Most people feel the Cowboys are going to win today, perhaps dominate, and rattle Rex Grossman all game. It's enough to make me think the Bears will pull out the victory.
Tony Romo hasn't seen the type of defense he's going to face today. The new, blitzing Bears defense will let Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs get to Romo.
And it seems almost every time we write off Rex for dead, he delivers the one good game to make everybody think there's still hope. Remember last year heading into St. Louis?
Then again, it's a night game on national television. Not his strong suit.
Roman, you really should consider starting a Sunday morning fantasy chat. I'm not the only fantasy football geek out there! I bet it would be very popular.
Good or Bad Rex? Or, Is It Good or Bad Ron?
Well, we all know the game depends a lot on Good Rex or Bad Rex. But, what about Good Ron (Turner) or Bad Ron? Isn't it time Ron Turner starts to get the blame for the Bears poor offensive performance? Why is it always dumped on Rex?
Ron Turner SHOULD have some kind of grasp about what his players can and can't do by now. Last year, QB coach Wade Wilson was fired and rightfully so due to his inability to correct Grossman's poor fundamentals and reads. However, the Bears hired Pep Hamilton to strictly work on those things and isn't included in the play-calling or game planning, it's all in Turner's court this year.
Rex has been told so many things lately about his play that he seems to be frozen at times in what to do. But, the one thing I will tell Grossman to do is RUN, REX, RUN! If he scrambles that will open up the defense and allow some cushion for his receivers and help offset the huge pressure he's sure to face on Sunday night.
KEYS FOR THE DALLAS GAME:
Phase 1:
OFFENSE:
1. Ball control, run the clock, take what the defense gives
2. Rein Rex in and spread the ball around to all your weapons
3. O-Line needs to get off the ball and work together
4. Pickup the free man on blitzes, keep the back in with his head on a swivel looking for the free man.
5. 2 or less turnovers
Phase 2:
DEFENSE:
1. Limit YACs (yards after catches)
2. Confuse Romo with different coverages and blitzes
3. D-Line needs to use their quickness to get to the gaps fast against 'mammoth' Dallas O-Line.
4. Bully Terrell Owens....don't miss any opportunity to hit him hard
5. Force 3 Dallas turnovers (1 for TD, Urlacher?)
Phase 3:
SPECIAL TEAMS:
1. Go after the Dallas punter...force a block (TD?) and bad punts
2. Utilize upmen on kickoffs to run squib kicks into Dallas territory
3. Pin Dallas in with avg. starting position at their own 18-22 yd. line
4. Maynard or Johnson need to keep the ball up and average 39 yds/punt(Don't outkick the coverage)
5. Robbie Gould needs to kickoff to goaline or within 5 yd. line and hit the critcial field goals (game winner with time expiring?)
Phase 4:
FANS:
1. Need to drown out the 15% of the crowd which will be Cowboys fans
2. Not boo Rex too quickly and give him a few chances, then, if he doesn't respond..start the 'GRIESE" chants.
3. Show up and bring some enthusiasm
4. Don't sit on your hands
5. Wait until a stoppage to get in/out of your seats
If Bears can hit 3/5 on each of these areas, expect:
Bears 24 Cowboys 23
I think Bears fans' biggest challenge this year will be to stay sober or simply not pass out before game times....this stinks...
Personally, I don't need to prove I can drop and 18 pack, do shots, and remain erect...
I'm a true Chicagoan/Bears,Bulls,Cubs,Blackhawks fan....I worry about others, tho...
This game...if we win...it will be because of our Defense...if we lose, it will be due to field position gifts from RexandCed...and coupled with punter troubles....yeah, great
I really hope this is Rex's last game as a Bear...before Green Bay...Detroit..even Minnesota (they have no QB and he's better than Rex)
Rex will definitely end his career as a Bear in Lambert, tho...
Oh, this one hurts...
Bears..13 (2 fg's/defense scores)
Cowboys..19
Julie, I forgot to respond to you about FF...I didn't draft anyone and there's no money in the leagues I did, so I don't pay attention to my team much...I dropped Favre cuz it just felt dirty...and I'm waiting for Culpepper to start...
