Friday, Dec. 30
George Knue at 4:25 p.m.
Miguel Tejada thinking: So this morning, we get to hear this from Miguel Tejada: “Next year, I want to be somewhere where they want to win.”
Yeah, don’t they all? And those big contracts have nothing to do with it, do they? But here’s our question. If it’s all about wanting to win, why is he in Baltimore anyway? The Orioles haven’t had a winning season since going 98-64 in 1997, Tejada’s rookie season with Oakland. But the Orioles were Tejada’s choice, though he reportedly was being courted by Seattle and Detroit and perhaps could have worked something out with Oakland, which had just had five winning seasons and four postseason trips with Tejada at short.
Maybe getting a $72 million, 6-year contract had something to do with it.
OK, maybe Tejada truly believed the Orioles were going to turn into something magical. And by all we’ve read, including today’s story in the Tribune by Dave Van Dyck, Tejada does sound like a guy who values winning – or, as one reporter said in Van Dyck’s piece, “?he’s one of those guys who is all about winning.”
And there can be little doubt that the guy is a big-time, big-league shortstop.
But it just sounds like Tejada is also one of those guys who is all about himself — sort of like that other guy who used to hang around here and ended up in Orioles orange. So he takes Baltimore’s bucks and then he starts questioning the team’s commitment to winning. Instead sticking around and helping this team win, he’s worried about finding himself a new team — after he got the big deal that took him to the losing franchise in the first place. And may have hamstrung that team’s ability to win. And will stay with him when he carries his bat and glove someplace else.
Haven’t we been here before? And haven’t the White Sox shown that that is not necessarily the way to go? Here’s one vote for no deal on any Tejada trade. Rather have the pitching anyway.
Monday, Dec. 26
Rahula Strohl at 4:19 p.m.
Bears post-game on the air: Not much since ESPN is showing us the Motor City Bowl. But Comcast’s afternoon “Bears Blitz” took note of something I thought was pretty cool. When Brad Maynard’s fourth-quarter pooch punt was too short for the coverage, Packers punt returner Antonio Chatman returned it 85 yards for the touchdown. But it wasn’t for lack of effort. Maynard sprinted step-for-step with Chatman up the field, forcing a Packers blocker to stick with him the whole way.
When I saw that yesterday, I was immediately reminded of the Giants’ Jeff Feagles against Minnesota earlier this season. Feagles was the last line of defense on what eventually became a Vikings punt return for a touchdown. Rather than doing anything that would be considered a tackle, Feagles simply stepped out of the way. Not Maynard.
The media crowd gathered around special teams coordinator Dave Toub either yesterday or today (it wasn’t clear from the show when it was) and asked him about Maynard’s extra effort. “Brad can run,” Toub said. “I think he ran a 4.2 [40-yard dash] at the [NFL Scouting] Combine—Well, 4.3, Chatman ran a 4.2, ’cause he beat Brad.”
Rahula Strohl at 3:55 p.m.
Bears post-game on the Web: Some folks, notably Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, didn’t mention Rex Grossman’s appearance against the Falcons. Well, King noticed Grossman this week, moving the Bears up a couple spots to No. 7 on his top 15 teams, saying that they’re clearly a different team. The Bears are also back to the No. 2 NFC team in King’s opinion.
On his “10 things I think I think” section, Grossman is among the things he thinks he likes about Week 16. Says King: Rex Grossman may not put up starry numbers, but he’s the difference-maker with Chicago right now. Chicago-at-Seattle is now not just a JV game to the AFC Championship Game, if that’s what the NFC yields.
On a non-football note, he mentions that the salaries of top six players in the Yankees’ projected lineup for next season make more than the White Sox’s roster, manager, coaching staff and general manager combined. This is not the first time he’s mentioned the White Sox in his column. Not sure if he does it because they won the World Series or if he’s a White Sox fan, but they seem to be the first baseball team on his lips.
The Bears crack the top five of the Daily Quickie‘s rankings and get mentioned as “First in the Q” for sewing up the title and the bye. Furthermore, the column mentions more than once that the Seahawks are fortunate not to have to go through Chicago in the playoffs.
Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline grades each game, giving the Bears a “B.” That’s all fine, but I’ve noticed something out of him that’s part of a trend among national sports pundits that I don’t like. He credits teams for “not giving up” and “showing some fight.” This is not cause for praise. “Way not to mail it in.” These are probably the same folks who thought up the idea of having graduation ceremonies for eighth grade. How low is the bar set these days?
