Where did it go wrong?

Between all of the commercials, that ran long, all of the penelty flags, some verty questionable for both sides the NFL is getting to be unwatchable.

The Bears had their chances, they are not as good as THEY think, and they have to press and go for the kill when the advantage is theirs. Lovey is wrong to think he can just ride it out and win 10-3. The NFL rules give the offense that passes all the breaks in the world.

At some point the Bears will get a real OC and headcoach. I'm still waiting.

Orton was fine I expect some kinks going deep with a new receiving corps early in the season. What hurt us was those turnovers(one killed a 60+ yard drive) and the silly penalties on not only offense but special teams which totally shifted the field position battle in their favor.

Think about the normal bears key to victories

run the football

stop the run

limit penalties

time of possession

field position

turnovers

and then think about what happened today.

Lovey is no match for John Fox. He makes adjustments, we don't. I know you can blame Turner for some horrible play calling at the end, Kyles inaccuracy deep, Olson's fumbles, but the buck stops at Lovie and he is a mediocre coach coaching a pretty good team

The Bears let the lead get away and they didn't do anything about it. The offense has to get more creative. How come they were moving with such a good clip in the beginning, and then suddenly the only play they could run was handoff up the middle to Forte? The short passes and drag routes were working. Stay with it. The defense played fine, but Stewart is a beast. Ron Turner on the other hand frustrates to no end.

Hey. What about the DEFENSE? Sure the offense stunk something fierce, but what's new? Did you expect Orton to just be Joe Montana? The Bears D were the ones who allowed 17 points to be scored on them in the second half! The Mug is killing me! Every time I see it I just know that a better-than-average QB like Hayseed Jake Delhomme is going to exploit the man coverage on the corners. Every time. It worked great against Indy...but not against Carolina. Babich, I beseech thee, go back to the 4-3!

The offense has it's own problems, but I really was not displeased with Orton's performance. He didn't turn it over. He managed the game...well enough, I guess. The worst things he did were being inaccurate with the deeper balls...but you have got to make plays longer than 15 yards! Oh, and Greg...try to hold onto the ball next time. Waste of a draft pick, if you ask me. He can't block very well and he is apparently fumble-prone. Nifty. Orton will learn and become better with his timing. But the key to success in this town is the DEFENSE.

Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.

I think the problem is pretty clear! Its the same as 2005. Orton cannot beat a defense that is up on the line to stop the run. He will consistently miss the deep ball and therefore the combination of running and short passes are easy to stop. Watch for this trend to continue throughout the season. Everyone will complain about Ron Turner, but what are his options? If Orton cannot make a 15+ yard pass... then expect the running game to eventually be stopped, leading to a tired defense, leading to a second half collapse.

The Bears got beat up in the second half. how does chris freakin harris knock Garza 8 years the wrong direction. I see why olsen slipped so low in the draft....not only did he fumble twice, his blocking just sucked!!! Stupid Macgowan, how many f ups on that guy today. with all the money spent on #54-55 and 91 where was the pressure?? Did tommie harris play at all today?? 4th and 1 game on the line, and the panther's are stacking the middle.... what does Turner call? Hand off to Mckie right up the moddle....what a joke.

Get some qulity o freakin lineman in here or this year will be gone in 4 games..

UGLY!!

you nailed it Roman...and...Orton sucked, lets face it, he did nothing right, accept that one thread the needle pass.

ill give him a few more games, but....if he's not the answer, lets not throw the season away trying to figure it out.

Early in the season with no clearcut #1 guy or any speed at the position the deep ball just is not gonna click early like that.

Look at how Gamble was playing on Ortons right side that guy was chin to chin with whatever receiver we put over there not because Orton cant throw 15+ yards but because none of our receivers put fear into anyone.Speed kills in the nfl and we have none but thats not our strength anyway.Taking care of the ball, limiting penalties and controlling the clock. We did one out of three in the second half and we lost the game .

back to receivers if you have 8 in the box you have to have receivers with the ability to get separation at the line and can get behind the defense within 4-5 seconds .How many receivers on the bears have that ability ? Orton mistimed several passes but what the bears need they dont have anyone with those skills . Its like we have a team full of possession receivers .Last week it was does Orton have the arm strength now its hes over throwing them :) If that was Berrian instead of Booker he runs under that ball in full stride and its a touchdown.

