Meh...

Tonight's 35-21 Chicago Bears loss against the Green Bay Packers wasn't too much of a surprise. Certain things that happened during the game however, were a surprise. Chief among the surprises were Josh McCown, Kahlil Bell, and Roy Williams.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to get excited about said surprises, but it still leaves this meatball Bears fan asking himself a couple of questions. McCown especially is drawing my self inflicted interrogative sentences : "Could the Bears have signed him last year instead of Todd Collins? Could the Bears have signed him sooner this season when Cutler first became injured? How can McCown, a guy that was coaching high school this year, look so much more competent running this offense, than a backup they've had on the roster for 4 seasons?"

I'll attempt to answer those questions as I go. Nevertheless, here's what I saw as my chestnuts were roasting on an open fire:

Offense : *Disclaimer - I know the Packers defense is not really good right now, especially in their pass defense. Still, they are a top 10 defense against the run, yet that didn't stop Kahlil Damn Bell from racking up 121 rushing yards against them. While Bell deserves a good amount of credit for yards after contact and being shifty in the holes all night, his offensive line played really well too. It was very apparent that the Bears had little trouble pulling both guards Edwin Williams, Chris Spencer, and center Roberto Garza to either side of the line to initiate point of contact and down field blocks for Bell and scrap-heap addition Armando Allen. All told, the Bears ran for 199 yards against the Packers. Bell certainly upped his stock tonight, and pretty much guaranteed he'll be on the Bears roster next season. 

As for the passing game, McCown wasn't bad. Not all that good, but pretty far from bad. Compared to Caleb Hanie, Josh looked like Kurt Warner!

McCown still threw a really dumb interception to Clay Matthews in the second quarter during a likely scoring drive. McCown's second interception wasn't nearly as egregious as he took a chance attempting the "chimney drop" throw in between two Green Bay defenders to Earl Bennett, but the pass bounced off Bennett's hands into the arms of Future Hall Of Famer Charlie Peprah. McCown also threw a touchdown pass, on his way to 242 yards through the air.

I'm not saying McCown is a starter in this league, but in terms of finding a perfect backup for Cutler last season, why the hell didn't Martz consider Josh?! McCown was definitely available. Obviously Martz knew who Josh was, yet Martz still felt he needed Todd Collins last year and Collins couldn't play DEAD! The worst part is, I don't know if McCown is worth keeping for 2012 because he only seems to work if Martz is calling plays. Regardless as I said, McCown was a pleasant surprise tonight.

Defense : I've made no secret to anyone that knows me, that I think Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback I've ever seen play football. Ever. I know his body of work is too short to make this official, but I'm not really concerned about that right now.

With that said, the effort the Bears defense gave tonight was laughable, especially in the second half. 5 Touchdown Passes allowed on the day will make it laughable. One thing that absolutely chaps my ass, is how wide-damn-open Packer receivers seem to be over the middle. I mean not a SOUL in sight of a Packer receiver. There isn't a crossing route, slant, dig, drag, or comeback route the Packers won't run over the middle on any team, yet it always seems to be open no matter who they are playing?

The Bears front four barely breathed on Rodgers all day - not that it makes much difference. The key for the Bears to stop the Packers was jamming their receivers at the line, throwing them off their routes, and generating key turnovers. The Bears drew a big zero in all three of those keys, and Matt Flynn taking garbage snaps in the 4th quarter is a direct result of the Bears defensive ineffectiveness.

Special Teams : Devin is still injured/sucks. Podlesh is Podlesh, and Gould missed a 49 yard field goal attempt early in the first quarter. Dave Toub isn't a genius this week.

Where Do We Go From Here? : Now that the Bears are officially eliminated from the playoffs this season, the only interesting thing to keep an eye on before the Bears perfunctory game against the Vikings will be to see if they fire Mike Martz this week. I doubt they will, but in the off chance they do fire him, it will serves as an indicator of what the Bears offseason will be like. If they fire him, it will show that Jerry Angelo will not be "retiring" as he never wanted Martz in the first place. If they keep him, we'll still be unsure of what happens to Angelo this offseason.

For my money, I believe Jerry will be "retiring" this offseason. The only thing that will bother me about it, is if they name his buddy Tim Ruskell as his replacement. Ruskell has shown that he makes Mark Hatley look like Ted Thompson.

Whether the Bears go with Ruskell or not, the departure of Jerry Angelo will shape the Bears as an organization for years to come...

Fun While It Lasted

First of all the Johnny Knox back injury, is one of the worst injuries I've ever seen take place on a football field. That was just awful. Even though I don't think much of him as a player, I'm still wishing good health and a speedy recovery to him.

With that piece of business out of the way, let's address the most immediate issue, which is to say that the Chicago Bears 2011 season is over. No, it has nothing to do with Sam "Nino Brown" Hurd and his silly arrest. Hurd has nothing to do with why the Bears are bad now. There are plenty of other reasons as to why the Bears season is over.

I know mathematically, the Bears are still alive, but realistically it's over. Done. Finished. Hello-Goodbye. Adios. Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't want it to be over, but today's game left me with no choice but to accept it. If I was smart, I would have accepted it on November 20, when Jay Cutler broke his thumb.

Not sure if anyone else feels this way, but I always thought that quarterbacks were supposed to - I dunno - IMPROVE with more experience? If you're Caleb Hanie evidently, the complete opposite of that line of thinking appears to be true, as he has gotten violently worse each week. Here's why I'm looking forward to the Draft and Free Agency:

Offense : How's 111 passing yards from your starting QB sound? How does not one, but TWO pick-6's on top of the 111 sound? How's a 44% completion percentage and 3 picks overall sound? In my odd little football world, that QB stat line prompts me to ask "Have you ever played football before?" Unfortunately Caleb Hanie has played before. Unfortunately Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo couldn't figure out that Hanie isn't an NFL QB in time to prevent this disaster from ever taking the field.

Normally I'd be more diplomatic in assigning blame, but not today. This one is all on Hanie. Both Pick-6's were completely inexcusable and unacceptable. Hanie was as inept in the pocket as any UFL QB you can name off the top of your head. Irony not being lost on me, Hanie ended up being benched for a FORMER UFL QB in Josh McCown.

You want to say the running game wasn't there? I think it actually was there, but fine. You want to say the pass protection wasn't there? OK. To me, that's focusing attention away from where it deserves to be, and that's at Hanie.

In my odd football world, energy starts from the top and works it's way down. When Jay Cutler is under center, it doesn't matter what the situation is in the game, the 10 players in the huddle believe in him. Hanie, on the other hand, clearly shows that the other 10 are very far from belief in him. As a matter of fact, it's pretty obvious that there are nothing but 10 players showing nothing but doubt...and they should doubt.

Defense : Yawn...hey at least they played hard for the first half of football, right? Julius Peppers registered the one sack on the day, but it took place in the end zone while simultaneously causing a fumble leading to 6 Chicago points. Other than that, not much to report here.

Even though Seattle was 6/16 in third down conversions, it sure seemed like 15/16. It's not often that Tavaris Jackson looks like a competent QB in this NFL, but the Bears made him look like exactly that, as Jackson passed his way to 226 yards on 19-31 attempts and 1 TD.

The Bears had a solid enough game plan of stopping Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch, and putting pressure on Jackson to beat them through the air. It worked well in the first half, but the second half was a different story. Give Seattle credit for making the proper adjustments, and taking advantage of Chris Conte being injured, as they consistently attacked the middle of the field.

Special Teams : Boy, Devin Hester's ankle must be injured real badly. Quite frankly as morbidly as this sounds, it better be that bad. All day long he was in for returns, then out, then in, then out again, etc. Hester clearly hasn't been himself for quite some time, and as a result the return game has been very pedestrian as well as impotent.

