Lovie was right

Roman, what have I been saying all this time? you can go back and look at the past blogs and see that I've said to stick with Grossman the whole time, and have never converted like all the bandwagon jumpers. The way Grossman played the first 5 games was no fluke. Yeah he hit his wall, but the ONLY way for him to overcome it is to play through it with the right people (Lovie) standing by him. That's all that matters. And with a cushy remaining schedule his confidence can only get higher from here on in. And the Rex Grossman bandwagon will officially be running again.

Only in chicago can a quarterback can be the most hated man in the city one week and the following week be hailed as king. Damn i Love Chicago. Devin hester for ROY

Yes, SEXY REXY IS BACK !!
Less than a full season under his belt, he needs good coaching to develop a feel for the Pro game. More than anything else, this past few weeks will make him a better QB. Take what the defense gives you.

I hate to burst your bubble, but the Bears looked terrible. Rex played better--did anybody really expect him to play worse? The Rams moved the ball on the Bears without any effort. Maybe I was wrong and they will cruise through the playoffs, afterall, we all know that the Lions, Packers, Rams, and Bucs are the teams going to the playoffs this year. The Bears have no problem taking care of these teams...they looked weak against an inferior team and even though Rex didn't do any worse this week, the Rams exploited another weakness in the Bears. Good Luck in the post season!
I know the Cowboys got beat like a pinata on Sunday--that's my point! That is the kind of competition they will face in the playoffs, not the sub 500 kind.

Continuity is everything in the NFL and the Bears, by sticking with Rex, finally have some.

The vision, the strategy, the talent and the BELIEF are integrated and kicking in.

While it is true that pass to Berrian could have been intercepted, it also SHOULD have been CAUGHT! Berrian needs to work on going up and fighting for the ball, rather than interfering with a defender on a very catchable pass!

Last week this blog was FULL of people wanting to bench Grossman or worse, run him out of town. Where are those people now? Anyone, anyone? Boy, it's gonna be a slow week for the media.

Chicago Bears Rule!
i've always been with Rex all the way. if Lovie never had the faith in Rex, he would of never broke the wall. I just hope all those people who criticized Rex feel dumb now.

CHICAGO BEARS!

Rex is back. How many bandwagon jumpers are gonna come back this week. The Bears are and were the best team in the NFC. San Diego and Chicago the SuperBowl mark it down. Devin Hester is the real ROY. Sean

It was great to see a Bears win. Rex looked much better, he had pressure on him from the media, but little on him from the Rams. The Bears did what was expected against a substandard team. How that translates into how they will do against a playoff caliber team is unknown. Unfortunately with the schedule they have left, we won't find out till the playoffs. I'd still like to see Griese be given a little playing time just to make him playoff ready in case he's needed. The Bears are a good team, a legitimate super bowl contender, but they're not a dominant team as they were in 85, so every game will be exciting to watch, we still haven't seen Grossman play great against a great defense team or have to come from behind with a couple mins left on the clock. He's developing but I can't forget yet how he reverts back to bad habits when pressured from a formidable defense. We didn't see that last nite and probably won't till playoff time.

DEVIN HESTER!!! My hero. The man is absolutely AWESOME!!!! Would it be silly of me to name by next son DEVIN.My wife is 5 months pregnant with a boy and it seems like the right time to come up with super names.She's leaning toward Nicholaus. Maybe it's a X-mas thing,but I'll work on her. I don't want to name him Rex because I'm still not sure which one would show up. Sybil is still associated with Crazy and mentally unstable. Lovie was on the money with why he believed in Rex. Some of you guys should seek help for some of the outlandish comments you made. I wish Roman would allow me to comment further but I know he'll keep it rated G. Who is still calling for the BEARS to fire Lovie? ESPN said it best that if Lovie became available he would be snapped up in a heart beat. It is silly the amount of abuse that Rex and Lovie have taken over the past week. Whoever among you were not pleased at the decision making around here should have no reason to celebrate with the true fans. I guess this week we'll be back to the regulars;Jermaine,Sal,Darryl M,BBB,Frank,JohnF, and various ones I fail to remember. You guys have stuck it out all year and regardless how we all fail to agree,you have been constant. Now the dude with the pilot anology,the "chant dude" and the "fake an injury guy"-you guys scare me a little. I just hope that the D comes around. I know we were a little short handed and it got a little out of hand in the end,but I'm not really worried. It's atotal team victory and it came when we needed it most. I guess we can now celebrate our Division Championship. GO BEARS!!!

Tom Brady passed for 78 yards and the Patriots lost to Miami (who also beat the Bears, or have we forgotten that already?) Peyton Manning had no touchdowns and one interception and the Colts lose to the Jaguars. Bench them both! At least that's the logic behind all the Rex haters last week. Heck, bench Romo too! You people make me laugh. Go Bears!

Roman responds: It wasn't just one bad game for Rex. It was four horrible games.

WHEN WILL THE BEARS BRAIN TRUST PAY LOVIE WHAT HE'S WORTH? I UNDERSTAND HE IS THE LOWEST PAID COACH IN THE NFL.

Grossman is a Bambi in the headlights when pressure is put on him. Either he plays like a champ or a chump-give me consistency any day. Grossman as our playoff quarterback is simply a disaster waiting to happen. Not only can the Bears not win the Superbowl this season with him in charge, I doubt they can even win a single playoff game with him at the helm. What a waste!

Ok, you guys are completely out of your minds if you think that last night's performance by Rex proves anything! First of all, Rex played in a climate-controlled dome against a sub-standard team with a horrible defense. The only time that I or any of his critics will be proven wrong is if we play our last game in Miami, especially with how ripe the NFC is this year for the taking. Let's see how Grossman, a Florida quarterback, will perform in single-digit temps in Chicago for hopefully two playoff games against better defenses. As for Lovie, he's just another empty suit on the Bears' sidelines. Toward the end of the first half, he almost gifted the Rams a field goal if it weren't for a bad call to keep the clock running on an out-of-bounds reception by Bruce. It may have even resulted in a touchdown the way the Bears' defense was playing at the time. Prior to that the Bears had a very makable 4th in 1 at mid-field and Lovie tried for a cheap offsides first down instead of running either running back up the middle against the league's worst rushing defense. Then towards the end of the game, Lovie or "The Genius" decides to kick a 49-yard field goal instead of going for it on 4th and 1. Once again, another stupid decision. One other note of importance, Lovie did not teach Hester how to run back kicks, the major reason why we won last night.

The Bears have to get Hester involved in the short passing game as well. Like Bush on the Saints Hester makes moves and is FAST!

Hopefully all the haters can shutup now...at least for one week. I'm not saying Rex is playing pro-bowl ball yet but trust me, it feels a lot better to root for Rex and the team than to try and find things wrong with them. He got grounded again under some pretty constant pressure (both on and off the field) and showed why we need him. The defense is getting pushed around the field a little more as the season wears on and we will need more offense, both pass and rush, to counteract that (cant count on 2 td's from Hester every game). Good balanced attack and he still took a couple of deep shots that are necessary to allow the run and short passing game.

