Squib kick, why?

Inexplicable. This team should rank number 1 in self-destruction. The Bears went from top NFC contender to top NFC pretender. I hope we never get a lead again this season until there is 1 second left in the game. This team can't hold hands let alone a lead. Terrible, terrible, terrible

Did anyone else think it took a while to start the clock after the ball was snapped on the second to last play of the game? I thought that pass should have ended the game. Was that home field advantage for the falcon's or am I just too biased for the Bears?

There were plenty of reason why the Bears lost this game. Forte 4th and goal, Olsen dropped end zone pass...the list goes on. The Bears need to get a grasp on the basic fundamentals is they are going to win on regular basis.

the bears are 3-3 should be 6-0 but why not kick it long or anything??? i think lovie messed but by not kicking it on the bears were on the 1 yard line..

Well, it really shouldn't matter if the last return went deep or not. The players have to make a tackle regardless, so why gift them 20 odd yards AND maybe a couple of seconds? It was a poorly executed squib kick peeriod.

As for some of the players being tired, I'm sorry but that's not good enough. If the special-teamers can't collectively lift themselves for what should have been the closing-out of an emotional come-from-behind win, then they don't deserve to be there.

And, as if the defensive orientated squib kick wasn't bad enough, they then played a prevent or whatever it was form of defence that essentially amounted to the return that Lovie feared his "tired" special-teamers were going to concede anyway.

Orton wasn't scared in driving down the field for the go-ahead TD, it's just a shame that Lovie, the coaches, and the special-teamers didn't display the same level of confidence and courage in doing their job.

PS Sorry for the off-topic, but, please, no more McKie on goal-line plays.

You are absolutely right. The coaches blew this one. A deep kick with the appropiate speedsters doing midfield backup and only 11 seconds to go-a long run would have used up the time and most likely it wouldn't have led to Atlanta's deep field position. Also the play calling in the first half was atrocious. Ortman showed what he can do on the last drive. He has more sense than the offensive coordinator!

Coaching and Defense get top awards for giving this one away with dishonorable mention for special teams and offense.

Offense:

Great drives at the end, Orton still looking like the real deal. But how many times this year to we have to see this offense fail on repeated attempts at gain one F#!%ing yard!!!!!

Special Teams:

Coverage was terrible and I don't even know what's wrong with the return game. Hester is getting nowhere and I don't know if it's him or the blocking, but it is awful.

Defense:

Are you kidding me? Was that a rookie QB or a young Brett Favre? That made that kid look incredible. Props to Ryan, but come on!!! Not one sack? He was taking his sweet time all game! And that last pass... I'm too sick to talk about it.

Tommy Harris is looking more and more like a liability.

Coaching:

Ever think of a QB sneak? For one lousy yard!!!!!

And a squib kick with a one point lead? Are you serious?????? Is there anyone that has ever seen a game that didn't know that was incredibly stupid the moment they saw it????

Disgusting!

GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First the squib kick! The way Ryan was burning our "pass coverage" all afternoon, and the brains of Bears hand the Falcons good field position! Then Mike Brown gives the Falcons receiver the sideline play! I'm not even going to go back to plays like the Tommie Harris fumble of the fumble. Harris ain't what he was by a long shot! The only upside to this mess is Kyle Orton, and only Kyle Orton, nothing else! Early on as it is, this one could be a season breaker for the Bears!

That's a good point Matt. Save the squib kick for when they need a TD next time and not a field goal.

Lovie Smith's coaching philosophy makes me sick! He consistently "plays not to lose." This philosophy is especially nauseating when you consistently lose anyway! He absolutely, positively must win for me to stomach him as a football coach. How the heck do you give a game away after making a "miracle finish" catch with just 11 seconds left? Lovie was part of the "miracle finish" celebration as if the whole thing was over! Then he squibs it which automatically give the opponent great field position allowing for that last play (By the way, how do allow him to get out of bounds?). This is "Love in a bottle." Put that bottle on a store shelf as some kind of odiferous winning repellent.

This game--much like the other two giveaways--was so winnable. Yeah, there were a myriad opportunities to win this game, but it usually came down to a lack of aggression. This game ought to have made every fan puke! Heck, I'm not sure I want to watch them again this year! Lovie plays a "Hail Mary" type defense on that last play basically giving up that only play they could have succeeded with aside from a ridiculous Doug Flutie-to-Gerard-Phelan touchdown. Did anyone think that Elam would miss that field goal by the way. I knew it was over.

There were some nice things about this game: Kyle, Cory Graham, Dusty Dvoracek, and a couple of others, but I wouldn't give Lovie the opportunity to look at anything positive in this game. I want him to look in the mirror and only the mirror.

Moreover, why weren't the Bears in this rookie QB's face all day? It's because they play not to lose. I think Lovie has to go. He's the kind of guy I wouldn't mind having as my next door neighbor, but I don't want his non-aggressive mindset as my football coach. LOVIE, PLEASE LEAVE and TAKE JERRY ANGELO WITH YOU!

Not sure why any of you think you should have won this game. I just left the dome and watched a lot of bitching about the last field goal. You guys were beat for 4 quarters. I would be more worried how you are going to score points for the rest of the season. Oh, one other worry, your D is soft and not what it once was. At least you have the Cubs...

Go FALCONS!!! Whooo hooo

It's ironic, but if the Bear defender hadn't made a brilliant come-from-behind tackle on the squib kick, enough time would have run off the clock so that the Falcons wouldn't have had the time to pull off the miraculous finish. Damn.

3 Games given away.

I guess we feel we need to spot the league a few wins, before we make our charge!!

Someone needs to be fired...Seriously, it's time to start making people accountable for these losses...A squib kick? How bout kicking the ball and making a play. Tired? Screw you Lovie...you are an awful decision maker and the McCaskey family is useless...

Cubs Suck TOO!!

Could someone please explain to me the probability of the Falcons scoring with 11 seconds left in the game, if the ball were kicked to the end zone or squibbed kick to the 40 yard line. I was not a math major in college, but I can guarantee that the probability of scoring with such a short period of time is much greater from the 40 yard line than had the ball been kicked to the end zone!!! I feel bad for the Bears because the poor coaching lead to another defeat. This game makes my stomach turn as a FAN!!!!!

For all those Falcon fans "going" and "woohooing", I'd really rather hear your opinions on the squib kick and maybe the last play. Were you happy that we squibbed it? Would you have rather we kicked deep? Did Brown blow the last play or was it all you? "Woohoo" and "Go", is just pointless and irritating.

The coaching decision to squib kick cost the bears victory, plain and simple. The players were tired? Absolutely they were. So what? Kick it deep, cover down field, and let TIME (those pesky 6 seconds) run off the clock!! Dumb A@@ Lovie - He needs someone to get in his face and let 'em know that LOVIE SMITH IS COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS LOSS BECAUSE OF THAT IDIOTIC SQUIB KICK!!! They never work, the opponent gets great field position, and it always leave time remaining.

I've lived in Chicago for 35 years before moving to Alaska. I'm still, and always will be, a die hard BEARS FAN. This loss has to rank up there with the most bone headed, stupefying losses in Chicago Bears history.

Could have been 6-0
Might have been 5-1
Should have been 4-2
Blah... blah... blah...

They are 3-3 and were lucky to have been in the position to win this game.
Why not even try to give the Falcons the impression that you might throw the ball when you are at the one yard line?
Line up Hester and Wolff in the slots to pull someone away from the middle where the Bears seem to think that is the only place to run the ball anymore.

this seriously was one of the dumbest coaching decision i've ever seen. a squib may make sense if you're up either 4+ or there's fewer than 8 seconds left. when there's time to run one play and then a field goal wins or ties, you simply cannot give the opposing team the ball at the 40 yard line. this was the most boneheaded, yet predictable, coaching decision from a man who continually makes thoughtless decisions. what a pathetic loss.

Most of us are familiar with a "three strikes and you're out" philosophy. Oh, this is not just in football, baseball or sports. It is pretty much the way life is! When you lose three of six games as the Bears have now done, someone in charge must pay the consequences. I really hope that the Bears ownership are looking into this as football coaches should not be exempt from "three strikes and you're out."

Look,

I agree..too much playing to lose. I don't hold it against them that they went for it on 4th and 1...which brings me to my beef. Ron Turner.
our play calling and the actual play design sucks. There is no nice way to put it. We have the talent. We don't have the vision.

The players were tired? So what, the Falcons played the same game, they were tired as well. Your brain cramping on you to often.

Give Lovie Smith a close lead and he'll give you a loss - but the real problem is this team has no fire just like their coach - no intensity - no sense of urgency and no resolve. Goal line failures, dropped passes, fumbles, prevent defense, college level play calling - why do the bears continue select head coaches with no NFL head coaching experience? - why is an NFL team in a major market hiring head coaches with blank head coaching resumes? could it be $$$?

I AM NOT OVER WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CUBS YET. BUT THE BEARS SHOULD BE 6-O. I CANT BELIEVE THIS.///

I agree that this loss is on the coaches. Terrible game plan; particularly the defensive plan. Jason McKie is NOT a running back! He is only a blocker! The Bears tried giving it to him on the goal line earlier in the season with similar results. More bad coaching decisions!

I sick of this team snatching defeat from the jaws of victory !! Jerry Angelo's philosophy of "rewarding his own players instead of dealing in free agency is KILLING this team. T.Harris ; B. Urlacher D. Hester, ALL have been disappointing after new contracts !!!! Hopefully God will tell Harris to shut up and play !!! Stupid rookie mistake putting ball on turf !!!

Lovie stated in the post game press conference when responding on the question of the squib kick that the players were "tired" at that point! Tired??? These are the special teams players for God's Sake and it's only week six!!! What is Lovie talking about? Made himself look & sound foolish as the decision on the squib kick was Lovie's!

Squib kick was awful, almost as bad the goalline play calls. McKie handoff on the 1 on third down? That probably works 1 out of 10 times the Bears do it. Forte wasn't even behind him to throw off the D, everyone knew it would go to McKie, and every Bear fan knew that his fatrear would run right into the line and go nowhere. Then on 4th down the Bears line up TWO fullbacks in front of Forte to make the pile in front of him even larger to get through or jump over. How dumb can you get?

That does it.

I'm finished with this team, and it's mentally retarded coching staff, and I'll be dipped in s#!t before I waste another second of my 55th year watching this bunch of bumbling losers. They can ruin somebody else's weekends, but they'll no longer ruin mine.

