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This year is one of those years where my beloved Chicago Bears play those irritating Dallas Cowgirls.

Its of special importance to me because it doesn't happen every year and I live in Texas. Working where I do, Football season is a particularly colorful time of the year and I generally spend most of every football season talking trash to the Cowgirl fans and hyping up my Bears.

I happen to be working during the game tonight. So, the smack talk fest will be on. As a vocal Cowgirl hater and an even more vocal Bears fan at the workplace, it should prove to be an interesting night.

Now, the Bears need to handle up. I want to do some serious gloating tonight. I'd hate to lock up several inmates for celebrating if the Cowgirls win.

You, sir, are no Texan. As a Texan, I wag the finger of shame in your general direction in hopes that you will self-correct your errant ways.

I live in Texas now. Was born in the Quad Cities Illinois.

Go Bears!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone know what team sucks the most this year? For most my life I liked the Colts because no one else did... but they had to go and ruin that by winning a Super Bowl, the bastards. So, who sucks now?

Colts?

Suck?

Huh?

They haven't had a losing season since what...2001 maybe? And were the favorites going into the Superbowl.

Thats a strange definition of suck.

Someone is getting "em-bear-assed " tonight but it ain't going to be the cowboys.
_________________
What is best in life-

To crush the PC's

See their character sheets piled before you

And to hear the lamentations of the players

-Conan the dungeonmaster

Breakdaddy wrote:
You, sir, are no Texan. As a Texan, I wag the finger of shame in your general direction in hopes that you will self-correct your errant ways.

I'm pretty sure Little Rock is riddled with Bear fans, BD. Up and down your street!!
SOBs are everywhere, they are even some here in Chicago.
_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

I'm hoping the Bears take it to the Cowpokers.
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The Lord of Ravens
My blog

serleran wrote:
Anyone know what team sucks the most this year? For most my life I liked the Colts because no one else did... but they had to go and ruin that by winning a Super Bowl, the bastards. So, who sucks now?

You have your pick this year: the Cleveland Brownies or the Buffalo Jills.

R-
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Rigon o' the Lakelands, Baron of The Castles & Crusades Society
The Book of the Mind

Quote:
Colts?

Suck?

Huh?

They haven't had a losing season since what...2001 maybe?

This depends on your definition of "losing." To everyone I know, "losing" means "not getting to the Super Bowl." To others, "winning" means "making it to the playoffs." Or, even better, having more wins than losses... but, being 8-6 doesn't mean you're "good" either, I don't think.

The Bills sucked, too, when they lost four in a row... just being at the big game doesn't prove anything, really, except you managed to get there. Whoopie; someone has to be there to lose. The only "good team" were the Dolphins of '72.

Anyway... which team is the most reviled, then? The one no one seems to like? That's got to be my team.

Rhuvein wrote:
I'm pretty sure Little Rock is riddled with Bear fans, BD. Up and down your street!!
SOBs are everywhere, they are even some here in Chicago.

Et tu, Rhu?

How bout them "cowgirls " !!!! sure ripped the stuffing out of those teddy "bears". Griese ! Griese ! Griese !
_________________
What is best in life-

To crush the PC's

See their character sheets piled before you

And to hear the lamentations of the players

-Conan the dungeonmaster

I shut it off in disgust. The Bears biggest problem is Grossman, was Grossman and will be Grossman until they get the cojones to pull him out of the frakkin lineup.
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The Lord of Ravens
My blog

Breakdaddy wrote:
Et tu, Rhu?

Heh, uhhh, yeah. What was the question?
_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

Awful game, yeah. The big ? is now a huge ?!
Lovie is a good coach, but a good coach can make big mistakes.

Not to say, I told ya so, but I've been skeptical of Grossman, since he stepped into the QB shoes.

Trade or change, and Lovie better do something quick or he might be gone.

Oh, and the Thomas Jones trade . . . not sure who engineered that, but the responsible party should be fired or beaten (if it's the owners).

Barf . . .

_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

Man it was awful.

Bad, bad awful.

You can't place all of the blame on Grossman however. KNowing his record, they are still calling primarily pass plays AND still claiming to be a running team. They have not showed themselves to be a running team this season. Why haven't they?