Rahula Strohl at 1:59 p.m.
In the papers: Rex Grossman’s numbers on Sunday were not special. In fact, they were Orton-esque, with a 68.4 passer rating, going 11-23 for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But, as a few of the Chicago sports pundits point out, those numbers are very misleading.
Take into account, as the Sun-Times’ Jay Mariotti and Northwest Herald’s Nick Hut do, that the Packers pushed the defense up the field on the opening possession before making a questionable decision to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Bears’ 32. With the Bears’ defense looking human, Grossman went deep on first down and missed, then completed his next five passes for 65 of the 68 yards the Bears traveled for the touchdown, including the touchdown pass.
Mariotti appears to be in the same camp I am when it comes to Grossman. He says that Grossman “is a real quarterback whose only drawback has been fluky injuries.” Hut supports that statement in a story showing that Grossman’s impact is more than just on the field. For some unbiased flavor, the Daily Herald has a piece on the Packers talking about the difference between facing the Bears with Orton at the helm three weeks ago and with Grossman yesterday.
The rest of the local writing was focused on the division title. The Sun-Times’ Mike Mulligan writes about the Bears wanting yesterday to represent a passing of the torch. The Packers have been sitting atop the division for the better part of the past decade, and Mulligan says it was clear from the locker room comments that the Bears aren’t thinking short-term.
The Daily Southtown’s Phil Arvia writes along the same lines. There was no champagne spraying, Arvia writes, no music blaring. Arvia quotes Mike Brown in the clearest statement of purpose issued by anyone in the locker room: “This isn’t the No. 1 goal, brother. This is just one stop along the way.”
If they get to their final goal, writes the Daily Herald’s Kent McDill, it will be the first time ever that Chicago has had two major-sport champions within a year of each other.
Friday, Dec. 23
George Knue at 4:20 p.m.
The new Shuffle? Remember last month when RedEye re-did the Super Bowl Shuffle by applying it to this group of Bears?
When we invited you to do your own writing, we got some flak, a lot of it suggesting that that was then and this is now and couldn’t we just let this Bears team have its own personality and yadda yadda yadda.
Well, a songwriter named Brad Turner did his own thing about this year’s Bears and it sure sounds like 2005 more than 1985. Brad, who goes by the name “Big Hit Buda,” e-mailed about a song he had done called “We Da Bears,” which he has available for a free download here.
Being as we’re Internet guys, we couldn’t resist ?- and you want to know something, this song kicks some serious butt, at least in the opinion of one guy who is far from being part of the hip-hop generation. And the chorus is the kind that’ll keep playing in your head long after you’ve turned the music off: “We da Bears, Monsters of the Midway, knocking teams out every Sunday.”
It’s been replayed on our machine about six times already and we’re not going home anytime soon, so it’ll hit double figures. Good thing no one else is in the office today.
Hey, Big Hit Buda, thumbs up from ChicagoSports.com.
Plus, for you Illinois basketball fans, there’s an Illini tune for download there too.
Ryan Jaster at 10:48 a.m.
Everybody wants a superstar: Just a year after jettisoning their unhappy ex-MVP surrounded by steroid rumors, the Cubs apparently are in the market for another one. First, the Tribune’s Phil Rogers floated the idea of trading Carlos Zambrano, Corey Patterson and Ronny Cedeno for Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada on Dec. 12. Then, Rogers sweetened the deal by replacing Patterson and Cedeno with Neifi Perez, a productive and reliable backup, and Felix Pie, the Cubs’ supposed right fielder of the future, in a Dec. 22 column criticizing the acquisition of Jacque Jones. Now, Paul Sullivan reports the Cubs are dangling Mark Prior for Tejada.
Do the Cubs need another bat? Probably, but lineup cards with Sosa-McGriff-Alou and Sosa-Alou-Lee-Ramirez-Garciaparra were never brought to the plate in a World Series game in recent years. Maybe the Cubs should try to win games with pitching, defense, smart base running, squeeze plays and a hit-and-run or two. Let the homers be timely with men on base instead of solo shot after solo shot because the other “bats” struck out swinging for the fences or swinging at the first pitch and hitting into a double play.
The White Sox won without a .300 hitter, with only one player who knocked in 100 runs, and two with more than 30 homers. They also won without a superstar ego.
