ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

Thanksgiving is over, and the Bears have lots to be thankful for. First, we stand atop the NFC central at 9-1. I dare anyone in the audience to tell me they predicted that record for the Bears. Second, Rex Grossman's performance this year has only been half bad. Sometimes his gameday effort reminds me of Jonathan Quinn medicine woman, and at other times he reminds me of Tom Brady; The Golden Boy. Which leads us (I think nicely) into the game of the week! 

The Bears head into Boston (actually they head into Foxboro) with the goal of stabilizing their reputation. They have been characterized as an up and down team in the media. This is directly linked to the play of Rex Grossman. Who among us doesn't remember the TV graphic that John Madden threw up during the Giants game 2 weeks ago? It all started in Arizona, when Rex struggled heavily. Inconsistent is a word being used to describe his performance, and thus the Bears performance. I won't beat a dead horse here, but as Rex goes so goes the team. See? I'm giving him a break.

The point of all this is the fact that Bears are still not being taken seriously. I'm visiting family here in the Lou, and people are shocked when I tell them it is going to be a Bears v. Chargers Superbowl this year. Yea, I'm on record now. Phillip Rivers and Rex Grossman get to tee it up against each other this year in the Big Game. The folks down here, while not especially happy with the Rams, smile and poke fun at me. Not because they think the Rams, or the Chiefs for that matter are any better. But because this prediction reeks of homer-dome. I'm drinking the blue and orange Kool-Aid heavily. Down to the last drop!

I think this team will find its legs. Unfortunetly for the Patriots, the Bears create that solid footing at their expense. It's prediction time:

The Bears are losing this one guys. Sorry. I think we get to pulverize the Patriots for 3 quarters only to see the Golden Boy show up in the last drive to get them within field goal range. We're losing 21-17. The Patriots should be able to stop the run and cover Moose all game long. With the exception of a late 3rd quarter touchdown by Thomas Jones, the Bears offense will look stiffled. I'll be even more specific. I think the play calling in the first half is going to be too pass-heavy. This means that you will all be crying in your beers this afternoon, yelling and screaming for someone to run the football.

Sure, Rex will throw to the tight end. 4 yards a pass. Great stuff! This won't be enough. Berrian won't break anything big against the Pats defense and I just don't see Rex being able to torch them deep - which is his comfort zone. He'll throw for one TD, and Jones will run for one. Robbie Gould will take the 3 points on a field goal that should have been a touchdown, thanks to the only turnover the defense gets against Brady. Stiffled offense strikes again!

So there you have it. I think this loss will be good for the Bears. I want them to win. Don't misunderstand the prediction. We might need a loss like this one to get us on stable ground. It's the wake up call afterall that builds character in teams. Go ask the Colts if they would have liked their wake up call to show up in the middle of the season, or if they prefered it during the playoffs. I'll gladly take the lesson tonight against Brady and the Pats. If I'm wrong, hell, I'll take the win and shut the hell up!

BEAR DOWN

 

The news hit as I was celebrating the Bears mediocre victory over the Jets this afternoon. The Cubs are going to sign Alfonso Soriano to an 8 year deal valued for $136 million dollars. Holy crap that's a lot of money. I am a bit shocked by this. The Tribune company is under some massive financial distress, and I didn't think a company looking to sell off it's pieces had that kind of scratch laying around. Maybe they are going to raise the price of the Tribune by another quarter to cover his salary?! Why not? They did it when Sammy was signed to that huge contract. If you buy into conspiracy theories, maybe the Tribune company is spending someone else's money tonight? If they have brokered a deal with one of the many suitors for the entire enchilada, including the only money making enterprise at Tribune Co (da Cubbies!), maybe they are following someone else's plan? There is only one guy I know who is nuts enough to do a deal this big. Mark Cuban. There is one problem with this cockeyed idea. Cuban isn't mentioned as a suitor for the Trib. It has been Internet conjecture and the wild-eyed citizen journalists (aka Cubs bloggers) who pine for Cuban's involvement with the Cubs. I don't think he has anything to do with this move, but someone besides the current CEO of the Tribune does. We should be able to figure that out in a few weeks. Everyone knows the Tribune is not long for this business. Cubbie nirvana is about to be realized.

