It is why we argue and debate from mid-February until
early-September about the make-up of the roster and alignment of the coaching
staff.  It is why we spend that sleepless
night before opening day, like an eight year-old on Christmas Eve, anticipating
the action figure he’s coveted for the weeks and months previous.  It is why, win or lose, we fight with rival
fans, the national media and the skeptic inside ourselves in defense of our
favorite football team: the Chicago Bears. 
It is the playoffs.  And it has
come to Soldier Field.

YOUR DESTINY IS NOW
2010 CHICAGO BEARS

Over

Seattle
Seahawks

Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?

• I always like the Chicago Bears.
• The best thing that happened to the Bears all season turned
  out to be their defeat at the hands of Seahawks in Week Six.  How can you take an opponent for granted when
  that opponent has already beaten you at home? 
  The Bears defense, a prideful bunch, was embarrassed by Matt Hasselbeck and
  will not want to see history repeated. 
  Defensive POY candidate Julius Peppers was handled sufficiently by
  rookie Russell Okung and I suspect he’ll be angling for revenge.  There will be a rallying call at Halas Hall
  this week and that call will be 23-20.
• Very few opponents can cancel out Leon Washington.  The Bears don’t just call Washington,
  they raise him Devin Hester.
• I believe the Bears will have success running the ball to
  the edges of the ‘Hawk defense with Matt Forte, who has simply been one of the
  best backs in football over the last five or six weeks.
• That running success outside will open up the two needed facets
  of the pass game: shots down field to the speed receivers and quick tosses to
  G-Reg (catch the damn thing) and Earl Bennett. 
  
• I think the Seahawks will have minimal success running the
  ball and getting it outside to Mike Williams, taking advantage of
  off-coverage.  I don’t believe they’ll
  have enough success with either to control the game.
• I think we shouldn’t forget that while Mike Williams was the
  chains-mover for the Seahawks, it was Ma Hass making big throws down the
  sidelines, specifically to Deon Butler, that put points on the board.  Unless Marshawn Lynch takes over the game, I
  expect LoveRod to stay in a disciplined cover-2 shell.

• I don’t pretend to understand the psyche of Jay Cutler.  I don’t think anyone other Cutler does.  But I have to believe that a competitor of his nature will relish this opportunity while understanding he can not take the kinds of chances he’s taken repeatedly in the regular season.  He has to understand that throwing the ball away is necessary to prevent a two or three-yard loss on a crucial second down.  He has to understand that the Super Bowl, the grandest of all football stages, is within his team’s grasp.  If he doesn’t understand these things, he’s not the leader or player I think he is.  18-24, 240 yards, 2 touchdowns.
• Name one thing the Seahawks do better than the Bears.  I can’t either.  Put the game in Soldier Field and the Bears have no excuse but to win this game.

Chicago Bears 27, Seattle Seahawks 13

Hasselbeck Says Briggs Takes Game to “Another Level”

“He’s huge,” Hasselbeck said. “I think he’s arguably one of the best defensive players in the game. I think he’s a great player. Going into the game we fully expected him to play. He didn’t play, and that was a big deal…so for us to sit back and say, ‘Hey, we beat them at their place, we can do it again.’ That would be a dangerous way to feel because Lance Briggs did not play in that game. He is big, big-time difference maker and a great football player. So as hard as this game is going to be, the fact that he’s back up takes it to another level.”

Hasselbeck is right.  Lance Briggs is one of the best defensive players in the sport.  But the Saeahawks did not beat the Bears on the ground or by exploiting the middle of the field.  They beat the Bears by going after LoveRod’s soft corner coverage and finding Mike Williams in space on pivotal third downs.  I’m not sure Lance Briggs would have been a distinguishing factor in that area.

Julius Peppers. Oh, I know, the Bears paid his too much money to cut him, and he has had a wonderful season — All-Pro when you consider what he has done with Harris starting — but I mention his name here for game-specific reasons: He isn’t going to get owned by a rookie tackle again, right? This is the game — the start of a month of games — that the Bears really paid all that money for.

I think Julius Peppers’ performance against the Seahawks and rookie Russell Okung was perhaps his worst (and only truly bad one) of the 2010 season.  I don’t think that performance has sat well with him all season and I expect an inspired effort on Sunday.

Mark Potash believes Lovie Smith can not lose this game against the Seattle Seahawks.  Not at home.  Not against an inferior opponent.  And not while operating under his current contract.

Lovie Smith has been among the highest paid coaches in the NFL over the three seasons prior to this one, with nothing to show for it. It’s time for him to hold up his end of the bargain.

While I don’t imagine a loss to the Seahawks on Sunday will cost Lovie Smith his job, the question that could be raised is an interesting one: what does this ballgame mean for Mr. Smith?

Many of us believed, when the season began, a playoff victory for the Bears in 2010 would validate Lovie’s tenure and lead to a surefire contract extension (if not also an extension for GM Jerry Angelo).  But does a win, at home, against the 8-9 Seattle Seahawks really validate anything?  If the Bears knocked the Saints or Eagles out of the playoffs this Sunday one could easily make the argument that 2010 was a resounding success, as its doubtful Vegas would have extended the Bears even the customary three-point home advantage against either of those opponents.  But the Seahawks?  How can Halas Hall draw up a $15 mil contract for holding serve as double-digits favorites at home against a losing club?

