…..

So much for a defensive struggle.  With temperatures in the 20s, occasional snow flurries and swirling winds, two of the best defensive teams in football channeled their inner Arena Football-selves as the Bears defeated the Jets 38-34 in a good old fashion shootout.  The stats tell the story: 715 total yards, 40 first downs, 5.8 yards per play.  Not what anyone expected from two of the top eight defenses in the league.  In the end it was a huge third quarter from Bears quarterback Jay Cutler that proved to be the difference as Chicago moved within one win (or one Philadelphia loss) from the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs.  Next week’s game at Green Bay is going to be crazy but this Sunday’s affair was everything it was billed up to be and more, truly a fun game to watch no matter which team you rooted for.

• As I said, Chicago walked away winners because their franchise quarterback had his best quarter as a Bear following a disappointing first half.  Jay finished the first half with a QB rating of 43.2 and his pick-six in the second quarter turned an early Bears lead into a 14-10 deficit.  Well, whatever he did at halftime worked.  Jay came out absolutely on-fire, completing six of seven passes for 117 yards and three touchdowns in the third quarter.  This is the first time I can remember Cutler bouncing back from a poor start to turn in a great effort.  That’s been one of my biggest criticisms of Jay - finally we are starting to see some long-awaited progress from the Chicago quarterback.
• The halftime adjustments didn’t stop with the offense.  Rod Marinelli took a defense that was getting shredded and made corrections that resulted in them getting less-shredded.  It still wasn’t pretty but anything was better than the 24-point second quarter the Jets hung on Brian Urlacher and Co..  The Jets were able to run the ball throughout the game but that didn’t matter much because of the break-neck pace the game was being played at.  New York had to make plays down-field to keep up and they weren’t able to against the Bears secondary.
• Please re-read #8 on this week’s preview.  I’ve been wrong on a lot this season but did I nail that “we won’t kick to Devin Hester”/”fuck it, let’s kick to Hester” point or what?  Devin had exactly zero return yards in the first half so naturally the Jets decided the best return man in the history of the NFL couldn’t hurt them.  So they boomed a punt down the middle of the field in the third and BAM, 32-yard return.  Then they kicked off to him and BAM, 40-yard return.  Both of those returns set-up Chicago touchdowns.  These coaches really just cannot help themselves.

Continue reading “There Was A Fire Fight! Bears 38, Jets 34” »

First…

It’s been a gravy week here in Chicago.  The weather went from zero to the mid-20s, a major victory in this city.  Both the Bulls and Blackhawks are on fire and should make life at the United Center interesting through at least April.  And of course there is Da Chicago Bears.  The NFC North Champion Chicago Bears.  Yes, life is good in the Windy City and the Monsters of the Midway are a big reason why.  The final two weeks of the regular season still matter but as far as I’m concerned, Bears fans are playing with house money at this point.  On Sunday, the first team to clinch their division faces off against a New York Jets squad that is battling for playoff position themselves and is fresh off a big win in Pittsburgh.  This should be a good one.

…And 10

Continue reading “Foot Ball!! Bears-Jets Preview & More” »

Part 1 is complete.  The 2010 Chicago Bears have won the NFC North following Monday night’s win over the Vikings.  Yes, those same Bears many (myself included) predicted would finish third behind Minnesota and Green Bay will end up on top.  Hell, some dickheads even thought the Bears would finish behind the Lions.  I had this team winning five games - little did I know they’d double that number with two weeks to go.  Fuck me for doubting, fuck the national media for ripping us for not being a true threat and fuck the rest of the NFC North.

Now it’s on to bigger and better things; namely, if the Bears can win out they will hold on to the #2 seed in the NFC and have a first-round bye.  Even a 1-1 finish (likely) with a Philadelphia loss (unlikely) would get the job done.  But that’s for next week.  Right now, it’s all about the division title and how the Bears were able to beat a depleted Vikings team in one of the funniest looking football games of all time.

