I think I'm done expecting the Bears to get a lead and put away an opponent, at least a decent opponent.
I think when the Bears led 21-7 at the half over New Orleans on Thursday night, we all suspected the lead wouldn't last.
And it didn't. The Bears' offense in the second half this season often has been lackluster and passive.
The Saints took a 24-21 lead with 2:12 left in the fourth, and it was up to a turnover-prone offense to get the job done.
And it did.
"Winning Ugly" is an overused and trite expression, but it applies here. The Bears are who we thought they are, a flawed team. But one that is still alive for a playoff berth.
Next up: Green Bay.
At the very least, it should be entertaining.
to be fair, the bears' offense in the first half this game was lackluster and passive. if it weren't for a few key plays on special teams and defense, the score would have been tied at 7 at the half.
i find it funny, though, how kyle orton managed to throw for a third of his passing yards in the game after that second interception. at least we know he can come back from a bad performance.
let's hope Forte is okay!
go bears!
Where did NFL get these refs from? These clowns were horrible. Urlacher was pissed around the 3:00 mark in the 4th quarter and should be. Any D staying on the field that long will wear out. As I said last week Rasheed Davis should be benched and give our other forgotten WR's a shot. Every year during training camp we hear Hess did this, he did that, Hess has good hands but we never see him. Atleast try him out. Where's Weldo... I mean Jones. I like Peterson, but I think Jones can do better than him. Now you know what Forte means to this team. We should name this team the Chicago Forte's.
Someone needs to give Turner that 5 hour energy drink. He always falls asleep after the half.
Another case of idiotic play calling and playing one half of a football game.
This is the same story repeated week after week and it is the reason that they blew three games to NFC opponents this year and will probably miss the playoffs.
Look at the teams that they are competing with for a playoff berth.
Carolina.
Tampa Bay.
Atlanta.
All teams that the Bears had beaten but could not finish the job.
Win just one of those games and your season has a totally different outlook right now.
Lovie is not a good coach and the sooner that they come to terms with this the better.
The Bears have the lead and have got Brees on his heels and they stop blitzing him on defense while they come out throwing the ball for who the hell knows what reason on offense.
The Saints defense is backing off the line of scrimmage 10 yards and they refuse to run it and kill some clock while letting your defense take a deep breath.
They like to run it up the middle until they really need to do just that. Dumb!
Instead they let the Saints right back into the game while keeping the defense on the field as much as possible and trying really hard to prove that Kyle Orton is as good as Drew Brees.
He is not even close.
Having your punter trying to throw a pass at mid-field even in perfect conditions is bad enough but doing it in the cold and wind against the team with the number one offense in the league is pathetic. That was a really stupid call.
Having Earl Bennett sitting on the bench week after week while Rashied Davis plays like he is blind and wearing handcuffs tells you everything you need to know about Lovie’s mindset. There is a difference between playing the cards that you were dealt and not knowing how to play cards in the first place.
He does not get it.
Lovie has no understanding of even the most basic strategy of the game and he continues to hurt this team with his boneheaded decisions but they will win just enough games to keep him here for another year.
I know that I'm in the portion of fandom that pretty much desires a clean sweep of the coaching staff and general manager. The fact that a "win is a win is a win" will usually preclude such an occurrence leaves me torn. Did I want them to pull it out? Yes, the fan in me did want that. Nevertheless, I knew in my rational mind that it really wasn't best for this franchise's future.
Has anyone noticed how often a guy like Drew Brees has little or no pressure around him whereas whoever is at QB on our side usually has mayhem surrounding him? This is also quite typical from game to game. We are still sorely short of pass blocking ability. With all due respect to the southern version of Joe Tiller's star quarterbacks, I'd love to see Kyle with the same offensive line. It's not like the run blocking is a whole lot better either. Matt Forte' rarely has much, but just does much more than his predecessor pretty much on his own. This is quintessentially Jerry Angelo's lack of offensive production. Moreover, in fairness to Rex, now that it's happened a few times with Kyle, can we start pointing fingers at Olin Kreutz for these bobbled snaps?
Half of me is "Go Bears!" Half of me is "What can we do to get rid of the ones responsible for a team nooone can define?"
I EXPECT EVERYONE TO BE CHEERING THEIR FROZEN BUTTS OFF FOR ARIZONA THIS WEEKEND. *ALSO, I HAVE FITZ AND HIGHTOWER ON MY FF TEAM, SO CHEER A LITTLE EXTRA FOR THEM TO GET INTO THE END ZONE.
GO BEARS.
So how does a much-maligned defense absolutely shut down one of the best offenses in the NFL. If not for the Bear turnovers, they could have shut New Orleans out (MAYBE, big maybe, and I'm not forgetting Thomas' TD run). I don't care about some passing yards, just points. Even accepting the fact that the Saints are not the same team on the road, you have to give the defense credit.
Meanwhile, after I finished screaming at Orton (actually my TV), I looked at the fact that the receivers don't help him out much at all. Neither did Kreutz last night. That's at least two turnovers that are charged to Orton but definitely not on him. Why is Mike Hass or Rideau not taking Davis' roster spot? Mind-boggling! Rashied has not earned that long of a leash even with a new contract.
Either way it's nice to still be playing meaningful games in December. Let's enjoy!
Like I said in Bigg's blog, WOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quick takeaways from the game...
Kyle looks better in the no-huddle, seems to find his rhythm faster. Note to Turner, run the no-huddle earlier in the game, especially if the offense isn't jelling.
What is up with Kevin Jones? A. Peterson is fine as a third-down back, but he gets tackled way too easily on runs (I think I saw one Saints defender bring him down with a finger-nail tackle).
Our tight ends are studs and can catch in traffic and take hits, but retain the ball. (Unless they have a Saints defender draped all over them in the corner of the endzone at the end of the game and no referee has the balls to throw a flag)
We are still dropping too many passes.
I like Anthony Adams paired with Israel Idonije more than Tommie Harris.
We continue to give up too many 3rd down conversions -- especially those in excess of 10 yards.
Daniel Manning did not have a single Saints hand touch him on his game opening kickoff return. That's impressive.
Orton is still hobbled by his ankle injury. Earlier in the season he was able to move out of the pocket to extend plays. He has some movement, but not as much and not nearly as quick as earlier in the season.
Orton made a helluva throw to Fajita!
Orton can move this team with the game on the line. Something that's been lacking the past few seasons.
With this win, Orton has led the Bears to two winning seasons as quarterback -- both seasons in which he was the starter. He may not be the most graceful bearded QB in the NFL, but I like the fact that he wins. I think his best days are ahead, especially if he gets a couple decent wideouts to go with his tight ends and Forte.
The NFL Network broadcast sucks. They seemed to miss plays and not come back from commercials on time, etc. There was hardly any crowd noise to be heard thru out the game. It made for less than compelling TV. Good thing that an entertaining game was taking place.
123, good post.
Culz, you won't be freezing in the cold, you'll probably be at the game for what it's worth. Did you get Warner, too? Woulda made sense.
