Chicago Bears: Up In Smoke...And Mirrors

It's been a rough month for Da Bears and their fans. Realistically, they were looking at a possible 11-5 season. Now, the best they can do is 8-8. They're not mathematically out of the playoffs as they still have a 2% chance, but it's over.

After the 38-14 loss to the Seahawks Sunday, I was surprised to see all of the "O boy, seasons over. Pack it up, go home, see you in 2012, on to the Bulls and Blackhawks" on social media networks. This is probably because I started packing it up after the loss to the Tyler Palko-led Chiefs. There's really no hope left after that, folks.

Should they have put themselves in position to win three of their last four games and make a playoff appearance with Forte and a rusty Cutler coming back, it would have been gravy for me. But with the declining play of the defense and that Hanie guy under center, as a realist, I packed it in weeks ago.

I guess most fan don't give up on their team until they're mathematically—or near mathmatically—eliminated, so if you want to blast me for my honesty regarding my Bears loyalty, you can find me on twitter or call the radio show on Mondays. Information is below, bring it. Or just leave your comments below, but I digress.

Da Bears were able to win seven of their first ten games with smoke and mirrors. I wrote in an earlier post that Jay Cutler makes his receivers better and he make the o-line LOOK better. The low-talent team that Jerry Angelo assembled has been EXPOSED with the injury to a single player. The injury came to the single most important position in sports, but you have to have better options than Caleb Hanie, Josh McCown and rookie Nathan Enderle.

Hey Jerry, the back up positions matter too. I know that's hard to believe since you struggle to grasp the concept that all of the starting positions actually matter.

This is why I've been pining for losing seasons from Da Bears for the last two season (see my posts on chicagosportsfix.blogspot.com). It's a BIG PICTURE dream. I want the McCaskey Crew to clean house. George McCaskey took over as the new Chairman on May 15th of this year. He's been quiet thus far, as well he should have been, but now is the time to take action, Georgie-boy.

It starts at the top. Team President Ted Phillips is a glorified accountant. He's made Da Bears organization a LOT of money during his tenure with Da Bears, which is a vital part of his job; however, in the NFL, bringing championships to the city is JUST as important as bringing bags of cash to the owners. George emphasized the importance of winning a Super Bowl for Chicago back in May. We'll see just how serious he was.

It starts with Phillips because he's the one who hired Angelo. Angelo, in turn, has not put together a team that can win the Super Bowl. Getting to the Super Bowl and WINNING the Super Bowl are two different things, people. And the window of chance to winning a championship is rapidly closing.

QB Jay Cutler will be a year older and he'll more than likely have to learn a new offense. A much less voluminous and dense playbook will be mailed to him this offseason since OC Mike Martz will be shown the door—much to his own volition. Articles were being written about the aging defense before this season started, so I expect more a groundswell there in 2012.

As much I like Lovie Smith as the head coach, if he has to be the undeserving casualty in that situation, then so be it. There are competent coaches in studios and press boxes every Sunday that have the ability to do the job just as well, if not better than Lovie.

This is a bottom line business.

The bottom line is winning the Super Bowl. The Phillips regime hasn't been able to get it done, so they ALL MUST GO.

Tune in to Chicago Sports Fix with Josh Catlow and me, Rob Zielinski, when we come back from break on Monday January 9th from 6 to 8pm only on Chicagoland Sports Radio. 

Share your thoughts with us by calling 312.564.7375 during show hours or email us at chicagosportsfix@gmail.com. 

Adam Oestmann, Managing Editor for Chicago Bears Huddle, will be joining us in the first hour. 

The Daily Herald's Barry Rozner, who also hosts WSCR 670-AM The Score's venerable baseball program Hit & Run, will be joining us any Monday now to TALK MORE HOCKEY! 

Follow me on Twitter: @robzielinski 

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Da Chicago Bears Were Sunday's Punch Line

What has 106 legs and can't beat the lowly Kansas City Chiefs? Da Chicago Bears.

Lame joke –I know –but so was the overall effort and execution from Da Bears on Sunday. Even with Caleb Hanie under center, it was THE last write-in win for the season –in my humble opinion –and they lost. They lost at Soldier Field to a team who had not scored a touchdown in their last 31 possessions , before scoring one on a "Hail Mary" to end the second half, led by Tyler "Every ball I throw has a hump" Palko.

To get to the other side.

Hanie had himself a day. A very BAD day. Again. It was hard, but he found a way to do it: Caleb Hanie regressed. Are you familiar with the term "O-for"? Well, Captain Caleb led his crew to a flawless 0-11 on third down conversions. That's a spotless 0% for the folks keeping track at home. By the numbers, Hanie was 11-24 for 133 pitiful yards, along with three picks for an abysmal 23.8 quarterback rating.

After you take a big Caleb, be sure to wipe your Hanie.

