Throughout the season, no matter how well the Chicago Bears played, there were many doubters and critics of the team’s success. Trent Dilfer and Bill Cowher regularly hated on this team. And yet, the Chicago Bears kept winning.

Of course, after beating heavy favorites Dallas in week two, the Cowboys weren’t any good despite being a Super Bowl contender. When the Chicago Bears defeated the Philadelphia Eagles and shut down Michael Vick, it was the turf at Soldier Field. A win over the New York Jets was a fluke as well. Might I also remind you that the Chicago Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers in week three and damn near knocked them out of the playoffs. The championship game helped prove how incompetent Lovie Smith can be at times.

Now, I take nothing away from the Green Bay Packers, but if the Chicago Bears actually would have had a respectable backup quarterback, perhaps the Super Bowl would have been a different game. In baseball, there’s always the belief that the baseball finds your worst defender when you’d least like it to…so the same thing happened during the championship game. How could Lovie Smith and company not recognize how horrible Todd Collins was? Why in the world wasn’t this addressed? The baseball found Collins, and the Chicago Bears were left holding their private areas.

Brian Urlacher is a beast. He had one of his best seasons and almost won the championship game for the Chicago Bears. Julius Peppers struck fear in offenses. These two really helped the Chicago Bears become a strong defensive unit. Devin Hester scares every opponent. He’s potentialy a big-play whenever the ball is in his hands.

Jay Cutler had his good and not-so-good moments. He’s a talented quarterback that does make mistakes. Matt Forte established himself as a legitimate NFL halfback. Devin Hester scares every opponent. He’s potentialy a big-play whenever the ball is in his hands.

So looking back on this team, what do I think? I believe that every NFL team that’s successful has a little bit of luck (see Detroit game and Calvin Johnson), some talent, catching opponents at the right time and intangibles. The Chicago Bears were guilty of all-of-the-above. And yet, a few bounces here and there may have been the difference of a trip to the championship game or a high draft pick. It’s always been my belief that good teams create their own breaks, and the Chicago Bears are just that…a good football team.

I enjoyed this season. The Chicago Bears made the final four. With a few tweaks here and there, I do not see any reason why this team couldn’t do it again. But this is the NFL, and things can change very quickly.

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Jonathan: Has your perception of the Chicago Bears changed? Do you still think they’re a pretender or contender?

John: They are a contender. For the entire season, I, along with countless others, wanted to find a way to call the Bears pretenders. Week after week, they continued to surprise by finding ways to win. Sometimes it was because of luck (Detroit game with the Calvin Johnson non-catch in the end zone), sometimes it was because the opponent gave the game to them (Packers first meeting, when they penaltied the game away) but good teams figure out ways to win. The Bears have done exactly that.

Jonathan: If you think they’re a contender, what has changed your mind?

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John: Simple: they keep winning. Their ability to remain a healthy team has certainly helped, but I think the person that has done the most to keep them on the right path is Mike Martz. Somehow, he has managed to transform the offense from what it was in the beginning of the season (all throw) into a more low keyed offense. He has been able to reel in Cutler, keep him composed, minimize his turnovers, and keep the offense under control.

Jonathan: It appears to me that the Packers are a Jekyll and Hyde team. They look great one week and like crap the next. Is this fair?

John: Is it fair? In my opinion no. They have dealt with an inordinate number of injuries, and yet they are still in playoff contention. Now if you want to discuss the gameplan used in certain games, i will say that that has been hot garbage. There was no reason they should have lost to Detroit the way they did, and in successive weeks almost beat New England with a backup quarterback, then completely dismantle the Giants. They have been the victim of poor coaching decisions and game planning, which has cost them, at minimum, two wins this season (Dolphins and Lions).

Jonathan: What will the Packers need to do to be successful if they make the playoffs?

John: Run the offense properly. No Ryan Grant does not mean that they cannot run the ball. Not having Aaron Rodgers for a game showed they can still pass the ball. If McCarthy can resist the urge to go Air McCarthy, the Packers can go deep in the playoffs. They have the weapons to score from anywhere at any time-the Giants game showed that ability off perfectly.

Jonathan: Aren’t you glad the rivalry is back?

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John: Absolutely. The NFL is Packers/Bears, playing at the end of the season with playoff implications on the line. It has been a long time since this was the case. I don’t know if it ever went away, but this season has seen an intensification. I love it.

