Things are not good for the Chicago Bears. And that means things are not good at Bear Down 2007 HQ.
We’re considering laying off a few members of our staff, and that’s not good for anybody with the holiday season approaching. But our readership has shrunk with the Bears losing (hint: refer a friend today!). And I can’t say I blame them; who wants to read about a loser? And no, Cub fans are not the audience we’re trying to attract, but thanks.
Being winless in Seattle since 1976 is tough. Playing in a stadium where we’ve never won is tough. Facing a team we’d already beaten twice in the last fourteen months is tough. Going to the West Coast for a second week in a row is tough. Facing an opponent who represented the NFC in the Super Bowl two years ago is tough. A match-up against a team who we kept from returning to the SB last year (an OT loss in Chicago in an NFC Divisional Playoff) is tough. And anytime you play a Mike Homegrown team that’s won three of their last four, it’s tough. Add all that to the fact that Seattle is about as good a 5 – 4 team as you’ll face, the Bears weren’t expected to compete Sunday, let alone win. But you gotta beat the team in front of you if you want to make the playoffs. And we just can’t seem to find ways to do that. So we blew yet another opportunity to gain ground in a weak NFC conference by losing a game we should have lost, but could just as easily have won. Though we’ve only lost twice in a row once this year, we have yet to WIN twice in a row. And since getting back to .500 with a week-two win, this was the fourth game this season where a win would have gotten us back to .500, and the fourth time we’ve lost in that scenario. And that smells like 8 – 8 (at best) to me. We started well. Garrett “when are we gonna see more of this guy?” Wolfe returned the opening kickoff to the 50 yard line, and Cedric “I’m good for one big play a season” Benson carried on his first touch of the game for a 43-yard TD (by far his best play of the season, so you do the math). It was the first time we scored on our opening drive since our opening game – last year. And after Seattle missed a FG, Bear’s leading scorer Robbie Gould hit one, putting us up 10 – 0 six minutes into the game. But even though we talk a lot about how we’re a team that plays better with the lead, that was just one more thing we didn’t do well Sunday. Our defense played fairly well, considering the Seahawk passing game is as potent as a boy with no hands going through puberty. Urlacher was all over the place; I’m surprised he only wound up with eight tackles. And even though we got outscored 30 – 10 in the last 54 minutes, our defense kept us in it until late in the fourth quarter. But the 30 points is a problem. That’s not going to get you a W, especially with an offense that changes QB’s as often as Hillary Clinton changes her mind.
Speaking of Rex, he didn’t play poorly. But he didn’t really do anything particularly well either (24 – 37, 266 yards, no TD’s, no INT’s). With the ball on our twenty, down seven with eight minutes to play, he was given a chance to lead us down the field and tie the game. This was probably the exact situation he and his agent were hoping for, as Rex auditions for a job with either the Bears or another team next year. He completed two huge passes (a 22-yard diving catch by Muhsin Muhammed, and a 23-yard one-handed grab by Bernard Berrian), giving us a first down in Seattle territory. But then he probably lost a good chunk of change in any future contract by making another rookie mistake with the game on the line. While strolling around the pocket like he was out looking for butterflies rather than being chased by 300-pound linemen, he was (surprise) chopped from behind while (surprise) carrying the ball with one hand and (surprise) fumbled. Five plays later Seattle kicked a FG, putting us down two scores with three and a half minutes left. Rex then went 5 of 10, getting only two first downs and getting sacked twice on two possessions, the latter of which lead to a meaningless FG with time running out.
So in all, it wasn’t just a 10 point loss; it was much bigger than that. For what seems like the tenth time this year, we blew a chance at reviving our season by merely winning. Call it Rex (two TD’s in five games), call it Benson (only 26 yards after his first two carries), call it our O-line (five sacks allowed and four False Starts, two on Fred Miller who got smoked more than a pipe at a Grateful Dead show for people with glaucoma), call it the play-calling, or call it Seattle’s Patrick Kerney (with 3 sacks, it looked like he had the hots for Sexy Rexy – he was on him like a drunk Sorority pledge). Either way, we are not playing with a sense of urgency, and we are just not playing like a good team. So we are going to lose and we are going to have to deal with it. But the good news is the playoff race is surprisingly still open. Let’s take a look at how it all breaks down.
Playoff Break Down
Four division winners make it. Right now, that would be: Green Bay (9 – 1), Dallas (9 – 1), Tampa Bay (6 – 4), Seattle (6 – 4).
And then two wild card teams make it. As of Sunday night, that is: NY Giants (7 – 3), Detroit (6 – 4).
With neither Atlanta, St. Louis or San Francisco having more than three wins, these seven NFC teams will duke it out in an effort to catch NY and/or Detroit for the wild card: (5 – 5) Washington, Philadelphia, Arizona; (4 – 6) Chicago, Minnesota, Carolina, New Orleans.
Since Green Bay is out of reach for the division title, and discounting the fact that we cannot win games ourselves, our only hope is to play Musical Chairs and win a wild card spot. To do that, we need to catch eight of the nine teams above. We are within a game of six of them, and we play four (Giants, Redskins, Vikings and Saints). So to an extent we do control our own destiny. But a lot of those teams play each other. And while other teams can give us a push into the post season, they can also force us out. So we’re definitely going to need some help. But the idea to focus on here is that there is still a chance.
With all bye weeks over, every team has played ten games and has six left. So there are still plenty of NFC wins and losses to go around: 96 to be exact (48 wins and 48 losses). So of course it’s still too early to tell, and anything is possible. But if we can pick up a few of those wins, and the ball bounces our way in a couple Giant games, or Detroit loses a few (they face the Pack twice, Cowboys and Chargers), we could still squeak in. But it all starts with us winning, and until we can do that, it seems a waste of blog space to even discuss it.
