What does yesterday's game tell us about the Bears?

I would love to review exactly what the offensive game plan was for the Packers. Was it written in crayon? There was no rhythm, no commitment to anything.

Orton clearly plays better and the offense seems to find its rhythm more quickly when running the no huddle offense. I don't know why Turner won't go to it for a few series early in the game.

What's up with our inability to run against the Packers? For 3 quarters it was Orton vs the Packers D. Everyone else can run on the Packers, why did it take us three quarters to find our run game? (quick answer -- bad play calling, lack of commitment, poor blocking by Greg Olsen)

Orton has gotten into two really bad habits -- locking onto receivers and not pushing off his back foot (especially on deep balls). I think the latter has to do with his sore right ankle, but the coaches should catch that and correct the problem. Orton has plenty of arm strength to throw the deep ball, I think it's his foot work that needs adjustment. With regards to locking onto receivers, the quick fix would be to look for his tight ends first and then shift to his receivers. Our offense should be running thru our tight ends. They create mismatches all day, but we don't involve them enough.

Forte -- for the first time this entire season -- did not look ready to play. He seemed tentative all game (until the 4th quarter).

Say what you will about Orton, but he somehow wins ballgames. Compared to Rodgers, who clearly has more skills, better receivers and a better offensive game plan, Orton is lacking... until you look at their respective records. Orton kicks his freaking butt there. And in the decisive 4th quarters of games, Orton's ability to drive his team and put points on the board that count, really differentiates him.

So, what's it all mean? This is one messed up team that just might find itself in the playoffs. Go figure.

"What does yesterday's game tell us about the Bears?"

It told me that they know how to give their fans one hell of a show! Friggin' awesome victory!

Was I going nuts when Robbie Gould hit the field goal on the final play? You bet I was. I was jumping around just as much as I was when we blocked Green Bay's last field goal attempt.

Still, as great as it feels to steal a game like this, my rational side says that this team might be doing the things that may keep them from getting much better next year or even the year after. Sometimes I also wonder if my own fanaticism might contribute.

Let's face it, our offensive line truly is OFFENSIVE. Our quarterback, whom I admit was showing signs to me of being our future prior to the first Packer game, is regressing even if we give him his bum ankle and lousy O-line as excuses. Moreover, we're the only team in the league not to have a legitimate thirty-plus yard pass play (doesn't count short passes followed with runs). Kyle NEVER could throw a nice deep ball. Our offense consists of Matt Forte and good tight ends (one, Greg Olsen, would be considered very good IF he could block). I suppose we could throw in Robbie Gould as he does give us needed points on an amazingly consistent basis.

I said on the game chat that both of our lines stink. I retract the label "stink" regarding our D-line, (it was an in-the-emotional-moment statement) but we're not very good there either. Despite a few nice plays by Tommie Harris, we rarely get a push up the middle on passing plays while, at the same time, our ends are often manhandled due to a lack of size. Very often, the opposing QB has all day to pass the football. I think many of us could do a decent job under that circumstance.

I often say more than I should about football because I really never played this game at the sanctioned level and I'll let too much emotion get the best of me at times. I don't understand all the gaps, the X's and O's, the right plays to call, and so forth. All of that I can only intuit. However, I'll go to my grave knowing this: the game of football is fundamentally simple. It is won in the trenches. O-line, D-line. Give me an O-line, I'll give you at least a decent QB, probably much more. Give me a D-line, and I'll give you a good defense, if not more. The axiom goes on that if you win two of the three main phases of the game (the other being the special teams), you'll be a winning team. Of course, if you lose two of the three...

Well, the Bears consistently defy the "three phases" axiom. They often lose two of three and still win the game which does speak volumes for their phenomenal and opportunistic kicking game: Gould, Maynard, coverages, returns, etc. I'll have to give Lovie that since he's been here. Dave Toub has also been superlative as special teams coach. I think this is one reason why many of us walk away with a "How did they do that?" feeling.

