Bears rookie Johnny Knox celebrates his third-quarter TD reception with Matt Forte.
Dick Stockton's commentary rarely can be described as profound, but the Fox play-by-play man hit the nail on the head during the fourth quarter of Sunday's Bears-Seahawks game. With the Bears trailing 19-17 after an Olindo Mare field goal and only 5:12 remaining, Stockton observed that the Bears acquired Jay Cutler for situations just such as this.
What followed was a thing of beauty in what had been something of an ugly game: a six-play, 71-yard touchdown drive capped by a 36-yard Cutler-to-Devin Hester connection. A two-point conversion pass to Earl Bennett made it 25-19, and the Bears defense held firm to seal a hard-fought road victory.
Kudos to Ron Turner for drawing up the Hester and Bennett pass plays, both of which had Seahawks defensive backs running into each other. The offensive game plan was conservative but got the job done. Cutler was 21 of 27 for 247 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on a ball that was deflected. The ground game again spun its wheels, with Matt Forte limited to 66 yards on 21 carries.
On defense, the Bears started slowly but limited Seattle to just three field goals after the first quarter. Lance Briggs came up with a huge third-quarter interception that set up a Robbie Gould field goal, and the pass rush kept the pressure on Seneca Wallace, forcing him into some bad decisions.
With this win, the Bears kept pace with their NFC North rivals (Brett Favre rescued the Vikings, and the Packers and Lions won as well) and, as noted here last week, could serve as a springboard to an 11-6 or 10-5 finish, which should be good enough for a playoff berth.
Weigh in with your thoughts on what impressed you most about this victory, what concerns you might still have and what you think this game means going forward
On defense, the Bears started slowly but limited Seattle to just three field goals after the first quarter. Lance Briggs came up with a huge third-quarter interception that set up a Robbie Gould field goal, and the pass rush kept the pressure on Seneca Wallace, forcing him into some bad decisions.
With this win, the Bears kept pace with their NFC North rivals (Brett Favre rescued the Vikings, and the Packers and Lions won as well) and, as noted here last week, could serve as a springboard to an 11-6 or 10-5 finish, which should be good enough for a playoff berth.
Weigh in with your thoughts on what impressed you most about this victory, what concerns you might still have and what you think this game means going forward
Well, Jay Cutler has given us two victories and one loss. Any of our other recent QB's would have given us an 0-3 record right now IMHO.
I'm extremely concerned about our running game which was supposed to break out against a bad run defense in Seattle--a team that was sorely depleted. We can't run up the gut to save our lives! It's a good thing we can complete one yard pass plays because I have little confidence we can get one stinking yard when it's a clutch situation rushing the ball.
What the heck was with Garrett Wolfe getting the ball three time--and out--the series in the early fourth? Nice set of plays Ron. That was vintage. We should bottle that. Other teams would buy quantities en masse turning a great profit margin in today's economic unrest.
We made Seneca Wallace look like a very good backup quarterback! Hardly anyone in Seattle thinks of him in this regard. He is merely "stop gap."
I'm relieved to pull out a victory, but I don't think we should let them off the hook as a team. The defense is still suspect. Julius Jones? This is another guy in whom few people in Seattle have much confidence.
Thank you Olindo Mare, especially for the second chip shot miss!
We made the Seahawks second stringers look like a bona fide team today. This is not a good sign. We had better improve in several facets most notably in the running game.
Bears team is pulling out big wins, I don't care how sloppy it looks if it gets the job done, it gets the job done. All of my Seattle friends are saying they lost because of a bad play call, but I think Smith was 100% right both ethically and strategically to challenge that. The ref calling it to the Seahawks clearly didn't look at the knees of the runner at all, just watched where the ball was going. That is what challenges are for and I love how Smith is calling all of those out when they need to be. Oakland could learn a thing or two from him. I enjoyed watching another great game defensively from the Bears. Finally, Next time we play Seattle let's where sun-glow blazing orange jerseys with reflectors on them.
i know a lot of people are still gonna say a lot of negatives about this game with the running game down and the d giving up big plays to how many times are we gonna rely on missed field goals to win games but a win is a win especially on in hard place to win on the road. kudos to the coaching staff for making the adjustments when we were getting smacked around early. big win for this team. i think you are gonna start seeing some blowouts in the near future as this team is starting to get really confident about its capabilities.
*The run game will come in once the Bears are respected for their passing game. Seattle was playing the run all day.
* you don't acquire Orlando Pace and still claim to be 'running off the bus'. He is not a run blocker. No team in the NFL believes it, nor
do they respect the Bear's passing game. A few more weeks of Jay and 126.4 rating will make running a lot easier.
* Did our Adrian peterson get that much better in the off season? Or
is Forte from soft Tulane, that soft? Either way nice change of
pace.
* no counters/misdirections, makes me believe the Bears are a passing
team and are still hiding some cards in the running game.
* Seattle was ranked #1 in defense in NFC coming into gam, even
though they let SF run all over them. They are a bend but don't break D just like ours.
* could we possibly lose to the Lions next week????????????
* Boy, the Raiders are terrible.
* there is no way the Packers can beat the Bears again, however if our defense keeps waiting til the 2nd quarter to show up, we will be
miserable against the Vikes. GET RID OF HUNTER. Sign Brooks already!!!!
I'd like to start by giving a shoutout to the Fighting Illini; PATHETIC!!!
I made some time to watch football this weekend and I saw an alarming trend, both college and pro; shoulder tackling is out of control! Sports has lost basics to a near tearful rate.
For anyone interested I have two key stats to talk about;
1) Frank Gore was limited to three yards a carry against Seattle without those two long runs. I'm sorry but Forte is no Gore. Matter of fact Forte hasn't shown any spark. I just don't feel like he's running like he did last year, blocking or not, but the Seahawks rush defense isn't all that bad. If you look at the situation, we have three new guys on the line, one of which is still feeling the effects of a bad ankle. The jury is still out, but I'm not liking what I'm seeing. Kruetz is DONE!
