Brian Urlacher (with Packers' Brady Poppinga) leaves the field wearing a wrist brace.
Talk about your worst-case scenarios: First Jay Cutler struggles and the Bears lose a last-minute heartbreaker to the hated Packers. Now we learn that defensive stalwart Brian Urlacher is out for the season with a dislocated wrist.
A couple of weeks ago, we lamented the premature end of the baseball season in Chicago and were counting the days till the Bears kicked off. So now we must pose this question: Is the Bears' season already over (in terms of playoff hopes)? Do we start counting the days till the Blackhawks drop the puck and the Bulls tip off?
Nonsense, I say. Sure, Urlacher was a huge part of the defense, and he said last week that he finally felt like he was back to full health. But, good as Urlacher is, he's not the all-world linebacker that he was in his prime. His loss won't have the same adverse impact that it did when he went out in 2004 and the Bears couldn't win a game without him.
The Bears' depth at linebacker took a further hit with the knee injury to Pisa Tinoisamoa; they reportedly may seek to sign former Buccaneers star Derrick Brooks. But Lance Briggs is a Pro Bowl performer who is a marquee NFL star in his own right and along with Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach, the linebacking corps remains strong.
The Bears' depth at linebacker took a further hit with the knee injury to Pisa Tinoisamoa; they reportedly may seek to sign former Buccaneers star Derrick Brooks. But Lance Briggs is a Pro Bowl performer who is a marquee NFL star in his own right and along with Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach, the linebacking corps remains strong.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that Briggs, not Urlacher, is the Bears' best linebacker. And no NFL team should be ruled out of the playoff hunt just because it lost its second-best linebacker for the season.
Should we all downgrade our predictions on how the Bears will finish? Well, my game-by-game forecast for a 10-6 final record included them winning the opener at Green Bay. That didn't happen, but I can still see them finishing 9-7 (although they easily could stumble off to an 0-3 start, given upcoming games against Pittsburgh and at Seattle). I'll officially stick with my original 10-6, but 9-7 (which could still get them a wild-card playoff berth) seems more realistic.
What do you say: Is the Bears' season over before it barely has even started, or are you still keeping the faith?
Should we all downgrade our predictions on how the Bears will finish? Well, my game-by-game forecast for a 10-6 final record included them winning the opener at Green Bay. That didn't happen, but I can still see them finishing 9-7 (although they easily could stumble off to an 0-3 start, given upcoming games against Pittsburgh and at Seattle). I'll officially stick with my original 10-6, but 9-7 (which could still get them a wild-card playoff berth) seems more realistic.
What do you say: Is the Bears' season over before it barely has even started, or are you still keeping the faith?
On any given day any team is capable of beating another (well except maybe for the Lions). The defense in the second half of Sunday's game, with the exception of Vasher's failure at the end didn't seem to be lacking because of Urlacher's absence. I would say the bigger question about whether or not the Bears make the post season is will the offensive line start giving Cutler better protection and will Cutler and his receiving corps start to click? If that happens anything is possible.
I agree, Stu. Nonsense. Although I am not a fan of Hunter, I have never been so optimistic about the Bears before....let's just continue
to get our receivers some experience.....the D will take care of
itself....and run, run,run......pass.
Get Mayflower Movers on the phone right now! I'm buying the Chargers and moving the team to Ancorage. Sarah told me that she'll get the legislature to kick in for a stadium.
What do you mean, "She resigned"? Nobody told ME! I never said she could quit. She has a contract!
The Chargers have to go. This state isn't big enough for both of us. I told George that he should do the same thing with the Mets, but he didn't listen.
Get me Hitman on the phone right now!
And where's the guy who was sitting at that desk a minute ago?
WHAT??? He's in the bathroom?
Fire him when he gets back. Tell him there's a desk with his name on it in Alaska.
Where did I put that roll of Bounty? I have to go to the refrigerator.
Urlacher played well in the first half, but the team didn't seem to miss him in the second.
IMO all those NFL players who voted him, "Most Over-Rated" knew something. Then again, perhaps my memories of Dick Butkus shade my point of view, because I always thought that Singletary was over-rated too.
