Green Bay Packer Nation Interviews Bears Headquarters
Its time for part two of my chat with John Rehor from Green Bay Packer Nation. See, we can all get along without killing each other. Follow him on Twitter at JRehor.
John: The Bears surprised some people this season with their winning the NFC North. What was the biggest reason they were able to be so successful?
Jonathan: Coaching. Let’s be honest, the Chicago Bears have solid coaches. The three coordinators are regarded as some of the best in the business and Mike Tice is a really good coach as well. He’s turned a horrible offensive line into a good one. I was pointing out to my father how fans want a “Ditka” like coach to scream and yell, but Lovie Smith always seems in control. His team reflects that attitude. Plus, let’s not discount the two possibly three Hall-of-Famers on defense. Finally, they’re running the damn football. Good things always happen when a team commits to the run.
John: The Bears defense returned to dominance this season. Who led the charge? Marinelli as D Coordinator? Acquisition of Peppers? A healthy Urlacher?
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Jonathan: All of the above. Plus don’t forget Lance Briggs and the emergence of some good defensive lineman.
John Devin Hester has regained, at least in my eyes, the title of most dangerous returner in the NFL after a few years of quiet. What’s different this season than the past two?
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Jonathan: It’s eighth wonder of the world why Hester struggled. If you asked me to guess, the team tried to have him too much and he finally has his role with this team. Plus, I think they’ve brought in some good special team’s players to help set things up.
John: Has Lovie Smith earned another contract extension?
Jonathan: Yes. He’s done an amazing job. Peppers said he came here because of Smith, and this team responds to his style. There are idiotic Bears fans that want Mike Singletary, and they’re on crack. I will admit I wanted him gone after last season, but he’s surrounded himself with a great staff and the team loves him.
John: Is there anything better than Packers/Bears with playoff implications in the final week of the regular season?
[picappgallerysingle id="10039509"]Jonathan: Nope. The networks are on the coasts, and they’ve lost track of how great this rivalry really is and always will be. You’re a good guy, but I hate your football team and want you to always hate the Bears. One idiot tried to sell me on the Redskins and Cowboys being a bigger one, and I’m still in shock. George Halas and Vince Lombardi are the Jedi Knights in heaven looking down and smiling. This is the NFL. It’s the way it should be. As I leave the game on Sunday, I hope to see a lot of disappointed Packers fans. Sorry folks.
Packers week is always fun. I really appreciate the help from John and the boys at Ol’ Bag of Donuts.
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.
Ol’ Bag of Donuts Interviews Bears Headquarters
Its my turn to get to be on the hotseat with my old friend Adam Somers from Ol’ Bag of Donuts (Green Bay Packers Blog). Follow Adam on Twitter at Olbagofdonuts for the latest Packer news.
Adam: Lovie Smith has said he plans on playing his starters the full game Sunday. Unless Carolina beats Atlanta for probably the upset of the year earlier in the day, is this such a good idea against a team that needs to win at all costs?
Adam: Peppers, Urlacher and Briggs are all Pro-Bowlers to no one’s surprise, but who is this the MVP of the defense this year for the Bears?
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Jonathan: Wow, great question. I’ll say Peppers because he’s the obvious answer. However, Urlacher is the leader of the defense. Despite the numbers put up by Clay Matthews, I really think these two are more valuable.
Adam: Cutler has cut his turnovers in roughly half from last season, what do you think has been the biggest reasons for this?
Jonathan: Sunday’s game, unless about three things earlier happen, will be a tough game to use as any sort of measuring stick. I know your readers aren’t going to like this answer, but the Packers are a Jekyll and Hyde team. Losing to the Lions was beyond inexcusable. I’ve heard the excuses, but a championship team has to win that game. I was impressed in the Patriots game, but the Patriots made the two plays they needed to in order to win. Obviously the Giants game was impressive. I think the Packers’ defense is overrated. Aaron Rodgers is a stud. He’s got good receivers and a fair offensive line. I’m sure I’ll hear from your readers, but I’m being honest. The Packers have to get a lot better before I’ll crown them. By the way, for the record, I’m not sure if the Bears are that complete team either. But, I think the Bears’ record certainly shows they’re a good football team.
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This was a lot of fun. I really appreciate having a working relationship with the enemy.
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.
Pro Bowl Bears
Four Chicago Bears will be heading to the Pro Bowl (and hopefully not playing because they are getting ready for the Super Bowl). Julius Peppers is a starter and Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester are reserves.
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While I am happy for these guys, I am wondering why Corey Graham was left off the roster. He’s bad a sensational year on special teams. If he played for the Steelers, there would be a parade for him. I’m just saying…
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An Interesting Perspective on the Chicago Bears
I was having dinner with my friend and Bears Headquarters’ fan Jason last night. Besides being a Packers fan, he’s also knows his NFL. He shared with me something he heard…one of the reasons why the Chicago Bears don’t get the respect of people around the league is because this is not a team with much fantasy or “Madden” value.