Where Do We Go From Here? : As I wrote earlier, this season is over. The Bears were "in position to be in position" as Bobby Knight once said, when the Bears were featuring a 7-3 record. Once Jay Cutler went down with a broken thumb, that was it. Not only was Cutler playing outstanding football, not only was Cutler masking how bad the rest of this Bears offense was, but more importantly the Bears had a backup QB that looks like Jonathan Quinn's long lost brother.

Maybe now we know why the Bears seemed so eager to bring Kyle Orton back? Looking back now it makes sense because they had to have suspected Hanie was as bad as he is. Mike Martz certainly knew Hanie was this bad.

Speaking of Mike Martz, I'm optimistic that he'll end up being the fall guy this offseason. Part of his termination will be deserved, part of it won't. Either way, the Bears will benefit from his departure. While Martz showed some flexibility as a coordinator, he still needs to go. His system is too antiquated, let alone dangerous to the long term health of Jay Cuter. The Bears, and Cutler's spleen, will be better off with a coordinator that believes in running plays that maximize Cutler's strengths, rather than put him in harms way.

As far as the immediate is concerned, I really hope that they don't throw Cutler to the wolves next week, and have him start a meaningless game against the Packers. The game means nothing, and there's no point in starting him with some naive belief the Bears can still make the playoffs.

Then again this is the Bears...where the obvious is not always apparent. 

The Rassi's UD Hoops Preview!!!!

First of all I sincerely apologize for not posting this when I received this A MONTH AGO! I'm a bad blogger and friend. Sit back, relax and enjoy the UD Hoops Bigfoot known as The Rassi and his basketball musings!!!!

2011-12 UD Basketball Preview.

So after the recent “Sandusky Sex Scandal”, I would like to take the time to discuss a “Clean College Program”.  The Dayton Flyers started the season last Saturday with a solid 87-58 win over Western Illinois.  This begins with Archie Miller campaign off right.  Now, mark my words this guy will be the best coach we’ve seen in years and will make Dayton into a similar program as the warlords of the south, Xavier.  Archie comes in with a great background playing basketball at NC State, coaching at Arizona, Ohio State and Arizona State.  Derrick Williams, the number 1 pick in last year’s NBA Draft, credits Archie Miller with his development.  Miller is a type of the guy who will do anything to win and rumor has it he sat down with administration asking for more lee- way with academics.  He’s going to push the standards just like he did signing Jevon Thomas who recently has attended 4 high schools in the last 4 years and also has a 1.97 GPA to brag about.  Archie has backed up his recruiting by getting Vee Sanford for Georgetown to transfer along with Matt Derenbecker from LSU.  Both of these players are the best on the team already and will great additions for next year.  Along, with recruits Devon Scott (forward), Jalen Robinson (pf), and Jevon Thomas (pg) all these guys were recruited heavily by D1 schools.  Also, mark my words Archie Miller will be a better recruiter then Brian Gregory.  Every recruit he’s signed mentions how much the development of Derrick Williams has had and the reason why he is coming to UD.  

What I would like to point out to the Flyer Faithful it’s not about this year, it’s about next year.  Things you should watch for this is movement of the ball, shooting will improve, and the pace on offense will increase.  Overall, UD will be fun to watch on offense this year.  Defensively this year will be a nightmare; UD is very weak upfront with the loss of Searcy and Chris Wright.  Josh Benson, Matt Kavanaugh, and Alex Gavrilovic will lead the Flyers weak front court.  If any of these players get in foul trouble we’re fucked, but again I repeat it’s not about this year, it’s about next year.  I will be looking for improvements and changes from the old regime.   Look for improvements from Josh Benson, and Chris Johnson both will make A10 second team and will have a big year for us.  The motion offense will be a great improvement with ball movement unlike last year which was a struggle with the dribble weave.  Also, thank god there will no longer be any line change substitutions.  Now, my predictions will be a 21-9 record is very possible and a 9-7 record in conference is possible.  I think they finish anywhere from 4^th to 6^th place. 

I'm Not Even Going To Mention His Name...

I've seen a lot of football over the years. More specifically I've seen a lot of Bears Football over the years. I've seen some incredible victories. I've seen some woeful defeats. After all those victories and defeats, I can honestly say I've never seen anything like this game.

I'm literally and figuratively sick to my stomach after this Bears overtime loss 13-10 to the Jesus Freak Cult aka the Denver Broncos. So much so, I'm going to take a pass on my conventional breakdown of this game.

This was not a game we as Bear fans can learn anything from. This is nothing more than a freak occurrence. Some silly people would be arrogant to call this a "miracle", but then again the Denver QB is suffering from a Messianic God Complex.

Simply put, the Bears played outstanding for 55 minutes given their circumstances. Defensively, they were very prepared for that college offense Denver runs. They were solid in their pass rush, disciplined in their run stops, and changed up coverages very well. Offensively, they did what I asked by strongly emphasizing the run game in the absence of both Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.

The Bears did everything they could to secure the victory....for 55 minutes.

Then things got very strange. The Bears fell for the same thing every other team has fallen for. They let up. The defense played nothing but Cover 2 shell, and left plenty of openings underneath for Denver to move the ball which came back to bite the Bears in a major way.

Still, even though the Bears allowed a late touchdown, they had a chance to ice it. All Marion Barber had to do was stay in bounds, but we all know he didn't. Even in overtime, all Barber had to do was hold onto the ball, but we all know he didn't. Instead Barber chose to do his best Earnest Byner imitation and coughed up the pigskin at the most inopportune time!

Whatever. Deep down Denver fans have to know they got another gift. They have to know the Bears gave them the victory. They have to know they were outplayed by a team missing both their QB and starting Tailback. I suggest they savor this for as long as they can because luck always runs out eventually.

As for Denver's QB, he had two things going for him heading into this game. First thing was that most NFL Teams hadn't seriously practiced to defend the Zone Read. The Second thing was that teams take the pressure off him late in games.

The Bears took away one of those two things tonight. It's only a matter of time before someone else takes care of the second thing...good luck dummy.

Damn It...

A big bag of stupid? Not beaten, but definitely beaten up? A constant pursuit of dubious achievements and ineptitude? Take your pick of those descriptions for today's Chicago Bears home loss to the hapless Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 10-3. The truth is, all of them apply, and there's plenty more where that came from.

When Jay Cutler got injured, we as Bear fans had to understand and accept that if the Bears were going to win enough games to make the playoffs, those wins would have to be reached on an ugly path. Ugly is not the same as sloppy however. Ugly we can take. Unprepared? Unfocused? Undisciplined? That is unacceptable under any circumstances.

I'm not going to pile on Caleb Hanie, even though there's plenty to pile on. His inconsistency is to be expected, even though he missed a wide open touchdown pass to Earl Bennett, and made some other decisions that make you rip your hair out. This was a team effort, in terms of failure. Here's my blame list :

Offense : Some idiot blogger predicted earlier in the week said that the Bears needed to run the ball really well and not let Hanie throw more than 25 passes. The Bears ran for 93 total yards, and Hanie had 24 pass attempts. So I was a little off in my prediction....sorry.

In terms of play calling, Mike Martz was actually balanced, calling 24 runs and 24 passes on the day. Still the offensive line could do nothing against the Chiefs. Nothing. The O-line was consistently held up at the point of attack, couldn't stretch any of their zone block runs or their Power-O attempts and while Hanie deserves much of the blame on the 7 sacks allowed, it was still obvious that they couldn't pass protect to save their lives/season.

Many people will say that Matt Forte's injury had a lot to do with the lack of a running game, and to a degree I'd agree with that. Still, this is still the Kansas City Chiefs and their 22nd ranked run defense. It's plenty possible to run on them no matter who you have in the backfield.