Thanks John. I appreciate his time. Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons news and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

Jonathan: What do Jets fans think of Rex Ryan? Is he becoming a distraction? Do you think he’s involved with TripGate?

Jon: I think Jets fans, at least 99% of them, love Rex Ryan and think he’s one of the best things to ever happen to our organization. He’s respected not only for being a great football coach, but because of his no-nonsense approach and likability. He’s just a regular guy, just like us. He always says exactly what’s on his mind and his straight-talk is a breath of fresh air in a world of vague, bland, boring football coaches.  

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I don’t think any of the recent off-the-field stories have become that big of a distraction for Ryan or the team. The owner, GM, players and fans fully support Rex Ryan. As far as “TripGate” goes, if he says he knew nothing about it, I believe him. I’ve never heard him do anything other than tell the truth, sometimes to a fault, as his honesty and bravado are loved by those who are with him, and hated by those who are against him.

Jonathan: What do you think of the Chicago Bears?

Jon: I think the Chicago Bears are a much better football team than I would’ve thought in the preseason. The first few weeks of the season I found myself questioning their legitimacy, especially after the Calvin Johnson game in Week 1 and the dismantling at the hands of the Giants a few weeks later. 

However, 10-4 speaks for itself. They’ve beaten Philadelphia and Green Bay, they have a terrific defense and special teams unit, and a talented offense. The only thing that can derail them is inconsistency on offense, especially if Jay Cutler is getting pressured and hit like he did against the Giants. Without looking at game film, in the limited times I have seen the Bears play since then, it appears Mike Martz has done a good job adjusting his offense to better protect Cutler and get the ball out of his hands quicker. Luckily for Chicago, the Jets actually struggle to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks more than you’d think, which is why Cutler may seem some exotic defensive fronts to try to confuse him and the offensive line protection schemes.

Jonathan: What players scare you on the Bears? Who should Bears fan be concerned about on the Jets?

Jon: Devin Hester for the Bears and Brad Smith for the Jets are equally terrifying with their return abilities. If I’m not mistaken, Hester returns punts, not kicks so he can avoided, whereas the Jets use Smith on kicks but not punts. The Jets say they’ll be kicking away from Hester all game, but as we saw on Monday night, just a slight miskick one time can be deadly. Smith is dangerous for many of the same reasons. Both the Jets and Bears possess some of the best coordinated special teams return units in the NFL. Smith went untouched on his opening-kickoff return touchdown against the Steelers last week.

As far as guys who the Jets can’t really neutralize, there are a few guys on both sides of the ball that are going to be tough to face. Brian Urlacher, Johnny Knox, Matt Forte Julius Peppers, and Israel Idonije are among those guys. Cutler is hit-and-miss, and although I respect his statements about how he won’t avoid Darrelle Revis, I would hope for the Bears’ sake that he doesn’t try to overly test Revis to prove a point, ala the DeAngelo Hall game.

For the Jets, despite injuries in the secondary and a lackluster pass rush, the defense is still ferocious as any in the league. One guy to keep an eye on is defensive tackle Sione Pouha (pronounced see-own-ee bo-ooh-ah) number 91. He’s been playing at a Pro Bowl-level since filling in for the injured Kris Jenkins both this year and last year. He and linebacker Bart Scott are some of the unsung heroes of the Jets 4th-ranked run defense. They do not put up big stats, but they do the dirty work. Other guys to be concerned about are WRs Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards, cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, and the offensive line in general.

Jonathan: Are you concerned about the health of Mark Sanchez?

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Jon: I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. There seems to be a discrepancy among what exactly the extent of the injury is and how much it will affect him going forward. At first, just basing it on the way he played so well through the injury on Sunday, Rex Ryan was “99% sure” that Sanchez would play this week. Today, after he personally witnessed Sanchez not having a lot of “zip” on the ball, he said that he’s only 80% sure he’ll play, contingent on Sanchez’s arm strength improving throughout the rest of the week.

However, it is has to be noted that he has not suffered a setback, and that he’s progressing about as expected from his original diagnosis. Rex Ryan is not a doctor, and he tends to be overly optimistic on player injuries, as is his nature of positive thinking. For what it’s worth, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said that he expects Sanchez to play, and that Ryan may have only seen Sanchez warming up, as Schottenheimer noted that Sanchez threw a crisp curl route downfield at one point in practice.

