Big men, tight pants

In 2006, the presence of Devin Hester turned the Chicago Bears from a decent football team into a Super Bowl contender. In 2007, the Hester advantage makes the Bears a mediocre football team instead of a bottom feeder (and that's not quite as much fun). Hester has now bailed out his squad twice this season, and the painful fact of the matter is that the Bears would only have 3 wins on the board if not for the skills of their heart stopping return specialist. In short, it is a miracle that the Bears are alive in the NFC wildcard race… but they are still alive.

With 5 games remaining on the schedule, the Chicago Bears remain in need of a few more miracles. As good as he is, Devin Hester can't do it by himself. With their backs against the wall, the Bears will probably have to win all of their remaining games to have a shot at the post season, yet they are still looking for their first winning streak of any kind… and now they've got to do it without their #1 running back? From just about all...more

I'm sure I'm not the only person with a million questions on his mind after the Bears 30-23 week 11 loss in Seattle.

Let's dive right in with the many questions surrounding the disappearing act of Cedric Benson. 11 carries for 89 yards? How can you justify handing the ball to Benson just 7 times after his dominant first quarter? Was Ron Turner in the crapper for Cedric's first two rushes?

It's pretty rare in sports when you see a team avoid a player with the 'hot-hand'… it just doesn't happen. Even a child in the early stages of his Madden Football video game playing career knows to stick with the plays and players that are getting results. Ron Turner and Lovie Smith's decision to swap Peterson for Benson was like pinch hitting for Darryl Strawberry with Homer Simpson, only with worse results.

What can you say about a team that wants to get off the bus running the football, yet puts the brakes on the running game when it finally starts rolling? Sometimes I feel like Ron Turner is the Chicago...more

What can I say… I'm a sucker for happy endings.

Our Chicago Bears sure orchestrated a happy ending in their 17-6 victory over the Raiders on Sunday, perhaps an ending compelling enough to force the casual Bears fan to check out next Sunday's edition and see where this story goes. Had the Bears finished their game against the Raiders the way they started it, it's safe to say that the book on the 2007 Chicago Bears would've been closed.

The truth of the matter is that Sunday's Rex Grossman led fairly tale ending in Oakland helped erase 57 minutes worth of a boring horror story against one of the worst teams in football. The Bears failed to exploit a soft run defense and again waited until the last minute to connect on the long ball. The defense looked solid (Adewale Ogunleye spent the afternoon in the Raiders backfield and all of the Bears linebackers handled their business), but how encouraging is it to shut down a team that would have trouble scoring against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish? The Bears victory over the Raiders on Sunday may have saved the...more

In Thursday's Chicago Tribune, Bears writer David Haugh wrote an article that called for the Bears to continue their evolution into a passing team. While Lovie might not love the idea of his Chicago Bears becoming an aerial circus, opening up their attack in the first half may be exactly what the Bears need… in more ways than one.

"…if the Bears insist on sticking to the mantra of getting off the bus running the ball," wrote Haugh, "they will be running in place in the race to the playoffs." Citing the glaring lack of a running game and the emergence of Brian Griese, Haugh seems to believe that the Bears need to air it out to pick up the slack for Cedric Benson if they plan to be in the mix in the NFC.

While I couldn't agree more with Haugh's assessment (as the Daily News' most recent podcast can attest) I believe that opening up the passing attack will also help the Bears become the type of team that Lovie has envisioned since day one. Throwing the ball more aggressively in the first half will not only help...more

Heading into their week 5 battle in Green Bay, the Chicago Bears had taken possession of the football 52 times in the 2007 season. Of those 52 offensive possessions, the Bears had committed 14 turnovers and gone 3-and-out 10 times. In short, the Chicago Bears had either coughed up the football or gone nowhere on 46% of their offensive possessions. Considering the offensive output from the first quarter of the Bears season, the 27 points that the Bears posted (20 second half) against a strong Packers defense on Sunday night could be considered an explosion.

Whatever you want to call it… Sunday's night showdown in Green Bay was a huge win for the Chicago Bears - a must win in October of all things - and a victory that may end up being the turning point for the 2007 Bears. Yes, it is always important (and fun) to beat the Packers, to win a divisional game on the road, and to narrow the gap between yourself and the division leader, but the reason that this win in Wisconsin could be a turning point comes from the road-map-to-victory that this game provided.

In...more

My only positive thought after the Bears primetime meltdown against the Cowboys… the Chicago Cubs have a 3 ½ game lead with 6 to play.  If the Bears don’t consider this Monday morning rock bottom, they are kidding themselves.

Something needs to be done.  Perhaps it’s time for Steve Trachsel to get a start, I don’t know.   You have to wonder… if the Bears don’t shake things up now, will they ever?

Cowboys 2007 Record: 2-0
(2006 9-7, fumbled chance to beat Seahawks in NFC Wild Card Game)

Cowboys Offensive Rank: 4^th --- Bears 30^th
(2006 5^th --- Bears 15^th)

Cowboys Defensive Rank: 26^th --- Bears 5^th
(2006 13^th --- Bears 6^th)

Cowboys PPG For/Against: 41.0/27.5 --- Bears 11.5/12.0

All Time Series:
The Bears/Cowboys rivalry predates the Beatles invasion of American. Since their first game in 1960, the Bears trail the all time series 8 wins to 12.

Last Meeting:
The Cowboys won 21-7 on Thanksgiving Day, 2004 in Texas Stadium.

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The Skinny…
The story of Sunday Night is a simple one. The Bears have a sub-par offense and a league leading defense. The Cowboys have a league leading offense and a sub-par defense. Long story short… something has got to give.

Behind Tony Romo, T.O., Jason Witten and a solid two headed backfield beast, the Cowboys have been able to move the ball and score at will against their first two opponents (Giants and Miami). No offense to the Giants and Dolphins, but life is not going to be...more

Just out of curiosity… are the Bears playing the San Diego Chargers again this week?  With all of the trash talk flying around it certainly seems like the Bears and the Chargers can’t stop thinking about each other.  For what it’s worth, I would like to start thinking about the Kansas City Chiefs… a team that is capable of winning in Soldier Field if the Bears don’t pay attention to them.

Without further ado, let’s forget about the mouthy Chargers and focus on the team that is coming to town on Sunday…

 

 

 

Chiefs 2007 Record: 0-1

(2006 9-7 >AFC Wild Card Birth - lost to Colts<)

 

Chiefs 2007 Offensive Rank:...more

The title of this article says it all; the Chicago Bears opened the 2007 campaign by coughing up the football more times (4) than the total number of points they scored (3) against the Chargers.  To add insult to injury, the Bears also may have lost Mike Brown for the season to yet another leg injury.  As far as opening day ceremonies are concerned, the Bears celebration didn’t last very long.

With expectations as high as ever at Halas Hall and beyond, it’s safe to say that there are some serious concerns after the Bears week one loss.  Below is a list of the top 5 reasons that the Chicago Bears (and their fans) might have some trouble sleeping until next Sunday.

1)      Cedric Benson’s 2.2 yards-per-rush

Cedric Benson wanted to be...more