2) Wallace was 5-14 for 21yds. on downs where it was, or shoulda been, a passing down, and the Bears blitzed. Why we let this cat off the hook for much of the game is beyond me!
I'm not convinced we shouldn't have passed more. There were three series where we ran 3 consecutive rushing plays; all outs! OK, so you wanna get the running game going, but geez, your QB was 21-27; hello!!! First down passes are golden and always seem to flex the 'D', but Turner was as passive as Lovies' 'D' was today. Shoot, their 'twos' outgained us!
We have a QB who throws well from any position; I'M CONVINCED.
We have an offensive line that is still trying to gel, center not included (he looked lost or beat way too often).
We have a defensive back seven that can hold their own in blitz situations (very important), and a front four that has a little gitty-up this year.
With a little more confidence in defensive pressure, a steady stream of letting the Jay fly, a continuation of Bear turnover prowess and a little fortune, we should be battling for a playoff spot come December.
Health? Nah, that's a jinx, but it'll only take you so Favre.
Bye Brett. Go Bears!!!
Yo Hitman!
It must really suck being you today.
Your boy Orton, beat your team, the Raiders.
And Cutler put up a passer rating of around 125 after completely blowing the first quarter.
Bears win / You lose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Care to up the ante on your prediction?
Hey Olin! I was just talking to Rex, and he wants to know who your gonna blame that fumbled snap on this time? Do you have the b#lls to blame it on teflon Jay? Ha....eat it Bizatch! Your a$$ stinks anyway.
Matt Forte has regressed. He is a step slow and not pressing the holes and bouncing back and using his vision. He is timid and tippy-toeing through the hole like a gutless sissy boy hanging on hoping for a pay day. I refuse to accept that the running game's lack of production is all offensive line-related. Granted the Bears' first three opponents (Packers and Steelers and Seahawks) are more "stout" than most defenses.
Garrett Wolfe will never be the Second Coming of Darren Sproles or even Mewelde Moore. Da Bears' NIU grad is simply too Smurfy. His legs are thin and twig-like and he can easily be chopped down with one-armed swipes he is so easy to tackle and he has had plenty of chances to prove himself and has simply failed. I remember Wolfe torching Ohio State in college, but he just seems over-matched. I admire how he has bulked up and made himself more valuable, but ther NFL stands for "Not For Long." Wolfe is simply not ready for prime time.
I do like what I've seen out of "The Other" Adrian Peterson, but he is strictly a third stringer/special teams ace as he lacks the extra gear needed to break a long run.
Jerry Angelo needs to bring Warrick Dunn in for a look-see and if there is any "juice" left in those legs---Sign him. If Dunn flunks the tryout, candidate #2 is Dominic Rhodes who the Bears should remember well from the Super Bowl when he gashed their soft Cover 2 in the rains of Miami.
Well do we ring up Derrick Brooks? or will Hunter be ok?
Mark,
You're right. Hitman may need to make some adjustments to his predictions(I believe he had us at 0-3 right now). But I don't think we'll be getting our regular dose of him around here the over next few days. He'll probably come on here tomorrow to say something snarky about the birds' lack of starters and missed fg's(but take away all missed fg's in the game and we still win).
I do know one thing, He'd be all over this post right now if our Bears continued to stink it up in the 2nd half and lost.
And good call to whoever said we shoulda thrown more- Cutty was on point.
DA BEARSSSSS
Call it ugly or call it lucky, but a win is a win, that's the bottom line. The running game was still pathetic, so if anything, they really have to keep working on improving that area because for some reason, Forte is not hitting the holes as hard and as explosive as he did last year. I sure hope the big rookie year didn't get to his head. The Ron Turner play calling was decent today overall, but I agree with Gig earlier, what the heck was up with using Garrett Wolfe on that third and 1 play? Why the coaches insist on giving Wolfe opportunities outside of special teams is beyond me. Last week, they implement Adrian Peterson and Kellen Davis nicely and then this game, they barely get any touches?? I really don't get it sometimes. They really seem to know how to make it more difficult on themselves than it should be. And again, about the Defense... so with Hillenmeyer down, can the Bears now entertain Derrick Brooks to possibly come here and help out? Is Tonoisamoa any close to returning? We sure could use him. The pressure on Seneca Wallace was great, but they did an awful ton of blitzing to do it. Against the elite QB's in the league, that defense will get exposed big time. However, I do like I'm seeing with Tillman/Bowman and Afalava. As long as they stay healthy, that secondary shouldn't be too much of an issue. Knox and Hester - improving nicely. And lastly, the guys on D gotta cut down on the facemask penalties! Notice also how the team looks much faster playing on fieldturf instead of our homefield grass....
Go Bears!!
This wasn't a big game, but it was a game the bears should have won easily. The seahawks were missing their starting qb and their best defensive player, the bears should have won this by 20. Turner and Lovie continue to squeak by despite making mistake after mistake. How'd that Garret Wolfe series strike you with the game on the line? Or the fearsome lead blocking of Jason Mckie? It the seahawks had been able to catch all those flat passes the field goal kicker would never have had the chance to miss so many easy ones. Bears win but look almost as inept as they ever have.
Ben, I'd like to add to your nickname for Cutler: Cutty6. Like Cutty sark or whatever that drink is called. He's smooth and goes down the field easy(at least in the 4th quarter when we need him to). After Cutty6 and a win you're mellowed out.
Three possible game changers from yesterday;
1) Turner, I was shaking my head when you went long down the middle to Hester on the first series, but I was even more astonished Lovie let Robbie try a 53 yarder. Two peas in a pod.
2) Tillman, until you quit going for the ball before a man is wrapped up, you're going to keep giving up those long plays. Move over guys, Peanut's jumping in the pod with y'all!
3) Olin Kruetz needs so much help, he's jumping his snap to have a chance to make a block. Rex, I apologize. Only half of those muffs were on you!!! Sorry Olin, your swollen head doesn't allow you to fit with the three aformentioned in that small casing.