Bottom line is, Rex will do what is best for Sanchez and what is best for his team. The Jets have the luxury of being able to win games without the quarterback doing very much, as well as an easy path to the playoffs. They need to win just one of their remaining two games (they face Buffalo in Week 17) or have the Colts or Jaguars lose one of their remaining two games to get into the playoffs. If that means Mark Brunell has to play against the Bears or Bills, I don’t think it’ll necessarily cost the Jets a playoff spot.

Jonathan: What’s a better show…Sopranos or Boardwalk Empire?

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Jon: Well, I actually am more of a Showtime guy than an HBO guy. I’ve heard good things about some of those shows, but I’ll take Dexter over anything on TV.

Jonathan: Prediction???

Jon: I think it comes down to whichever offense can execute their game plan most effectively. The defense and special teams for both teams are elite units in this league, so I believe the winner is going to be the team that can get their offense into a rhythm and get some points on the board. Assuming Mark Sanchez plays, the two quarterbacks will have a lot of a say in who wins this game. They’re both capable of leading their teams to easy victories, and also to costing their teams games they should easily win. This isn’t going to be an easy game for anyone, though. I think the Bears win with home-field advantage, 17-14.

I want to thank Jon for his time. Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons news and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

Super Bowl betting odds are up in the sportsbook and fans looking to capitalize on awesome Super Bowl futures should go ahead and log onto the sportsbook and get their Super Bowl bets down!  The awesome odds found in the sportsbook won’t last forever!  Log on and make a Super Bowl 2011 wager today!

So does this mean it’s a bad win? Not at all…but I wouldn’t be fair if I said it was impressive.

In the first half, the Chicago Bears forgot how to tackle. Lions players were gaining way too many yards after contact. At the end of the first half, the Chicago Bears gave up two long plays leading to a touchdown. The scoring play was an exploited mismatch with DJ Moore covering Calvin Johnson.

While Moore has been solid this year, he isn’t the defensive player I want on Johnson. For those that don’t think Lovie Smith doesn’t show emotions on the sideline, he looked as if he wanted to kill somebody. Moore, to his credit, made some huge plays in the game including a sack of Drew Stanton, a pass break-up on fourth down and several key tackles.

Football is a game of adjustments, and credit needs to go to the coaches. The defense shored things up in the second half. When Jay Cutler fumbled on his own nine yard line on the second play of the half, the defense held the Lions to a field goal. This was the turning point for the defense. From that point forward, they held the Lions scoreless.

Offensively, the line had issues once again. While they were able to move the ball, Cutler took way too many hits. The play selection was consistently even between running and pass, so the commitment to the run didn’t waiver even when playing from behind. I’m a fan of running the damn football.

Earl Bennett is becoming a player. Not only is he catching passes, his blocking is as good as any receiver in the league. Kudos also go to my target Greg Olsen. His blocking was much better yesterday. Once again, Jay Cutler did a solid job of taking what the defense gave him. He made some good throws and was a solid field general. Brandon Manumaleuna finally is showing his value as a blocker. In a new twist he’s becoming a reliable short-yardage guy.

On special teams, kudos to the Lions for containing kickoffs. However, they decided to punt to Devin Hester. He almost broke it. While he just missed setting the all-time punt return for touchdown mark, he gave the Bears good enough field position for Robbie Gould to nail a 54-yard field goal. It was a thing of beauty.

Brad Maynard continued his strong season and consistently put the Lions deep in their own territory. The Chicago Bears had some lapses in tackling on returns, but shored things up as the game moved along.

With the Green Bay Packers winning, the Chicago Bears maintain a one-game lead in the division. The Detroit Lions proved to everyone they’re hoping to play spoiler. With the New England Patriots coming to town this week and the Packers heading to Detroit, this is the week the Packers are hoping to make their move. The Patriots have an emotional game tonight with the Jets, so we’ll know more about the boys from the Boston area tomorrow.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons new s and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

Chicago Bears 24 Detroit Lions 0

Why am I so confident? Is it possible the Chicago Bears will look past the Lions? Nope…this team is hungry to prove that they are the better football team especially after the events of the opening game. To refresh your memory, Calvin Johnson caught what appeared to be the go-ahead touchdown late into the fourth quarter but it was overturned on a ridiculous rule about controlling the ball through the catch. Since that time, many have speculated that had it of gone the Lions way, it would have been a totally different season for the Chicago Bears.

