Congrats to Peppers and the entire defense. Yes, they are a good defense and maybe if they keep improving could make a run at being the best defense in the NFL this year.

The test is about to begin with the remaining schedule but what is really nice to see is the marquis players like Peppers starting to turn it on.

Peppers when motivated can take over a game, he could help take this team to the top of course with the help of his teammates that seem to be really be stepping up lately and taking over games.

Go Bears, next is Philly!!!

Good game by the defense, but I am not about to give the Dolphins offense much credit. Well I won't give Thigpen much credit, that guy is a bad of suck. Not to mention the Phins line was just busted up, but the Bears defense to advantage of it. The Bears offense was crap again, granted the phins have a good defense, but it's not that good. 16 Points and you had the ball for 44 minutes. Are you kidding me?

Sean maybe I am crazy, but who is calling the offensive plays for the Bears offense? This looks a lot more like a Tice offense right now then a Martz offense? I have no problem with that, but some of those run plays are not in the Martz offense. Qucik Drops, three steps, the short cross, the quick slant, moving the QB. It's vanilla but it's also not pure Martz.

Peppers is a total stud, but you can't say much about beating up on a team playing their third string quarterback behind their third string center. If they can contain Vick next week, now that will get me on board.

I am so glad to see the bears getting themselves back together. It has been a long time coming. I know it have been hard on them, but they are working through their problems. I like that, because it has made them stronger and they are learning how to win games. Go bears!

Julius Peppers, along with some other key members being healthy, are straight up making this defense. But, Peppers is the key, his sack numbers are down, but what he brings to the line is worth every penny the Bears paid for his services. I never realized how good Peppers is vs the run till he came to Chicago and I get to actually see him in every game. You look at his stats over the years and you see all the sacks and you think to yourself, "oh, he's a sack guy." But he really is a well rounded player.

I said it all off-season, someone else on Chicago's front needs to step up. So far defensive end Isarel Idonije has been doing a pretty solid job. Partly thanks to Peppers, partly because Chicago has him back at his more natural position, defensive end. I've always liked Idonije better outside. But a player to watch out for might be Henery Melton, not just because of thursday nights game either, the kid has been really bringing the heat, I think he might be Chicago's future starting under tackle that they've been searching for since Harris was in his prime. Melton could be a breakout players next season and the other defensive player to take some heat off Peppers GO BEARS!!

Henry Melton: Total Beast! He may even surpass the unmatched greatness of Dusty "The Destructor" Dvoracek! Go Bears!!

Kevin:

I think you are right about Melton, he may be the next starting under tackle for the Bears. I don't think that Tommie Harris will be the dominant player he has been although his game has improved this year from game to game but he simply is not nearly as dominant as he was a few years ago.

Peppers has added a lot to the defense, although I was expecting more of the turnovers he creates and sacks he can make when he starts to take over a game. Yes, his defense against the run has been good but I truly believe he has another level to attain which is when he dominates the defensive side of the ball and seems unstoppable. I have seen him do it on a number of occasions and now is starting to be the crunch games where his domination can make a huge difference in the Bears moving through the playoffs.

Kevin, as you say GO BEARS!!

It was a really good game by Peppers and the rest of the defense, but like Creighton pointed out, the Dolphins offense was right out of the Craig Krenzel/Chad Hutchinson/Henry Burris mold. Peppers should have been good since the Dolphins' coaching staff was more inept than Chicago's. How do you not run the ball more against the Bears with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams? Yes, the Bears have a good run defense, but you don't abandon the running game after a handful of carries.

And this crap that "Even though Pepper's sack total is down, he's worth every penny" is absurd. It was an M.O. of Peppers to take plays, if not whole games off and he's done that with Chicago. Where was he against the Giants and the Redskins? I don't see Suh taking plays off and there is a guy who truly is double and triple teamed on virtually every play. Peppers was also non existent against hurt tackles when the Bears played Dallas and Green Bay. And his presence sure hasn't helped Tommie Harris. I want to see dominant games against the Eagles, Jets, and Patriots. It's a telling sign that his two best games have come against Jimmy Clausen and Tyler Thigpen.

