Bears again were one-dimensional Sunday against the Jets. The offense — except for Thomas Jones and the one TD catch-and-run — stunk. It likely won't be enough to get by New England or deep into the playoffs.
On the other hand, Rex Grossman often has followed bad games with good ones, so the unpredictability continues.
Should Bears fans rejoice in 9-1 or be concerned about the future?
Who in the NFC can we doubt winning against.They all him their question marks.We may have played bad but who is playing superb all around ball right now. Any one can be beat.Including these BEARS.Having faith in one's ability can take you very far.Even losing to N.E. next weekend would not give me cause for alarm.It'll be more on how they go about the game that'll give us more of an indication about our abilities.I think we're in the driver's seat.As long as we win 4 more I think we'll be in the Superbowl.We would still be at home if we lose just 1 more game.Even 2.I think we would match up well with anyone in the NFC,right now.Good teams find a way to win.They make the most of their opponent's mistakes.GO BEARS!!
Hey Roman, it's great to see the coaching staff return to the Kyle Orton script with Rex Grossman.
Result, the ninth win, no Rex turnovers and 170 yards rushing.
The difference, two Bear interceptions of Pennington - (and an onsides kick that should not have been. Maybe that Jet head coach is a little too young at 35?)
The recipe, let the defense set the table and make certain the offense doesn't give it away.
Perhaps this week's offensive strategy might not work vs. the Pats next week. But this was this week against the Jets. I have a stronger arm than Pennington and I'm an old guy.
One game at a time.
Roman--I wouldn't be concerned by this game. A weak offensive performance is a weak offensive performance--the J-E-T-S' D isn't that much of a pushover. Besides, the running game finally got back on track, and Bradley came through when it had to happen. No turnovers--and that's really important.
As far as the future--I believe Lovie when he says he'll take things one game at a time. Frankly, as much as coaches in this league tend to blow smoke, this Bears team seems to be playing like that's how they're taking things.
I don't care. They're winning. We can worry about the playoffs when we get there.
i love my bears, but,,, the pats are one of the elite teams in the afc. the jets, eh. if the bears are going to the super bowl, there has to be more consistancy. rexy needs to pay attention to where the secondary is. where the blitz's are comming from. i said before the that comes with experience and rexy certainly needs more. the coaching staff should start showing rex every possible blitz package that they can come up with. (excuse me while i ease back in my arm chair some more). sure we can beat anyone in the nfc, or can we (seattle now), the afc is totaly different. there are actually good teams there now. the cults are no slouches, new england always seems to find a way. i've been nervous about this next game for a few weeks now. the bears secondary isnt the best in the league, think about it for a minute. although they can hold thier own they still need help. we got a little scare today when briggs came out early. thank god he is alright. with mike brown out the saftey spot isnt as good as it can be. the d-line is going to have to play above themselves if they are going to beat the pats. believe me i would love to see the bears put an old fasioned country butt whoopin' on new england. to let the rest of the league know that this bear team is a team to watch out for. jones had an exceptional game, not to mention an outstanding season. now the rest of the offense need to pull it all together and play the way that we all know they can. as long as rex is protected the offense can roll over new england. this week will set the stage for the rest of the season, the playoffs, and the big dance at the end of the year.
i am now and i always will be a true bear fan no matter what happens this year or any other year. THANK YOU PAPA BEAR.
Hey Roman.. I really enjoyed watching the Bears game today against the Jets. The offense needs to get better if we are going to beat the Pats next week. As long as the defense keeps playing well and the front line gives Rex time to develope, I see no reason why we shouldn't be basking in the warm sun in Miami this winter.
Rex is hot and cold. He's about due for another big choke.
The Bears should show more love for Robbie Gould. 26 in a row. He may be the guy who gets this team to the Bowl.The defense and Gould. That's what this team is winning on.
Good win. Jets are better than their record. Grossman looked like crap again. No sugar coating it he looked BAD missing wide open recievers all day long. Thank GOD jones showed up and the "D" stepped up, Urlacher was a monster as always. Is it only me or does anyone else agree with me when I say Maynard sucks. This guy is joke and could possibly wind up costing us a game. When we have a chance to pin the other team deep he puts it in the endzone, doesn't even try for the corner. When a little farther out he then puts it in the endzone so they wind up on the 20 and if thats not bad enough when we are punting from the other teams side of the field he hits a 25 yarder. This guy HAS to go.
