Plenty to like about Bears' big win

How nice to have a franchise QB! This sure helps to open up the running game.

Overall, I'm happy with everything but the defense.

Forte looked good, but to pick a nit, I didn't think he should have been run down on that 61 yard scamper. Other than that, it's hard to fault the running game or the front line that did the blocking. And great work by Wolfe in the 4th quarter, icing the cake.

Special teams play was outstanding in all phases, and once again Brad Maynard shows why he's one of the best in the game. Ditto for Gould. And Knox??? What can you say?

Cutler played a smart, heads up game, doing everything that was required, and not making mistakes.

Hopefully Hester, Bowman, and AP will be alright. (fingers crossed)

Although I realize that this was all done against the Lions, the entire team has progressed nicely since that blunder in Green Bay.

Don't know who to pull for Monday night as Mn. leads the division, but the Packers hold a tie breaker edge against The Beloved. In an ideal world they'd both lose tomorrow evening, but I'll settle for a tie.

Also:

Orton played well in Dallas, so look for Hitman to completely switch allegience from his totally verklempt Raiders to the Broncos.

And after Denver takes a dump in the upcoming weeks, Hitman will slowly fade away, no longer having any reason to exist.

It's a front runner, band wagon jumper kinda thing.

Bowman got ate for lunch. Stafford tried to victimize him every chance he got. He was a little too Romo-like with that silly grin every other play. I'm glad we removed it. Roach is very good in the middle. Not Urlacher-like but much better than Hunter. He did get help calling plays from Briggs and Briggs can really lower the boom. I thought he only injured our players but he did get a good lick on someone who needed help getting up. Tommy Harris.. INT! Man, that was crazy. Are we putting that song to rest that we can not make halftime adjustments? 3 points against the D after the half. Johnny Knox....need I say more? After we got that stupid penalty on the opening drive I knew we were in for a long half. The lines judge must've bought a bad Rolex from some guy named Chicago because he took it out on us. I didn't expect 48 points. Mark was close with his prediction. Can you believe that Orton has the Broncos 4-0. Who actually believes that he would've done that here?

I think da bears should run more deep routes with hester and knox together to open up the middle for the tight ends and create serious diversions to help forte and the running game.

I think it's funny that 2 of the most remarkable plays so far this year have come from bad Orton throws...

God I miss him....NOT

Bears offense is really starting to find its groove.

Cutler has proven why he is worth 2 first round picks. Cannon arm, pocket presence, agility, and an overall leadership quality that is vital in order to become a great QB. No matter who the Bears have given him at wideout, be it Bennett, Hester, Knox, etc, Jay has greatly helped them look like NFL caliber receivers. Take a look at Denver, what happened to Eddie Royal this year? Do you think he misses Cutler a bit?

Teams reflect their head coaches. When the Bears start to struggle early, the players do not panic much like Lovie. Cool as the other side of the pillow. Say what you want about Smith not showing emotion like a coach Ditka or Singletary, but he wants to win just as badly as anyone. And how about D-line coach Rod Marinelli? After coming from a terrible situation in Detroit, Rod has come in to Chicago and helped the D-line do a complete 180 in terms of QB pressure. With having 14 sacks already, the Bears are pace to have their most sacks in a season since 2001. Richart Dent...I mean Adewale Ogunleye is on pace for 15 sacks, a career best. It was no surprise that the team awarded the game ball to Marinelle after the game (although he accepted somewhat begrudgingly coming at the demise of his former team).

The bye will be good for Hester and Knox to hopefully fully recover from their injuries (and as far Jonnie Knox, you almost pulled a DUH-sean Jackson and drop the ball before crossing the goal line! Luckily the Lions chose not to review that).

And looky here, a Forte 100 yard rushing day plys a touchdown! Amazing.

So the Bears can now just sit back and watch the Vikings/Packers destroy each other on Monday night.

For starters, let's all know that the Bears beat a much improved Detroit team by a better margin than the, supposedly more superior, N.O. Saints; WITH Stafford a bit more comfortable and experienced than his first game. Kudos to the Lions offensive coordinator for calling a sharp game in the first half, and exposing the Bears weaknesses early. Yes, Bowman got beat early, and then often, but that was no slouch out there, and the opening call was CLASSIC. Peanut didn't fare much better. In truth it was Roach and Williams who were the early culprits of being caught out of position that kept drives moving, and the umpire that threw the late flag on Brown on the opening drive, after hearing the center cry for a facemask, oughta be banned for life!

