Playing a meaningless game against a lousy team can be a recipe for defeat, but the Bears pulled it out the way they have many games this season: inspiring as much doubt as confidence.
How many passes did Nathan Vasher surrender? If Mike Williams was able to hold onto the ball, Bears lose.
On the other hand, Rex Grossman played well again. Mark Anderson is an absolute stud and Robbie Gould - who will be a key in the playoffs - was perfect.
What did you think?
Roman Modrowski is the online sports editor for the 
What a display by Mark Anderson. Why is Mark not a lock for rookie of the year? Oh that right, Devin Hester is a shoo-in. Why not co-rookies. Please comment.
Roman responds: Because Vince Young, and - until last week - Devin Hester have been better. But Anderson sure has made a name for himself.
Whew....What a game! My best friend is a die-hard lions fan, so this is my christmas gift from the bears. Thanks guys
Robbie Gould got his steadiness back, but defense looked shaky again, Hester seems to have lost his magic and maybe started to believe to much of what he heard from everyone. Lions are bad, can't catch anything, Merry Christmas, Go bears!
For those who think there is a need to worry after that game I say don't worry. We got a lot of guys in. And now that Griese got in ,you can see that he can seriously dink and dunk but might not get you in the endzone once the field gets shorter. But he does have a way of sensing oncoming pressure. The BEARS who never flip flop their CBs actually had Vasher switch and cover Williams on his TD. They took this game and experimented and came away witha W. Hester is too green to be effective on D,right now. Maybe once Tillman comes back he'll get back to being better in PR/KR. Our RB by committee went well but the constant change didn't give people an honest assessment of their talents. Remember that this wasn't meant to show case anything so we didn't have anyone truly stand out. Mark Anderson if he was better against the run would easily sit down either of our starters. He is a level headed player who bring enthusiasm to the game. He reminds me of a big kid playing the sport.But hey, a win is a win. Ask the Colts. GO BEARS!!!
I think it's troubling that it was so hard for them to beat such a lousy team. But hasn't happened against other bad opponents before this season?
The loss of Mike Brown and Tommie Harris is being exploited by other teams now.Tommie and Mike create turnovers, plug gaps and in the case of Brown lines up the secondary to be in the right coverage. I think this is the biggest area of concern for the Bears right now. Kitna(whom I thought might the Bears backup at one time) is a gamer if nothing else. If not for Mike Williams the Lions would have had one of the biggest comebacks in the Matt Millen era. Rex Grossman despite his troubles has thrown for over 3,00 yards(4th in Bears history) and 20 tds and played well today.He missed two long throws but I think Rex can overcome this if he can stay poised better.If not Griese is ready and more than capable to come in and produce if needed. This is a good situation.Benson and Jones will be ready too. What about AP? He could be another stealth weapon for us.He made a difference today. Robbie Gould is the team MVP right now. Hester is getting all the press but Gould has been pheneomenal in all phases of the kicking game. This Green Bay game scares me however.They got a lot to play for and the last person you want to see is #4 having a career day againt our secondary.
Well the lil fella had a pretty good game. He wasn't very accurate on his long throws but he didn't drop the ball or throw interceptions. Hope we get to see more of rex against the packers, wonder if he'll need to wear his mittens?
Oh, griese looked ok too, considering not playing before today. When he was in the game the offense seemed to have more rhythm and not seem so haphazard and seat of the pants like it does with the lil fellar in there.
Lovie sure has the defense geared up for the playoffs don't he?
Griese deserves a shot and should play at least 1/2 the time the rest of the regular season. Lovie Smith's job is to win the Superbowl this year - not prepare a QB (at the sacrifice of this year's team) so they can be better next year and the year after. Griese should keep playing more - Sitting Grossman some does not hurt him, many quarterbacks have sat some and come back better players with more maturity.