And lastly, but not leastly…
Happy Birthday, Mom! I’m sorry we couldn’t pull one out for you on your birthday this year. But with the Cubbies being swept in the post season, I guess you can’t be too greedy this time of the year.
© 2007
Bear Down Baffa 
Mon, Nov 19, 2007 at 6:46 am |
The playoffs are done, has this team done anything to make any rational person believe they can win 6 in a row? It is all on the defense, over 400 yards of total offense – nice.
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Mon, Nov 19, 2007 at 5:58 pm |
I’m actually kind of happy that we won’t make the playoffs this year for 1 main reason: whoever makes it to the Supa Bowl is going to get their asses handed to them by the Patriots. Watching the Pats is like watching a ballet (does that make me gay??) the whole team is a finely tuned scoring machine. They are monsters on both sides of the ball and have an unwilting desire to destroy anyone who comes in their way. Its actually scary to think about this year’s Bears team playing them. What would the final be? 63 to negative 6? Unless Ditka was playing of course.
Making the Supa Bowl doesn’t make you the best team, winning it does. Last year was great but the disappointing end and the fact that we basically expected to lose to Indy was hard enough let alone unleashing New England hell against this year’s Bears that doesn’t even come close to last year’s talent/fire/desire. This year has been a let down and granted we’ve had some key injuries, we just don’t belong to be playing with the big boys in the playoffs and especially the Bowl.
I’ve written this year off as a wash but I do have to say that this year, the football team from Urbana-Champaign has given me hope that a bad team can flip things around in a hurry. Jerry Angelo needs to get us a QB worthy of the Bear logo and bring us home a Lombardi trophy next year. I’ll still be watching them with hope but more like a hope that Santa Claus is real and I’m finally getting a pony for X-mas.
Just my 2 cents,
Razy
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Mon, Nov 19, 2007 at 7:59 pm |
razy,
thanks for reading. and as always, thanks for your 2 dollars worth 😉 as you know, our staff always encourages our readers’ feedback and input. and you are a consummate fan, so we always look forward to yours.
now, i’m not quite sure what you’re talking about. this year is certainly not over. we are totally still in this thing. and what are you worrying about who we’re going to play in the Supa Bowl for? it’s completely out of our control, and there is no way of knowing until the day that game is played. let’s focus on winning one game at a time for now.
besides, NE can get hurt. i’d be surprised if they don’t. even so, you don’t really know how it will go down til you get there. remember early last year when nobody this side of common sense thought the bears could lose? and look at us now. the game grows and shifts and evolves, kinda like inflation. and like the economy, you have to keep in it to keep up. something will catch up with NE eventually. it’s only a matter of time in the NFL.
so get your head out of your butt and make some plans to bear down this weekend. it may be one of our last wins of the year, but we won’t lose this one. doh, did i just make my first prediction of the year…?
bear down, bitch!
bdb editor
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Tue, Nov 20, 2007 at 2:29 am |
I don’t know what to say, a disappointing year no doubt. In order to make myself feel better I am going to blame it on the injuries and our letting go of Thomas Jones. At this point in the season, while I would love to see a miracle march to the playoffs, it may be best to tank it the rest of the way and get a top draft pick, one that will make an immediate impact. A quarterback is what my heart tells me, but my brain says we will focus on either a standout defensive guy or a much needed O lineman to replace one of our geriatiric has-been. Considering we were the runner up last year, I didn’t think we drafted that poorly, I like Greg Olsen, but after that I haven’t seen anyone stand out. Garrett Wolfe has been a disappointment to me, but then again so is our #4 picked RB. We keep saying we are a running team, but don’t have the back or as the season wears on, it is becoming apparent that we don’t have the line to bust any kind of hole open. Our defense has been giving up more big plays than anyone else in football. If you take those away they are not that bad, unfortunately they are the reason we are where we are. Is our defense getting old?, overworked?, or do we miss Ron Rivera more than we thought? I could go on and on about my speculations and frustrations, but I guess what hits me in the balls the hardest, is starting last Feburary when I finally conceded that we were no going to come back and beat the Colts, that NEXT YEAR WOULD BE THE YEAR! That became my mantra and was always a bright spot for me anytime a worry about everyday life would come about. Our Bears tasted defeat two years ago in the playoffs against Carolina and the next year came out on a mission and road it all the way to the super bowl, and I thought it would happen similarly this year, but hell no. The Bears have shit the bed this year and someone has to be held accountable. You can’t have almost the same personnel as the year before and not even finish above .500. Enough said……………….when is the draft and what day does training camp start for the 2008 season begin.
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Tue, Nov 20, 2007 at 6:50 pm |
hey cuz,
i always enjoy hearing from our readers across state lines. and i would thank you for reading, but i know it would take nothing short of prison bars to keep you from the blog 🙂
i hear what you are saying and i feel your pain (and i mean both, even if they’re both cliches). but that’s week 16 or 17 talk. the season is only 62.5% over. and we all know the Bears are better than they are playing, and none of us would be suprised if the next winning streak started sunday and we won out. this team has the highest upside of any team short of the top 5.
so don’t count us out just yet. at the very least, don’t start talking like that. you open your mouth and all i hear is, “i’m not quite sure how to say this, but you better sit down.” and we all know that that is typically followed up with the name of either someone who died, or an uncurable ailment. and that’s exactly how it makes me feel. it’s poison, tell ya, and it’s contageous. so knock if off, right now!
perhaps i’m in denial. in fact, i’ll go as far as admit that i am. and perhaps i’m drinking the orange kool-aid because i write a blog touting the Bears orgasmic-ness, but i just can’t count us out yet. so you shouldn’t either.
always remember – keep your chin up, and your Bears down!
bdb editor
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