Talk About High Stakes

"Swear to me!"

First off, before I go into batshit crazy mode, let's take a second here to recap understand what has happened. The Bears allowed the Packers into the playoffs by not finishing the job in Week 17. Instead of watching the Giants get steamrolled by the Eagles (or Falcons), we have watched Green Bay fight against the odds to make it to the NFC title game. Likewise, with a commanding win over the Seattle Junior Mints, the Bears are in the NFC title game as well.

Has there ever been a more exciting Bears-Packers game? Answer: NO. 1941 gets second place, but come on. Winner goes to the Superbowl. Loser goes home. Holy shit.

I'm not going to sit here and break down both team by position. That's stupid. The game is always close, both teams always leave it out on the line, and no matter what happens, you never feel like anyone dogged it.

This is for more than bragging rights. THIS IS FOR THE FUCKING SUPERBOWL. The very same Superbowl that will NOT feature the Colts or Patriots. This is a Superbowl against the Jets or Steelers - two teams that rely on a strong defense to win, but are both certainly beatable. We could very well see the Superbowl winner come out of next week's game.

Tickets are $500 a pop and rising. Who's with me!?

BEARSBEARSBEARSBEARSBEARS

Holy shit the Bears are playing tomorrow. I'm totally drunk and the Bears are playing tomorrow. The Packers just beat the shit out of the Falcons after they had a first round bye and now I'm worried about the Bears being rusty. The Seahawks are feisty and beat us already in the regular season. It's so hard to rally behind Jay Cutler. Did you see that Rick Reilly article yesterday? Just brutal. And totally accurate. Impossible to rally behind Cutler, just a total bag of douche. Anyway. I am drooling over a Bears/Packers NFC championship game at Soldier Field. Literally sporting wood over it. Insane. I hope we crush Hasselback. No way he drops another crazy game like he did last week. The guy just isn't that good. Lynch? Overrated. I think Peppers is going to kill Hasseltits. We need to win tomorrow. Must win. Win or go home. Fuck the Seahawks.

Tomorrow is everything.

GO BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

-KEG

BEARS BEARS BEARS

Israel... always the aggressor

The Bears put a hurting on the Vikings on MNF yesterday, knocking Favre out of the game en route to a 40-14 victory.

With the win, the Bears move to a commanding 10-4 and lock up the NFC North.

I'm pretty sure that just about every "expert" predicted the Bears to finish third in the division behind the Packers and Vikings with 6-8 wins being the consensus. Well, we're not who they thought we were...

Turns out everything the coaching staff has been saying all season is accurate: the O-line just needed time to gel, the WR's needed time to get used to Martz's new schemes, the defense needed to get healthy and Cutler will be just fine. Turn the clock back 14 weeks and everyone is talking about how our O-line can't protect Cutler, how Cutler can't be a high-caliber QB while throwing careless INT's all the time (he can!!) and how Urlacher was washed up, Peppers was a waste of money, Hester can't play WR and is now ineffective at returning kicks and Greg Olsen needed to be traded.

Now, the picture is a bit different:

Division champs baby! Just another dominating performance by our defense and special teams - 2 critical factors for any team looking to make a playoff run. Both can dramatically change the game in an instant, especially with our takeaway-focused defense.

Let's kick the shit out of the Packers in week 17 just for giggles.

-KEG

BEARS ARE 8-3!

I thought the circus clowns left Chicago last week...

Despite Daryl Johnston's off-field distractions, the Bears just won the biggest game of the season.

We contained Michael Vick, shut down the most explosive WR tandem in the NFL (Jackson, Maclin) and we put up points on the #3 ranked defense (albeit without Asante Samuel).

We are now unequivocally the best team in the NFC and with the Packers losing earlier today, we also have a commanding lead in the NFC North.

A few quick observations:

• Our offense looks balanced. The fans and weak O-line forced Martz to commit to the run 3 weeks ago. It's not unrelated that we've gone 3-0 since then. Forte is explosive and dangerous with enough touches while the run game as a whole keeps the defense honest, grinds the clock and plays to our O-line's strengths (undersized - stout and quick).

• Julius Peppers is a constant difference maker. Every play, all game long, he's going 110%. It's insane. He's clearly inspired the rest of the unit to pursue through the whistle (something we've lacked for the last 2 years). Idonije and Melton are clearly learning from Peppers and his motor is contagious.

• Special Teams gives us a huge advantage. Hester has been incredible (thankfully, they finally decided to rotate him at WR instead of forcing him to be a WR1) and Dan Manning is a beast. we gain an extra 20-40 yards every change of possession. Field position is so underrated.... especially when we have a coffin kick specialist in Maynard.

We're playing inspired football right now. We've got the us-against-the-world-attitude just like we did in 2007 when we went to the Super Bowl. All the "experts" have been saying we're overrated and have huge problems with the O-line and with Cutler's attitude. (Also, I loved his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. SHOW ME THE FIRE, JAY!). Look, if nobody wants to take us seriously, that's fine - see you in Dallas.