Bears and Raiders are my teams, so I'm using the homer strategy this year...so no way am I getting rid of Hester...as soon as we get a QB with
Roman responds: Hey Hitman, please clean it up. I'm not going to post your stuff anymore if you keep trying to slip in stuff like that. Thanks.
"This game...if we win...it will be because of our Defense...if we lose, it will be due to field position gifts from RexandCed...and coupled with punter troubles." (hitard)
dude...thats so convienant of you...its like...one of my old Dbag coaches used to say.....if we won..it was "oh...We win", but..if we lost..it was...."i cant believe you guys lost"
like...wait...where did you go while we were losing coach?...you were here when we were winning.
So typical for a bandwagonier.
bears 27
cowpies 17
Bears Offense is too inept to overcome Turnovers. Lose the TO battle and lose the Game. They need for the Defense to get some takeaways and give the Offense a short Field. Thats probably the only way they can win. I see Farve is lighting up that "Great" Chargers D. First New England and now the Pack. Makes one wonder how bad is this Bears Offense that they could only get 3 points off them?
I hope I'm proven wrong here, but I'll be watching tonight's game with my hands covering my eyes; occasionally and reluctantly peeking, like a child at his first horror movie.
I couldn't bet against the Bears and still enjoy the game, but the Cowboys and that 2 1/2 points looks very attractive.
I can't even bet the "over" because if the score is anywhere above 40, that means the Bears will have lost.
I don't expect much out of Grossman tonight, (although I would love to be pleasantly surprised) so the only way I see da Beloved winning this game is if they can make it a defensive struggle, and shine on special teams.
I wish them all the best, but I'll be hanging onto my money this evening.
lol nice...if I have to be hitard..you gotta be btard....and sorry Roman.....I will never even rhyme with short or say anything near the word curly anywhere near one another.... in the same sentence.... ever again anywhere near.....your blog again....I'm banned now, huh?....I do slip...but congrats to the stupid pacer fans...favre rules/grossman drules...youre the coolest..
well, 3 more hours till gametime... I've had a running start...this was kinda an unfair thing...scheduling games late....the jeager girls and the miller lite girls owe me a visit for all this trouble..
bculz is down with the ellipseeeeeeees....
and so what I like DaRaidahs...bandwagoner?..70's Raiders...most juiced up roid ragin team of the decade...penalized most...AND....Championships... Snake baby
And Dick Butkus picked me up at some appliance store he was endorsing/making an appearance at... on Broadway...in Gary.. when I was about 3...soryy double eat it on the bandwagon thing....my cred and knowledge tower......y..... over most....as I sprain my arm
2 hours and 54 minutes till game time....Go Cubs...Magic # is 4....we have a magic number....and it isn't 8 or 32...thank God
19 to 13...Cowboys
Special teams wins games....4 out of 5 Devin Hesters surveyed recommend Special teams as a way to test your manhood....Can Devin and the defense win another one?...
23 is a good number
Hitman, I'm in 2 leagues both for $$$. I'm worried about starting Romo (I currently have him reserved, but I have up until 5 min. before kick-off to change it), especially when I have VY against a weak Saints D tomorrow, but something is telling me Romo could light it up tonight. My head is telling me never to start anyone against the Bears, and I hate watching my fantasy players play against my real-life team, especially in person. I just have this feeling about Romo..... At least I won't have to watch Keith Olberman talk about himself on the stupid NBC halftime show.
BTW, nothing wrong with the homer strategy. Just ask Culzie. In my other league, I have the Bears and Bernard Berrian. Come to think of it, Marion Barber is my flex player in that league, so I'll have a lot to keep track of tonight. Anyway, I hope your players are puttin' up for you today.
Cowboys 31
Bears 10
Grossman will throw another two picks and will fumble once, leading to 17 of the Cowboys points. Defense returns an INT for a TD.
After the game Angelo announces that he has signed Grossman to a long-term deal so he doesn't have to face yet another 1st/2nd round draft bust.
If Rex can't manage a game and our O turns the ball over like it has we're done. I'm not impressed with Romo because he hasn't beat any team with a good defense. If he beats this D I'll be impressed. But if they squeak by with a win after our O lets us down then I'm right back to being unimpressed. Owens hasn't been Superman but once against us and that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. He'll get a few. I like how our Defensive coordinator is utilizing our players better than the last one. After today we may be even scarier to other teams. I'll withhold my judgment against our Offense until after the game.