The numbers on this game are strange, to say the least:

Cutler; 141 yds.?

Forte; 12 carries?

Hester; 1 rec. 2 yds.?

... and we score 48???

Special teams were dynamic, the running game was much improved, and Cutler did what previous signal callers couldn't do before him; 'SCORE' with the excellent field position!!!

The rushing 'D' looked good, but how much of that was a, not 100%, K. Jones?

The adjustments in the second half by Lovie were very good, but a more seasoned QB may have kept the game much closer. Our third down defense HAS GOT TO IMPROVE!

Roach has the ability to be a good one, Williams is solid, though a liitle undersized, but Pisa and Hunter play a much more experienced all-around game. We'll be better when they return.

Turner got the week off, thank goodness, and I hope Wolfe gets a few more opportunities to silence his haters.

Week six will be pivotal, but we look good. Time to ground the Falcons!

Go Bears!!

Great Call Tommy!

Oh man..just having a real QB makes me breathe easier and the days of watching us go 3 and out 90% of the time are over.

Gotta love it.

Go Bears!

Come on. These are the Lions. If they win another game this year it will be against the likes of the Rams and/or the Browns.

Talk to me in three weeks after the Bears have played back-to-back road games.

If they come out of that with two wins, then that will be something to discuss. Beating the Lions is virtually meaningless at this point in the season.

Sharon just nailed it! And Ron Turner should be so thankful for Cutler that he should call the play, run down stairs and sub in to block for him!! Talk about pulling someone out of the fire.

Excellent post WRD - of course I believed in Orton. I knew it was either him or the line. I think he has better blocking and play calling in Denver. I think Cutler is a better QB and is getting better blocking than Orton got. And I know Cutler has better receivers this year than Orton had last year. And improved Hester and Johnny Knox has been stellar.

And excellent call also on our corners too who were victimized. Tilman fell down on consective plays, but was fortunate. We continue to make every QB we play against look better than they are. Yes you have to tip your hat to Stafford, but we are tipping our hats every week, and Cutty-6 is in a shootout every weekend. Our line showed up in the 2nd half as usual. Its Cutler thats making this season a possitive one. We could easily be 1-3.

Credit Lovie for half time adjustments. Credit special teams.

Lions and Tigers and Bears oh my! Even the Whitesox got a piece of Lion meat this weekend! LOL!

A few more opportunities for Garrett Wolfe to silence critics, Anthony? That TD he scored yesterday came during garbage time when the game was already decided. That's almost equivalent to piling up meaningless scoring stats in the last 2 mins of a basketball game blowout in my book. Come on Anthony, you know how all that stuff works. If the game was close, Wolfe would never have touched that football at the end of the game. All this does is give another excuse for the Bears to keep him on the roster for just special teams play and emergency backup, and even then, I'm not that overly impressed with him in that area either!

Look, I'm not going to get into this "it was only the Lions" talk. Again, a win is a win and that's great, but the bottom line is that the defense regressed again and they continue to be disappointing, especially in that first half. The offense (Jay Cutler) bailed them out again and this time, at least the game wasn't close anymore for the defense to matter. They can't play like this against Atlanta. However, I will say that Nick Roach played well again and I did see some progress with Mark Anderson, although he usually only performs well against lesser competition. The bye week coming up is good timing for some of the banged up players like Hester and Knox. Tinoisamoa will be back hopefully so that should help the D somewhat.

WRD, Orton has played well overall, but if you watch the games closely, it's the defense that carries that Broncos team. Acquiring Brian Dawkins from the Eagles gave that team a huge facelift on the defensive side of the ball. Orton does what he did for the Bears, manages the game well enough for the defense to clamp the opposition down. Strength of schedule still a factor though. I still have no regrets on Cutler trade no matter what.

The second half was great to watch after the first half Bear defense looked hopelessly confused. I particularly liked Forte's comment that he should not have allowed himself to get caught on the first long run. That's the attitude to have: never be satisfied.Good commentary in general in today's blogs. I liked all of them.