The Bears have a chance to be a Superbowl team, and should be flexible to changing quarterbacks (look to Miami when they put Don Strock in as QB when they got way behind in a playoff game against San Diego and he almost brought them all the way back) if Grossman is ineffective or terrible (as he has shown this year) and the Bears get too far behind in a playoff game - Griese needs playing time to be ready in case that happens. Lovie Smith needs to get the Bears (and Griese) ready for anything - Grossman could get hurt anytime and is often ineffective against average teams - Griese needs playing time now to be ready in case that happens so the Bears are ready for anything
Wins a win, loss a loss, there a no style points attached. Like the fact Lovie is playing to win and stay sharp. It looked like the coaches were trying new things on defense and that left the defense exposed and starters in. If any of the starters or worse stars get injured, it will be on Lovies head. Good Rex maybe back, but don't trust him in a shotout yet.
Injuries matter most in these last two games. Hopefully Mckie's ankle is ok but didn't look to good. Why don't the bears have a backup fullback? Playing with a tight end there really changes run game, maybe they'll have to run counter trey.
Otherwise if everyone comes out of game healthy and the inactive players get back by the playoffs, tate and tillman especially, should be good to go for playoffs. Good to see vasher back, would be nice to not see hester in d backfield.
maybe they should rest jones more against pack.
Am I missing something or is the media trying to create a quarterback controversy?
I just don't think it was that big of a deal to replace Grossman yesterday at that point of the game, considering the overall situation and the impending playoffs.
Yes, the Bear defense isn't performing like it was prior to key injuries - that's understandable. But the Lions were playing at home and some of them had something to play for. Still, the Bears won.
All this nonsense of the Bears being the worst 13-2 team is such junk. If the Dolphins, Giants or the Cowboys were 13-2, there would be no other coverage by the networks of any other teams throughout the playoffs. The Cowboys win 4 out of 5 and they're the '85 Bears - according to the 'experts'. Who would you rather have as QB - Manning, Romo, Harrington or Grossman with Griese backing up? Sure, Rex isn't Tom Brady, but who is? Get over it. If Grossman plays like he's done the last 3 weeks the Bears would have beaten New England going away.
Proof will be on the field. Beat the packers and take on whomever. Few mistakes equal victory.
Why are columnist in today's paper questioning whether or not Grossman should have stayed in. If Lovie told FOX that he was taking him out after 3 quarters then it's up to Ron Turner to tell Rex what's up. We were rotating Off. linemen in and it was understood by all that it was not going to be a complete game played. How can anyone question that when we actually had our 3rd string RB in. Losing Mckie sure didn't allow for continuity so what were we going to see. To me it's only making waves where there shouldn't be. Detroit was popping guys and it was a good fight. I was thinking about It's a wonderful life and how George Bailey's daughter said everytime a bell rung and angel gets it's wings:after that game a whole lots of angels got their wings. There was a whole lot of bell ringing. I just don't feel like Rex should have played even as far as he did. He should've came out IN the 3rd quarter. And he looks like a pissant for even telling the media that he wasn't aware of coming out. The last thing anyone would want to do is look like he's not in the loop. I see his problem is also maturity. Everyone expected to see Griese. They got their wish. I hope Rex isn't about to pout about not giving someone else a chance during garbage time. He isn't exactly rewarding anyone with the faith we or his coaches gave him. I really think this is a non-issue. You can stir the pot but I'm going out to eat. GO BEARS!!!!
I must have watched a different game. If the guy makes a catch most high school players make, the Bears lose. It never ceases to amaze me the way the beat writers spin these games and refuse to call out under-performing players (d-backs, receivers, Hillenmeyer...brutal again). Bears will lose to Seattle in round 1 in 3 weeks. Sound familar?
Roman responds: What paper are you reading? Our guys pointed out the Bears' vulnerable position after close calls against two lousy teams.
If, if, if, is it just me who's tired of the what-ifs? BEARS didn't look great and the defense appears shaky, but why waste time worrying? I refuse to let the HCL acid eat thru my stomach lining this season. These last 2 games mean nothing to me. I hope the BEARS get mass amnesia after the Pack game. The staff then needs to get the defense insanely aggressive (Ariz game) and gameplan the offense with a new wrinkle or 2. It doesn't need to be anything major, just a different tendency to throw a little doubt into whoever the foe is.
It's about to get very real, I just hope the BEARS realize the playoffs demand play at an elevated level.