This is an excellent point. For example, Julius Peppers has made the Chicago Bears defense better. However, until last Thursday, he wasn’t getting sacks.Because it wasn’t showing up on paper, Peppers has been considered to be an under-achiever to those that don’t watch this team every week.
[picappgallerysingle id="9704749"]The same can be said about Lance Briggs. He’s one of the best linebackers in football, but because he doesn’t get the “sexy” stats like sacks and interceptions, he doesn’t always get full credit. If you asked the casual fan to pick between Clay Matthews and Lance Briggs, the answer probably would be obvious. Taking nothing away from Matthew’s performance this season, but Briggs is as good if not better. Want proof…remember Briggs shooting the gap on opening day against the Lions on the goal line. Matthews is helped by the system.
Offensively, Jay Cutler’s statistics are down. But the Chicago Bears are winning. So the assumption becomes that because of this, the Chicago Bears are taking the game away from him. They’re not allowing Cutler to throw as often. This is certainly correct. I’m sure owners of Cutler in fantasy leagues would like Aaron Rodgers like numbers, but that’s not how this team is going to make the playoffs. Rodgers has a better offensive line and receivers, but the Chicago Bears have a better running attack.
To the casual fan, Cutler has lost it and Mike Martz isn’t using him properly. It’s quite the opposite. Cutler manages the game quite well and teams still have to respect his throwing ability. So instead of forcing things, he can set up the passing attack with the run. This isn’t “Madden”, but it’s the reason why the Chicago Bears are playing better since the bye week.
[picappgallerysingle id="10210096"]One Chicago Bear that does get some headlines for being a great player is Greg Olsen. For those of you that know me, you know that I think he’s overrated. Why do people think he’s so good? Because he does have good statistical games. And yes, he does make plays. However, Olsen cannot block to save his life and if he’s bodied-up, will not get open. Let’s go back to my original point above. Martz recognized this and is now using the run to force linebackers off of Olsen. This will allow him to release and become open.
The Chicago Bears host Mr. Fantasy this weekend. Michael Vick will always be the king of statistics. He’s having an amazing year, but keep in mind that Andy Reid had doubts earlier in the year. Individual statistics don’t always equal wins. Just look at the Cincinnati Bengals. On paper, they would probably scare a team more than the Chicago Bears.
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Gameday…Chicago Bears vs. Buffalo Bills
Oh Canada…Our home of the Chicago Bears. OK, so it wasn’t really the words to the song. But you get the point…the Chicago Bears travel to Canada for a showdown with the winless Bills.
While the Bills haven’t found a way to win quite yet, they have been very competitive against some of the top teams in the AFC including an overtime loss to the upstart Kansas City Chiefs. It has been quite an interesting season for the Bills. They released their starting quarterback (Trent Edwards) and trading running back Marshawn Lynch to Seattle. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the starting quarterback since the release of Edwards, and the Bills’ offense has shown some signs of life.
[picappgallerysingle id="10052099"]So are the Bills a good or bad 0-7 team? Well it’s hard to say, but they certainly have been in a position to win in the last few weeks. But…they have found ways to lose.
So where does that leave the Chicago Bears? The Chicago Bears entered last week’s bye with two horrible losses at home to Seattle and Washington. Despite that, they are still 4-3 and in a position to remain competitive with the Green Bay Packers that had an impressive win at the New York Jets.
For the first time all season, the Chicago Bears enter this game relatively healthy. It will mark the return of Major (Mike Brown) Wright and Roberto Garza to action. Plus, Lance Briggs is supposedly healthy. So this is a good thing. What is not so good is the play of the offense. The line and skill positions leave a lot to be desired. Matt Forte and Greg Olsen, as I like to point out to anyone that will listen, should receive the all-suck award for their play collectively. Besides the fact that Olsen doesn’t seem to catch passes or block, Forte doesn’t block and cannot hold onto the darn ball.
[picappgallerysingle id="10054263"]Jay Cutler doesn’t like passing to the guys in his own uniform, but that is in part to him not having any time to throw. OK, maybe it’s time that people stop making excuses for Cutler, but it is a product of a crappy offense. However, the comparisons to Jeff George are starting to be fair.
The defense and special teams have been bright spots. These two units are the reason why this team is 4-3. If the offense can get it’s sorry act together, this season still has some promise. But, time is running out.
So, what is my prediction you might ask? I think the Chicago Bears are going to play like gangbusters this Sunday. Coming off of a bye week and with the Buffalo Bills being pretty bad (according to the record), I think the Bears win by a score of 28-10.
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