Are you guys kidding with the Orton talk. First he has the best O-Line in football and all the time in the world to throw. Even with that last year Denvers offense was ranked number 1 at this time of the season and finished 3rd. It is currently ranked 17th in passing so they have fallen 16 spots and 19th in points. The defense led by Mike Nolan is ranked number 1 and the running game is ranked 4th. So Orton is not doing all that much. Marshall saved him a pick this week and won the game for them, he jumped up and reached over the defender in the air and took the ball away from him, then he had that crazy run. Then you have the imaculate deception against the Bangles. If orton is anything he is Lucky. He has a great O-Line defense and run game. He is in a great situation for himself in Denver but spare me the he led the them to victory garbage. He is along for the ride nothing more. His numbers will drop in the next 7 games. NE, SD, BAL and PIT, although I do hope he beats the Chargers. I hate Rivers.

I have been reserving my criticisms for the right time. Let's us Bears fans get one thing correct. Kyle Orton was never allowed to be the true leader of the Chicago Bears. He was always hindered to only manage the game if we were close or had a lead. Also, he had to share the team leadership with Rex Grossman.

The Broncos are four-zip with him as their leader. Give the dude his props!!

I have wanted to bust on Culter, but waited because of how WE Bears fans ripped Grossman a new one each week after a lost.

After four games, he showed me more yesterday than any of the other games. I do not care that the Detroit Lions are a lousy team, they still put on their jockstraps and cleats one leg at a time. What Culter showed me was he answered their opening score with our own and each time the Lions scored, he directed the team back with a score to keep us close or tied up. That is what I EXPECT from our quarterback if the other team beats up our defense IN THE EARLY STAGES of a game.

Don't go into this manage mode, play SMASH-MOUTH FOOTBALL DARN-IT! And do it with Defense, Offense and Special Teams! Hit the other team HARD and DISCOURAGE them!! That is what I saw in yesterday's game!

Every time they scored, WE co=ame back and scored even if it is a field goal! That is football ladies and gentlemen.

Though the first post states Jay is a franchise quarterback, Kyle Orton definitely is NOT looking like a loser in Denver!

Maybe Ron Turner feels compel by the amount Bears' ownership and management spent to get Culter to give him the reins to call all the plays in the play book!

Johnny Knox is a TRUE receiver!! Devin Hester - I love you - is STILL a kick returner/punt returner first! He can't take a hit because he is a little guy with speed!

There is nothing wrong with Matt Forte! I have read posts where you think the guy is being timid, but if there are not holes opening up where the heck is to run? Except into a brick wall of defensive players!! ASK CEDRIC BENSON ABOUT THAT! He seems to be doing quite well in Cinncy!

People remember, it depends what system you are in and what plays they call for you. Lovie Smith last week was jumping around smiling like he won the Super Bowl. I have been wondering where the heck has this emotion been since he has been here! This is what he needs to bring to the coaching game. GET YOUR PLAYERS EXCITED, while maintaining your collective cool while coaching!

Nice start to the season now lets build on it after the bye-week!

Just my little ole opinions!

1972 Buick Riviera.
Valerie Bertinelli's toenails.
The Bobs at Riverview Park.
Fraiser Thomas eating White Castle onion rings.
Eggo Frozen Waffles.
Mick Kelleher’s 1977 fight with Dave Kingman.
Shemp Howard.
North/Clybourn subway station.

Since people keep bringing up Kyle Orton I though that I would just throw out a few other things that have absolutely nothing to do with the game yesterday or the Bears season in general.

The only reason I mentioned Orton was the TV was on as I was posting and was just surprised by it. I know some people are better in certain systems and good luck to them when they find the right one. Com'n. It's human nature to be curious about a guy who used to be on our team or a guy who you felt we should've drafted. Orton and Rex both brought different things to the table. They just didn't take us where we wanted to go. Good luck where ever they are just don't beat us in a game that matters. They're a saying : "God takes care of old folks and fools". They should've mentioned weak-armed QBs who win a lot of games he shouldn't. And I hate Rivers too. I loved watching him lose yesterday.

I can't believe anyone who actually saw any of the Broncos games would be praising Orton. Literally all of his 'big' passes have been thrown straight to defenders. The guy is living on a prayer and it's bound to catch up with him eventually.