First, Bears need to get Hester on offense. Keeping him on defense and not allowing him to return kickoffs, not good coaching and Lovie doesn't need anything to justify why he's the lowest paid coach in the league.
Second, start Benson. Probably not going to happen, but this guy is a BEAST. He will do a Larry Johnson next year.
Third, sign Lance Briggs. If Angelo lets this guy go I will coordinate a petition for his removal and hand deliver it to his office.
Fourth, get Bradley on the field more. Bears are beginning to accumulate players that can do something with it once they get there hands on the ball.
Fifth- Play Grossman every down from here on out. He needs the reps and worst case scenerio Griese starts the playoffs if Grossman gets hurt.
After that, get the parade ready.

As far as Grossman goes, this game proves nothing. Hopefully it will restore his confidence though and give him momentum going into the playoffs. I am wondering why no one is mentioning Devin Hester as the MVP of the entire league? His returns dont just score touchdowns, they WIN games. Very rarely has one player changed the outcome (positively) in so many games. He single handedly is responsible for at least 7 wins. I know L.T. is having a rediculous season, but D.H. certainly deserves some votes.

Bad coaching??...Please...The Bears are pretty deep at receiver and yes it's time to get Hester some offensive plays but that isn't bad coaching...Bad coaching is running a skinny post pass play on every passing play...Most people on these blogs are too hard to please...The Bears won last night...Now they prepare for the next game...Using Hester is a no-brainer and I'd like to see him next weekend...Maybe Lovie is saving him for the playoffs...A suprise for the opposing defenses...I dunno, I'm a fan...They won and they didn't throw the skinny post every play!!

I am a transplanted bears fan living in Florida. I have seen plenty of Buc's games and believe me when I say this,"Brian Griese is not the quarterback you think he is". Stick with Rex. Check the stats of Elway and Favre, I am not saying Rex is as good as those guys, Their stats the first four years into the league were horrible and in todays Win Now world they would have been bench players after 1 year. I say give Rex time. And by the way I am not a Gators fan and it pains me to rout for any former gator player but he can play.

We don't want Hester to do too much or he'll lose the edge he has now. He's able to contribute big plays on special teams, don't mess with it. I'm glad Rex had a good game. He's been taking all the heat when the real problem has been crappy game plans and coaching. A weak defense and a better game plan proved successful last night. I'm glad Jones seems to have corrected his running style, please stay with it. The Rams O made our D look average. That's not a good sign. Three easy games left and then we'll have a chance to show if we can be a good playoff team or not. I know some of you thought the first few games of the season proved that but of course it didn't. Just as this win does not.

Moving south two years ago I miss my Bears immensely as I have to endure watching the Falcons and Jaguars every week.We are really confused with all the controversy about Rex being benched and worried fans concerned about the D. Do these people see other teams games? The Jags with their complete game against the Colts? What happens next week comes to mind here also.The NFL is no longer a league where a team can be as dominant as the 85 team was.Stop being so negative Chi-town and really get behind these guys as a special season is upon you!

i don't know where this talk of the Rams being HORRIBLE on defense... they are terrible against the run at like 31st or 32nd in the league...

But going into the night, their pass defense was 8th in the league.

No different than Romo throwing for 5 TDs against the Bucs.

I feel I have to defend Lovie. Do you honestly think it could be better here? We lose position coaches every single year. Wanny and Dick kept the same guys here for the most part or promoted within once someone left. We still manage to do things around here that hasn't been repeated since Ditka during his better years. We win games and you guys say it's against inferior talent. Every division in the conference is made up of teams that lose to each other. The BEARS have not lost to an NFC opponent. The other Division leaders have lost to teams with losing records. does that make them imposters? We still have two games left within our division. It's not like every single game we played was in our division only. Mainly in our conference. The teams that we lost to were in the AFC and there isn't a person here who feel that the AFC isn't the conference to beat. Miami and N.E. played us tough like everyone else BUT we beat all the teams we were suppose to beat. I don't care about close calls or winning ugly. I've said it before: every one in the NFC is taking turns beating up on each other. We rule our conference like we are suppose to. Who cares that the Saints and the Cowboys are playing each other tough. Each of them has lost to a team with a losing record. Stop believing in them more than you believe in this team. Anyone can be beat. Lovie is our coach. He has been our coach since the bleeding stopped. He has helped it. Regardless whether you like him or not he has helped us become winners. Instilling an attitude that wasn't here for decades. The last two coaches never instilled that toughness that is BEARS football. You may not see it but it's there. You guys talk about the expression on his face and little digs like that. he LAST thing a coach should do is have little hissy fits. Look at Parcells:one of his pupils schooled him on Sunday. He kept it stoic. Gave him a GOOD JOB when it was over. But you could see the steam. If Lovie leaves it'll be just like it was before.Losing and finger-pointing. No coach is perfect. Any one of us could break down their mistakes all game long but that doesn't mean diddly. It's suppose to be the wins. Next coach will be some underpaid coach from the team who makes the playoffs. He'll be some guy who fits the suit and will sign for peanuts. That won't get you far all the time. I wonder if Rons, Rivera and Turner can fit a size 52 sweat-suit and will work for under scale.Because if Lovie leave who else could we possibly get? GO BEARS!!!!

Ok, For all of the people saying last night's game was nothing, the NFL is the NFL. That means teams play hard every week. Every Team. Every play offers another chance to be injured, paralyzed, and at times even killed. It doesn't matter who the Bears played last night. The important thing is that they got the natural ebb and flow of the team back. There is a name for games where a Team's D & O play on the same level. It's called a dominant SHUTOUT. How many of those have the Bears or any other team recorded this season? Not many because its a tough task. My point is the Bears got back their swing. Who was really talking about the D as a whole in the first half of the season? B-Url, and Tommie Harris yes, but as a whole no one. It was all about the O. In fact, if your honest, before Arizona it seemed as though the D wasn't as dominant as last year. The O was carying the D. Needless to say, for most of the second half the D has carried the O. Last night, the O got back to the point where they were able to carry the D, when necessary. That's the ebb and flow of a good team in today's NFL. Special Teams is an extra weapon. Of course, you hope that both the O and the D show up every game,but that is just not going to happen. The NFL is too harsh of a game, and there's always injuries and stamina issues to contend with. But in those games where either the O or D is sluggish, its nice to know that the other side will pick it up. That's what good teams do. Re-establishing that last night is what will have the Bears playing in February. And also, the Rams may be ranked 31st in rushing D, but they are ranked 7th in passing D, with a high powered offense, so last night was no cakewalk...

Of course, because this is a Chicago team we're talking about, we have to endure insipid criticism even after a solid win.

Because I spend so much time being guarded and cynical, I'll start by first expressing my delight that the Bears finally found a game plan that worked with Rex. To his credit, Rex also did a lot of things he needed to do to be functional--checking down and hitting secondary options in the flat, tucking the ball in and running with it when there's nothing available, and relying upon his blockers to give him time. The underthrown passes (especially that one in the 4th to Muhammad that went for 15--if he'd led Moose with the ball, that would have been a 30-yard completion) are a source of concern but, like mikebdot said, Berrian in particular needs to start going for those balls thrown his way instead of watching them fall to the turf (or into the arms of an opponent). All in all, Rex played a consistent, unspectacular game with a few good plays and only a couple of mistakes, which is all he really needed to do. (By the way, while the Rams' run defense is awful, their pass defense is actually pretty good.)