Hank, What are you smoking ? Blame the "D" ? If they did'nt have to constantly defend a short field, and were able to rest alittle longer than a three and out allows, you might see better production. On the other hand, you have a QB who was 1 for 10 in attempts over 15 yds., missing WIDE OPEN recievers !!! Olsen's lack of hand's certainly did'nt help either, another sterling first round pick for Jerry !

Geez... where to start? Let's see - Orton averaged less than 5 yards per pass attempt. Decent blocking, but poor WR and TE play. These guys can't afford ANY drops, but they keep dropping them, and fumbling, too.

McGowan is the human defensive lapse. Why is he on the team again? Seriously, he reminded me of Archuleta. Where was the pass rush, too? If you let any NFL QB have all day to throw, he is going to beat you. Message to Lovie - the four man rush does NOT work consistently in the NFL. You are supposed to adapt your game plan to counter what the opponent does, we don't do that consistently.

I think it is looking like Booker might be finished. It doesn't seem like he has shown he can really help us. I don't want to give up on the guy yet, but it looks pretty bad.

While the fumbles and penalties were costly, I'm more concerned about Orton. The fumbles can be remedied. But Orton has never shown the ability to hit medium to deep passes with any kind of consistency. He is great at making reads, managing the clock, recognizing defenses, etc...but how can he overcome his own talent deficiencies? As Carolina did, other teams will continually show 8 and 9 man fronts, with a single deep safety and dare Orton to beat them deep. And as many have mentioned, Orton should have been picked 3 times today.

I think with this line play and running game, Rex gives the Bears many more options and will stretch the defense. This happened in 2005 as well. As the season went on, the playing field for the Bears got smaller and smaller as nobody feared Orton hitting anything over 20 yards. Ok fine, I'll just get to the point...put Rex in and this team has a much better upside so just do it.

Let's get one thing straight the NFL is a QB league. If you have one with talent you will go to the playoffs and have a chance to play and win the SB. The beloved Bears (I am very sad to say) do not have a QB with talent. No need to say more. It just won't work.

Snooks waiting on a QB.

Chances are, when an Offensive Coordinator calls 13 pass plays of 0-5 yards, your offense is going to take a beating.
I don't care who the QB is- no one will succeed with that JV playcalling.

Our passes never go up the field, except maybe once or twice a game. Only sideways down the line of scrimmage. Superbowl 06 anybody?

Our front office and coaching staff sadly have no concept of stretching the field and keeping the DBs honest.

That's why we go cheapo on Wide Receivers and you have Marty Booker's rusty wheels instead of some young stud hauling down passes. By the way, it sure would have added another element to the Bears Offense if we had picked some USC WR with the first round pick, instead of Vanderbilt's injured/damaged goods.
Oh well.

What is the love affair with Jason Mckie? What other offense uses a FB so much? Ron Turner doesn't know how to call plays and Lovie either is too stupid to make adjustments at the half or too hard headed. A good coach exposes them in every close game. Booker is a joke, let's see what some of the young receivers can do.

You guys have a good, solid football team. You beat us up in the first half, but the second half went our way. You'll win a lot of games this season, and I expect our two teams to see each other again in the post season. As a longtime Panther fan, I'm accustommed to these games going the other way, but today was just our day. You'll have a good season. See y'all in January!

Kyle Orton has shown he can't play QB. Orton had wide receivers opened and couldn't make the throws.

You don't go far in the NFL playing prevent offense like the Bears do. You need to open up the offense and you need Rex Grossman starting again.

Every time the Bears try to run the swing play to the right Roberto Garza was getting his sorry butt lit up by Chis Harris.

Gm Jerry Angelo and Coach Lovie Smith traded away Thomas Jones, Chris Harris and let Justin Gage(WR) go. Justin Gage led wide receivers the NFL last year in third down conversions. All three moves have come back to bite the Bears big time.

Ken,

I guess you and I were watching different games. From what I saw, Booker and Lloyd were open a few times down the field and Orton just blew it. What happened to this accurate QB that everyone was talking about. 15+ yards isn't exactly the deep ball that Grossman was known to throw (more like 30+), yet Orton was 1 for 10 on passes over 15 yards. Hmmm, and this is the guy that is going to lead the Bears this year? Guess managing games isn't going to cut it.

Nothing new here.
Lovie sticks to the game plan no matter what while other coaches make adjustments.
Lovie stands on the sideline like he is an innocent bystander while the game slips away.
Lovie lets this brain dead play calling on offense blow yet another game while other teams pull out the stops and go for the win.
Lovie has a four point lead and acts like it is forty points.