Thoughts on the game:

- Lions special teams are horrible
- Bowman is a liability and will get picked on the rest of the season
- Bears O line still regularly getting pushed into the backfield on running plays
- The Bears had ridiculous starting field position for the whole game (due to the terrible Lions special teams) and frequently ended up with field goals or punts - not good
- Bears pass protection was decent
- Lions, for some reason, decided to stop passing in the 2nd half - an unforgivable coaching mistake. Had they kept passing with 3-5 step drops like on the first half, the second half would have looked a LOT different. Even with the stupid coaching of Detroit, a rookie QB put up almost 300 yards
- It only took Lovie a full half of football to realize that Bowman couldn't cover Johnson - inept coaching

Bottom line: the Bears won due to terrible Lions coaching, horrible special teams, and a rookie QB who made rookie mistakes

That said, I figured the Bears would be 2-2 at this point and they are slightly better. Now the season really begins in earnest, and the level of competition will get much, much harder. I predict the Bears will be 4-3 by the time they play Arizona at home and then I see very few wins after that point.

Why ya bangin on Kyle?...Nervous??

Just keep comparing Orton's #'s to this Franchise QB you speak of...Jay has as many picks as Kyle has TD's.....Kyle hasn't thrown a pick...not one...Fey has less yards...less yards/completion...and 5 fumbles.....FRANCHISE!!!

Denver just might be in the Superbowl with a top ten draft pick justa waitin...

You can say what ya want...I've heard it all before...I'm still gonna torture ya...not to get a reaction out of ya.......it just..... amuses me........to torture fanboys

Edgar, figures you'd jump on the Wolfe anti-wagon! You did the same thing last year when I talked up Mendenhall. Well, I'll bet Rashard turns out to be a better runner than the first running back picked in that draft; Wolfe plays for the Bears at least another two years; and you've never thrown a (real) football in your life.

You sound like my buddies, with their Masters Degrees, and no common sense. You write a good piece, but can't live it. Wolfe ran against the same 11 men every other Bear did, and they KNEW it was coming. Chilax!!!

John F., you bring up a good point that's been visible for a few years now; the Bears offensive line seems to get pushed back a little further than most teams. Their pocket looks nothing like a pocket most of the time; more like a collapse. I've seen Cutler throw numerous passes with guys inches from his elbow, and his uncanny ability to throw without having to lean into his pass is so important to the offenses passing success this year. As mediocre as I thought Orton and Rex were, they were hampered more often than not by our lines failure to hold the 'D' rush at bay.

Hey Phil, I had a '72 Riv, I watched Family Classics religiously, I prefer 'only' Eggo waffles, and the Bobs were the only thing to make me pee my pants when I was 6. Thanx for the memories!

"Just keep comparing Orton's #'s to this Franchise QB you speak of...Jay has as many picks as Kyle has TD's.....Kyle hasn't thrown a pick...not one"

Classic chicago meatball football analysis....yes, orton also has better numbers than Brady. Obviously he's better than Brady too...

I feel dumber having read that post.

Orton's two best passes were almost interceptions...that were tipped and he got lucky.

When I watch Denver...i feel like Orton is ice skating on razor blades with his shirt stuffed full of dynamite.

That experiment is about to implode...and...we arent banging on Kyle, were banging on you HaterNation.

Cutty6 is the real deal.

Excuse me, Anthony? I've never trashed Mendenhall in my life. I'm an Illini allumni and I've been a big fan of Rashard even through his injuy-plagued rookie season. What are you smoking? Where in the world did I ever trash Mendenhall in FCP? You have me mistaken for somebody else! If there's anyone I'll ever trash in Illini sports, it would be Ron Zook's coaching ability over his recruiting talents or Jamar Smith in men's College hoops a couple of years ago (if you don't remember who Jamar Smith is, then I'd have to question how much "sports" you really know, my man). Juice Williams maybe not far behind, but that's it regarding trashing anyone from my Illini teams. I'm kind of disappointed with that response coming from you and calling me out like that, Anthony. This is Garrett Wolfe, dude. And by the way, I was a 2-year starter on my high school football team playing all defense at the linebacker and free safety position and was also on the basketball team my entire 4 years at GT so don't think I never played the game in real life or any other sport for that matter. And I didn't even get to my old College resume yet, but there's no point to that in here. Chilax?? Where the heck did that come from? I've ripped Reinsdorf's Bulls much tougher than Wolfe and my favorite sport is basketball! My point about Garrett Wolfe running up a cheap TD score in garbage time was a LEGITIMATE point, chief! It didn't matter which 11 men were on the field, the game was OVER already, get it? You of all people should already know how the mental side of playing sports works, mr ex-referee! Master's Degree? What are we debating here, a grammar contest in a sports blog now? We're just talking sports here! You "chilax"...