Close win, but more often than not that's how you win on the road, you blow away teams at home. Is it me, or is Urlacher playing with a lot more emotion lately and blowing up people instead of those ankle tackles he used to do? Seems like he is hurting people and is finally intimidating opponents. Has anyone noticed that the Bears run defense got better once Tommie Harris, one of the best at his position, left for the locker room in second half and Ian Scott went in? In fact, that has been a trend since Scott been benched, Bears run defense has progressively gotten worse. Tank Johnson is a good player, but we can't play with 4 pass rushing linemen in tight game or when you down, seems like the coaches have fallen in Lovie with sacks.
Games like this just serve to reaffirm my belief that the Bears will not lose if they don't make sloppy turnovers. Rex never seemed comfortable and his accuracy was off (I didn't see the game itself since I have to follow it on Gamecast). Rex's problem is usually hurried decision-making, not poor accuracy, so that's something of an aberration.
I'm really not that concerned, because Rex has been getting better at recovering from his mistakes. It seemed like the game plan, at least in the first half, was designed to control Rex. I don't really like that because it slows his development, but I'll take the win.
No worries for Bears fans after this win. I think they went into the game with the plan to run. They toned down the passes and put in more three-step drops to avoid the rush. I'm not to sure this gameplan will work against the Pats but it did today and that's all that matters for now. I do think that the Bears will have to open it up a little more against the Pats. Remeber Rex is the QB not Orton. He has proven that he can throw downfield with accuracy and we have to big play targets in Berrian and Bradley. I do like the commitment to the run and I think that will be a continuing trend. Defensively they played the way they always do and Mark Anderson will be the defensive ROY. Should be an interesting game next weekend and hopefully Rex can limit his mistakes and take advantage of the Pats secondary. Early prediction Bears 21-17
Looking at the standings,I see that only the Giants are close to BEARS in the win/loss column.If the Giants lose Monday night the BEARS would have a 3 game lead.In baseball that's close, in football that is insurmountable.Like I've said;everyone is beating up on each other.The Cowboys gave the NFC hope that an NFC team could win against an AFC team.It's all a matter of who wants it more.I'm not counting chickens or anything like that.I just have great faith that this is our year.It's not gonna be given to us,but I think we're taking it.Look at the things people complain about with our team.They say that Lovie make mistakes with challenges.We challenged today when no one expected it to be overturned.I didn't think it would be.I thought it was a fumble.Everyone in the FOX booth thought it was a fumble.Coach took a chance that it could be refuted.In some of the games today there were challenges or non-challeges that were questioned.It went either way.NBC said that Marty made a mistake challenging a catch.You can't blame a guy for trying.Shanahan called time-outs on average plays like he had a lot of them and his team came up short because he ran out of time-outs.Is he a bad coach for that or his team giving up the lead and the game.No,you win some and lose some.The BEARS seem to be winning enough.Worry about the playoff when we reach the playoffs.In my estimations we'll make it.That said,GO BEARS!!!9-1!!!!!
Both.
Unfortunately, I was not surprised by how the Bears played today. I was being overly positive before the game hoping that could somehow help. If this weeks Bears & Patriots meet next week the Bears are gonna get spanked in front of the nation. They'd better get it figured out fast.
Looked good to me. Like an old nfc central game where double digits are high scoring. Could be the Jets found themselves a good head coach, although he out thought himself on that onside kick. Maybe a good game for rex's development too, he didn't try to do too much and didn't need to do much to get the win. He didn't turn the ball over either, which will be big in the playoffs. Maybe he's been getting pointers from ortman. Also good to see the bears run the ball, it was there all day and they took it all day. If they can win one of their next two games they'll be in good shape, if they win both, super...
Grossman should have been tutored this year and watched Brien and the team would have learned collectively how to be what they are supposed to be! I would have taken Rex out of the last four games at half time unequivocally. Brien is at the zenith of his career and should have been running the offence from square one! Needless to say it is the dumbest preponderance of conceitful endeaverance to let a scared little boy run an offence of herculean proportion and smell up the place for the last four games.Smith is at best an Idiot and to think that to let a kid bring down the team because of his big headed indiference decisions is one very strong reason he will not get an extension on his contract for merit and regardless of the the win/loss factor we have been there done that and don't need another big headed coach to waste another year of our lives!!!!!! I hope you read this Smith!!! If you can CAN any other player on the field at any time then you CAN CERTAINLY CAN GROSSMAN by halftime and put on a respectible GAME!