As has been mentioned above, this week's game will be the true test. The offense has to be able to take advantage of any good field position the Eagles might give the Bears since Vick has not thrown an INT all year.

"It was an M.O. of Peppers to take plays, if not whole games off and he's done that with Chicago. Where was he against the Giants and the Redskins?" -Gearheadboy pt. I

In the Giants game he forced the ball out of Eli Manning's hand and the defense recovered. Might have had one or two McNabb passes that he knocked down, don't remember for sure.

"Peppers was also non existent against hurt tackles when the Bears played Dallas and Green Bay." -Gearheadboy pt. II, "The Nonsense Lives On."

Actually against Green Bay he was responsible for numerous false start and holding penalties by the Packers' tackles, including an intentional grounding penalty called on Aaron Rodgers. And I believe he had a couple pass deflections against Romo.

"And his presence sure hasn't helped Tommie Harris." -Gearheadboy pt. III, "Return of the Idiocy!"

Actually, Tommie Harris needs to help Tomie Harris. Peppers sees all the double and triple teams so it's up to Harris to beat his man one-on-one. Idonije and Melton have taken advantage of this, Harris needs to do the same.

All in all, Peppers has been a disruptive force in the trenches, he is phenomenal against the run, opposing offenses have to game plan exclusively for him and be aware of where he is on the field at all times...so he isn't getting multiple sacks every game, but he is still a major force on the Bears' defense.

I'm not sure why you decided to come out with a "Peppers is not that good" rant when everyone has been raving about him but perhaps-yes of course. Perhaps the Stupid Signal(tm) was shining in the night sky and you felt the need to answer its call.

"Alfred, I am needed. Get me my costume," you asked of your faithful butler.

And when Alfred returned you immediately changed and transformed into your alter ego:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Phillies_Phanatic.jpg

After suiting up, you drove off on your specially-equipped super vehicle to battle that dastardly trio of Intelligence, Reason, and Common Sense:

http://static.kyleslattery.com/photos/3794/large.jpg

And then once your work was finished, you returned to the only place where people of your unique mental capacity could be accepted. You returned to that place, that place that you have always called and always will call "home."

http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles44942.jpg

The End.

I doubt that the Bears will ever get full credit from people who never wanted to see them win because they hate the coach, GM and ownership. There isn't a perfect team in the NFL so these overly critical people should learn to truly enjoy the way they are playing right now and chill out on all the hating. If they were real experts they would be working in the NFL or media instead of a 9-5. Go BEARS!!!

Great points and thanks for a good laugh.

Peppers has said all along that the sacks will come and that they often come in bunches, so I'm glad to see that he was right.

Mikey, Mikey, Mikey...

The difference between you and I...well, except for my exceptional physique, dashing good looks, charming personality, and higher I.Q. is that I use facts to back up points on here whereas you use terms like "I think." That's your problem. You're a moron and therefore thinking happens to be a problem.

So, now we're going to use false starts as a measuring stick? LOL. You truly are a clown. Maybe Ricketts can hire you to be the Cubs stat man and you can include "warning track fly balls" as an offensive stat. Against Dallas the great J.Peppers had zero tackles and zero assists {but I forgot, he batted down a pass}. Against the Green Bay Packers it was 2 tackles and zero assists. And going into Thursday's game the multi-million dollar aquisition had...wait, get this Mikey...11 tackles 5 assists and 2 sacks. But he's been disruptive. Right Mikey? And as a comparison since I mentioned him above, Suh had 30 tackles, 10 assists, 7 sacks and 1 int. And once again, he does get double teamed and sometimes triple teamed. Not Peppers. And if you want, we can throw Clay Matthews in here as well. 11.5 sacks, 33 tackles and 3 assists. And yes, one is an outside linebacker and Peppers is a DE, but for all intent and purposes, they play the same position.