Phil, just got 1 question for you and the Lovie haters. Who's gonna be our next coach, Mike Mc Caskey? No respectable coach will come to a team that axed a coach after this SB run, then the run of injuries, then a playoff berth (I said it here, if we can't beat NO, GB, Hou) we don't deserve to be in the playoffs. All these teams ahead of the Bears play each other the next 3 weeks, all we gotta do is watch the dominos fall. (Don't get me on my spelling Julie B.)
Yeah, the Bears sucked in the second half, and our coaching is mediocre to bad at times, but we still won. Would rather be 8-6 than 7-7 right now. Let's put this in perspective, we gonna make the playoffs.
And talking about living in the past, Sheed made 2 catches and got a new contract, Minn., and Sea. in ot. Wow! He should be drinking that 5 hour energy drink with Turner.
I totally agree with you, Roman. You nailed it. I had that queezy feeling at half time and hated the idea that New Orleans would start out on offense. The touchdown that put the Saints ahead evoked an "Oh damn! Here we go again." Then things got really exciting.One improvement to NFL games in general would be to televise only the last five minutes of the game and have Faith Hill sing the first fifty-five.
People STOP your belly-aching and whining ! They WON!
HEY PEOPLE, THEY WON THE GAME!
Did I go BLEEPING Blagojevich at them when screwing up? Hell Yea!
GO BEARS!
Even our QB took up for the center's quick snap and said it was his fault when it was clearly Olin Kruetz's fault. Olin has done that quite a few times in the last three games. What's up with that?
GO BEARS! Just WIN Baby! It ain't got to be pretty!
I don't agree with a lot of calls lovie Smith makes as well sometimes, but I think fans are way to hard on him. He has never been given good receivers or a top notch Quarterback. Yet he is on pace now to have his 3rd winning season in 4 years including a superbowl. When Jauron was way too conservative and when we had John Shoop here everyone was yelling that we gave the game away by running to much and throwing boring screen passes. Now that we take risky moves and pass more, people complain that we need to be conservative. To clarify, I agree that some of the calls last night by Lovie were questionable but he is not a bad coach and I think we've become a little spoiled since the superbowl that we have to overly critisize an 8-6 team that could have been 11-3 if a few plays would have broken there way.
I must say, I did enjoy the game.
Urlacher looked much more active last night than the past few weeks. A star should shine on every play, of every down, in every game? I'll take two more, though!
Passes, over the middle, to backs out of the backfield? Turner had to be in the bathroom while an assistant made those calls.
Hester is a legitimate deep threat, period.
Hester is a legitimate short pass threat, period.
Hester was the difference in this game, and the ball didn't even make it into his hands, TWICE!
I still say Rexy had as much to do with it, but Olin Kruetz is, hands early, the main culprit. He handles the ball as many times as anyone else in the game, and I'm starting to get a bad feeling about why his eyes are starting to shift a little farther apart.
Adrian Peterson runs as hard, on every chance he gets, as anyone in the game. Get off it already.
Yes Seedy, you're absolutely right! Adams and Idonije are solid AND consistent.
I can honestly tell you, Turner and Babich had to have left their perspective proms ALONE because neither has a clue on believing in what got you there. It's not as much adjustments as it is having the boulders to take the same chances in the second half.
If we can just stop giving up that one long killer run every game, we'll be in very good shape.
The Fat Lady is still at the dinner table, and my guess is, she stays there until well after the Holidays.
GO BEARS!!!
Chuck
Who is going to be the Bears next head coach if they got rid of Lovie?
What is wrong with Bill Cowher?
How about any one of the following?
Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Titans Offensive Coordinator Mike Heimerdinger.
Titans Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Chargers Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera.
Ravens Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan.
Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Cowboys Assistant Head Coach & Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett.
Please tell me that you do not believe that Lovie is as good as it gets as far as coaches go.
Keeping him just because he was out coached in the Super Bowl in 2006 is not good enough for me.
Gig:
Great post. Your eloquent explaination about being conflicted when it comes to rooting for this sums up my own feelings in a nutshell.
Okay, here's the deal. It wasn't that cold and Kyle sucked last night. He played incredibly poor and if it was Rex out there, the booing would've been loud and frequent. But Kyle plays like that, with a passer rating of 49-point-something, and somehow escapes the boos. I do not get it. As I've said many times, I don't boo players, even players on opposing teams, but I'm curious.... what exactly is the criteria for booing? Seriously, please clue me in, because that to me was a boo-able performance. Forget the Neckbeard Mobile. I'm officially off.
Oh and why is it that everyone in the universe knows that passing on 1st and 2nd down with the lead and 3-and-a-half minutes to go in the game is a stupid idea, except Ron Turner? And then to be so arrogant as to explain it by saying "we were just trying to get a 1st down." Well duh! Then why are you setting yourself up to have 3rd and long?
Rashied Davis - when are we going to give up on this experiment? This guy has "practice squad" written all over him.
Defense and Special Teams both deserve to be introduced pre-game next week - the last home game. For some reason, player introductions have been completely abandoned at Soldier the last few weeks and the whole team just runs out together. Like they don't want to give a prime opportunity for booing!
Well, anyhoo. A win's a win I guess. At least we're officially better than last year.
GO BEARS!
Julie sez: "Okay, here's the deal. It wasn't that cold and Kyle sucked last night. He played incredibly poor and if it was Rex out there, the booing would've been loud and frequent. But Kyle plays like that, with a passer rating of 49-point-something, and somehow escapes the boos. I do not get it."
I get it.
That fumbled exchange at the one yard line was on Kruetz, and one of the two interceptions was entirely on Davis. Take those two plays out of the equation, and the game isn't even close.
Granted; even without those two miscues, Orton's numbers would still be less than impressive, but it also isn't his fault that Turner doesn't know how to kill the clock with a lead. Orton didn't audible out of running plays and decide on his own to call those passes in questionable situations. That's all Ron Turner.
And this is part of the reason that the boo birds kept a sock in it Thursday night. The other reason is that Orton never looked rattled.
His composure and leadership are visibly evident, whereas Rex would completely fall apart after a series of bad breaks.
Hop on JB!
Julie B., I agree.
Kyle looks just like Brian Griese to me. He makes head-scratching mistakes but can win the game if the ball is in his hands on a final drive. The difference being that while Griese can at least connect on a deep pass, Orton can scramble. Other than that, they are one and the same.
I'm deeply concerned that Kyle got frazzled on making only his second read and threw an INT pass straight to Scott Fujita. And against the Vikings, he threw straight into the heart of the Cover-2 and got picked off by Sharper. I thought Kyle was more "mentally equipped" than that. Angelo, hold off on that extension for now.
In Rashied's defense, the pass was thrown behind him, but overall he has been terrible with drops this season. Quite uncharacteristic of his clutch '06 performance. Still, if the guy pops a pass into the air for an interception, the coaches need to take note: Convert him back to a defensive back!
Oh, and actually Turner's play-calling while we were ahead was pass (for 3 yards or no gain), run (for 3 yards or no gain) and finally pass(no gain). Let's try to be more vigilant of Turner's incompetence Julie, alright?