Right now, the Cubs have a core of not just good players on the field, but good players in the clubhouse. Just two years after the Orioles signed him to a $72 million, six-year deal, Tejada wants out. How long will it take for him to get uncomfortable with the burden of 98 years of losing? The fact that Rafael Palmeiro chose to name names and bring Tejada into the steroid discussion only complicates matters.
Under no circumstances should Zambrano be traded. He’s not only the Cubs’ workhorse, but the true ace of the team. Sure, Prior and Kerry Wood get all of the headlines, but Zambrano has been the most consistent pitcher on the staff, not to mention the healthiest. Prior is another story. Supposedly, his mechanics were going to help him avoid the arm trouble that has plagued Wood, but that hasn’t been the case so far. But we’ve seen what Prior can do when he’s on, and unless the Cubs know something that will keep him from reaching that level again, it’s probably worth having him stick around.
You’ve heard it before — pitching wins championships. The White Sox had it. Look at what they did in the ALCS — four complete games and almost a fifth. Complete domination. Prior, Wood, Zambrano and even Greg Maddux have the ability to put it together like that every time they take the mound. If the Cubs can get to the playoffs — a big if — they’ve got a shot.
Will it happen? Maybe, maybe not. But it definitely won’t, if Prior is wearing orange and black next year.
Monday, Dec. 19
Rahula Strohl at 4:59 p.m.
Bears post-game on the air: Sean Salisbury and Tom Jackson went broader scale in awarding their coaching moves of the week, Jackson going with the defensive coordinator of the Chargers and Salisbury going with Marvin Lewis instilling a winning attitude in Cincinnati, which clinched the AFC North yesterday. Jackson and Salisbury might have been flipped there, I forget, it was this morning.
Around the Horn had a “Buy or Sell” item on the Bears, whether Rex Grossman makes them a Super Bowl contender. Michael Vick apologist Woody Paige said no, that the Bears only won because of the cold weather, and going somewhere warmer will harm them. Like, say, Tampa? Bob Ryan was a little more clever, saying that if you “give a starving man a crust of bread, he thinks it’s filet mignon,” quoting Grossman’s unspectacular passer rating. Chicago football fans have indeed been starving at the quarterback position for, say, half a century?
Jay Mariotti then laid some knowledge on Paige and Ryan, saying the Bears are looking good for a bye week, and 49 of the past 60 bye week teams have advanced to the conference title game. Making the title game makes one a contender, Mariotti said. Tim Cowlishaw agreed, wondering what Trent Dilfer’s passer rating was in 2000. He then listed the Bears’ points allowed at home in their past six games, most recent first: 3, 7, 3, 9, 6, 3. The other two games were 24 and 6, so it appears that as long as the Bears don’t play the Bengals and throw five picks in the NFC playoffs (not likely), they’ll do okay at home. Also, those three-point games were against the Falcons, Panthers and Vikings.
On Pardon the Interruption, Tony Kornheiser said that it seemed like the whole city came to life when Grossman came out on the field. Chicago native Michael Wilbon said, “I came to life in my house, and I’m not a Grossman guy.” Kornheiser responded, “There must have been some magic in that old [silk] hat they found!”
Wilbon, who has in the past criticized Grossman’s height (listed at 6-foot-1, probably closer to 6-0) and his University of Florida pedigree, voiced concern over whether Grossman is durable enough. Ask Grossman (and his apologists, like me) and he’ll say that it was just a string of bad luck. The Chicago sports fan jury is still out.
Rahula Strohl at 4:26 p.m.
Bears post-game on the Web: The Bears stay in Peter King’s top 10, though only just at No. 10. His comment: Got Chapstick? Don’t need it, Peter, I grew up in this.
King doesn’t mention Rex Grossman at all, instead wondering if the Bears can win in January with their offense. Wonder if he fell asleep before halftime. After all, it was after 10 p.m. EST. Among the things about Week 15 King thinks he liked was Lovie Smith. Says King: “This is the kind of guy, the kind of straight-line guy, who I’d like to run my business.” I guess Jerry Angelo agrees.
King also references Adrian Peterson as one of the reasons guys like Shaun Alexander and Edgerrin James can’t get paid. Who do you want? A $7 million man who you don’t want getting injured so you just play him on offense or a late draft pick who can plug into a system, run for a buck twenty, make the league minimum and then go back the next week to making key special teams plays?
Finally, King makes me glad to know I’m not the only one who likes peeling away Heineken labels.