• This shit was hilarious.  Have you ever seen players slide so much in your life?  It legitimately looked like they were playing football on a skating rink because, well, they were.  By the end of the night I was used to it but that first time I saw two guys slide eight feet out of bounds, I almost spit up my kung pao chicken.  That’s what goes down in the WAM household on cold, snowy ass nights.  Bears football and kung pao chicken.
• I cannot, CANNOT, believe Brett Favre actually started this game…but nothing shocks me about the fact that he couldn’t finish the first half.  Favre has been a ticking time bomb the last few weeks just dodging bullets and his time has finally run out.  Corey Wootton almost killed Favre - if the whistle didn’t blow it might have been worse.  Goodbye, Brett.

Continue reading “Division Champs!! Bears 40, Vikings 14” »

(Editor’s note: this story is written under the assumption that the Matt Flynn-led Packers will lose on Sunday night at the white hot Patriots)

First…

The above disclaimer is crucial.  If (when, I guess) the Packers lose at New England on Sunday night, the Bears are one win away from a playoff birth.  That means the only thing separating Chicago from a post-season appearance for the first time since the 2006-2007 season is the 5-8 Minnesota Vikings.  This game looked devastating just three weeks ago - Monday Night Football in the Metrodome against a Brett Favre quarterbacked team with nothing to play for except to spoil seasons.  Now?  Eh, not so much.  The Metrodome roof collapsed so the game will not be played in one of the loudest, hardest to win-in stadiums in the league.  Brett Favre’s streak is over and his back-up is out for the season so that means rookie Joe Webb will be making his first NFL start.  The only unknown is how the Vikings decide they want to finish the season.  They completely laid down last Monday night in Detroit against the Giants - will they grant the Bears the same favor and allow a division rival to clinch a playoff birth on their watch?

…And 10

Continue reading “This Is It…Bears-Vikings Preview” »

(Editor’s note: Title courtesy of Bill Simmons’ Twitter feed)

It’s the start of the 4th quarter right now but I figured I might as well get this recap out of the way.  Sunday’s game between the Patriots and Bears was all, ALL, Patriots.  As a Bears fan, I’m disappointed of course but I’m not panicking.  We came out flat, fell on our faces and were down 21-0 so fast it was hard to believe.  Guess what?  Oh well.  That’s right, oh well.

New England clearly is the best team in the league at this point and they played like it on Sunday.  But you know what else happened on Sunday?  Green Bay lost, Aaron Rodgers got concussed and guess who they play next week?  Yup, they travel to play the same New England Patriots who just beat their last two opponents by a combined score of 81-10 (assuming nothing changes from this 36-7 current score).  And the fucking dome in Minnesota collapsed so next week’s game probably will be played somewhere else.  Tough games for Philly and the Giants upcoming too.  So all is not lost - in fact, the Bears picked a good week to lose.  And there’s something to be said for being completely dominated: they can’t play the “we were close and had a few bad breaks” card so complacency has to be eliminated.  They got fucked hard and everyone has to buckle down and work a little harder.  This team has bounced back already this season after two back-t0-back losses against Seattle and Washington and Lovie Smith has proven to be a motivator inside the locker room.  If we didn’t have leaders like Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and Olin Kreutz, I would be terrified but this team is capable of rallying back.  They’re going to need a major rebound with tough games the rest of the way.

• When your team is so handily dominated, it sounds tough to throw out a “what if” but fuck it.  There was one play early on that the Bears didn’t make that may or may not have helped keep this one closer for a while.  I’m talking about Chris Harris’ near interception in the end-zone midway through the first quarter.  Brian Urlacher tipped a Tom Brady pass and it looked like Harris had a chance to make the pick but couldn’t reel that one in.  The next play was a Patriots touchdown and the route was on.  Maybe if Harris catches that ball the Bears lose by 14 and not 30.  Maybe not.  Either way, Harris definitely had a chance to make an early impact play and whiffed.