Oh and don't think I'm going to forget about Roy Williams either! I had a bad feeling he was going to do something stupid to cost the Bears a win this season, and today was the day. His crucial drop at the goal line in the fourth quarter off a well thrown Hanie pass deflected into the arms of (not that one) Jon McGraw, costing the Bears a touchdown. Williams continues to show that at best he's a tease, and at most blunt, he's a BUM. Remember when Martz said Williams could have 80 catches this season? I'll never forget it, and neither should you.

Defense : Very disappointed in this group, and it has very little to do with the Hail Mary the Chiefs scored their lone touchdown at the end of the first half. Brian Urlacher did what he was supposed to do on that play, by knocking the ball down. It was just bad luck that Dexter McCluster was there to catch the knockdown. Those things happen in a game. Not much you can do about it.

What really vexed me was the consistent way that Tyler Palko, repeat, TYLER FREAKING PALKO was able to move the ball! Palko had that little checkdown throw to the left flat open all day, and he took advantage.

When Palko wasn't killing the Bears underneath, the Chiefs were running the ball successfully relying on draw plays. The Chiefs were 7-20 on third down conversions which added up to a 32:42 Time Of Possession advantage over the Bears.

Simply put, the Bears defense could not get off the field. While they generated some pressure in the first half, the pass rush was held in check only tallying 2 sacks on the day. There was plenty made during the broadcast about the tackling skills of safeties Craig Steltz and Chris Conte. Here's the thing about that : the Front 7 are not supposed to let those running plays reach the safeties in the first place. The linebackers were invisible. Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings on the other hand, played well.

Special Teams : Don't get to say this often, but bad. Devin Hester mishandled a lot of punts. Robbie Gould missed a 41 yard field goal, and they even drew some awful penalties as well. For a team that's in a position of having to rely on Special Teams for points, they picked a bad time to not know what they're doing.

Where Do We Go From Here ? The good news is that the Giants, Falcons, Cowboys, and the Lions lost too. The bad news is that the Bears not only failed to take advantage in the standings, but now have to withstand another key injury to a superstar in Matt Forte's Grade 2 MCL sprain. In case you were wondering, that's the exact same injury Cutler had in the NFC Championship Game. How come nobody is questioning Forte's toughness like they did Cutler?

Obvious double standards aside, the Bears actually have me worried about playing Jesus-err Tim Tebow and the red hot Denver Broncos next week. Don't get me wrong, I'm still far from a Tebow believer. Very far actually.

I'm concerned about the defense now. The Bears just made Tyler Palko look like Boomer Esiason. It would be just like this Bears team to be unable to stop The Option or the Zone Read that Denver is running because their quarterback is so awful he can't run anything else.

Then again, this Bears team is full of surprises. They've had their backs to the wall once already this season and responded. That was when they were just bad at football. This time they're both bad and unhealthy.

Once again, get well soon Jay...

The Hangover

Well I guess we know why the Bears were hot to reunite with Kyle Orton this week. In a game where both teams were missing not just key players, but dynamic superstars as well, the Chicago Bears lost to the Oakland Raiders 25-20.

Both teams had plenty of chances to run away with the victory. The Raiders left plenty of points on the field, as their offense had no trouble moving the ball on the Bears from 20 to the 20. The Bears also had red-zone problems, particularly late in the first half with the Bears driving deep in Oakland territory down 9-7. Caleb Hanie threw an ill-advised passed which was intercepted and returned by the Raiders. Were it not for an unbelievable chase down by Lance Louis, it more than likely would have resulted in a Raiders touchdown.

Anyway, it was a winnable game for both teams, and unfortunately there are no moral victories. Here's what I (drunkenly) witnessed :

Offense : In the interest of fairness, I expected a lot worse than I got from Caleb Hanie. Don't get me wrong, Hanie still came through with some "WTF are you looking at?!" throws, but he made some passes that actually looked decent. Hanie also surprised me by displaying some nice scrambling ability. Unfortunately the game still came down to him, and he blew it, plain and simple.

While Matt Forte didn't have one of his better days, (at one point it looked like he was benched again), the Bears running attack produced 122 yards on 22 total carries (discounting Hanie scrambles). Forte also hauled in 6 passes from Hanie as well, but they didn't really add up to much. The Bears needed to produce more rushing yards than they did, particularly against one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL. The Bears lack of explosive runs forced the Bears to rely on Hanie to make plays.

In terms of the forensics of Hanie's performance, we all saw the three hideous interceptions he threw. His 254 passing yards were padded by an 81 yard prayer to Johnny Knox. Hanie did throw 2 touchdowns, but his accuracy isn't there on a consistent enough basis to leave any Bears fan with any hope for him to get better.

Defense : Bend but don't break essentially. Carson Palmer has historically shredded Lovie Smith-coached defenses over the years. A point reflected in the fact that despite Palmer playing in his fourth "preseason" game since coming off the couch, still threw for 301 yards.

Still, the defense played well enough to win. They were stout against the run, limiting Raiders running back Michael Bush (by cracky!) to 69 yards on 24 carries. They generated a good pass rush in the first half sacking Palmer 4 times, 2 by Julius Peppers alone. Even though the Bears didn't generate as many turnovers as they wanted to, the secondary also got a key interception by Corey Graham.

It would have been nice however, if the Bears decided to cover Marcel Reece, as he had 5 catches for 92 yards. The defense even let the corpse known as Darrius Heyward-Bey have 4 catches for 42 yards, as Palmer threw to 7 different receivers on the day.

Despite not doing as much as they needed to, bend but don't break...

Special Teams : A mixed bag in many respects. Devin Hester got grounded by the lead foot of Shane Lechler. On a personal note, an 80 yard punt is a lot of fun to witness. On the other hand, Robbie Gould kicked a 53 yard field goal, and accounted for 8 points on the day.

Where Do We Go From Here? : The 4-7 Kansas City Chiefs are coming to Soldier Field. Ron Jawarski's favorite quarterback Tyler Palko might be under center, then again it might be Orton.

Either way, the Chiefs aren't very good. They have an awful run defense, as well as an inept offense. The problem is, it's impossible to know what the Bears are going to do? They have to be able to run the ball down their throats, just like they had to against the Raiders.

Will they be able to get the ground game going against the Chiefs? In my view, the Bears don't have a choice. If Hanie has to throw the ball more than 25 times again, it will be a bad day for the Bears.

Please get healthy soon Jay...

Gaines Adams

Usually when the Bears win or lose, I offer up a summary of what I saw. Only rarely do I deviate from my hack observations and evaluations, but today has provided an opportunity to do so, and I'm taking advantage.

Yes the Chicago Bears won their 5th game in a row over the San Diego Chargers 31-20, but that is not what people will be talking about. People won't concern themselves with the fact that the Bears defense failed to stop Vincent Jackson, or generate any pass rush. Bear fans won't be celebrating the fact that the Bears offense rebounded in a major way from last week. We all know what the main area of concern is, and that is the condition of the right thumb of Jay Cutler.

Early reports indicate that Jay Cutler has broken his thumb, it requires surgery, and he will be out 6-8 weeks. Everyone suspects it happened during the return on the interception he threw. Everyone is wondering whether or not he will be back in time for the playoffs, assuming the Bears will even be alive at that time.

First things first, I don't want to hear any retard suggesting that Cutler did this to himself by throwing the pick. I don't want to hear any MJD Parrots of "Dis Jay Cutler aint tough enough! He's gotta play wit da broken thumb because he of da money he makes!" or "I told ya he's not a leader! A leader would play with a broken thumb like dat rapist Ben Roth-el-sumthin!" Just shut your ass! Your kind isn't welcome in Whitey Guccionne's Establishment.