Phil, the thing I wonder is if any of those possible coaches came here who would they bring as coordinators? When Lovie got here he wasn't able to bring who he wanted for coordinators and had to settle for whatever was left. Do you honestly think if any one of them came here they would be allowed by ownership to bring a well paid coordinator or a highly sought out coordinator with them. In a matter of seasons you would be calling for their heads as well. Face it; the job of most fans is to complain about non-perfection and put their impossible expectations out there. I constantly hear the same complaints from fans and it feels like you repeat whatever complaints you heard before. It never lets up. We are bound to hear complaints about ownership, management, coaching and over-paid players not living up to their contracts. And it doesn't matter if we won that week. Tommie Harris and Urlacher have to make 10 tackles each before someone leave their names out of a negative discussion. The D would have to shut a team out and have them pass for less than 100 yards or rush for less than twenty yards before Babich's name is omitted. And don't let 15 of those 20 come on one run. Forget it. We dropped passes and so did players on the best offensive team in the NFL. Granted, I feel that Davis is nothing special but I had to argue with someone during the off-season who swore that his 17 catches last year warranted a bump up to starter. That same person couldn't see why no one else signed him the past off-season as well. But he is a starter and that's what Orton has to work with. And don't let me get into the Orton debate. Why isn't he villified like Rex? Even bloggers are being nice about him this week. But fans get a dislike and never shake it. Especially for players who just got a raise. Hester for one isn't great but what they are doing with him on O with drawing interest alone is helping. Some teams do draw up plays that take advantage of a speedy player, but you have to be honest with yourself about Orton being the guy to complete passes to WRs on a dead run. How many times have a player slown up and then dropped it. It doesn't help knowing that someone is gonna catch up with you and might murder you because you stopped to catch a ball. Why doesn't someone ever mention that Olson is a WR and not a TE. He is no where near TE quality when it comes to blocking or even breaking a tackle after the catch. DBs who are much smaller than him sometimes seem to muscle him out of a play or bring him down one on one. He needs to get stronger on the off-season but where has a fan ever complained about him. So Hester jumped off-sides, so did Olson and at a more crucial time. But fans jump on the same players over and over and I wonder why they are so eagle-eyed for everything but that. Like with the handoff. Kreutz did that how many times this year? Not like the usual one or two every game like in the past. You don't have to lay blame on someone every game. Collectively this team is middle of the road because it happens after you have to pay once you win big like we did in 2006. Even though we lost the Super Bowl not everyone looks at it like a failure. Mike, you should repeat what you wrote on Bigg's Blog because it was spot-on when it comes to expectations and likelihoods that teams will succeed after spending. But for every guy who says that we've been losers only when we've won the Super Bowl then we've been losers every year but one in 45 years. With only one team winning once a year then there are way more losers out there than us. Don't blame those other 44 years all on Lovie. Spread that blame around. We are not a good team and most of you expected much, much worse before the season ever started. Now you think they are better. What changed your mind about that in the first place?
Julie..Kyle and Forte are the only reasons we still have a season..hopefully, what I saw Hester do keeps getting better and better...then the TE's should be open again
Brandon Lloyd needs to be cut
and if the Bears can't catch the football...there's this guy...Mike Haas.. or Hass.. or do you say smith.. that won't drop it...
lol, it would be like the Bears to have their best WR on the practice squad ...oh yeah..it is... Keenan McCardell
give Kyle the extension (that's kinda funny when you think about it like me)
I think our point HIT is that we dont want to "just be in it"
WE WANT TO DOMINATE.
William, William, William, could you please spare us from this undending, unindented, stream-of-consciousness hubris? I love intelligent thoughts and you have them, but yours are sprinkled with more pompous seasoning than necessary. I love seasoning, but too much makes the food unpalatable. What, pray tell, do you hope to accomplish when you sprinkle way too much of that on our food? Something tells me that you may be a contrarian at heart--that no matter the consensus you'd be riding the alternative.
Merry Christmas William!
Anybody home?
Just Win Baby! and Shulz
"Yeah, the Bears sucked in the second half, and our coaching is mediocre to bad at times, but we still won. Would rather be 8-6 than 7-7 right now. Let's put this in perspective, we gonna make the playoffs."
Answer:
YES I would rather be 7-7 We would get a better draft pick next year! What do you want? To lose the first playoff game make the owners more money and get a crappy draft pick next year? We DO NOT have the talent to win in the playoffs this year. I have been a faithful Bears fan for 40 years and I am tired of just winning a game here and there and stupid fans like you guys are jumping up and down yelling like banshees cause we won a game! Don't you get it yet? It's about the Super Bowl!!! No Super Bowl no glory!!! dang we barely beat the Saints and you think we have a shot? We need better talent and we will NOT get that by losing in the playoffs.
Just Win Baby! and Chuck (my bad Shulz)
"Yeah, the Bears sucked in the second half, and our coaching is mediocre to bad at times, but we still won. Would rather be 8-6 than 7-7 right now. Let's put this in perspective, we gonna make the playoffs."
Answer:
YES I would rather be 7-7 We would get a better draft pick next year! What do you want? To lose the first playoff game make the owners more money and get a crappy draft pick next year? We DO NOT have the talent to win in the playoffs this year. I have been a faithful Bears fan for 40 years and I am tired of just winning a game here and there and stupid fans like you guys are jumping up and down yelling like banshees cause we won a game! Don't you get it yet? It's about the Super Bowl!!! No Super Bowl no glory!!! dang we barely beat the Saints and you think we have a shot? We need better talent and we will NOT get that by losing in the playoffs.
William, while I enjoy your comments and you made alot of sense by your point, the one thing is the Bears have been losers quite alot in those 44 years. I know I have watched them since 1963 and they have looked pretty bad over that entire span except a few times. No they don't HAVE to win the Super Bowl but getting past the first game of the playoffs would be nice. and yes I would expect better play after paying the D all that money - That is an expectation. If my boss gives me a raise because of past experience he expects me to even get better not worse. I am not mad at the Bears for keeping R. Davis he looked promising but now that he IS dropping passes they should let another WR try a few like Bennet/Rideau/Hass
and I do not feel the Super Bowl is an impossible expectation, I feel it is the only goal (except beating the pack of course) If your goal is not to win the Super Bowl then why even play? Set your goal as high as you can and then you might reach the other objects along the way. Their is a difference in reality and negativity. The Bears losing way too much is a reality and the fans complaining is a legitimate response to that reality, too many Bears fans are USED TO LOSING and believe they should cheer on a win every now and then - get used to winning and maybe then you will see the fans negativity stop.
The Bears are the oldest franchise Halas started the league and yet we have won 1 Super Bowl? What are these other teams doing different than the Bears?
Pittsburg = 5 SB wins
Dallas = 5 SB wins
New England = 3 SB wins
Green Bay = 3 SB wins
Denver = 2 SB wins (lost at least 3 others)Thats alot of appearances!
Buffalo = 4 appearances (alot!)
Minnesota = 4 appearances!
Bears = 2 appearances Yes only 2! Twenty years apart by the way. Now I am not going to stop being a Bears fan but I want the Bears goal to start being realistic due to better management!
William R. Donald...
When Lovie got here he wasn't able to bring who he wanted for coordinators and had to settle for whatever was left?
Really?