Anthony sez: "the Bobs were the only thing to make me pee my pants when I was 6."

Watching the Raiders still does it for me.

Ok I have reserved comment to this point for a couple reasons: first of all since I live out of market I'm lucky if I actually get to watch 6 Bears games during the season but listening to WBBM's livestream broadcast has some advantages. Secondly I like being entertained by some of bickering back and forth before making comments.
Now as far as comments like "hey man this is the Lions we're talking about here" go, Chicago teams in the past (not just the Bears but ALL Chicago teams) have been known for losing to teams they never should have lost to. Anyone care to remember who Tampa had their first franchise win against? On any given Sunday even the best can be beaten by a team that doesn't know they're suppose to lose.
Orton is what he always has been...a game manager. To those who said he got lucky with the toss to Marshall I wonder what your comment would be if Favre had made that pass? I imagine it would be something like....hehad confidence that his receiver would out jump the defender, great pass.
The Bears pass "D" leaves alot to be desired, especially on third down situations. That was made even more apparent after watching the Vikes eat the Pack up last night on obvious passing situations. If the Bears make the post season pass defense will have to improve if they want to get past the likes of Favre or E. Manning.

Are we going to have a showdown on every thread??? Chest-tosterone flowing a plenty!

I like Wolfe, but after he got hurdled, he lost a lot of "juice" with me. Pun intended.

Edgar I had some friends that played for Illinois. And I too love the hoops! Played football in highschool like Al Bundy! I ran track also. I spent most of my time watching and coaching kids. I have found one to have really nothing to do with the other. I know a young man that can dunk a ball like Dominique but couldn't finish a 2nd grade crossword puzzle. He is a nice young man with the heart of a dove. But coaching material - he is not.

I read from comments where some are not true football fans, but Chicago Bears fans ONLY!

I am a sports fan and a Chicago Sports fan, AND NOT EXACTLY IN THAT ORDER!! So you don't know where my allegiance is!

If you nay-sayers were not sports fan, you wouldn't have taken the time to watch the Denver game! Therefore if rooting for Kyle to do terrible in another division you should expect Brett Favre and the Vikings to beat the Bears twice this year! Remember, he is the true embodiment of all of us middle-age to senior citizen status and over the hill Monday morning quarterbacks, who we should be rooting for to kick AS*!

Considering lots of Brett's passes were almost interceptions during his career that went for TD(s), using the analogy on this board sucks!

And this opinion is NOT humble opinion.

Give a former player is props if he is doing well you sorry NAY-SAYERS. You people almost got me joining up with HitMan and his rantings.

Cutty6?...almost as dumb as the trade that brought him here....good job

Edgar, you came out of the gates with my name, on my Wolfe comments, and I responded! I never, once, said anything about you 'TRASHING' Rashard. What I remember is commenting on how much I wanted the Bears to get Mendenhall and you responded that he wasn't worthy of that high a pick, and when the Steelers drafted him 22 I strictly remember you saying he went that far for a reason. That's not slamming him, but you vetoed my vote. Same subject, different matter here. I played B-ball and football myself, in the 70's, when football and B-ball meant something at Gordon; and yes I remember Jamar, like it was yesterday. I still can see the picture of the car with my eyes open. I've been a referee and coach for 33+ years now, but I've played, competitively throughout most that time. I'm not just a whistle. Matter of fact I'm proud to say I still play tackle football with my son-in-laws on fall Sundays at McKinley Park and West Lawn (QB-FS), play league basketball Wed. and Sat., and I'll be 52 Tuesday. I know my sht and garbage time in basketball is FAR from the garbage time I saw Sunday. Get real! That's the sports I'm talking, and it is the sports comment I debated, get it?