With that out of the way, lets focus on what's important. The important thing is determining the severity of Cutler's injured thumb. If we assume the worst is true, and that he actually does need surgery requiring 6-8 weeks of recovery time, that's the length of the rest of the regular season. It's been speculated a 3-3 split record would be enough to get into the playoffs. I don't think that would be enough to get in.

New Orleans is 7-3, Atlanta is 6-4, Cowboys are 6-4, Giants are 6-4, Detroit is 7-3, and the Bears are 7-3. That's a pretty crowded playoff picture even WITH a healthy Cutler. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty convinced that Caleb Damn Hanie is not good enough to get a 3-3 split. Even if he were, considering the records of the teams above, it wouldn't matter anyway.

Does that mean the season is over? On the surface it would appear so, however....I just can't shake the feeling that Cutler is going to try and tough this out. I know everyone is saying he won't. I know everyone is guaranteeing he's done for the regular season. I understand all of it, and it may very well be the case.

My own overly optimistic projections aside, if we go with what we're being told, I officially declare this Bears season : "over". That, along with the combination of Cutler was unjustly crucified for "not being tough enough" last season, leads me to believe that Cutler will try to play the rest of the way.

I've been wrong before, and I'll more than likely be wrong with this prediction. Still if I'm either Jay Cutler or the Bears, I really don't have a choice.

Rock Fight

I've often been accused of being too negative about things. I'm confident I'll be accused of it again after this post. While most people will choose to focus on the thuggish play of the Lions and the ensuing fight that took place, I feel the way that I feel, and at this moment I feel the Chicago Bears got away with a win over the Detroit Lions today, when they should have lost.

I mentioned it to a couple of people throughout the game : thank goodness that fight happened because it took my mind off of how poor the offense played. I understand that it's impossible to be perfect week in and week out in today's NFL. I also understand that Detroit, despite exposing themselves as nothing but dirty cheap-shot artists that try to injure rather than defeat opponents, still has some very talented football players on their team. I also understand the lesson Bill Parcells taught us that "you are what your record is".

With all that said, the Bears cannot continue to rely on superb Special Teams and opportunistic Defensive performances if they wish to reach the Super Bowl. Here's what I had a problem with :

Offense : The main source of my consternation involves the dramatic step back this unit took today. The Detroit Lions front 7 absolutely blew up the Bears pull-blocking based running scheme the entire game. The Lions spent plenty of time in the Bears backfield on passing situations as well, as Jay Cutler was hurried all game. As we know, when Jay feels pressure, most of the time he plays really, really stupidly. Today's game was no exception.

The stats reflected the offensive impotence as Cutler was 9 of 19 for a paltry 123 yards and no TD's. Mister "Pay Me" Matt Forte, was a pedestrian 18 carries for 64 yards 40 of which were gained on one play. Only one offensive touchdown happened on the day, and it was a 6 yard run by Forte early in the first quarter. Other than that, there were occasional fumbles combined with a whole bunch of "3 & outs".

Earlier in the week Mike Tice had warned us that the Offensive Line was far from where it needs to be, and the Lions proved Tice's assessment was correct. Too many times it seemed that the Lions front four were playing on field turf, while the Bears linemen were playing on mud. The O-Line needs to be doing their jobs quicker, and with more aggression than today's performance if they're going to go anywhere.

Defense : On the surface, it would appear that this unit was the very definition of dominant. In many respects that is true. Julius Peppers continues to show how versatile and vital he is to the defense's success. His early forced fumble on Calvin Johnson paved the way for the Bears first touchdown on the day. Peppers also spent a lot of time lined up at the 3-technique and got great penetration through the A-gap all day, while adding an extra dimension to the line stunts the Bears like to use. The most amazing part of Peppers play, was that he's doing it on one leg! I'm of the opinion that his knee is more injured than he and the Bears are letting on.

Henry Melton and Anthony Adams also played well on the defensive line while Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs played even more aggressive than usual to fall in line with the overall chippiness of the game. The secondary had a notable day as well with 3 picks on the day, 2 of which were "Pick 6's".

I'm not fooled by this performance however, and neither should you. It was obvious the Bears took advantage of Matthew Stafford's injured right hand. Stafford was oddly inaccurate and sailed a lot of wobbly passes that I know for a fact he normally connects on. Not to mention there were plenty of open receivers, many of which dropped a lot of balls they normally catch.

Despite those factors however, the Lions still had little trouble moving the ball on the Bears. Not convinced? How about the fact that the Bears STILL gave up 393 yards to the Lions on the day? How about the 4.2 yards per carry the Lions averaged on the ground? How about Nate Burleson having 8 catches for 83 yards? Calvin Johnson having 7 for 81 yards? How about 7 different Lions receivers having receptions on the day?

In my odd football world, those numbers are not reflective of a dominant performance by the defense.

Special Teams : No complaints here. Devin Hester continued to add to his NFL Record total of Returns for Touchdowns. Gould missed a field goal, but made three others while having several touchbacks on the day. Dave Toub's unit picked up the slack in the  points department for the offense.

Where Do We Go From Here?: For as much as I'm bitching, the Bears have won four in a row. They are now tied for second place in the NFC North at 6-3. If the playoffs started today, the Bears would be a #6 seed against the #3 New Orleans Saints.

1 month ago, the Bears were 2-3 and looking very much out of the playoff picture. They needed to win the next four games, and they've done so. In that respect, I'm very impressed and I give them all the credit in the world.

My issue however, is that the way the NFL is set up in 2011, you must pass the ball to win in January/February. The rule changes alone, dictate the importance of the passing game. Anybody who tells you differently, is not living in this century. If you look at any of the past ten Super Bowl winners, you will largely see Hall Of Fame caliber Quarterbacks hoisting the Lombardi Trophy (Rodgers, Manning, Brees, Brady, etc).

Today's game showed that the Bears passing game, largely the pass protection, is still a work in progress, after showing promise the last three games. I'm confident they can adjust starting next week against the San Diego Chargers.

Still, these types of offensive performances cannot stand, and must never be repeated again.

Monster

It’s over Jerry Sandusky. It’s over Joe Paterno. It’s over Penn State University. It’s all over. You are all finished. You are guilty of something way beyond a sports scandal, or a college football scandal, or anything we’ve seen in the past. Not only are you guilty of committing one of the most sickly acts a human being is capable of, but you are also guilty of allowing it to continue when you could/should have stopped it.

In case you’ve been enjoying a vacation on the planet Mars the past 72 hours, you have no doubt heard that longtime former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky has been charged by a Grand Jury on 40 counts, all centering around his rape and sexual assault of young boys ranging in ages of 8-14.

Hopefully, you have read the actual Grand Jury Finding Report, rather than just some of the websites devoted to the scandal. If not you can read it here, but I must warn you it is very graphic and tough to read. It took me a couple of attempts before I finally got through it all.

As someone who considers himself a largely cynical person who tries to avoid hyperbole and overreaction as much as possible, I still come away with a feeling that this is completely unforgiveable. Jerry Sandusky was a Monster, plain and simple. He used his position with Penn State Football to set up a charity called “Second Mile” which provided a pipeline of young boys to become victims of Sandusky’s demented and criminal sexual desires. As I type this, the current number of victims that have come forward now stands at 20, up from the original 8 in the Grand Jury Report. I have a feeling more victims will follow shortly, as Sandusky had access to these boys since 1977-when Second Mile was founded.

Sandusky is the kind of person that vigilante justice was invented for. He deserves to experience every possible definition of the words “pain”, “suffering” and “anguish”. Sandusky is the reason parents stay up at night worrying where their kids are. He is the reason we are instructed to not trust strangers. He is also the reason innocent young boys had their lives shattered before they even truly began as he fondled, assaulted and raped them for goodness knows how long. In short, Sandusky is an absolute SONOFABITCH of the lowest order. Death is almost too good for him, and he deserves to spend the rest of his remaining life in prison.