ESPN.com’s Dan Shanoff has a nice little letter from the Bears’ front office to Kyle Orton in the “Daily Quickie:”
Hey, kid, thanks for all your hard work. We know you led the team to an improbable 9-4 start, but after your typical first half (2/10, 12 yards), it was time to get into playoff mode, yank you and put Rex Grossman into the game. … See Rex’s 96 yards? The 9-for-16 completion rate? Those scoring drives? That’s called “spark,” and with two games left in the regular season for Grossman to work the kinks out, we can be the team to beat in the NFC. But thanks for the effort!
On Page 2’s four-man panel, Scoop Jackson does his hometown Windy City proud, bleeding orange and blue in several of his quick-hit answers.
Rahula Strohl at 2:09 p.m.
In the papers: The Chicago sports pundits for the most part made today an ode to an NFL quarterback with a nod of thanks to a rookie for not blowing it.
Rex Grossman’s return has clearly excited the writing public, as we are pretty sick of the quarterback play since Sept. 26, 2004. And to think, Kyle Orton’s 13½ games were a significant step up from the quarterbacking we watched last year for 13 games plus four downs. Remember, it’s worse for us because we can’t change the channel. We have to watch the whole bleedin’ game.
Our own Rick Morrissey and Mike Downey both examine the relief of watching a quarterback who can make a difference. Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald comments on the professional—and even friendly—relationship between Grossman and Orton. Rozner echoes comments made by the ESPN announcers last night that Orton ostensibly saved Jerry Angelo’s job by playing passably and not exposing the need for a veteran backup. I always thought Jeff Blake was a veteran and the Bears’ backup, they just elected not to go with him as long as the team was winning.
Nick Hut of the Northwest Herald says that now that Bears fans don’t have to watch him play, they should be thanking Orton for being a caretaker. Hut says that Orton only really lost one game for the Bears, when he threw five picks against Cincinnati. But as for the other three losses, Hut says, “Orton did little to help in those games. But if you do not want to credit him for most of the wins, you should not jump on him for most of the losses.” Agreed.
When a team is playing poorly, off-the-field features reign supreme. Just see one year ago when Brian Urlacher was called overrated. But since the Bears have been winning, lost in the mix is the story of a 25-year-old who’s struggled with injuries and has spent the better part of two seasons just itching to get back on the field. Phil Arvia of the Daily Southtown talks about the ovation Grossman received last night when he took the field, and how Grossman could barely contain himself when asked about the ovation. He told the post-game press assembly that he was still convinced he was going to wake up.
It is for the unbridled joy like that that I’ve been a Grossman fan all along. He is a good football player, he loves playing and he loves talking about playing. Ever since watching his poise and moxie in his rookie debut against Minnesota, I’ve been in Grossman’s corner. That said, the second game of Grossman’s season this year is at Green Bay and the third is at Minnesota. Sound familiar? Hold your breath Bears fans. I’m sure you’re used to it by now.
On that note, the quote of the day belongs to Grossman, quoted by the Sun-Times’ Jay Mariotti. Regarding the ol’ “throw a pick then force a fumble and recover it at the 1-yard line” play the Bears ran in the third quarter, Grossman said, “I wish I could have that interception back, but it turned out to be a 7½-yard play. I was lucky. But I feel I deserve a little luck.”
Mariotti also mentions the punishing defense, which deserves at least a paragraph for the internal organ rearrangement it offered the Falcons’ offense. Greg Couch of the Sun-Times is the only columnist to devote all of his space to the defense. And to echo Couch’s sentiment, they’re back. Pittsburgh was a fluke.
Finally, a non-Bears game note that Ron Rapoport points out in the Sun-Times today and that my colleague Adam Caldarelli pointed out to me last night. I know the Vikings are in the Bears’ division, but who out there wanted to watch the Vikings lose to the Steelers more than the Colts-Chargers game? Anyone? Bueller?
Thursday, Dec. 15
George Knue at 2:37 p.m.
All-time Bears: The Tribune’s Fred Mitchell had an item today in which he picked his all-time Bears’ team. Which led to all kinds of thoughts:
• Isn’t it amazing that Sid Luckman, whose last season was 1950, is still the best quarterback in the history of the franchise? And that the next-best choice is probably Jim McMahon, who did have many moments of glory here but still isn’t real high in the NFL quarterbacking pantheon. What’s with this team and quarterbacks?
• Come on, Fred, Muhsin Muhammad is the wide receiver? Nothing against Moose, but he hasn’t even been with the team a full season. Marty Booker, who has the two biggest seasons for any Bear receiver ever, would be a better choice, and what about Hall of Famer Bill Hewitt or Harlon Hill? I’d go with Johnny Morris, who has the most career receiving yardage and is second all-time (behind Walter Payton) in total catches.