As far as the Bears' defense goes? I wouldn't worry too much--remember how shorthanded they were. While I'm partial to the idea of Hester playing offense, his speed is something the Bears' defensive backs sorely lack. Sure, they gave up four touchdowns and a bunch of yards--but half of that came in what was, essentially, garbage time.

More Devin Hester thoughts: griping about Lovie Smith not allowing Hester to return kicks is, really, just looking for some excuse to criticize a coach who has managed to improve his team's record from last season, clinch a second consecutive division title and first-round playoff bye, and is on the verge of clinching homefield advantage for the second straight year. So Hester didn't return kicks until the past few games--it's a good thing the Bears managed to find a way to win without that happening. Mr. Limbaugh? Is that you?

Quincy--I do like what you have to say for the most part. Hester'd be a good trick option on offense--definitely a good distraction for the D, although I'm not really sure how he'd be as a receiver (note that easy interception he flat-out dropped in the 4th quarter). I don't know if Benson played his way into a starting role (especially considering Thomas Jones has finally stopped playing "Dancing With The Stars" and is actually hitting holes with some conviction), but he is putting some punishment on people that try to tackle him. You're 100% correct about Lance Briggs--when Urlacher comes out and says he'll restructure his contract so Briggs can get a good deal, that tells you what that player means to the team. I don't think Briggs is a good as he thinks he is (and he won't be as good as he is when teams aren't worrying about Brian Urlacher), but he's a tough player and a vital part of the defense.

And where's Mark Bradley? For that matter, where's Rashied Davis? We might have to wait until next year. But that's okay, folks.

Roman, do you remember Rusty Lisch or Will Furrer or even the great Paul Justin? These are all humans the Bears organization once had confidence in. Come on!! Rex will be fine. He's got more guts than all the haters who called for his benching. Especially that weasel Tom Jackson on ESPN. What about the five superb games he started the season with to give the Bears the lead in the division and conference,Roman? What about the wins on the road at New York, Roman? What about the 11-2 record, Roman? Still ready to crown Romo, Roman? Do you now know who Sean Payton is, Roman? Aside from Dan Marino, all the great one had periods of doubt and pain. Remember Johnny Unitas' head being on the chopping block? Jim Plunkett? If the Bears win the Super Bowl with Rex will you eat crow, Roman? I don't think you will. You will slurp him and want to forget these ridiculous anti-Rex comments you have made. If the Bears lose in the playoffs it will be the coaches fault again as it was last year against the Panthers. Injuries especially on "D" and bad game plans are our biggest threats right now. Receivers holding on to balls will build confidence as you saw last night.Devin Hester will make us forget about Mike Brown, Tommie Harris and Nate Vasher for now. Why is Mark Anderson a backup, Roman? Now there's a controversy for ya, Roman.

Roman responds: Did you really just put Johnny Unitas and Rex Grossman in the same argument?

The bears are a great team when they use thier tight end more you know Desmond Clark. They should also try using Mark Bradley more you know he was their best reciever last year and had two break out games when given the chance. All I'm saying is to keep Grossman on track use the tight end to open up the middle of the field which will draw defenders to the middle and then hit them deep. This will help Berrian get more favorable match-ups on the outside and help give Moose his out routes with hardly no one on him. TAKE THIS ADVICE!!!!!!!! GOOOOO BEARRRRSSSSSS AND BULLLLSSSSSSSS

The Bears are a hands-down favorite to win the NFC. Every week there's a trendy new Super Bowl pick from the conference- one week its the Giants, then the Cowboys, then the Saints. The Bears have been the one constant in the NFC all year. All The debate about the NFC should be "Who will lose against the Bears at Soldier Field in the NFC championship game?" And rightfully so. I love watching #23 making huge plays in Chicago. Rex is a stud (the scramble was great). Lovie is a leader of men, and should run for President in '12 after the bears win 5 Super Bowls. Urlacher leads the best linebacking corp in history. Ron "I ruined the Illini" Turner is starting to figure out how to use our numerous weapons. Peanut is the best cornerback in pads. I could go on and on and on. That being said, I'm sad that Tommie can't be a part of the rest of the season. The poor guy must be so bummed. I'm scared for opposing quarterbacks when he gets back on the field next year. Get nice and cozy Bears fans, we're on the brink of a dynasty.

What a beautiful game. Yeah the defense gave up yards and some points, but no defense in the league has been totally dominant. I have noticed a really good trend though. In the second halves of games this year the BEARS have adjusted pretty darn well. When the game was still up for grabs, the defense did what they had to do and stopped the rams to take control. All the yards was underneath stuff. Games are won and lost by how well you adjust and whether you can regain momentum.
I loved the physical play the BEARS displayed. Mckies blast on a would be tackler, fantastic!. Harris hit 3 years ago would have been allright, Just lift your head up next time. Briggs was brutal. Urlacher stopped Jackson cold whenever they met. The best part of the game was hearing the "BEAR" crowd. I'm amazed at how many people are closet BEAR fans, (I know there were alot that drove down to support them, you guys ARE the best fans). I think it's the tradition and history they have. People secretly love, or love to hate, a menacing icon like the BEARS.
You know, pessimists are going to say "just wait until Rex screws up again". REAL fans support their teams and just enjoy the ride. The naysayers are thinking and fretting too much, just like Rex was. I'm just happy that the BEARS are relevant again. Whatever the years outcome is, I'm enjoying these moments. Only 1 teams fans will be happy about the Super Bowl ending. That means 31 others won't. Life is good (except for my IRS issue).
By the way, Rex is from the north not Florida, he'll be okay in weather.
By the way-2, I was dissappointed I wasn't included in your list Mr. William R. Donald.

I don't know about you..but I still don't have the confidence in these Bears like I did in'85. It just seems there is disaster lurking around every corner EXCEPT when there's a kick off or punt return and Hester gets his hands on the ball. I'm even starting to get my concerns about Gould who has missed 3 out of 4 of his last attempts. What's up with that? I REALLY would like to feel more comfortable about DA BELOVED, and maybe I will after our 1st playoff victory. I think that's what it will take. Until then I have fresh supply of BEARS kool-aide ready and waiting for next Sunday when maybe we'll get a glimpse of Griese who really should get some playing time JUST IN CASE!!! Streamwood Frank

Hey Scat, You're a genius! Grossman went to the University of Florida, but was born and raised in Bloomington , Ind. so I think he should be accostomed to winters in the midwest!

The Bears fans that went to the game get an A+. If you think the only true fans are those doing all the boot licking, you would be wrong.

You're back in your zone Rex! Job well done! Hester what can I say your Awesome! We're going to take it all the way, and we are going to win the Super Bowl!!!!!

This season has been like dialogue from "Frankenstein the Bears Fan"

"Grossman good."
"Grossman bad"
"Defense good"
"Defense bad"
"Hester bad"
"Hester good"
"Griese good... probably"

Roman responds: Well-crafted, until you got to "probably." Don't remember the monster using three syllables. Maybe in Young Frankenstein.