Okay, Hanie was truly only responsible for one of his three interceptions when he under-threw Johnny Knox on a deep pass. Granted, Knox didn't do him any favors by not becoming a defender on a pass he knew he wasn't going to catch, but what else do you expect from a guy who has trouble keeping his feet and is constantly rounding and breaking off his routes? As far as the other INT's go, one was on a –well it wasn't quite a "Hail Mary" so we'll call it a "Glory Be" –to end the game. The other was when Da Bears' "number one receiver" Roy Williams dropped a potential "big brown thing" touchdown pass that was bobbled by a few defenders before being snatched for a turnover.
Lovie on the Williams drop: “Next time he'll make that play.” Um, Lovie, it's too late for that. You shouldn't have let Martz convince Jerry Angelo that Williams should be on your team.

That's what she said.

The offensive line wasn't exactly stellar either. Hanie was consistently under duress. The combination of the pressure the o-line was allowing the Chiefs to bring and Hanie holding on to the ball too long while utilizing his only move in scrambling to his right was, well, a joke. Kansas City had 13 sacks on the season before coming in to Chicago. They left with 20. To top it off, a missed block possibly led to the injury of the only hope they had left on offense –Matt Forte.

Rectum?! Damn near killed him!

Forte has a sprained MCL and he'll be out for 2-6 weeks. A sprain is a tear for those of you who like to play doctor at home. I feel bad for Forte. I really do. There's not that many teams who like to hand out $17M guaranteed contracts to fifth-year running backs with knees troubles. That $14M guaranteed he passed on this year probably sounds pretty good right about now. He's been very professional in his desire for a contract extension from Da Bears and even a cynic like me can feel his pain. But he took that risk. I just hope it doesn't severely hurt his livelihood.

This, again, all falls on GM Jerry Angelo and the low talent level of Da Bears team that he has assembled. You take away TWO players on this offense and they can't even play with an injury-plagued Chiefs team. I know they were their two most talented players, but that's not an excuse to lose at home to Shane Falco, I mean, Tyler Palko.

I am serious, and don't call me Shirley!

But it does show us that Jay Cutler truly is a franchise quarterback and just how well he was playing before his thumb injury. He is phenomenal at alluding pressure by sliding or stepping up in the pocket. Do you have your notebook, Caleb? The Chiefs may have only had three sacks instead of the seven had Jay been the one escaping Mr. Houston –a bum who was on his way back to the Chiefs' practice squad before Sunday happened –and his three sacks. Cutler makes the receivers better and makes the o-line LOOK better.

So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

I was, again, foolishly expecting points from the special teams and/or defense. But Da Bears were out-Bear'd for a second week in a row. Devin Hester wasn't much of a factor. Has Dave Toub been telling him to actually catch the ball when he signals for a fair catch instead of letting it bounce and get downed inside the five and Devin has just been ignoring him? Probably. And the defense lost the turnover battle, again. (I'm starting to sound like Forrest Gump "And I went to see the Pres-i-dent of the U-nited States, a-Gain".)

Not only that, but before Palko lofted a pass to the end zone that fell into the arms of Dexter McCluster for their lone touchdown, that stout Bears defense allow him to conduct a 15 yard drive and score on the sixteenth. They gave up three third down conversions and a fourth down conversion on that possession. Tim Jennings dropped yet another interception that would have prevented the Chiefs' chance at a Hail Mary. (After every practice, the coaching staff needs to get out the JUGS machine and fire footballs at Jennings for 30 minutes to improve his hands. Then on the last one, hold his arms down for a free shot downstairs in the ol' engine room and let him know what it feels like to watch him give up take-aways every week.)

Everybody gets a clown nose.

THEN Palko drove down the field for another 15 plays, which led to a field goal in the third quarter. Ball game. Typical Bears defense as far as the bend but don't break goes, but it does them no good when they don't create enough turnovers. Keep in mind that this all happened AFTER Palko was yanked from the game by Todd Haley for Kyle "Neck-beard" Orton for his now infamous $2.5M snap.

Why the long face?

By the way, on the Hail Mary pass, sure it was a fluke for the Chiefs, but it was poor execution on the part of the Bears' defense too. Urlacher had the right idea by attempting to catch the ball at the highest point. But lurking behind him was Chris Conte who made a big no-no by swatting the ball back into the field of play. Knock it DOWN, not knock it back in, Chris. Then Craig Steltz was late on the play and didn't box-out McCluster. It was a stroke of luck, but Da Bears didn't have to stack the deck for them either.

The 10 points the Chiefs scored was the most points they've scored in five weeks. The three points Da Bears scored was the least amount of points they've scored in five weeks.

Bears fans, it's time to PANIC!

Orange ya glad I didn't say banana?

Tune in to Chicago Sports Fix with Josh Catlow and me, Rob Zielinski, this and every Monday from 6 to 8pm only on Chicagoland Sports Radio.

Share your thoughts with us by calling 312.564.7375 during show hours or email us at chicagosportsfix@gmail.com.

Adam Oestmann, Managing Editor for Chicago Bears Huddle, will be joining us in the first hour.
The Daily Herald's Barry Rozner, who also hosts WSCR 670-AM The Score's venerable baseball program Hit & Run, will be joining us any Monday now to TALK MORE HOCKEY!