By Tim Little on October 6, 2009 9:25 AM

Orton is what he always has been...a game manager. To those who said he got lucky with the toss to Marshall I wonder what your comment would be if Favre had made that pass? I imagine it would be something like....hehad confidence that his receiver would out jump the defender, great pass.
---
Tim, that is what I am talking about!! How you gonna diss Orton regardless of how he leads a team? His team is four-zip and we got people clowning on him in here. Is it because the Mighty Bears are three and one? I suspect so, what you think Tim?

Like you stated, if the Bears pass defense don't ratchet up a couple more rungs on the defensive ladder, Brett or any decent QB is going to beat the Bears, regardless of Culter heroics!!

By Keith Lifetime Southsider on October 6, 2009 9:29 AM

Are we going to have a showdown on every thread??? Chest-tosterone flowing a plenty!
---
KLS, it is football season and only men or tough women belong in here. So let the Chest-tosterone and Her-estrogen get emotional and speak loudly.

BOOM-SHOCKA-LOCKA!!

Let's get ready to RUUUUMMMMBBBBLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEE!! - Intellectually please!!

All the Orton-files

Get back to me in four weeks.

The team plays the Steelers, Patriots and Ravens during that stretch.

Teams with solid run defenses.

You really think Orton is going to be mistake free -- and he's only avoided turnovers by the grace of God -- after that stretch? You think he will be mistake free after he actually has to throw the ball to win a game?

For all his protect, for the pass friendly-ness of the scheme, he is still throwing under 60 percent.

Why? Because that's who he is. A game manager with an average and average accuracy who gets away because -- to his credit -- he knows what he is incapable of doing.

Sorry, but I think I'll take Cutler over that. That guy, Orton, is not different than every other game managaging QB.

And for the record, Hitman, the Broncos don't have the Bears first-round pick anymore. They traded it to pick up A. Smith.

So the end result of the trade is this

Orton
Robert Ayers (backup OLB)
Alphonso Smith (nickel back)

For

Jay Cutler

AND

Johnny Knox.

Which combination of players do you think is more likely to haunt the fans of the opposing team for years?

Well, you know what, Anthony… when the score was 41-24 with less than 2 mins left in the game, that’s garbage time not only in my book, but in a lot of other people’s book as well. We can debate it all day long, but I’m pretty confident I’ll win out that debate if we present it out to our blogging peers for a final and majority judgment call.

And I may have called out your name, but I didn’t call you out with derogatory name-calling or label you as some geek behind a keyboard who hasn’t played a sport in his entire life like you just did to me earlier. Admit it, you got hypersensitive over Garrett Wolfe of all people, period. So fine, if you’re a big Wolfe fan, so be it, but don’t call me out like I don’t know my stuff either with no credentials. And thanks for the resume, I’m impressed. Really, I am Anthony. No joke at all. I respect any person who enjoys sports with a passion that much down to even refereeing games. I've ALWAYS given you props for that in the basketball blogs which is why I was surprised by your reaction to me over Garrett Wolfe. I still don’t even remember the Mendenhall comments in the draft, but if you say so, fine, I’ll take your word for it as long as it wasn’t misinterpreted about me trashing Mendenhall. I'm true Orange crush and blue Illini for the rest of my life. But don’t forget, you labeled me out first as some kind of geek with all talk, no game. Far from it, sir. You have no idea the personal highlights and lowlights that I’ve had to endure in my entire lifetime of failed hopes and dreams involving sports, but I’m in no mood to storytell in a sports blog where more than half the people here could care less about my personal life in the past. And by the way, Gordon Tech won football state championships in the early 80’s too, so it’d be nice to show some respect to my class decade as well. Tom Kleinschmidt also sends his regards. He was 2 years after my basketball class. And yes, he had a better overall hoop game than I did, so feel free to rip on me with that if you like.

I’m moving on away from the Garrett Wolfe topic now, Anthony, but if you want to continue our “spirited” discussion, I’ll leave that to you and will respond accordingly. I’m not here to make enemies. I just want to talk sports, that’s all.