Mean Joe Green ... where have you gone?
Nope!
People are panicking because they put all of their eggs in Cutler's basket. And the loss of Urlacher has a Mike Brown feel to it, but Urlacher is not Mike Brown and did not have the same effect. Cutler needs time, but he also needs a REAL receiver. His ego makes him think he can do anything, but he needs some help. And he needs to be protected long enough to do his thing. We are going to be fine once he figures a few things out. Cutler is like Derrick Rose - a work in progress. Good but not that good where he can carry everyone else.
At one point last season and even in the offseason, Hillenmeyer was on the verge of getting cut by the team. How ironic that now he's needed more than ever. Fortunately for him, the middle lb position is best suited for his skills. No, of course the season's not over after only game 1. Anything can still happen and it's not like Urlacher is a franchise type of player anymore. It's just time to see which of the linebacking corps in the depth chart will step up their game and the only way to find that out is when they actually start the game, perform and then finish an entire game. It still wouldn't hurt to bring in someone like Derrick Brooks with all his experience and knowledge of Lovie's defensive schemes. For me, it wasn't just the Urlacher injury, but the fact that we lost TWO starting linebackers in basically a quarter of play. Tinoisamoa was also coming off a strong preseason and looked like an impact player on defense. Who knows if his knee issues will limit his quickness and later movement when he returns in a few weeks. I originally predicted 11-5 for the Bears, but without Urlacher for an entire season, I'll probably just downgrade to 10-6, but I still expect playoffs or else it will be a disappointment.
You're right Stu, losing Urlacher isn't the end of the world.
The D-Line is playing great and will make life much easier for the linebackers. Adawale, Brown , and even the forgotten Mark Anderson were causing havoc! Harris didn't look explosive but he is still strong as a bull in anchoring the middle. Bears are somewhat lucky that they kept Hunter Hillenmeyer since he can come right in and be effective. I worry about him in rushing situations because he's kinda like Brian in the fact that he's a better coverage linebacker then pure sun stuffer. Maybe we can bring in Brooks and have in in there for first downs.
I'll be most happy with improvements on the offensive side of the ball. I'd love to see the Bears just run the ball right down Pittsburgh's throat and then have Jay do so some play action roll outs. That's when the Bears are going to be able to score 30 plus points. Just like how they executed versus the Giants.
Urlacher is one player on a team of 53. The Patriots proved last year that no matter who goes down, even if it's the most important and talented player on the team, it's still possible to be competitive.
But when it comes to injuries there is a tipping point, yet players and coaches refuse to acknowledge it's existance. The fact of the matter is that when you lose too many starters, you're pretty much finished Nevertheless, coaches maintain a "head in the sand" bunker mentality that defies common sense, and the players often parrot this drivel. It's like they all live in Neverland, and can't understand why we're not eager to join them in their fantasy.
This disconnect from reality serves no real purpose, because anyone with half a brain knows that if a significant percentage of your starting team is on the I.R. it's ..... OVAH!
Just once I'd like to hear a head coach say to a reporter,
"Look, both of our quarterbacks are in the hospital, our Pro Bowl running back has a broken hip, our punter has athlete's foot on his kicking leg, and our defensive front four were all in a car accident coming home from dinner last night.
How do YOU think we're going to play on Sunday, you freakin' moron?"
I agree with you again, Stu, but am more optimistic and will still stick with my 13-3 record, but a loss to Pittsburgh would cause me to do a double-take. I thought the Bears would beat the Packers without too much trouble though, so perhaps I'm overconfident.I have not been an Urlacher fan and do not see him as crucial to the Bers'defense. I also second the idea that Briggs is their best linebaker and suspect that with Hunter they won't miss a beat. The Pittsburgh game should be a real test for Cutler and the Bears' O line because those Steelers really force the issue and never quit.In the prediction phase, Bears 24, Pittsburgh 10.