I don't give a damn if they run the table, and crush their first two opponents in the playoffs, I've finally learned what any intelligent Cub fan (oxymoron?) should have learned a long time ago.

To paraphrase Roger Daltery, "I won't get fooled again!"

Simply put; there's nothing or no one on this team worth rooting for, and its management is beyond abysmal.

With apologies to Kyle Orton, and my deepest condolences to Rex, I'm taking a pass on their 2008 Tour Of Futility, and will henseforth be spending my Sunday afternoons doing something more constructive than drinking vodka, and biting my nails.

Screw this team; and if I so much as reply to another thread that features them, feel free to ban me for life from FCP.

I'm not exactly sure what they are, but I think I have better things to do. At least I hope so.

Can the clock be reviewed? When I watched that play again on my TiVo that play took longer then 6 seconds to complete, the game should've been over.

That does it.

I'm finished with this team, and it's mentally retarded coaching staff, and I'll be dipped in s#!t before I waste another second of my 55th year watching this bunch of bumbling losers. They can ruin somebody else's weekends, but they'll no longer ruin mine.

I don't give a damn if they run the table, and crush their first two opponents in the playoffs, I've finally learned what any intelligent Cub fan (oxymoron?) should have learned a long time ago.

To paraphrase Roger Daltery, "I won't get fooled again!"

Simply put; there's nothing or no one on this team worth rooting for, and its management is beyond abysmal.

With apologies to Kyle Orton, and my deepest condolences to Rex, I'm taking a pass on their 2008 Tour Of Futility, and will henceforth be spending my Sunday afternoons doing something more constructive than drinking vodka, and biting my nails.

Screw this team; and if I so much as reply to another thread that features them, feel free to ban me for life from FCP.

I'm not exactly sure what they are, but I think I have better things to do. At least I hope so.

I was at the game today. And I got to tell you, we got beat plain and simple. We needed a miracle to be put in the situation to win. I look at these two team and they are going in opposite directions. I am jealous of what is being built with the Falcons in comparison to what is going way down hill for us in Chicago. I think my days as a Bears fan are numbered. Falcons fans showed a lot of class and dignity in the face of obnoxious Bears fans today. Next season I am all Falcon.

If I may, I'd like to use the analogy of Ozzie Guillen to explain how poor a football coach I think Lovie is.

I am a Sox fan, but not an Ozzie Guillen fan. Still, I think Ozzie brings a major aspect to the table that someone like Lovie does not. Ozzie is NOT afraid to lose a ballgame! That may be his single greatest attribute (aside from the ability to play "Ozzie Ball" even though he doesn't have the players to do so).

I would add that football is THE game for the emotional and aggressive approach toward winning. You can't go up to the plate, for example, and say in Neanderthal fashion, "I'M GONNA KILL THAT BASEBALL." It rarely works. Football was made for that extremely aggressive mindset although it does take more than that I realize. Still, I find it fundamental to the game. Playing "not to lose" consistently will usually take that "Neanderthal gene" (to quote Doug Buffone) out of the picture. I hate "bend but don't break" and anything that resembles it. I especially hate losing because you played that way!

Lovie must go!

Players Tired? What appears to be tired is this present Admin with the poor play calls on offense and defense. Is it time for the Bears to make a change?

This game will hurt even worse if it comes down to a wildcard spot and we lose out to the Falcons! I'm a diehard Bears fan just like all of you (except those knucklehead Falcon fans. Get on your own dawn blog).

Lovie and his posse blew this one BIG TIME!!

Only good thing I'm taking from this is; Kyle Orton! He's getting there folks.

Lets see. You get paid milloions for playing a game we'd play for nothing if we could. "Tired"!!! That's the mother of lame excuses.

One of the worst defeats ever. I don't mind if you squib kick but a short squib kick?

Congrats Mr Lovie( I got my job because of Affirmative Action) Smith

Fire LOVIE and the rest of the idiots.

I could mention a ton of reasons about why we lost but our coaching sucks. Offense play calling and the rest. These guys need to get a clue. Even with no pressure on their quarterback all day long we still had a shot. Great play calling guys. Way to suck the life out of your fans

Will our coaches ever get a clue? Even with no pressure on their quarterback all day long we still had a shot to win. This is getting so old. Way to suck the life out of your fans. A running team that can't score from the one yard line. I could go on but i'm to discusted. I can only shake my head at the coaching.

Regarding the fourth and one: I remember sometime in the 70s (I think) that the Bears failed on fourth and one. Halas came to the next practice and showed them how to run a quarterback sneak. How soon we forget.

The squib kick was the deciding factor.

Why a squib quick? Because Lovie is too dumb to realize the odds of running a normal kick across the fifty are not as good as completing one pass from mid field to get into field goal range.

Also, where in the world did Ron Rivera go? This is typical BS. Lovie was afraid Rivera was getting too popular and gave the Bears leverage when negotiating Lovie's new contract...so he fired him and replace him with his own puppet, Bob Babich. Two years with Babich and two years with a lousy defense.

By the way, does anyone here realize that Lovie has never coached a top ten defense in his career...the closest he got is when Rivera made them top ten material in 2005-2006. Lovie's D in St. Louis was average.

Calling a squib kick was questionable but it wasn't the worst call in the world. What was pathetic was that they couldn't do it right. Or that they were too out of shape to do anything else. That's where Lovie's poor coaching shows itself. How in the world do pro athletes who have nothing to do all offseason but workout not be in good enough shape to finish the last eleven seconds of a game?

But if you want to lay blame on a coach for the loss, blame it on Babich. This defense is a joke. the Falcons moved the ball at will all game. Wake up Bears! The mug-cover 2-whatever doesn't work. Matt Ryan looked like Dan Marino all game. And so did Brian Griese for pete's sake. Wake Up!!!!

Two reason the Bears lost, Lovie and Babich should be gone over the bye week. The squib was a totally stupid call and then you go prevent and only have two safties, YOU ALWAYS HAVE THREE SAFTIES IN PREVENT!! Watch NFL network Mora admits it!! This team should be 5-1, enough of Lovies screw ups! By the way, Orton and Forte are the real thing!

The squib kick cost the Bears the game. Someone should own up to making a horrible decision.

I don't even know how you guys can write about it yet. It's gonna take me a while to get over this one.

Is there anything that can happen that will light a fire under Lovie Smith? I am sooooooo sick of watching him expressionless on the sideline. Get mad about something, get pumped about something - seriously, what's is going to take for him to show a little emotion? Kyle is playing pretty well, but he doesn't have much "ooomph" either. Pass D was horrendous, Matt Ryan looked like he had his coming out party today. We cannot finish a game. Lucky to be in such a marshmallow division.

Maybe Lovie didn't have time to give the defense it's "It takes a village" speech. What part of personal responsibility does he not understand?

Im going to do what everyone the last 2 seasons did....Im going to blame the quarterback!

Its all the quarterback's fault!

Lovie Smith has cost this team all three losses with his poor decision making. Its time to fired this inepted coach. They have a job for you Lovie in Little Sandy, Texas as a receiving and shipping clerk. Go back home!!!

The Bears didn't deserve to win.
The would have been lucky to do so.
I wasn't shocked by the ending, I fully expected it.
Jason McKie shouldn't be in the NFL.
I say that every week, including the off season.
Ever heard of a quick snap QB sneak.
The clock did not start until after the ball was in Ryan's hand.
Is Matt Ryan an here-to-fore unknown Manning brother.
The only thing tired, are the Bears coaches and their excuses.
The Bear's "braintrust" is like a bad SNL skit.
The Lovie era can't end soon enough.

Falcons enjoy now, your sorry excuse of a city will enjoy a 9-7 season and a 1 and done. Cubs, Bears and all other pro teams can lose the rest of the year, next 10 years and I still would not waste a breath on that dog awful city of Atlanta. How is that Olympic village working out for you?

Bear's "brain trust" biggest oxymoron in the NFL. Joke of a team, Peanut was not injured he would have given up those yards, he is an overrated excuse of a DB. No sacks on rookie QB? No heart, no soul, no b.s. your "Almost won a superbowl" Briggs and Urlacher sucks and we are tired of your over paid arrogant, "screw the fans and media" attitude. You hoist up that Halas Trophy we will all bow, but until then, shut your overpaid mouths and make some plays. You suck, and we are tired of it.

The thing that infuriates me the most about this team is that they always seem to find a way to play not to lose. What a great final drive... and then instead of kicking deep and going for the jugular, you get cute and play not to lose. Lovie always talks about "finishing strong." He should look in the mirror and realize that he needs to let his team attack when they smell blood in the water. I'm tired of this coaching staff analyzing its way out of wins and into losses. I thought we fired Dick Jauron for that exact reason.

It was a bad idea, but the guy who ran the clock in Atlanta waited almost a full three seconds to start the clock after it was picked up by a Falcon (checked it on TiVo). The clock should have run out on the next play.

Still-bad decision. Unfortunately (due to the home field advantage), it came back to bite them.

Fire LOVIE and the rest of the idiots.

Bears fans are not classy. You were beat for four quarters! Never did take the lead til that last drive. You still think you should have won?!

Fine, but trashing our city?! I have nothing be resentment for you all that talk trash like that. No Class. Serves you right to be cursed.

You were out-coached, out-played, and out-classed during the whole course of the game. If it wasn't for a bad FG by elam you wouldn't even had a chance to make a comeback.

For all those that were able to accept defeat and commend the Falcons Thank you! I wouldn't ever bash one's city just for losing.

Squib kick. Tommie Harris trying to hold onto a watermelon seed. Lovie Smith and Bob Babich unprepared....again. Peanut playing way deep. How about our what used to be a successful special team? Not only from Devon Hester, but also on coverage? Devon Hester is now imitating Les Shy on returns. And the coverage looks a clip from the Keystone Cops. I'll have to cry myself to sleep tonight.

Mike Brown should be benched---hes the supposed leader of the Defense, well there was no Defense in this game today, they didnt show and the last pass was all because of Browns terrible coverage.

Brown has been gone for 2 years and his return makes me wish he was gone for good. And take Lovie, and Harris with you.

Where has Hester been this year? Ever since he and Gould got the big money they havent shown much...Gould couldnt get a kick off deep if he had to, and today he had to but they have no confidence in him and squibbed it. Nice work if you can get a fat contract like he did and not even hit the goal line with a kick off. Hester, we're waiting? You look routine back there now waiting for a punt or kick off. Guess like Fukudome they have figured out how to beat you now. Harris? An absolute Angelo headcase.