Same old story. Let the defense get tired enough so they can lose it in the 4th quarter.

As a Panther fan, I want to join Todd in saying "good game" - it could easily have gone either way and if Orton had just had a little more touch, you guys would be 2-0 right now.

That said, I have a feeling this might be unfair, but I blame Lance Briggs. I know he was just doing his job, but it was his hit on Jake that made our guys draw a line in the sand, and after that, neither he nor Brian could match Jon Beason for effectiveness and intensity.

Was anyone watching the game? I thought it was pretty obvious why the Bears lost. They could have easily won but somehow stopped giving the ball to Forte in the 2nd half. He was running really well and put up great numbers despite 2 15+ yard runs called back for holding. Then for some unbelieveable reason Turner started to lean too heavily on Orton an that's why they lost. The last 2 possessions were the most maddening, where they had 2nd and 4 and 2nd and 1 and decided to not let Forte, their ONLY offensive weapon, touch the ball.

Bottom line, we need a QB and neither Orton nor Grossman are the answer. Without Forte just think how bad the O would be....

Bears should have won this game, but they gave it away, some bad penalties, poor special teams play, and out coached. Panthers won battle of field position and then won game. Lovie and co, had no response, exposed once again as slow on their feet and unable to make adjustments. Too bad they didn't have all offseason to get ready for the panthers, like they did for the colts.

It's a shame to lose games you should have won, but lovie and his assistant coaches have done this year after year. Frustrating to watch as bears talented players lose games they could have won and seasons slip away that could have been championships. Oh, well, the bears will probably win enough to keep their fans happy, the money coming in to the owners, and jerry, lovie and the rest in their jobs a few more years.

I dont see what the huge problem is.
Nobody expected them to be 16-0.

If you offered me 1-1 after facing the Colts and Panthers during the preseason I would have been deliriously happy!

The defense was dominant for 3 out of the last 4 halfs.
Orton has played decent. The offensive line has been better than expected. Forte has looked like a horse.
The season is far from over.
Grow a pair.

Pete I agree he blew a couple of chances but on a passing game with no #1 receiver I think he will get better at the long ball as the season progresses.You are not talking about Montana to Rice and a million reps between them but Qb working with several new receivers and no clearcut #1.

The Bears shouldnt have needed those plays.How many momentum killing turnovers should he have to overcome ? The bears got field position reversed on them today starting several drives from their own ten. How many offenses are capable of going 90 yards on the road with the drive killing penalties happening ?

If the bears do what they normally do well they dont need Ortons throw to connect to win the game . It wouldve been nice but it shouldnt have been necessary.

Everyone mentions Grossman but a key component of the bears success is the ability to get rid of the ball to back's and te's and Grossman had more short passes batted down than any QB in recent memory. Opposing defenses blitz up the middle knowing he cant see over the lineman and that he cant run.That instead of taking the sack like Orton did today that he will throw it up for grabs.

Im not saying Orton is pro bowler but if people think bringing Grossman back will suddenly make Booker and LLoyd deep threats I think they are kidding themselves.It will just kill the short passing game and result in more fumbles and INTs .

I just tend to lean towards Orton getting better at the deep ball than Rex growing taller and getting better at taking what the defense gives him.

Pete,

Especially when Orton only did not have any interceptions because the defensive players cannot catch. The receivers were making sick adjustments to balls thrown way behind their back, and very late. Orton is not an NFL ready QB, but Lovie will not see that, all he sees is the fact that the grumbling fans were complaining for Kyle, he is no better than Rex, and I will always take a gutsy gunslinger that gets in trouble over some kid who can't (don't get me Julie B.) deliver the ball on time or accurate. Managing games never cut it, and it will not take us to the SB again!!!

There were a lot of little things that hurt the Bears, not the least of which was the bogus holding call on Davis to negate the fine run by Forte in the 4th quarter. But what has me most frustrated is the way the Bears unnecessarily botched the two-minute drill at the end. Specifically, the acted like there were 30 seconds left when there were two minutes left. Why, --after Forte's nine-yard run on first down, did they not just let the clock go down to the 2-minute warning, and take the timeout to call some appropriate plays? Instead, they acted like they were in an insane hurry to beat the two-minute warning, and botched two more plays before it. This was really maddening, and you never would see a more experienced team in such a hurry like that.