Would I be surprised if Grossman threw three interceptions vs. TampaBay next week? No, I wouldn't.
Would I be surprised if he throws for 300 yards and three touchdowns next Sunday? No, again.
In a situation like this the coaching staff and the player himself know more about the problem than the fan does. I trust the coaching staff to make the best decisions. And they decided to stay with Rex cause they feel with him the Bears can win the Super Bowl. They feel Rex gives them a better chance than Griese, and I agree. So, they stuck with him.
All we can say about Rex's Monday night performance was that it was indicative of a mature, competent quarterback - unlike his previous recent games. We know he has the physical talent - but will he have the mindset?

A couple of comments:

The Rams are 8th in the league against the pass because they are close to last against the run. There is no reason to pass against the Rams when you can run all day.

Grossman played well under pretty ideal circumstances. There was no "weather" factor. The Bears could run consistently. The offensive line played relatively well.

The Bears pass defense gave up a lot of yards but they were on the field a lot because of the two Hester touchdowns - and Bulger threw the ball 55 times. It's kind of hard not to give up over 300 passing yards if the opponenent throws that much. There were seldom used defensive players that were forced to play and that experience can only help.

Boy, I wish Benson could get a few more carries. He seems to fall forward on every carry - and he has more breakaway speed than Jones.

The Bears better win the SuperBowl this year because the preliminary schedule is out for next year and the Bears will have to play all the teams in the AFC West and the NFC East, the winner of the NFC South (probably the Saints) and the winner of the NFC West (probably the Seahawks), as well as their division schedule - brutal!

If Grossman can play the remainder of the season like he did against the Rams (a BIG if), we will be in as good a shape as we can be. If he begins to regress again, for the sake of the team and the present opportunity, I think Griese should play. The difficulty is that we may not get a good measure of Grossman given the weakness of the remaining regular season opponents.

I can't say for sure but I think the coaches finally adjusted the game plan so we could succeed. If that's the case then I'll give the coaches a B for the game planning portion. This should have been done during the week following the AZ game but at least they did it in the same season which is unusual for them.

it was a good game...and i said this was rex's last shot...and he came through...but he's gotta continue to get better the next coupla weeks and he'll have another test against TB next week in Chicago where its gonna be pretty cold...Scat...where have you been???last year when the bears played the panthers in the playoffs...was it not january in chicago? and a late game? so was it not cold? and did rex not lead us to 3 td's and 21 points...(no points of turnovers or kick returns)...the defense i think should be the thing that needs to step up.(steve smith last year in playoffs)..rex doesnt need to have a night like last night every night for us to win...our running game has finally surfaced these last couple of weeks and the rams def isnt that bad...(8th against the pass)...i know mike brown and tommie harris are done but there is more than enough on this unit to keep us going...if they play some chicago style defense like they have been the next couple of weeks and the offense keeps doing their thing and hester does what he does best....dont tell me anyone in the nfc (cept saints w/ their offensive fury) can challenge us....the saints will be tough but if vasher and todd johnson are able to return( they werent playing last night) and some adjustments are made...we should be ok...and plus the defense last night gave up 13 pts in first half and almost none in the second half untill the latter parts of the game when it was all but over....so get my level

If you're going to quote stats you might want to pick the ones that mean something. Bragging how we beat up on the 8th ranked pass defense is very misleading. They are 8th in total yards but that doesn't mean squat. They have had fewer passes attempted against them than every team except two and they are only 15th in completion pct., 25th in TDs allowed, 22nd in sacks. And to top it off they are 30th vs. the run. Their D stinks so stop the bragging.

Interesting to see some of the main Rex-bashers are curiously quiet today. Rex stepped up last night and showed that he could manage the game and not make the mistakes that doom a team. With a little help from the running game and better play-calling he looks like he has shaken off whatever was disrupting him. I do think that the last month or so was key in Rex developing into a good young QB. The ball that he threw to Moose in the back of the endzone was perfect and that's when many of us fans knew he was back. Finally nice to see some screens and intermediate passes implemented into the gameplan. Oh and we have a Adrian Peterson sighting on offense. He should be used more, especially 3rd downs where he can run that little middle screen. Benson and Jones shared the load and they could prove to be the change of pace tandem that could work great in the playoffs. The D was playing without some of their staples and still shut down the Rams when the game was still in the balance. They snuffed Bulger and that O in the 3rd when it really mattered. How about the all the Bears players laying the wood last night. C. Harris looked like he wanted to kill someone.(bs penalty!). Not much to say about Hester except WOW! To all the comments about how Rex will do in the cold, the same arguement can be made for the oppposing QB. Finally but most important we won and looked good doing it. This is the cream of the NFC crop. To the Dallas fan who is using a different first name with the same name(Burrancco???) You made absolutely no point in your post. You got undressed by the Saints and at no point did either your O or D look good. .

There was a guy further in the blog who stated it best: the D got toasted! I don't care who quarterback's this team, if they don't get their crap together on D they're done. And even IF, they luck up and make it to the Super Bowl, the Chargers are gonna tear 'em up. I love the Bear's, but I'm also a realist, either they shore up that D or you can all start cryin' in your beer's right now.

Does anyone else here think the Bears Defense needs to learn to blitz? And the TEs need to learn to pickup the blitz, pressure is one thing, but on blitzes last night, Rex never had a chance to throw an interception. We know what we have in Griese (dependable, game manager) let's use these last games to see what we really have in Rex... and work on our pass rush!!!

Is helmet to helmet contact illegal for all people playing football or only the quarterback? When Harris hit that receiver (WHO CAUGHT THE BALL) the announcer said "oh, he led with the helmet, and it was helmet to helmet contact". Is that really a penalty? I thought they were only handing out the "Ronnie Lott penalty" when the ball was nowhere near the receiver. I seriously thought it was only a QB call if there was helmet to helmet contact. Am I wrong?

This is the one thing any Bears fan needs to understand.

IF, and it's still a pretty big IF, the Bears manage to win two playoff games against one so-so and one good NFC team, they are going to need a MUCH more productive offensive performance in the Super Bowl against almost any AFC team except the Ravens.

The defense, without Brown and Harris, almost certainly will not allow less than 28 points if the opposition is the Chargers, Bengals, Colts or Patriots.

With the exception of the Colts, all the other likely AFC champs have better defenses than any of the teams the Bears have beaten this year.

So, Rex, his receivers and Ron Turner still have a good deal of improvement to make if they hope to win it all.

P.S. St. Louis has three of the top 30 receivers in the "number of receptions" category. Also, their passing offense is now 5th in the league. True, it was probably 10th or so prior to last night, but still. It's not as thought the Rams offense was lacking productive players.

As for N.O. and their potential to tear us apart, they have lost games to Baltimore, Pittsburg, Cincinatti, and Carolina. They all have defenses who play very physical. If we can get pressure on them, they are toast. If we play their rookie receiver Colston tough at the line, they are toast.

P.P.S The game N.O. lost to Cincanatti Brees had 510 yards passing and they lost 31-16.