The only thing that was tired was Lovie's lame excuses.
How much better would this team be with a real coach like Bill Cowher?

I doubt that we will ever know.

Disgusting! If Lovie doesn't get fired over this one then something is majorly wrong with management. Squib kick...retarded! Corky Thatcher would have called for a deep kickoff. Lovie's decision making sucks much like his passive nature. He seems stunned when it comes to critical thinking. It takes certain skills to be a good head coach in the nfl, calculated aggression and the ability to execute pin-point strategy much like a master chess player. Someone should tell Lovie to stick to checkers because it seems like his brain is overwhelmed with anything remotely complex. Fire him please and we'll go from there, thank-you!!

Thank God I'm not a coach because i wanted the squib kick to run out the clock as much as possible. We lose our two STARTing CBs and only fans can expect that we would win a game that we were already close to losing when we had one of them in the game. If the clock had run out you guys would have been celebrating and only a few guys would be saying to fire the coach or that our gameplan sucked. There is only play where Forte left his feet and it results in a failure to get a TD and that has to be because the coaches had to tell him to do that. I don't see that. When you rely on young players as your cornerstone you have to accept that they may make mistakes and you might lose. So Olsen doesn't play as big as he is. Give him time and he will play better in a few years. Even Orton is playing better and he actually gives you a future that you didn't expect a year ago from him. Stop expecting a win every single game and you won't have to be so upset. Expect to lose a few now and then and take it for what it is. There is no such thing as moral defeats. As flat as we played and to be in it till the end is something that we can actually build on. Do you think a team that is 3-3 is out of it? Look around the NFL and you will see that no team is an all-out favorite to win it all. We had a game where a young player actually threw like an all-pro and he was a number one pick for a reason. Look at all the pessimism on this board. Not one entry where someone isn't acting like the world didn't just end. But watch if we win 2 straight we will have the same guys swearing that we won't ever lose again. Chill people and chalk it up to just a loss that hurts but doesn't kill us.

Bears lose! Packers win! Sunday afternoon doesn't get any better than this.

Why is anyone surprised the Bears lost the game? When Lovie Smith is your Head Coach, every game is a loss waiting to happen. After watching one miserable offfensive play call after another can it really be a surprise? For example, 3rd and one at the goal line and they run McKie? Then 4th and one they run up the middle again? Didn't they remember the Eagles losing to the them in exactly the same way? Why not just hand the ball to the Falcons defense directly to save time. Then after Kyle Orton overcomes that stupid idiot Ron Turner's playcalling and scores a TD with 11 seconds left, the 2nd of the Three Stooges, "I Lovie to lose games for my Team" Smith calls for a squib kick because they were afaid of a long return? Then the last Stooge, Bob Babich makes the wrong call on defense to stop and let's then get into Field Goal range!! How could that stupid miserable fool not know what the RIGHT call in that situation. Babich also deserves credit for making Matt Ryan look like a Pro-Bowl player. He is running Lovie's Cover Two Defense that doesn't fool anyone nor stop anyone to perfection.

Bottom line with an average coach this Team is 6-0. With a good coach they are Super Bowl contenders. With Lovie and his Butt Buddies, Turner and Babich it's a miracle they've won three.

Bear Fans. Give up now and use the time on gameday to do something fun, watching the Bears certainly isn't!!

For the poster who wanted an opinion (and not trash talk) from a Falcons fan:

I expected a squib kick but I thought it would be a longer squib kick that would picked-up down around the 15 yard line, definitely not that short and picked-up at the 35. That's 20 huge yards. (Thank you, Lovie, the check is in the mail).

And then I couldn't I believe my freaking eyes when your DBs left the sideline wide-open.

And I didn't really think Elam would blow 2 field goals in a row, though he did almost push it too far right.

BTW, the Falcons are preparing a lawsuit against the Bears in Federal Court tomorrow for violating their patent for "blowing games in unbelievably stupid fashion."

Can't you see it Sir William? It's not that we're 3-3, it's how we got there! The coaching staff has consistently blown it in the closing minutes/seconds that decided the game and that's where our losses came from. The most important, the most crucial decisions and they FAILED!

I defended the team and the coaching staff after the first two breakdown losses. But you let a team score with ELEVEN SECONDS!!?? WTF!?

Balderdash I say!

I had a reminder why I canceled my direct tv sunday ticket. To spend 250 bucks to watch a useless coaching staff tell a bunch of over paid players the wrong plays. The bears aren't going anywhere until the Macaskey family is gone. Maybe Mark Cuban wants to buy the bears. He'd hire a head coach with some common sense and desire. I swear the more experience Lovie gets the dumber he gets. Maybe that's why he surrounds himself with the other 2 stooges Turner and Babich.

DA BEARS ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!!!!!!

THEY WERE TIRED LOVIE!!! Are u kiddin me? How much money is this defense being paid? Maybe some of that money should have gone to BRENDON AYANBADEJO!! And BABICH I cannot take anymore of the soft, non aggressive play calling! Is it just me or do we go into PREVENT EVERY THIRD DOWN? U have the talent unleash them! Im tired of watching this week after week its time for a change! This team is good when its allowed to be. We only get AGGRESSIVE on offense when its TO LATE!!! Angelo tell BABICH and TURNER there jobs are on the line this week and lets take the training wheels off the play calling earlier, not just when we need it but the whole D**n game. From A Die hard fan who moved to Arizona and is tired of wasting his money watching these type of games!! And the Only answers we get are THEY WERE TIRED and I CALLED THE WRONG PLAY ?

Love Smith = Terry Bevington

Yeah, a squib makes no sense. It's funny because I said in my head "I hope they don't try a freaking squib"...and they did. I don't know, maybe it's just me but I'd want to pit that ball deep into the red zone and make them beat me.

Why did they have to tackle the dude on the squib kick, if they had just let the guy run and not touch him, he would have had to run out of bounds to kill the clock, therefore, more time would have come off the clock and not given them a chance for a field goal but, a hail marry, but then again, w the poor cornerbacks the bears have, they probably would have had 5 people in no mans land around the 40, and only 3 in the end zone and the hail marry would have worked to perfection, maybe the bears want to hibernate w the cubs this yr.

As a Falcons fan, I can say that the better team (on this day) won the game. We have a rookie QB and rookie left tackle and yet Ryan threw for over 300 yards. If it hadn't been for our anemic red zone offense and a miracle 33-yard FG miss by Elam, you guys would not have been in the game. Getting lucky and going ahead with 11 seconds left and having it ripped away was very tough for you guys, but I think you all know that the Falcons deserved that win.

Good stuff Keith, thanks. I still can't believe we lost that game and, of course, it's being plastered all over the sports news. I'm a bit disappointed by some of the comments about giving up on the Bears though, this is when a true supporter (as opposed to a 'fan') steps up and gets behind the team. Most of those comments were probably and maybe understandably made in the heat of the moment, but still. Bring on the Vikes!

Willie says "...Falcons deserved to win."

Agreed! In fact, I'll go so far as to say that maybe this horrific loss might be what it takes to finally say goodbye to Lovie Smith as gastric as it is (although it might take several more because boneheaded Bears management owe Lovie an astronomical amount of money after this year--that's why I ask Lovie to guit). However, I also believe the Bears had a huge hand in making the Falcons "the better team" on this day with their typical lack of aggression on defense throughout the game.

However, for me, the "better team on this day" is still irrelevant even if Matt Ryan caused this victory (granted, he is very good). Lovie Smith snatched defeat from the jaws of victory yet again. It didn't matter that Carolina was the better team earlier in this season either. The Bears were better than Tampa and Tampa won in ridiculous fashion. Do you think Tampa will give back the victory? Better teams--even on a given day--don't always win. You could have won it. You should have won it because there were only 11 seconds left and you didn't. Any other consideration is irrelevant.

Bad decision on the kick I agree, but this game was lost by the defensive secondary. How many 3rd and longs did rookie Matt Ryan convert? It seemed like every time he needed a long pass - he got it. How does a receiver get that wide open down the field with 6 seconds left? Ridiculous.

Also I think time ran out. 6 seconds left, the snap, Ryan moves round in the pocket, throws a long pass, its caught and the guy goes out of bounds - All in 5 seconds. The game was over!

I'm a diehard Bears fan and Cubs fan (can't get enough disappointment I guess) and have been for 35 + years. I'd love to say the Bears should be 6-0, but in reality they are playing the best this team knows how to play and thank goodness the Colts used the first game of the season as their 1st pre season game or we'd be 2-4.

From the coaches to the millionaire players they played last year and this year apparently as well as they could and they continue to lose. Lovie says they got tired. Are you kidding me? This is their profession, a profession that pays them millions to perform and they are tired? Get in shape and earn your keep.

Lovie is a nice guy. I want a Ditka type guy back in the 80's who holds everyone accountable (not the Ditka that ended in New Orleans). Last week Lovie could have used up a time out just to get Marty Booker a catch! This is football, not social a club.

I have a hard time watching 'Bears football' when my coach is named Lovie!

Tommie Harris should retire. Dude is terrible.

What everybody should realize is where the problem starts and that with the ownership. All they have done was hire yes men who will not go against the grain. They should order Jerry Angelo to not draft another defensive player in the next two drafts and draft some playmakers(wide receivers) and different makers. How many first day and high drafts picks have Angelo wasted. Those picks could have been offensive linemen for the future. The whole offensive line SUCKS! Yes even Olin Kruetz, for the life of me i don't understand how me makes the Pro Bowl every year. All he every does is get blasted of the line and gets overpowered on short yardage plays. John Tait is done and John St. Clair, are u kidding me. I refuse to waste any words on Bob Babich because their is nothing to say, i know he's just another yes man that was used as a pawn by Lovie. Ron Turner please! How can u bring in a guy who single handly ruined Illinois football program. The ownership doens't want anybody who will speak up or question anything and that is why we have a coach named "Lovie". Enough said! If i had one wish in my life time it would be to see the DB's play up on the wide receivers instead of ten yards off. When it's 3rd down and 8 why are they still playing 10 yards off so the opposing team can get the first down on a slant pass like they do everytime and pick up the first down. LOVIE, THE COVER TWO DOES NOT WORK AND SHOW SOME EMOTION AND MAYBE YOUR PLAYERS WILL FEED OFF THAT AND PLAY INSPIRED BALL

If there is a more inept, predictable, uninventive coaching staff in all of the NFL would somebody please point it out to me. In a game that has already been overcomplicated and overanalyzed, the Bear "braintrust" (an oxymoron if there ever was one) wins the prize. Whatever happened to the game in which the legendary Lombardi's solution was a relatively simple "Go out and hit somebody harder than they hit you'. When a hungover Bobby Layne would draw plays in the dust, plays that actually worked! Now we have coaches that work sixty to seventy hours a week putting together game plans that look like the same plans they spent those sixty to seventy hours developing for the prior week's game. Now we have millinonaire players who don't have to work off season jobs, who can train in their own home gyms with personal trainers and who can complain after putting in a strenuous 20 minutes of effort that they are tired! And the brilliant staff actually listens to them. WHAT!!!!!