The Raiders season is alive and well, and they're only gonna get better when Walker and Schillenz return....wow, how impressive was that effort....Tom Cable coach of the year
DaBears season was over in Bourbonnaisse
in the words of the great gazzooo..."Dumb Dumbs"
OK, let's settle down here and review the picture again. True, Briggs is the best LB, but Urlacher covers so much middle space it disrupts passes that may have gone to a crossing pattern, and forces the QB to look for an alternate receiver, sometimes leading to a forced pass or sack. These are the little things you won't see from the quick TV naked eye, unless you watched game film afterwards. Plus, his speed has to cut into a teams playbook. Hunter, no disrespect, was a weak link on the 'D' last year. Teams consistently ran at he and Anderson. His smarts are a key, but his physical talent doesn't allow him to open the lock like Brian.
Piso was playing strong, aggressive ball. He, no doubt, made the 'D' a little better. I know it was early, but he showed positive flashes. It made me excited! Roach is 'dependable', but that word isn't always sufficient to keep a defense playing at it's past rate.
If Bowman can come back strong, he can't be any worse than Vasher. Nathan was nowhere to be found on a couple out routes. He's playing tentative, and that's never good at the corner spot. I saw the game again, and the safety should have been over to help, so the onus isn't all on Vasher. But under those circumstances, before the play even comes to the line, I'm telling myself as a corner on an island with a top receiver, "if this guy muffs his block, I'm grabbing him by ANY part of his body"! You have to have a situational game plan in your own mind. That's part of the game, and he blew it, I'm sorry.
I picked the Bears to lose the first two games. GBs' starters were playing heads above the rest of the league in the preseason, and Pittsburgh is tough enough, let alone getting 10 days to prepare. So, that gives the coaches and players two weeks, by MY estimations, to get back on track. That's not saying they can't beat Pitt., but the odds are a little greater now, even with Troy out. If Lovie can continue to put pressure on the QB, while shutting down the running game at the same time by filling those lanes, we're pretty much in every game.
The key this year are the safeties. I can breathe a little easier after watching the game again, because we have two VERY aggressive, and solid hitting safeties. They missed a couple tackles, and may have missed a few assignments (I don't have that access), but overall they were very impressive. If you're gonna have a weakness, it can't be your last line of defense, and these two are only gonna get better. If, and I feel good about this too, Harris and the interior of the line can pick things up as the season continues, the defense should be OK, if not a pleasant surprise.
Once these receivers and Cutler get on the same page, the offense, too, should be OK. We had a very good GB team beat, at their house on national TV, and let it slip through our fingers.
That's hard to argue with, worst case scenario, or not.
The Bears playoff chance(s) ended when Angelo signed Lovie to a contract extension in 2006.......
Hey, what's with this downgrading your predictions?
Injuries happen. Poor play happens. Get over yourselves.
I had the Bears at 9-7 and not making the playoffs -- mostly because of questions about the quality and consistency of the offensive and defensive lines. Those questions still linger. (I also have concerns about the space between Cutler's ears, but that issue will be saved for another day.)
The d-line will have to produce over the next several games to change my concern that they cannot get consistent pressure on the QB.
The o-line? Orlando Pace is looking really old and that's a bad sign in the first game of the season. With the Steelers next, I am concerned that too much of the game planning will be about helping Pace control Harrison. That may mean taking a TE out of pass plays or keeping Forte in the backfield for protection. Either way, that's not a good development for the Bears' O.
Yeah Hitman ... it was really impressive the way the Raiders snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I'm absolutely awe struck.
They'll certainly lose many more games this year, but they can put this one on the highlight reel.
Tom Cable: "Hey guys! That was a great loss, wasn't it?"
And why would anyone believe that Urlacher being gone for the year is not going to have much of an effect on the Bears D?
Does he not go from sideline to line to string out the run as well as anyone in the league?
With a banged up and less than stellar secondary Urlacher dropping into coverage was actually keeping teams from ripping them a new one across the middle.
Who picks up that gap now?
One of their safeties?
Hunter Hillenmeyer?
True it is not the end of the world but saying that it does not even matter is nonsense and just a lot of rah rah talk.
Comparing this to the Patriots losing Tom Brady last season means what?