Yea, a wins a win, but this stuff is gonna catch up to us. Our running game, blocking and offense did enough to win the game, but these subtle question marks need to be looked at. Unfortunately, there's no mirror big enough for these egos.
Gig, I have a question about the Seattle jerseys-
That color - were they designed to make the opposing team vomit on the field?
All I can say is the Bears are lucky to have such an easy schedule.
Right now, they remind me a lot of Notre Dame -- winning ugly against lesser teams. I think the section of their schedule when they play San Fran, Philly and Minn will be telling.
A victory is a victory, but this game should not have been that close. Defensive breakdowns hurt the Bears, and only outstanding plays by Briggs,Cutler,and Hester helped insure a win. Peanut has that reputation about stripping the ball and certainly did get burned on the play where he should have just made the tackle.Good points by Navarro today. I suspect the Bears were overconfident yesterday, and I was as well. I hope they do not start out as poorly against Detroit as a good Washington team did.The Lions are not the pushovers they were last year.
Bears are better than last year. We lost all of the close ones last year, but we are winning them all this year. Cutler is the reason. These close games are due to Lovie's coaching. Bears philosphy is clock management and then beat you into submission and steal the game. Get used to Cardiac Cutler until he gells with the receivers and we get some kind of running game going. Again, I don't expect anything from Turner and Lovie is conservative.
Is anyone noticing similarities from last year??? Defense is making rookies and backups look like real quarterbacks.
Olin is the one responsible for those exchanges. But he is still one of the best and the QB better pay attention.
Forte is either hurt or average. My money is on average.
Its all about Momentum Boys, and the Bears have come out of the hardest part of their Schedule with a 2-1 record.
Opening in Lambeua, then playing the World Champs, then going across the country to take on a speedy Seattle team.
I thought the defense played amazing second half and they looked like they were gang tackling and flying to the ball like crazy.
Forte will come around, Stuck is right and now that we have established a passing game, the Defenses wont be able to stack the box.
MarkV you crack me up dude. Love it.
Cutty6: the beer with the smooth refreshing taste of the rockies- I like that, WRD.
I'm still not in panic mode about #22. This was a decent D front we played yesturday- or maybe we made them look that way. AP shoulda been in there more and I agree we shouldn't have cried Wolfe three consecutive downs in the 4th, dumb.
Also good call Anthony on wrapping up. P-nut and Hillenmeyer do that and Julius Jones doesn't score their only td- game wouldn't even be close.
I say win is a win. Time to focus on Det.
EDGAR.........we have already played 2 of the elite qb's, and the only thing that has been exposed is....our running game?????? Our
defense has made all the right adjustments. We should be happy, because I don't remember our defense making any adjustments since 2006. We won't be playing any better QB's than Rogers or Rothelissraper.
KLS, good observation..I wuz wondering if forte was hurt myself. The way he is tiptoeing through the tulips. Must be...or saving himself for the latter part of the season.
I am concerned about the running game.
I would love for the Bears to have a big power back like Brandon Jacobs to mix it up with Forte.
Is it Forte or is it the tackles?
Roach did a nice job of moving over to the MLB spot after Hobbled Hillenmeyer left the game.
Can't they just keep him there because Hillenmeyer looks done to me.
The pass rush was fine. They were getting in the backfield more than enough only Wallace is very elusive and that allowed him to make a few plays. He was running for his life most of the time.
If that had been Hasselbeck back there they would have had at least 5 sacks.
I really like the aggressive style that the D line is using to get to the QB.
It looks like Marinelli is really the D line guru that they claim he is because this is a big improvement over last years pass rush.
Some of the play calling was typical Turner nonsense. You have a real QB and no longer have to play this "game manager" routine.
Hester and Knox looked good but why no 2 TE formations?
Turner is like an anchor on that side of the ball. How long do we have to watch this guy's idea of offense?
Enough already.
The secondary has played well and I like Alfalava. The guy can play so nice pick by Jerry.
Get that running game going and the Bears will be fine.
Seedy, you brought it up, and now you have to 'splain it to us. Just how is the Bears schedule 'easy'? I would really like to know what goes on inside a Cardinals fan's head anyway? All that fake cheese on your St.Louis pizza giving you problems?? Falling Arch depressing you?
All the never was's and has beens on the cards that are about to choke, making you irritable?
lol..no, it doesn't suck being me...quite the contrary...but being Darren McFadden...that's gotta suck....he almost has as many fumbles as Jay has picks...
what's Orton's rating and what's Jay's??
Bears "luck" will run out...sooner or later ya gotta be good....ain't gonna happen in Chicago.. highly suggest you enjoy the illusion while you can
Adrian Peterson is the best RB on the team, btw...again...and as always...I told ya 'bout Forte and Tim Spencer falling in love with a track meet high-lite reel...yeah, you nailed it, culzie..lol
I mean come on..you realize you all were Rex fans...your knowledge of the game???...and why I just badger you...no reason to actually talk
Bears aren't going to the playoffs in 3rd pace...wake up
Culzie is right, two away games and one home game against the World Champs. I'll take 2-1. We still got St. Louis, Detroit, and Cleveland on the schedule. This will be a good year for Bear fans. Seedy my man, wha hap? We got a good team with an offense that is growing. Edgar, good points. WRD, like your post last week on PITT.
S. Wallace has been in the same offense at least 6 years, and they were playing above their heads in the first half, and as someone most eloquently put it. 159 of Frank Gore's 200+ yards came on 2 carries. Their defense is not that bad, even with second stringers.
I like, not love our team, at least we didn't give the game away like Arizona did last night!
We will get better, and Lovie is still taking punches, these Viking fans are killing me!! Worry about when Brett starts giving games away, and trust me he will.
I'm not worried much about the Bears.
1) Winning in Qwest field is not easy. That team has a near 700 winning percentage there all time. And Wallace is one of the best backup QB's in the league. They came out soft, probably took it too lightly, but came out in the end. You are going to have those games.