I never said that the Cowboys looked good on Sunday. They were outplayed, outcoached and they deserved to get their teeth kicked in. My point is that the way the Saints prepared and played against them is the same way other playoff teams are going to play against each other. Its amusing to read how Bears fans think that everything has been fixed because Rex didn't throw the ball away. He played better against a weak opponent--he will not go against weak teams in the playoffs. The Bears defense looked terrible without Tommy H. and they are vulnerable. Just like the Cowboys (I hope) they are going into the playoffs with a quarterback that is unproven in big games. If you think that going against the Rams is a big game, well...I feel sorry for you. Don't forget the big break that the Bears got from the obvious fumble that was overturned and the clock not stopping when the Rams were driving---if the Rams had gotten ahead of the Bears, would you put your faith in Rex to lead them to victory? The Bears are beatable and just as good as every other team in the NFC going to the playoffs. Romo had a bad game (1 game so far) Rex has had more. Everything else being equal...I put my faith in the better quarterback. Your punt returner is great! but do you really want to depend on him to win games in the playoffs? The NFC is up for grabs and with the Bears defense no longer being dominating THE BEST QUARTERBACKS WILL LEAD THEIR TEAM TO VICTORY
I trust Romo...how much do you trust Rex???

Turner finally called a game that was meant to fit Rex's abilities and gambles. Took him 12 games. They should have been doing this all year. They threw deep on almost every 1st n 10 on the 1st half drive or 2nd half drive to start. finally that changed. Turners play calling became complacent and Rex was trying to make things up that were not there. The Kid played like crap for a few weeks and everyone gets mixed up in numbers and the latter. The nfl is 16 games and only 6 survive to make the playoffs in each conference. When Chicago signed Griese, Rex's comments were they needed someone to take Jeff Blakes spot. Obiviously Lovie is not afraid to pull the trigger on any player. He pulled it on Mike Green last year and then pulled it on Chris harris this year. There is alot of talent on this team and having it be cohesive is the key to any teams success in the league. People on every teams blogs critize and break down every player, call, decision that is made. One big problem with tooo many BEARS fans are that they live in 1985! There will never be a defense who will dominate totally as that one did. Teams will have flashes and instances of greatness, but no one will ever be exactly like it. On offense, IT was the last time an offense dominated as much. Despite poor numbers from The offense in some games... The bears are 2nd in PPG w/ 27.7 only 2nd to the chargers. Thats TEAM POINTS! On Defense they are 2nd now the Ravens w/ 13.6 ppg. & leads the league in Turnovers. There is 4 weeks left to get the DBs and Dline healthy as best as they can. Vasher, johnson should be back. With hester gaining more PT at CB will only help in Nickel situations. When Playoff time comes a good game plan needs to be in place against any oppenent. Turner and Rivera should be working on that now ahead of time.

Playoff time is coming and Seattle really is not a threat. Giants might not make it. Philly might win the East still and could throw bait into Tuna's net. Only threat is the saints with their weapons. Cowboys will be if they make it. Only because of Demarcus Ware who would eat up Tait and Miller all day. There are 3 games left for the Rest of the NFC to fall into place.

The key stat in the NFL is Consistency. The only thing has had been consistant in chicago is Winning this year. A win is a win and then you show up to play the next week. Any team can win any given Sunday. They key to the bears is not panicking when they go down early. Stick to the game plan and roll the dice. If Rex plays in the playoffs like he did Monday night with the idea if he doesn't do good he will lose his job. Maybe this is what he needed. It sure is what jumped started him the 1st half of the year. When everyone called for him after the preseason and he responded big. He should play all 12 qtrs down the stretch to work it out.

Last point is- If Griese was soo, Good- Why did he end up with the BEARS as a back up? Obviously, All 32 teams thought he wasn't worth to be a STARTER and Chicago signed him to shut up the naysayers about not addressing the QB issue.

Rex is back? Here's the reality, he had a mediocre game against a real bad defense. He has not managed to have even a mediocre game against a good defense. Griese is the quarterback who would take the Bears to a Superbowl VICTORY. That is the goal, RIGHT? To WIN the Superbowl, not just to get there.

Lovie, please teach Chris Harris the rules of the game and how to tackle. Apparently he has no clue.

While I would hardly call myself a Rex doubter, I think that he still has been playing inconsistently this year. He has the ability to look like Johnny Unitas and also the ability to look like Rick Mirer.

I think one of Rex's problems has been overcoming deficits in his head. I think he puts too much pressure on himself if the Bears get down in a game, will he try to get it all back on one throw?

I am not sold on Rex but at the same time I am not sold on any other team in the NFC either.

I also think that this "Bear Weather" edge needs to be forgotten. Fact is that teams have come in to Soldier Field over the years and consistently ripped the Bears at home in the Playoffs.

As in any team, they need to prove themselves and we will not really know what they are made of until January.

We had our rookie PR/KR covering a pro bowl receiver on 3rd downs. You can not lose 3 pro bowlers on defense and one of their back-ups for this game and not expect difficulties. We went against a team that still has pro bowlers and a future hall of famer in the receiver spot. Who wouldn't expect a couple more yards than you usually give up. 2 of those guys will be ready by the playoffs. Being an optimist doesn't mean you're not a realist. Most realists are nothing but pessimists stinking up the joint. I've believed in this team since before the season started. Roman asked us to predict where the BEARS would end up and what their record would be. I said 13-3. If that's optimism everyone should sign up for it. Because if anything it's becoming REALITY. No one said that some of you aren't fans. It mainly comes down to what you're a fan of. ,GO BEARS!!!!

Roman responds: You know, I do feel sorry for some of the fans who just want to have fun with this season. There have been so many down years in all Chicago sports they should be able to enjoy unqualified joy in this Bears team. I guess that's why I take offense to some of the negativity. It's one thing to call for Griese to replace Grossman, but it's another to rip on Smith just for the sake of ripping on him. Maybe he's not Vince Lombardi, but he seems like a good guy and has done a really good job. I didn't think they would be this good this season. And as far as winning the Super Bowl, Lovie Smith has forgotten more about football than the collective football IQ of everyone on this blog. He was on a Super Bowl staff in St. Louis. If they don't win, it doesn't mean he's a bad coach. I guess my point is Bears fans should be allowed to have fun this season. The journey should be as fan as the end resut.

am i mistaken but didn't rex only complete 13 passes against the soft rams!Did anybody see what Drew brees did 2 Dallas!

Roman, for those poor fans you speak of that are just trying to have fun perhaps they should focus on the things they think are fun instead of trying to discredit or criticize other fans that don't share their views. I have fun discussing the intricacies of winning football, others enjoy stroking the egos of their sports heroes. And Roman you do not know how much Lovie knows or how much we know about football so I object to your comment. The truth I believe is that you like him so you defend him. I think he's no better than average with a healthy dose of luck. If that offends you or anyone else that's your problem.

Roman responds: Believe me, in my job, I know a lot of people who think they know it all. One said he knows more than NBA scouts. I asked him what a "single-double" is. It's one of the most basic plays in basketball. He didn't know. OK, let's say Lovie is an "average" coach. He still would know at least 10 times more about football than you, unless you make your living in football as well. And my point was it's hard for some of these fans to enjoy the season when some people do nothing but criticize. But you're right, different people like to discuss different aspects of the game, and that's what this forum is about. So blog away. And I've admitted, I do admire Smith. Just as you have a personal dislike for him.

"It's one thing to call for Griese to replace Grossman, but it's another to rip on Smith just for the sake of ripping on him."