Keith, what sport did your friends play at U of I and what years were they there? Maybe I know them, but I’m class of ’88 to ’92. Yep, I was enrolled there during the days of the famous High Flying Illini hoops with Kenny Battle, Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill, Lowell Hamilton, Steven Bardo, and co. I had a hoops scholarship, but didn’t make the final roster cut, obviously, or else I’d probably be a headline Sun-Times sports figure news by now. hahaha Bottom line, I wasn’t good enough and tall enough and after suffering torn ACL’s in my freshman year and later plantars fasciitis, I kissed away my dreams to play at the next level through hard work alone over pure talent(I’m talking more overseas or CBA semi-pro at the time, not the NBA which even I knew I wasn’t good enough at the time). I even ran practice scrimmages against many of those guys and let me tell ya, those guys would eat Kirk Hinrich alive in today’s game easily! Just call me “has-been” if you really want to poke fun at me. I get that a lot from kids I coach today. And I too once knew plenty of young playas who could dunk the ball like Tom Chambers and Spud Webb but couldn’t tell an oval from a circle (think M. Liberty and J. Brandon as my test for you on local hoops historical knowledge), although they were some of the nicest guys around. Nah Keith, my “showdown” with Anthony is nothing like your sessions with WRD and Culzie in the Olympics blog. I just refuse to get involved with topics like those that lead to racial-type discussions. Too sensitive for my sports blogging tastes.

Cant everyone just go about their business!?

Edgar...I was just chatting with Marcus Lib on facebook..and he is one of the nicest guys around...and he actually cares more about the Chicago Violence right now. Its his main concern.

Also, I was chatting with Curely Boo, (globetrotter) and he too, is trying to figure out ways to stop the violence....i introduced him to a group that uses Sports to Stop Violence.

Very ironic that you dropped M.Libs name.

I know I am suppose to only know frat guys...but whatever...its fun when people act like they have a clue about you or what you do...when you go about your business.

Culzie, glad to hear that M.L. and Curly have continued to reach out to the Chicago community like that. I wasn't even aware that they both remain loyal Chicagoans. Good stuff. I'm not surprised to hear that about Marcus. I got to know him a little bit for several years in College and it was amazing how gracious and patient he was to handle all the heckling he received from the general public and media over his "Prop 48" status at the time. It was totally unfair. I guess I gotta keep up with the Facebook networking, but not easy to do with the 12 hour a day job and three daughters under 5 waiting at home for their daddy to spend nonsports-related time with them. Look Culzie, it's not like we hang out in person offline or anything like that, so I'm not here to judge you or anyone else in FCP over words in a sports blog. You have your own writing style that people will misunderstand or misinterpret just like I have my own writing principals that bloggers don't care for either no matter how much I try to keep it clean and within the context of the topic discussion at hand. That's just the way it is. Time for bed...

Anon I wouldn't even hazard a quess as to why some people are clowning on Orton. What I do know is that some athletes just seem to thrive better in some systems better than others and Chicago is a tough venue for any athlete.

Edgar that's an impressive resume and I wouldn't diss you by calling "has been" especially after admitting you knew your limitations. Me on the other hand never really got to know what my limitations were because we moved to a small town my sophmore year in high school and every position I played in football and basketball I had to compete against the athletic director's son and regardless of outperforming him in practices I didn't see much actual playing time. It's kind of tough being an outsider fighting small town politics. I seriously doubt I would have been offered a scholarship though because I never bothered to study I could maintain a C average without cracking a book and that just won't cut it beyond high school. As for Anthony's statement about anyone having an opinion that has never played the game...you don't need to play the game to recognize talent or to be able to disect the game and as you pointed out there are those who can play at the professional level yet couldn't tell you the difference between a circle and an oval. The sad thing is owners don't care and pay those same individuals millions of dollars to play and when their career is over and they've squandered those millions and have nothihng to fall back on those same guys want people to feel sorry for them.

So Orton ALMOST had two TD throws picked-off. So what?

Forte fumbled at the 2 yard line against Seattle. Realistically, there was no way the call on the field should have been reversed. Seattle recovered and the Bears wouldn't have scored. Seattle wins and Bears are 2-2.

The Bears were LUCKY that Jeff Reed missed two chip shot field goals that should have won the game for Pittsburgh. Hell, the Bears MIGHT be 1-3.

Nonetheless, the fact is that Orton and the Broncos are 4-0 and the Bears are 3-1.

Deal with it folks.