Another brilliant game plan - with ZERO adjustments at half time. Lovie Smith is a terrific Monday to Saturday coach - but does nothing to adjust at halftime. And Turner. Sheesh. My 13 year old niece was calling the plays today - she KNEW who would be getting the ball. The defensive coordinators must LOVE it when they know they are facing you. Olsen... nice game. No, the loss is not your fault alone, there were a number of dropped passes - and poor throws and high school level play calling... but you might have tried holding on to at least ONE of your receptions. Oh, and Babich... live by "the Mug" - die by "The Mug"..... ADJUST your defense....

The second half of this game was poorly coached and poorly played. Just think the Bears would be 2- 0 IF the game were only 30 minutes long.

It's gonna be a long year. GO CUBS!!!!

To all my desperate Bear fans, be patient! Kyle Orton is doing the best he can with what he's got. Remember, Tony Romo was the same way til he got TO. This was just Orton's second game as the starter and he will get better with more play. I've never liked Ron Turner as an OC. I think Orton would be a better QB with a better OC. Also, Grossman had the same type of games where he over and under threw recievers wide open and we thought he was just having a bad game and got past it. Let's give Kyle the same support. Go Bears!!!

4th quarter play calling was terrible. Bears get the ball back with 2:30 left and Forte makes a nice nine yard run, leaving 2nd and one at mid-field The next three plays were the worst calls. Give it to your best back, Forte. Coaching staff was fifty percent responsible for this loss

By Todd Thomas on September 14, 2008 7:41 PM
You guys have a good, solid football team. You beat us up in the first half, but the second half went our way. You'll win a lot of games this season, and I expect our two teams to see each other again in the post season. As a longtime Panther fan, I'm accustommed to these games going the other way, but today was just our day. You'll have a good season. See y'all in January!

WOW...good post.

Hey Chicago Fans, want a microscosm of why the team has not won a Super Bowl since 1985, and will never win one while Angelo and Lovie are in charge?

End of the first half, 50 seconds left, Bears with 2 timeouts, Carolina has to kick to the Bears.

So what do the Bears do? They intentionally burn a possession and let the clock run down to 15 seconds???

Why? Cause they are scared of a fumble or pick? Why? This is the same organization that hired Wannstedt, who now punts on the opponeents 35 yard line in College and is about to get fired!

Why? Cause Angelo, Lovie and Ron Turner are scared? Why burn a possesion that could have netted 3 or 7 points?

Fire Angelo, Turner and Lovie after the season, for being scared!

Hey Chicago Fans, want a microscosm of why the team has not won a Super Bowl since 1985, and will never win one while Angelo and Lovie are in charge?

End of the first half, 50 seconds left, Bears with 2 timeouts, Carolina has to kick to the Bears.

So what do the Bears do? They intentionally burn a possession and let the clock run down to 15 seconds???

Why? Cause they are scared of a fumble or pick? Why? This is the same organization that hired Wannstedt, who now punts on the opponeents 35 yard line in College and is about to get fired!

Why? Cause Angelo, Lovie and Ron Turner are scared? Why burn a possesion that could have netted 3 or 7 points?

Fire Angelo, Turner and Lovie after the season, for being scared!

Couple of things from seeing the Bears in person for the first time in a few years.

Kyle Orton had a far more disastrous game than is reflected in the media. Bear receivers ran open much of the day, especially in the second half when Carolina pressed the run. That Orton threw several checkdowns, not reading open plays downfield on many occasions was only slightly less irritating than the more obvious inaccurate throws he did attempt to his open downfield receivers.

Neither the line, protection, the plays or the receivers were responsible for this; big gains were there for the taking all day long.

Orton’s explanation for the 3rd & 1 audible, (he saw the defenders move up to press) is shocking in it’s anti-logic. Throwing under the pressing corner in negative yardage with no safety help in that situation stunned everyone in the stadium with a collective gasp preceding the roar of the Carolina fans.

This same mind-numbing example of a lack of football sense was responsible for Ditka’s nationally televised diatribe at Harbaugh several years before in Minnesota.

The next play on fourth down was the first time all game long that that Carolina physically overpowered the Bears, at several positions at once. Orton looked despondent as he walked to the bus alone with his head down after the game.

Matt Fotre looks solid, quick and good; Stewart looked like a great running back.