[picappgallerysingle id="9748268"]While the Lions have played respectably this season, their record is still 2-9. Close doesn’t count for much. Plus, the Lions are down to third string quarterback Drew Stanton and without defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch. Against a team like the Chicago Bears, the Lions would need to play a perfect game and I do not see the Lions being able to do so without key players.

On the other hand, the Chicago Bears are flying high. Julius Peppers is playing like the NFC Defensive Player of the Year and Devin Hester is scary again. When Hester isn’t returning kicks, Danieal Manning is almost as strong. Offensively, the offensive line has been improving and Jay Cutler has been making less mistakes. I’m guessing the gameplan will be similar to the Miami game two weeks earlier.

[picappgallerysingle id="10291476"]I’m going on a limb now, and will tell you the Green Bay Packers will have issues with the San Francisco 49ers. You heard it hear first…

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons new s and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

Zac: ”The Bears have exceeded expectations so far this season. Do you think their season would be going much differently if Calvin Johnson had “completed the process” and started the Bears off 0-1?”

Jonathan: Great question. The Chicago Bears still have losses over bad teams like Washington and Seattle. Like a bottle of wine, the Chicago Bears have gotten better with time. I think that there has been an adjustment period with this team, so the team you saw the first week is different now. The Chicago Bears deserved to lose, but good teams need to catch breaks. Remember, even if the catch counted, there was time left and the Chicago Bears had time outs.Zac: “What is different about the Bears now compared to when the Lions saw them in week one?”

[picappgallerysingle id="10291610"]Jonathan: The coaches have done a great job. There are some strong coaches on this staff, and Lovie Smith has let them do their jobs. Despite his record in Detroit, Rod Marinelli is a great defensive mind and the results are beginning to show. Another former Lion coach Mike Martz took a few games to figure things out, but the offense is playing well enough to complement the defense. Plus, welcome back Devin Hester. The special teams are a strong unit too, and its easy to look past the importance of the unit. This team is good, and it took some time to gel.

Zac: “How disappointed would Bears fans be if they fail to make the playoffs after this great start? What is the biggest roadblock to them actually securing a playoff spot?”

Jonathan: “People in Chicago and nationally doubt the Bears. There are “experts” that still think they won’t make the playoffs. The biggest roadblock is the schedule. After the Lions, they have the Patriots, Jets Vikings and Packers remaining…all potential losses.”

Zac: “Has Lovie Smith’s seat cooled off at all?”

[picappgallerysingle id="10291619"]Jonathan: There’s this thing called the Mike Ditka Effect. People want a coach that yells and screams. Ditka was overrated as a coach and lost control of his teams. Lovie can be standoffish and arrogant with the press and it rubs people the wrong way. He’s terrible with challenges and its his one weakness. But, people forget that Julius Peppers came here because of Smith. His players love him as a coach. I think fans will never love him, but they’re learning to accept him.

Zac: “Give me your game prediction.”

Jonathan: This will be a blood bath. Chicago 24 Lions 0. I just don’t know how you’ll get points.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons new s and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

[picappgallerysingle id="9991241"]If you recall from the first week of the season, Hill played the second half against the Chicago Bears and threw the controversial endzone throw to Calvin Johnson. Hill has played respectfully for the Lions this season.

I think most experts would agree that the Chicago Bears are the better team regardless of the quarterback. Even with ten days to prepare, the Lions are facing a different Chicago Bears team than they saw in the opening week.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons new s and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

When the schedule came out, I picked the Chicago Bears to win this game and I am not going away from that prediction. Frankly, I think the Chicago Bears are a better football team than the Dallas Cowboys and will prove it on Sunday. The final score of this game will be… Chicago 28 Dallas 20. You read correctly…the Chicago Bears will win this game by more than a touchdown.

Why am I so confident you might ask? Is it my allergy medication working overtime? Nope…I just don’t think Dallas is that good of a team. As like every other year, the Dallas Cowboys are overrated. Wade Phillips is a bad coach (and yes, he’s worse than Lovie) and the talent isn’t as strong as many in the Dallas loving media would expect you to believe.