• I loved Gale Sayers when I was a kid, but how can you have Red Grange on the team as a defensive back? Red should in the backfield – and Gallopin’ Gale, who truly could take your breath away whenever he touched the ball, can still carry the mail as a kickoff returner. Adam immediately attacked me on that one, and he may be right. But heck – it’s Red Grange.
• Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Bill George, George Connor, Clyde “Bulldog” Turner, Joe Fortunato, Larry Morris, Doug Buffone, Otis Wilson, Wilber Marshall, Brian Urlacher—has this team had linebackers or what?
Management styles: A study in contrasts: Tuesday, Lovie Smith cut Bobby Wade because Bobby wasn’t cutting it as a punt returner. Said Lovie, speaking words of accountability that have to ring true for any fan: “If a player can help us win, he’ll be around. If a player shows us that we need to go in another direction, we’ll do that.”
Wednesday, Cubs GM Jim Hendry said that Corey Patterson, long on potential but short on results, may be back in Cubs’ starting lineup as a right fielder.
You can supply your own cheap shot.
Tuesday, Dec. 13
George Knue at 1:31 p.m.
Illinois plays in Peoria: The Peoria Connection is still working for the Illinois men’s basketball team. The Peoria Journal Star and the Champaign News-Gazette both reported Tuesday that Peoria Richwoods junior Bill Cole will attend Illinois after he graduates in 2007.
The 6-9, 200-pound Cole is coach Bruce Weber’s second recruit for the 2007-08 season; the other is highly-touted Indianapolis guard Eric Gordon. Cole, whose father Terry played on Illinois’ Rose Bowl team in 1984, is averaging about 16 points and 10 rebounds a game so far this season.
Still reportedly in the Illini’s sights is Simeon guard Derrick Rose. If he picks Illinois, he’d continue another longstanding tradition–of Simeon players heading to Champaign.
Monday, Dec. 12
Rahula Strohl at 5:31 p.m.
Bears postgame on the air: Not much today. The combination of the Bears loss and the Seahawks’ good old-fashioned passionate [butt]-whuppin’ on the 49ers have pretty much eliminated the Bears from talk of NFC contention for the week. No one seemed sold on the Seahawks to go to the Super Bowl, but no one seemed to be sold on anyone else in the NFC, either.
In the NFC playoff picture, Skip Bayless of “1st and 10” says the Bears will win the division. In fact, he says that the Bears and Vikings will tie on New Years Day and the Bears will get the tiebreaker nod because of their previous win. C’mon, Skip, don’t make me do an entire extra quarter of “Bear with Us” on New Year’s Day.
“Pardon the Interruption” addressed the Bears only as the team being chased by the surging Vikings. Also, today is the 40th anniversary of Gale Sayers scoring six touchdowns at Wrigley Field against San Francisco.
Jay Mariotti was the only guy on “Around the Horn” to mention the Bears, but only to say that they “cannot stop the running game anymore.” While the last two games bear (ha!) that argument out, the previous nine don’t so much. Stay tuned.
Rahula Strohl at 3:53 p.m.
Quote of the day: The award for Most Likely to Have Thought One Thing and Said Another goes to Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward: “[Going up 14-3 is] how you want to start off, especially knowing the Chicago offense was kind of … wasn’t doing all too well.”
Rahula Strohl at 2:54 p.m.
Bears post-game on the Web: After a loss, the Bears slipped away from national attention. No mention of them in ESPN’s “Daily Quickie,” except for having lost to Pittsburgh. The Page 2 panel of four writers is asked “Orton or Grossman?” Two say Orton, one says Grossman, and one cracks a joke I’m not sure I get. Pete Prisco of Sportsline.com grades the Bears a C, much kinder than our John Mullin (see below).
Peter King, who had been raving about the Bears’ defense, used this loss to highlight his postseason concerns for the team. The Bears slip to eighth in his rankings, down from fourth last week. He says the loss in not shocking, but is “disconcerting” because of the Steelers’ 190-yard performance on the ground.
“Jerome Bettis carrying Brian Urlacher” was one of the things he liked about the week, and Lovie Smith accepting a pass interference penalty on fourth down was one of the things he didn’t like. Says King: “Dumb call, because this was a field-position game, and the Steelers would never have gone for it on fourth-and-1 in their own territory against the best defense in football.”