A loss would be nothing short of devastating.  Lovie enters Sunday’s game with the better offense, defense and special teams.  The same case could be made for/against Sean Payton (special teams is debatable there) but Payton was on the road and coming off a Super Bowl title.  Lovie is coming off three consecutive non-playoff years and most of the Chicago Bears faithful consider victory on Sunday a guarantee if the Bears merely play well.  Not even solid.  Just…well.

What’s the best outcome for Lovie Sunday?  A dominant, two-touchdown victory that springboards the Bears into the NFC Championship Game.  If that game is in Atlanta, the Bears will be underdogs and Lovie will find himself in a no-lose scenario.  If that game is at home against the Packers, well, I’ll guess I’ll have another column like this for you next Wednesday.  

We don’t do a lot of college football around here but there are a lot of professional-quality players in tonight’s BCS National Championship Game. Auburn Tigers. Oregon Ducks. My reworking of the entire college football playoff system is available on the B-side. (“A must read” -Nobody)

Reworking the college football system is really quite easy and I believe
a college football playoff would eclipse March Madness and maybe the
Super Bowl as the most exciting and financially lucrative yearly event
in the sporting world.  Here’s how it works.

Eight teams qualify for the tournament: the six champions of the
automatic qualifying leagues (ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Pac 10,
SEC) and the two highest-ranked teams in the BCS Standings.  This year
that would have put TCU and Stanford in the tournament. 

You then let the BCS establish the seedings and incorporate the bowl
games into the tournament.  The four big bowls (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta) rotate.  One is the national title, two are the semi-final games and one is in the first round. 

January 1, 2011
Noon: Auburn vs. UConn (Cotton Bowl)

3:30 pm: Oregon vs. Virginia Tech (Capital One Bowl)

7:00 pm: TCU vs. Oklahoma (Alamo Bowl)

10:30 pm: Stanford vs. Wisconsin (Fiesta Bowl – in the rotation)

January 8, 2011
4:30 pm: Auburn vs. Stanford (Orange Bowl)

8:00 pm: Oregon vs. TCU (Sugar Bowl)

Monday night January 17, 2011
8:37 pm: Auburn vs. Oregon (Rose Bowl)

We have extended the college football a whole week, one goddamn week, and created one of the great events in sports.  I can not understand how these bowl games would be beyond excited to reap the financial benefits.  Think of the TV contract.  Think of the office pool.  Think of the increased excitement in the conference championship games, as the winner gains entry to the tournament.  So frustrating…

Leon Washington

John Carlson

Boston College’s Matt Hasselbeck (who now wants to go by Matthew) was drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft by Packers head coach Mike Holmgren, the only man to attend his pro day.  He signed to the practice squad and became one of many backups to Richard Photographs before following Holmgren to Seattle and embarking on one of the most underrated NFL careers in recent memory.  Three Pro Bowls.  One All-Pro selection.  One conference championship.  And he was robbed of a Super Bowl ring by the gentlemen with the yellow flags in their pockets.

Vanderbilt’s Jay Cutler was the eleventh overall selection in he 2006 Draft, earning the admiration of Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan with his intelligence and superior arm strength.  He became the starter almost immediately, replacing the ineffective and (it turns out crazy) Jake Plummer.  He was selected to the 2008 Pro Bowl .  But 2010 was his first winning season as a full-time starter and he is now poised to do what so few have done in navy and orange: quarterback the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl.

We can break down (and we will) this Bears/Seahawks game for the next six days but ultimately it will be decided by the two signal callers.  The Bears have the better defense and special teams.  The Bears have the better run game.  This Sunday, at Soldier Field, it will be these two quarterbacks who decide the 2010 fate of their franchises.  Can Hasselbeck continue his magic and improve upon what was the finest performance of his career, Saturday against the Saints?  Can Cutler refrain from the type of turnover that will keep the door open to the ten-point underdog ‘Hawks?  Cutler doesn’t have to be brilliant Sunday for the Bears to win.  He has to be mistake-free.  He has to be efficient.  Hasselbeck has to be great.  He has to be flawless.  

It was one of the worst games the Chicago Bears played all season, at home against Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle Seahawks.  They made Ma Hass feel like it was 2004 and made Mike Williams look like a cross between Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Jesus of Nazareth.  The Bears gained nothing on the ground.  Jay Cutler was sacked six times by a mediocre Seahawks front, including a Jordin Babineaux game-altering safety.  After their opening drive, the only touchdown scored by the Bears was on an eighty-nine yard Devin Hester punt return in the fourth quarter.

Now the Seahawks return, this time the stakes raised higher than the 2-2 vs. 3-2 game of early season.  This time the winner goes to the NFC Championship Game.  This time the winner will find themselves an hour of good football from playing in the final game of the season, hosted by Jerry Jones in Dallas, Texas.  The Super Bowl is the stake this time around and the Bears can not afford the type of lackluster, lethargic effort that led to their 23-20 defeat at the hand of Pete Carroll’s then winless-on-the-road club.  (Their only other road win was at Arizona.)

