Bear Down Baffa

Just about every game in the NFL is a must-win, and this game was no different.  Going on the road facing a back-up QB, this would be a great chance to steal a W, and a really bad scenario if we lost.  And after being down 13-0 only 18 minutes into the game, and going down again by 2 with 5 mins to play after a Cutler fumble, we came back and won on a Cutler-led, 6 play, 86 yard scoring drive – on which he was 3 for 3 for 48 yards including the game-winning TD pass.  With the win, the Bears advance to 2-1 for the first time since ’06 (the year we won the SB), and only the second time since ’02.  And we scored our first NFC win.  All we need now is our first division win, which could come next week when we host Detroit before heading into our bye week. 

This is a new team, the likes of which we’ve never seen.  They have a new confidence, and a new capability to back it up.  This is what it looks like to have an offense AND a defense.  I’m sure most of us have either never seen it before, or we’ve forgotten what it looks like.  It’s gotten to where we didn’t even think it was possible.  That’s because for the last two decades, the Bears have been going out there with what Ben Stiller would call an un-loaded weapon.  But now it’s fully loaded, and it’s a Barrett M107 .50 Caliber sniper rifle.  Yes, this is a new team, and this is just the beginning.  This new Bear offense will deliver games for us, even if we forget to expect them to. 

I’m not saying the defense didn’t also come through in a big way.  They certainly did, putting together yet another solid effort sans Urlacher.  And sans his back-up.  Nick Roach filled in for the injured Hillenmeyer and handled play-calling late, while also contributing two huge plays on two huge plays.  With Lovie calling the ball, he’s got us playing some of our greatest hits from the 80’s.  It’s what we in Chicago like to call “aggressive blitzing.”  We harassed Seattle’s QB Seneca Wallace like a team of government agents going after a David Koresh type cult that also smuggled cigarettes, firearms and illegal aliens.  He was constantly under pressure, to the tune of 26-44 (59.1%) and an Orton-esque 74.1 QBR.  And the result was another two missed FG’s, as Seattle had to attempt 6 from an avg of 40 yards because our D kept them out of the end zone for the final 50 minutes of the game. 

Seattle WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, who shot his mouth off about our D this week, was subsequently kept under wraps, and out of the end zone.  He had 4 catches for 35 yards, his longest being only 14.  And he had a crucial fumble on Seattle’s first possession of the second half, a turn-over that led to the Bears second TD and our first lead of the game.

The Cutler Supremacy
Jay Cutler Supreme was a stellar 21-27 (that’s 77.8%, folks), for 247 yds, 3 TD’s, 1 INT and a QBR of 126.4.  That’s 2 games in a row he’s over 70% in completions.  And that moves his 3 game QBR, which includes that opening day monstrosity, to an 86.  Those are not your typical Bears numbers.  They may be above average even for Cutler, but this would have been a career day for any of the last 20 QB’s to wear a Bear uniform.  Sure there are higher expectations for Cutler, but the more he plays, the more he’ll meet them.  And the more he’ll exceed them. 

But Who’s He Gonna Throw To?
All the naysayers said Jay the Butler Cutler didn’t have anybody to throw the ball to.  Oh, yeah?  Well neither did Denver before Cutler got there.  He turned a few no-names into NFL Receivers there.  And he’ll do the same in Chicago, as we’re already seeing start to happen:

• “Seven” Hester already has 13 receptions for 187 yds and 2 TD’s.  And he took a huge step forward today in making a great catch in a clutch situation, and doing what he’s paid to do when he has the ball in his hands – put 7 points on the board.   
• Wearing lucky #13, Johnny Knox(ville) is making every team that didn’t draft him before we did in the 5^th round look like a “Jackass.”  He’s returning kicks, and with 9 catches for 159 yards and 2 TD’s, he’s already surpassed 99.9% of people’s expectations this year. 
• Cutler’s buddy from Vandy, Earl Bennett, is finally explaining why we drafted him last year.  With 13 catches for 168 yards, he is quietly having a solid start to his Sophomore season, and becoming a reliable option. 
• And Greg Olsen, who has 9 catches for 93 yds, is squeezing the ball with both hands on every reception now.  Remember the 2 fumbles early last year?  Hasn’t happened since.  And he’s made some difficult catches and taken some shots already this year.  That kid is turning into something special.  And Cutler will only help him achieve his potential sooner. 

I think the question has been answered.  Now the question is, can this kid and this team be stopped?

15-1, here we come!

Super Bowl, Super Bears!

© 2009

This entry was posted on Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 7:44 am and is filed under l) 2009 Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.