Funny, it being a field position game was the reason Smith gave for accepting the penalty, and Smith said he’d do the same thing again. King: “I know you want to be sure of yourself, coach, but sometimes you’ve got to admit you made a mistake.” Good luck, Peter, the Chicago media hasn’t been able to get Smith to admit to anything in nearly two seasons other than “We really like where we are right now.”
King’s final concern is that he thinks the Bears will need to come from behind in the playoffs and that after Sunday, it’s unclear whether they can do that.
Rahula Strohl at 1:15 p.m.
In the papers: In a complete loss, blame from the Chicago sports pundits fell evenly across the team. Our own John Mullin doled out a report card that spikes with a B- to the receivers for Muhsin Muhammad’s 8-catch, 91-yard day and the spectacular catches by Bernard Berrian and Desmond Clark on the Bears’ touchdown drive. The rest of the card is reminiscent of Dean Wormer reading off Delta Tau Chi‘s midterm grades.
Staying in the Tribune, Mike Downey sings a much different tune today than he did as recently as yesterday. Coming to Orton’s defense earlier in the week, Downey says now is the time to fire up the quarterback controversy.
The Sun-Times’ Jay Mariotti said last week that Orton would not be able to lead the Bears if they fell behind. This week, he enjoys the privilege that is a pundit’s when he is proven to be correct. But he doesn’t gloat himself, he lets Muhsin Muhammad do it for him.
The Sun-Times’ Mike Mulligan and the Northwest Herald’s Nick Hut examine the defense’s inability to tackle. Mike Brown was missing, yes, but the problems started up front, then with the linebackers, and the poor play of the safeties was just icing on the cake.
The Daily Southtown’s Phil Arvia criticizes (as I did yesterday in Bear with Us) Lovie Smith’s decision to accept a pass interference penalty rather than give the Steelers 4th and 1 around midfield. He even throws in a quote from Steelers coach Bill Cowher indicating Cowher had every intention of punting and was delighted for the second chance to convert.
One theme was common to almost all the columns: The Bears losing in Bear weather. Sad to say, this is a defense developed to succeed in a speed-friendly environment, which Bear weather is not. But fret not, Bears fans. That doesn’t mean the defense will struggle at home (since it is, after all, at home). In fact, take comfort. The Bears have had some problems winning in the Metrodome and the Pontiac Silverdome/Ford Field. But not for long. So relax, put this one in the books, and move on to next week, as the Northwest Herald’s Dave Schwartz suggests.
Tuesday, Dec. 6
Adam Caldarelli at 10:30 a.m.
Yikes: Yes, the throwback jersey fad is played out but anytime, for example, the San Diego Chargers can dust off those Lance Alworth powder blues, it’s a good thing. But a little historical accuracy is needed, people. From now on, if an NBA team is going to honor the past, as the Bulls did last night, donning the blue and reds of the old Chicago Stags, they have to ditch the now standard baggy culottes in favor of the original short shorts. In the case of the Bulls, those would have featured a five-inch inseam and a white belt (as seen on Andy Phillip). No, it wouldn’t be pretty. Chuck Taylors, however, are optional.
Meanwhile, the league is cracking down on its new shorter shorts dress code.
Monday, Dec. 5
Rahula Strohl at 4:57 p.m.
Bears post-game on the air: Before I get into the national reaction, let’s enjoy a local media moment last night. On Bears Game Night Live on Channel 5 (NBC for those who don’t know or forgot), host Ryan Baker’s segue from his intro to the show might have put him in some danger. Introducing former Bears offensive lineman Tom Thayer and radio play-by-play man Jeff Joniak, Baker said “From the Cheeseheads to the meatheads. I’m just kidding, guys.”
Thayer’s response: “Yeah you are.”
Read: “If you aren’t, you have an appointment with this meathead in the parking lot in about 20 minutes.”
On to ESPN. SportsCenter referred to Bears defensive back “Charlie Tillman.” Not sure who that is. Their Coors Light “I love twins” song about Week 13 had a line: “I love the leader of the Pack/Lying on his back.” As do all Bears fans. On NFL Primetime, Tom Jackson said, “They win with only 49 [net] yards passing, I can recognize a great defense when I see it and this is a great defense.”
The columnist-yelling-at-each-other shows followed the Orton underperformance issue. Jim Rome said, “They keep winning and Kyle Orton keeps doing less…Managing a game is one thing, being a liability is another.”