2) Forte was hurt yesterday. Look at game blogs. He stuck it out though, and was productive. He will be fine. The problem is that teams are still run blitzing every other down, and that they are not getting much from the interior linemen.
Frankly, they need to put Beekman inside. And I really wanted the team to put C. Williams at LG anyway and use Shaffer. The team has too much depth to let this go on much longer.
3) Defense is solid. They are getting a rush, and getting back to causing turnovers. You can call it luck, but there is a reason it is better to stop teams before they get to the end zone. Field goals still have to be made.
They have bent, but they have played solid most quarters. Without a blown coverage, this team could be 3-0.
4) And I agree that this team would be 0-3 with Orton. Cutler just makes throws no one else can make, and he has eliminated the effectiveness of center blitzes.
And to the person complaining about going deep, they need to go deep MORE, even if it is incomplete.
A few bombs to Knox and Hester will open up the running lanes quick.
If you can remember, it was after Grossman to Hester was estbalished the the 06 running game got going.
Thoughts on the game:
- We are still relying on kickers missing field goals to win games
- The Seahawks were missing half their starters and we barely won
- We still can't run the ball
- The Steelers aren't as good as everyone thinks (given the loss to the Bengals), so that win doesn't seem quite as telling as it seemed to at the time
- Cutler is probably gonna lose as many games as he will win...still throwing INT's and fumbling, but that's who he is so we will have to live with it
- Forte probably peaked early last year, or he is seriously hurt and the Bears aren't telling us, either way he is pretty ineffective right now
- The problem with the running game is not that teams are "stacking the box", it is that defensive linemen and linebackers are blowing through the holes in our patchwork offensive line. Safeties are not making the tackles (which would be true if teams were moving the safety up), it is D-linemen and LB's. That tells you all you need to know about our O-line.
- This is not "the hardest part of the schedule", it is actually the easiest. The second half is gonna be brutal:
Arizona
at San Francisco
Philadelphia
at Minnesota
St. Louis
Green Bay
at Baltimore
Minnesota
at Detroit
...the only wins I see there are St. Louis and hopefully Detroit. I figure the Bears will be 4-3 going into the Arizona game.
This win was about as ugly and wobbly as an Olindo Mare field goal attempt or JaMarcus Russell spiral but whenever you get a win on the road you take it!
The pass offense seems to be coming together nicely, now if we can just get the running game to come around all will be well.
Hitman! You're here!
Big of you considering you track record so far of Bear game predictions. You've been way off.
You love to keep bringing up the Rex-lovers while you sound every bit as scorned and jaded in regards to KO.
Listen, I love me some KO just like the next fan, but talk about illusions. Your really milking this little comparison you keep bringing up between him and Cutler. You better enjoy that while it lasts.
The only decent team he's played against is Cincy and if you think the Bears pulled out some lucky wins....
His other opponents so far were the Brown's and your beloved Raidahs. Lets compare the two in a couple weeks after Kyle's faced Dal, NE, Balt, and Pitt; while Cutty will have faced Det, Cincy, Clev, and AZ. See, I can do it too.
Again, hitman, just wishing upon a star that the Bears will lose doesn't work, but go ahead and keep trying.
Stuck --
Bears' strength of schedule in 2009 is the lowest in the league. I'm not saying it; it's been reported. Let's see... Detroit twice, the Rams and the Browns once each. There are four victories even if the Bears started their practice squad. Sounds pretty easy to me.
Chuck --
Let's just say I have lingering doubts about Cutler.
I'm happy for the Bears, but don't ask me to drink the kool-aid just quite yet.
The more I'm reading about Forte not looking like himself the more I'm beggining to wonder why? Could he have some slight bugging injury? Is he being cautious because we no longer have a legitimate two? Is he leary of the new line? Whatever the case may be he had ONE strong burst yesterday, albeit an important one in the fourth quarter. I think I may have called for a pitch at least three times yesterday to get our backs outside a little quicker; then I remembered who was behind the play calling. My bad!
I might be biased (I have a revolving account at N.I.U.) but I may be the only Garrett Wolfe supporter here. Two nice runs for nine yards were not a waste. Having a rocket scientist offensive coordinator call a third and one run, with his frame, clouded everyones' vision. Don't blame that on the runner. He's still a very good situational option.
The Bears keep giving up yardage to so-so QBs because that's what happens in the Tampa 2 when you can't get pressure. The pockets it allows can be had by almost any receiver/QB combination. We wait until teams get in or near the Red Zone before we throw in a wrinkle or two. THAT theory has got to change!!!
Idc mentioned about somebody complaining about deep passes; well I was one, if not thee one. Well there Idc, I'd like to clarify a bit. I am a stout supporter of stretching the 'D'. My complaint was situational. You don't go long on a third and five that leaves your 40+ yard field goal kicker with a 53 yarder UNLESS you planned on going for it on fourth down. With the sharp QB and tight ends we have, that was a better option on fourth down. The 36 looks a lot better than the 43 in terms of giving up field position. I pretty much questioned the package of the two plays as opposed to the long pass itself.
Navarro --
I doubt you are the only Wolfe supporter, but I saw enough of him when I saw him at training camp two yeas ago and noticed I was bigger than him.
I'm not a pro athlete, and he can do some things in the open field, but he is simply too small to be effective as a runner, and he does not have the hand, nor can block well enough to be a 3rd down back.
They need someone who can actually come in and spell Forte for long periods. AP is ok. He is not the best back on the team, as Hitman ridiculously asserted, but he is effective in a pinch.
That said, the team needs a guy who can give you 15 or more carries in a game. They don't have that guy. They need to find one.
If they find one, they should give him Wolfe's roster spot, or go with three TEs.
IN terms of that play, I have no problem taking a shot down the field at that point. You do that when no one is expecting it. That's why the TD pass on 4th worked.
People complain about Turners calls, but this was an example of his being aggressive.
I also have no problem kicking a 53 yard FG that early in the game. Gould CAN make them. And frankly, he needs to TRY to make some, if just to practice in game situations.