Thanks, Roman. I'm beyond sick of this pervasive antipathy toward the coaching staff--a coaching staff that has provided back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time in a long time. I'm not going to crown Lovie Smith anything yet--but if you told me three years ago that the Bears were going to win this much with two somewhat slower cornerbacks, almost no depth at linebacker, an undersized defensive line, virtually no continuity at wide receiver and absolutely no consistency at quarterback, I'd have laughed (or simply sighed grimly).

To say the Bears' recent success is due to anything other than coaching is insulting. And I don't want to hear anything about the first-round playoff loss last year--yes, they got beat in one game they probably should have won, but you know what? They're going to get another shot at it this year.

Me, I'm trying to maintain the state of guarded optimism I've settled on lately. I've been a Bears fan since before I knew anything about football, and after suffering through the 90's, it's nice to see some W's on the board again. From day one this season, I haven't cared a single iota about a Super Bowl--really, didn't last season show everyone that preseason prognostications are complete baloney?--and I'm still not thinking about anything else except for next sunday. I can't remember what I picked the Bears to finish this season (my heart says 9-7), but I'm happy nonetheless.

True to form, now that win #11 is in the books, I'm going to sit back and wait for the playoffs. Let's hope they can secure home-field advantage.

As trite as this sounds--GO BEARS.

I do not have a personal dislike for him, I have not met him. I disagree with many of his decisions and I'm not impressed with his coaching. The only reason he may know more than I do now is due to the opportunities he's had that I have not. Given the same opportunities I would smoke him. I have 5 years experience coaching football so far so I do know quite a bit. Since you are not an NFL coach either you have no business criticizing anyone else's knowledge. For your information having you and others criticize me because I have a different view takes away from my enjoyment so since you are so concerned about all of us having fun you should prevent yourself and others from doing that.

Roman responds: I'm not criticizing your knowledge, I'm just saying I have yet to meet any fan who knows more than any NFL coach. I have friends who know more trivia than some coaches, but when someone makes a career in football, they know the game. I just have a problem in general with people who think they know everything, which is strange since I'm in the media, and we always think we know everything. And someone who uses the term "boot lickers" can not be offended by what other people say.

Rex didn't do anything special. You think that performance is enough to make us forget about a passer rating of 1.3?? He will never live that down. He beat a jr high school team. What about Dallas, New Orleans, San Diego? Chi fans are so stupid, we don't deserve a SB team because we're to stupid to realize we have one if we change QB's

Is this blog all about Rex...again? The Bears won, whether people think he played well or not, they won as a TEAM. Maybe he didn't give 100%, but the rest of the TEAM was there to make up for it and that's why they are the CHICAGO BEARS and not the Chicago Rex. Let Lovie do his job!

I think that some of the comments that are negative go to personal dislikes, like you stated. I think we have a very good coach. Some of the debate goes beyond coaching. Why don't we debate something that has somewhat of a resolution? Sometimes I'll write longer blogs and Roman will cut it in half because he seems to respect that you guys have opinions and we shouldn't impede on that. Maybe he does the same to you. He cut out a response I made in regard to the boot-licking comment. Hey I feel he should've cut out the initial comment and saved me the remittance. Either way, sometimes people get under someone else's skin. There need to be someone there to respond or cut it out or minimize it. I remember how people used to say that Phil Jackson wasn't a good coach and he was lucky to have Jordan and Pippen and when he left he had Shaq and Kobe. Sometimes it take a good coach to mesh all that talent and do aomething positive with it. Talent is great but it needs to be cultivated and brought to fruition. Coaching can do that. I would say that if you had those talents in place and had nothing to show for it then MAYBE you aren't that good. They say that winning is when preparation and luck are properly executed. If it was that easy:why haven't we had that around here more often? GO BEARS!!!

Why are the BEARS always condidered overated? Why can't the media ever give credit where credit is do? Just like when the Bears played AZ, all the announcers kept saying was that the Bears did not deserve to win, well hell they did, they won, so of course they deserved it. If it were the other way around and any other team was losing and came back to win, they would deserve the credit. How about them BEARS? The media always has to find something to criticize them about, now it's their quarterback. Instead of doubting our quarterback, let's support our CHICAGO TEAM.

Let me clear some of this up for you. The bootlicker comment went out mainly to those that call me a hater etc. so using your logic they should not be offended by what I said. I don't care one way or the other about Lovie personally so knock it off with those accusations. All I care about is how the team is coached and I don't like it.

Hey Big Len, why did the 1.3 make you forget about all the other 100s & 95s? I won't debate whether or not it will change anything but if it was another 1.3 then I'd say you were onto something. It's called"what have you done for us lately"? The last game was better than his previous game,so you hang your hat on that. Now if you're looking for him to revert back to that prior form who can really say. Maybe the pharmacist at Walgreens will give him some of that unsolicited advice that they said he was taking and getting and he'll turn into MR HYDE. I'd rather not wonder that more than relish this last game. And sorry for not giving you the shout out Grizz. That said,GO BEARS!!

mikedot, Looks like you missed that Interference that should have been called. Berrian had no chance for the ball. It was thrown to the Defender.

Mikedot and BBB, Turner admitted BEFORE the Rams game that he had simplified the Playbook as much as possible. Do you really think they are going to win a Playoff game with the 'Playbook simplified as much as possible,' against some of the NFC's Best Defenses???

Blake, it takes awhile for some of us 'rex bashers' to dig up the truth. You might want to find a more fitting verb though. Usually, describing someones obvious faults is not considered bashing of that person.

Chris Harris did not lower his head. He met the Receiver with his shoulder!!!! Replay confirmed it. Just because it was called doesn't mean it was right. Me,myself I loved that hit. I thought all the hits were awesome. The taunting call hurt at the time but who did not like that Jones stood up for himself. Isn't that the I'M Not Taking Nothing from no one type of guy you guys always talk about liking? It just so happens that these zebras can be a little flag happy sometimes.

Roman responds: Harris' hit will be called a penalty 10 out of 10 times. He has to be more careful. And there is no justifying a taunting penalty. They could get away with it vs. the Rams, but not in the playoffs.

Rebecka, to answer your question we stand a better chance of winning a playoff game with adjustments made to the game plan because it hasn't been very good for quite a while. If you start with an ineffective plan it may need changing and not just simplification. If it's a good plan but too complex to execute then simplification is the answer.

Whatever the tackler did to Jones warranted him telling him he wasn't gonna take his crap. If he said "do that again and I'm kicking your blank" then it's up to the discretion of the ref on how far it's gone. Playimg on emotion will have those things happen. Jones does have groin injury and who knows where that came from. Sitting in front of the TV is a lot easier than mixing it up on the field. How many times will Brian be called for roughing the passer like he was on Brad Johnson? Refs call silly penalties sometimes. Then they take TOO long to see instant replay. Players sometimes must be given the opportunity to play without these questionable calls These guys are ALWAYS jawing at each other and I'm sure they're not exchanging recipes or telling each other how they just saved so much money on car insurance. Words are exchanged every other play. Honestly,Hester was taunting way more when he was running in his TDs. Reading lips and hearing guys over a close mike shows it's pretty colorful and x-rated on the field. These refs need to be more consistent. Some of these plays have been in our favor and some are against us. But you can't expect these guys to play a violent sport and not respond to the unnecesssary violence that happens sometimes. Yeah,they missed the offensive interference but they missed a few def.pass interferences too.