Continue reading “Bizarro Super Bowl XX, With Snow - Patriots 36, Bears 7” »

First…

Who the fuck thought this game could actually be defined as “potential Super Bowl preview”?  By now we know the Bears have been a surprise but their opponent on Sunday fits into that same category in a way.  2010 looked to be a partial rebuilding season for the New England Patriots.  Tom Brady was entering his second full season following a knee injury, there wasn’t a “good” running back on the roster and the defense was incredibly young.  But Bill Belichick has rallied the troops (big surprise, right?) and now the Pats look the best team in the league following a 45-3 beat-down of the snack-eating Jets on national television.  Sunday’s game means more to the Bears than it does to New England and that, coupled with the fact the game is in Chicago, should be enough to keep this one close.

…And 10

1. It begins and ends with Tom Brady.  Michael Vick won Comeback Player of the Year in Week 6 and was running away with the MVP award a month ago.  But in the last seven weeks, Brady has turned the MVP into a two-man race with an epic run.  He’s completed two-thirds of his passes for 1,826 yards, 17 touchdowns and ZERO interceptions.  He just followed up his perfect QB rating on Thanksgiving day with a 148.8 effort on Monday Night Football against one of the league’s best defenses.  Superlatives aside, this is the best Brady has played since his record-breaking 2007 season. Continue reading “Super Bowl XLV Preview? Bears-Patriots & More” »

Phew.  That…was…close.  Chicago narrowly avoided a disastrous loss at the hands of the Lions Sunday but hung on to win 24-20, improving their record to 9-3 and maintaining their lead in the NFC North.  Nothing about this win was easy.  Understanding the importance of this game (a must-win), I sweated out the first 58 minutes - I’m sure all my fellow Bears fans had the same unenjoyable time.  Honestly, the Bears played pretty good but so did Detroit.  That was the hardest part: it’s one thing to play a bad team close because of turnovers, penalties or a big play or two but when you are just being pressed by a 2-9 squad in every facet, that can be disconcerting.

But I’m not going to look at Sunday’s effort in a negative light at all.  This was a classic trap-game - a big win last week and a huge game against New England next Sunday sandwiched by a road test against a familiar opponent that hasn’t won a division game in four years.  The Lions had their third-string quarterback playing and were without one of their defenders.  Chicago had every reason to come out flat (which they did) but when push came to shove, the Bears found a way to win.  Good teams can win with their B- game and the Bears certainly did that on Sunday.

Continue reading “Survive & Advance - Bears 24, Lions 20” »

First…

It’s official, the Bears are not who we (I?) thought they were.  At 8-3, and fresh off a win over a very good Philadelphia team, the Bears have firmly established themselves as (a) one of NFL’s most surprising teams and (b) a contender in the NFC.  The biggest thing Chicago lacked was an impressive win despite the great record.  Sunday’s performance was a statement to the rest of the league and will prevent the Bears from sneaking up on anyone the rest of the way.  One has to think that if the Bears win two more games, they’ll be in the playoffs - win number one has to be this Sunday against Detroit.

The Lions almost beat Chicago in Week 1 but a silly fucking rule disallowed the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute to go.  I hear all you Bears haters now: “The Lions beat you”.  Well, no, they didn’t.  The rule is shitty but it’s a rule and the right call was made, according to a lot of people who know way more about this stuff than I do.  Detroit’s season since that game has been really interesting.  They’re good enough to play everyone but the top-5 teams close but they’re bad enough to lose every game.  This is a rebuilding team, as it has been for the last 15 years, but this is the first time you can honestly say there is a plan in place and it looks to be working.  Here’s my take on Sunday’s matchup:

Continue reading “Is There Room On That Bandwagon For One More: Bears-Lions Preview & More” »

Holy fuck, the Bears are 8-3.  Following Sunday’s impressive 31-26 win over Philadelphia, Chicago has the second best record in the NFC and a 1.5 game lead in the division with five games to go.  I saw this team winning 5 games all season (as one of our commenter’s was so kind to point out) but now find myself seriously questioning how far they can go.  Is this a Super Bowl team?  I’m not sold yet but there’s a really chance they will host a playoff game.  And here’s the best part: they’re getting better. Chicago is 4-0 since the bye and yesterday’s win was one of the biggest by a Bears team in years.