The Bears could not have asked for a better opponent and they now have no excuse to not either move on to Atlanta or host the cheese at Soldier Field for the right to play for the whole ape.  The full orangutan.  Every piece of the chimpanzee pie.  The events of Wild Card weekend have laid fresh asphalt on Destiny Highway.  The only question remaining is whether the Bears will get in their car and ride.

The post-Wild Card Fantasy Playoffs standings on the B-side.      

Have you purchased your 2010 DaBearsBlog t-shirt yet?  We don’t get rich operating this site and buy purchasing a shirt you can significantly aid in the production of fresh, new content.  There are currently three different shirts to choose from and they are available by clicking here: BLOG T-SHIRTS. 

I’m following both games today on Twitter.  You can follow those comments below.

Method to Angelo’s Madness?

The Bears got more out of players this year because part of their vision was to improve the coaching and make a re-commitment to player development. In the past, it’s possible that some of the young players who contributed this year never would have seen the field. This time, they were given opportunity and better coaching.

That the Bears ended up with is an effective blend of high-priced players and low-priced ones, experienced vets and developing young guys.

I agree with Pompei for the most part but it is impossible to ignore that Angelo’s strategy has left a very talented Chicago Bears team with the worst offensive line remaining in the postseason.  It could mean he is one offseason from building a champion but it currently means he is paying millions of dollars to five guys who block like my grandmother.

Cutler held the ball for six seconds on one and tight endBrandon Manumaleuna missed a block on one by Charles Woodson. Tackles Frank Omiyale and J’Marcus Webb were late out of their stances for a sack each, something that can be attributed to the crowd noise that was a significant factor. Webb gave up another when he was asked to solo block Clay Matthews on a third-and-18 play, a call the coaches surely wish they had back.

I don’t have anything to add to that.  Just find it very interesting.

So before we get to the Weekend of the Wild Card, I figured I’d weigh in on the happenings around the league over this past week.

Leslie Frazier is a solid choice for the Minnesota Vikings but I wonder if they interviewed any non-minority candidates.

The Raiders went undefeated in their division and finally looked like a viable organization.  So of course the owner, who looks like he’s on display in a wax museum, sent a damn fine head coach like Tom Cable out the door.

Giants fans clamored on local radio for the firing of Tom Coughlin (John Mara soundly kept him).  But were the Giants really willing to fire a great GM like Jerry Reese to bring in Bill Cowher?  By the way, I believe William Cowher might need to hurry if he wants back into the league because the jobs they are a goin.

Titans owner Bud Adams selected Jeff Fisher over Vince Young.  Fisher needs a quarterback and there’s a pretty good one currently relegated to the backup role in Denver.

I simply don’t understand Jerry Jones bringing back Jason Garrett as head coach of the Cowboys.  It strikes me as another sign that Jones is not a capable football man.

So the solution for the Houston Texans to their perpetually disappointing seasons was to keep Gary Kubiak and bring in Wade Phillips to run the defense?  Why not bounce Kubiak to offensive coordinator and bring in Marty Schottenheimer to run the whole thing and that way you can guarantee disappointment?
The Carolina Panthers are going to draft Andrew Luck and whoever takes that job, most likely at a reduced rate, is going to be very happy he did.  (On a similar note, Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett needs to stay in college another year and learn how to deal with a collapsing pocket.)

If Jim Harbaugh becomes the next coach of the San Francisco 49ers, he’ll still be taking over a crappy team without a quarterback.  Which Harbaugh should be used to.  It defines his entire NFL career.

Here’s why Marvin Lewis is back in Cincinnati: nobody else wants the job.  What coach would embrace getting into twice-a-year fights with Pittsburgh and Baltimore, two of the best organizations in the league?

Mike Holmgren isn’t really waiting to hire Marty Mornhinweg, is he?  Does he not remember when Marty took the wind against the Bears in overtime and lost the game moments later?  I thought that was the kind of decision that put you on the Physically Unable to Head Coach Ever Again (PUHCEA) list.

The only crazier coach keep than Kubiak is Norv Turner in San Diego.  What point is that organization trying to prove?  Because the point they are currently proving is that you can have one of the league’s best offenses and defenses each year and still be terrible.

Newly empowered Broncos VP John Elway says he can’t imagine a coach that would not want Tim Tebow.  Let me aid him.  Imagine, John, a coach who would like a quarterback that can do more than toss screens and bombs to wide open receivers and run kinda slow around the left end.  Imagine a coach who thinks that a quarterback requires more than biblical passages under his eyes to beat defenses that aren’t the horror show they set up in Houston.

From the Arizona Republic, John Skleton wants a shot to start for the Cardinals next season.  Let’s rank the worse “Handlings” of the past few years:  (3) BP and the oil spill.  (2) Tiger Woods and the tagging of every skank in North America.  (1) Ken Whisenhunt and the post-Kurt Warner quarterback position.