Is it just me, or has the offense decided to forget the middle of the field? The first five games or so unveiled a passing game down the middle...to include the tight end. All these short sideline out patterns is what is hurting Grossmans confidence. Every time they tried the middle Sunday, the receiver was WIDE open....was even wide open on the one drop from Berrian and the over throw by Rex. I love the run game but dont forget about the middle of the field.
This game was what it was...a warm-up prior to the big matchup against the Patriots. It wasn't pretty, however, Super Bowl teams don't need to win pretty. They just need to win. The Bears played this game their way and won. Enough said.
I'm more interested in this upcoming game. The Patriots aren't banged up. They aren't coming in on a slide. They're the Patriots. There will be absolutely no excuses for the rest of the country when the Bears win to go to 10-1. When will we finally get the respect that we deserve?
On a side note, can we please have less games televised by Joe Buck? They guy obviously has a deep hatred for all things Chicago. That replay clearly showed the knee touching before the ball started to come out. Watch the knee instead of the ball Joe. This guy is terrible and attempts to discredit the Bears and Cubs every time we have to listen to him on national television.
I don't see why someone could be so negative after a good win.Solid,no,but the end result was a win.I think the only team that is playing better or as good as the BEARS is Dallas.Dallas has the best record in the NFC against AFC teams.Dallas is #2 in NFC offense and #4 in NFC defense.They are 3-3 on the road and if the playoffs started today they would face the BEARS in Chicago regardless if they both advanced.Romo has been the difference,but I'm sure defenses will eventually catch up to him.Their running game is good but we could actually match up with them here in Chicago.Everyone is taking turns beating up on each other.Pats are actually worse at home than on the road.They have a losing record at home.You can't be scared of anyone right now.The BEARS are #2 in offense in the NFL and #1 in defense.Stats don't mean much but they are a jumping off point.We'll be O.K.I won't let anyone put a damper on this win.Winning on the road is hard against any team.Winning 2 in a row in the same joint is actually great.And winning in any fashion without every part of the offense or defense kicking in isn't exactly a thing of beauty,but I'll take it.Everyone wants blow-outs and the team hitting well on all cylinders.You're not going to get perfection every game,if ever.After this weekend no one is perfect.If you want to 2nd guess anyone I'm pretty sure they are not looking at these blogs for insight on how to improve.These are for the fans and we should just direct our opinions or comments to each other.If we could use it to do anything but vent;I'd like to ask anyone if they could supply me with a ticket to any upcoming game.I'm sure someone will respond the way I expect them to.GO BEARS!!
Rex is a very good young QB. Not one player on the team feels he isnt the best QB. As for Lovie, I think he's above average and will become a great NFL coach.
My thoughts on the game:
Grossman looked bad - again. Inaccurate passes when pressured - again. Opposing defenses do not respect that he will burn them with the blitz, nor should they. He will not take them to the Superbowl, let alone win it.
The Bears rushed the ball well. They should have, the Jets are 28th in the league in rushing defense. They couldn't punch it in with a first and goal inside the 5 yard line. This performance doesn't mean anything.
The Jest lost because of terrible coaching decisions. The onside kick was insane. The Jets had stopped the Bears cold in the first half, while the Jets offense was playing well against the Bears defense. The short field gave the Bears 3 points. Late in the game the Bears pinned the Jets at their 10 yard line. The Jets passed three times, went three-and-out, punted the ball, gave the Bears a short field which led to Bradley's touchdown against a rookie cornerback. The Jets went away from the run way too early in this game.
Pennington gave the game away with 2 stupid interceptions in Bears territory. He missed a wide open receiver in the back of the end zone and threw to a triple-teamed tight end. On the second pick he should have taken the sack but instead pulled a Grossman and threw it up. Good quarterbacks in the playoffs won't do this.
Jones fumbled again and the replay reversal was incorrect, he was fumbling before his knee was down. Lucky break for the Bears.
Overall this win didn't impress me at all. They ran against a team they should have run against. Grossman played poorly and the game plan had to be simplified to get rid of his mistakes. This will lead to a replay of 2001 and 2005. They will win in the regular season but get bounced in the playoffs again.
Grossman is not a championship level quarterback. If you want to see one, watch Philip Rivers. Less experience than Grossman but playing at a high level. Also, look at Romo of Dallas. He completes critical passes, responds well to pressure and plays well on the road.