Soriano is a difference maker. I can't lie to you two loyal readers,I was hoping the White Sox would find a way to get him on the Southside. It seems that Hendry and his merry men are dead serious about making a huge push for the division. This would be a step in that direction. Soriano has power. He can run, and he can hit. Hell, he can play anywhere (if you talk to him nicely and maybe give him $130+ million). I'm anxious to see if Soriano can do something no other Cubs player has done in 100 years: Wash the stench of loser off that Cubbie Blue uniform. First Neil Cotts, now Soriano. Are the Cubs for real?

I need to shake the rust off. It has been awhile since I had 15 minutes of quiet time to just sit and think about the Bears. It has been a very interesting season so far. The Bears sit atop the NFC Central with an 8-1 record. Our position in the stands doesn't surprise me, but the record does. I won't claim to be the most optimistic Chicago sports fan in town, because I'm not. I can admit that I expected Rex Grossman to struggle a lot more than he has. He had horrible games against Arizona, Miami, and a brutal half against the Giants last week but has found a way to get over it. Many people say the defense found a way to overcome these shortcomings in our play caller, but I disagree.

Rex found a way to minimize mistakes. It is obvious now what he has to do to be successful, and many bloggers and radio talk show hosts have beleagured the point. That won't stop me from providing some keys to success today for Rex and the Beloved Bears.

Keys to Success for the Offense:

1. Rex has to stop throwing off his back foot. To do this, we need to protect him better. My advice to Rex is to step into the pocket. Fight the urge to run side to side. It's not your thing Rex. Step forward. Take the sack if necessary.

2. Thomas Jones needs to touch the ball at least 20 times. I love the new throwing offense, but the Bears rank 19th in Rushing offense. If I'm not mistaken, the Jets are ranked 15th. Are you for real? Jones has some great moves and if he can withstand a few of the tick-tack arm tackles that usually send him to the ground, he can rush for over 120 yards against the Jets. They are ranked 28th against the run. Use Jones

3. Moose is the man. We spent a lot of time and energy figuring out if Berrian,Bradley or my kid brother Bill are qualified enough to be the second reciever in this offense. They're not. It doesn't matter either. The deep threat isn't what we need. We need Moose to make the big plays across the middle, and we can compliment his catches by checking down to the Tight End. It will save Rex's behind.

Keys to Success for the Defense:

I have been wrong all season long about our defense. I thought our cornerbacks were over rated. It turns out that many of the wideouts in the league agreed with my assesment. WRONG! The Bears D is ranked 1st in passing defense. It's stopping the run that we need to do. The Jets don't pose any great threat on the ground against us, but we haven't really been able to keep the yards per cary down! Stop the Run. Win the game.

There isn't much more than that for the Defense. They're still great and they still are the main reason why we win games this year. Today's test against the Jets is going to be tougher than most of us expect. I'm going to bank on the defense's ability to pick off Chad Pennington twice today for a tough Bears win: 17-10.

BEAR DOWN!

I was at the Northwestern game this past Saturday to watch the number one team in the land crush the Wildcats. Ohio State is the real deal kiddies. I know you don't need some crap blogger in Chicago to tell you that, but I was there. I saw it in person. That's almost as good as watching it in HD.
The Buckeyes are a scary sight to behold. Their fans practically foam at the mouth, and that's just while waiting in line for a bag of peanuts. Walking around Ryan Field to the chant of O-H-I-O is bad enough, but watching a grandstand filled with those red-sweatshirt-wearing <blanks> scream at their own team for fumbling at the goal line was more than I could handle. They were up 27-3. What were they mad at? Their practice squad was probably already on the field by that time anyway.

The great thing about this game was the fact I saw this year's Heisman Trophy winner up close and personal. Troy Smith! He hasn't officially won the award, but he had enough great plays against Northwestern that it should serve as a great highlight reel for the commitee. I know he got my vote. He has a great arm, a fantastic ability to evade the rush (if it ever shows up), and pretty good accuracy. Yes, he makes it look easy against the worst team in the Big Ten (yea, that's NU this year) but give them their credit.

I'll do a quick wrap up of the NU football season later this week. I'm not making any promises, because as you can tell I have been super busy in the real world. I bet you can't wait.

The Bears head into tonight's Sunday Night Football in America matchup against the Giants with a lot of questions. Here are  the most popular in Bearsland (in my humble opinion):

• Which Rex Grossman shows up? Sexy Rexy? or Rex the Hex?
  
• Is Urlacher really ok?
• Can the Bears stop the run?
  
• Who steps into Berrian's place as a deep threat?
  