The fear is that we won't get the guys we need on offense in part because our record will be too good, but also that Jerry Angelo has a horrible record drafting on the offensive side of the ball. When was he good at that by the way? Tampa Bay? That team won it primarily with defense. Our record at getting good quarterbacks throughout history is as inexplicably improbable as our baseball teams not winning it all for almost a century. I mean, don't you accidentally have things happen in the positive over time? Doesn't the sun shine on a dog's ... once in a while?

I will watch the Bears try to beat the Houston Texans with fervent hope that they'll win and sneak in front of the hated Vikes and that blasted horn. That's the fan in me (FAN is short for FANATIC which is defined by the word "irrational" by the way). Still, it's the fan in me that may also help keep my team's management from doing what it really needs to do, especially if that team keeps stealing football games in ways that defy the axiom of how to win football games.

It tells me Amy Freeze is in denial about her made up TV name...

Another great post from Gig.

You guys at the Times should hire put this guy on as an intern, and give him a little face time on the web.

Yesterday's game tells us the Bears have heart and refuse to go into the night. It tells us that our fans are the BEST in the world! I was getting cold just looking at them on TV! And it tells us that Lovie in spite of what you may think of him, has passion and emotion. Lovie is closing this season with hardfought victories and excitement. The Bears backhanded that ball right back into the Viking's court in McEnroe fashion! I knew they were toast, but they snatched victory from sure defeat! I know Bret Farve was somewhere laughing! And I know Aaron Rogers should be thanking the NFL schedulers that they played on balmy Monday instead of Sunday! OMG!!!!

I hate when i get caught on Video!

If we dont get a QB in the off season, I will resign as Pit Viper CEO

Why did Forte look tenative early in the game? Because there was no where to run up the middle where the play was suppose to go. I have to ask why after nice gains running outside would you call a play up the middle where you have had nothing all night?
What the last 2 games have told me is that even though as Keith said they won't go quietly into the night even if they do back into the post season night will fall on them in the first round.
Now one small point a little off subject....for those who were chatting during the game and saying Rex should've started the second half, and I'm sure many of them were dissin Mosse last year about dropped passes, I live an hour from Charlotte so I've seen every Panthers game this year and for all that said Moose was getting old and was past his prime, he has been a very big part of the Panthers offense this year and has dropped very few passes. I'm not sure what that says about Rex or the Bears as a whole but I find it rather interesting to say the least.

I'll tell you what I saw. I saw a not-so-good team, pull out a win against another not-so-good team. No more, no less. Da Bears are weak in a lot of areas. The blame could be placed a lot of different ways. We have a team of Names and not enough players. Tommie Harris, Devin Hester, Brian Urlacher and other names that underachieve. Greg Olsen (another name)is listed as a TE. When in reality he is nothing more than a slow WR. He can't block LB's and he is brought down very easily by DB's. That is why our Two TE sets are so easily defeated by Nickle and Dime packages. Kyle Orton has shown some positive signs. But is clearly not the QB that we need to lead this team. Our offensive line gets little push and rarely open any holes. And our defensive line does just the opposite. They get pushed around and rarely provide much penetration. I'm a strong believer that the game is won and lost up front. Meaning good pass and run blocking and good penetration on the defensive side.

Everyone yells about the playcalling. But I believe it's more contributed to play design. Our plays are too simple for the more complex and exotic defenses. I attended a game this year and I swear it looked as if on every passing play our recievers were running the exact same routes over and over again. For the past several years, our offense has been horrible and our defense has been great. But now our Defense has fallen off and yet we still have made no vast improvements on offense. This is a problem. No matter who's behind center, our offense still suck and is always near the bottom of the league statistically. On defense our play design is bad also. On blitzing plays, we know the ball is coming out fast, yet our corners continue to play ten yards off the receivers. Why? It makes absolutely no sense to me. And those are just a few things that I noticed. But I'm sure all of us can go on and on about different aspects of this team.

There are no quick fixes here. And I don't really know where to begin. I'd probably continue to build our offensive and defensive lines. Rex is gone and I'd place Orton as the 2nd string. Either Draft a QB or start grooming Hanie as the man. And live with his lumps. I've said this before, either Turner goes or an assistant should be hired to add some different looks to our offense. All in all, find some players and stop worrying about the big names.