If the playoffs were to start today the Bears would lose to Dallas and Carolina for sure. They would probably lose to Seattle and the Giants if they get their players back. New Orleans would be a close game. The Bears would get creamed by several AFC teams if they even made it to the Superbowl, including San Diego, Baltimore and New England.
You know I have to respond to the critism of Lovie in regard to Rex.Who would pull a guy like there is a relief pitcher in the bullpen.This is football and you work through your problems.Especially with a QB.There are only so many phanthom reps you can take on the sideline.Game experience will only help.If you take him out, now and again,you're just setting him up to repeat all this next year.The man is learning and making fewer mistakes.Take him out and his confidence takes a serious hit.If we were 5-5 I would still let him play through it to LEARN.If he was the sole reason we were anything other than 9-1 I'd still play him through.The reason so many QBs have led their teams to Superbowls was the on-the- job training they received.Guys like Troy Aikman who played under a 1-15 season became better players because of the O-J-T.Any coach worth his salt would be confident in his abilities to start a virtual rookie.Even if it was his contract season.I'm sure Lovie could care less if he isn't signed to an extension.He could leave BEARDOM and get the money and the respect he deserve somewhere else.The only people that would hurt are the ones who endured the last 2 regimes with their bygone attempts at doing what Smith is doing now.Some of you guys act like he's an awful coach.Who among the last 6 hired to any team would you want here?Who would accept being underpaid and undermined.And forced to come behind a favored buddy? And who would've brought us this far?I think that whoever else would've came here wouldn't have us on the brink.Some of you guys just want to piss and moan about SOMETHING.Where we are and where we're going shouldn't be taken for granted.The whole team is learning and that just doesn't seem acceptable by some.GO BEARS!!
I thought the Bears did a good thing with their conservative approach against a blitz happy Jets team. You can't risk your QB turning the ball over, or injury by call a bunch of pass plays, when you know the jets are gonna send more guys than you can pick up. The Patriots didn't learn that last week and Tom Brady got blasted. I didn't think Rex looked all that bad. He was playing within the context of the gameplan. Look at it this way; He complete more than half of his passes, and most importantly, he didn't turn the ball over. What did we all said in the previous blog? The Bears needed to run the ball. They did that againt a team week againt the run. I guess I can't see what all the doom sayers see. I'm not concerned at all about this team. Even if they lose to the patriots. Everyone thought they would lose on this road trip. So far they are 2-0. If they beat New England, they could run the table. Was it an ugly win? Yes, but I'll take it. A lot of you guys thought Eric Mangini was going to out coach Lovie. I bet you all loved that onside kick atempt huh? I did.
Now... with what I said from my earlier post, I hope the bears know they will need an entirely different gameplan against the patriots. They will need "Good Rex" to show up, and score at least 24 points to win. They cannot rely on Defense against Tom Brady. He is too smart of a QB and he will dink and dunk his way down the field on any Defense. He is one of the best red zone QB I've seen. Almost always finding the open man in the endzone. Like the Jets, the bears need to pressure him. They may need to blitz. But the Key wil be Rex. He needs to prove his Nay-sayers wrong, and have another strong game on the road (see Green Bay game, Giants Game). And to answer one post, don't believe the Hype on Tony Romo Yeah the Coboys won, but he didn't exactly have a good game, and I don't believe the Cowboys would beat the bears in the playoffs.
Tired of the Grossman criticism. The guy is the 13th ranked QB in passer rating after some horrible games. You couldn't expect more from Griese or Orton or any of the other QB's we've had recently or for that matter, always. After the initial air raid the Bears at last realize that now is the time to play Bears football. With a cushion on the rest of the Non-Football Conference
the Bears can work with Rex's progression while running the ball and playing defense.This will reduce and create turnovers. Remember the next QB we will face was a backup until God blessed him with the good fortune to play behind Drew Bledsoe and be coached by Bill Belichick. Losing to the Patriots at on the road won't make me become a fair weather fan. Beating the Patriots however should shut Rex's detractors up but we all know most people who watch football never played football and can't understand that the the only thing that matters are W's and playoff appearances. We may face Tony Romo, less experience than Rex, in the near future and he is starting off well but all QB's have bad games.The Dallas press will BBQ him when he does have a bad game but Bill Parcells is no dummy and he can see this guy with help can make Dallas a playoff contender this season. Rex is our guy and we got to live with it. The Bears players aren't complaining because they know how to support each other. I was at the playoff game last year. Grossman didn't choke and he actually put us back in the game. The defense choked and we were done. The remaining games, if strategized by the Bears coaches correctly, will not be won or lost by Rex Grossman.The O and D lines will have that responsibility.
