Dan Pompei writes a column claiming that defensive scheming is the reason Greg Olsen’s been underwhelming this season.  It’s a ridiculous column.  If Greg Olsen is the elite-type player his ability suggests, he needs to beat nickel corners in man coverage.  If Greg Olsen is the elite-type player his ability suggests, Ron Turner needs to anticipate the opposition and find ways to isolate him on mismatched defenders.  When is the last time we wrote about OUR pass catchers winning battles or OUR coaching staff exploiting a mismatch?

Steven Rosenbloom is crabby but he makes a terrific point: “You would hope that Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye could make
something happen, could be game-changers. But they haven’t had a sack
since beating the Lions almost four weeks ago. Anyone home?”  Remember when we were all singing Rod Marinelli’s praises?

Brad Biggs apparently works for Frank Omiyale’s press people now and he should be embarrassed for publishing this inane post on the Sun-Times website.  Biggs is not-so-subtly trying to make the case for Omiyale’s not being benched by telling us he’s only allowed half a sack this year.  Nevermind that he’s failed to block a single defensive tackle in the run game or that has forced the quarterback to scramble on what feels like every down.  Let’s just use a number, Brad.  One stat.  Ignore what happens on the field.  Omiyale was an organizational mistake.  They’ve admitted it.  Move on.

Mike Mulligan writes the most scathing indictment of this coaching staff I’ve read.

Reason says…

Treason says…

Really?  I have to do this game too?  LOL.

For the Browns to win this game, three things need to happen:

1. The
   game must be a low-scoring affair.  There’s no way in hell the Browns
   are going to score three or four touchdowns.  However, if they can run
   the ball well enough (and by that I mean, get four yards per carry and
   not turn it over), they can dominate time of possession, and Phil
   Dawson is good enough to make good on all of his field goal tries. 
   After getting burned by names like *cough* Julius Jones and Curtis
   Benson, if the Bears give up a big game to Jamal Lewis, you can be sure
   Curtis Enis will attempt a comeback.
2. Derek Anderson can not
   turn the ball over.  He doesn’t have to be spectacular (or even
   average); he just can’t piss the game away.
3. Josh Cribbs,
   the best return man in the league, needs to be his usual
   near-unstoppable self and take a few kicks deep into Bears’ territory.

I
know asking for all of the above to happen is like asking a mad
scientist to successfully combine the blowjob and pizza slice into one
great affordable invention we can all enjoy with the click of a button,
but hey, if this is possible http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7V1_Swv6CY then ANYTHING is possible.

Prediction: 
The Browns will focus on stopping the pass and dare the Bears to run
the ball.  The Bears will commit a bunch of senseless penalties at the
worst times possible.  The Browns will keep it simple and keep it
close.  Big game for Dawson.

Browns 19, Bears 17.

David Haugh is preaching Lovie Smith’s job safety in the Tribune.  He argues that Lovie has earned patience due to a successful win-loss record while also using the McCaskey family’s unwillingness to buy out his contract as the principal reason for his security.  The only real way Lovie can earn the faith of the fans is for his team to beat up Cleveland Sunday and beat Arizona next week – a team that poses a legitimate threat to a fragile defense.  Results.  That’s it.  Missing the playoffs three second consecutive years after a Super Bowl appearance can not be excused.

Tommie Harris did not practice last week and thus did not play, according to the Trib.  And Brad Biggs runs his synopsis of the Harris ordeal over in the Sun-Times.  Can I make one impassioned plea to both of the major Chicago newspapers?  Stop writing about Tommie Harris.  Tommie Harris doesn’t matter.  He hasn’t mattered in an awful long time.  The Bears didn’t fail defensively on Sunday because of a lack of Tommie Harris anymore than they made a Super Bowl run because of a lack of Tommie Harris.  He was a supremely talented player once who has displayed an amazing emotional instability, couple with a lack of physical durability.  He’s an afterthought.

When I wrote, oh I don’t know, all summer, that the Bears did not have two viable safeties on the roster…some people snickered.  Well Nathan Vasher is now getting looks at safety.  I don’t know everything about football but I know this.  When you’re turning to a guy who struggles in coverage and can’t tackle to fix your secondary, it’s not a good sign.

Read this article and you’ll understand why losing to the Browns, at home, could lead to riots.

Not writing a column about yesterday’s game is a cop out and I’m better than that.  So after reading every word written about the most embarrassing Chicago Bears performance of my lifetime, I’m ready to oar my boat into the ocean. 