I guess that it took him some time before he could fire the Defensive coordinator that he had in Ron Rivera so he could promote his good buddy Bob Babich.
After that move they dropped from the 2nd best defense in 2005 and 5th best in 2006 to 28th in 2007 and are now 17th. They are going backwards on defense.
Of course he did fire his hand picked offensive coordinator Terry Shea so he could bring in his new hand picked guy Ron Turner.
Since Lovie took over the Bears offense has ranked 32nd, 31st, 14th, 15th and 21st.
They are going backwards on offense.
The receivers that could not play under Lovie are doing just fine with other teams while a new bunch of Bear WRs are looking like Arena League players. Hell.... one of them is just that and Lovie keeps him on the field no matter how many passes he drops.
Lovie was the defensive coordinator of a Rams team that won because of its high scoring offense and no other reason.
He took over a group of young talented defensive players with the Bears and turned them into one of the worst pass defense units in the league under his defensive coaching.
His handling of the QB position has been a running joke.
His favoring Cedric Benson over Thomas Jones or even Adrian Peterson was idiotic and caused a riff between the players and coaches.
His insistence of making Devin Hester a mediocre WR turned the greatest KR ever into a basket case.
More times than not the Bears look unprepared for the game at hand and that is the head coaches number one job. Have your team ready to play.
Tell me something positive that Lovie does and don’t say his half asleep personality.
Dick Jauron did that for a lot less money.
What does Lovie bring to the table?
William R. Donald...
When Lovie got here he wasn't able to bring who he wanted for coordinators and had to settle for whatever was left?
Really?
I guess that it took him some time before he could fire the Defensive coordinator that he had in Ron Rivera so he could promote his good buddy Bob Babich.
After that move they dropped from the 2nd best defense in 2005 and 5th best in 2006 to 28th in 2007 and are now 17th. They are going backwards on defense.
Of course he did fire his hand picked offensive coordinator Terry Shea so he could bring in his new hand picked guy Ron Turner.
Since Lovie took over the Bears offense has ranked 32nd, 31st, 14th, 15th and 21st.
They are going backwards on offense.
The receivers that could not play under Lovie are doing just fine with other teams while a new bunch of Bear WRs are looking like Arena League players. Hell.... one of them is just that and Lovie keeps him on the field no matter how many passes he drops.
Lovie was the defensive coordinator of a Rams team that won because of its high scoring offense and no other reason.
He took over a group of young talented defensive players with the Bears and turned them into one of the worst pass defense units in the league under his defensive coaching.
His handling of the QB position has been a running joke.
His favoring Cedric Benson over Thomas Jones or even Adrian Peterson was idiotic and caused a riff between the players and coaches.
His insistence of making Devin Hester a mediocre WR turned the greatest KR ever into a basket case.
More times than not the Bears look unprepared for the game at hand and that is the head coaches number one job. Have your team ready to play.
Tell me something positive that Lovie does and don’t say his half asleep personality.
Dick Jauron did that for a lot less money.
What does Lovie bring to the table?
actually (interesting about Arizona)
From Wikipedia
Two charter members, the Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals) and the Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears), are still in existence. The Green Bay Packers franchise (founded in 1919) is the oldest team not to change locations, but did not begin league play until 1921. The Indianapolis Colts franchise traces its history through several predecessors, including one of the league's founding teams (the Dayton Triangles), but is considered a separate franchise from those teams and was founded as the Baltimore Colts in 1953. Though the original NFL teams representing Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit no longer exist, replacement franchises have since been established for those cities.
actually (interesting about Arizona)
From Wikipedia
Two charter members, the Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals) and the Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears), are still in existence. The Green Bay Packers franchise (founded in 1919) is the oldest team not to change locations, but did not begin league play until 1921. The Indianapolis Colts franchise traces its history through several predecessors, including one of the league's founding teams (the Dayton Triangles), but is considered a separate franchise from those teams and was founded as the Baltimore Colts in 1953. Though the original NFL teams representing Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit no longer exist, replacement franchises have since been established for those cities.
They won and will have to win out. Minnesota is playing with a sense of urgency also. They are hot. I hope the bears make the playoffs. It would be the first time I can remember when the Cubs, Sox, Bears, Bulls and Hawks all went to the playoffs.
This team's playoff chances have expired, it is a deceased playoff team, it is no more. This team has ceased to be playoff eligible, Its playoff chances are a matter of interest only to historians.
What's more if you saw this team as a legitamate playoff team, you've been dreaming. Like Lovie, like Jerry. I think they'll probably finish 9-7, losing to the packers. I originally had them going 10-6 and missing the playoffs on tie breakers, but turns out they are more disappointing than that.
Now the bears owners won't have to worry about paying a high draft pick so they should be happy, and Angelo won't have all that drafting pressure. Not that picking in the bottom of the draft will keep him from fouling it up. Anyone notice in the Vikings game two former bears wide receivers scored 3 of the 5 vikings TDs? Nice work on the wide outs Angelo! Enjoy your off season, maybe after you draft half dozen defensive players to fix lovies little defense you can find a pick for the offense and get a player who can run and catch the ball.
KLSS --
The Bulls?
Playoffs?
I still like the Bears chances. They should beat the Pack at home, but the Texans on the road could be a tough game.
Tavaris Jackson is QB of the Vikes. Can't believe he can go the remainder of the season without a meltdown. If he does keep performing well, then the Vikes make the playoffs and get pasted in the first round.
Oh well.
I like watching the Bears. For the first time in a few years, they have somebody at QB who can take the team the length of the field with less than 2 minutes left in the game. He can look horrible all day, but still eek out a win. Say what you will, but the previous QB could not do that.
I still don't think they have their best players on the field and that's what troubles me.
Don't think it's going to change either, because that would mean cleaning house ... Angelo, Lovie, Turner, Babich, etc. When have the Bears ever done that?
YES I would rather be 7-7
By Anonymous on December 14, 2008 5:47 PM
****
Glad you are anonymous, dude.
Who the hell plays to lose regardless of the situation? The Chicago Bears are NOT 2&12, 1&13 or 0&14!! They are not even 5&9! Therefore the players must continue to play hard all the way through the season even if losing in the first round of the play-offs.
Matt Forte's & yes our less than spectacular Devin Hester on Punt Returns this year are found via scrutinizing draft picks with a fine tooth comb. We have drafted a bunch of number ones lately and they have all been busts!
If Benson had done half of what Forte is doing, opposing teams would have a force to reckon with in the Bears' backfield!!
JUST THINK IF THE BEARS still had THOMAS JONES around!!
Therefore, simply having a number one draft pick lately has turned to crap instead of gold in Chicago! Give me a pissed off 2nd rounder who felt they should have gone in the 1st round and a handful of hungry 3rd, 4th and 5th rounders WHO WANT TO PLAY and screw the prima donna first-rounder with the guaranteed bonus contract who AIN'T NEVER DONE NOTHING TO EARN IT!!
NOW YOU HAVE MONEY TO GET FREE AGENTS!!