Because they traded their runner.

Its going to be a loooooong season methinks.

They looked like the walking wounded last night, too. Lots of injuries to the D. That isn't a good thing for a team whose success is predicated on their D.

I hope Grossman picks it up. I drafted him in the last round of a keeper league this year.

Dudes, I think that I must've watched the wrong game since the cowboys could not have possibly beaten the bears, right?

There's one problem with replacing Grossman...he's the best of the 3 QB's on the roster. Griese has shown for a few oher teams he cannot be a starter and is prone to throw more interceptions than TD's, just like Grossman. The difference, Griese doesn't have the arm or the vision to create the occasional big play that Grossman does. He has all the downsides of Rex and none of the upside. Orton could be successful ina limited offensive package that features short passes and a strong running game, however the Bears do not have the personnel for that type of offense.

It is not just that they traded away Thomas Jones, it is their entire offensive skill position roster. Berrian is good at extending the fireld on a deep route but he has neither the route running skills to separate himself form defenders on a short route nor the hands to catch the tougher short passes in coverage. Muhammad was a burner in his prime, not a possession guy, and he is fored into the possession #2 receiver but is ill suited for it. Their most explosive player in their DB/kick returner who they tried to convert into a receiver in training camp. Again, no short route potential there, just he big play deep ball kind of receiver they already have 2 of.

IF, and this is a big if, Olsen their #1 pick can develop, he could be a huge boon and exactly what this offense needs, but right now, the Bears o is easy to defend against. You stuff the run by keeping an extra defender in the box on running plays, blitz and double team the deep route on passing plays. The bears have no mid range play potential, so you don;t need ot defend against it. Only Orton has the kind of field vision among their QB's to be able to check down to find the mid-distance routes, but with the roster they have there is no one for him to viably throw to in such a set, so he wil be just as bad as Grossman and Griese.

The bears biggest offensive weapons the past several seasons has been defense ans special teams. They win the field position wars, givng their opponents long fields and provding their limited offense with a short fiield to have to go to score. D limits opponents to 2 to 3 scores, creates tunovers leading to 2-3 short field scores and gambling Rex hits Berrian or Mummad on the one big play of the game and voila Bears victory. Problem this year, the D is riddled wuith injuries and not winning the field position wars. With a long field to go, the Bears offense is not suited to grind out long drives. They are a quick hit offense that rusn the ball not to gain yards, but to eat clock giving the D time to rest and to shorten the game. This year, the D is not able to do what it needs, and the O is same as it ever was.

The Bears do not need to switch QB, they need to overhaul the entire offense from the ground up. Grossman is the popular scapegoat, but he is a product of the offensive scheme not the reason for their problems. SO put Griese in, then he can get booed too, Then Orton. It's not Lovie, he has designed an offense around the personnel he has been given. It was an offense that allowed the team to win more than it lost for a long time, but it is not good enough to take them all the way. There defense is as good or better thn the Ravens squad that won the Superbowl, but, they do not have Trent Dilfer, Jamal Lewis and a host of no name possession receivers to build a ball control, grind the yards out offense with. Upgrade the QB could help, but not until you upgrade those recievers and the playbook as well.

Benson would be ok, if defenses couldn't cheat and keep an extra man in the box everytime he is goin to carry the ball. He is a straight ahead punder, Jones wa smore of a shake and bake guy, more likely to make the first guy miss, and more likely to be taken down on the first actual contact. Benson, is more the power runner, hit the hole drive the pile. However, when the pile is bigger becasue more guys are in it, it is harder to drive. So you stop the run by keeping 7 or 8 in the box, blitz to pressure the QB (doesn't mater if it is Rex, Griese, or Orton) until the Bears fall behind and have to pass to catch up, then take away the deep routes and keep blitzing forcing the QB to make ill advised passes that lead to turnovers or drive killing incompletions. Take away the run by getting a lea, and you can take the extra guy out of run coverage and blitz him or drop him into a double team. Most NFL coaches can make that adjustment at half-time. It's the plan the Cowboys used last night. It's what the Bears will see all year until they show they can adjust to it. With Grossman/Griese/Orton trying to throw to Berrian and Muhammed, it's not likely. There one ray of hope is Olson and Clark in a 2 tight end set opening up that mid-range play that can kill the 7 man box and zone coverage they typically see. Pop a few to them for a few first downs, then the D either has to drop linebackers back into coverage opening up the run, or commit safeties to cover the midrange stuff putting Berrian and Muhammad 1 on 1 on the deep routes, opening up the big play potential. Until it happens though, the Bears are going to be hardpressed to stay a .500 team this year.

