balta1701-A

Anyone remember the last time the Bears played the Patriots, late in the game, Brady scrambling, up the middle, one guy between him and the first down marker, wearing a Bears jersey with a #54 on it...Brady puts a move on, makes 54 miss and look foolish, slides in for the first down, and gets up and gives the triumphant first down signal himself? I'm hoping that #54 hasn't forgotten that one.

From reading this, you have the Bears with a 2-2 record over their last 4 games. That makes them an 11-5 team. They are not missing the playoffs as an 11-5 team.

Suh was fined $15k for his hit on Cutler. He intends to appeal.

Terrell Owens was suspended without pay for 4 games by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005 for conduct detrimental to the team, unrelated to performance on the field, and that ruling was upheld by an arbitrator. In response, the league and the Union in the 2006 CBA allowed for a team to suspend a player for conduct detrimental to the team for up to 4 games. The Union accepted this rule because they were able to get the CBA to limit possible suspensions to 4 games, following the Owens Precedent. The Redskins are fully within their rights to do this.

There's also more than a few reports that the "Illness" that kept Haynesworth out last week was a hangover.

Redskins suspended him 4 weeks without pay, which is an even better move for them than releasing him since it saves them a ton of money. Presumably now there will be a union challenge to the suspension.

He's already in that position this season and it hasn't done jack. Everyone knows he gets cut at the end of the year even if he's traded, and that the only reason he's still on that team is that it would have cost them $15 million or so to cut him at the start of the year. Maybe you take a flyer on him after the lockout for a very, very small deal. But more likely, someone like the Titans will offer him a couple million and he'll go back there.

Getting Washington to continue paying him $20 million a season next year instead of cutting him isn't enough motivation for him.

I doubt he could get in shape for this season.

Looking ahead slightly, this is a real blow to that Jets defense.

Um, dude, you could do that in your sleep. Did you ever use Vista?

The Patriots are certainly going to be an interesting game. The other 2 good teams the Bears have beat this season so far, the Packers and the Iggles, they've beaten by denying the long pass and holding the opponent into the short passing game, where they have to put up a lot of plays and eventually cause a turnover, a bunch of sacks, or a bunch of penalties. The problem with that strategy against the Pats is...you give Brady the short passing game and he's going to beat you.

Worth noting in comparing 06 and this year is that IIRC the defense was much, much better the first 10 games of 06 than it was the last few, because Harris and Brown went down for the season just after the 1/2way point, and that really weakened htem.

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It's worth noting that the Iggles had more than a couple fairly big but not giant 15-20 yard completions in that area over the middle between urlacher and the safeties in the first half as well.

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Somebody's going to get fined for the extra-curricular stuff here.

And a nice leap by Knox to finish it.

Beautiful inside slant to Forte for that conversion.

Beautiful inside slant on 3rd down to Earl for the conversion.

Welcome to Bears defense.

3 step drop, inside slant, occasional screen.

That was a well timed CB Blitz by Moore and a good job by him of reacting to the run.

We've been hearing about that fact non-stop for the past week. If the Iggles aren't ready for that, there's something wrong with them.