KICK THE DAM BALL DEEP & MAKE A TACKLE!!!!!!FOOTBALL 101!!!! COME ON LOVIE!!!! GET WITH IT!!!!
THANKS FOR LETTING ANOTHER ONE GET AWAY!!!!!!!!NO LOVE FOR LOVIE HERE!!!
SHOULDA, WOULDA ,ETC............SAME OLD #@&!
GO RAYS!!!!!!!!!

Look, it was not a bad decision just bad execution. Now if anyone was really paying attention to the game and I ask the sports analysts to reply the Squib kick. The clock did not run as it should have. 3 sec passed once the ball touched the ground, thats the real travesty! The NFL officials should be more aware of every aspect of the game.
Roman responds: You don't squib when you're leading by less than a field goal and with enough time left for a team to throw a pass and kick a field goal.

Nah, I am not going to use the squib kick as an excuse. Given what happened in the previous attempt I understand why it was done. What DIDN'T work was the crap, SOFT SHELL, 10 yards off a receiver, prevent D that has killed this team over and over. And why the hell can't we stop a quick slant to save our lives?

This play it safe junk is going to get Lovie fired. And Tommie is quickly turning to an overpaid, injury prone player.

Lovie, you better fix this or you're gone.....

BEARS

What happened to the stepping on the throats of the opponent? The Bears used to be so good at that. Did Lovie hug it out of them?

There was some home cookin' with the game clock and it wasn't on the pass play in front of Mike Brown. If you watch Harry Douglas' return on the previous play (squib kick run back) he takes SEVEN steps WITH THE BALL before even one second comes off the clock. That slow trigger finger gave the Falcons a good second or two extra that ultimately would not have allowed them to get off the game winning field goal. The league should review it because it's blatent home town cheating if you look at the play on your DVR.

Please stop with the fire the Head coach, the Offensive\Defensive coordinators....The fact is...in the heat of battle a decision has to be made, a play must be called and the players MUST execute, period. When it works, everyone is a genius if it blows up, they're all idiots...All of you fantasy players, I'd like to see you have to make those calls and stand up for yourselves when one or two players blow their assignments or better yet, get beat by the opposing player. this is of course, a competitive sport where there is someone on the other side trying their best to stop you from executing your plan, they get paid too!!!!

So, just shut the !@#$ up and take the 500 record and try to win 7 of the next 10 games....That'll get you the division title and that's all you need to make the playoffs.....

I can't help thinking that the Bears are still infatuated with themselves since the Indy game where they came off preclaiming the media/the fans "'counted them out [preseason] and didn't believe in their abilities'" . . . yeah, and your point is?

lovie blew this game. squib kick with 11 secs left???? you know you had no secondary to cover their receivers. tillman and vasher were out. and you let the falcants back into the game.

also 6 3rd and longs and they make it???? defense sucked today. we need better corners.

What the Bears did was give up -- what the Falcons did was play football. The Falcons played more football w/ only seconds remaining than the Bears have all season.

Falcons averaged just over 37 yds/return (including the squib)on 5 kickoffs for the day. The first return of the day by J. Norwood went 39 yards to the Bears 41 when NOBODY was tired. At the very least, Lovie is thinking the Falcons are starting on their own 35-40 if Gould kicks it to the goal line, especially if its his judgement that the Bears are gassed (which to me seems pretty likely given the Bears inability to finish out ballgames this year).

Just as importantly, consider who's returning the ball. J. Norwood has to be one of the two fastest guys on the field. If you believe you can burn some extra time AND keep the ball out of Norwood's hands, I'm all for it. How many times have we seen the deep punt or kickoff to Hester work to our advantage? You give a talented returner space, he can use it.

The problem wasn't the call, it was the execution. Believe me, I'm no fan of Lovie's calls, he is very inconsistent. But I would ask everyone to re-direct their anger to a defensive line that allowed a rookie QB look like an Pro-Bowler, especially Tommie Harris who inexplicably gave the ball back to the Falcons WITHOUT BEING TOUCHED. All he had to do was lay there and couldn't execute on that. Absolutely, positively ridiculous.

Falcon Fan here. The better team won in the end. Bears got handled for 4 quarters. If the Birds could score 6 in the red zone it would have been 50-20. Squib kick was a terrible mistake. No NFL coach should make such a lousey call. An..............hey Hops.................Woooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

What is supposed to be there trademark as for this team, to have a great defense has been there weakness. The Bears defense has been killing themselves very late in the game with these boneheaded plays. So far this team has lost what should have been wins instead results in generous losses. This is no time for being kind, or handing the other teams Christmas gift wins. It's almost as if they don't know that they have a lead heading into the last minute of the game. They should have kicked the ball deep, and should have had deep coverage as well. Regardless of what Michael Turner does, he wouldn't have hurt this team more than what Matt Brian did with that easy long pass he made. This game should have ended with the Bears winning 20-19.

I'm just as mad as everyone else but the time-keeper cost the Bears the game. It seems only a few people have bothered to mention how many secs should have ticked off the clock on the return and on the pass play. Can it be more apparent that the home town crew cheated? One would think that the time-keeper understands how important each sec is in that situation, and starts the clock right when the ball is touched on the kickoff and when the ball is snapped on the offensive play. It wasn't the end of the first half when a sec or two doesn't matter. With only 11 secs left it is damn near impossible to return the kick and throw a 25 yd post pattern. Watch the highlights people! Those two plays took almost 20 secs! This is a complete travesty and while I am disgusted that we lost, it should have been a victory. Just watch the replay! Da Bears were robbed!!!

I want a new coaching staff. Give the job to Ron Riviera. He was the great D coach and should be the new Bears coach!!!

I hate this coaching staff and hated Lovie’s cover 2 from the time he was hired. He’s always been inept with zero emotion. He’s never been able to adjust the game plan on the fly. I hated them the Superbowl year too. Honestly, did you really think they were going to win the SuperBowl? He's a brain fart. They've never had a 2 minute offense. Firing Rivera so you can promote your friend is a recipe for disaster.

Tommy Harris; TRADE HIM, he SUCKS! Can you believe he’s the highest paid lineman in the league? You’ve got to be kidding me. This guy is a overpaid idiot. How about trading him for an good offensive guard or tackle?

Run blocking…SUCKS! Garza has to go. Olin is getting old. Forte has no holes to run through.

If that idiot Turner runs McKie on 4 and goal again, I’m going to his house to hit him in the mouth! I think they lost the QB sneak somewhere.

Orton played a darn good game. To bad the coaching staff screwed this up again. It seems like every other week they apologize for bad coaching. Maybe the Bears should fine the coaches. They certainly aren’t doing there job. Hey, how about a one game suspension without pay for Lovie and Babich?

Once again we’re treated to poor coaching and an inadequate game plan. Oh please Virginia McCaskey, fire the entire inept crew including Angelo. Someone please stop the bleeding.

With that little time left, you kick deep. Chances are the special team will stop Atl somewhere between the 20 and the 30. Then play the defense deep and let Atl have their one play - and no penalties. But squib a kick?
Let's face it - the Bear team talent says 9 to 10 wins but they have a .500 mentality coaching staff. They definitely could finish above .500 in this league of mediocrity, but unfortunately, the coaching staff will throttle them.

Please bring Ron Riveira back!! Babich is a joke. If Babich isn't shown the door, Lovie Smith should be fired immediately.

Doesn't the game clock run on a PAT ?
There were 11 seconds on the clock on the final PAT. When the Bears kicked off there were 11 seconds on the clock. How can you run a play [ any play] and not have the clock move. I just went back and looked at the tape and the game clock on each of the 3 PAT's in the game never moved. I know life is slower down south - but come on.
You want 6 seconds, that's the way to get them. Oh and notice 1 second doesn't click off the clock on the 2nd to the last play until Ryan backpeddles to the 35 yard line. It only takes 1 second to backpeddle 4 yards. He must be a Yankee. Duh Bears !

A lot of you blame the coaching staff and thats dumbs. The coach put players in the right spot all game but they made no plays. Like mike brown when he dropped that INT that would of went for six. The squid kick was the best choice it should of killed like 8 sec but some odd reason the clock never ran. then on the last pass the clock didnt run until matt ryan was on his third step we was cheated the whole game thats all. But remember from the past superbowl teams its not how you start its how you finish......bet a lot of people only want lovie fired cause he black...........GO BEARS

Why are all of the teams in Chicago are finding ways to loose games here we go again with the team only need to work the clock to win but some how some way we loose the game why???????

Answer to quiz question: Yes.

Blame it on the coaching in the last minute for letting a receiver make a catch within field goal range.

With two starters out, Atlanta would be exploiting this weakness.

Well Lovie, now you see how Dusty Baker felt. I was wondering how long it would take. Even though Dusty was the last Cubs manager to win a single playoff game, he is still trashed.

You had best get your bags packed. You are soon gonna be run out of town on a rail.

It's funny how 2 years of absolute failure in the playoffs by Pinella doesn't have his head being screamed for, but Lovie is still in first place and can't get any love.

Interesting indeed.

As a longtime Falcons fan, allow me to pass on some observations about yesterdays game. Based on what I saw, it appears you have found yourselves an above average(if not better) quarterback. Your pass defense(maybe because of injuries) was very poor. The Falcons have the same problem. Bad special teams play all day hurt the Bears. And why, when a team has 4th and goal on the 1 yd. line, are running plays called that require the QB to take the ball and retreat, handing the ball off on the 5 yd. line making it a much longer run and giving the defense more time to adjust? I see it all the time. We(the Falcons) are not Super Bowl contenders, but are now optimistic about having an 8-8 season. Cheer up Chicago, you are still better than Minn. and Detroit and equal to or better than G.B. Your many fans at the game were very courteous. Good Luck.