The Jets played like the Bears have so many times over the years. Out play and out coach a better team but do several stupid things and hand the game over. So, this time the roles are reversed and we get the win. That's fine with me. The Bears deserve it. On a more somber note just like I've been saying all along the Bears have too many less than adequate parts to their game and won't win the SB unless the issues are remedied. The main problem is still the coaches. The Bears could be an unstoppable machine if things were done right but it gets more obvious each week our staff is going to fall short again. Keep your fingers crossed but don't get your hopes up. We're gonna need luck and lots of it.
Roman responds: I think the coaches continue to do a really good job, I just think Rex is a major variable. The coaches had the team ready for that ridiculously unpredictable on-side kick; they made the gameplan easier so Rex wouldn't turn it over, which was huge; and they knew they could run on the Jets and Thomas Jones had a big day. The coaching staff has won games for the Bears this season.
John F,
This is not a personal attack on you but I have to disagree with about everything you said. First off Grossman wasn't good but he wasn't bad either. On his lone TD he burned an all-out blitz by the Jets. Why do you think that the corner was on island?
Grossman doesn't have to be a championshi[p level QB for this team to win. He just has to be good because the defense will do the rest. As for Philip Rivers. He is very good but also has the best tailback in the world and that takes alot of pressure of him. Also has a great TE. You give him the Bears offense and put Rex in SD and I'm sure things would be different. Besides Rex has had some pretty good games against teams that you have beating the Bears. Please don't even bring up Romo. He has played great but he is a flash in the pan. Defenses will startr to scheme for him and bring pressure because just like in the Ginats game he got flustered and threw picks just like all young QBs do. He didn't beat Indy their D did. You bring pressure on him and he will make mistakes.
Finally and most important. If the playoffs were to start today all games would be played in Chicago. You think that Dallas and Romo will come into Chicago and win? What a joke. Carolina is who the Bears really want, so they can shut up everyone that uses that game as a measuring stick to the Bears. Also the Giants and Seattle would beat the Bears? The Bears blew out Seattle and Alexander wouldn't have accounted for 30+ points. The Giants were missing players on D but they won't get healthy come playoff time nad injuries are an excuse. Every team has them that's why you should have quality depth. I'll take the Bears in Chicago over anyone in the NFC. Sometime soon people will start having to give this team some respect and not come with excuses on how they won.
Very good win for the Bears. They were on the road playing against an inspired team that had just beaten mighty New England.
We shut down a spunky offense and their defense played inspired ball.
This is a very positive win. We will however lose to the Pats, but finish 14-2. Write it down.
JohnF - I'm sorry, but I'm not especially convinced by your arguments. I agree that Rex didn't play particularly well, but he didn't throw any picks, and I dare anyone to find any game-changing points scored by Bears opponents this season that did not come off of turnovers. I suppose it's a sign of bad coaching that the Bears simplified the offense to give Rex less opportunities to lose the game (I'm talkin' to you, BBB)--which, by the way, shame on everyone for not mentioning Bradley having essentially won the game with his feet.
But, John, I suppose you're partly right in that Chad Pennington certainly gave the game away with those 2 interceptions--but how is that terrible coaching? I'd say it's a combination of good defense and underperforming offense. That onside kick only resulted in a field goal--and I give the coaching staff credit for making sure guys like Chris Harris had seen enough film to know when something was up. The red zone offense is still underperforming--but Gould has been automatic, which counts for something when the defense and (for the most part) passing offense have been creating good sitations as well.
One more thing, John, and then I'll move on--I'll buy Philip Rivers (he's been lighting it up--although he understudied the "good" Drew Brees, and he does have a solid running game, Antonio Gates, and Keenan McCardell), but I haven't seen anything to convince me Tony Romo can win when it counts--his success is primarily due to the improved play of Dallas's offensive line.
I'm letting myself be optimistic this year (as opposed to last, when I was just happy they were winning). When Rex is on, the offense can score a lot of points--and I don't care what all you fairweathers have to say--as long as Brian Urlacher is on the field, the Bears' defense is a force to be reckoned with.
Onto the future--do I think the Bears can beat the Patriots? Absolutely--although the Bears' run D has been less-than-spectacular this year, we're still taking about an elite group of guys who know how to stop teams when they have to. I think that, even with Tom Brady, the Pats' pass offense is vulnerable--like always, the Bears are going to have to play at 100% on both sides of the ball, but a win is still possible.