Once again, Mikey, you look the fool. I start out the year blasting Lovie and Jerry {actually, I have been doing it for a couple of years now} and then you seem to have jumped on the bandwagon here lately. Have you ever had your own thought? Who really does have their hand up your A** pulling the levers?

You want to bring up the Redskins game? How about on the Redskins' first TD drive in the FIRST QUARTER, the great athlete J. Peppers was on the sideline on one knee winded. I have the game on DVR. You should try that. It might help your arguments. Whoa, hold on here. All I heard in the spring and in training camp is how the mere presence of JP was going to bring Tommie Harris around to his old form. I didn't say that, the "experts" did. Now, according the the great sage Mikey, Tommie Harris has to help Tommie Harris. Wow...that was deep. Like a mud puddle. Moron.

"I'm not sure why you decided to come out with a "Peppers is not that good" rant when everyone has been raving about him." The Great Mikey.
The reason is because unlike you and a few others I haven't quite got the buzz off the kool-aid just yet. Like I pointed out so correctly above; it is very telling that his two best games come agaist two horrific or young QB's. It Just came to me, Mikey. You're the Tyler Thigpen of these posts. Confused, ignorant of how to do your job, and out smarted at every turn. I am sure Nickelodeon could use a few bloggers. That might be more your speed. You might want to go to your local Junior High School and see if they will let you debate their debate team. You just might have better luck there. Unless the topic is sports knowledge. I know my shadow is large, Mikey, but I can handle it.

Hey bearhatersstop, I might be mistaken but it's been a while since you posted here. The bears beat 2 bad teams and you come back out. Wait until they play the next 3 games, lets see were they are then. If they lose and play good then thats still something to hopefull for. Yes the coach and gm do suck, why does it take the possibility of getting fired before they try to do a job that they are getting paid millions for. It does not take an expert to see that anyone working 9-5 should be able to see that.

Some interesting points on Julius Peppers here. I agree with some of them. It should be pointed out that during a couple of the games this year even the announcers have made mention of an absence of Peppers. It is hard to turn the TV sound down and turn up the radio because with HD, it's not in synch. So, I am not sure if Thayer has had any insight on the play of Peppers. I do agree that Melton is becoming a better player, but not sure how much of that is due to number 90 taking double teams. In the Vikings game he and Peppers stunted off of each other on a couple of plays that freed him up to make a play. Hey Gear, I don't think this guy you are arguing with is Mike North from back in the day, so lighten up and take it easy on him. You are the same as you used to be on the radio except here no one can hang up on you. hahaha.

Hey Gearhead, you're using situational statistics. Those are very different from facts. Statistics are quality measurements, but they aren't facts. If you can't tell the difference, you're the fool.

Creighton,

I would also like to see more of a Martz offense. Although I don't think the Bears offensive line and wide receivers can handle it yet. When they break down, Jay Cutler either gets murdered in the backfield or throws a pick due to pressure and bad route running. Then ESPN talks a bunch of trash about Jay. He must have really pissed somebody off in Bristol.

I do think the Bears offensive line has gotten better over the past couple of weeks. The Dolphins defense is VERY GOOD. I think they match up favorably against the Patriots, but I am already having nightmares of Tom Brady slicing-up the the Cover-2 and prancing off the field like a fancy boy.

I have concerns about the Eagles. They can't get pressure with just 4 guys like the Giants can. Make no mistake, they will bring pressure. Here's to hoping Jay can pick up the blitz and Urlacher is still quick enough to contain Mike Vick.

Well look who peered out from behind a rock. Do you even know what the term situational statistics mean? They're stats based on certain SITUATIONS during a specific time span or instance. For example, a guy's Yards after catch on grass vs. turf. Or how often a certain player is pulled from the field on 3rd downs. Those are examples of situational statistics. I was giving general statistics which clearly define the fact of the post and that being that Peppers is NOT living up to the big $$$'s the Bears paid him.

I guess the real fools of the blog do show up. Keep trying foo....err, esteven or who ever you might really be.

Hey Gears for brains, why don't you grow one, Mike was right on with his comments, quit having your feelings hurt and being so defensive as a result.