I didn't say that fans didn't have a reason to complain. I just stated that they should stop complaining about the sames things every time. Case in point; one fan mentioned before how the Cards had a WR (whose name escapes me) who was gonna be a free agent after this season and we should go and get him. A couple more fans jumped in the debate and have repeated it several times. Problem is he is not a free agent. But fans repeat what they've heard and act as though he was a viable option. And all I meant with the 44 years of losing is the fact that a coach of 5 years isn't even a drop in the bucket as the reasons why. But since We've won back in 85 then let's keep bringing that up. Let that go and accept today. It is the organization as a whole. Ditka only winning one with all that talent is a barometer of that. As the crying in the world isn't changing who the owners will be. ....to be continued....
It is pretty obvious that they are not going to the playoffs now.
When they were giving away games early in the season Lovie kept shrugging it off and claiming, "We are still in first place"
He convinced this team that there was no urgency to the remaining of the season and it showed in embarrassing blowouts to the Packers and Vikings. They did not show up at all for that Packers game. Both divisional loses but “We are still in first place”.
Conference loses to Carolina, Tampa and Atlanta was also not worth getting up for and were treated as insignificant. “We are still in first place”
Those games that Lovie turned his nose up at as nothing but a "bump in the road" is going to cost them a playoff spot and the division title but it won't cost him his job.
Just one win from that group and things could have been different.
Just one less “bump in the road”
Time for Jerry to trade down out of the first round to get two 2nd round picks and take defensive players with them.
Keeping the Bears a middle of the road team is good enough to keep the McCaskey family happy.
Phil, you mentioned all these things that Lovie did that favored a player but how do you know it wasn't something that was mandated? When we won the NFC Championship he was embraced more by Jones than any other player. Those guys hugged like they had a mutual respect for each other. Defense didn't hoist Rivera on their shoulders. But it just had to be Lovie's design that we draft a RB in 2005. Any coach, stubborn or not knows what it takes to be a running team. Especially since they are a defensive minded coach and knows what it takes to stop a team. In my estimation Lovie didn't scout or bring any players in except players who may have played for him like Archuleta. But there were other players he wanted and they didn't get them. But no one cares about that. From what I can see he's a yes man just like any other coach out there who want to be a coach in their future. Everyone likes to mention how Ditka was a tell-it-like it was Coach but I remember him going along with everything that the McCaskeys did to slowly dismantle his team. He had to be the one who traded or refuse to sign guys who were still good players and keep them with the team. I don't see that. I see another coach who didn't bite the hand that fed him. Sure, he screamed and hollered at his players and willed them to win some games but whatever he had left quit on him and he hasn't been able to relate to players any longer. That's what is going on in the NFL. Either you relate to these guys or you have a short shelf life for being a coach. Same thing with fans. Some of you guys are so old school that the game has passed you by. Super Bowls? Most players don't care if they win or which team they win it with because they are cattle. Reggie White had God tell him to go to Green Bay so God won't lead you astray. How many guys actually can tell you in 2008 that he signed with a team because God told them to. Unless Drew Rosenhaus is God then that's who players listen to. The money is their bible. Even Urlacher refused to want to play unless you paid him better and he knew that he was damaged goods. He got the majority of what he wanted. All of them do. You don't think the average player realized what was going on with the money on the offseason? Super Bowls are secondary. Only an Old School fan would think otherwise. How is that for hubris?
Philtration
[Smith] took over a group of young talented defensive players with the Bears and turned them into one of the worst pass defense units in the league under his defensive coaching.
Bears' Pass D ranking under Lovie Smith:
2004: 15th
2005: 5th
2006: 11th
I believe it was around this time that Lance Briggs demanded his extension.
2007: 27th
...and then Vasher, Tillman Urlacher asked for money.
2008: 28th (thusfar)
This is actually an interesting question--are the Bears' pass defense woes the fault of Lovie Smith? Are they the fault of Bob Babich, who came on after the 2007 season? Or are they the fault of Jerry Angelo, who paid big money to veterans that aren't producing anymore?
Before anyone goes off the deep end about "OMG RON RIVERA WE NEED TO BRING HIM BACK HE'S SO AWESOME!!"--yes, it's true that San Diego ranked 14th in the league in pass defense in 2007. While he was linebacker's coach. Now that Rivera's taken over as D-coordinator, San Diego ranks 31st in pass defense and 25th in overall D. (By comparison, the Bears are currently 17th overall.)
This isn't even factoring into account things like Vasher's having missed most of the past two seasons with injuries. I've said it a million times: the Bears don't have any speed on the corners. Naturally you're going to get burned through the air that way; it's just that, in the past, Tillman and others had been able to force lots of fumbles, something they don't do as much anymore.
Of the complaints against Smith, I'd say this is the closest to being valid. I myself put the blame on Jerry Angelo for not going after any defensive free agents who might have helped bolster the secondary. We need a lockdown corner--does anyone think we'll get that in the draft after Angelo trades away our first-round pick?
His handling of the QB position has been a running joke.
Um...not this year. Say what you will about Kyle Orton's recent problems with throwing picks, but at least half of those picks hit Bears players first. Sure, that leaves the other half, some of which were thrown Rex-style to the wrong spot--but how many times has Rex thrown a pick, only to come back and lead the team to a come-from-behind victory?
I'm not willing to call Kyle a franchise quarterback just yet--but, unlike some of you, I'm maybe willing to wait until he actually has wide receivers to throw to before casting judgement.
His favoring Cedric Benson over Thomas Jones or even Adrian Peterson was idiotic and caused a riff between the players and coaches.
Say what? I distinctly remember Thomas Jones getting the start Cedric's first two years in the league. I was one of the many who wasn't convinced Thomas Jones was the kind of back we needed; he did a lot of dancing before he hit the line, and was extremely good at picking up yardage in garbage time. Even after Cedric turned out to be a bust, I still stand by Thomas Jones not being the back of our future. Frankly, I'm glad we're rid of both of them, Jones's performance in New York notwithstanding.
And yeah, our Adrian Peterson really lit up the league with his 3.4-yard average during those five starts he got last year, didn't he? AP's a good back--a third-down back, that is. He's a decent receiver and good special teams player, but he has not proven himself to be an every-down back.
His insistence of making Devin Hester a mediocre WR turned the greatest KR ever into a basket case.
That's ridiculous. Are you saying you'd have Devin Hester get two, maybe three touches a game, instead of five or six? Hester's problem isn't that he's lost his mojo as a kick returner--his problem is he still has problems running routes and keeping his hands on the ball. He's a great #3 receiver--there still is no open-field runner who is more dangerous, especially when all eleven guys on D aren't keying on him from the moment the ball is snapped.
Besides, the Bears don't need an explosive kick returner--while I'm sure they'd like one--if they can get consistent stops on defense and have a balanced offensive attack. I've said it a billion times in the live chats, and I'll say it again now: Devin Hester getting five catches for sixty-seven yards and a touchdown per game is INFINITELY more valuable to this team than Devin Hester returning kicks. This isn't the NBA, where you can have some flash-and-dash special stuff every night; this is the NFL, where any style-borne advantage is fleeting, and you have to make the most of your talent. That's what the Bears are doing with Hester, and that's what they should be doing with Hester.