The Bears are not winning a championship in 2009.  They never were.  But if 2009 is going to be a building block for future success, something has to change.  People can criticize the interceptions all they want but Jay Cutler is a terrific quarterback dying for an offensive system to thrive in.  Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye aren’t going to make Lake Shore forget Dent and Mongo, but they’re more talented than their pass rushing would have you believe.  Missed strips leading to missed tackles.  Snaps to quarterback’s knees.  False starts as a way of life.  Fumbles.  Does everybody have to fumble all the time?

Something has to change.  And you guys know I’m not one of those “fire the coach now” fans.  I try to keep perspective.  I stay balanced.  I temper my enthusiasm and limit my expectations.  Now don’t get me wrong here.  I give more emotionally to this team than anybody I know.  Their losses physically hurt me.  And sad to say, it looks like there’s more losing in the future.  Why?  Because some guys are winners.  And some guys are Lovie Smith.

I don’t want to hear anybody, ANYBODY associated with this organization say “it’s just one game” when they’re asked about yesterday.  Literally, yes, it was a single football game.  But it was symptomatic of every Lovie issue that has percolated for five years.  The only thing that can save this tenure is if the Chicago Bears use 45-10 as a rallying cry for the 2009 season.  When they beat Cleveland next week, they should talk about Cincinnati.  When they beat Arizona the following week, they should talk about Cincinnati.  When Brett Favre comes to Soldier Field on December 28th, they should pretend he’s wearing the name “Benson” on his jersey.

They say that alcoholics need to hit rock bottom before they realize change is necessary.  Yesterday the Chicago Bears got loaded on tequila and drove their sedan into a schoolyard.  Rock.  Bottom.  The only salvation for the team is that they are 3-3.  Nothing is lost.  But something has to change.  Frank Omiyale can’t play guard anymore.  Jay Cutler can’t be handcuffed.  No more soft cover-two bullshit and no more runs up the middle on first down.  The Bears are entering Shitty Football Teams Anonymous and Step One is the Cleveland Browns.  And if they lose that game at home, God help ’em.

I’m not even going to waste a post on the single worst performance by a Chicago Bears defense in the last thirty years.  There’s no reason to analyze anything.  There’s no reason criticize anyone.  The Bears, as a whole, were dreadful yesterday.  And I don’t want to write about it.

But I will say this.  Lovie Smith’s “We’ll learn from this game” in the presser made me sick to my stomach.  We’ll learn from this game?  What will you learn?  Why are you still learning things five years into your career as our head coach?  And exactly what was the lesson?  If you haven’t figured it out yet, Lovie, I’ll tell you.  You stink at coaching football.  You’ve stunk at coaching football for half a decade and you’ll continue to stink at coaching football for the foreseeable future.  I’m tired of watching a talented roster underperform.  It’s time to move on.

I didn’t do it a week ago.  We lost.  Now it gets a full day on the site.

Brad Biggs is expecting Gaines Adams to be active this week and he’ll reportedly be taking the active roster spot of Devin Aromashodu.  Two things about this: (1) Was I the only one who had no idea Devin Aromashodu was active last week?  (2) Our defensive ends – outside of Alex Brown – have gone invisible for long periods of time and it’s been killing the defense.  If the Bears let Carson Palmer sit in the pocket for 5+ seconds, he’ll dissect our secondary for big plays.

Dan Pompei is the first journalist (unless you consider me a journalist) to come to the defense of Ron Turner.  I know that fans despise Ronny but the article will dispel many of the baseless assessments most fans make regarding him.  Fans criticize offensive play-callers because offensive play calls are the most visible aspect of the football game.  But ultimately, fans don’t know shit about play execution.  I think my criticism of Turner is that he’s often-times a pedestrian play-caller and is too slow to navigate away from preordained game plans.  If the plan is to run, the team runs until they start losing three and four yards a clip.  How he adapts to having a legitimate quarterback will tell us a lot about him.

Don’t expect Tommie Harris to be on the field Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.  I’ve been very, very hard on Harris for several years but here we are, in another big game, and Harris’ cap-guzzling contract will be in plain clothes.  But my apologies, Tommie.  I’m sure the fans and media will be to blame for this one too.  I’m sure Tommie will be fired up and ready for those rugged Cleveland Browns next week!

SIDENOTES: (1) DaBearsBlog t-shirts are getting their own secondary page on the site and we’re working out the details.  Have your debit/credit cards reading on Tuesday morning. (2) Adrian Peterson says he’s “doubtful” for the Steelers this week.  Vikings can’t beat that team without him.