In a previous post, I proclaimed Rex Grossman as the "Great White Hope", so to speak, for our beloved Chicago Bears. After watching the last few games, I think my assessment may hae been premature. He has played..poorly, for the most part. But let's look at the bright my friends. There is no team in the NFC that the Bears cannot beat, Rex or no Rex. This would not be true if we played in the AFC. But we don't. That's a fact. It's also a fact that we're going to the Superbowl. GO BEARS!!!
What has happened to our tight ends? Seems the middle was open most of the day against The Jets. I'm not unhappy about winning this game and I'm not picking on the Beloved, but it seems to me that when we find something that's successful in our game plan it's dropped soon after it WAS SUCCESSFUL! Like making our tight ends a constant threat! I'm hoping the coaching staff checks out these blogs. Many of the comments and suggestions submitted are excellent and perhaps could be of value. 9 and 1..who'd a thunk it? More Bears spiked Kool Aide please..Streamwood Frank.
I suppose the only answer to what will happen with the Bears is, "We'll See". My comments have not been related to the regular season, more so the playoffs. I am looking towards the playoffs and I think it is short-sighted to simply say "A win is a win" and we'll worry about the playoffs when we get there. Now is the time to mold the Bears into a team that can succeed in the playoffs. In my opinion Brian Griese gives the Bears the best chance to go deep in the playoffs - much less volitile, doesn't make stupid mistakes, can read defenses correctly. All things that Grossman has not shown he can consistently do.
While I agree that Rex doesn't have to be Joe Montana to win in the playoffs, he at least has to be a Jake Delhomme, or a Brad Johnson (with Tampa Bay) or Trent Dilfer (with Baltimore). Those guys don't have the volitility that Rex has and they didn't make mistakes that killed their chances to win. Rex has had plenty of time to show that he is a competent quarterback and he has not shown that - in my opinion.
As for your comments about Romo, I guess we'll have to see on that one - but he has the highest rating of any NFC quarterback right now (not oficially since he doesn't have enough starts) and that rating is based on 3 of 4 games on the road (one of which was a trouncing of Carolina).
Philip Rivers would be an MVP candidate with the Bears, I wish we had him.
I would be very careful what you wish for. Carolina would win again because of their quarterback and defense, and if Dallas' defense can beat Indy, what do you think they would do to a much inferior offense like the Bears? If they can force Peyton Manning into bad throws, what do you think they would do to Grossman?
As far as injuries, the Bears haven't had many except for Mike Brown which has led to a significant downturn in the run defense - so much for quality depth on the Bears, despite the multiple DB's they got in the offseason.
Finally, the Bears have beaten a lot of bad teams this year, and good for them, that's what you should do. But come playoff time there won't be any more bad teams. There won't be any more coaches that call stupid onside kicks, or quarterbacks that throw the ball while being sacked, or throw into triple coverage.
I want the Bears to win a championship but until I see competent, consistent leadership at the quarterback spot, I refuse to put myself in a position to be disappointed once again by these Bears.
Is Ron Turner and Lovie Smith, that stubborn or stupid? Rex Grossman operating from the shotgun would upgrade his game by 30%. And the offensive line would have it alot easier.
As much as I love the Bears I have ZERO confidence in Wrecks Grossman. Add the lame play calling of Turner and it's a receipe 4 diaster. Grossman can't seem 2 complete simple 4 to 7 yards passes. This a Superbowl QB does NOT make.
Roman responds: I don't have a problem with the play calling, but Rex is not instilling a ton of optimism. No turnovers, though, which is huge. Although that one pass could have been picked.
I don't think it's a bad thing to gripe about Rex.I just don't think it is warranted.The man is a work in progress and a little improvement goes a long way.The reason our TE haven't taken advantage of the middle of the field is they are staying in to pick up the blitz.If a team wants to blitz 60% of the time something has to give.I think we'd benefit from double TE even in passing downs.But that takes away a receiver or the FB.Whatever they are doing it's working.Maybe we'd like to see the high flying Air-Coreyele-type offense but I'm not sure that would work with a still inconsistent QB.Improve on the small stuff and become an expert on that before you move forward.In the beginning of the season we were passing very well, then teams learned how to solve us.We're just adjusting with what the defenses are letting us take.Short passes-missed tackles.West coast offenses were built on that philosophy.Take what they give and move the chains.Sure,we all loved scoring 30 points every game but the real NFL mean exactly that;Not For Long.Every one adjusts and those who don't lose.9-1 must mean we've adjusted pretty well.Name one team who hasn't padded their wins with teams with losing records?That's why you have so many teams so close to .500 in the NFC.They've all won against inferior talent.They've also lost to inferior talent just like we did.Why are we the only ones considered overachievers?Whenever someone can't reason with reality they just say it's overachieving.This team is taking so many people by surprise that no one has jumped on our wagon yet.Earlier in the season some co-called experts NEVER picked us to win any games.Mark Schlereths (?) said every week that we would lose.Where is he now?I'm not saying we're taking the world by storm,I'm just saying it's good to be winning.As a fan I never expect them to lose.I'n not going to start any time soon.GO BEARS!!!