Different and a little sad to see Brian Urlacher unable to reach the back at the point of attack on sheer speed any more. On a couple of plays, even unblocked, you could see him frustrated at being unable to make a play. Still playing hard though.

Kevin Payne?????

I wonder if Dr. "Lovie" von Frankenstein can put Rex and Kyle side by side on parallel operating tables and merge Rex's talent for throwing a deep ball into Kyle's body. Then, I think we'd have something!

In all seriousness, I didn't expect to be 1-1 after these first two games. I also didn't expect to be IN both games! I know both teams had to deal with it, but perhaps the extreme heat could have been a factor for our beloved.

Here's hoping for a much better than expected season nonetheless.

Go Bears!

It went wrong when Orton was named starter, we have a SB ready defense by all accounts, and a young QB that is not NFL ready. He fumbles snaps, throws behind, over, under, and leads receivers to their death(I wouldn'ta caught it either Rashied), should have at least 3 picks this season if it wasn't for defenders with stone hands. Overthrowing easy touchdowns, Booker had his man toasted.

Inaccurate, late on his throws, just not ready. We have a good running back, good defense, horrible line(for now), decent receivers, and a terrible QB who has no business leading an NFL team.

Nice play calling on the last series...I know if I REALLY need a yard to keep the game going, I give it to McKie...this of course after throwing 2x in a row when it was 2nd and 1.

Love, Ron...u guys are the BEST!

The Bears are who I THOUGHT they were.

"See y'all in January!"

The only way these 2 teams see each other in January is if Michael Vick hosts them at his early parole party at this house.

Lots of blame to go around, but like I said last week, it was easier for the Bears to prepare against Indy basically using the entire preseason to game plan 1 game. Yesterday's game was evident that Lovie, Turner and even Babich all have trouble managing the game within a game, if that makes any sense. In other words, their ability to make adjustments during a game is poor. Going into the game, the Bears seem fine and usually start strong, but as soon as adversity hits and the game gets close down the stretch, we can't seem to execute well. What was with all the dumb penalties? Part of all that is coaching and they have to share most of the blame yesterday.

Plus, why is Nathan Vasher returning punts? What happened to Earl Bennett who looked good in special teams in the preseason? I know Vasher returned punts in College, but he's not a rookie anymore. Unless the player is an absolute specialist on special teams, you typically use the rookies or the bench guys to return punts and kickoff returns, not pro bowl starters.

And Kyle Orton, hey, if Rex is going to get his share of criticism over the years, then Orton deserves some bashing yesterday as well. Sometimes it is not just about throwing the interceptions. The lack of accuracy in Orton's passes were terrible and unacceptable yesterday. Not to excuse Greg Olsen on the fumbles, but if both those passes to Olsen were right in his breadbasket, it would have been easier for him to secure the football from being stripped from behind. If you didn't watch the game, then check the replays on the those high passes to Olsen. Bottom line, Orton had a terrible game. Many people point to the Booker overthrown pass, but there were plenty of other terrible passes, so bad and inaccurate that even the defense couldn't intercept them! The audibles were terrible also. You could see the Carolina defense react to Orton's audibles and make the adjustments quickly! So whether that's all on Ron Turner or Kyle Orton, I'll place the blame on both of them.

And lastly, the defense is still good, but they're not running on young legs anymore. It was obvious that the defense got worn out in the second half. Urlacher, again, no impact in the game. The Bears messed up again getting rid of Chris Harris last year in favor of Adam Archuleta and Kevin Payne's potential? Ouch. Brandon McGowan is no good either. Sure hope Craig Steltz is not another bust because that strong safety position is too important in the Cover-2 scheme for marginal talent.

The overall score of the game may have been close, but the Bears were once up 17-3 in the second half of that game and still lost. Not good. It may not be panic time yet, but you have to win these close road games to get to the playoffs.

Good observations Matt.

I was not at the game, but if corners are pressing, why throw a WR screen, you audible out to a 4 or 5 wide package, the blitz was designed to create pressure up the middle or one side with the corners only having to cover for a few yards, that's why quick slants or drag routes are so effective against that pressure.

They overpowered them on 4th down, because the Bears ran a similar play at the goal line for a TD, also earlier in the game around midfield, and Carolina adjusted.

