…..

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” »

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: 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” »

First…

Because of the short week, we here at the Hot Glove decided to combine our recap of Sunday’s win over the Vikings and this week’s preview into one beautiful post.  So before we take a look at the Bears taking their talents to South Beach (that’s one reference and counting), let’s relive what certainly has to be considered the best game of the 2010 season for the Chicago Bears.

I must preface everything I’m about to say with one huge caveat: the Minnesota Vikings really aren’t that good.  They are serviceable at this point in the season (by week 15 they might have thrown in the towel) with professionals at virtually every position.  No more, no less than that description.  Having said that, Sunday’s 27-13 win was exactly the kind of game everyone in Chicago needed to call shotgun on the bandwagon, for the second time this season.  The defense was outstanding and has really pulled off a great turnaround from the previous two seasons.  The offensive line won the battle up-front, for the second straight week no-less, and no group on the field seems to have benefited more from the bye week than Mike Tice’s crew.  And lastly, Jay Cutler was really good (minus one inexcusable brain fart) and Devin Hester had his biggest impact on a game since February 2007.  All in all it was the team’s most complete effort of the season and the Bears have to feel like they can really build on these past two weeks.

• According to my count, there are three moves the Bears have made during the 2010 season that have paid major dividends and all three were apparent on Sunday: (1) moving J’Marcus Webb to the starting right tackle spot, along with switching Frank Omiyale to left tackle, (2) benching Tommie Harris and (3) promoting Tim Jennings to starting corner opposite Charles Tillman.  It’s hard to say which move has made the biggest impact but I’m leaning towards Jennings.  He has been really, really good and his promotion opened up the nickel back spot for D.J. Moore, who has proven to be a nice ball-hawking addition to the squad.  I’m also really impressed with Henry Melton and Matt Toeania in the middle.  Ask much as I shit on Jerry Angelo’s head for missing on draft picks, I’m willing to give credit where credit is due and with Moore and Melton, Angelo seems to have hit.
• I’m a Matt Forte fantasy owner and, uh, well, it’s not looking good.  Tough sledding in the middle, more carries for Chester Taylor, more passes being thrown to the wideouts.  Forte will have to be an impact player down the stretch if the Bears want to keep winning and it will be interesting to see how Mike Martz finds ways to get Forte involved.
• It’s one thing to shut down the Buffalo Bills run game but to hold the Vikings to 70 yards on 23 carries warrants a major shout-out for the defensive line.  This game was closer than the final score but line was able to control the pace and keep the Vikings offense off-rhythm and off the field.
• Jay Cutler’s red-zone interception is why he will never be a great quarterback.  In that situation (up seven, late in the third quarter, must-win game), you have to throw the ball out of bounds and get the three points to go up two scores.  You have to.  Instead, Jay throws back across his body and is intercepted in the end-zone and that could have cost Lovie Smith his job.

Continue reading “Da Bears, Da Bears, Da Bears - Recap & Preview” »

Another Sunday, another dreadful performance by a Chicago team that has to make you wonder how they ever won four games in the first place.  The Bears fell to the Redskins 17-14 yesterday in a game that provided a new definition for the word “ineptitude”.  Our “offense” started the game with six straight punts…and it only got worse from there.  Sure, there was that nice seven play, 70 yard touchdown drive right before halftime but that whole blind squirrel principle applies in this instance.  The Bears took the momentum into halftime and shit their pants.  Here is what the Bears with the football in the second half (prepare yourself…no, seriously, get ready…and now): fumble, interception, interception-for-TD, fumble, punt, interception.  You can’t make this stuff up.  Two weeks ago the Bears were 4-1 and looked like they had a real shot of reaching 6-1 before their bye week.  Now, fuck, who knows where this thing goes after a week off.