I really wish folks would look back to 1985 and examine Jim McMahon's stats. His are well below Rex' except in interceptions. The Bears will do fine, you cannot expect them to go all out against a Lions' team that HAD to go all out to keep their fan's hopes alive.
The Bears are basically a sheep in wolves clothing. They are 13-2 but have only developed into a team that should be 9-6 to 11-4. They're 13-2 from being extra lucky with an easy schedule. Don't misunderstand me here... being say a 10-5 team at this point is pretty good and being extra lucky to go with it is even better. But if they think all they have to do is keep on doing what they have been then they will not win the SB. So I'm hoping somebody gets a clue and decides to push hard to get a lot better so they can win the SB.
Did anyone catch the Philly/Dallas game last night. Every week someone steps forward and knock someone off that every was saying is the team that'll give the BEARS fits. I won't get caught up in that this week. I liked seeing Dallas get beat. At one time while they were losing the cameras caught T.O. on the beach by himself smiling like a chesire cat over something. Maybe those voices in his head was cracking him up. It was weird. Having these guys take turn losing only lets you see how hard it is to win in the NFL. Winning close games is still winning. If you're looking for perfection from the BEARS right about now you're missing the point. Here in Chicago I've read a lot of articles from every newspaper and there is one guy who always gives it to us straight. He doesn't feign ignorance of what's going on just so he can write an inflammatory story. He writes with the knowledge of we he sees and not about what would make a feel good story or a tear them down aspect that some writers do. I like reading him because it keeps it real like the younger people say. The guy is my bible because he is seldom wrong. GO BEARS!!!!
A win is a win! I think the Bears have played down to many teams this year, including the Lions. Come on tehy are bored with this stuff. When they have played the good teams they have destroyed them. Where was Tillman? Was he hurt? We need him and Vasher back to form. Teams will test that secondary all day.
Lets make a change on defense. On certain passing downs, put Mark Anderson at middle linebacker and Brian Urlacher at free safety. When Anderson is in the game, he seems to make good things happen for the Bear defense. How many wide receivers arms would get shorter knowing that Urlacher is back there?
From what I saw last Sunday against Detroit, we need to rest Rex, the One and Done Wonder, for the remainder of the season. After all, we want to win the Super Bowl, don't we?
More whining, of course.
The Bears are banged-up. Brown and Harris are out for the year, the two T.Johnsons are coming off physical and mental injuries, Vasher and Tillman are nursing wounded bodies, Thomas Jones and John Tait have been less-than-100%, and Sunday's game doesn't matter one iota except to the Packers.
I'll say it again: I don't trust Rex Grossman, but I haven't for all but a couple weeks out of the year. After this week, he'll have a couple weeks to relax and get ready--so let's wait until the first half of the playoff game to start panicking, alright?
At this point, we really should stop worrying about stats and statements made, and start worrying about what really matters--winning. This Bears team reminds me a bit of the Patriots in years past in that they stubbornly know how to win. (Just so we're clear, I'm not comparing Rex to the Tom Brady--it's just a generalization.) As much as some people would like to think otherwise, this team is well-coached, at least enough to find away to come out with more points at the end of the game.
Considering how Dallas has looked lately, the Bears and Saints really do look like the teams to beat in the NFC. Philadelphia's defense is looking scary, though--they'll be a sleeper.
Hey Roman--you can make fun of me for this, but if the Bears don't make the Super Bowl this year, what say they go after Brett Favre in the offseason? Swap Griese and a second-round pick? I am joking, but Favre has proven that he's got enough juice left in him to win some games--he'd be what Steve McNair has been for this year's Ravens.
It's funny how ESPN, NFL Network and so-called keep picking different teams that will beat the Bears in the Playoffs. First it was the Giants, as soon as they lost to the Bears, it was the Cowboys, then they got blasted by the Saints. Then it was supposed to be the Saints. Then they got beat by the Lowly Redskins. Now it's the Eagles. I bet they lose to the Falcons Sunday. But the Bears just keep winning, dispite their flaws and shortcomings. But people keep saying they won but... All I have to say is I'm extremely proud of this football team. Even if they don't make it to the Superbowl, I'm not gonna lose any sleep, or scream for Lovie to get fired or none of that. Having said that, I do have a tremendous amount of faith in this team that they can get to the Superbowl.As Long as the Bears don't turn the ball over we'll be fine.