Since Lovie took over the Bears offense has ranked 32nd, 31st, 14th, 15th and 21st.
They are going backwards on offense.
Um...are you sure you're reading that right? According to your own statistics, they are actually going forward on offense, with the exception of this year--but I think everyone can agree that sacrificing the first-half-of-season yardage explosions in the Rex era for some consistency and the ability to come back from mistakes is a fair trade off.
I'll be frank: I don't really see much compelling evidence that the Bears' offense is anything other than light-years better than it was last year, and that's with the mediocre offensive line play and no wide receivers to speak of. Could you imagine what things would be like if defenses actually had to key on receivers all day?
And don't give me that nonsense about how the receivers we let get away are so dominant. Berrian benefits from having defenses worry about the other Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor; Justin Gage and Bobby Wade are space-fillers in mediocre passing attacks that just happen to be having okay seasons. For that matter, when they were here, everyone complained about them (except Berrian, but I'd be sad he's gone if he could have caught a pass or run any route other than a fly route); to date, none of them has had a thousand-yard receiving season. They're "doing just fine," sure--on good teams with great rushing attacks.
Julie B.
if it was Rex out there, the booing would've been loud and frequent. But Kyle plays like that, with a passer rating of 49-point-something, and somehow escapes the boos. I do not get it.
I'll give you a hit: after Kyle Orton threw his second interception, he then took the Bears down the field for a score that tied the game. After that, he orchestrated an overtime drive that took the Bears downfield for the winning score.
When has Rex Grossman EVER done that? (The Atlanta game in 2005 doesn't count; he threw a pick at the goal line that Rashied Davis stripped out of the Corner's hands. Davis is at least good at getting the ball on the field!)
Phill sez: "William R. Donald...
When Lovie got here he wasn't able to bring who he wanted for coordinators and had to settle for whatever was left?
Really?
I guess that it took him some time before he could fire the Defensive coordinator that he had in Ron Rivera so he could promote his good buddy Bob Babich.
After that move they dropped from the 2nd best defense in 2005 and 5th best in 2006 to 28th in 2007 and are now 17th. They are going backwards on defense."
Ok Lovie fans ... now it's time to take off the gloves.
Smith got rid of Rivera for one reason, and one reason alone:
He saw him as a threat.
If Lovie Smith were at all interested in moving this team forward, and improving their record, he would have never gotten rid of Chico.
But you see; this isn't about the Bears; it's about Lovie, and his personal desire to take credit for having a top shelf defense.
Funny ... he has no interest in taking credit for the mess that he created by promoting his BFF; but that's what delusional dummies usually do.
Say what? I distinctly remember Thomas Jones getting the start Cedric's first two years in the league. I was one of the many who wasn't convinced Thomas Jones was the kind of back we needed; he did a lot of dancing before he hit the line, and was extremely good at picking up yardage in garbage time. Even after Cedric turned out to be a bust, I still stand by Thomas Jones not being the back of our future. Frankly, I'm glad we're rid of both of them, Jones's performance in New York notwithstanding.
What are you smoking?
You'd be dancing and jitterbugging if you didn't have an offensive line to run behind too.
Now that he finally has one in New York, he doesn't have to shuffle his feet anymore, and can hit the holes like he might have done here in Chicago if they had been open for him.
He'll be in the Pro Bowl this year, while the rest of the Bears are sitting at home.
William:
I have never said that the Bears should have kept Ditka. Not one time.
He was burned out as a coach, became a caricature of himself and it was time for him to go.
He also knew that Buddy Ryan running the defense was the right move even though they did not like each other.
He did not go out looking for his best fishing pal to take his place. His winning percentage was a lot better than Lovie Smith's and he was still fired.
Darryl:
You admit the Bears pass defense has fallen off the face of the earth and then blame it on Briggs, Vasher, Tillman and Urlacher wanting more money? That is weak and all teams have to pay for pro bowl players. Lovie has taken pro bowl caliber players and turned them into mush.
This is Lovie's system and his hand picked friend is helping him run it. The results do not lie.
Yes Lovie's handling of the QB position was a joke this year as well. Any NFL coach that turns to flipping a coin to see who gets to start in camp is an idiot. He was laughed at all over the country for that and rightfully so.
Devin Hester was getting more than two or three touches a game as a KR and he was far more productive doing that than his production at WR. The field position that he provided alone was worth its weight in gold even if he never broke one for a score.
How is going from 15th to 21st on offense moving forward?
The Bears former WRs are doing just fine because their current teams have a great rushing attack? According to you it is all about Adrian Peterson and it does not matter what sorry QB they have throwing it.
So what is wrong with Matt Forte?
Why didn’t these teams have decent receivers before these former Bears showed up? Why aren’t these former Bear WRs just back ups for the playoff bound teams that they are currently playing for if they were so bad?
I see Bernard Berrian and Bobby Wade starting for the team that is going to win the division and who put up 75 points on the Bears defense this year.
I see Justin Gage starting for the 12-2 Titans. The same Gage that caught a TD when the Titans beat the Bears this year.
It was the Bears brain dead play calling and inept coaching decisions over the QB position that helped drag them down. They have moved on to greener pastures.
Muhsin Muhammad was right about Chicago being the place where receivers go to die.
Look up their numbers for the season and try to debate that statement.
Why keep bringing up Chico when he was the coordinator when Carolina beat us in 2005. His defense that got beat in the Super Bowl in 2006. And I guess with all those(9!) NFL head coaching jobs that Rivera didn't get Lovie had to be shaking in his boots. What was Lovie thinking? Process of elimination. Chico couldn't get the others so he was bound to get this one? A mind shouldn't think like that unless you smoke funny cigarettes. I guess Turner should've thought long and hard before he hired the guy to coach LBs especially since he knew that he had applied for his job. I'm sure he feels him breathing down his neck, now. Only fans from Chicago still think that 85 was the proving ground for future coaches. And I remember how every guy that was a WR here was bad-mouthed by the fans more than they were liked. Berrian was the only one that they said anything nice about it is was mainly about his potential more than his production. You bring up Moose and I could've sworn that he had a 3% approval rating. Was it the coaching that made him bad or was it the fact that he had a merry-go-round at QB? Even Berrian said that that was the case why he didn't do better here. Berrian got his millions because his agent got him into a bidding war with Oakland and only Oakland.The same place where everyone goes to die. And Phil I have to wonder why you couldn't think of one African American who could be an acceptable replacement for Lovie. You could've at least thrown Singletary or Frazier in for good measure. Thanks for leaving them out, at least. You mention an offensive coordinator that is early 30s and didn't think of the amount of pressure that he would have. He wouldn't have Brady as his QB for another thing. And why bring Garrett up when everyone knows that he is the eventual replacement for Phillips in Dallas. The pool gets smaller and the probablities grow weaker. if any of those guys are available I doubt very much that they would want to come here and endure the things that the last 3 coaches had to endure with the inability to get a quality QB and sign free agents who are top shelf. But since we can always bring back a beloved Bear what is Jimmy Mac doing right now?