-M

Nice summation, Michael. Some very good points.

One thing that occurred to me last week and this, watching Brett Favre and Payton Manning ~ is that those guys have IT!

Devon Hester has IT.

The Bears D usually have IT.

Thomas Jones has IT.

Not sure about Cedric Benson.

I like Rex Grossman and think he's got some very good physical skills, but I don't think he has IT.

Rex doesn't have confidence in himself and I don't believe the offense or defense for that matter have confidence in him.

The IT doesn't always mean you'll win, nor does not having IT mean you can't win, but I know if I were an offensive player, I would want to be out there with Brett or Payton in command.

Rex doesn't seem to have enough field awareness to avoid broken plays, blitzes or hit another player because the planned receiver is covered.

_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

I assume this thread is dead .... like the Bears season ..
_________________
What is best in life-

To crush the PC's

See their character sheets piled before you

And to hear the lamentations of the players

-Conan the dungeonmaster

Rumor has it Grossman may be benched this Sunday. And a dead Bear is still worth 10x a live cowboy.
_________________
The Lord of Ravens
My blog

Julian Grimm wrote:
Rumor has it Grossman may be benched this Sunday. And a dead Bear is still worth 10x a live cowboy.

true true..a cowboy skin rug would be kind of cuthuluesque
_________________
What is best in life-

To crush the PC's

See their character sheets piled before you

And to hear the lamentations of the players

-Conan the dungeonmaster

Julian Grimm wrote:
Rumor has it Grossman may be benched this Sunday. And a dead Bear is still worth 10x a live cowboy.

Yep, I talked to Lovie this morning, he'll announce today that Griese will start.

_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

Yeah ESPN was all over the griese as starter story today. So I wonder who the Bears fans will blame for the Bears' losses now. If their D doesn't stand up to the plat ethis week, they wil be embarassed by the high-powered offense of the Lions. Detroit's D sucks as well, but can the Griese led bears offense put up enough points to keep up with the Lions scoring? And the next week they have the much imporved and currently defeated Green Bay who has a decent defense and an offense that seems to be getting the job done. Both are divisional games, and the Bears need to sweep both to have a chance of winning their division and making the playoffs this season. If they are embaraased in either, who will be the scapegoat this time? Getting rid of Grossman is a start, but it by no means addresses all of the Bears problems. Especially since you never know which Griese you get. He has 9 seasons under his belt-6 bad and 3 good. In the 6 bad seasons he has thrown 42 TDs to 45 INT. In the 4 good seasons he has thrown 52 TDs to 30 Int. Those seasons the 2000 and 2001 Broncos and the 2004 Bucs) he had superb running games to play off of and minimize the need to pass and rarely played from behind. I don't think Berrian, Muhammad, Benson and the injury riddled Bears D are going to be able to create the kind of situation in which Griese will have a good season. As quick as Bears fans can be to point fingers, I expect to hear calls for Kyle Orton by week 6.

-M

Yep, Lovie is between a rock and a hard place. Very tough position. But sometimes you've got to do something even if the something doesn't get you anything. And if Griese can't cut it, these next couple of games, Lovie might have to do something again.

The loss of our running game is hurting our QB situation, no matter who it is.

_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

Haha, turned out to be a very entertaining game this week vs. the Detroit Lions. I actually enjoyed watching the game. Well, when your expectations are low or wide open - then ya don't get peeved when things go crazy as they did in this game.

_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

Hated to seem 'em lose, but yeah it was an entertaining game. With the weirdness of the whole thing, I got a chuckle at the end when with hardly any time remaining, there was another booth review. The sport casters comment?

"Why not?"

That killed me.