I wouldn't say the defense was horrible. They stopped that Turner guy (the next Jim Brown) cold, except for one play. However, I thought we were going to try to rattle this rookie quarterback. He made a couple bad throws when we blitzed and got some pressure. Should have done that more. Of course, everyone is correct about the short squib kick. I doubt if the players were tired. Lovie is just desparately trying to cover himself. Did he ask his guys (like a baseball mgr asking the pitcher) if they were tired? Ha! And also, how in the world did Harris fumble that ball? Lovie needs to add that the drill - once you're on the ground with the ball firmly in your grasp, now what? I couldn't tell if he flipped it out intentionally, or by mistake. Tommie - wait for the whistle!!

Just moved to Chicago a few years back and this frustration resembles the one I felt in Detroit. At that time, they were struggling to see a .500 winning percentage. Look at them now. If the Bears management does NOTHING, you'll see the Bears at 0-6 in a few years. Unfortunately, money, not the fans, is the determining factor (most cases, of course).

LOvie should be relieved of his duties immediately. That simple. This was beyond boneheaded! The only thing dumber was the look on his face when they were about to lose.Enough! he's an idiot. A second grader would reason better than this

Note to Criag Steltz and coaching staff. The runner on the squib kick should have been allowed to keep running for the sideline. It would have taken him one or two seconds more to get there, leaving only enough time for one play.

I applaud Steltz for his hustle, but when the runner is running laterally to get to the sideline to stop the clock, let him run.

On the flipside, the runner should never have been running laterally. He should have just gone down as soon as he saw he had no chance to move forward. The clock stops either way.

I am glad to see some people are starting to see how bad the Bears head coach really is. With 4th and 1, down by two scores, you ALWAYS go for the field goal. It's what is taught in high school. And, no, that wasn't the end of the game, but it just shows you how horrible they (read: Lovie) really is. And he brings in his "Guy" for defensive coordinator.
When you are in over your ability, it shows by your performance. Lovie is in over his head. Time to go. Can someone start a "FIRELOVIE" web site before ti's too late? I'm sure it will get millions of hits.

I guess Roctober is stupid coaching decision month in Chicago.

Roman the live chat was awesome, I was having a great time right up until one second left in the game. Ha-Ha. I haven't had as much fun watching a Bears game since I left Chicago. Good show! I hope I get some more games broadcast nationally so I can join in again, although I doubt that with the way they are playing. Are you going to have a chat for UFC 89? You might get more folks since it is a free event. I can't wait to see you explain a uma plata in chat. I am sure Joe Rogan has a typed up definition somewhere. I will join both although I was hoping you would get me ringside for the Silva/Cote bout, my mother would love to see me dude. Have you seen that Silva highlight reel Unleashed is showing? I think Cote is in for a quick night. The Liebin/Silva bout is still one of my favorite MMA matches of all time.

Cyall next time.

GO BEARS!
GO SANTA!

Well I do not know how the hell a Coaching Staff in the NFL can make such BONEHEAD calls. I think Lovie and the Staff should get the Bum's rush out of town. I think the Bears could find a High School Coach in Chicago that could do a hell of a lot better job. Oh and while they are at it maybe the Coach they get could bring his DEFENSE. Mick

Those of you that Tivoed the game return to the final play. Click your stopwatch when the ball is snapped and click it again when the receiver goes out of bounds. I did it 3 times and I got 7.9, 7.8, 7.9. I'm not a math genious but isn't 6 - 7.9 is a negative number?

Thank you Pete W. for confirming the previous info I and a few other people have posted. The final pass was obviously was the most important play of the game and I think the time-keeper blatantly delayed the start of the clock in order to give the Falcons a chance to make a substantial completion. I am a student of the game and know for a fact that it takes more than a measly six seconds to complete a 25 yd post pattern out of the shotgun. Basically, this should be reviewed by the league considering it determined the outcome of the game. All you Falcons fans who believe we are just complaining or making excuses, put yourself in our shoes.

Bear fans are so funny to me on this blog! It seems like when there's a bad loss, this section is blown up with comments. As opposed to when they win, there are hardly no comments. I'm hearing a lot of the reason they lost was because of the squib kick. Actually, the right coaching decision would be a squib kick in that situation. If u kickoff that increases the probability of a return (considering the players were tired) U kick a shorter field the least chance of a return. Now if the Bears kicked it off and the Falcons returned it, u guys would of been more sick. Now the Bears are stupid for kicking it off. The matter of the fact iz, the secondary got burnt all day, that's why we lost. Can't blame it on last second play. Again, real easy to say when it is over with.

IT'S LOVIE STUPID!!!!!!!! Who fired Ron Riviera and promoted Bob Babich!!! ENOUGH SAID!!!!!

Andre - nice play of the race card...

Who is saying Pinella did a good job in the playoffs? Who wrote that and in which paper? Bottom line is that he managed the best team in the regular season and the crapped the bed in the playoffs. Are columnists holding him accountable? Looks like it to me.

The hold him accountable the same way they did for Jauron and Wannie.

Give it a rest...

I’ve been saying all along that it’s the coach/es who blow the games more than the players on this Bears team. It’s the coach/es fault for not putting their players in position AND in playing condition to win the games. That’s 3 losses now that directly or indirectly had to do with players getting tired or worn out. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not saying that the Bears are a horrible team. They can compete with any team in the NFL, but they can also lose to just about any team in the NFL also (with maybe the exception of the Detroit Lions) because the coaches will find a way to lose that game for them. That’s why I’ve always said that talent-wise, the team has the players to carry the team to maybe the playoffs, but when the games really count in the end, the Bears will almost always get out-coached in a big game. Lovie Smith is an assistant coordinator at best, but as a head coach, forget it. I never liked him when the Bears hired him and I never agreed on his contract extension a couple of years ago even when the Bears made the Super Bowl. As a regular blogger here, I’ve been saying this for a long time.

It’s about time he’s getting ripped in the blog boards and by most of the media. It’s about time that more voices call out the coach like this. Where are the Lovie supporters now?? Waiting for another Bears fluke victory to tell us that it’s not the coaches but the players again? Lovie Smith may be under contract thru next season, but the more heat he takes in public, then perhaps our voices may finally persuade Bears management to get rid of this guy like Al Davis of the Raiders does with his coaches. I mean this is just unacceptable and inexcusable. The lack of leadership, the lack of communication skills, the inability to make in-game adjustments, the lack of player development especially in strength and conditioning, the stubbornness to never take responsibility for his decisions, and the fact that he continually makes himself sound like a complete moron in his press conferences. In my book, he goes down as bad as Dave Wannstedt and that’s saying a lot already, I’m aware of that. It’s just that Lovie inherited more talent on this team. Yes, a talented Bears team that now gets admittedly tired at the end of games according to Lovie. The guy already pampers his players in preseason Training Camp and then comes out with backhanded comments like this to his own players? Unbelievable. Lovie will never get it. That is not the way to pump your players up for the next game.

I’ve been calling for Bill Cowher to come over to Chicago for a couple of years now and bring back some hard-nosed football again. Again, he’s out there, Bears. His coaching mentality fits this football city like a glove. However, even though I know the Bears will NEVER pony up the money to sign someone like Cowher to whip these jocks in real football shape, it doesn’t hurt to dream. Man, it’s tough being a Chicago sports fan these days….

The game was not played/Coached well before the squib, I mean how can we get not one sack with this D?? That would be Coaching as we have the players but no plays.
You can not blame it on the clock, yes it was wrong, but as Roman said you never squibb when your a field goal down! Again guys, Coaching.
Atlanta fans are wrong - we should not have lost the game! because anything can happen like the Orton drive at the end so to say Atlanta shoulda won is non football intelligence!, just plain old bad Coaching lost this game, we had the game people!! The squib was the wrong freakin call...
not to mention the non aggressive D the Coaches called for the entire game.
We killed who?? Detroit??? who???

Edgar,

I don't always agree with you, but I do agree with you a lot. Thanks again for your consistently thoughtful analyses. It's always a good read.

Cowher vs. Lovie? No brainer. It's Cowher in a landslide, but it won't happen because of all the money they've tied up in this guy. I also resent those who insinuate that it's a racial thing with Lovie. PLEASE!!! There's always some racists out there, but I guarantee that most of us Bears fans are colorblind. We just want a quality, CHICAGO BEAR football coach!

Comment to HOPS: What a great game to go to! I am a transplanted chicagoan (been in Atlanta twenty years now), so I would have been happy to see the bears win. But the Bears looked like they not only got out coached, but also were out played by the falcons. The play calling on the goal line stand, squib kick, defense on the last play; all contributed to losing the game from the coaching standpoint. The lack of offensive intensity on the goal line stand and the poor defensive execution of the last pass play, plus the Falcons O-line handling the Bears pressure, also contributed to losing the game from the Chicago players standpoint. It appeared that the Bears took the Falcons lightly, and got burned. Everyone predicted the Falcons to go 1-15; but it looks like 8-8 may be a reasonable goal for the Falcons. Bottom line; looks like the Bears are not as good as they thought they would be, and the Falcons aren't as bad as predicted.

No offense, Roman, but are you just angry over the lack of postseason baseball or interesting MMA stuff to cover? Were you even watching the game at all?

Never mind the fact that, the last time Jerious Norwood touched the ball, he TOOK IT SIXTY-PLUS YARDS, so deep into Bears' territory that only a fluke Jason Elam miss kept the Bears in the game.

Never mind Kyle Orton's spectacular play in the second half, finally being allowed to call his own game and throw the ball for a change.

Never mind Devin Hester, having finally figured out how to run a route, turning into a solid offensive option now that teams have learned how to defend him on kickoffs. (Note the conspicuous absence of Muhsin "Chicago is where WR's go to die" Muhammad.)

Never mind Rashied Davis finally remembering how to catch a ball when it counts.

Never mind the Bears' oft-maligned (as of late) defensive line, which held the NFL's leading rusher to fifty-four yards on twenty-five carries (one of which accounting for twenty-three of those yards).

Never mind the fact that the very same D-line did manage to put pressure on Matt Ryan on that ill-fated 26-yard completion.

Never mind the fact that the Chicago Bears are finally playing the closest thing to balanced football they've ever been able to play, balancing a consistent rushing attack with a broad-optioned passing approach.

This loss falls squarely on the shoulders of the Bears' secondary. The D-line and linebackers were putting the Falcons in 3rd-and-long situations all day, and the Falcons consistently converted. Notice how the Falcons' offense stalled in the red zone, when they couldn't stretch the field and receivers had to deal with Urlacher and Briggs lurking around? Tillman got torched all day, and it only got worse when he left the game with that mysterious injury.