-KEG

Bears D beats Dolphins

Holy crap, are we 7-3?

That was the most boring football game I've ever seen.

Tyler Thigpen sucks, yet, was only marginally worse that Jay Cutler (both had a QB rating ~60). Cutler escaped with only 1 INT (he actually threw 3 but they were dropped or on penalties) and no TD's. However, his "decision making" was somehow better, according to Joe Thiesmann, who might be some kind of self-aware cookie trapped in a human body.

It wasn't pretty, but the Bears improved to 7-3 on a short week (4 days rest) and sit on top of the NFC (which will look even better when the Giants lose to the Vicks on Sunday). We're also undefeated in the division with wins over the Packers and Vikings.

Most importantly, the Bears showed 3 major improvements:

1) The offensive line is getting better. Not quite good yet, but better.

2) We can establish a run game, it just takes time. Forte/Taylor can drive the ball and our schemes are decent, when Cutler is hitting his short passes.

3) The pass rush actually can cover up for our weak(er) secondary. Should out to big Henry Melton, who has been getting better every week after replacing Mark Anderson. He and Israel Idonije have been bringing the heat with the attention focused on Peppers/Urlacher/Briggs.

I'm not convinced we can cover big physical WR's (Marshall could have had 200 yards if he wasn't a spaz and didn't get hurt) but our defense was VERY good tonight. Let's not forget, Thigpen was no worse than Cutler and they boast Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams in the backfield yet, they couldn't move the ball at all, all night long.

Feeling good right now, even though we SHOULD be 9-1 (Washington and Seattle were very winnable) but can't complain.

The whole season comes down to the next 6 weeks - if we can finish over .500, it's playoff time.

-KEG

P.S. How awkward must that meeting have been for Cutler and Marshall? They could have set every conceivable Broncos record playing together in Denver for 10 years and instead, both complained their way out of town. Now, Cutler is dying for a go-to receiver (like Marshall) and Marshall is dying for a big-armed, over confident QB (like Cutler). Grass is always greener... idiots.

Pack Your Bags?

This is a VERY important game for the Bears.

With a win, the Bears go to 6-3 with division wins against the Vikings and Packers and we're looking good for a playoff berth.

With a loss, we drop to a single game above the Vikings and 2 games back of the Packers. We also have a really tough remaining schedule (MIA, PHI, DET, NE, MIN, NYJ, GB) so a win here is critical.

We'd be lucky to go 3-4 in these last seven games and I worry 9 wins won't be enough for the playoffs.

And, of course, if we're not headed the playoffs, Lovie better be able to pack a quick suitcase.

Last time we played the Vikings, Favre carved us up for a million yards. Let's hope we can hit the old man a few times and get a few turnovers (cause god knows we're going to give them the ball at least 3 times).

Big game. Let's go Bears.

-KEG

A Comedy of Errors

Fear of death can negatively effect decision making...

Five beers and a smashed TV remote later, the Bears pissed away another winnable game, 17-14.

Not really sure where to start here, so I'll rattle off 3 relevant statistics:

• 9TO's in the game
• 4INT's and a fumble lost for Cutler, 2 TO's in the red zone.
• 2 defensive TD's

Clearly not an elegant display of football artistry this afternoon. It was kind of the worst game I've ever seen but also a ridiculously entertaining and close game until the end.

At first, the game had the same stink of our last 3 losses: no line protection, no running game and a lot of sloppy play calling. Cutler running for his life, the receivers pulling up on routes and the defense spending too much time on the field.

Then we started to pull it together at the end of the first half. The running game is starting to pick up steam (opened up by the passing game) and Cutler finally converts a 3rd down to Hester and caps off the last drive with a big TD pass. Up 14-10 headed into halftime, I'm feeling pretty good.

Then:

Since I don't want to rant for 10 more hours, let's just say that Cutler looked like bad Rex and I was ready to strangle Lovie Smith to death with his own challenge flag.

HOW DO YOU NOT CHALLENGE THAT TOUCHDOWN (or, "fumble" according to the refs) ON THE 1 YARD LINE??? ARE YOU INSANE??!?

I mean, how do you challenge the clear non-TD by Bennett and then NOT challenge the clear yes-TD by Cutler? Who is manning the booth upstairs? I WANT NAMES. Absolutely inexcusable.

Troy Aikman was calling the game and kept trying to find excuses for Cutler (Knox stopped short on an INT, Hester didn't come back to the ball on another) but there is no excuse for throwing the last INT. Knox wasn't open. There was no seam. It wasn't 4th and long. Just a bad decision and it ended the game. I'd love to see the numbers on how many games we've ended with a Cutler INT.