Villano, the fans who boo at Soldier Field don't discern the cause of the miscue or consider who's fault is, then decide to boo or not boo based on their findings. They boo Rex no matter what, and they give Kyle a free pass no matter what. I don't remember Kyle EVER getting booed and I've been to almost every home game the last 5 years. I've heard Rex booed for everything from mistakes to 3-and-outs to running into the locker room at halftime.
Mike, yes you're right. I should be more careful to give proper credit to Ron Turner and his multitude of stupid play calls. It's just that there are soooo many it's hard to keep 'em all straight.
Darryl M sez
Julie B.
if it was Rex out there, the booing would've been loud and frequent. But Kyle plays like that, with a passer rating of 49-point-something, and somehow escapes the boos. I do not get it.
I'll give you a hit: .....
=====
I WANNA KNOW WHAT DARRYL GAVE YOU A HIT OF? AND WAS IT BUNK OR THE CHRON?
(DELETE IF I SUBMITTED TWICE)
Phil,
outside of Bill Cowher, who else on that list has won a SB, or even came close to winning a SB. None. Your disdain for Lovie is noted, but these names you picked, the sexy ones, Lovie was the sexy name out there after STL won the SB, him and the great cover 2.
I Will not argue, just will say the only difference maker you named in the list is Cowher, and do you really think a man who can go to any team he wants, and gets more power, will come to Chicago??
Anonymous, I don't respond to these posts, put a name there, and I'll comment.
Julie B. back on the Rexwagon? Guess you took my shotgun seat.
Julie: Read this part again; "Granted; even without those two miscues, Orton's numbers would still be less than impressive, but it also isn't his fault that Turner doesn't know how to kill the clock with a lead. Orton didn't audible out of running plays and decide on his own to call those passes in questionable situations. That's all Ron Turner.
And this is part of the reason that the boo birds kept a sock in it Thursday night. The other reason is that Orton never looked rattled.
His composure and leadership are visibly evident, whereas Rex would completely fall apart after a series of bad breaks."
THAT'S why Orton isn't being booed. He actually looks like an NFL caliber QB.
Rex has looked like nothing but a deer in the headlights when pressured, and this cannot be disputed.
Darrrly duuuuude...... what was thaaaaaat?????????
Chucky, ropa-dope, nope. I don't like my choices. I'm walkin'.
PV1, okey dokey smokey. Do you really think Mr. M meant "hit"? I think it was sposed to be "hint" but I disagree with him nonetheless. Now if it really was some kind of hit, maybe I'd be more receptive to his comments. Truthfully however, I prefer indifference.
Chuck says:
Phil,
outside of Bill Cowher, who else on that list has won a SB, or even came close to winning a SB. None.
Chuck... Chuck... Chuck... Did I not mention Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo?
They did win the Super Bowl last year and look to be headed back there again this year.
They currently have the 6th ranked defense in the NFL.
How about Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels?
In 2004 McDaniels became the Patriots quarterback coach. After offensive coordinator Charlie Weis left the team following the 2004 season, the Patriots went without an offensive coordinator for the 2005 season, though it is believed that McDaniels called the offensive plays for the season.
In the 2007 NFL season, with McDaniels at the helm of the offense, the Patriots set NFL records, scoring 75 touchdowns (67 on offense, 50 passing and 17 rushing) and 589 points and went 18-0 before losing in the Super Bowl.
Rex Ryan is in his 10th year with the Ravens. Did they not win the Super Bowl in that time? Do they not have the 2nd ranked defense in the NFL right now?
You also claimed that no one else on that list has even come close to winning a Super Bowl.
Wrong again.
Jim Schwartz has been the Titans Defensive Coordinator for the last eight years. Did they not just miss beating the Rams in the Super Bowl when they came up one yard short on the final play of the game? They currently have the 4th ranked defense in the NFL.
Did you also forget that Chargers Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera was the Bears Defensive Coordinator when they went to the Super Bowl in 2006?
How are none of these coaches good enough for the Bears?
Villano, Orton "looks like an NFL caliber QB" based on solely on comparison to his predecessor, and that's why I believe he escapes the boos. Compared to other QB's around the league, he's average at best. The boo-birds will only stay at bay for so long. They won't be so kind next year, you can mark my words.
What is so funny is Rex went to a Superbowl...
I bet if he WON that superbowl, the same fools would still be saying how bad he looked.
Ive never seen a "deer in headlights" go to a SuperBowl...
A SUPERBOWL.
Thats more accomplishment than anyone who posts here will do in their entire lives.
Julie B --
Rex should get booed walking to or coming from the locker-room.
;-) Sorry, couldn't pass that one up.
Culzie --
Sorry, dude, but I've already accomplished more than any team that's won a superbowl. I guess it has to do with one's perspective. I think a large part of what's wrong with society is that we pay too much attention to false gods. Celebrities, athletes, et al. At the end of the day, what do they really provide other than a brief respite from reality?
I wonder if Andy Reid feels like he has accomplished something because he took his team to a superbowl or if he wonders whether the hours, the stress, the media, etc., etc., were too high of a price to pay for his family and his kids.
I don't need to win a superbowl because I already have -- on my terms. At the end of the day, that's what counts.
first of all Seedster, you are hilarious...for no other reason, than you make it sound like I worship or we worship these athletes way more than you do. come on dude. i can barely watch sports anymore, if it wasnt for my love for the Bears, i would watch very little sports. NBA makes me sick. I cant get a Bulls game on WGN to save my life. The Cubs have been a momentous waste of time these last 6 years of my life. Who are you crizzaping?
I would say that Andy Reid's kids probably wouldve been just as F'd up if he was a stay at home dad vs. NFL coach. I know a ton of people who's parents were around all the time, that were screwed up.
It's not exclusive to Pro's and Coaches and Celebs.
Merry Christmas. Go Bears...(there is still time).
I am sick of Lovie.....Ron Turner and that brainless Babich.
The Bears should blitz with everybody,bring the kitchen sink.
Make the D Backs play their a.. off...hit somebody.....anybody they have nothing to lose....everything to gain.
Maybe Urlachler show up this Packer Game.....No pro bowl.
*a-hem*
bculz
What is so funny is Rex went to a Superbowl...
I bet if he WON that superbowl, the same fools would still be saying how bad he looked.
Ive never seen a "deer in headlights" go to a SuperBowl...
A SUPERBOWL.
Thats more accomplishment than anyone who posts here will do in their entire lives.
Culzie, you have now completely invalidated any argument you make against Lovie Smith. Or is it somehow okay to look positively upon Rex Grossman for backing his way into the Super Bowl and not okay to look positively on the head coach that got them there? If Ron Rivera carried Lovie Smith to the Super Bowl (a "hit" for you--he didn't), he must have also carried Sexy Rexy. I eagerly await your feeble efforts to pull your foot from your mouth.
who's next? Ah!
Julie B
They boo Rex no matter what, and they give Kyle a free pass no matter what. I don't remember Kyle EVER getting booed
Let me see: Atlanta game 2005. Kyle got booed during the game against the Bengals in 2005 when he threw something like 5 picks. That's all I can remember off the top of my head.
Also, I notice you offer no empirical data suggesting I was wrong by pointing out Orton's come-from-behind heroics; you simply say you "disagree" with me.