Also,how many times have you seen an offensive lineman get in a fight when he thought someone was hurting his QB unnecessarily? Who on his team would be mad at him for standing up for his QB? If he didn't he'd have to answer to it eventually. It's just like in baseball when you hit a batter who showed up the pitcher the last time he batted. Everyone acts like it wasn't suppose to happen and it just got away from me. Look at what happened with the White Sox when a pitcher didn't retaliate. Believe me,some people will gladly take the penalty if a guy stood up for the right reason. Stand up for your man and stand up for yourself. Ask the Ram's defender if Mckie didn't knock him on his butt with a helmet to helmet. Look at all those Holding penalties on the Rams' defensive linemen. Why so many when it is obvious they were doing it before Monday night. Let's be consistent and they won't happen. I would still take Chris Harris' penalty because one highlight can change how a guy catches passes in the future. Sometimes it comes down to what could happen more than what they can't do. The next receiver might drop some passes like Jackson was doing because of what they have seen the BEARS do on film. Hits are more intimidating than pure tackles.

What is lovie right about? That rex can play indoors against a bad rams team? So what? If that is the end goal of the bears season, then congratulations, what a great accomplishment. He should play well indoors in detroit too.

The real question is if rex can win in the playoffs against good teams, and maybe get to the superbowl where really good teams will be waiting. Let's see how rex does at soldier field when the weather is cold and the ball is harder to grip for little guys. That will be the real test.

If the bears don't have griese ready for the playoffs, the bears won't make it to the superbowl. How right will lovie be then?

Roman responds: Yeah, I meant to say the Bears' goal this season is for Rex to play well indoors against a bad team. Good call. Actually, Lovie was right about sticking with Rex on Monday because he knew it would be the perfect confidence-builder. And when Rex is on his game, he's better than Griese. Rex wasn't great, but it still gave his confidence a shot in the arm. I think Griese will get some action in the last three games. That would seem like a smart move to me. Then again, I thought Griese should have started Monday. And I was wrong.

Is it me or does it seem like Rex and lovie can't win for losing? I mean every since the season started some of you have been so critical. I mean, I know I have been supportive of them, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but geesh! It's bad enough Everyone else is finding excuses why the Saint's or Cowboys are "Team to beat" in the NFC dispite the Bears Records, but we gotta have Bears fans anylizing every pass Rex throws, or every coaching move Lovie makes. I only have one thing to say; If Rex was such a bad QB, or Lovie was such an awful coach, then why are we 11-2?

OK...where are all the experts? All those media types, TV and print, who criticized the Bears staff for not drafting a wide receiver or a tight end? Hmmm, it seems they forget how they,(the media), blasted the Bears 2006 draft picks! Remember when the Bears traded DOWN, from the first round into the second, and they were criticized for it? Well, those are the same people who now are praising the drafting of Devin Hester and Danieal Manning, who were drafted in the second round. The bottom line here is, the media is paid to report the news not try to MAKE news, by creating controversy. So... Bears fans, use that Mariotti column to train your Christmas puppy, or line your bird cage....because THAT'S ALL it's good for. Tune in to the NFL channel, instead of the nightly sports report on the local news channels, or better yet.....tuck in the kids, and let them have sweet dreams of seeing the Bears in the Super Bowl.

Here's the answer to your question Jermaine...

A very easy schedule, lots of luck and a very talented group of players most of which were on the roster before Lovie arrived.

My question is... Why aren't we 13-0 and humming along at top efficiency? Because the coaching staff isn't very good.

You seem more concerned about how much love Lovie should get than what he's doing to get this team ready to be champs. That's what I've been concerned about all along, I still am.

Amen Jermaine. Why dont we all just accept the fact that Rex is our quarterback because there is nothing we can do to change that. Then lets focus on beating the crap out of Tampa and also hope for a Saints loss. Then we'll wrap up #1 seed and all the Rex and Lovie haters will get what they've been wanting....playing time for Griese! And I guarantee if Griese does play against the pathetic teams left on our schedule and has QB ratings above 100 we'll hear all the crap again. "I told you so, see how good he is! He is what the Bears need to win the playoffs!" Yet if Rex plays good against those same teams it wont be considered a real test...

Rex will start in the playoffs, again nothing anyone can do to change that. So we'll all just have to root for him and hope he can play against the better teams. I think he can. And if you are not on his side come playoff time, then you are not much of a fan.

Roman, I can't believe how combative everybody is considering the BEARS are 11-2. You're absolutely right when it comes to somebody who thinks they're an expert when they haven't coached in the NFL for 1 second. The season has been great so far, and I'm enjoying it. When you look back on a season, I would rather have the memory of how much fun it was rather than have been stressing all year because of what might happen. As I said before 31 cities fans will feel terrible after the season, I won't.
One of the secrets to life is not stressing over the things you can't control.
When I played in college, I could live with myself after a loss because I knew I left everything I had on the field. Thats the problem with fans, they haven't had that battle to measure themselves and say "they were just better today". I know it's harder on the fans than the players for just that reason.
Thanks for this outlet for my BEARing of feelings, nobody wants to talk about the BEARS down here.

Roman, I was one of the oddballs who thought that Lovie was right in keeping Rex as the starter. I kept saying as long as they are winning let him play after all they are 10-2 with him as the starter.

BBB - "Given the same opportunities, I would smoke [Lovie]?"

Given the same opportunities, I'd have Denzel Washington's Oscars, Barack Obama's political clout, and Langston Hughes' literary esteem.

I'm not going to tell you you're forbidden from thinking the Bears are poorly coached, but empirical evidence suggests that, at the very least, Lovie Smith is faring considerably better than the guy he replaced. You don't win 11 games in the NFL despite bad coaching, even if it is in the NFC North. Smith's team has done it for two consecutive seasons. I'm not some pollyanna who's looking toward Miami with rose-colored glasses--I think it's pretty likely the Bears are headed for another early-round playoff exit--butI find it hard to believe anyone could say the Bears are a poorly coached team unless they had some personal vendetta against the coaches.

Believe me, I know. I have twenty-six years' football watching experience.

C'mon now BBB. Does that mean only undefeated teams have good coaching? Is the league really filled with bad coaches then?

The only thing Lovie can do to prepare them to be champions is get them ready for the next game. We are playing Tampa next game, not a playoff game so no matter what the outcome of the game no one will be satisfied.

