Monday, September 13, 2010

On Chicago Bears, Barely Winning, and Unbearable Future ...

Since it looks like the Chicago White Sox are all but dead in the water in their quest to make it to post-season play (and the Cubbies -- haven't even watched them in several weeks), it is time to shift the focus toward football. In this area of the country, pro football is king, and the biggest kings are the Chicago Bears.

As I write, the Bears sport a 1-0 record, but it sure doesn't feel like I root for an undefeated team. Some observations from yesterday's 19-14 "victory" over the Detroit Lions:

1) "The Call" was correct as far as the rules regarding pass completions currently stand. But the rules sure do suck. The NFL, in an attempt to make the rule as black and white as possible, set up a very high standard for what classifies as a catch when the receiver hits the ground. Let's face it -- officials are there in part to make judgment calls. By making this convoluted rule, the NFL took judgment out of the hands of the officials, but in a way that just seems wrong. Johnson deserved the catch. The Lions deserved the comeback victory (unless the Bears pull off a miracle finish). The NFL looks foolish.

2) The Bears had a first down at the Lions one yard line late in the game. They decided to run Matt Forte straight into the line three times and attempted a botched pass another. Did they even consider a fast count quarterback sneak? And how about going for it on fourth down when they were behind? Wasn't there any thought to actually kicking a field goal to take the lead and then depend on the defense, which had shut down Detroit's back-up quarterback all second half, to close the door?

3) The defense, which has always been the trademark of the Bears, played a good game. The offensive line wasn't as offensive as it had been last season. However, running plays straight up the middle just won't be happening, and Jay Cutler had better keep his feet moving since roll outs will become a way of life if he doesn't want to get sacked several times a game.

4) I am certainly willing to give the new offense a try. However, Lovie's call on fourth down and one to go will not be adding any new people to his already small fan base. Sadly, I do not think this team will go anywhere until Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo are both history. I have a hard time seeing them win more than seven games this season. I hope I am wrong.

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4 Comments:

Blogger Mondogarage said...

Calls like that made yesterday are exactly why I've completely lost interest in the NFL over the last ten years. I'm pretty certain that if it weren't for gambling and for fantasy football, the NFL would be doing a metric shitton more poorly than they are. 2011 lockout FTW.

2:19 PM  
Blogger Memphis MOJO said...

When I first saw the highlights, I couldn't see why it wasn't a TD. Still don't, actually.

1:38 PM  
Blogger smokkee said...

lucksac Bears

11:39 PM  
Blogger SirFWALGMan said...

Dumbass are you gonna join Team Waffles or some other team?

9:43 AM  

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