Unfortunately and tragically, I should have been writing this in 2002 versus 2011. 2002 is when Sandusky was caught by graduate assistant Mike McQueary, raping a 10 year old boy in the Penn State Locker Room Shower,  Did McQueary call the police when he caught Sandusky?  Did he find the nearest blunt object he could grab and put a stop to what Sandusky was doing immediately? Nope, McQueary instead called his dad. Then McQueary met with “Saint Joe” himself, Joe Paterno, to ostensibly discuss what should be done about the situation.

Did Paterno immediately release Sandusky from his emeritus status and ban him from all Penn State facilities? No. Did Paterno call the police and try to contact the boy immediately? No. Instead Paterno, the “living legend” of college football who has made an entire image and career out of standing for integrity, did the BARE MINIMUM of what he was legally required to do, and informed his Athletic Director Tim Curley of the incident.

Obviously as we now know, there was ZERO contact with the police, and nothing happened to Sandusky. He kept his emeritus status with Penn State. He still has his office in the locker room, and was seen working out in Penn State’s facilities as recently as LAST WEEK. As for Athletic Director Tim Curley and his assistant Gary Schultz, they’ve stepped down from their positions with Penn State this week, as they are now charged with lying to a grand jury in their ridiculous attempt to cover up for Sandusky.

With everything that has happened, and is continuing to happen here is my bottom line.  Penn State deserves The Death Penalty. This isn’t SMU paying kids to play football. This isn’t Ohio State and USC with their “lack of institutional control”. This isn’t Notre Dame putting Declan Sullivan in harms’ way. This is the RAPE of CHILDREN taking place by Penn State staff at PENN STATE’S ATHLETIC FACILITIES!

Not only that, Penn State KNEW ABOUT what Sandusky was doing and did NOTHING to stop it. NOTHING. Mike McQueary knew it. Joe Paterno knew it. Tim Curley knew it, and Gary Schultz knew it. I don’t know about you, but I believe the NCAA should take exception to children being raped in the facilities of a major NCAA program, while the very administers of the program fail to notify the authorities. If you believe the NCAA has any conscience, you will agree that they need to act swiftly and immediately by blowing up the Penn State Football program and starting it over again from scratch two years later.

If anyone who has a problem with that punishment, I’d like to remind them that they should remember that their precious football program and its’ old fart, hypocritical legendary coach are responsible for raping and molesting boys. No record amount of wins will override this, and there is nothing more pathetic than someone defending a head coach that allowed this to continue versus showing vitriol at what was done to these young boys.

We may never know how many victims Penn State/Curley/Paterno could have spared had they acted correctly, or with any sense of DECENCY, when they first knew about Sandusky’s rape. All we know for sure is that they failed to use that supposed integrity they are so eager to flout to anyone who listens.

“May no act of ours bring shame”.  Not only are they bringing shame, but currently 40 criminal counts with more on the horizon.

"Dream Team" This!

How's a come-from-behind win on the road sound? That's what happened on Monday Night's nail-biting win for the Chicago Bears over the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams are already fighting for their playoff lives at the midway point, and the Bears scored a crucial win to up their record to 5-3 on the season. This game was vintage Lovie Smith in terms of it being far from perfect, but with an effective result. The main cause of victory as I saw it, centered around both the Bears' offensive and defensive lines performing exceptionally. Here's the rest of what I saw :

Offense : It's hard to really summarize this groups effort tonight. Overall, they played well, but the few mistakes they made were very costly. Matt Forte's case for not getting the contract he wanted, got a couple of dings in it tonight with two fumbles - one of which directly resulting in 7 Philadelphia points. Sure Forte ended up with 133 rushing yards on the night, but not before being benched for a while after his second fumble. Hopefully Matt starts to realize that fumbling is not an option when pissing and moaning about getting "only" a $14 million in guaranteed money contract offer from the Bears - which he rejected.

Jay Cutler was his usual blend of brilliant and maddening. Cutler certainly took advantage of the time his offensive line provided, and despite a couple of wide open drops from Roy Williams and "Doe-Eyed" Dane Sanzenbacher, hit 9 different receivers on the night. Cutler will never be confused with Aaron Rodgers, but there's no denying his ability anymore. Anybody who still thinks he sucks, clearly isn't paying attention, and anyone who still treats him like he's an axe-murderer is clearly overstating things.

It can't be overstated however, the huge lift Earl Bennett gave the Bears tonight. Playing in his first game back since New Orleans, Bennett hauled in 5 receptions for 95 yards, including the go ahead TD catch late in the 4th quarter. Bennett's touchdown is significant because it was not the play that was called from the booth. Cutler and Bennett checked each other at the line and each knew the fade was on despite the huddle call. That tells me that no matter what happens the rest of the way, come next season Mike Martz is out of a job.

None of tonight's performance happens without the play of the Offensive Line. They get a game ball. Despite hearing all the worry about the Eagles "Wide 9" technique, they still didn't allow any Eagle sacks of Jay Cutler. The line also displayed their Power O blocking scheme, and are getting much better at pulling their guards on both sides of the line of scrimmage, while opening up bigger holes for Forte and an emerging Marion Barber. This unit has showed continuing improvement in the past three games, especially with the odd combo of Chris Spencer at right guard, and Lance Louis at right tackle. It's gotten to the point, where rookie first round pick Gabe Carimi might find himself not starting when he's fully healthy...

Defense : You heard it all week long. Julius Peppers, Henry Melton, and the rest of the line had to show up for this game, and they did. Peppers, while tweaking that gimpy knee he's had all season, got back on the field and was incredibly disruptive.

Most importantly though, Peppers finally wasn't a one-man gang as Melton, Amobe Okoye, and Izzy Idonije got great push up front, while showing excellent contain and pursuit. Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher also played outstanding, as they continued their career excellence against Michael Vick aka Ron Mexico.

Even though the front 7 got gashed by LeShon McCoy a couple of different times, the unit did what they needed to do in limiting a vaunted Philly offense while generating a key turnover in the second quarter.

Special Teams : The return game never got going, as Philly didn't allow the Bears to set up their blocking the entire game. They also got away with not being prepared for a fake punt, which if the Eagles punter Chas Henry didn't throw like a girl, probably would have gone for a touchdown.

Still Robbie Gould was excellent, particularly when he nailed a 51 yard field goal in the first half. For as much as I didn't think Robbie was anything special when he first joined the Bears, he really has blossomed into a legit NFL Kicker. I give him all the credit in the world for working as hard as he has.

Where Do We Go From Here : As I mentioned earlier, this was a huge win for the Bears and their playoff chances. Next week is an even bigger test, as they have a rematch against the resurgent Detroit Lions. A win against Detroit puts the Bears in a tie with the Lions for second place in the NFC North.

Can the Bears do it? It will still depend on the play of both lines, of course, but there's something else that's starting to really bother me and that's the play calling of Mike Martz in short yardage situations. Something really needs to be done about this, as there have been at least three different games now, where Martz tries to be too cute around the goal line, calling plays that have little to no chance of success i.e. throwing a play action fake to a double covered Kellen Davis on 3rd & 1, near the end zone. It makes me long for the Gary Crowton-style wide receiver screens we saw so much of a generation ago.

Either way, it's clear to this observer that Martz is being completely phased out by the rest of the players and coaching staff, and it's with just cause. How long can we trust Martz to not be Mike Martz? He still wants to run what he wants, despite everyone else knowing that what he wants to run will get Cutler killed, aka "Mark Bulger'ed".

Despite the Bears winning three in a row, the question must still be asked, "Do you fire Martz  right now?" My answer hasn't changed, has yours?