Same with the quick screen, they ran that play at least 2 other times, it gives the defense a chance to adjust to the timing of the play.

correct me if i'm wrong, but after last weeks game, wasn't the game blog filled with people gushing over the nice passes orton made down the field for nice gains to our tight ends? let's face it - 2 costly turnovers and a boat load of penalties is a recipe for disaster no matter which team it is. as buffone and O.B. said on their post game show - if you block a guy in the back on a kick/punt return you are a dumb-a$$!

Let's see...

We forgot about our tight ends (at least the one who can catch and run)

We run three basic plays, but never run anything off them. If Orton is going to audible to that stupid WR screen 10 times a game, in the 4th quarter, you might think about pumping the ball once to the WR and having him run up the field after the corner bites on the pump.

Olsen let this team down big.

Kellen Davis -- learn to block.

Where was our Jones dude? One rush???????

We made NO ADJUSTMENTS at half (AGAIN).

Our wide receiver play was pathetic.

Orton was serviceable. Yes, he overthrew Booker, but his receivers dropped a number of balls on key plays all game.

Moose looked like an all pro against our D.

We quit playing at half.

Angelo, Lovie and Turner, the clock is ticking and it once again is back to "three to midnight."

Oh, and for all of you who think a QB with "talent" would suddenly, miraculously lift the Bears, I give you Carson Palmer, Vince Young and Matt Leinart. The key isn't talent, it's productivity. Yes, Orton needs to make a few more plays, but his receivers need to step up their play across the board.

Finally, throw the ball down field.

I can't believe we lost the game. Once again Kyle looked poised in the pocket but his passes were inaccurate from beyond 15 yards. He can throw the short stuff, but anything 15 yards and beyond his balls always seem to sail. Its has always been that way with him. If we had better recievers that could actually break tackles the bears offense would probably strive in a short passing attack. When he missed Booker, that was a TD if he'd just took put a little more air under it. Would Rex made that throw? More than likely, but some would argue if he'd even seen Booker that wide open.But the game turned on Olsen's second fumble. He has to hold on to the ball. He had a couple of fumbles like that last year (one was reversed because his knee was down). The penalties killed them too. The false starts were just dumb. But I have to question the holding call on Davis on that long run by Forte. That happened twice: One on Davis, the other was on Jason Mckie.I thought the coaching was good in the first half. The second half the coaching was bad, especially that call on 4th and 1. what was that? Trying to outsmart themselves look like.

I think seedy may have touched on it....losing Mush will prove to be crucial, especially since he was such an Orton fan.

That seems silly to put orton in and then trade his biggest supporter.

No Jack, I was not gushing over Orton. He sucks, he has sucked his whole career, and he is inaccurate. There are bloggers here who think his accuracy will all of a sudden be NFL adequate from practice. It doesn't work that way, there is no great leap from year to year. He's making the same mistakes, looks like J Quinn to me. A tall statue that knows the offense, but cannot deliver a catchable ball consistently, no matter how you slice it. He will have another 5 pick game if he keeps this up, I think his days are numbered as a starter. Just a personal opinion from watching years of football, and playing a little bit. OK a lot of bit.

Oh and for the no interceptions person, no touchdowns either, so it's a wash, Orton still sucks, looks the same to me.

For those of you who call Rex the fumble man, peep these stats.

Rex has 19 fumbles in 32 career games.
Kyle has 15 fumbles in 20 career games.

Rex has lost 10, Kyle 5. Kyle fumbles at a faster rate than Grossman, and he probably will surpass him this season at his current clip of 1 every 2 games. Guess the small hands theory does not work as much as you Orton fans thought it did.

Please don't have me dig up the interception stats, it probably won't be pretty as well seeing as Orton has a career QB rating (a stat I hate) of around 65, and Rex is around 70. You Orton fans got what you wished for, let him tank this season now.

No matter how awesome Carlos's NoNO and Lilly's domination were, it wasnt enough to make me forget how bad this game was.

It still makes me sick to my stomach, that we gave that away.

Orton, Olsen, Turner

All get my Game Finger!

B

I had us going 10-6 or 11-5, but after watching the Eagles/Cowboys game last night, I'm not so sure.

Watching the Eagles, they took advantage of their best player, Westbrook, by moving him all over the field. Getting mismatches and taking advantage of them.

The Cowboys' offense runs thru their tight end, Witten, and not their running back or T.O.

Jesus H. Christ, now there is a novel concept.

We don't get our best players the ball enough. Yes, Olsen fumbled twice, but he is by far the most difficult player for teams to match up. He is faster than a linebacker, too tall for corners and can catch the ball. BUT, we don't throw it to him enough. We also have ANOTHER good tight end, but we don't throw enough to him either.