Nice balls or not by Orton (insert joke here), the Bear's receivers drop way too many passes. We would have had a 30+ yard reception if Hester could catch a ball that hit him right in the hands. I think we have a QB, but it pains me to say most of our receivers should go! I also learned that the ESPN crew has to be the worst in broadcasting.

Merry Christmas to all!

Yeah we need a QB... Orton seems to always fade down the stretch. He did the same thing in '05. However he seems to strive when the Bears run the no-huddle. It's mind boggling why the Bears don't run it more. The O line still have trouble run blocking (especially up the middle). Matt Forte long run last night was mostly on him. He outran 2 defenders to the left end and busted it up field. If the interior of that line can get any kind of push up the middle it would change the offense intirely. Lovie seems to have a litte more fire in him the last couple of games. I read that he really lit up the players in the locker room @ halftime. But the Bears first round draft pick should be a QB, and they should look for another QB in free agency also because Kyle ain't it....Im sorry.

I am satisfied with our QB. Would you rather have Rodgers? He certainly throws a better ball, is surrounded by better players, but can't seem to get it done when it matters. Let's see, Orton, with fewer skilled players, has a better record than Rodgers, Cutler, Brees, Warner (should I go on???). So let's dump him?

Say what you will about Kyle, but he can move the team with the game is on the line -- Atlanta, Minnesota (first game), Saints, Packers (second game). And let's be honest, our defense hasn't been THAT good this season.

Yes, Kyle has developed a nasty habit of locking onto receivers, but that can be changed via good coaching (and I realize we are talking about the Bears coaching staff).

In two seasons as a starter, Kyle is 10-5 (as a ROOKIE) and 9-5 this year. It's not going to be pretty, but he puts up way more Ws than Ls and the TEAM KNOWS HE CAN DELIVER. The same cannot be said about our other recent QBs.

People say Orton can't throw the deep ball. Honestly, who should he throw it too? Berrian was the deep threat and he's gone. Hester is a work in progress (and that's putting it lightly). He can't catch the ball in traffic and is poor at making adjustments to the ball.

At the end of the day, this offense should be running through it's tight ends, not Forte, and certainly not the wide receivers. Running the offense thru the tight ends means that the linebackers and strong safeties are less likely to blitz and defenses are less likely to keep 8 men in the box. If they do, then we hit our tight ends for 8-12 yard gains. That approach opens the running game for Forte, which he needs because our O-line seems unable to open holes against good, bad or indifferent d-lines.

Greg Olsen is a mismatch for any defense. He is not a good blocker, so make him more of an offensive threat that defenses have to account for. He should be Orton's #1 option, not Hester (who Turner seems to love). Clark is equally skilled but not as fast. Having the two of them on the field keeps linebackers and strong safeties occupied. That means less pressure on Forte.

As Gig said, football seems fundamentally easy. We just make it look difficult because there seems to be no strategy involved in our game calling. None.

Certainly, Kyle needs to make better decisions. But after two full seasons -- both winning seasons -- we are ready to give up on him? That seems like a knee-jerk reaction.

Mostly the game tells us that the Bears are not very good, but the last two games tell us that they are incredibly lucky just now. ONE CAN HOPE THAT THEY EITHER SUDDENLY IMPROVE OR AT LEAST MAINTAIN THE LUCKY RIDE THEY ARE ON. The game also tells us that if Orton is the quarterback of the future, they should have stuck with Rex.I still do not understand why fans do not boo him every time he takes the field, ready to throw lasers high to wide open receivers ten yards away or directly into the hands of defenders who read his eyes because he only looks one way.Watching him try to avoid a minor rush reminds one of snowshoeing in two feet of fluffy snow. But if he completes a 30 yard pass for the first time against Houston, the Rex haters will say, "See how much better he is than Rex was."

I didn't watch the game, but from everything I've seen and read the Bears were less than impressive. In fact, they were downright lucky.

I'll take a little bit of luck with a team that's talented, and coached well enough to make some noise in the post season. But all that their luck has to offer is false hope because they don't have the talent, and certainly don't have the coaching.

