Was the Chicago Bears Losing in the NFC Championship Game to the Green Bay Packers A Bad Season?
Several Green Bay Packers fans have suggested to me that the Chicago Bears losing in the championship game was a disappointing season. It’s their way of taking their boring lives of milking cows and eating brats and trying to ruin the lives of us that live in a cool city and can actually read. Besides the Packers, do they really have anything else to do besides stare at livestock?
But, was it a disappointing season? In a single elimination tournament anything can happen. If Lovie Smith didn’t totally screw things up and played Caleb Hanie the whole second half instead of Todd Collins for a few series, maybe things would have gone differently. The Chicago Bears weren’t dominated but they were outplayed. And certainly outcoached.
The New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and New Orleans Saints were all teams projected to do better than the Chicago Bears. And yet, they didn’t.
I’m not upset. I’ll take a shot at the Super Bowl every year. Hopefully, Smith doesn’t screw up again.
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Sunday Playoff Preview…Ravens/Chiefs & Packers/Eagles
Yesterday, this Chicago Bears blogger went two-for-two in his playoff predictions. Ironically it was the two Super Bowl participants from last season that were eliminated from the playoffs.
Today’s opening game features the surprising Chiefs being visited by the Ravens (never more). Like the Chicago Bears, many experts didn’t think the Chiefs would continue their early season success. The Chargers were always the favorites to win the AFC West but in typical Chargers fashion…didn’t. Meanwhile, the Ravens were projected to be a Super Bowl contender and that could start today.
Ed Reed of the Ravens is dealing with his brother’s disappearance after being involved with a high-speed chase. Reed almost didn’t make the trip to Kansas City. But he did.
I had to turn to my in-house expert (my wife) who likes the Ravens because “their uniforms are cooler”. I’m thinking she’s right on the prediction and I’m indifferent to the uniforms. The Chiefs’ good run ends today.
In the most meaningful match-up of the day from the Chicago Bears standpoint the hated Packers visit the dog killing Eagles (or at least one member of that squad Mr. Mexico oops Vick). The Packers are still being projected by some to win the NFC while no one quite knows what to expect from the Eagles.
Despite the big comeback against the Giants a few weeks earlier, the Eagles haven’t played very well down the stretch cultivated by a Tuesday night loss to the Vikings two weeks earlier. This cost the Eagles any shot at a playoff bye.
Meanwhile, the Packers were in a dog fight (yeah I went there) with the Chicago Bears for the NFC North until the Packers decided to lose at Detroit. The Packers didn’t even know if they were making the playoffs until they beat the Chicago Bears last Sunday. While the game meant nothing to the Bears, Lovie Smith played his starters the whole game. It was a lot closer than the Packers would have liked.
My lovely wife thinks the Eagles will win today because of the home-field advantage, and I’m once again not going to argue. The Packers lack of a consistent running attack and the speed of the Eagles is a lot to handle.
Both teams squared off in week one with the Packers defeating the Eagles at home. This was before Vick was inserted as the starter (he entered because of an injury to Kevin Kolb). The Eagles mounted a comeback in the second half but it wasn’t quite enough. These are different looking teams since that game.
I think the Eagles will be in Chicago next week. Seattle scares me more because they’ve got nothing to lose. That’s a dangerous team. I presented incorrect information in yesterday’s blog when I said Seattle would be in Chicago when they won. They will be here if Green Bay wins which won’t happen. The Jets will travel to the Patriots and the Steelers get the winner of today’s AFC match-up.
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Chicago Bears Schedule 2011
The NFL released what the Chicago Bears schedule will look like if they actually play next season and if the format remains 16 games (there hasn’t even been a discussion of where the two additional teams will come from). The Bears will see the AFC West and the NFC South. Also sprinkled in are the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles.
At home, the Bears will play Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit, Seattle, Falcons, Panthers, Chiefs and Chargers.
On the road, the Bears will face Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Denver and Oakland.
Get ready for a lot of Sunday/Monday/Thursday night affairs. The Chicago Bears get ratings, and this schedule has some made-for-television drama. It would actually be nice to see the Bears play on Thanksgiving this year. It has been a long time and frankly, I think the powers that be may actually recognize that Detroit is a team on the rise and the Chicago Bears get ratings. Plus, you know the hype on Jay Cutler’s return to Denver for a meaningful game will also be hyped.
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The Chicago Bears Have a First-Round Bye
Man bites dog (or at least dog bit man in the case of Michael Vick). The Minnesota Vikings actually showed up last night and beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-14 in wussed-in Philadelphia. I am so glad this all got shoved up the ass of the Eagles. I just cannot stand that team.
This now means that at worst, the Chicago Bears now have a first-round bye in the playoffs. If the stars align, they can still get first seed but that would require wins by Carolina and Tampa Bay along with a win by the Chicago Bears. I am guessing that much won’t happen. But you never know. This has been a strange season.
The Bears/Packers game is being played at 3:15. By that time, the Chicago Bears will know what is at stake. The Packers, on the other hand, are playing for their football lives as long as the Giants beat the Redskins and the Buccaneers beat the Saints. The Saints may be playing for nothing, so the Buccaneers could win. The Giants, on the other hand, now need to play with some urgency. If all three teams win, the Packers are in and the other two are out. If the Buccaneers win, then they are in if the Packers and Giants lose. And if the Giants win, then the Buccaneers are out and the Packers have to win. If all three lose, the Packers are in.
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So what do the Chicago Bears do if they are playing for nothing? Do they rest the starters? I’ve been going back and forth on this one. On the one hand, the Chicago Bears owe it to the league to play as if this game means something. On the other hand, they owe the league nothing because it is important this team stay healthy for the playoffs. Now if the Packers make the playoffs before this game starts, what do they do? There is no way for them to improve seeding, so they have nothing to gain.
Now, if the Chicago Bears have a chance at the top seed, they should play to win. If they have a shot at nothing, I think the starters should play the first half and Devin Hester should not see any punts or kickoffs. He’s way too valuable. Lovie Smith says the Bears are playing this game to win, but I am sure he changed slightly after the Eagles lost tonight.
Regardless of what happens Sunday, I think that we owe the Chicago Bears a lot of credit for not screwing the pooch the way the Eagles, Packers and Giants did down the stretch.
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Devin Hester is Officially the Greatest
For those of you living in a cave, Devin Hester set the all-time NFL record for returns on kick-offs/punts yesterday during the Chicago Bears 40-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
During his post-game remarks, Hester was very humbled by the whole experience and thanked his teammates for helping him achieve success. He got choked-up when he talked about how he has always been put into a box as a returner only and wanted to prove to coaches and others he could do more than just return kicks. It was a very honest moment for Hester. He also caught a touchdown pass earlier in the game.
It is refreshing to see an athlete actually be thankful for the success they’ve achieved. Hester seemed genuine in his comments. He has been one of the hardest workers on the Chicago Bears and certainly it has shown in his results.
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One of my friends asked me today where I think Hester ranks all-time in Chicago Bears’ history. It is a very interesting question. He certainly is the best returner the franchise has ever had. Statistically speaking, he is also the best returner the NFL has ever had as well. So does this make him the best Chicago Bear of my lifetime?
It is hard for me to put him in the Walter Payton category. But, Hester is the most exciting Bear I’ve ever seen. Whenever he has the football in his hands, anything can happen. Even on offense, he can create immediate excitement. It is a great argument to have, but Hester certainly is as responsible for the success this season as anyone else on the roster. I am curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on the matter.
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.