It was the first quarter. Doing that, or the pass, with two minutes left in the half would have been foolish.
The team needs to put more faith in its guys to make plans, IMO. They have done that on D, and, more often that not, it has worked.
Why is anyone still talking about Kyle Orton?
You act like the Bears traded away Joe Montana or something.
Get a clue and get over this no better than average FORMER Bears QB already.
It is embarrassing.
When you read John F's comments, be sure to remember, this is the same guy who thinks the Bears would have won the Superbowl had Brian Griese started. Always finding the dark lining in the silver cloud.
Chuck, I see you came back for the season. I am glad you're back. Fans are down cause the win was ugly but if you had asked what our record would be after 3 games the answer unanimously would've been 1-2. We are one better than some expected. By now everyone knows that I don't dislike Turner but I am losing my patience. Did Wolfe bribe him to get in a whole series? The two runs were nice but who expected that he would get the first when everyone knew he was coming? Does anyone ever go in motion? Was it because the crowd noice that they didn't go in motion? Turner got one more game to be so ordinary and subpar before I lose my mind..up in here,up in here.
Nice of HITMAN to come here and lay his steamy hot pile on a win he didn't predict.
Stuck, when I say "elite" NFL QB's, I'm talking head of the class with prolific passing offenses like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo... all 5 of these guys would shred this current Bears defensive scheme with their wide receiver crossing patterns galore. Aaron Rodgers is good, but he's not there yet and his O-Line has holes to give them problems against good defensive teams. Roethlisberger's Pitt team is more of a ball control offense, but even then, Big Ben was moving the ball well against the Bears D and should have won that game if not for Jay Cutler and Jeff Reed, simple as that. "We won't be playing QB's better than Rodgers and Big Ben"?? What are you smoking, Stuck? I already named 5 QB's better than Rodgers and Ben in terms of talent level and passing offense!
"We won't be playing QB's better than Rodgers and Big Ben"?? What are you smoking, Stuck? I already named 5 QB's better than Rodgers and Ben in terms of talent level and passing offense!
__________________________________________
Yeah Edgar, but his point was .... The Bears won't be playing against any of them this year!
They've already faced the cream of the crop on their schedule, so as far as elite QB's go, it's all downhill from here.
Especially since they don't have to face me in the regular season.
Edgar, did you watch Manning last night and last week against Miami? The guy is awesome. He has great receivers as well, but that guy is in a class by himself. Maybe Cutler will get that good but is not there yet. He's closer to the other guys you mentioned, and I'd already give him the nod over Romo and Rivers.
When you read John F's comments, be sure to remember, this is the same guy who thinks the Bears would have won the Superbowl had Brian Griese started.
Well, I know who played quarterback when they lost the SB - and I wasn't surprised at the outcome. With the Bears 2006 defense and special teams, yes they would have won with Griese......the 2007 and 2008 Bears, not so much......the stars were aligned in 2006, and Lovie blew it.....
Lovie's overall record as a Bears coach is 47-36. From the middle of October 2005 through the end of 2006 his record was 23-5. So excluding that brief 1 and 3/4 year time span (we'll refer to it as the golden years of his tenure), Lovie is 24 and 31.
You see, Lovie is not a good coach - for a brief time period he had very few injuries and the other teams in the division stunk. During that time period he flourished, when everyone in the division caught up and he experienced a normal amount of injuries, he showed his true colors - a losing football coach.
Lovie is like Grossman, if you give him a perfect team, and perfect circumstances, he can do well - throw a little adversity his way, and he falls apart.
If you want a consistently competitive football team, then get another head coach.
Great win. Bears have talent. Imagine what Belichick would do with this team and Cutler.
Weak links remain the same: Angelo, Smith, and Turner.
Smith is no head coach. he lacks decision making capabilities on the fly and Turner wouldn't be around of Lovie had any true HC abilities.
Angelo might get a break here because he brought in a winnrer like Cutler and worked hard to give Lovie what he wants.
Hopefully, the leash is short on Lovie Smith. I would have fired him after the Green Bay loss as the play calling and clock management were horrendous. Bears lost three games last year simply to clock mis-management and ill advised coaching decisions.
How about Shanahan, Cowher or Dungy. Lovie is a very nice man - would fit in nicely with most average high school and small college programs.
John F
I don't know what you consider being consistently competitive, but the Bears have the second best record in the NFC over the past four years.
Lovie has had more success than any Bears coach not named Ditka or Halas.
And the so called losing coach has had two losing seasons, one in which he was playing with guys that did not fit his system -- the first year.
Because if I wanted to cherry pick stats, I could remove the first year, and guess what? His overall record is 42 -25.
And I have no idea where you get the idea they would have won with Griese. When Rex was on, he was one of hte best QBs that year, and without him, they don't beat Seattle.
Griese is a bum who chokes in big games.
Roach played a lot better than Hillenmeyer in the middle...leave him there.
Hillenmeyer is just plain bad...don't care how smart he might be.
Neckbeard Kyle, I was assuming that the Bears will eventually face those big time QB's if they get to the playoffs or Super Bowl. But even then, I'm not comfortable with the continuing "bend but don't break" philosophy of the Bears' finesse defense. We'll see later on this regular season, but down the road, I can see this defense having problems against Matt Ryan, Carson Palmer, McNabb, and even a promising Joe Flacco. I think we were pretty darn lucky to get a rusty Rodgers and Roethlisberger early in the season. But hey, I sure hope they prove me wrong, but I'm not all that impressed with what I'm seeing on the defensive side of the ball so far. I'm glad to see that they've been aggressive on the blitzing, but that was against Seneca Wallace. Again, we'll see, but Lovie's on the spot this season as the primary guy on defensive play calling, so he better deliver or else no more excuses about getting by with just above .500 regular season career record.