The weather will be a factor all the way up until the SB. The game will be played in the same climate as the Rams' game. When was the last time we had a SB played in bad weather? It's been in a dome or a warm weather-state so long that I forget the last one. There are a lot of reasons why the SB will be up for grabs. One is no matter what there will be no home team. Just fans screaming at a tepid pace. No team ever had to go to silent counts or things of that nature. With the constant TV time-outs the true fans run out of reasons to cheer. And the long Half-time shows make it very sublime. Whoever responds to the starts and stops better will be the benefactors. Yeah, Miami is an AFC town but that wouldn't give the AFC the advantage. The experienced team should go all the way. I know that the AFC has owned the SB lately but things change. Do any of you think the BEARS will approach that game like the regular season. I don't even think they'll be showing what they've got the rest of the way. Lovie is old-school. Just like he still call time-outs before the opposing kicker attempts a kick. We'll start the play-offs like we started the season:with something we didn't show ALL preseason. Like I said:We're in the middle of exhibition season again. I promise you that Hester will get some looks on offense when the time is right. You guys can fret and wonder how it'll all play out but I'm confident that we'll be O.K. Don't let close wins the rest of the season make you lose sleep. Losing to the Panthers is still on this team's mind. They wanna correct that oversight this time around.I know they wish they could play the Pathers again. But no matter what that's not gonna happen. The D will come thru. I know this team shows blitz and fall back. But in the post season we'll turn them loose. All our DBs will be ready. They're saving them for the expected shoot outs. With all of them healthy we'll see a different D than what we're seeing now and really in the past. They are playing only cover-2. When before they were not so much. We'll be fine. They'll bring the Lombardi trophy back to Chicago. Just don't expect for it all to feel like it did in 85. This ain't your daddy's BEARS.

Grizz you are absolutely right. I didn't get the chance to enjoy the 85 season because I was at Ft.Meade Maryland in the ARMY. I watched every game that I could but we were in the Washington market for games. I had to watch the Redskins and that pompous jackass Theismann most of the time. He had a show and he always blamed everyone for everything and NEVER took the blame. That was the year LT broke his leg. That was more gruesome than watching Seau's arm hanging. Man,remember how they kept repeating it? SOOO many people complained that it made them sick. THat's why the won't overdo it now. It was hard to go out and practice after that for our company team. But we had to because we wanted to go to the TURKEY-BOWL. But we didn't make it. OH,memories.GO BEARS!!

C'mon now BBB. Does that mean only undefeated teams have good coaching? Is the league really filled with bad coaches then?...MarkB

Don't be silly, that's not what I meant at all.

The only thing Lovie can do to prepare them to be champions is get them ready for the next game. We are playing Tampa next game... MarkB

Have you ever heard of preparing for future challenges?

All I know is we have reached the playoffs 2 years in a row for the first time in years under Lovie's watch. I not going to say he is a genius or anything, I'm saying he has the Bears winning consistently again. I mean just because we lost 2 games, to me, doesn't necessarily makes him a bad coach. It wasn't luck, as you stated earlier in one of your posts, why we're 1 game from locking up home field advantage throughout. It took some skill and knowledge. I admire the fact that you've been a Bear fan before I was even a twinkle in my parents eyes, and that you, like most Bear fans demand perfection. However, I have to say that Lovie as well as the Players played a roll in the team's overall success. Besides, his record speaks for itself. Everywhere the guy coached, he's won. One other question; Why was the 5-O searching Tank Johnson's home? I don't like that...

All I keep hearing is the bears beat bad teams, they haven't been tested all year, just wait 'til they play a good team. Well, for the last twelve weeks it was the Colts show and how this was their year to make ti all the way.
They just got throttled by a MEDIOCRE Jags team. They couldn't stop a high school RB let alone a pro. Oh, wait I forgot, this is their second loss in a row. They lost to a BAD Titans team. WHere are all the haters on them. I haven't seen the ESPN blitz on how their season is crumbling. But I still keep seeing debates on whether Rex is the right quarterback or whther to play Jones or Benson.
Let's be glad that the Bears are being criticized and still winning. They have no contol over their schedule and how terrible the NFC would be.
I'll take an ugly win over a loss any day of the week.

Funny , Rex has one mediorce game & now you'd think he is another Unitas? Grossman real test will be in playoffs . Bears pretty much have won in spite of Rex. In playoffs you have to be playing your best at all positions to succeed. Turnovers will cost team dearly. Rex still looks like a deer in headlights to me unless proven different.

Yeah lovie was right, rex is his quarterback, and they're 11 and 2. But i think jonathon quinn was also lovie's quarterback. And Terry Shea was his offensive coordinator. Guess lovie really showed all those critics and skeptics. Of course they still haven't won anything, unless you count one of eight divisions as a championship, wonder how those hats sold. Or one of twelve playoff spots as a big accomplishment. This team should be get in the superbowl, but maybe Rex fans are happy with just beating St louis.

I am not being silly but I think you are being a little unrealistic. No coaching staff coaches the perfect game. The biggest problem for the Bears this year has been the turnovers (usually Rex) and its very hard to coach through that. The Bears are coaching Rex through that by sticking with him as the starter and getting him better prior to the playoffs. What is top efficiency anyway? They are #2 in scoring and #2 in points allowed with the largest point differential in the league. Sounds pretty good at least!

The fact that the BEARS won their division as early as they did and the other divisons are unsettled speaks very well of the BEARS. Don't think because it's the north that that make it easy. For a coach to get the most from his players and then succeed speaks highly of the coach. So, the north is weak and the NFC is weak. You still have to saddle them up and ride. No team has laid down for the BEARS and most played inspired ball against them. There is absolutely no perfection in the NFL. Every single team has lost 2 or more games. Don't hate them because you expect them to be perfect. Some of you have said that if they didn't lose one that they wouldn't appreciate winning and thus would be likely to lose in the post season. Why change your mind now unless you just want to throw cold water on something. Anything can happen when two teams meet on Sundays. Luck runs out. Ask 2001 players. If Brown wasn't hurt against the Panthers very likely we would have won. We werte ill-prepared to defend in that game because no one really expected for him to be hurt. The guy is so much better than we have. Why do you think they spent so much on DBs in free agency and drafted so many. We were short-handed and they won't repeat that mistake twice. EVERY team in the NFL has flaws that can be exploited. The Saints and everyone else is showing everyone what they have because they are in a dead-heat and are trying everything in their arsenal to win games. The BEARS don't have to do that. They been so far ahead that they haven't had to show much for a while. We've been in exhibition mode since the Patriots. WE WILL BE O.K. GO BEARS!!!!

I'm not being unrealistic or demanding perfection either. Stop exaggerating. I see another playoff debacle headed our way and it will be the direct result of poor coaching. Not everything he does is wrong so don't accuse me of saying that either. But, many things have been done wrong or poorly or not at all. I guess some can't see it. You'll be the ones most heart broken when it happens. I'm not a stat spewer but I'm sure I could find some to make my point. The problem with the scoring stats you used is that it’s mostly accounted for early in the season vs. bad teams and we are not playing like that anymore. If just reaching the playoffs is how you define success then the season is over, go celebrate. See you next year. Go knit Lovie a sweater or something. BTW - this team has a very strong roster. It only takes an average coaching staff to see the results we've seen so far. An above average coaching staff would get more, enough to win it all. It's not too late if changes are made but based on past performance it doesn't look very likely.

What color do you think he'd like? Hey, I want a Super Bowl as much as the next Bears fan. I guess you and I will agree to disagree because I think Lovie is doing a fine job. He has the team motivated, he has shown the ability to dominate teams, and when they dont he and his staff makes great half-time adjustments shown in several close 1st half games that they dominated in the 2nd half (NY Giants, NY Jets, Minnesota 2, St Louis). That last thing will be the most important come playoff time.

I think the Bears got lucky for a long time without Mike Brown. Rarely is his loss mentioned, but now with Harris and Johnson gone, the Bears might be an average defense the rest of the way.

Might it be time for the offense to carry the team from here on out?

Aye-yah. We'll see.