It shows your immaturity.

Points of clarification:all speculations on this blog are one of two things. They are products of thought ("thinking, " even erroneous thinking ) or products of faith ( "believing," even erroneous believing). Qualifying statements with "I think" is only sensibly rational and prevents one from committing the fallacy of "unqualified generalization." As Walt Whitman said, " Do I contradict myself? Allright, then I contradict myself. I am vast; I contain multitudes."

I think I hit a nerve.

Hey Dahli,

#1. My feelings weren't hurt. #2. this guy takes shots at me and you nor anyone else says a word. Not that i give a crap what you, him, or anyone else thinks. But then I blast his comments right off the page with hard numbers and you come running to his defense. I am guessing it's Mikey that wipes the Kool-aid mustache off with a hanky when you drink too much. Why don't you just keep sucking up to this GM and coaching staff and before you know it 7-8 years will have passed without the Bears taking advantage of a potential franchise QB in their grasp. Or he will end up with a career ending shoulder, elbow, or knee injury.

I cringe at the thought of the Bears being 9-6 going into that last game, losing to the packers and then you start to hear rumblings from Halas Hall that the whole "Flying Circus" will be back. And there we are in April and "with the 18th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Chicago Bears select {_____(fill in the blank)____} the 8th best tackle on the board with a knee and back injury while the 2nd or 3rd best big WR sits there. We have seen this re-run too many times.

If Peppers played on any other team people on this site would be blasting that team for wasting their money. You call me Dahli when Peppers puts two games together with more than 1 sack and 5 tackles. Another kool-aid drinking, Ditka/Butkus jersey wearing moron who probably uses "da" at least 50 times a day.

Gearheadboy

See the asterisks for examples.

Quote: Well look who peered out from behind a rock. Do you even know what the term situational statistics mean? They're stats based on certain SITUATIONS during a specific time span" **like a certain drive, play or game** or instance **matchup with a specific player, double-team, or offensive line blocking schematic, offensive formation like max protect**

Additional Example: If a quarterback throws a pick, it doesn't mean he made a bad throw, but the stat is attributed to him. The wideout could have slipped, ran the wrong route, or the defender could have committed pass interference.

Stats are good measurements to draw reasonable conclusions, but they are very situational in football and are not "according to hoyle" facts.

Get an education.

Late.

Gearheadboy

Here is an example of a fact:

Gearheadboy = sh1t for brains.

Late.

Kevin,
Melton is playing well lately, but I am wondering if he can carry the bulk needed to play the under tackle on every down. From what it sounded like in the offseason, they were trying to get him up to 280, and he was only able to get to 270-275. That is not big enough to play inside on a regular basis. If he can carry the bulk and not lose quickness, I think he could turn out to be pretty good.

I really think his best role is at DE, where they can get him back down to 265 or 260, and let him use his athleticism to disrupt the protection and get into the backfield. Ideally, someone like him would fit well in a 3-4 as an outside backer. I find it funny that we have several guys on this team who would fit a 3-4 better than a 4-3. Idonije, Wootton, and Melton come to mind, and Peppers could play in any defense.

I like what the kid is doing, but I think projecting him inside long term is a bit premature. Sean, can you find out what weight Melton is playing at right now? Did he make 280-285, or is he more like 260-265?

esteven,

Wow..I am impressed, you can find Wikipedia on the internet. Do you even know who Edmund Hoyle was? You're a clown. What is "Late."? Is that short for "Later"? What are you, 13? You are so ignorant that you don't realize your examples backed up what I said about situational statistics. I gave basic season statistics regarding Peppers. What is so hard for you to understand about that? I am guessing that you're one of these "Madden" geeks who's probably never even held a real football. I am also guessing that just because you can out run the cops when you play "Grand Theft Auto", you think you could do it in real life as well. Idiot.