I love how the fairweather Pit Vipers turn on Lovie when denied the pleasure of laying into Kyle Orton. It just disappoints me to see Roman, whose opinions I trust, doing the same thing.

The squib kick was a good call. Lovie's just manning up and taking responsibility for the loss, because that's what a good head coach does when his team loses three close games they should have won.

This team is one lockdown corner away from being 5-1. Put some speed (Danieal Manning? just a wild guess; I'm not really sure if he'd work) at one end, put Tillman at nickel, keep Vasher on the other end, and shut the hell up about Lovie, please.

Roman responds: First of all, no interesting UFC stuff? Big card coming to Allstate Arena on Oct. 25, and I'm doing a live chat with one of the headliners Wednesday at 3 p.m. I want you there at suntimes.com/sports.
And yes, I watched every play. Got a good laugh at how close they are at being 5-1. Why stop there? Why not say 6-0? Because those arguments are pointless? Exactly.
Look, I'm not saying Lovie should be fired. But we can criticize the head coach of the Bears.
I agree with the positives. But I can't get away from giving them good field position with 11 seconds left and you're up one. Norwood had an 85-yard return. Before that, it was 30 yards. Let me run 30 yards and leave just enough time for a Hail Mary.

Is it my imagination - or does Orton always call a run when he appears to be audible'ing? It's getting predictable - when he does that Manning impersonation thing - then it's a handoff. Usually it gets stuffed... I think the defense is on to it.

I was hurt also. I teared up. Lovie - bad decision that blew up in his face. Defense - exposed! We are better than that. Gotta hold them for 11 seconds.

The Bears had this one. Why where they in cover 2? Why rush 4 lineman? Why squib kick? They got too cute for thier own good. its time to take the riens off Orton and let him fling it. The defense is so inconsitent. I used to think if we could score 20 we would win 95% of the time. Bears cannot mount a pass rush either.
Roman responds: Lovie said today if had it to do over again, he would have kicked it deep.

"The squib kick was a good call." -darryl m.

Gadzooks man! Is Lovie your uncle or something??? This quote ranks right up there with "Bring 'em on!"

Let me explain why.

1.) They only needed a field goal. With that in mind, you don't want to risk giving the Falcons short field position.

Squib quicks:

a.) Have a higher tendency of going out of bounds. Taking no time off the clock, and giving the opponent the ball at the 40.
b.) Can bounce short and be scooped up by one of the ten other Special Teams players at the 30, 40, or even the 50.
c.) And therefore should NEVER be used when you're up by less than a FG with around, oh, say 11 seconds left.

Kick it deep. Get the touchback or make the freaking tackle around the 20 like the "Leaugue's Best STs Unit" is supposed to do. Injuries or not, you had guys available like Briggs, Hunter, Wolfe, even Hester or Rashied. Absolutely boneheaded call. About as bad as calling the Cover-2 at the end.

Is it just me, or can our kicker not reach the end zone? It seems as though every kick find the 10, or 5 at best. A touch back would have won the game. I thought for sure they'd kick through the end-zone, or deep enough to make them think.

Did Hester forget how to return kicks? He is terrible all of the sudden; seriously the stats show he is in the bottom half of returners.

This games is just a reiteration of the other 2 losses. I have news for my fellow Bears fans: Our secondary sucks. Even Tillman and Vasher, and for sure Brown. We get passed all over in every game, not just this one.

I am a Bears fan, but not bias for them. And I am telling you we need a pass stopper or we are going nowhere. I think we are ranked 26th or something against the pass. So we can talk about our line and linebackers all day, but if the opponent can pass (Griese) for over 300 yards a game who cares?

Hops sez: "I'm a bit disappointed by some of the comments about giving up on the Bears though, this is when a true supporter.

I refuse to support crap, and that's the product that they're selling.

You can be a "true supporter" of crap if you wish to.

I'll take a pass.

1st. good game. but one thing i thought was to protect the sidelines, deep pass and keep the play in the middle of the field so that the clock wood run-out!!!

p.s. let's win the next game!!!

plain and simple mikey-mike it's a loss and it isn't the ens of the world. Why keep hoping for Cowher and complaining when you have what you have and only hurt yourself dreaming about anything else. It took Cowher 15 years to get the Steelers to win in the Superbowl. NO one would wait 15 years in this town for any coach to do what he did. Stop acting like any coach is an absolute gaurantee to win in this town. No one believed Ditka would until he actually did it and now anyone resembling him is thought to be THE GUY. Ownership hasn't chaged and it won't no matter how much you groan about it. Some of you sound like little kids swearing to hold your breath until we win every game or fire and hire what you perceive as better. Grow up already.

sorry losers

I love how the fairweather Pit Vipers turn on Lovie when denied the pleasure of laying into Kyle Orton. It just disappoints me to see Roman, whose opinions I trust, doing the same thing. (Darryl M)

* Roman is succumbing to the Nation.

The PVN never officially called for Lovie's head.

We are just tired of the lack luster play calling.

You should have been in the LIVE CHAT Darryl M. there was talk of an Orton Humvee...replacing the Rexwagon.

It was wild!

* Officially, the PVN feels that the

BEARS ARE STILL A DOMINANT TEAM.

Mike you are hilarious!

Sir Willy! My parents call me "Mikey." Also, I made no mention of Cowher but I do agree with you that while Lovie has his short comings, it could always be worse. Much worse. Rod Marinelli, Marvin Lewis anyone?

Well Roman, I hate to say it but you, Biggs, and the Sun-Times staff are simply not getting the information we want on our Bears. So, I worked up a little magic and ended up getting this super-secret post-game interview with Coach Lovie Smith himself. Shhh! Let's take a look:

What did you think about the loss on Sunday?

Lovie: Absolutely disgusting. I guarantee you, personnel will be held accountable and people will be fired! I mean, a blocked punt, returned for a touchdown!? In overtime!? Sickening. Just sickening.

Umm, I think that's the Cowboys game you're thinking about. I was talking about the team you coach, the Chicago Bears, and their loss in the final seconds to the Falcons.

Lovie: Oh, that game. Well, it was tough.

You've received a lot of criticism by fans and the media for calling the squib kick at the end. Why was the call made?

Lovie: Actually I fell into a daydream for most of the second half. And I started thinking about those rubber bouncy balls...you know, the ones we used to play with as kids? They had them in vending machines and cost about a nickel? Yes, well I was just reminiscing, thinking of how fun they were. So when I woke up at the end of the fourth quarter, I thought to myself, boy, it sure would be fun to watch the football bounce like a bouncy ball. So we called the squib kick.

On that last defensive play, Bob Babich called the Cover-2. Do you think that was the best play to use?

Lovie: The Cover-2 is infallible, impregnable and quite frankly it's the only play I and my B.F.F., Bob Babich, know of. They must have used some kind of voodoo or witchcraft or whatever it is they do in Atlanta, because the Cover-2 always works.

Ok, thank you Coach Smith.

(Suddenly, without warning, Lovie's eyes began to flash and he simply "powered down." It appeared that Rex Grossman tripped over the power cord connecting Lovie to the nearest outlet. Some men simply walked on stage, rolled up the cord, and carefully placed Lovie on a cart. They wheeled him out, and everyone resumed their business.)

Misery loves company...what a tough loss! Here is an observation. Just when the offense starts to truly grow and impress (I am amazed at Orton's performance especially considering he has such little talent to throw to) it seems the defense is on the decline. I personally hate the cover two...bend but don't break even if effective just doesn't fit the Bears in my mind...too soft. Strong in the red zone yes, keep us in games yes...but man it is hard to watch teams march right down the field throwing into that zone. The interesting thing is our playmakers on defense are not making plays this year. Is it coaching or player decline? When was the last time Urlacher, Brown or Harris (Our core) made a real impact in a game??? If not a sack or turnover, how bout at least a big hit?? Let's hope it starts this Sunday with at least one of these three core players/leaders!!

We need Bill Cowher for our next coach - he already has the "Ditka Stache", and he actually knows how to coach football and not fire a great coach like Ron Rivera who can actually make decisions on the fly.

Lovie is a straight-up D-O-P-E, and Babich is his dummy hick yes-man.

I don't know what to think about this game, Lovie, Babich and squib kicks.

If it was my team, I would have walked up to Robbie Gould, grabbed him by the facemask and told him that we needed him to kick one out of the endzone. To earn his paycheck, right then and there.

But hey, that's me.

All I know is that for the third time this season, the defense lost us a game in which we led late in the fourth quarter. I'm even willing to blame the offense for its poor second half performance against Carolina -- that's what really lost the game. But the defense sucked against the Bucs and -- in crunch time against the Falcons -- showed up flat.

How could the defense have been tired, Lovie? They only played 10 of the final 30 minutes.

How could a rookie QB light up an "elite" defense, Lovie?

It seems like as the offense opens up with a more comprehensive playbook, the defense cinches the knot tighter and tighter on its defensive schemes. We spent all that money on the defensive side of the ball this winter and we don't have much to show for it -- except a lot of injured players.

Lovie, forget about how much this game hurt to lose, your depleted secondary, your low key, know it all self-assuredness and have your defensive squad do 100 yard sprints all week until they puke and then walk them through your base defenses so they understand (6 games into the season) where they need to be in your oh-so-soft cover 2 schemes.

Maybe they will show up -- in shape -- to play the entire game.

Let's hope, because we are tired of your excuses.

You are on the clock and it's down to 3 minutes to midnight.

Normally I don't care for the comedy when talking sports, but for Mike's last 2 posts... I gotta hand it to you man, those were pretty doggone funny. hahaha Heckuva lot better than the Simon Sez posts from the V-man....

Mike,

That was a classic post!

WRD,

“you have what you have”? “Just a loss and it’s not the end of the world”? State the obvious why don’t you! I mean, listen to yourself with the dramatics more than the hating fans. Did you already forget about the disaster last season coming off a Super Bowl appearance and the 2 other losses against Carolina and Tampa already this year and you’re just going to take this last game as just another loss in the books? You can’t see a trend here or another potential heartbreaking loss down the road when the games really matter? Look, win or lose, I’ll always be a die hard Bears fan, but when there’s a concern about my favorite teams going far in the season, then I’ll voice out my opinions as I see it and back it up with facts. If I don’t like a way a coach is coaching or the way a player is performing on the field, they will get heckled whether by me or by other fans. WRD, I’ve read your other posts before and instead of giving some insight for team improvement, all you seem to concern yourself with is calling out other fans as immature meatheads. Why even bother reading and writing the blogs then? That’s the better question. If you'd rather sit on your hands and say nothing about the team, then nothing will ever get done. The Bears will continue to tread as an average team with an overpaid core of star players and an assistant coordinator posing as a head coach (sure sounds like the Chicago Bulls last season). Don't underestimate the fans' voice. A collective voice can make a difference and the McCaskey team is not as stubborn as Jerry Reinsdorf.