Hey! Speaking of empirical data...
Philtration
You admit the Bears pass defense has fallen off the face of the earth and then blame it on Briggs, Vasher, Tillman and Urlacher wanting more money?
Phil, I'm curious as to what you scored on the reading comprehension portion of the ACT (or SAT, depending on what you took). If you look back at my post (go ahead--it's right up there--I'll wait...), you'll see I clearly "blame Jerry Angelo." I point out the contract demands because they coincide with a drop-off in on-field performance (with the exception of Briggs). I don't blame the players, per se; I just find it interesting.
I've maintained from day one that the Bears have no speed on the corners, and get torched on many a deep route; in the past, they've managed to force enough turnovers to counteract this lack of speed. Not so this year (or last year, for that matter).
Also, not once did I say the Bears' D has "fallen off the face of the earth." They've gone from being an elite D to a middle-of-the-road D--which is a dramatic turnaround. I also said this is the closest thing to a valid criticism of Lovie Smith and his strategic planning.
You, on the other hand, said that "all teams have to pay for pro bowl players," then blame Smith for "turn[ing] them into mush," as if it's somehow Lovie Smith's fault that the defense can't make a decent tackle or get into position if their lives depended on it. I'll never be one to discount the importance of a coach's influence, but, if it was so important for your pro bowl athletes to get pro bowl money, why is Briggs now the only pro bowler on the D?
This is Lovie's system and his hand picked friend is helping him run it. The results do not lie.
I am truly sick and tired of this argument. Lovie's system seemed to work just fine in 2005 and 2006 with largely the same players. And I think Ron Rivera's performance as Defensive Coordinator of the Chargers this year (again, San Diego ranks 31st in pass defense and 25th in overall Defense) proves it wasn't him that made the Bears' D so dominant--those results definitely do not lie.
Is the algebra really that hard to grasp? Same head coach, same defensive system, same players, different coordinator. Old coordinator is unsuccessful, so we know it wasn't him who made the defense so great. How crazy is it to suggest the problems on the defensive side of the ball have more to do with who's on the field than who's on the sidelines?
He was laughed at all over the country for that and rightfully so.
And man, did those laughs taper off when Kyle Orton started producing. How many games did Rex bring us back from behind to win again?
Devin Hester was getting more than two or three touches a game as a KR and he was far more productive doing that than his production at WR. The field position that he provided alone was worth its weight in gold even if he never broke one for a score.
Um...Hester has more receiving yards than any other Bear this year. Granted, he's far from an elite receiver, but he's a legitimate threat to score whenever he hangs onto the ball (or, as was the case with the Saints, even when he doesn't). Sure, he has fewer touchdowns this season than he has in years past, but his presence on offense is far more dangerous, as opposing defenses can't just send all eleven guys after him like they can on special teams.
How is going from 15th to 21st on offense moving forward?
How is going from 31st to 21st going backward? Also, the numerical rankings are slightly misleading; the Bears have five more offensive touchdowns and two less non-offensive touchdowns than they did last year--that is, if you count Rashied Davis' fumble recovery in the first Vikings game as an offensive touchdown, which I do. The Bears only have two special-teams touchdowns this year, and yet they have a better record than they did last year. Furthermore, while I won't say the Bears' offense is dominant by any means, I will say that it's been far more adept at producing in clutch situations than it has in years past. Sure, it choked in Carolina (and never got started in Green Bay), but it stepped up in the Atlanta, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Detroit, first Minnesota games.
This isn't even mentioning the emergence of Matt Forte as a legitimate pro running back, and all of this with an overachieving offensive line (which often buckles) and no true #1 wide receiver.
The Bears former WRs are doing just fine because their current teams have a great rushing attack? According to you it is all about Adrian Peterson and it does not matter what sorry QB they have throwing it.
Not exactly. I mentioned in my post that the Vikings have both Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. The Titans have these guys named Lendale White and Chris Johnson--maybe you've heard of them?
Why didn’t these teams have decent receivers before these former Bears showed up? Why aren’t these former Bear WRs just back ups for the playoff bound teams that they are currently playing for if they were so bad?
Anyone who says the Vikings and Titans aren't run-first teams is fooling themselves, and anyone who says Bobby Wade and Justin Gage are first-tier receivers is just an idiot. Titans management has been raked over the coals for not picking up decent wide receivers for years, and none of their receivers have more than 600 yards (their primary offensive option is tight end Bo Scaife, after all). In fact, Devin Hester has outgained both Wade and Gage this year, so we can stop talking about both of them. Berrian's numbers this year are comparable to his numbers with the Bears, sure, but does anyone here really think he deserved the kind of contact he got from the Vikings? It's not like he's lighting up the league, either.
Muhsin Muhammad was right about Chicago being the place where receivers go to die. Look up their numbers for the season and try to debate that statement.
Riiiiight. Is this the same Muhsin Muhammad who's averaging the same yards per catch in Carolina as he did in Chicago? The same Muhsin Muhammad who is long past his days as a #1 option, even though he's asked for #1 option money? The same Muhsin Muhammad who, after his complete failure as a #1 option in Chicago, re-signed with the only team that would take him in order to be the #2 receiver behind Steve Smith? I'm just wondering.
I'm not going to say the current Bears' receiving corps is anything other than weak, but to point to Bobby Wade, Bernard Berrian, Muhsin Muhammad and Justin Gage and call them great catches who got away is asinine. If they were so great, why did they drop so many passes (and punts) while they were here? Muhammad and Berrian couldn't get a thousand-yard receiving season even when Rex the Gunslinger was here. And you mean to tell me that Minnesota, Carolina and Tennessee having the 3rd, 4th, and 5th-ranked rushing offenses in the NFL has nothing to do with their marginal success?
I'll be the first to say the Bears need new wide receivers, but not any of the shmucks who couldn't hack it here. I'm not talking about Hass and Bennett, either: we need a clear #1 (big possession guy) and a #2 (burner). As much as I like them...Booker and Lloyd aren't it.
/rant
Now I know I'm always trying to be the voice of reason, I will stop because I'm going to anoint Darryl M. as the Supreme Voice of Reason. I bow to the Master of all reasoning that I could ever conjure. I picture your targets stuttering like Porky Pig with their mouths wide open. Don't wanna get on your bad side. Matter of fact I'm rushing out to buy that # 18 jersey you always said I should've gotten. What color do you suggest? Amen..DM. I'm stopping off at the store to pick up Theater Orville Redenbachers because the responses will be off the chain. The gauntlet has been thrown down. Lady & gentlemen start your typing.
I am far from a Lovie critic. I have ripped the Coaching staff on a few plays and once joked about some website called FireLovie.com but, I am not one of the harsh Lovie dissenters. Sorry bro, I like Lovie, I just think he isnt the best motivator and shows little emotion when its usually warrented.
Phil,
I meant as a head coach. So much for your Spagmoolah prediction, he got lit up in his house by Philly. Still like no one on your list better than Lovie besides Cowher. Give me Cowher, and Lovie can go back to Lubbock(I think.)
The rest are coordinators, and overhyped mediocre coaches for now. The kind of stuff talk radio is full of. So much for the great eli manning as well.