Follow me on Twitter: @robzielinski

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Da Chicago Bears Got Out-Bear'd

Da Bears lost at the Black Hole on Sunday. They lost 25-20 to the Raiders mainly because the new starting quarterback Caleb Hanie was bad. His performance wasn't a complete abomination, but he was bad nonetheless. I heard this on the radio and in the office "I thought he did pretty good." That's because you don't know NFL football. He was bad.

Da Bears were out-Bear'd. They lost the turnover battle. The lost it because they didn't create enough turnovers on defense. And because -- you guessed it -- Caleb Hanie was bad.

However, Hanie's being bad was a good kind of bad -- if at all possible --. He was bad due to his inexperience. Before Sunday, Hanie only had 14 snaps under his belt in regular season games. He was amped for his first regular season start. Too amped, like a six year old meeting The Wiggles AFTER a trip to the candy store. Being that amped leads to poor decision making. And that's what happened on Hanie's first two interceptions.

After a play fake, Hanie rolled to the right as he was flushed out of the pocket and instead of throwing the ball out of bounds while under pressure, he did the ONE thing you cannot do -- he forced the issue and threw the ball into coverage. That's inexperience at its best -- or would that be worst? But I digress.

As if Hanie's bad play needed any help being even more bad, he got bad help from an inexcusable play call. There was 35 seconds left in the first half, second and short on the Oakland 7, and OC Mike Martz decided he wanted to get cute and call a back-screen instead of shoving it down the Raiders' proverbial throat. This back-screen was the one Martz called in the season opener. You know, the one where Cutler couldn't complete the pass. But here Martz asked his inexperienced QB to make the same play. Aaron Curry remembered that play call too because the linebackers sniffed it out and switched before the snap! Granted, Hanie should have thrown the ball into the turf, but Martz still cannot learn from his mistakes and refuses to put his players in a position to succeed.

But at least it led to one of the coolest plays of the year with big Lance Louis rumbling 80 yards downfield to make a "horse collar" tackle and save a touchdown. Hustle baby. Good old fashioned huffin- and puffin' tacklin' then collapsin' and air suckin' HUSTLE.

By the way, Martz is reportedly interested in the Arizona State head coach vacancy. I'd happily miss a relative's wedding to drive him to the airport and help him unpack to make sure he stays out of Chicago. Who could replace him? Anybody without a throbbing ego, but Mike Tice is a good in-house option too.

Hanie's second half was better, not much better, but still better. It couldn't get much worse so let me wrap up Hanie's first half with this 7-15 for 72 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions for a QB rating of -- are you ready? 43.6.

Da Bears lost the special teams battle. Da Bears got out-Bear'd, again. Gould and Podlesh were good. Knox's kick-returns were good (he had enough chances). But Oakland's punt coverage along with Janikowski and Lechler were downright outstanding.

Dynamic Devin Hester became Humbled Hester after he returned two punts for a total of seven yards.
Janikowski went 6-6 in field goal attempts hitting them from 40, 47, 42, 19, 37, and 44. Recap: that's four FG good from 40 or beyond. Polish stud.

Lechler averaged 49.2 net yards per punt. He booted an 80 yard BOMB sending Hester into a Willie Mays style turn and sprint, only he didn't have a chance at catching the ball. It went into the end-zone for a touchback and he still netted 60 yards. Coolest. Punt. Ever. Lechler had himself a day pinning Da Bears back deep with directional punts, as well.

Da Bears average starting field position was their own 20. The Raiders average starting field position was their own 40. Just Da Bears being out-Bear'd. Tough to win a road game with an inexperienced QB like that.

The defense did a nice job holding Oakland to all those field goals given their average starting field position, especially when they held the Raiders to a FG when they started at the Chicago six yard line after the Martz/Hanie mishap.

Raiders RB Michael Bush has been shredding NFL defenses since McFadden went down with an injury, but not Sunday. He was held to a meager 69 yards on 24 touches. So that's a plus. He wouldn't be denied the goal line from three yards out or on fourth and one, though. Minuses.

Da Bears learned a few things about themselves along the way:

Conte still likes to take bad angles to the ball and uncontrollably over-run a play.
When Peppers is being neutralized with chip blocks and double teams, nobody else on the front four can step up -- where was that first half pass rush in the second half?

Meriwether CAN make a football play that doesn't involve launching himself as a human torpedo.

Tillman is NOT a pro-bowl cornerback.

Jennings is tough, but he's susceptible to the double-move.

Major Wright is progressing nicely as an NFL safety.

The Raiders had three third down conversions. They all came on that last 74 yard drive for a touchdown. The defense was good, but you have to play all 60 minutes to be great.

You can't win games as Da Bears if you keep getting out-Bear'd.

Tune in to Chicago Sports Fix with Josh Catlow and me, Rob Zielinski, this and every Monday from 6 to 8pm only on Chicagoland Sports Radio.

Share your thoughts with us by calling 312.564.7375 during show hours or email us at chicagosportsfix@gmail.com.

Adam Oestmann, Managing Editor for Chicago Bears Huddle, will be joining us in the first hour.

The Daily Herald's Barry Rozner, who also hosts WSCR 670-AMThe Score's venerable baseball program Hit & Run, will be joining us any Monday now to TALK MORE HOCKEY!

Follow me on Twitter: @robzielinski

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