• I’m really, really tired of the uninterested, throw the ball all over the fucking place Jay Cutler.  When he’s on, he can be elite but after watching him for the last year and half, it’s clear to me that he is a front-runner.  Even worse, he has shown absolutely no ability to rebound from a bad play or a mistake.  One bad Cutler interception spirals into three, four or five.  Great quarterbacks have the mental make-up to lead a game-winning drive no matter how poorly they have played and that is a skill Cutler does not have.  His last interception against the Redskins (DeAngelo Hall’s fourth) was a give-up throw.  Unacceptable.

Continue reading “That’s It, I’ve Seen Enough — Redskins 17, Bears 14” »

First…

Fresh off one of the most frustrating losses in recent memory, the Bears (4-2) are looking to right the ship before their bye week with a home date against the Washington Redskins.  We all know on paper this is an important game for the Bears.  A fifth win in seven games would far exceed expectations for Chicago, if they haven’t exceeded them already.  Plus, the NFC North is only going to get closer as the season moves on but a win on Sunday, combined with a Vikings loss, would give Chicago virtual 2-game lead in the division.  Throw in the atrocity that was last week’s 23-20 loss to Seattle at home nonetheless, this game is clearly a must-win.

More importantly, however, I think this game may be the defining moment for the 2010 Bears in terms of character and heart.  Sure, those words are cliche and heard on every pregame show every Sunday thanks to some mumbling, post-concussion-syndrome suffering has-been wide receiver or quarterback.  But every once in a while the Sports Gods throw us an opportunity to really, truly see how much these larger-than-life characters’ actually care.  And that is the opportunity the Bears have on Sunday.  Here’s how I see it: you surprised and excited everyone with a great start thanks to a fat schedule, got your shit kicked-in at home by a crappy team to come crashing back to earth and now face another team you should beat in front of your home fans.  If the Bears don’t come out ready to play, and play angry, I’ll have seen all I needed to from this team.  No heart, a lame-duck coach, no leadership - 2 or 3 wins the rest of the way.  But if they do come out and (to paraphrase Rex Ryan) line-up and beat the fuck out of the Redskins, well then I guess the second half of the season will be more interesting than I originally thought.

Continue reading “Bears vs. Redskins And Other Week 7 Thoughts” »

Well that did not go as planned.  The Bears, sitting pretty at 4-1 with three winnable games upcoming, were hosting a rebuilding team that has not won a road game in like 40 years and yet somehow they completely failed to show up.  Give Seattle a lot of credit for their performance; they were prepared and played patient, mistake free-football.  What’s frustrating is that it’s not like the Bears hurt themselves either.  They didn’t turn the ball over, committed two penalties yet somehow found themselves down 10 with two minutes to go.  And that is what scares me most about today’s outcome — you can’t point to a reason why they lost except for the fact that they were outplayed by a crappy team.  Ipso facto the Bears might not be very good.

• If you ever questioned how good Lance Briggs is look no further than today’s game.  Without #55, the Bears defense, which had been rock-solid all season, was shredded by Seattle throughout the game.  The short passes are one thing, the Bears are willing to give them up.  The real difference was against the run where Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett routinely had their way.  This is no knock on Briggs’ replacement, Brian Iwuh, either.  It’s more of a testament to how important Lance is to this team’s success.
• Jay Cutler took another beating and that is now a routine occurrence.  More importantly, when Cutler had time, he was not very good at all.  Accuracy continues to be an issue as Jay completed just 17 of 39 pass attempts.  It doesn’t help that the receivers cannot create any sort of separation.  If I have to see another slant call on third down I’m going to vomit.  With the Bears small receivers, that play just does not work.
• Speaking of play-calling, Mike Martz has to run the ball more.  Plain and simple.  There were 14 runs Sunday, two of which were Jay Cutler scrambles.  That means he called 39 passes against 12 runs.  What happened to Lovie’s mantra “We get off the bus running”?  You have to be able to run the ball in this league to take pressure off your quarterback.  Until Martz proves he can commit to the run teams will send blitz after blitz and continue to fucking rock Jay Cutler.
• The Bears two best offensive plays?  Punt returns and pass interference.  Mike Martz the genius, everybody!

Continue reading “The Bears Are Who We Thought They Were - Seahawks 23, Bears 20” »