Paul, Peyton Manning was the first guy I mentioned when talking about today's elite NFL QB's. :) Thanks for the reminder though, and yes, I did catch his last 2 games. It's just that Neckbeard Kyle was just trying to defend Stuck by saying that the Bears won't face any of the QB's I mentioned in the regular season.
hey news flash! every week losing teams miss field goals and make mistakes to lose games. the teams that win do so because they put more points on the board than the other team. lets enjoy the victories and stop worrying about "what if's". is the glass half empty or half full? one mans ugly win is another mans triumph over diversity. don't worry about all of the naysayers,critical-sour puss media and fans they will jump on the band wagon when the Bears start kicking "a" again.
Im not one to rub salt on old wounds...but T2J SUCKS THE DING DONG@!
Cedric Benson
Wk Date Opp Att Yds TD Fum Pts
1 09/13/09 DEN 21 76 1 0 16
2 09/20/09 @GB 29 141 0 0 14
3 09/27/09 PIT 16 76 1 0 13
Thomas Jones
Wk Date Opp Att Yds TD Fum Pts
1 09/13/09 @HOU 20 107 2 0 22
2 09/20/09 NE 14 54 0 0 5
3 09/27/09 TEN 14 20 0 0 2
Seedy,seedy,seedy, that is based on last years performance. I think
we all know that being the fourth week, the beers have one of the toughest schedules....I really don't want to admit this, but Detroit is wayyyy better than last year and we will probably lose 1 of the games. Unfortunately, we have never been able to stop Adrian Peterson,
plus now they have a qb who can pass, we might just get swept. Can you
Imagine Orlando pace trying to block one of the Williams blobs???
Edgar, by simply mentioning Romo as one of the top 5, your credibility, has ended. So has my response.
psssssssssss.....Hitman, Orton has a higher passer rating than
Cutler. Use that in your rebuttals. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, don't
tell anyone I told you.
Excellent post IDC. Top-notch stuff. Can't wait to see Rex in an established highpower offense. Might get Sunday ticket just for that, instead of a ticket on Sunday for stealing my neighbors satellite signal. Lovie is an excellent coach.
Nah, Stuck, you're not getting away with that lame comeback response that quickly. As usual, you can't back up your original comment about the Bears D facing no one better in the NFL than Rodgers and Big Ben. I had high expectations for the defense before the season started and with or without Urlacher, they don't look like a top 10 defense to me. That's not good enough to do damage in the playoffs if they get there. They can't just blitz like crazy like they did against Wallace on Sunday and think they can get away with that against the better and healthier teams. Jay Cutler can't bail them out all the time. That front 4 of the defensive line has to play better, especially the inside tackles and mr. "1 good play a game" Tommie Harris.
Bubba's Mom,
...have no clue about those ridiculously-colored jerseys. It looked to me like someone in the Seahawks' clubhouse said, "Hey, why don't we make a porridge of the local rainforests' ferns and mosses and dye our tidy whities in the witches brew. You're right, making the opposition just sick to their stomachs could have been the only motive...perhaps the worst color combo I've ever seen on a playing field and there's been a lot of bad ones.
Edgar.
How was Rodgers rusty?
He was lighting it up during the pre-season and everyone was wetting their pants about how he and the Packers offense looked like they were in mid season form.
The Bears shut that down and should have won the game in Green Bay.
Why try to take away from the fact that the Bears pass rush has been much better this year and the D has played well without Urlacher?
This is a good thing so far.
And Tony Romo is not a top 5 QB.
If he played in Jacksonville or Tampa no one would even care.
Doesn't surprise me one bit that Orton has a better passing rating than Cutler. Orton is an efficient game manager that plays within his talents. He will carry you as far as the rest of the team is able to go. He needs help to win, but he will do his part. Cutler on the other hand is cut from the cloth of Farve and Elway. He can carry a team all by himself. His play has made up for Bears deficiencies. He has been the sole difference in being 0-3.
The Bears line has been the enigma for me. I wanted to see if it was our QB's, Rex, Griese, Orton, or were they all just no good. So I am watching Cutler closely and already I see how much better he is than the others were. But I also saw in Green Bay how that line kept him on the run. And we still are having exchange problems with Kreutz. And I am watching the running game too. I think our line is suspect, and Forte is just average or possible injured. I have to say, all of this is exciting and interesting for me. IMHO - Cutler is a superior talent.
Alright, you know what, if some of you guys feel that Romo isn't up there with the elites, that's fine, but the original argument was naming better QB's in the NFL outside of Rodgers and Big Ben. I listed 5 guys at the time based on stats and body of work over the last several years, not subpar Romo performances against an elite defense like the Giants in week 2. Forget about Romo then, I already named 4 other QB's to blow away Stuck's silly comment on Big Ben and Rodgers! No problem if the Romo pick is questioned, but he sure looked like a heckuva QB in 2007 when he was a top 5 or top 10 QB then. And what did I say about preseason games before? Those are glorified scrimmages! You know you can't take those games and performances seriously. Besides, I gave credit to the QB pressure on Wallace, but if you look carefully at the last 2 games, the Bears D is blitzing like crazy to get that pressure. What does that tell you? Well, it tells me that the front 4 defensive lineman are not doing enough, especially the interior tackles. Pitt moved the ball with ease against the defense in week 2, but we got bailed out by Cutler and the missed FG's. And remember Phil, Urlacher is not a rush Linebacker, he's the middle guy. Whether he's playing or not doesn't exactly dictate how well the defensive pass rush is. I'm talking front 4 where my concerns are. The heat they put on Wallace, I'm telling you, they won't be able to do that against Matt Ryan coming up or McNabb down the road without getting burned and I'm just talking regular season games. It just seems to me that all that blitzing is masquerading the lack of a great pass rush from the d-line as a whole. Look, I'm not panicking, I'm happy about the 2-1 record, but I'm just pointing out some observations and I expected more from the front 4 especially with Marinelli on board.
All this talk about Orton is too funny. His passer rating is higher than Jays for two good reasons; 1) strength of competition 2) Cutlers 4 INTs to open the season. Let's talk after the next five weeks and Kyle may not even be around!