OK, I had to turn the volume off after the 3rd reference to good Rex/bad Rex.
Can we add to that bad O line and bad receivers??? I mean they both suck...
hm. ow. that's just no good.
Um Um Um... This guy is so bad they need to cut him a check and release him. There was only ONE quarterback on the field that looked like Farve today. Totally disheartening.
John F......WOW!
What numbers should I play in the lottery on Monday?
Grossman just walked out on the press.
So long loser. Don't let the door hit you in the ass... he would probably fumble if it did anyway.
Mohamad gave up on more routes than a mailman(person),Berrian dropped more balls than Michael Barret, the Bears had more
'loser' injuries than Griffey Junior and A-rod combined. I am done with this Grossman and Benson Garbage. Get rid of the whole O-line.
Put Griese in...........Just for a change of pace..............please..........pretty please...prove to us that Wrecks Grossman is our best choice. Oh....and it Looks like Lance is sitting out quite a few games..............maybe dreams do come true. I can't believe we are going to lose to the Packers twice this year. Am I premature? I have been a pretty strong supporter of things through thick and thin. Maybe I am a moron...like you people keep telling me. Oh.......and fire Lovie too!!!!!!!!!!
"Without RexandCed....."
I mean really...can those two be more pathetic?
I'm tellin ya, get Kyle in there as soon as possible...or this season is spent...and the next.....
Greise isn't taking us anywhere...Kyle will finally get his second year...you know that fabled second year (out of 5) Grossman is having right now...
I wanna see Kyle Orton's sophomore season....Greise will still be there if needed...
Julie, when I play FF QB's, it's based mostly on who they have to throw to....Romo has some nice targets....Hey, looks like I'm gonna get my Daunte Plunkett dream, too...
It was nice to see TJ do well today...
Ced...2.8 yards per carry? another fumble?
Rex..another sub 30 QB rating? 3 picks?
"Without RexandCed....."
Still not greatly impressed. Not with Rex,Berrien, Benson and the worst of the bunch Archeluta. Don't tell me we got rid of Harris for that. He was like a human pinball. Without Mike Brown we have no swagger. And maybe now fans will see what life without Briggs will be like. Jamar isn't ready or even close. Ayabendaya was better when he came in last year to take HH's place. Excuse me but why does Urlacher miss so many tackles? Especially the ones where they aren't that hard. Fans were saying how he is the one making Briggs look good but why didn't it rub off onto Williams. Urlacher is still good don't get me wrong but sometimes it's maddening when someone blows him up. Berrian should be glad if he gets the veteran minimum because his game is severely weak. They know they can strip him once he gets the ball so maybe it was better that he couldn't hold onto anything. and Benson... Where do I start? On the day where Jones bust 100+ this guy lays it on the ground AGAIN. Where is his heart? And Rex...Bless him or exorcise him. Don't tell me that dropped balls will make you lose your composure like that. Eli Manning had guys drop way more than ours, today, and he stayed in it long enough to get a win. I'm done giving him the benefit of the doubt. He's not going to burn you guys like Harbaugh did by becoming a better QB after he leaves here. He's not a reliever who got better after he left the CUBs like so many did. He's not going to leave here and become an ICON anywhere else. No. No. No. Forget Chicago's history of letting a guy go and he flourish somewhere else. Rex is not that guy. Harbaugh never had the support from the coaching staff like Rex has. His eggs are scrambled and his can is bent. Stop propping him up when it is unnecessary. Not much better is sitting on the bench and just like we're stuck with a few guys who are not better than the ones we let go,we know why it all happened and who's to blame. Just when I finally get a job that doesn't interfere with me watching the games they become unBEARable to watch.
Time for Rex "Makes Me' Grossman to play end, guard, and tackle; sit on the end of the bench, guard the water cooler and tackle anyone that takes it.
I knew I should've started Romo! UGH!!!!!!!
The Bears are who we thought they were...Tony Romo is the "real deal"
A special shout out to all those drunk and obnoxious fans that sat around us at the stadium and harrassed us unmercifuly during the first half...look who has the last laugh now! The only thing better than the Cowboys spanking the Bears and their terrible defense on national television was the look on those drunk fans faces as they slowly marched out of the stadium before the game was over. You reap what you sow...