Edgar, Marcus used to play in a playground we call "SUNSHINE" off 43rd Street. That was the stomping ground of Efrem Winters. Marcus had a sister named Deanna, that my cousin used to date. She used to work at Pizza Hut with me also (the one that used to be on Chicago and Rush). They all went to King High School aka Landon Cox Training recruiting headquarters. When Marcus went to Illinois he used to come back to the Tray with all of those jokers. I met all of them. U of I bought all of those Jokers new Blazers like Jordan's. They came through like they were the President - Shinning like new money. I also new Jamie Brandon and all of those King Players. My cousin used to hoop with them. A lot of people don't know that Marcus had two brothers that could hoop better than he could. There was a guy in our neighborhood knicknamed Kado that use to serve all of them. He was on King's Bench! Cox was running that thang.

Yes, I understand what you mean, Tim. I used to travel downstate many times to the small towns when I was assigned there to scout for Lou-Do Henson at the time. The small town politics still exist even today, I’m sure of it. And yes, you don’t need to actually play the game to recognize talent or to be able to dissect game film and even diagram plays. These days, they have simulation software out there that head coaches use to reach out to the tech geeks to help them out in strategizing plays, I kid you not. Technology, steroids and corruption... gotta love it! haha It’s amazing how far the games have evolved from when I was involved religiously in the sports. Unfortunately though, Tim, it’s awfully difficult to make a career in the professional sports industry unless you have played the game at a professional level or if you seriously know people on the inside. I didn’t have the networking at the time, just a surgically repaired knee and foot (keep in mind that medical science wasn't exactly advanced back in the late 80's as it is now), so I had to make a decision and thankfully, it was early enough for me to complete the double majors. That’s why some say I’m a “has been” because I never accomplished anything in any of the sports I once excelled at. Now it’s just all hobby for me with the kids at the recreation parks and the summer camps. It’s all good though, no regrets, I'm alive and I have a family.

And Keith… pretty funny story you have there. Nice that you even remember Efrem Winters. That’s good, I’m impressed. My goodness was that guy a hulk of a figure, but he had lead feet. All that size, but couldn’t leap past 7 inches. hahaha And don’t call Mr. Cox “Landon”, call him “Sonny” or else he would have decked you with his fist with the bling rings from all those King Public League Championships. ;-) As for the Chevy Blazers… come on now, Keith, only 1 recognizable King basketball player ever made it to the University. Don’t even start up with me on basketball history accuracy! Those Blazers were probably from other schools, not U of I! haha I don’t know about Marcus’ 2 brothers though. Marcus was one of the, if not the most gifted high school player I’ve ever seen play in person and that includes having had the luxury to watch Kevin Garnett and Ronnie Fields play live at Farragut High School back then. The talent was there, but he let his confidence get shattered from becoming a star. It was all head games, not busted talent. He was a genuinely good guy from what I remember of him at school though and good to hear that he's still an active member to the Chicago community from what Culzie said.

Obams and Oprah have time for to support Daleys bid for olypic size re-development, but I guess not for stopping the violence.

Its starting to tick some people off i guess...

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/fenger-derrion-albert-duncan-holder-community-leaders-63669697.html?hg=21

Edgar I believe I have mentioned at least once in here that I DJ'd karaoke in a couple bars in Niagara Falls for 4 years and one thing I enjoyed doing was confronting people that would heckle and make fun of someone with let's say less than a talent for singing. I would walk over to them with a mic and tell them ok it's your turn to sing (knowing this person has never gotten up in front of a mic) and when they refused I would simply say into the mic...then don't belittle anyone that has enough guts to at least get up and try. It's better to be a hasbeen than a never even tried.

Edgar, all of those jokers came through Chicago in those Illinois Colored Blazers! I thought the FBI was coming through. Kendal, Marcus, Bardo, Nick, Kenny and a host of them came through the shine like some mobsters! Sonny! LOL! We just called him "Cox". He had a monosyllabic name like Bono or Jordan on the Southside.

Trust me about Marcus, he has a brother named Daryl and Edward. Daryl was just as cold, but I heard Edward was better than both and taught them the game. I know Marcus was Mr. everything to the nation, but to the shine and at the Hilliards where he grew up, he was just a good baller. But he was a very nice person as you stated in fact his entire family was cool. I think Jamie Brandon and Rashard Griffin and a lot of other players could have gone to Illinois also if they wanted. King had some ballers.

umm ldc...Broncos still have Chicago's first rounder...they traded their pick to Seattle to move up to get Smith....nice try, tho