Regardless of wether or not the Bears make the playoffs, I'm afraid that if they somehow manage to win out, a 10/6 record will validate a the current regime, along with their systems. And thus, we will be forced to watch a rerun of this frustrating season next year.

Hey, it's better to be lucky than good.

Remember earlier in the season when we were un-lucky (Panthers, Bucs, Falcons)??????? As bitter tasting as those losses were, I would rather be lucky all things considered.

I'm gonna broaden the spectre of your question a little and say, "What does this weekends games tell us about the Bears chances".

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

You can never take away from chance, and after seeing the ball finally bounce our way, there's nothing I would rather see than the Bears make the playoffs and let Lady Luck continue on her merry way.

We're past the point of no return. Even if the Bears lose next week we finish 9-7. As of Monday evening, about 11:00 P.M., my guess is Lovies' here for another year. Take the pill and swallow it. I don't really care for a coach who stands on the sidelines for a whole game like a deer in headlights. Shoot, even the most gentile of coaches would berate a bonehead play every now and then. Not Lovie, and then, to boot, he says in his press conference he didn't say anything at halftime to the troops. Oh, they're big boys, they know what they have to do. Ditka would have thrown a locker at somebody! National T.V., playoff on the line, Green Bay at home. Get real Lovie!

Anyhoo, my glass is going to remain half full 'til the end!

I'm guessing BAAA'BICH is headed back to some goat pen, Turner is abducted by some aliens who can't stand to watch that boring offense themselves up there, we get a truly needed BIG #1 wide receiver, and Orton gets his butt out of the hole and reads the defenses a little better without homing in on his target.

Seventy percent of this league has problems as big, if not bigger, than ours, and we're not going to become an elite by next year, so damned if I don't wanna see OUR TEAM make the playoffs. Woe, so we lose a couple draft spots. The way this knucklehead drafts, I don't think it's gonna make one iota difference anyway.

ESPN has another playoff implication board, we have another week of Bear playoff hopes, Orton has another week to learn, Turner and Babich have another week to, well they just have another week, and the bandwagon is only half full.

I don't know about you, but I'm ridin'!

Luck is just when Opportunity meets Preparation.

Ill take Good all day long and twice on the weekends.

Luck may get you through the occasional fluke moment, but being Good, can take Luck right out of the equation.

A QB's record doesn't note whether they are good. Orton has a winning record in his rookie year cause the defense was actually dominant and he didn't have to do anything. Vince Young has a winning record too and where is he....on the bench.

Rodgers is way better than Orton, he has a losing record this year because the Packers defense has been horrible all year and Ryan Grant didn't do much. If we could trade Orton for him, that's a no-brainer. Same goes for QB's like Brees and Cutler who are on teams with horrible defense.

Orton is alright but I don't buy the "he's a winner" argument. He doesn't win the games, the defense or special teams usually do besides the 3 good games he had this year before he hurt his ankle. I'm for extending his contract for cheap but still drafting a QB to compete for the job.

That it's better to be lucky than good .. for now.

Roman, this site is looking awful of late. Not only have you lost the dates on the upcoming games, but I now think you're fighting an uphill battle. The #1 site for sports on the web is Yahoo!Sports.

It makes more sense to just partner with them.

You made an investment in the site for the paper at large & until it makes sense to shut it down keep it going. In the meantime partner with Yahoo! so that Chicago sports sections offer both links & reporters copy to the ST. It's all about clicks on the web, so that potential is the colladeral to make a deal happen.

I don't know man...The last 4 games kyle looked worse than "Bad Rex". I am really trying to buy into all this love for Kyle Orton, but I just don't see the difference between him or Rex. In fact, Rex had more "good games" than Kyle has in almost equal starts. I mean we don't know all the facts, or what actually goes on out there on the field. In all fairness, some of those INTs could be the result of the reciever screwing up. However, all those INTs he throws right to a defensive lineman or linebackers? I have to ask myself, have Rex ever thrown an INT right into the arms of a lineman like Kyle has done this year on more than a few ocasions? and if he did, what would happen to him? But when it comes to clutch, Kyle has Rex in that department... It seems like he wakes up when the pressure is on, while Rex seems to be a little nervous. Anyway, Its my opinion that the Bears should trade for Mcnabb in the off-season, and Draft a QB in the first, or second round.