I'm Done : One Man's Divorce From The NBA

A funny thing has happened to me. I officially dislike the NBA, and if I put my mind to it, basketball overall. To understand why I consider this development "funny" is to understand a couple of things about me -if you care to. Otherwise feel free to skip ahead, or stop reading altogether.

I've been playing basketball since I was 9 years old. I've watched countless hours of college and NBA basketball for as long as I can remember. I'm old enough to have been dazzled by the likes of Magic, Kareem, Bird, Olajuwon, Isiah, Erving, Drexler, Barkley, Ewing, and Moses. Later on, the play of Shaq, Iverson, Kidd, and to a lesser extent Penny and Karl Malone were enough to captivate a young "Luzinskis Beard".

None of those players however, reached the level of respect and admiration from me the way Michael Jordan did. Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were "appointment television" every time they played, and I considered myself not only a big fan of the Bulls, but of the NBA as well. I also thought my love for the league and the sport would never wane....yet here I am, ACTIVELY rooting for the NBA to cancel their season.

How the hell did this happen? For the life of me I can't come up with a clear definitive answer. I've gone about this process of self-reflection by asking the following questions that reflect some of the most common laments I hear :

1. Is it because Buzz Bissinger is correct when he wrote there are no good white players for white fans to watch/identify with? No because my favorite basketball player of all time (Jordan) is black, and I never cared what color a player was in determining my level of basketball enjoyment. Anybody who does has serious issues. If a guy was the best, he was the best regardless of what color he was. I have the same policy in other sports that I watch too. Furthermore, I still maintain Larry Bird is one of the most overrated basketball players who ever existed. So it's not a black-white issue for me...
2. Is it because the tattoos, headbands and "thug culture" that seems to permeate throughout the league are off-putting? Nope. The Tattoos and thug-culture certainly don't stop me from watching and enjoying the NFL on a regular basis. So that's not it.
3. Is it because the "quality of play" has dipped over the years, and the 18 foot jump shot is rarely seen? No because today's players have never been bigger, stronger, faster, and certainly not more vertical than are currently versus any other era. If you need proof of that, tune into any "Hardwood Classic" which took place before 1990 on NBA TV, and you'll see quality of play reminiscent of a pick-up game at any YMCA.
4. Is it because the Bulls haven't won the title since Jordan? Not really because not only did the Bulls finish with the best record in the league last season, but they also had the Coach Of The Year in Tom Thibodeau, and the MVP of the league in Derrick Rose. The Bulls are also in a position of contending for a title for at least the next four years. While that's hardly the same as winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the Bulls are as close to successful as it gets without winning....yet I still feel the way I that I do.
5. Is it because the NBA doesn't have anybody worthy of "Star Power"? No league with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, and LeBron James can be said to be absent of star power. Those four, and a few others I forgot to mention, are some of the most skilled players the NBA has ever seen. They've also managed to make a few bucks here and there with endorsements.....IN CHINA. The NBA has plenty of star power that spans not only the country, but the globe. So that's not it...

In case you were wondering, no, I don't care that the NBA has a lockout. The NFL had one this year too, yet it didn't sour me on the league. Not even close.

All of this puts me in a weird place. As someone who takes pride in always having an answer, explanation, rationale, or theory on why things are they way they are in sports, I'm obviously in a real pickle here.

I can't come up with anything as to why I am so indifferent to the NBA. I honestly can take it or leave it. I know I should be excited about wacthing Derrick Rose and the Bulls again, but it's just.not.there. If I never watch LeBron, Kobe, Derrick, Durant, Howard, or Dirk play another basketball game again I am perfectly fine with it, and I have no clue why.

More importantly though, I've stopped trying to figure out why, and I've fully accepted the fact that I don't want there to be NBA basketball anymore. Just go away, is how I feel. Begone, scram, adios, don't let it hit you in the ass, etc. I just don't care anymore, more importantly I don't need you anymore, would be my sentiment to the NBA.

The way these negotiations are going, there's a glimmer that I might get my wish, although I unfortunately have a feeling the two sides will work something out.

Either way I think an anecdote involving former Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden sums up my feelings the best. He asked a player what his main problem was, ignorance or apathy. He responded, "Coach I don't know, and I don't care".

Well said...

Ugly But Effective

A win is a win, right? The Chicago Bears 24-18 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday helped the Bears chances of reaching the postseason, as they are now featuring a 4-3 record. The game itself wasn't really memorable, but the results may prove to be quite memorable when the regular season concludes.

The novelty of the contest was predominant, as the game was yet another display of NFL Marketing gone awry with the game being played in London before a largely indifferent and uninformed British crowd. Irony was not absent however, as the British got to hear a performance of The Star Spangled Banner - a poem/song written about the Defence of Fort McHenry FROM the British, during the war of 1812. Irony was also on display as Roger Goodell hinted at the possibility of an NFL Franchise in London someday, while the #2 television market in his own country is teamless. In the end none of that matters because what the Bears needed to do to keep their postseason hopes alive was accomplished. Here's my tale of the tape :

Offense : I guess we don't have to wait for after the Bye Week to realize that Martz has been neutered again. For the second week in a row, the Bears offense featured Double Tight End, and Max Protect formations, with Matt Forte heavily featured on the ground. Forte had another great game, amassing 145 yards carrying the ball and scoring the games first touchdown early in the first quarter.

Forte was also one of six different receivers quarterback Jay Cutler completed passes to on the day, on his way to 226 yards passing. Even though Cutler found the end zone once to wide receiver Roy Williams, Cutler did not have one of his best days. Along with two interceptions (one of which clearly wasn't his fault), Cutler seemed out of sync in general as he threw some passes that were the result of a combination of bad decisions and bad footwork. Still, Cutler was good enough when he needed to be overall in leading the team to victory.

While I won't say they're out of my doghouse yet, the Offensive Line has made noteworthy improvements in the past couple of games. Yes Matt Forte makes a lot of would-be tacklers miss, but overall the O-Line is getting out of their stances much quicker, and they're better at the Power O, Pulling Guard running plays which provide the biggest holes for Forte. The O-line has also gotten better at giving Cutler time, which in turn has allowed for more Roy Williams sightings to take place. Roy is the closest thing the Bears have to a legit NFL receiver, so getting him more interested in football can only be a positive for the Bears.

Defense : Even though they went to sleep a little in the fourth quarter, overall this unit played well. A major sign that they're returning to their once dominant, stingy ways are the four interceptions they had on the day, including a fourth quarter, game clinching pick by cornerback DJ Moore. As any Bear fans who actually watch the games know, this defense is predicated on generating turnovers, which is an aspect that has been largely missing this season. Hopefully this is a sign that all the corrections Lovie Smith has been mentioning are finally happening.

The Front Seven was noticeably improved as they were stout against the run, and the front four generated plenty of hurries of Bucs QB Josh Freeman - at least for three quarters. While only registering 1 sack on the day, the Front Four took advantage of a depleted Bucs Offensive Line while in the process knocking out Bucs running back Earnest Graham early in the game.

The guy that really has caught my eye is Chris Conte. Ever since he's started in place of Chris Harris in the Free Safety spot, Conte has made an impact. I'd actually be very optimistic about him if Al Afalava, Craig Steltz, Danieal Manning, and Kevin Payne didn't happen already. Still, it's tough to ignore that Conte has facilitated the Bears defense no longer giving up passing plays of 25 yards or more.

Special Teams : Safe to say this unit disappointed. Robbie Gould missed a makeable 41 yard field goal in the third quarter that would have made the ending a little less nerve-wracking. Devin Hester couldn't get off the launching pad in the return game as well.

For a team that goes out of it's way to mention how vital their return game is to their success, they cannot be happy with the results today.