None of the Around the Horn panel took the Bears as his No. 1 team in the NFC because of Orton. The segments on both Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption devoted to the Bears were devoted to the preposterous situation of a quarterback controversy amid an eight-game winning streak and a 9-3 record.
But as is the case with Chicago sports teams, the preposterous situation is nevertheless the situation at hand. No one, myself included, thinks that Orton’s job should be secure. But I pose the following to all doubters (including myself, and I don’t know the answer to this question): If the Bears need to make a change at quarterback in order to make a Super Bowl, that implies that they won’t get to the Super Bowl unless they supplant Orton. Who will beat them? Who is so substantially better than the Bears that a quarterback change is necessary?
I’ll think about that this week, and get back to you after the Steelers game.
Rahula Strohl at 2:24 p.m.
On the Web: The Bears are now all over the Web and because of the defense’s dominance (and despite Kyle Orton’s struggles), the believers are lining up.
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King moves the Bears up one spot to No. 4 in the NFL, and they remain his top NFC team. They also get mentioned as a tough opponent to the No. 14 Steelers next week. He refers to the “rugged Bears, who last lost when dinosaurs roamed the earth.” Or October.
King didn’t stop there. The Bears were all over King’s “10 things I think I think.” Charles Tillman’s performance, which included a sack, a pick, a forced fumble and three passes broken up, has gotten “Peanut” penciled in on King’s all-pro team. Another of his quick-hit thoughts is that a Peyton Manning-Kyle Orton Super Bowl is the “strangest thought of all time.” Thomas Jones gets a nod as a “really good football player” among things King thinks he likes and Cedric Benson’s holdout is a thing he thinks he doesn’t like.
The White Sox also make a couple of appearances in King’s column. He calls Brad Johnson’s 5-0 record relieving Daunte Culpepper in Minnesota is the best relief job since El Duque in Game 3 of the ALDS. He also calls the 2:36 time of the Bucs-Saints game “Mark Buehrle time.”
Normally East-Coast loyal Dan Shanoff of the Daily Quickie on ESPN.com identifies the Bears as a frightening playoff opponent. He says it’s time to take Carolina seriously in the NFC (not sure who he was taking seriously before), but “what if the Panthers have to go into Chicago…It’s hard to imagine Carolina or New York or Seattle going into Soldier Field in January and winning.” Also, he ranks his top five coaches in the NFL and Lovie Smith comes in at No. 1.
ESPN.com also has a panel of four writers giving their quick thoughts on the week, and on the subject of the Bears going through the playoffs, two have them going to the NFC title game, one to the Super Bowl (but losing) and one says “as far as opponents’ mistakes take them.” See below for what I think of that.
CBSSportsline.com’s Pete Prisco grades the Bears a B, which is not significantly different from the average grade our own John Mullin gave the Bears.
Rahula Strohl at 11:57 a.m.
In the papers: Reading our in-game comment board yesterday, I found several people equating defensive touchdowns with luck. Anytime the defense either sets the offense up in field-goal range or scores, it’s a win by dumb luck because the offense needs to score for a team to be good. That sentiment is echoed by our own Rick Morrissey, who credits the Bears’ win to “Interceptions. Fumble recoveries. Field goals. The occasional act of God.”
While I do not deny that the Bears’ passing game is putrid (note: passing game, not the entire offense), big defensive plays like Charles Tillman’s 96-yard interception return setting up a field goal or Nathan Vasher’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown are not “acts of God.”
The Bears don’t luck into these returns. Someone said to me last night, “It’s seems like the Bears practice defensive returns.” That’s because they do.
When Lovie Smith came to Chicago promising a “high-risk, high-reward” defense, he went right to work. Every loose ball in scrimmages was considered live. Incomplete pass, fumble, interception, everything. The defense was expected to pick up any loose ball and return it and the offense was expected to stop it.
On incomplete passes, plays were blown dead by the time the return got back to the line of scrimmage. On actual turnovers, however, the return went until the offense stopped it or the defense scored. Have you noticed how the Bears haven’t yielded a defensive touchdown this season? The shoestring tackle Muhsin Muhammad made on a first-quarter interception yesterday was no accident.
Do not associate defensive scores and turnovers on this team with “acts of God.” They are acts of Lovie, Ron Rivera and the cover-2 defense. The passing game, however, is an act of something else entirely, as Jay Mariotti points out.
Until yesterday, I was taking the “Bull Durham” stance. “A player on a winning streak has to respect the streak,” Crash tells Annie. The Bears are winning, I used to say, why complain?