I'm also tired of hearing how bad our talent is on the O-line. I mean, we have Olin Kreutz who goes to the Pro Bowl every year and Chris Williams is a first round pick. We've also got Omiyale who would start on most teams. Sure, our RG and RT positions aren't great but that's no excuse for our line to look like the JV Dillon Panthers. I blame Mike Tice and his stupid face. I can't stand looking at him. He's so smug all the time. Shut up Mike Tice, you suck, you were a bad head coach and you haven't gotten anything out of our unit all season. You've almost killed our franchise QB in the past 6 games. Time to get fired.

I'm generally a staunch Lovie supporter but I swear to god I was ready to tear his fucking head off today. No fire, no gameplan, lazy schemes... thankfully our defense is good and talented (I'm starting to love DJ Moore) and kept us in the game anyway. Martz seems like the only guy who gives a shit on offense, most likely because he wants to redeem his legacy as an offensive genius. I like Martz and I think he's doing a good job. We're just not executing.

Which brings me to Cutler.

Ah, Jay Cutler.

So polarizing...

I'll give it one more game before I pass judgement. My judgement will be fair, swift and merciless.

I am a kind god.

-KEG

2-0 Bitches!

Skillz!

Whoo boy, what a game!

If nothing else, this proved that all the good things from last week weren't a one-game fluke: the defense is good, Cutler isn't a disaster and Forte looks like v.2008.

Some new things we learned:

• The Martz/Cutler combo is looking good regardless of the weak O-line.
• Chris Williams is one more injury away from being a huge bust. Might have had that injury today.
• Seems like the Bears don't need to be a go-to receiver: Aromashodu barely saw the field today, Hester came on strong after his 2 catch effort last week and Knox/Olsen have been reliably good.

Some questions remain about the secondary and our running game but this was as big win - and a much more credible win. Yes, the Lions are a lot better this year but it's hard to be impressed with the "win" from last week that we didn't really deserve. Throughly beating the playoff-favorite Cowboys on the road makes a statement.

The most important thing right now is that Cutler looks good. Really good. 5:1 TD/INT ratio, no stupid throws, minimal petulance... I AM EXCITED.

Next week is the Packers.

Ditka doesn't tolerate pussies. Unless of course...

-KEG

Bears win by managing not to lose

Thankfully, Detroit forgot that Megatron is on their team until the end of the game.

I cannot imagine what it must be like to be a Lions fan today. Just brutal. Quick recap: Bears hand the game to the Lions all day but manage to take a 5 point lead with about a minute left. Backup Shaun Hill leads the Lions down the field and throws a jump ball for Calvin Johnson in the end zone that he catches (clearly), while getting both feet down and even lands on his ass with the ball in his hand before putting the ball on the ground to help himself get up. Ref calls it incomplete. Bears win. This is on par with the ridiculous Armando Gallaraga call last month (although that was pretty awful). God, it must suck to be from Detroit.

Needless to say, we escaped with a lucky victory despite the lopsided statistics (total yards: 463-168). A few thoughts/notes:

Cutler looked OK - lucky 80 yard TD pass on a screen to Forte and an awful decision on his INT. Fumble was normal, not particularly careless. Otherwise, pretty solid - made the throws he needed to make down the stretch including a few big 3rd down conversions and the game winner to Forte. Also moved well in the pocket to avoid pressure. The Lions have an underrated defensive front and secondary, so I thought he played pretty well overall.

Forte looks like he got his 2008 speed back. Big game. He'll mesh well with Chester Taylor, who is still the best 3rd down back in the NFL (great blocker, can catch well and is very situationally aware).

Bears WR's were all good but someone needs to step up and be a threat. My guess is that it'll be Knox (speed) over Aromashodu (size). We'll have to wait and see. Hester looks like a non-factor.

Bears D was awesome. The 14 points came from turnovers (which were brutal) but in all, Peppers looks like a beast and makes everyone else look better too. He forces the QB back to the middle where Harris, Briggs and Urlacher can destroy him. Also takes some pressure off the secondary (our weakest link) by bringing crazy pressure. He nearly killed Matt Stafford. Dude might be out for 6 weeks with a destroyed shoulder.

The Lions D is very clearly divided into 2 parts: the D-line and secondary (awesome) and the LB's (awful). Delmas is a stud, Suh is a stud and they all hit really hard. Glad none of our WR's got injured today.

If I can say one thing to cheer up the Lions fans, it's that Shaun Hill is not a pushover. This is the same guy that won a lot of games for the 49ers and kept getting replaced by younger less proven guys because of management agenda. He reminds me of Jim Miller mixed with Kyle Orton - not pretty but those two guys won a shitload of games in the NFL.

Well, not a sexy start to the season, but 1-0 is all that matters. Next week is at Dallas. I'm watching the Cowboys/Skins game right now... Boys are looking pretty good. However, if I was Tony Romo, I wouldn't be sleeping so well this week.

-KEG