P.S. Alex Brown...what was that you said about Tony Romo?
Another note Roman,
Why is Bradley the 5th wideout, you mean Rashied(I can only catch when I'm open) Davis and Hester are better Receivers than Bradley???
As Hitman has been saying, looks Like Lovie and Angelo really screwed the pooch on this one.
What a way to start the season! The Cowboys gave the Bears an old fashioned, embarassing 34-10 beating in Soldier Field. Grossman has officially ended his career as a Bears QB. He should be benched for the rest of the season, Brian Griese needs to start, Kyle Orton should be his back-up, and Grossman should be let go when the season ends. As for Cedric Benson, he's looking like Rashaan Salaam. Having butterfingers will get him going nowhere. Thomas Jones is laughing his butt off with the Jets at the expense of Benson with the Bears. This proves that the Bears made the wrong move in letting TJ go. Benson isn't worth a penny of the $16 million he's getting with the Bears. Hopefully the Bears won't make a mistake like this in the future. They should be looking for a quality RB via a trade or in the draft next year. It's obvious Benson's not the solution. As for the offense, they must be still on vacation because it's nowhere to be seen. Through three games, the Bears offense has racked up 37 points. That's only three more than the 34 the Cowboys put up, and the Cowboys did this in one game. The Bears offense needs to step it up. The defense can only do so much, and now that the injuries are piling up on that side of the ball, the offense has no choice but to step it up. If they don't, the Bears will end up fighting with Minnesota for last place in the NFC North, and that will kill me.
Where's Chris Leak when you need him.
No matter how you look at this, we lost and we are injured on defense. We can blame Rex/Ron or Pappa Halas. But the bottom line is can we nurse our injuries and make the playoffs. We have a lot of football left. So lets Bear Down and support our team.
"So lets Bear Down and support our team."... You mean Grossman down and support the team?
When they stunk and we had Ultraback, Rashaan Salaam, Lewis Tillman for goodness sake, I still wore my Bears jersey proud. Lost to Greenbay EVERY year. Blew up by Detroit. Cade, somebody please stop me....forget it this time, trade for a real backup RB. Put Bradley as the 3rd wideout, do we still run slant routes, or are all hitch out, and hitch in, give me a four wide package with no screen, and if we do screen, how about a screen up the middle. If Benson is so good let him be his own lead blocker. Put Clark as 4th wideout, and let the kid be TE in 4 wr package, that way we can still go 2-TE one of our strengths. We have the New Orleans syndrome, trying to do too many different things. Let's line up and play with some effort here, cuz we were out-classed yeasterday. Way out-classed.
On defense how about some cover 3, and some covering the hook zone. Let the line slant down(we did do that a few times, but mix it up with straight rushes and stunts. When they stopped running that one drive, make the adjustment. I know Babich is still learning on the job, but as EVERYONE has been saying, the time to make some noise is NOW!!!!
As a Rex fan I was very disappointed but he's not getting any help. Berrian dropped what... 3 balls including a possible TD? Also working against him is being compared to Romo, who's about to become a star, amazing footwork, movement and in the pocket and field vision, all major problems for Rex. But then Romo has Owens to always look for when in trouble. Who can Rex rely on? (and Jason Garret has proven to be twice the play caller Ron Turner is)
also.
Cedric Benson blows. It's that simple. He has the shiftiness of an elephant in a room, yet he's no Earl Cambpbell and the Bears offensive line isn't like the Emmitt Smith Cowboy lines.
The Bears don't have an offensive identity. Love says they are a running team, but they're not because they cannot run effectively with Benson. Last year it started out slowly, but Rex was able to sling the ball deep to Berrian and surprise people... nobody was gameplanning for the likes of Berrian.
and btw.. on the defensive side of the ball.
Is it just me or is Adam Archuleta regularly getting abused, especially in pass coverage by opposing TE's? maybe Wash knew something after all when it released him? Maybe he's simply not fast and athletic enough - after all, he is white, isn't he (sorry for being politically incorrect but the truth is what it is, how many white boys other than John Lynch play in NFL secondaries?