C Smoove sez: "A QB's record doesn't note whether they are good. Orton has a winning record in his rookie year cause the defense was actually dominant and he didn't have to do anything. Vince Young has a winning record too and where is he....on the bench."

Good point.

I believe that Troy Aikman was something like 1/13 his rookie year, and Terry Bradshaw wasn't much better.

Were they bad quarterbacks?

Hardly.

The record doesn't always tell the entire story, but I will say this; winning does count for quite a bit. I never considered Jim McManhon to be a very talented QB, but for whatever reasons, the guy was a winner.

I think it's the hardest and most demanding position in all of professional team sports, and just about the toughest job to fill.

A couple day later I can still say that we were incredibly lucky and that shouldn't temper whether or not to enjoy the outcome. Hey would you rather be a Lions or Packer fan going into the last few games KNOWING that your season was already over? Or flustered wondering if you were going to get in watching The Bears play what might be their last Sunday? I know there are plenty of fans who sit and wish that we were blowing teams out and running over them on the way to the finish line and that just isn't true in the NFL lately. Either your team sucks or is in the middle of the pack. There just aren't teams anymore that are just "destined" to win it all. The Giants won last year by going the wild card route and New England didn't lose until the playoffs when it mattered most. No powerhouses. So maybe the Bears aren't destined to be losers just because a doubting Thomas is a fan. Do we think they have it in them to win and advance. No. But who had that faith in The Giants last year. Only a Giant fan. And who has faith in the Giants this year? No one outside New York. And my take on this season and the overall opinions I see conveyed here? I'm sick and tired of fans repeating things that someone wrote that they think is reality. For example; half time adjustments. Do you guys think that players go in the locker room and they get some rousing speech that players sit up and take notice? Only in the movies from what I've heard. The players go in use the bath room and check on their assignments. Lovie did say some things that was obvious but who's gonna say that that had anything to do with them out-scoring the Pack after that? I doubt that. Another thing I doubt is giving Dave Toub credit for being this genius and the only coach worth anything on the staff. On the play where Brown blocked the FG he told Toub what HE had seen and even when he went out there Urlacher was trying to get him to go to another spot. Brown told him that he got that spot and we all know what happened after that. Toub's ST has a holding penalty every game. He gets no blame for that and too much credit when his players do things well that they did in college very well. His team failed to stop a fake FG and actually failed to complete a fake FG. Now I don't like to spotlight a guy's mistakes but I have to when fans wants to bring up everything about Babich and Turner only when they are failing. In Turner's defense, Orton looked better before teams figured him out. WRs drop passes but everyone in the league drop passes. We've dropped less this year than last but we miss those guys so much. Sure enough these WRs aren't the greatest but we've never had great. Nor have we ever had great throwing to them. We've always had a decent RB and now that we have great RB he is injured and our decent QB is pressing because he can't rely on him to save him. He could go no-huddle but these old linemen need a breather and would die if they went no-huddle too much. Now our D line is old on one side in injured in the middle. Urlacher is better with the girth up the middle. But he was great once upon a time. Watching him get blocked by a WR without a fight this last game broke my heart. He is the main reason that the D in inconsistent. For years the other players didn't have to be that good because he had the field covered. With those injuries taking their toll on him I'm sorry but they aren't as good as they are with him manning the middle. I know fans don't want to realize it but it is straight up reality. His decline is hurting the others because he's just ordinary. He's a shadow of himself and ordinary players don't look great playing with him anymore. Briggs is the real deal. They would do best to start preparing to adjust the D to what he does best. He's the best player on D and it hurts a lot of feelings saying it. That's why fans down Briggs still about last season. His crash, his children and his contract impasse. Urlacher had a worst situation with the baby drama(which continues every other month in the papers, unlike Brigg's) but fans didn't want to bring that into the equation. You have to wonder why not. But Babich is a boob because he didn't inherit great players that Rivera had. Fans want to act like Rivera was Buddy Ryan. He's not. He's a former 2nd tier player that the Bears had that signaled the decline of your 85 team. Some of you shouldn't even want him around as a reminder of what was but you live in the past so much that you do. He wasn't the only coach fired from the 2006 team but no one bring up the line coach Don Johnson who also was fired. If he played in 85 you know damn well that some of you would be typing his name every week no matter how we played. My take on fans and their dislike of this team is that they just don't like them because they aren't Singletary, McMichael, Wilson, Hampton, Payton, McMahon and everyone from 85. What you should dislike is every team after 85 that let you down and spoiled how you view teams nowadays. 85 is so long ago. A lot of those team included the players you Love and can't let go. A quarter of a century is gone and should be laid to rest. We don't have great players. Outside of Briggs and Forte no one else is worth the adulation. If you still fancy a servicable Urlacher that's about it on this team. We have spotty players because true talent shines all the time and spotty players have sporadic moments. Sounds about right? We've paid for guys who contributed to our success of winning more than we lost because it was better to keep what you had because you could do worse trying to find a replacement. It's just like the classic response a lady made when someone asked her why she kept her cheating husband over the years. She said, "I know MY Devil". I know my Bears and they are better than more people give them credit for. Happy Holidays.

