Bears cough one up

If I could just... reach... one more... garrrrggghh... hard to concentrate... random guy holding my dick... uncomfortable...


In a severely mind-numbing shitfest, the Bears gave up 17 straight points to the Knockout-less Panthers on Sunday to lose 20-17. Low-lights here.

The Bears defense was great through 3 quarters, blocking a punt to score the 1st TD and picking off Delhomo to set up another TD. We only gave up 216 yards of total offense and played tough all game despite being on the field for 75% of the game.

The Bears offense was typically inept - like plodding through quicksand with metal boots. Orton finished with a generic ~150 yards no TD's, no INT's but couldn't convert a 3rd down to save his life. Forte gave a valiant effort getting close to 100 yards with 9 in the box all day but took a brutal pounding.

We just didn't have enough to overcome the Olsen twin fumbles and some mind-numbing coaching ineptitude, namely the dagger in the coffin, 3rd and 1 (and subsequent 4th and 1) play calls with 2 minutes left in the game.

On 3rd and 1, Orton checks off a run and throws a Shoop-esque WR pass that was guaranteed less than a yard and should have been intercepted. I spoke with the TPC at length about this play and neither of us could have picked a worse play to call in that situation. High risk, low reward, just stupid. There are a million plays to call there (PA deep???) but this was the worst of the worst.

On 4th and 1, we plugged Jason McKie into a non-existent hole to turn the ball over and lose the game. This one, I just don't understand. McKie is big and tough but slow as shit and NOT A RUNNING BACK. If you want to smash the ball, put in Kevin Jones and let him truck it. Our O-line is not good enough to push for that 1 yard, so you need to either create it (Forte) or get to the line and force it (Jones). McKie was tackled before he even got to the line... just too slow and indecisive.

We should have won that game, we should be 2-0 and I feel like I just got out of bed with a leper.

Another few points from my conversation with TPC:

1) If the D keeps getting stuck on the field for the majority of the game, we're going to start to see some injuries (Urlacher, Brown, Tillman, etc)
2) Forte cannot take this abuse and last 16 games (I love him, but he's a rookie and not exactly a monster).
3) Maybe we should put in Grossman whenever we're down by 7+ points after the first half.

That last point was contentious, but possibly very interesting (he knows the offense, adds a scoring threat and will open up the field a bit for Forte).

Crazy talk?

-KEG