
#28 Derrick Rose for Governor said . . .When it all comes down to it...
FUCK THE PACKERS!!!
December 21, 2008
#29 Z said . . .And Fort Matte to fill the Senate seat.
Bulls Win a good one!
December 21, 2008
Yeah for Philly them not having as many losses as us is why they would finish ahead, so yes Philly lose this week and win next week over Dallas and we would be ahead of both of them.
So step one and the hardest one according to many on here got accomplished. Dallas lost! The 4th Quarter of that game was insane. Anyone else see that shit?
That was like a mini playoff win for us.
There are games with implications all across the board today almost. Shit I'll be paying attention to and cheering for St. Louis and Oakland to win in case they have to win for us that last week of the season but obviously the one big one is Minnesota lose, lose, lose. Well once is enough but lose bad.
December 21, 2008
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