Think about how your confidence as a Bears fan has been shaken thanks to the Miami loss. Add to that trepidation the recent injury to Brian Urlacher and you should be nervous tonight. My faith hasn't been shaken like this since last year's White Sox collapse in August. Am I being to negative about a Bears team that is 7-1? No. Let's break it down:

Rex Grossman seems to be the key to the Bears success, or lack thereof. The amazing comeback win late in the 4th quarter against the Vikings gave birth to Sexy Rexy. The 6 turnover debacle against the Cardinals was the reincarnation of Rex the Hex. It was as if Rex's deal with the devil was null and void in a matter of a few hours. Then he found a way to bring Sexy back against the 49ers.  All was good in Bearsland, but deep down everyone wondered how many more games before The Hex would turn up. It was the next game, against Miami that solidified my worst fears. Rex is the gatekeeper to our success as a football team. The defense didn't matter any longer. As Grossman goes, so do the Bears. Think about that for a minute.

The Bears defense was supposed to be the next coming of the Monsters of the Midway. If the Midway represents running down the middle of the field, we are anything but Monsters. We have played some creampuff teams and the defense, as expected, has crushed them. But then there is the matter of the yards we give up on the ground. Teams are averaging 3.9 yards against the defense. Not bad, right? Right. But Frank Gore only touched the ball 12 times against us and rushed for over 100 yards. Ronnie Brown looked like he was on a skateboard racing downhill against the Bears defense. He ran for 157 yards agains us. Don't tell me Mike Brown makes that much of a difference? The bottom line is that the Bears face Tiki Barber tonight and our defense hasn't been able to stop running backs with half his talent. Trouble brewing? Perhaps.

No one needs to be reminded that Brian Urlacher is the heart and soul of this team. Sure, this year Rex matters more, but it's because he can lose a game. Urlacher doesn't have that in him. Have you ever seen Brian Urlacher lose a game since he put on that navy jersey? I haven't. I know that without him, the Bears went 0-7 last year. That points to the rest of the team's ability to focus without their leader. That is why no matter how bad that toe is, he must play against the Giants. Without him on the field, I am convinced the Bears are toast. I'm just hoping that his pain is kept to a minimum.

Who would have ever thought the Bears would miss Bernard Berrian. It's not as if he is Randy Moss. Actually, that is a bad comparison. This year, his numbers are better than Moss'. Berrian's injury last week against the Dolphins brought to light a weakness we've all known and worried about since training camp opened. The second receiver is a must have option when Moose is being double teamed and Berrian did a great job at this position. His absence against the Giants will be felt by Rex Grossman the most. While Rex probably won't be able to go deep on the Giants defense very often, he will need to stretch the field to keep his favorite pattern - the short curl open. Lets hope that Mark Bradley or maybe even Cedric Benson out of the backfield can make up some of the yards.

We are about 10 minutes from kick off and while I stopped making predictions this year, I'm going to make one now. The Bears lose this game tonight against the Giants: 27-14. The Giants defense will score once and the Bears won't be able to stop Tiki. Trouble is brewing Bears fans. Let's hope I am wrong.

BEAR DOWN!!!

Oh mommy! I couldn't believe what I was seeing last night. The Bulls opened up the 2006 season against last year's champs, the Miami Heat. It should have looked familiar to Bulls fans. A stadium covered in red, banners being unfurled, and championship bling being distributed to a bunch of smiling basketball players. I remember when it was Chicago cheering a basketball goliath who returned from the battle field to accept the spoils of victory. I guess the new Bulls remember those days too. Maybe Skiles showed them the old DVD set.

We could spend hours guessing what got into the Bulls last night. What we know for a fact is that the Bulls embarrassed the Heat last night by 42 points. There is no theory on the planet that could explain how and why the Bulls were able to come out swinging.Sure, there are a ton of sports writers out there (namely Mr. Smith) who are happy to dust off the old typewriter and jump onto another championship bus. I'm all for it. The Bears started the bus and have already left for Miami themselves. Perhaps the Bulls were just clearing the road for them last night? Strong work by the Bulls.

Ok - you all know I do a shitty job covering the Bulls. Look at the archives. I'm just not able to write about everything that goes on in this great city. So with that said, I am on the hunt to expand our ranks. If you know of some one who wants a no-paying job writing for a blog about the Chicago Bulls. Drop us a line. You don't have to be as whitty as DeadSpin, and you don't have to be as bad as me. Somewhere in between would do just fine.