Where Do We Go From Here : A much needed Bye Week is next on the schedule. Hopefully that should give the Bears/Martz more time to develop a makeshift playbook based on the Double Tight End formations they've decided on. While the Bye Weeks suck for us as a fan base, they are to be taken advantage of . Last season's Bye Week ended up being the catalyst for a season turnaround resulting in an NFC Championship Appearance.

Will that happen again? Maybe Better this time? Maybe Worse? We'll find out. First on the menu after the Bye Week will be a pivotal game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Every game is essentially a playoff game for the Bears from here on out anyway. So there's no need to worry about the Bears not realizing the gravity of this one .

Interesting...

Well that was different wasn't it? Dare I say, that's more like it? To say that the Chicago Bears emerged victorious against the Minnesota Vikings tonight, would be an understatement. A more befitting description would say that the Bears routed the Vikings tonight, as the Bears took control of this game from the opening possession, and never looked back.

Tonight's victory over the Vikings was such a dramatic contrast versus the previous three weeks of Bears Football. The Bears looked especially sound in all three phases, as some familiar faces found themselves in new positions, and some new faces finally found themselves dressed and on the field. Let's commence lighting the victory cigar...

Offense : When he screws up, I need to call him out. When he does well, I must give him praise. Mike Martz has earned praise after tonight's game. Granted, the re-tooled offensive line helped a tremendous amount, but the key was Martz finally acquiescing to more 3 and 5 step drops for Cutler tonight to go along with the Double Tight End formations. Cutler did take some shots deep, specifically in the opening possession where he hit Devin Hester on a 48 yard TD strike on the Bears first possession.

Matt Forte continued to play very well both on the ground and catching the ball, on his way to 123 yards from scrimmage on the night. There were a couple of Roy Williams sightings as well, as Cutler found 8 different receivers for completions.

None of it's possible without the offensive line. Lance Louis played very adequately at right tackle, but considering he was replacing Frank "OMIGODISUCK" Omiyale, he looked like Damien Woody! Chris Williams received (just) praise from Chris Collinsworth. Chris Spencer played well at right guard, while J'Marcus Webb benefited from plenty of chip's from the backs and tight ends to help contain Jared "Meth-Face" Allen.

While this newest line arrangement played better than I expected, it remains to be seen if they can continue this success, particularly when Gabe Carimi returns and when they face teams that run a 3-4 based defensive scheme. The good news is that they at least played like they knew what the snap count was...

Defense : It's hard to assess or conclude how good this unit played tonight, considering Donovan McNabb looked like Daunte Culpepper post 2005. Julius Peppers played awesome considering he hadn't practiced and is practically playing on one leg at this point.

The surprise of the night was rookie Stephen Paea however. After not even dressing for the first 5 games, Paea busted out with a safety in the first quarter, to go along with 2 tackles and 1 sack on the night. If you want to feel good about Paea's performance go ahead, but keep in mind the Bears coaching staff concluded that he couldn't play before the season began, and Paea's success is a direct reflection of their inability to assess who can play, and who can't.

As far as the new starting safety tandem of Major Wright and Chris Conte go, again it's hard to say. Wright played better than I thought, particularly when lined up in the box, while Conte did his best to not look like Craig Steltz, in which case he was successful. Still, if this defense is going to do anything I believe Chris Harris will eventually need to be the starting Strong Safety.

Special Teams : I guess that Devin Hester guy is still pretty good. With a 98 yard kickoff return in the third quarter, Hester showed that the NFL remains an Ego over Common Sense league. You would think that after 5 years of unparralled success teams would stop kicking to him. Especially in light of the new kickoff rules which diminish Hester's chances of success. Nevertheless, the Vikings kicked to him, and Hester took advantage of the futile attempt to arm-tackle him.

Where Do We Go From Here? : A Foggy Day In London Town is the Bears next destination as they will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Forgive me for refusing to get caught up in the novelty of playing a game in London. I think it is completely silly that the NFL does this in the name of "marketing" or "prospecting" for the possibility of an NFL franchise being located in Great Britain someday. The NFL can't even get a friggin team in Los Angeles for goodness sake, yet they continue to beat the dead horse that is London.

Be that as it may, the Bears are at .500 again, after winning a game that was vital to their already slim chances of making the postseason. The Bears are still looking down the barrel of the Lions and Packers, but there's still plenty of football left.

Here's hoping they've finally found an offensive line combo, and a play-calling template that works, because if they have, they (gulp) still have a chance at the playoffs.

Finger On The Button Now?

How does the worst start to a season since 2007 sound? Reason I ask is because that's what we've officially got on our hands, fellow Bears fans. The real irony is that while most Detroit Lions fans are destroying their livers at the moment, a cerebral Lions fan has to be asking him/herself, "Are we that good, or are the Bears that bad?" I think I can help them answer that question...

Overall, despite my low expectations going into this game, I still can't help but feel even worse about this Bears team. The Bears might need to start pushing some figurative Panic Buttons after this game, to try and salvage this ever-growing catastrophe of a season. Something similar to how they had to rein Mike Martz in a year ago, only this time these Panic Button moves might need to be on a grander scale. More on that in a minute, but first lets get to the TPS Report on tonight's game:

Offense : I'm really struggling to come up with a worse Offensive Line in Bears history than this group? This unit is flirting heavily with the 2004 bunch that gave up 66 sacks. All night long, Jay Cutler was running for his life, and that was when they got the play off! The Bears committed 6 False Starts in the First Half, an NFL Season High according to Stats, Inc. That's OK though because they made up for it by not picking up blitzes while letting Detroit's Front 7 set up shop in the Bears backfield.

Say whatever you want about Jay Cutler, but he played his ass off tonight, as he constantly had to throw on the run, took a ton of hits, and did his best to make Chicken Salad out of our Chicken Shit Offense called by our Chicken Shit Offensive Coordinator. More on "The Mad Genius" Mike Martz in a moment, but most importantly Cutler maybe had time to plant his back-foot....what....9 times? Maybe 10? Not.Enough.

Again, I know everyone loves Matt Forte and thinks the Bears should give him a gagillion dollars. Even though I like Matt Forte, I'm  not one of those people who feels the Bears should commit long term money to him, but he had a terrific game once again.

I also can't wait for Roy Williams to come off the injured list and be active! Oh wait, he was active wasn't he? Didn't somebody say Williams would have 80 catches this year in this dynamic offense? Wonder who that "genius" was???

Defense : Somebody said "We'll get that corrected" when addressing all the big plays of 30 or more yards his defense had given up. Don't know about you guys, but I didn't see a whole lot of things "corrected". Especially when Calvin Johnson burned the Bears deep for a 73 yard touchdown pass, and the great Jahvid Best ran right up the middle for an 88 yard TD run, on his way to 163 yards rushing on the day. Not too cool, Lovie...

Julius Peppers injured his knee, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he might have been hurt in the games prior to tonight's, as Peppers has been invisible all year. It's also not a coincidence that the Bears defensive line has been invisible on Passing Situations ever since the opener against Atlanta as well.

Oh before I forget, the Brandon Merriweather Experiment needs to end. He's a free-lancing headhunter, which is completely the opposite of what the Bears defensive scheme requires from it's Free Safety. Chris Harris' return to the lineup did very little to help the pass defense, as Matthew Stafford found plenty of his receivers in the open holes that the Tampa 2 allows, on his way to 219 yards and 2 TD's.

Special Teams : Robbie was Robbie, and Adam Podlesh did a wonderful job kicking the Bears into good field position. Devin Hester couldn't get off the launching pad on both the kick and punt return opportunities he got tonight.