We have MEDIOCRE wide receivers, who occasionally get open, but too often drop the ball (I mean is there some reason Mark Bradley still has a roster spot?).

We bring in Jones, but don't use him.

We have Wolfe on the bench, who regardless of his size, creates match up problems, especially if Olsen, Hester, Forte and Clark are also on the field. We rarely see Wolfe in the slot back role, a la Stokely for the Colts.

In short, we run a traditional offensive scheme in a league where innovation dominates.

Oh, and we don't make any, ANY adjustments at halftime. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nyet.

We have too much faith in our D (and the coaching staff has WAY TOO MUCH FAITH in the D).

Orton can do the job. Yes, he needs to be more productive, but he would be helped mightily by offensive playcalling that creates mismatches at every oppty. I didn't see any of that during the game. I saw a team run a handful of basic plays and seemingly never used those plays to set up others (except for the one end around).

And you know what, for my money, I would have faked Forte into the line on the last play and thrown the ball to Clark or Olsen running down the field.

If nothing else, it would have proved the Bears have some imagination on offense. The hand-off to McKie just showed that Ron Turner is outclassed in almost every game.

I DON'T EVER REMEMBER MOOSE SUPPORTING KYLE ORTON. IN FACT, I REMEMBER VIVIDLY IN '05 IN THE ATLANTA GAME, KYLE WAS HITTING THE "ROOKIE WALL" (I BELIEVE) AND WAS SERIOUSLY STINKING UP THE JOINT HIS LAST 3 GAMES PRIOR. BUT IN THAT GAME AGAINST THE FALCONS KYLE OVER THREW MOOSE AND HE WENT NUTS! JUMPING UP AND DOWN. THE COACHES HAD TO CALM HIM DOWN. THEN WHEN REX CAME IN HIS FIRST PASS WAS A ROCKET TO MOOSE OVER THE MIDDLE. YOU ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENNED FROM THEN ON. REX PLAYED LIKE AN ALL-STAR UNTIL MID 2006 SEASON WHEN TEAMS FIGURED OUT HOW TO RATTLE HIM. FROM THEN MOOSE AND REX RELATIONSHIP WENT SOUR.

S. Backlash, like your comments, took words rite out of my mouth.
I don't understand why they don't use Bradley, I just see him on Special Teams running up & down the field. He's by far the best receiver we have (WHEN HEALTHY) Rite now it looks like Lloyd is the #1 rcvr, Davis should remain the 3rd or 4th rcvr like he's been. Hester should be used all over the field as mentioned earlier in the post. The Bears have a double tight end threat they don't use rite.
Wolfe should be the 3rd down back in certain instances. I'm just waiting on Hanie to step in, hopefully next season. I'll give Orton an entire season to prove himself like I did Grossman. Hanie has an arm plus elusiveness and scrambling ability. He recognizes pressure and has natural reaction to respond well to it. I still think the Bears can go 11-5!

No need to panick. Panthers were at HOME. And they had that game circled on their schedule also! Orton was fine - he just has to work on timing with the big play. He did all we need him to do. OLSEN sold us out for chicken change! And Chris Harris looked like Ronnie Lott or somebody! Told-jall Moose would be productive. Nothing wrong with Moose. We had a BAD QB that only knew how to "hook-up" with speedsters. Orton is going to get it right with Bradley and Booker. And then we will be fine. Especially when Olsen stops eating KFC before he runs his routes! Ball security please!

I'll tell you where it went wrong, in a nutshell; our two coordinators left the dance with someone else. Knuckleheads!

You will not win too many games turning the ball over no matter what you do on D or offense. And when you have a TE who can't block catching passes he can't hold onto then you will sink with a domino effect like we did. What halftime adjustment can be made for fumbles at the opposing team's 30 yard line? Orton is still the QB he was in 2005. R. Davis is supposed to be this great WR who caught 17 passes last year and is so loved. But why is he dropping every pass that came his way? Can't blame Turner for that. And blaming Briggs for igniting the QB is silly. He cries on just about every play regardless of what it is. Especially on penalties. He got up and yelled a bunch of MFs and no one talked about fining him. Why do QBs get the benefit of doing whatever they like. The game is sullied because of all these stupid penalties that favor some teams and take away aggresiveness when we really need it.