And as for ragging on Lovie, do you think that only the bloggers here are saying he’s a terrible coach? You have expert football analysts on television and radio and former Hall of Fame NFL players who question his head coaching decisions also! If you navigate around the different sports sites in the Internet, how many writers will you find that will rank good ole Lovie as one of the top NFL coaches around? Very few. Bill Cowher on the other hand? Very well respected around the league by players and by other coaches and GM’s. Everyone around the NFL knows it’s going to take a lot of money to sign him to a contract. With Lovie, I will bet my car that after this Bears gig, he will have trouble finding another job in the NFL as a head coach. As an asst. coordinator, no problem, but a head coach, I doubt it.

As a matter of fact, let’s have a nice little debate here regarding Lovie Smith. I’ll call out the Lovie supporters and you guys give me a list of all the positives with Lovie as a head coach. Besides being a so-called “players’ coach”, what else does Lovie do well as a head coach? You guys give me your list of positives and I guarantee you that my list of negatives will be much longer. Come on, let’s hear it! Darryl M included! And please, no, I don’t want to hear the “it’s not the head coach, it’s the players” that win the games. Both play an even hand in team success and failure.

That's a great challenge Edgar. Of course, based on what I've written, I'm on the "Lovie, please resign" side. Here's what I'm going to do. I'll give our opposition a headstart.

The ONE quality--as a football coach--I have foung intriguing with Lovie over the years is that he gives his players something like "hustle points." It's supposed to be a motivator to get all of his players to play 100 percent at all times. At least up until this year, I could see that it had a positive effect most of the time. What with the contract extensions of several guys including Urlacher, I'm not sure that it's nearly as effective anymore. Nevertheless, I'm sure that he's still using it, and it is a fine motivational took in theory. Beyond that, I can't find much else aside from his personal character traits which are admirable as a guy next door, but not, as far as I'm concerned, a head football coach.

I wonder if the likes of Sir William will venture down off his high horse and meet this challenge.

Villano - You couldn't even go ONE DAY without posting about the Bears! What kind of boycott is that? And here I thought I could count at least one good thing that came out of this loss. Roman, how about that lifetime ban??? He did request it after all.

Amazing how much you people crying about coaching. But in the real world if it does not work it bad. The fullback dive look to me like he had cross the goalline but thats just me. The last play was the right call but the cornerback bit on the wideout going in the flat and not dropping back deep to make that matt ryan pass a no go. Point is if it works the head coach is the smartest man on earth but if it doesnt you all wont to jump him and fire him. He is doing good in my book compare to a lot of other coachs with team that are better then us on paper. Real fan support their team even at the lowest of times. I remember watch the bears with my dad and they were always lossing at least now I know we can beat any team out there

The Bears deserved to lose. Atlanta outplayed us in every phase of the game. We were never in control of the game.

We shut down the run, but we must have been stacking the box because that rookie QB looked like Tom Brady.

Our offense has taken a big step forward thanks to stability from Orton and a decent running game thanks to Forte, and an O line that is still suspect but not as bad as I thought it would be. Congrats, now we are an average to below average O instead of a bottom 5 O.

Our special teams are uneven in execution.

Our big problem? Our defense is hugely overrated. Like the school bully, we beat up the weaklings but cannot stand up to a tough opponent. Where has Urlacher been all year? What about all of these stars that we have paid on Defense? All these high draft picks? That have all been in the system fior years and should know it backwards and forwards? Tommie Harris? The Bears seem to lead the league in giving raises to injured players who never return to their level of greatness or never live up to their potential. (Cases in point: Urlacher is now average, Tommie Harris is no better than good and may never recover from his leg injury, Mike Brown has lost a step, and we paid Rookie O-Lineman the big bucks when we knew he had a herniated disc in his back and he still has not been on the field. The only exception, O lineman Colombo is now STARTING for the Cowboys--good thing we traded him after he spent 2 years here rehabbing.) Our D CANNOT generate a pass rush, and we CANNOT COVER top receivers in our Prevent. Suprisingly, we seem to be able to stop the run ok this year. That's not enough.

We need to re-think the Cover 2 Defense. It had its day when it was new. Everyone knows it now and it is a waste of time. Perfect for blowing leads just like Prevent was in the 1980's.

Orton is becoming an average, reliable NFL QB. Forte is good and Kevin Jones is good. Shore up the O line, get some pass rushing studs on the D Line. Wait until next year, because we have a bunch of mediocre millionaires on this club who do not have passion and are not professionals. There are exceptions--guys like Olin Kreutz who really wants to win. But guys like Urlacher and Briggs? Whining millionaires who think that they are businessmen.

News flash, you jackasses--the businessmen are the ones who own the business. You guys are football players. Prima Donna, overpaid, overhyped, spoiled football players.

Lovie Smith is nowhere near the genius people make him out to be. We have to be one of the worst second half adjusting teams in the league, and we cannot hold onto a lead. Remember when our D used to crush our opponenets when we had the lead? Good old days, but now are gone.

I cannot believe folks are after Lovie. He has been the most successful coach we have had in this town since Dah-Coach. Lovie has made his share of mistakes, and his conservatism can be maddening at times. But he has a STEADY winning record, which includes a superbowl appearance. In fact, he and Ozzie are the only coaches in town that have taken us to a dance.

Lovie's approach will pay off. Bears are going to be ok. He is the RIGHT man for the job in Chicago. These are growing pains that we can fix before the playoffs. Our secondary has some problems that need addressing. I can live with everything else.

Anonymous, that’s not what I would exactly call a ringing endorsement for Lovie. How convenient you left your name out of the discussion. “He is doing good in my book” isn’t going to win too many debates for Lovie. I challenged you guys to provide some actual insight to why Lovie makes a good head coach! And might I remind you, this isn’t all just about this last game. Nothing has been working for him dating back to last season. If I didn’t care about this team, then I wouldn’t be bringing this up. Just because you support the Bears or Cubs through tough times doesn’t mean you’re a better fan than some of us who like to do some constructive criticism. You are almost promoting a loser’s mentality. Showing off your high morals about being a fan win or lose is not what this discussion is about. I already said this team has talent that can carry the team to even a playoff berth, but when the games really count, more times than not, Lovie will get outcoached that will cost us an important game. This is not about 1 or 2 little plays called by Lovie in the Atlanta game. It is a disturbing PATTERN to see him make many questionable decisions or not make any adjustments at all on the football field that are not only being caught by fans, but also with expert football analysts and former Hall of Fame players and coaches on television and radio.

Yes, the Bears probably deserved to lose that Atlanta game, but great teams steal victories also. In other words, great teams find a way to win even if they're not playing a good game. This was a game where a win should have been stolen and our head coach sure didn't help any.

I did watch the game and could not believe how they blew yet another one but then I turned it off and avoided any other games or highlights for the rest of the day.
I just let it go as soon as the game ended.

It is refreshing to finally look at football as entertainment and nothing personal. Believe me it was not easy to do after so many years of being a die-hard fan but why get your blood in a boil over millionaires who say, "Oh well, it happens" after blowing the game.

If they can just shrug it off just like that then so should you.

Positives to Lovie Smith being coach:

1) He has a higher winning percentage as Bears coach than that of Dick Jauron or Dave Wannstedt.

2) His Bears team has gone to the playoffs more times than those of Dick Jauron or Dave Wannstedt.

3) His Bears team has a higher playoff winning percentage than those of of Dick Jauron or Dave Wannstedt.

4) He's managed to accomplish all of these things with no quarterback, no wide receivers, and no speed at the corners.

Quick question Edgar: with all the insight you project about everything what have you accomplished bitching and moaning? What has one great blog from you or anyone else ever accomplished on the field. For one thing I never said that Edgar or anyone in particular was a meat head or a dullard. I just tried to be the voice of reason. Here's a common example: every time there is a vacancy for a head coach or manager for teams in this town we get a vast array of opinions that this guy and that guy would be great and then when he doesn't get asked we get this great big uproar about why this is team or that team sucks. Just because it didn't go their way. What good does it do to act like you know what would have worked? If you are a police officer go and arrest someone, go write a ticket or go buy some donuts. If you are an artist go draw a picture. If you drive a bus be on schedule and don't hit anyone. But if you aren't an NFL analyst why act like you have the answers. What makes Lovie great in some people eyes is the fact that he isn't Jaroun or Wannestaedt. That's enough for some people. Someone mentioned Dusty and without addressing the race part they are right. Where is all the hate for Pinnella? The guy had the lead all year long. It was in the bag. When he got here it was a foregone conclusion that he would win almost immediately. They even opened the purse up all the way and got the best free agent that year and what did it get the fans who felt that him being great was a foregone conclusion? The same thing it would've gotten them if they had hired Steve Martin was a plastic arrow in his head. So you can bring up Cowher all you like. It would not gaurantee diddly if they broke the bank and got him to come here. Like I said it took him 15 years before he won a Super Bowl. No one is giving out 15 parachutes around here. Do you honestly think that Cowher would've accomplish much more with what we've had over the last few years? We have never had a good quarterback. Cowher didn't do anything until he got Big Ben. Did Big Ben land on our roster or do you think that Cowher is going to bring him with him? 13 years without a quarterback and all he did was win games. And no matter how many you win if there isn't a Super Bowl WIN to finish out the year then fans are not going to be satisfied anyway. Now don't think I'm calling Cowher a loser or a worse coach then Lovie. He is a better head coach than Lovie. But since he isn't coming here,EVER,EVER, EVER why keep downing the one you do have? People can have an opinion to cut the guy down and I can have an opinion not to. I only mentioned Mike's name just once and if the rant resembled anyone else so be it. It's often said that the voice of reason is usually lost in the forest of chaos. And after all the crying that's been going on this week that is so true. I don't call people out because I'm not trying to show anyone up. I'm just about giving my opinion and I'm sorry if GiGi or anyone else is offended enough to call out my name. Mike and I go back a few months so it isn't uncommon for him to call me silly names. He knows I can care less. He hasn't changed my opinion once about anything so we are even.

So Lovie is a better coach than Dick Jauron or Dave Wannstedt?
Wow. Not really setting the bar very high are we?