If it wasn’t for some bad turnovers, two horrible offensive goal line efforts and  dropping a pass in ironically about the same spot as the infamous Calvin Johnson play, the game against the Lions would have been a blow-out. I have looked over the numbers and the Chicago Bears dominated the game. The Dallas Cowboys, on the other hand, played crappy against a crappy Washington Redskins team and were unable to overcome their mistakes.

[picappgallerysingle id="9748457"]Look for Matt Forte and Chester Taylor to continue their strong seasons with Jay Cutler cutting the Cowboys defense apart. While I think Dallas has a good passing game, they will not be able to run the football on the Bears. Additionally, look for the linebackers to dominate this game as well. Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Pisa Tinoisamoa were amazing last Sunday, and I do not see this changing anytime soon.

I am curious to hear your thoughts on this game…

Video review has not always been friendly to the Chicago Bears. Here are two examples of when officials got calls wrong (and again, READ MY LIPS, Calvin Johnson did not maintain full possession on the catch). It should be noted that the Detroit Lions are a classy organization that has not blamed the officials for the call. They said it was not the call that cost them the football game. Good for them!

Detroit 12/28/04

[picappgallerysingle id="5909870"]This was Lovie Smith’s first year as Chicago Bears head coach. In a somewhat meaningless game (I don’t think any game is totally meaningless), the Chicago Bears scored what appeared to be a go-ahead touchdown against the Lions late in the fourth quarter. Bernard Berrian appeared to catch the football from Chad Hutchinson with both feet in-bounds in the end zone. The official on the field waived off the call and it went to video review. Despite several angles confirming the call, the officials upheld the call and the Chicago Bears lost 19-13 based directly on that blown call. And for those of you that do and don’t remember it, it was a blown call.

Green Bay 11/5/89

[picappgallerysingle id="3600137"]The Chicago Bears were leading 13-7 late in the fourth quarter. Green Bay drove down the field and scored on a play where Don Majkowski was clearly past the line-of-scrimmage and hit Sterling Sharpe for the go-ahead touchdown. On the field, the call was originally called a touchdown but quickly overturned by the line judge. After reviewing the call upstairs (replay was a little different in 1989…there was an official in the pressbox that could uphold or overturn calls), it was determined that it was a legal forward pass. This marked the first time since 1984 that the Packers defeated the Chicago Bears.

It was such a crock of s*** and pandering call. Mike Ditka refused to accept the loss and insisted that an asterisk was put in the Chicago Bears media guide indicating that this was the Instant Replay Game. This was the beginning of the end of the dominant era for the Chicago Bears and began the launch of the Green Bay Packers into relevance during the 1990s.

To this day, I will never forget my father’s reaction to that call. I believe my already expanding vocabulary was helped with some new inappropriate words. Items were thrown in our living room and the television was lucky it wasn’t broken. For those of you that question my loyalty to the Chicago Bears, trust me when I tell you Chicago Bears football has been a religious experience with my family for a very long time.

One Final Note…

[picappgallerysingle id="9753365"]I had a chance to catch pieces of the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins game last evening. Besides Washington having the worst pants in football history (see Donovan McNabb above), Dallas gave that game away. A late first half fumble and a penalty on the final play waiving off a go-ahead touchdown (final score Redskins 13 Dallas 7). This will make Dallas just a bit hungrier. The Chicago Bears need to get to work.

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But, the bigger story as far as I am concerned is WHY THE CHICAGO BEARS COULD NOT GET LESS THAN A YARD ON SEVEN ATTEMPTS ON THE GOAL LINE!?! It was an absolute disgrace. That being said, Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears offense was quite impressive. Cutler went 23-35 for 372 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. The offense looked great, but the not being able to gain one yard or the four turnovers are the bigger story.

[picappgallerysingle id="9749085"]On defense, welcome back Brian Urlacher. He was a manchild today. He was all over the field and was making plays on a regular basis. Lance Briggs also had a great game. The defense made plays when it had to but the almost Calvin Johnson touchdown was the result of having a shorter Zach Bowman cover a much bigger receiver.

On my way out, I asked many fans what they thought of the win. Like myself, we didn’t feel very good about it. Look, a win is a win. But, the Chicago Bears really tried to hand this game to the Lions.

On a final note, Lovie Smith ain’t getting much love these days. Today, the fans let him have it and rightfully so…but the Chicago Blackhawks were in the house with the Stanley Cup. That was pretty darn cool.

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