I just don't know what the fuss is about Rex Grossman. He is a young QB and has made SOME mistakes. But name a Bear QB in recent memory who has had the numbers this guy is about to put up. He is on pace for at least 3500 yards, with at least 25 TDs. Yes he has thrown a lot of interceptions. But not as many as his TD passes. And plus we are 9-1 people! I know you all can see his talents. We can see he has a tremendous arm, and can make all the throws. But yet, Bear fans are treating him like he is the weak link on the team. I even think I heard a reporter ask him the other day,"How do you feel being viewed as the weak link to the team?" I'm sure it ticked him off, especially after the success he's had. I just think we as Bear fans are being too harsh with all the critisms of a 9-1 team. I'm a firm believer if you continue to ask for something, you will recieve it. If we keep saying this team will fail come playoff time...? Listen this is the first time in recent memory we will have back-to-back winning seasons. I have been a fan of this team for all those losing seasons, and finally we have a winner. I know it's a tough pill for a lot of people to swallow. There are a lot of Bear haters out there. We don't need the hateration coming from our own. We are all starving for a Superbowl.But critisizing coaching and QBs who are performing better than the previous, in my opinion, is not right. We have the Patriots next and its a big game. I am confident the Bears can win this game. They will have to bring their 'A' game, but they only let us down once so far. I still believe Rex is the Key to this game. The Patriots will give him a lot of different looks and he will have to perform at a high level like he has in most games this year.
Hey thanks for the stomp. Anyway, it's nice to know some of you have your rose colored glasses all cleaned up. Enjoy yourselves while you can. I'm just gonna try to have faith the Bears will get it together enough to go all the way and not just part of the way. They aren't there yet and don't need to be yet but they need to be stepping in that direction. They are not. Maybe next time, we'll see.
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The Bears shouldn't be too concerned about the Pats secondary, if Grossman is on he can pick apart Hobbs and the makeshift crew. They should be concerned about giving Brady those cheap 10 yard outs to his WR's and Graham and Watson.
Bears win 17-14 ina defensive struggle, GO BEARS !!
What is everybody going to complain about when they win the SB? I know! We'll then argue that they wont be a dynasty because Briggs and Jones will probably leave and Mike Brown won't ever return.
A win is a win. To me they improved many things in this game. They ran all over the Jets. They didn't turn it over. They stopped the run.
I think the most important thing about this game is that hopefully it will shut everyone up about playing Benson. T Jones is twice the running back that kid is. A lot of you guys give advice on this team like you were running a fantasy team. There are reasons beyond just their stats as to why guys like Rex and Jones are starting.
I have to say that John F. has brought up some good points. They key point is not that the Bears will make the playoffs, but how far will they go once they're in. This is a team built to go to the Super Bowl now. Not next year, or the year after...but today. The X-factor, of course, is Rex Grossman. If there is contemplation of putting in Griese, is it not too late in the season to do so? What will this do to the entire team dynamic? I just think we have to live and die with Rex, and hope for the best.
With all due respect to Mark, the Bears did not "stop the run", they gave up 108 yards rushing, which unfortunately is close to their per game average. They will have a lot of problems if they meet the Cowboys in the playoffs.
Rushing for a lot of yards against the 28th ranked rush defense doesn't impress me at all. Rex didn't turn the ball over because he only had 22 attempts and rarely threw downfield (probably because the coaches told him not to).
Only scoring 10 points against a team that gives up over 20 per game on average in my opinion is a poor offensive performance.
I agree that Jones should be playing now, I still see Benson missing pass blocking assignments, but long-term I think Benson can run with more overall speed and power.