That is like saying the Ford Pinto is better than the Chevy Vega.
Both of them offer an uncomfortable ride and neither one will get you where you need to go without a lot of luck.
Not as bad as the Yugo but not in the same league as a Lexus or even a Maxima.

Yup.
Lovie Smith is a 1976 Ford Pinto.

If we are on the verge of a WRD vs. EDGAR throwdown..

Im gonna need to go see my optometrist and update my prescription.

See that's the problem: setting the bar high. Before the season people said that we would be lucky to go 6-10. Now we are 3-3 and may go 8-8 and we are failures. The bar was set low and then raised. The thing I'm saying is why worry about being .500 when you expected worse? And which coach hired by any other team in the last 4 years should've been hired by the Bears? The pickings are slim after Cowher. Chances are that under the circumstances that we would not have even gone to the Super Bowl in 2006 with any of the coaches hired after 2004. Did any of the 2004 to now hires take their team to a Super Bowl? And we went without a great QB. So give the keys to the Pinto to Lovie and get out of the way. And no, I'm not about to go back and forth with anyone just to entertain you guys.

In the Red Corner....wearing his Red/White and Blue trunks.....the top contender for the Wordiest Blogger Belt....weighing in at just under 3 Bills....

Edgar "War and Peace" Tolstoy

and in the Blue Corner....wearing his signature Hammer and Cickle Red and Yellow Trunks...and doning his Thesaurus around his neck....tipping the scales at a buck and a quarter...

The Champion and Still undefeated....

William "I put the R in HomeR" DonallllLLLD

Ding Ding Ding....

I guess the thing that bothers me most about Lovie (among the many things) is that he is supposed to be a good defensive coach. But the Bears D hasn't shown that.

Cris Collinsworth may rave about the Bears D while the rest of us scratch our heads, but to someone outside Chicago, this is a talented defense. But that's the problem, we have loads of talent but we don't unleash it on anyone. Our top 8 defensive linemen could start for just about any other NFL team. We SHOULD be mauling other teams, but instead we allow a Rookie and a over the hill veteran to throw close to 100 passes without a sack.

What are we waiting for?

Do our players take stories from the newspapers out on the field with them and expect the opposing offense to fold?

We have all this talent, talent that we have spent millions on securing for the long term, but we don't let them play.

That's on Lovie.

William R. Donald:
Why are you so content with mediocrity? You think that if you expect government cheese but get a bologna sandwich instead then that was a great meal?

How about a nice steak once in a while like other fans expect and even demand?

These recent posts have been stellar including those from WRD.

Great work!

"It's often said that you can't grow your watercress next to your radishes. My decrees speak of truth and loyalty. King and country come first. I'm sorry if GiGolo (whatever his name is) or anyone else fails to see that. That Mike chap has been a thorn in my side for what seems like eons; as clever, quick-witted, and handsome as the lad is. Still, he has not swayed me one way or the other. Bah Humbug!"

-Uncle Scrooge, er, Sir William R. Donald III

Your Highness,
Hey, I know we go back and we've had some fun debates. But I've never changed your opinion on anything? Come now. What about Rashied Davis? I told you the guy had talent and he's doing pretty well for himself as a starter, save for a few drops in the first couple of games. But did you see that clutch TD nab in Atlanta? Come on, you gotta give me that.

As for Lovie's positives and negatives on being a coach, I don't think we can answer that yet. There are much more meaningful questions we have to ask about Lovie first.

For instance, why does he wear a headset when he never says a word? It baffles all.

Edgar - ANONYMOUS WAS ME. I ran a virus check on my computer and it cleared out all my information.

I agree with Big Willy!!! I loved your post man. Keep on keepin it real!

Lovie is down right now, and its easy to kick him. He is hurting like we all are. He expressed that in his post-game interview. He is smarter than we give him credit for, and I, unlike big Willy, happen to believe he is a better coach than Cowher. Lovie will win with this team. Its inevitable. He has finally got a RB and a decent QB. By record alone, lovie is better than most coaches. But I like his demeanor and style. His head is on right. He is never too high and never too low. He hates to lose and loves to win and his sights are always on BEAR Fan's priorities, Green Bay, Playoffs, Superbowl. He needs to shore up his secondary, dump Turner and Rex, and we will be fine.

Culzie - hilarious stuff!

that's just the thing phil, I just watch the games -get excited about the plays and then turn it off whether the win or lose. Dude I grew up a Cub fan. I had plenty of my summers ruined watching them and they have never won anything in my lifetime so if I can move on from that I can move on after we win or lose. accept mediocrity? I don't accept it for what matters most. and the Bears aren't going to give me a coronary or a head ache trying to figure out what they need to do or what it is they are doing wrong. I got enough on my plate without having to make their issues mine. but go right ahead and lose sleep figuring out why the mccaskeys aren't answering your pleas.

Mike you din't change my mind about Davis. His play is speaking for him. I still think he's just okay. All those dropped passes earlier this year is still speaking for him as well. I like Lloyd a lot better. Has Lloyd dropped anything this year when he was playing? Since I am still not exactly sold on Davis as this great receiver that means you are still 0 for eternity on convincing me of anything. But what can I say? I'm stubborn.

95 out of 100 of this same situation is a squib kick. No problem there. Just old fashioned luck on that last pass (just a no look toss), and some very unusual clock ticking there at the end. It hurt, but I'm still very optimistic about the season. How many times have we won crazy games like that in the past only to get pasted in the first round. I smell a totally different scenario this year and these games are going to come back to haunt only the opposition. You heard it here, first!

We can call this epic battle: WAR & PEACE!

I agree with Navarro. I just thank God this isn't the playoffs or God forbid the Superbowl. I could not take losing like that in the big game.

WRD - First of all, I’ll give you one example where a head coach can make a difference. Bill Parcells. Miami Dolphins worst team in football last year with basically 0 talent and are now a very competitive football team in less than 1 year. When he loses games, you rarely feel like he’s been outcoached. Remember, he has nowhere near the talent on this Dolphins team as the Bears have on roster. Now as for you being the “voice of reason”, saying that some of us sound like little kids and telling us to grow up isn’t what I call reasoning. And don’t act so straight and narrow now because you’ve been calling out bloggers (not by name in particular, but in general) all year long like this in other blog posts. I’ve been ranting on Lovie for a long time, not just this last game, but even way back before the Super Bowl season. And I never said Cowher would guarantee a Super Bowl, but he’ll bring a different mentality to this team that is built on defense, along with aggressiveness and creativity on the play calling. I’d rather watch that type of football over this boring and predictable junk and a talented defense all gone soft and ADMITTEDLY out of shape all of a sudden, coincidentally after some of the core guys finally got their big contracts.

Plus, we’re the paying fans, WRD. We’re the people who keep this franchise going and we’re the ones who basically pay the player’s salaries. If I want to “bitch & moan” as you say, then by all means, I’ll do it. What will it accomplish? Probably nothing, but you never know, the meatheads or the corporate wannabies might finally decide to not come to the games anymore because they are fed up with the coaching and some of the players. Philosophies change. Look at the Cubs, look at the Blackhawks (although it took a death in the family unfortunately). Yes, neither team has won the big one yet, but now they’re at least teams with expectations to make the playoffs and have a legitimate shot at the Championship every year. The Cubs broke a lot of hearts this season because of the high expectations and not because they lost to the Dodgers in the first round, it was HOW they lost by not putting up much of fight against the Dodgers. And yes, that goes back to Piniella so he gets his barrage of criticism from me as well. Point is, both management teams changed their ways. With the Bears, heck yeah I had expectations because they made the Super Bowl with a very young roster. They weren’t supposed to regress back to mediocrity. They were supposed to be perennial Championship contenders and they don’t look anywhere near that this season despite marked improvement in the offense and a healthy defense. I’m not about to just sit on my hands and take these 3 losses and a terrible last season and say nothing just because people like WRD doesn’t like it. And I still don’t get it, if some of you don’t like the opinions or whining as you call it, then what the heck are you doing reading and typing in the blogs? That’s what these boards were designed for! I’ve got news for you, the sports blogs are typically opinionated on the side of negativity!

"But what can I say? I'm stubborn"

Hahaha, you're posts are by far my favorite! But let's move on to a newer entry shall we?

You hit the nail on the head right there,Edgar. Negativity. You were down on Lovie since before the guy even took you to the Super Bowl which meant you didn't believe he'd get you there in the first place. So in me guesstimation you didn't even enjoy 2006 because you probably keep waiting for the wheels to fall off. What a way to live. If your memory served you you would see that a lot of bloggers take shots at a guy for just trying to interject positives. That happens to me all the time. If I respond and you see that it may appear I'm torching a guy, but, so be it. If someone calls your name then you can tell them to grow up, which I did at that point. Like I've said I'm not going to spend my fourties worrying about a team that is more a corporation rooted in making money on fans (who will line up regardless of what our record end of being ). You must have forgotten that we were losers for quite a while and even if you were bitching and moaning all those years you were not exacting change because fans were still going to the games and doing things they did when we were winning all the time. It's sad that you felt that we only started winning because you turned your back on them and only came back when they won a few. Your one voice was missed that much? And you must not watch a lot of Miami games because Parcells is the G.M. not the head coach. And usually teams that purge their rosters and get hungrier players win a few more then they did the year before and eventually lose a lot more near the end of the season because teams get a better picture of who they are. You know, this thing called "tape". Same thing that did Rex in in 2006. Tape goes a long way. But let's be real: they could've hired Earl, from "My Name is Earl" and won more games this year than last year. It's called Karma. Sometimes it means that you lose enough that you turn around and learn from it. And I bet you before the season is over you will see that Parcells is quitting again or entertaining thoughts of quitting. Dallas sure saw first hand what a great coach he was. That ring he got them sure didn't match the one all the Super Bowl winners got. It didn't even match the NFC championship ring that Lovie got. Oh, I forgot. Parcells didn't win any rings for Dallas. Oh let me stop.

Edgar, your keyboard is doing some funky stuff brotha!

Its like Aramaic!!

WRD, we can go obviously go back and forth on this but neither of us are going to change our opinions so it's not worth it. For the record though, I enjoy watching the games and I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl season at the time, but for me, it wasn't Lovie that led that team to the Super Bowl. He didn't make many moves as a head coach that impressed me at all. My opinion, but you know what, I'm not the only one who thought the same way. We'll see what happens at the end of this season when the majority of fans and media call for Lovie's job. Oh I know WRD, what a way to live. My life, not yours. Great game yesterday. Sure hope the team can sustain it and I hope they do.