I don't care about situational statistics. They are a small factor when determining the overall outcome of a certain argument. It's just like last year with Cutler. Were there INT's that were the result of bad/incomplete routes by a WR?** Sure. But at the end of the day, was that an overriding factor in determining whether or not Cutler had a good or bad year? No. {See ASTERISK} *That would be an example of a situational statistic.}

In your ignorant haste to try and "correct" me, you missed the basic gist of the argument. And that was whether or not Peppers is having a dominating season and "earning" his money. My answer is no. Of the 3 big name DE's that were available, {Peppers, Kampman, and VanDen Bosch} Peppers is making 4X the money, but is arguably the least productive. I wonder what the reaction would be on here if the Bears were 3-7 or 4-6 and he had 30 combined tackles and 5 sacks. And I am going to watch real close to see how many of the "kool-aid" drinkers turn on Peppers if the Bears drop 2 or 3 in a row. Once again, whatever name you are using now, keep up with the room.

Gearhead,

The point I was making is this:

You, like all the other mass-media kool-aid drinkers, need to look beyond the stats to measure actual performance. Sometimes the situation makes a difference, sometimes not.

I suggest you start by watching the games instead of reading box scores or watching the Red Zone channel. Statistics are good measurements for sure, but they are situational and you have to break down the environment, match-up, etc. This is one of the reasons coaches and players bristle at many of the conclusions the media and fans draw when evaluating players and performances.

Let me ask you a question. Do you think Matt Forte's numbers from scrimmage are down from his rookie season because his ability has diminished? Or do you think it is because of the Bears offensive line? Maybe a change in the offensive playbook/play calling? Agents and GM's will use those stats to measure payouts for sure, but, how do YOU measure Matt Forte? If you were a GM and Matt was a free agent next year, how would you determine his wage and value?

Second, I was trying to explain to you that facts and statistics are not the same thing. Don't be such a tool.

Third, I don't ever post on here as anyone else.

Late Bitch.

Watch a game??..that's rich. You obviously don't ever listen to Chicago sports talk radio much or you would know my devotion to the Bears. Listen "internet tough guy" I haven't missed a Bears game since 1976. When little momma's boys like you are off with their wives or G/F's on a Sunday picking out drapes at K-mart, I am watching or at the game. When you get suckered in to going to "cousin Lucy's wedding" on a warm September Sunday, Gearheadboy is watching or at the Bears game.

I understand the difference between statistics and facts. The Matt Forte example is like apples to oranges. We all know the Bears OL is and has been below average for the past couple of years. They hardly ever get to the second level. But with Peppers, the only thing in front of him are offensive linemen {and the occasional RB or TE to chip}. And the same exact "situational statistics" that are being used to "justify" Peppers' performance this year and his huge salary are happening to other DE's and DT's {batted passes, false starts, holding penalties, etc.}, but their overall numbers are better.

You have the ignorant nerve to use the term "Kool-aid" with me? I am the farthest thing from a "kool-aid" drinker. I, and a select few on here, expect accountability from the GM and coaching staff. When clowns like you continually blow smoke and praise up their back side for mediocre performance year after year, it, to a small degree, enables this 80+ year old storied franchise to trot out a SB team once every 4 presidents. Sorry, that doesn't work for me. Such a dimwitted clown. Put down the joy stick and head over to "Curves" and get a workout.

Gears,

Have you taken a look at Peppers vote count, it must be that the entire league and all of the fans are idiots.

No Gears, it is this simple, Peppers is a top defensive end in the league, plain and simple. Yes, I also agree that Peppers has disappeared a number of games this year and that is not indicative of a hall of famer, which I think Peppers can achieve but has not earned that level of legacy yet.

Gears, you have made some good points but also some of your comments are somewhat out there.

Peppers is very good but not yet a hall of fame defensive end, maybe someday if he could take less days off and take over more games at crunch time. This year he is in the position to make an impact and help carry the team when it counts.

Philiadelphia is a good start, lets see what he does in this game and against the Packers in Rush LImbaugh field and then of course in the playoffs if the Bears can make it and get past the first game.

I for some odd reason actually think the Bears could cause some damage in the playoffs and maybe win it all.

Stranger things have happened.