Where Do We Go From Here : I'm not going to sing the same song every week, where I lament that Jerry Angelo has done an abysmal job in giving Jay Cutler the weapons he needs to succeed, both on the Offensive Line and the receiving corps. I'm not going to howl about the predictability and antiquity of Lovie Smith's Tampa 2, or Mike Martz's version of Air Coryell. I'm not going to continue to whine about how Jay Cutler is being wasted by continuing to take beating, after beating, after beating in every game he plays.

I believe we're beyond that point now, because of a very frightening reality that the Bears face. The reality being, that this Bears team as presently constructed, is supposed to go to the Super Bowl THIS season. Not in 2013-2020, but NOW, simply because there is ZERO talent in the pipeline. These past three drafts that have occurred on Jerry Angelo's watch have produced next to nothing, at best! Please don't make me have to mention Jarron Gilbert, Al Avalava, Marcus Freeman, Major Wright, and Steven Paea. With the absence of good draft picks, combined with the fact that outside of Cutler and Forte, the best players on this team are on the wrong side of 30 years old.

That being the reality of this season, the question must be asked if firing Mike Martz this week would be something worth considering? It's more than obvious that Martz is unwilling to make the changes he made a year ago. Would launching him and appointing Mike Tice as Offensive Coordinator be a step in the right direction?

I guess it would depend on what Tice wanted to do if he were to be OC. Personally I wouldn't care if it's Tice or Dave Toub or Shane Day or some random dude I've never heard of. All I want is a coordinator that knows the strengths and weaknesses of his personnel, and will make the necessary adjustments to give his team the best chance to win! That's not too much to ask is it?

According to Mike Martz....it is.

WHAT?!

I think the title sums up around 90% of people's reaction to the news today that the Chicago White Sox have named Robin Ventura their 39th manager in franchise history. "WHAT!?" The rest of the 10% of people are the baseball retards that said "Ain't that there that sum-bitch that done got his ass beat by Nolan Ryan?"

This is utterly confusing, surprising, and most importantly creates more questions than it does answers. The reaction is pretty universal no matter what side people take : "Robin Ventura was a very good to great player, but he has no experience managing or coaching at any level of baseball. Why would he be the right fit?"

In terms of how good of a player Robin was, there's no real debate in my opinion. Robin was as solid as it gets as a player. While he wasn't Mike Schmidt at the dish, he could still hit with any of the contemporary third baseman of his day, and his defense was constantly superb. Even the Saber-Nerds recognize and appreciate Ventura's career as he qualifies for their Hall Of Fame Standards with an above 60 career WAR (61.5).

What should also be pointed out with regard to Ventura the player, is that many of his teammates had him pegged to eventually become a manager in the big leagues. Ventura has always been a student of the game according to many of his peers, and I don't doubt his ability to understand and master baseball strategy as a manager.

The big issue for me however, is that managing in MLB is not simply implementing strategy, but it's also dealing with 25 different ego's and personalities in that locker room, not to mention dealing with a combative and sometimes blood-thirsty media and fan base. Can Ventura handle those types of pressure and expectations, in addition to making big time managerial moves during games? We'll have to wait and see on that one.

Has something like this been successfully done before? The good news is yes it has. Larry Dierker was the color commentator for the Houston Astros from 1979-1996, when he suddenly found himself managing the Astros in 1997, with zero coaching experience prior. In 1998, Dierker was named National League Manager Of The Year. So there is some precedent for something so random as this being successful.

Ultimately though, Ventura - like every manager in the big leagues - will only be as good as his roster allows him to be. If the Big 3 Disasters of Rios, Dunn, and Beckham have seasons like they did in 2011, it will make life very difficult for Robin as a manager. On the other hand, if just one of those Big 3 rebound to a normal season, life will be easier for Robin.

Either way though, the White Sox certainly got people's attention today. They still managed to shock people outside of their fan base, while sticking to their trademark pattern of hiring a first-year manager.

Will it work like it did the last time with Ozzie Guillen? Hope springs eternal...

Yeah But You Still Suck...

I honestly didn't think it was possible for a Bears win to make me feel bad, but here we are. Today's game against the Carolina Panthers and their #1 draft pick rookie sensation Cam Newton was to serve as a measuring stick for how good the Bears are. Unfortunately for us, the results were not good for the Bears long term prognosis.

Regardless of the score, this Chicago Bears victory is hardly what I would term "resounding". As a matter of fact, the Bears were pretty fortunate to escape with the "W" when you consider that the Panthers - who are in a rebuilding mode mind you - absolutely decimated the Bears vaunted defense both through the air and on the ground. Were it not for a few lucky breaks from the officials (see Jeremy Shockey's non-pushoff "push off"), and some fortuitous turnovers amid some stupid-ass flips/back flips, this game could have easily dropped the Bears to 1-3. Let's get to the particulars:

Offense : After weeks of hearing how the Bears need to run the ball more, Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz went Full Retard and called a grand total of 31 rushes, including 9 straight to open the game, paving the way for Matt Forte to rush for 205 yards on the day. Forte's 205 yards tied him for #2 in franchise history for yards in a game.

Martz called plays in a manner that seemingly was meant as a direct middle finger to all the arm-chair play callers that have been pissing and moaning for three weeks about "balance". The problem is, it completely backfired as now the meatballs get to say "See I told you so". Never mind that while the offensive line is getting a lot of credit, people who actually watched the game know that Forte made a lot of those plays happen all by himself. There were plenty of times where lineman missed their block (completely whiffing in many cases), and only the sheer athleticism of Forte made something out of nothing.

In the end it meant 17 pass attempts for Jay Cutler amounting to 102 yards. Jay might as well have been neutered right on the 50 yard line once the final gun sounded. Congratulations Bear fans/Jerry Angelo. Through your constant idiotic consternation and lack of obtaining good offensive lineman, you have turned a 4,000 yard Pro Bowl passing quarterback into Mike Tomczak. I hope you're proud of yourselves because all you've done is show that you haven't accepted the fact that the only way to win championships in the NFL is to throw the football. Want proof? See Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, do I need to go on?

Defense : The beast known as "Lovie Marinelli" shouldn't be sleeping well tonight. In case you were wondering, the Bears defense gave up 543 total yards today. The Bears haven't given up that many yards in a game since 1982! Think about how many AWFUL Bears defenses have taken field since then. I'm talking about the Wannie and Jauron years specifically, where many a team went through the Bears defense like they were a high school team, yet NONE of them touched what the Panthers did today.

It wasn't exactly a one dimensional approach the Panthers took either. Despite Steve Smith doing his best "2005 version of Steve Smith" imitation en route to 8 catches for 181 yards, the Panthers also got 169 yards on the ground as well. In case you were wondering, the Bears didn't feel the need to sack Cam Newton either, as anytime the Bears generated any pass rush, Newton stepped up in the pocket and drilled a (WIDE) open receiver.

This unit should be embarrassed. There is no excuse for this type of performance.

Special Teams : Bail Outs are fun, and the Special Teams unit gave the rest of the team a BIG one today. Devin Hester broke off a 69 yard punt return for a TD, while Julius Peppers blocked a field goal in the third quarter. Punter Adam Podlesh gave the Bears good field position, and Robbie Gould was his usual efficient self. Make no mistake about it, Special Teams gets the Game Ball for this one.

Where Do We Go From Here : To Detroit, where I fully expect the Lions to practically castrate the Bears. Aside from the fact that I believe the Lions are for real this year, I just don't expect the Bears to come up with a realistic game plan offensively to attack the weak spots (read : secondary) of the Detroit Defense. Concurrently, I don't expect the Bears defense to be able to stop the Lions offense - specifically Calvin Johnson - with a non-existent pass rush and a depleted safety corps.

In a world where the most dynamic, innovative, and talent-laden teams throw the ball to win, the Bears are running it 63% of the time...