That changed when someone on our comment board countered with the injury factor, and for this team, in this sport, I agree with the win-now attitude of Mariotti. Remember 2002?
At the very least, Orton may improve knowing Rex Grossman is breathing down his neck. Thomas Jones broke out this season knowing the Bears drafted Cedric Benson. Why shouldn’t the Bears try the same with Orton? Let him know Grossman is there to take the reins the next time the ol’ passer rating dips down into Craig Krenzel/Jonathan Quinn territory.
This defense—and the running game, for that matter—should be Shufflin’ to Detroit in February, and the Bears need one of three things for that to happen. Orton needs to improve substantially, Orton needs to be replaced or the Bears need to return to the Wing-T, give the ball to Jones, Adrian Peterson or a fullback on every play and have Orton just call the signals and block.
Ryan Jaster at 10:41 a.m.
Dodging a bullet? Rafael Furcal is a Dodger, but all is not lost. Hailed as the latest Cubs ‘savior’ in a long line of them—Fred McGriff in 2001, Mark Prior in 2002, Nomar Garciaparra in 2004 and the return of injured trifecta Nomar, Kerry Wood and Scott Williamson (?!) in 2005—Furcal might have left Cubs fans as disappointed as they were in those years. Solid leadoff guys are hard to find, but $13 million a year is too much for someone who hit .245 in day games. Mix that with the arrests for DUI and Wrigleyville might not have been the best fit. Having nights off in that neighborhood has done in players before.
It’s not Furcal’s fault he’s overpriced (Paul Konerko will average less per season). When relievers are pulling in record money and the top player in the free-agent market is a starting pitcher with a 49-50 career record, it’s a down year. Sure, A.J. Burnett is a potential star, but Cubs fans know all about living off the potential of pitchers.
Despite all of the focus on Furcal, the Cubs have options. Juan Pierre, who is coming off a down year but is in high demand, and Kenny Lofton, who hit .335 last year at 38 years old, are possible short-term leadoff alternatives. Either also would help solve another problem that has lingered too long—the Corey Patterson era. Consider that Pierre, a career .305 hitter, is only two years older than Patterson (.252 career, .215 last season) before preaching patience.
Neither would generate the hype a Furcal signing would have, but hype has taken the Cubs nowhere. After all, Lofton and Aramis Ramirez in 2003 might be the only acquisitions not dubbed saviors on their way into town (everybody wanted Mike Lowell), and that season ended with a division championship. Sometimes the unsung become the heroes.
Friday, Dec. 2
Adam Caldarelli at 3:34 p.m.
Dissing the Sox: Sox fans, want to read something sure to make you fill out the little comment box at the bottom of the page? Try this bit of misguided, country-fried homerism on for size.
Seems like Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle has a few problems with MLB’s World Series DVD — mainly that it doesn’t focus enough on the losers.
The White Sox swept the Houston Astros in the World Series, didn’t they?
Reading this, one would think the Series went seven games.
And, yes, Bruce, the Sox were indomitable in the playoffs. They lost one game — tying the 1999 New York Yankess for the best postseason record since the expanded format was introduced.
“Chisox, call us back when you’ve played nine extra innings of sudden death baseball,” Westbrook writes. “Until then, get over yourselves.”
Wow. Just a little bitter down there in Houston, are we?
Thursday, Dec. 1
Greg Gugger and Adam Caldarelli at 4:22 p.m.
And da bride wore blue and orange: Getting married and a huge Bears fan? Or just a little nuts? Then House of Brides has the perfect bridal gown for you.
The Bears gown is the work of designer David Gaffke, who also designed a White Sox wedding gown.
That dress was a big hit with female Sox fans and Mayor Daley and team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, both of whom are pictured on House of Bride’s Web site next to a model wearing the Sox gown, which Gaffke said “is very rarely on the mannequin” at the store because everyone wants to try it on.
“It was huge,” Gaffke said about his Sox dress. “It’s been mammoth. And that’s why we thought the Bears gown would be just as good.
“And we haven’t even clinched our division yet.”
You can see the Bears bridal gown just outside the main entrance of Soldier Field before the Packers game Sunday, starting at 10:30 a.m. For those Wisconsin brides to be, there will be a Packers dress, as well. FYI—One of our readers needs to get a fan photo of this for the fan gallery.
Any woman who would be married in the colors of her favorite sports team has to be a keeper.