Top five QBs;
1) P. Manning
2) T. Brady
3) D. Brees
4) P. Rivers
5) J. Flacco/E. Manning
Romo still hasn't proven the next level; I'd take the Old Men before Tony.
I personally think Brian Griese would have done a better job than Grossman in the Super Bowl, but than again, so would just about every QB that was in the league that year. Rex stunk up the place!
Hitman, I'm sorry but even I hadn't expected the Raiders to be this bad. My condolances.
The N.F.C. East is, hands down, the toughest division in football. Thank goodness these guys are going to beat each other out of contention by December!
Go Bears!!!
Actually, the original argument was naming QBs on the Bears remaining 2009 schedule better than Rodgers and Rothlisburger.
Manning, Brady, Brees…. none of these guys are on the schedule and have nothing to do with this season.
I also never said anything about the pass rush being good with out Urlacher. I said that the defense has played well with out Urlacher.
My comments on the Bears pass rush were totally separate.
The Steelers moved the ball with ease on the first drive but after the interception by Tillman they did not do much for the rest of the game.
One long run by Mendenhall.
Wallace was running away from Bears defenders the whole game and he has that ability.
The reason that he was running for his life is because the Bears were in his face all day.
Matt Ryan is not that type of QB. McNabb used to be but he is not any longer.
The Bears have done well against the Eagles the last two years so why be afraid of McNabb now?
No one rags on the Giants for blitzing all the time (and they do it a lot) so why not? They are not getting burned deep except for Vasher's slip against the Packers.
If it is working then use what you got.
This is an improvement over last year no matter how they are getting it done.
if you are rescinding Tony Romo as an "elite top five", than I shall
'get back on the hook' and further defend our defense. Is this true Edgar?
Edgar, interesting about the front four. They need to improve, but looked good against Green Bay, which doesn't say much because Green Bay's offensive line is pretty bad. The pressure from the Bears' front four has been pretty good, and the sacks are more frequent than they were at this time last year, but obviously they are still, as they say, "a work in progress." Romo looked good last night, and the Cowboys are beginning to look like a solid play-off team. Certainly their stadium is awesome enough.
I wouldn't get too caught up in how good, mediocre or bad you think the D is playing. Right now, the Bears are benefitting from the fact that most pro teams have little idea what the Bears defensive schemes are about. Marinelli is new and when in Detroit did not have the talent to be successful there with his schemes and Lovie is back in charge of the D after a few years away.
I am just hoping the Bears build a good early record (e.g., 6-2) so during the second half of the season, when teams have more film on the Bears and might be able to game plan better, they can afford to stumble once or twice before righting themselves for the final December push.
I'm also hoping Cutler has a better December than he did last year.
I'm taking Philtraion's side here. I've seen marked improvement in our front four that I didn't see at any time last year. And that's not just because of the blitzing. Had Hasselbeck played on Sunday we'd have had atleast two more sacks, Wallace was very good with his feet, better than even many 'elite' qb's.
It's the other line that's scaring me. Hitman's right, I did see a paper clip fly off during a run play, and that Heistand's always chewing a fresh piece of gum.
ben, jeb, culzie...girls...didn't your mom ever tell ya not to pull up your skirt in public?
say something that's true and intelligent...trading jabs will only leave you toothless...and your welcome for me sparing your grills
and "the other team's kickers will lead you to the Superbowl"....hope in one hand and poop in the other....
The only reason I want the Bears to lose nowadays are those "reflections on Life" posts after a loss....skirt all pulled up over your heads....typing...
stuckinwisconsin --
Did I say Grossman was capable of running a high powered offense? I merely stated the facts.
When Grossman was on in 2006, he was money. He had the highest number of ratings over 120 taht season. And he was money in both the playoff games.
But when he was bad, he was atrocious, as he was in the Super Bowl.
That said, I don't think for a moment the Bears get to the Super Bowl with Griese, because, like Orton, he's a boring, weak-armed QB who is just as prone to having mediocre games and bad mistakes.
It's all moot anyway. Both are gone, and we now have a QB that can move the ball effectively.
I was merely reacting the to the suggestion that Lovie is a bad coach. Considering he's been the only other coach in the Super Bowl era with a winning record, and one whose teams have the second best record in the NFC over the past four year -- in spite of playing with mediocre QBs -- I fail to see how that is the case.
Then again, some of you just can't accept a coach who doesn't have a nice tan and a thick mustache.
Just wondering...
Does ESPN get a percentage of the Dallas Cowboys stadium revenue? As much as they have promoted that stadium, they should be getting a percentage.
Also, is it just me or is the ESPN pre-game coverage actually longer than the televised game?
Also... "Actually, the original argument was naming QBs on the Bears remaining 2009 schedule better than Rodgers and Rothlisburger." By better are we saying more Fantasy Football statistics or QBs who have actually led their teams to the playoffs?
If it's the latter, then Favre, Ryan, Warner, McNabb and Flacco. Cutler has not taken a single playoff snap. Neither has Rodgers. Until they have taken a team to the playoffs, they are just in the mix of good QBs (e.g., Romo) who haven't accomplished much.
Ok, some of the FCP regulars know I hate having to do the copy and paste, but if I must, these are Stuck's EXACT words on the Big Ben/Aaron Rodgers comment word for word:
"We won't be playing any better QB's than Rogers or Rothelissraper." Period... Time stamped and dated, 9/29/2009 @ 11:12 AM
There, nowhere did he say or specify better QB's on the remaining 2009 regular season schedule, alright? That is the comment I responded directly at, only to be misinterpreted slightly. But that's fine, it happens, and we can all differ on Romo or whoever, but the bottom line is that there ARE better pure QB's in the league and there are much smoother and better passing offenses that will dissect the Lovie's defensive scheme if he keeps at it with the overabundant blitzing packages.