In case you forgot the Patriots missed the playoffs last year so I don’t get the connection.
I must say that Raiders are a very impressive 0-1 so Hitman must really know something about football after all.
Did you like the 60s throwback uniforms Hitman?
Shiny helmets for the Raiders!
Shiny!
It's not a good thing to lose Urlacher. It's not like you can say "good , I wanted Hillenmeyer all along". But with it happening so soon in the season it helps to set a different tempo. Everyone is jelling right about now and I won't think that it's the end of our playoff hopes. Injuries are the reason I don't make predictions. I think one of the first words out of my mouth when we were asked to make predictions was the injuries change the complexion of a team really quick. I saw Roach get thrown like a rag doll in that game and cringed but he was better than we can give him credit. So was Hillenmeyer. Maybe platooning them and rotating them a little will confuse teams. Leave Briggs where he is though. And I loved watching Cables hop around last night. I tried to imagine Coach Smith doing that and it didn't register. He can stay the way he is. You can't tell me that it didn't look crazy.
"And I loved watching Cables hop around last night. I tried to imagine Coach Smith doing that and it didn't register. He can stay the way he is. You can't tell me that it didn't look crazy."
He just needed an assistant coach to punch in the mouth. It calms him down.
I try to imagine ummm, coach smith?...coaching....and it doesn't register... at least Cable has the juevos to crack someone...or is Lovie backstabbing Rivera more your speed?
yeah, keep the crappy coach (yes man) and send the one who knows what's up packing.......Chicago is the new armpit of the nfl....they don't have Arizona to take the focus off of them anymore
The Raiders will be in the playoffs....the bears will not...nothing new here with or without Urlacher.....it'll just make the outcomes more lopsided...
this is the most fun I've had watching the Bears since the 80's...but these are the "I told you so years"....no shufflin, no headbands, no characters...
I don't think my 6-10 is gonna hold up
Bears, Raiders, Jets, and Cleveland...just in case you want to send me jerseys or hats
and Phildo...yes, I love DaRaidahs Uni's...best in the NFL...and I'm hurt...I figured me calling your last 2 seasons...and vilifying their drafts would have tipped ya off on the old football IQ...
Michael Bush...
"The Raiders will be in the playoffs"
ROFL!
Yeah, sure thing Hitman. the Raiders will be in the playoffs as soon as they draft a REAL QB! JaMarcus Russell is about as accurate as a North Korean missile attack.
Raiders, Jets and Cleveland?
Wow.
I just tasted a little bit of vomit.
Is it too soon after the Rams won a Super Bowl to jump on that wheel less bandwagon too?
I bet you can get a really good deal on a Cedric Benson Bengals jersey.
I've liked those teams all my life (The Cardiac Kids, The Joe Namath popcorn popper, Lester Haye's Stickum)...and the word bandwagon...that's why Phildo has a bad gag box...
RPK has Louis Murphy envy? or is it Zack Miller?....the more you copy paste my stuff, the more s m arter you look
Richard Seymour
Pittsburgh 174
Bears -2
I actually want the Browns to do well Hitman.
The NFL allowed Art Model to screw the loyal fans in Cleveland and I hope they get a good team to replace the one that bolted.
The Raiders are the Cincinnati Reds of the NFL.
Very good in the 70s and early 80s but were run into the ground by a clown owner and have been irrelevant ever since.
Joe Namath is one of the most overrated QBs of all time.
If not for one upset 40 years ago the Jets have never done anything worth mentioning.
Yeah Phil, Joe Namath is just another piece of evidence how a New York player's rating on the 1-10 scale goes up about one just because he was with a team from New York, especially if a championship is won along the way. He was overrated, although I will give him the fact that he had balky knees for most of his career and probably would have been better.
In the great pantheon of NFL quarterbacks who were actually good, Joe Willy Namath doesn't even rate a mention ... but I will give him this:
Never in my entire life have I seen anyone get any more out of one good season than Namath was able to wring out of his single year in the sun.
Look up his career stats, and I'd be willing to bet that he's right there with Rex, and Kyle.