Overall, it was a great performance.  Everyone contributed and that had to be the case because the Eagles are a really good football team.  Before we look at specifics, let’s consider the big picture after Sunday.  The Bears earned a tie-breaker against one of the teams they will be competing with for a first-round bye.  The win, coupled with Green Bay’s loss, also gives Chicago a virtual 1.5 game lead in the NFC North.  With five tough games on the schedule, it was critical to stay ahead of the pack in the NFC and the Bears were able to do that on Sunday.  Here’s how:

• Jay Cutler has never played a game like that in a Chicago uniform.  14 for 21, 247 yards and four touchdowns.  Franchise quarterback game.  For the fourth straight game (coincidence?), he made the right decisions.  And for the first time in his Bears tenure, the offense is being tailored to his strengths.  Kudos to Mike Martz on that point.  He opened the season with his crazy seven-step-drop scheme that nearly killed Jay but has adjusted to a more conservative gameplan, running the ball and using short, timing routes to move the ball down field.  And Jay is absolutely delivering.
• The defensive line won the battle against Michael Vick in convincing fashion.  Julius Peppers, Israel Idonije and Henry Melton all had big games.  Anthony Adams was a terror on the inside.  And don’t look now but #91 Tommie Harris is starting to make some plays.  Harris is on the field about 25% of the snaps on defense at this point and that strategy might actually be working.  He’s strung a few good efforts together and his tipped ball that led to an interception late in the first half was the single most important play of the game.  Rod Marinelli and Lovie Smith have to like what they’ve seen from this group - especially with the contributions from unlikely guys.
• Earl Bennett has three touchdowns in the last four games and, whenever Cutler needs a big conversion on third down or in the red zone, he looks in Bennett’s direction.

Continue reading “A Cut Above The Rest - Bears 31, Eagles 26” »

First…

Play on words aside, you have to bear with me for this week’s recap and preview (again a combo-feature because of the Thursday game and upcoming holiday).  I took my talents to South Beach with eight friends for Thursday’s 16-0 Bears shut-out win so you know immediately why I’m asking for some leniency - the party was great resulting in the actual events of the game taking a backseat.  But here are some of the specifics I do remember, with a preview of Sunday’s game and the upcoming NFL week to follow.

• The Bears defense is good.  Like really, really good.  The best in the NFL right now.  Sure, the Dolphins offense was comical but consider this: the closest Miami got to the Bears end-zone was the Chicago 35 on the opening drive after a 46-yard return.  Regardless of how putrid an offense is, that is a ridiculous stat and a sign of total control.  The defensive line is swarming, the secondary is extremely fast and Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs pick up all the pieces.  This unit is playing as well as they did in 2006.
• That defensive stat was the most important on the night.  Second most?  25 carries for Matt Forte.  And that number is no skewed because the Bears had a lead; remember, this game was only 6-0 at halftime.  Mike Martz ran the ball for four quarters and that consistency opened up throwing lanes for Jay Cutler and made the offense two-dimensional.  And the guys on ESPN’s Monday Night Football tell me every week that two-dimensional offenses are tough to stop.
• Devin Hester is back, baby!  All the fucking way back!  His stats were pedestrian but he’s back to that point where it looks like he’s going to break two or three big plays a game.  And there’s no denying his place as one of the most exciting players in the game.  Every time he went back on a punt return, the entire stadium took notice.  By the time he caught a punt, everyone was on their feet and that “ooooo-oooohhhh” sound took over.  It’s really incredible to witness in person.  He is one of the few “I’m going to wait to see what happens here before I run to the bathroom” guys in the NFL.
• This was my first time seeing the Bears in person in 2010 and one thing really stood out that doesn’t necessarily translate to TV: the Bears have incredible team speed.  Knox and Hester we all know about but watching them run crossing-routes was like watching Madden.  The Dolphins defenders stood absolutely no chance.  And the defense, wow!  Urlacher and Briggs cover the field sideline-to-sideline as quick as two linebackers can and the secondary, paced by Daniel Manning, closes on receivers in terrific fashion.  Even on kick coverage you see Bears flying up and down the field.  Outside of Brandon Manumaleuna, very impressive.
• The Dolphins fucking suck

Continue reading “Bear(s) With Me - Recap And Preview” »