During the regular season playing Rex may be smart in that when he plays well (mainly against poor teams) he has tremendous upside and when he plays badly you only lose a regular season game. But unfortunately the risk of playing him in the playoffs outweighs the reward because in the playoffs, one loss and you are out. That is where I think the coaches are being short-sighted.
I realize I have been very critical of the Bears and Grossman in particular. This week is a very big test for Grossman. If he shows he can withstand the pressure and confusing defensive alignments I will become a believer. If we see another Arizona/Minnesota/Miami performance I think, for the good of the team, he should be replaced by Griese for the remainder of the year.
Like I said before the season I don't care for Jones or Benson. I still don't believe Benson was the right pick. For Jones my main problem with him has been him playing hopscotch instead of football. The past two games he has done a pretty good job of cutting down on that and running more like a NFL RB should and the result is a better running game. People are harping about how brilliant the coaches were for simplifying the offensive game plan. That may have been a good idea but they did it wrong and the offense looked awful for most of the game. They looked like they were waiving the white flag. I hope the players can execute what will probably be another flawed game plan well enough to not embarrass all of us. I think NE wins by 3 but there is a fair chance they will rip the Bears a new one. We're gonna need good coaching and playing or some of that luck we had earlier in the season for this game.
This will be a REAL test of where the bears and lovie smith are at this point. I am sure Belichick will give Grossman fits. I think Smith will get out coached as he is no where near as good as Belichick. Look at what he has done with the declining talent in new england. For the bears to win I think they have to avoid turnovers and put togather drives that end with points not like against the jets where it took 3 Qtrs to score. One thing in the bears favor is the fact that New england has struggled a bit with teams that have great linebackers. I excpect Urlacher and Briggs to have big games but, they will have to stay in their gaps and try to contain maroney as he runs all over the place. If the bears can beat the patriots they will establish themselves as an elite team and one that will be heading to the superbowl. Yeah, this game is that big.
I don't understand how some people can honestly say that they would rather have Griese in than Grossman. People think that he doen't make stupid mistakes but that is wrong. I live in Florida and have had to endure both Bucs and Dolphins games so I have watched Griese play and he sucks. He made terrible mistakes last year that cost the Bucs games and also had numerous picks that almost cost them two games in the begining of the year. He is what he is now. A back-up insurance plan. He cannot throw the ball downfield and I would rather have Orton in to manage a game than Griese. If he was such a great QB, don't you think the Bucs would have allocated some money into resigning him. I know they had to chose between Simms and Griese but if Griese, as some of you always point out, is such a great QB he would be in Tampa and not Simms. Rex is and will be the starter becasue the offense and the head coach believe in him. For God sakes he has more TD's and only few less yardage thrown on less attempts than that of the immortal Tom Brady. People need to give this kid some leeway and stop judging him pass to pass. He has led the Bears to a 9-1 record and most likely the first seed in the NFC.
should be a fun game. Bears have a chance to show how good they can be, or if they're in the same group of top teams as colts, chargers, dallas too now?? Well, this is just a guess but i think Brady is injured, is listed as probable with a shoulder. Could be one of those, won't hurt it by playing and will need to be fixed after the season. I suspect it may be somewhat serious or the pats wouldn't have bothered picking up testeverde. So, if vinny has to play, the bears should win, and not just for end of game kneel downs...
I believe the Bears are the best team in Football bar none. They will win sunday against the pat's,and if for some reason it's not a blowout so what it's a win.
Go Bears
Go Bears, everybody stop being so hard on Rex you still have to remember he is still a rookie. Rex will get better as time goes on, but for know the defense will have to get the job done while the offense just holds on.
I want the Bears to go all the way, but a few teams still worry me such as Dallas
Are you people kidding me. I am not a Grossman hater but, If you are looking to go deep in to the playoffs and even compete in the Super Bowl, then pull Grossman. In 4 years he has not gone beyond 4 games. He's still a Rookie and is still making rookie mistakes. If we were playing just 5oo ball then let him play and learn.
We are challenging for the Super Bowl! The best men should be on the field. If you think Grossman is better than Griese...you're high!
If you think Jones is a better runner than Bensen...you're a moron!
If you think that Anderson should play more downs.....You're brilliant!
Coaching staff needs to wake up!
All you sleepy eyed fans can hope for the best...But this die-hard Bears fan does'nt want to wait another 20+ years to go back to the Bowl...not with this team being so close and not putting the BEST players for the job ....childish!
THE ONLY CHOICE FOR DA BEARS QUARTERBACK IS GRIESE.