Phil, back to the Pitt game... even though the Bears won, the stats show that the Pitt offense outgained the Bears offense 308 total yds to 278 yds. That's not exactly the Bears D shutting down an offense and don't forget that game was marked by rain weather that afternoon and the Pitt offense still gained over 300 total yards on what was supposed to be a ball control type of game. Sure, the Bears D stopped them when it counted from getting a TD. I understand that is Lovie's forte on defense, but we still got bailed out by Jay Cutler and the missed field goals. And yes, overall, the defense is playing better than last season, but it's just not impressive to me right now. Paul is right though, this is probably all a work in progress still for both the D-Line and the O-Line so we'll see, but that's just how it looks to me today. Again, I hope the Bears D prove me wrong down the road, but no one can dispute that I got the better end of Stuck's comment. 4 out of 5 is more than enough to counter his original comment word for word.
HITMAN,
Who needs to say anything "that's true and intelligent" when your own predictions have spoken volumes about "truth and intelligence".
Displaying a penchant for snarky language does not make you knowledgable. A smart man would reevaluate his opinion's in the face of new information. Your defiance is a display of stupidity which you flash each time you come here.
Face it, the Bears are not the disaster you so confidently predicted. They have shown you each time you predict a loss and they win.
Jeb, don't give that guy any ideas. Because as soon as he start predicting that we will win we will start to lose. Hey Culzie since Benson's numbers are better than Forte's are you going to say that we should've kept him? It's too early to say that Benson will keep up the pace. It's too early to see a trend in anything right now. Those same teams who have yet to win might make a turn around and the ones winning might just lose steam. But Culzie I did like your first post on this subject. You know what: like isn't good enough. I just don't throw "love" around.
The Bears should continue to blitz; plentiful and all year, if possible. Creates turnovers and looks better than sitting back in that Tampa Boo.
I wouldn't look at top QBs left on the schedule as much as I would look at systems and players that could hurt this new defensive strategy (which I happen to like very much).
The Cards and Eagles could put a damper on the new blitz happy Bears because of their saavy QBs and receivers, but both these games are at home, so I like the homefield advantage.
Baltimore and Minny pose a problem for this system on the road, but those two losses may have been expected.
I like the fact our offense can FLY if need be, and our schedule looks beatable. Carry the house and sneek in a few road wins and you never know.
The '85 Bears blitzed their tails off, and yes, the Eagles of today do too. Shoot, if the pluses outweigh the minuses, WHY NOT!
Edgar... Edgar... Edgar....
How many of the Steelers 308 total yards came on the opening drive?
That would be 92 yards Edgar.
That means that they totaled 212 yards for the rest of the game.
Did I not say the Steelers moved the ball with ease on the opening drive and then did little for the rest of the game?
The Bears were playing a soft zone on the opening drive and they gave up yards and points.
They intercepted Roethlisberger on the Steelers 2nd possession and played well for the rest of the game giving up only 7 more points.
Giving up 7 points in the last 3 1/2 quarters against the reigning Super Bowl champs is not good enough?
And why did you bring up the Bears total offensive yards when the subject was about the Bears defense?
Final score Bears 17 Steelers 14.
If the Bears D is not that good then what does that say about the Steelers D?
Who gave up 10 unanswered points in the 4th quarter?
It was not the Bears.
You also cut off most of Stuck's comment when you quoted him. What he said was...
"We have already played 2 of the elite QB's, and the only thing that has been exposed is....our running game?????? Our
Defense has made all the right adjustments. We should be happy, because I don't remember our defense making any adjustments since 2006. We won't be playing any better QB's than Rogers or Rothelissraper."
It is obvious that he is talking about this season just like everyone else is talking about this season.
That is the topic.
This season, the Bears game against Seattle and the defensive play this season.
Edgar, I am a strong believer in media literacy, and you can interpret, my statements anyway you want, I can further my truths in either direction if you like. However, we are bears fans, let's just root for them and forget about who's a better QB,and who has a softer schedule.
IDC, you can't take a compliment 'eh. That's a first for a blogger here. I am sorry you thought that I put words in your mouth. I clearly
said that 'I' not 'we' can't wait to see Rex in a high powered offense. I will try to be more critical and less complimentary towards you in the future. There...we good?
Villano, I agree with your post in the blackhawks thread 100%. I am just not to go all the way over there to post it. Time for bed.
stuckinwisconsin --
Sorry, I took you comment for sarcasm.
Frankly, I am shocked anyone would compliment Rex Grossman on this board. LOL.
That can be hazardous to your health.
But for the record, I always like rex more than dink and dunk neckbeard
Well, we're just gonna have to wait and see as the season progresses and find out if there are any truths to my concerns about the Front 4. Whether you believe that the defense overall is fine, good enough or just plain average, I just don't think it's good enough against certain matchups especially when or if we get to the playoffs. Obviously I expect the D to step it up at home against the Lions this weekend, you know that the Bears are going to put some serious heat on the Lions' rookie QB, but we'll see how much Matt Ryan and co. can expose those blitz packages aplenty in Week 6 for Bears vs. Atlanta round 2. I still say that the Front 4 of the defensive line is not playing that well for my tastes. And no problem, Stuck, I agree to end that part of the discussion as it's starting to turn stale at this point. And lastly, Nick Roach should start at MLB next time. He played a great game last Sunday.
Thanks Stuck.
Let me just settle the Rex Debate once and for all.
If any of us posters took an NFL team to the Superbowl and lost, it would be the SINGLE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS OF ANY OF OUR LIVES.
PERIOD.
SMOKE THAT IN YOUR CRACK PIPE.
*(EXCEPT MAYBE HAVING A CHILD)
Same FCP,
Thanks WRD for the love, it has been too long for me, but as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Anyway, Seedy, I know you know football so the Cutler watch is out, but at least the receivers are trying(hopefully), and that will work out. Seedy give me 12 weeks with this offense, and we will see what we have. WRD, a win is a win, guess here is Kyle would've lost it and some fans would've said it was out lack of receiving talent or the playcalling to blame.
Hey, I am as confused as the next person about this team. They look good at times, and look like a college team at times, we can just play this out. I will say one thing, they are blitzen......GO BEARS!
P.S. 2-1 does sound better than 1-2 or 0-3 by the way.