If you ever had a dork for a boss you probably wondered how he got the job. If you thought about it you'd know that luck is easier to find than talent.

A win is a win, even for a sorry bunch of bears on this team. The key to this game and the bears season is Mike Brown almost made it through both without getting injured. Now he is gone and so is the bears defense. In Lovies lovely defense you have to have a strong safety that can pop someone, because that is the only position that has the chance and that role. They tried to protect Brown in the free safety spot, but had to switch him to keep from sucking all season long. So, he played where he was needed for a few games then got injured and is gone. Chalk up another great move for the Bears coaches. Now watch the bears defense get shredded.

Mike Mulligan was the head cheerleader for Lovie getting paid like an elite NFL coach after 2 good seasons. Now we are stuck with both of them for a few more years. At least in the paper you can skip over mulligans articles. Too bad can't avoid his voice on the radio, sounds like a goat going through puberty. Whatever happened to radio personalities have good voices?

I dunno. For those of you who say the Bears "got lucky," I have to disagree. Luck would be Rodgers fumbling the ball on a mishandled snap or Greg Jennings falling down and missing a crucial 4th quarter catch because he tripped over his untied shoe laces. We pay our defense and STs a boatload, so I think plays like a FG block or punt block or a kick return are expected from this team.

Maybe since it's more common to see a QB tie/win the game with a TD pass on 4th down as time runs out that we think, OK! now that's a clutch, legitimate play! But I think a blocked kick is one and the same.

Hope everyone had an outstanding holiday season!

They should have lost this game but then again they should have won against Tampa, Carolina and Atlanta so it evens out.

I do know that this has to be the end of Mike Brown's days with the Bears.
He was great player and who knows what might have been if he had not become injury prone but they can not depend on him being there and the time has come.

Letting Chris Harris go was a really stupid move.

Phil sez: "Letting Chris Harris go was a really stupid move."

One of many. Where do you begin when documenting the bone headed decisions this regime has made?

Everyone makes mistakes, but precious few of us are able to make a career out of it. And by going to the games, watching them on TV, and purchasing their team merchandise, we allow this inept management to sustain itself; thereby profiting on our own stupidity.

We are enablers.

C Smoove -

Not sure I buy your logic. Sure, the Bears might be well served to draft a QB, but so should the Broncos and the Packers. Rodgers had opptys in 7 games to produce a victory and didn't. Not sure that's on the Packers horrible defense. Cutler has a cannon and looks like a QB, but the proof is in the "Ws" and he hasn't been too successful Pretty much a .500 QB with a "genius" of an offensive head coach/play caller. So what gives? Is it truly all the Broncos' poor defense? Geez, all Cutler had to do was win one of his last 4 games and so far hasn't. Orton had to win 4 in a row. He won three and lost the finale. On the face of it, Orton doesn't look so bad.