Hey Bears...Quit yer pussyfooting around and play like yer able...Put the Packers out of their misery and bury these chumps...Enough of the snivvling and QB bashing...Three and out on defense and 6-7 minute drives on offense...It's time to step up...Play like a number one seed...I've had enough of the "AFC is better" and "The NFC is weak this year"...It's called "parody" folks...One reason for this is the quality of college players being drafted...It is better than ever...Also, you win by playing one game at a time...You are playing the Packers...Win it...Hey Hester...Quit the neon deion end zone garbage...I'm glad you fumbled and made a jerk out of yerself...Kharma got you...If you are going to taunt people you get it back 10 fold...Yer a Pro now...Act like it...Bears...everyone says you are the best in a weak conference...It's time to take it personal...It's smash mouth time...Crush 'em and get back to the huddle without the ninny dancing...Every play, make 'em pay...We have the best record in the league...Show 'em how we got it.
Sorry, but I disagree that Grossman played well. That is, unless you call 4 of 10 for 37 yards in the 2nd half, WELL?
Funny thing is, I don't think Griese was supposed to lead that 72 yard drive. No MM and no TJ? But, it would have left the masses with the idea that Griese was the one who lost it?
Don't think so? Well then you best go back over the season. How many times could they have given Griese time in the game and didn't? Then when he did get in, his major job was handing off???
Let's not let him show us what he can do???
@GB W 26-0 (Didn't play)
DET W 34-7(1 of 1 for 5 yards)
SEA W 37-6 (Didn't play)
BUF W 40-7 (4 of 4 for 29 yards)
SF W 41-10 (2 of 3 for 11 yards)
@DET W 26-21 (6 of 9 for 96 yards)With MM and TJ out!
For all of the Grossman crowd that are continually harping on, "Grossman can make the long throws?"
Go back over the Play by Play of the games. He ATTEMPTS anywhere from 4 to 14 long throws a game and only makes 1 or 2 of them. Even best case, he is 50%. Worst case, 14%.
In Griese's first 23 games, he 75 passes go for 20+ yards, and 11 go for 40+. He had 788 Attempts and 477 completions. Or 60.5% and 5,720 yards.
YPA 7.26
In his 22 games, Grossman has had 65 passes go for 20+ yards, and 11 go for 40+. He has had 663 Attempts and 365 Completions. Or 55.1% and 4,463 yards. YPA 6.63
Griese never had a 1.3 rated game in his 72 Starts. I can't think of any QB that has, besides Grossman. Well, maybe Ryan Leaf. 4 horrible games in one season? How many horrid halves, 3/4s, in how many more games?
So, if Smith plays this 'par for the course', he will wait until Grossman has lost the first play-off game, then put Griese in.
Then Heaven help Griese if he can't bring them back.
Even if they are down to ONE Drive left.
Anyone that thinks Griese was meant to get time in the Detroit game needs a serious Reality Check.
Lovie Smith, "We wanted to win that game in the worst way." Then why on earth did you also pull MM, TJ, and the Right Guard? (Nothing like tieing Griese's hands behind his back) But then, he wasn't supposed to win that game.... hah heh heh.
Some people here don't trust Grossman? I don't trust their football knowledge. Brady sure looked great against Miami...right.
Rebecka, please stop. It's over. I know you love Brian Griese but this has to stop. He is a decent player. O.K. We get that, but those stats you spout every time is getting kinda creepy. You only talk about Griese. No one else. I used to like when you would spout football knowledge and I speak for every man on here that they wish their wives and girlfriend took an interest that he have but he is not the only player on the BEARS. You're like RAINGIRL when it comes to Griese. Don't get me wrong I think your respect for the guy is awesome but who else on the BEARS even rate a "good job" from you? As the Griese fan club president you have a very thankless job. I thank you. GO BEARS!!!!