BearFan2000

in this crazy upside down season we've seen things this season that many, myself included thought unthinkable. after 7 games standing at 4-3 heading into a bye having lost 3 out the last 4 games heading into the bye. Healthy, D looking solid but the offense lacking any balance trying to play martz ball with a line that couldn't block their way out of a wet paper sack. Rarely running the ball, deep 7 step drops, empty backfields, trying to push the ball down field nearly every play. A stretch of four games that included a physical beat down at the hands of the Giants and Cutler getting concussed and sacked seemingly every time he dropped back. We were then treated the following week to Collins who looks better suited to sack groceries than don and NFL uniform, did his best throw the game away. The fact we won that game really reflects how pitiful Carolina was. With the bye week there was some relief knowing the team had one week off from embarrassing itself. It was a week of fans and local media demanding that the Bears start running the ball more and generally dogging the team, the defense was doing it's job but the offense was killing us. Then we find that something happened during the bye week that also seemed unthinkable martz changed his offensive philosophy to better suit and get the most out of the players we have. We saw balance between passing/running, we saw roll outs, play action, boot legs, we saw Forte and the run game emerge and and open the passing game and make the play action effective. Cutler looked more comfortable and in control and used his legs to make plays by either taking off or buying time to throw. This is the Jay Cutler we traded for. We then rip off 5 straight wins on our way to a 7-2 post bye record to finish at 11-5, heading to the playoffs as the number 2 seed. Now the playoffs start NFC seeding being 1. Atlanta, 2. Chicago, 3. Philly, 4. 7-9 Seattle, 5. N.O., and 6. Packers AFC seeding being 1. NE, 2. Pitt, 3. Indy, 4. KC, 5. Balt, 6. NYJ. first round matchups NFC - NO visiting Seatle and GB visiting Philly. I don't think anyone picked Seattle to dominate the defending champs a 10 point fav and many (myself included) thought NO would win by at least a couple TDs. But any given day and Seattle played out of their minds and NO looked like they expected to walk in and win. GB Philly was expected to be the better game matchup I figured GB would win this one and it was a close one officially ended on a Vick pick to seal it. AFC - Jets at Colts and Balt at KC. Both of these games I felt could about go either way. Didn't expect to see KC get destroyed and the Colts jets game went down to the wire. Indy left too much time on the clock and allowed a long return to set the jets up to steal this one. After first round of the playoffs last season's Superbowl contenders were both eliminated. the more surprising elimination being NO. Round 2 more craziness. NFC - GB at Atlanta and Seattle at Chicago. What was expected was a tough game in Atlanta and a walkthrough/potential trap game in Chicago. The bears put away the Seahawks by halftime/3rd Quarter. Gave up some quick scores at the end so the final score looked closer than the game was. The surprise here was seeing the packers beat the crap out of the Falcons in their house. We should have knocked them out in week 17, their presence has altered the course of the NFC playoffs. AFC - NYJ at Patriots and Balt visiting Pitt. Most surprising though was the win by the Jets, everyone assumed including myself that the superbowl would be NE vs someone from the NFC who would have their hands full trying to win. The jets put their best foot forward and like good foot soldiers they dipped their toes into an upset. I don't like either the Jets or the Pats but the superbowl just became more winnable. Ravens/Stealers game was close and entertaining including a heads up play by the Ravens but Pitt prevailed. NFC Championship game Bears host Packers. Certainly the marquee Conf Championship game this year one of the most storied and bitter rivalries, which oddly hasn't faced each other in the post season since the 40's. This game is going to be all out war. Bears will want revenge on the week 17 game on their way to their second SB in four seasons. Will the Bears regret letting the packers into the playoffs or will they show that that they can stop the hot packers in their tracks and send them back to Green Bay with the saying "maybe next year"I feel the Bears can take the packers, yes they blew out atlanta in atlanta. Bears packers games are usually close, and we should have and could have beat them week 17 with a more balanced attack, the Bears D held GB's explosive offense to 10 points 7 of that coming in the second half. It will be a tough win but I think the Bears can do it. AFC Championship game Jets at Pitt. I have to think the Jet's come up a step short and and see their season go down in defeet. Rex Ryan will finally have his foot in his mouth. Hey maybe the'll get some deals to do footwear commercials. Superbowl - Bears vs Steelers in Dallas. What a matchup of two similar teams tough D, both effective on the ground and both have mobile big armed QB's. This could be one of those classic superbowl matchups. And should be highly entertaining. still hoping to get my birthday wish a Bears Superbowl win.

Crazy isn't it, a win today and we get to see one of the NFL's marque rivalries fight it out to determine who represents the NFC in the Super Bowl.

If you haven't seen this, it's too funny.

they were talking I think on one of the pregame shows today that say McDaniels goes to Minny he really likes Tebow and may lobby for the team to make a move to bring him with him.

I agree I would like the seahawks here next week. It's hard to root for the packers but I can think of it as rooting against the eagles. lol A bears packers NFC Title game would be insane but a possibility. I think we can contain Vick should the packers lose and in a way it would be nice to be able to say we shut the mighty vick down twice this year kind irked me that even after we dominated the eagles that I heard things like "no one has yet figured out how handle vick and the eagles" I was think umm Chicago did. Should be an interesting matchup pack/eagles. I would much rather face the seahawks and do agree they played out of their minds and I think NO was expecting to walk in and win.

What a crazy game yesterday. New Orleans didn't' attempt to play defense and Hasselbeck looked all pro yesterday. Any given Sat I guess but this saturday saw last years super bowl teams go out in round 1 of the playoffs. I had figured Seattle would attempt to put up a fight but not dominate and win against the defending champs. Some things I took away from this game is that our defense will need to come to play and be alert. Hasselback was surprisingly (to me) accurate and picked the Saints D apart most of the game. The saints to me looked surprised that they'd have to fight to win this game they appeared to have overlooked the birds. Seattle came in with a chip on their shoulders. All the talk leading up to the game was about how they being 7-9 didnt' deserve to be in the playoffs let alone host a round one matchup to a far superior team. Well this is why they play the game. Seattle stepped up and played a whale of a game, and knocked off a team that many myself included felt was a multiple score win easy for the saints. We'll know today if it will be Seattle or Philly heading to Chicago. Philly beats the packers we host the Eagles, GB wins we host the Seahawks.

he's also effected the way teams look at the draft and their own return games. Teams have seen what impact Hester can have on the game when he is back there returning kicks. And are looking for guys like him for their return game. The NFL is a copy cat league one team finds a golden nugget and soon everyone's looking for one.

:lolhitting :lol: Thats awesome!!!

Hard to say, how easy hard that schedule will be once the season gets under way. Strength of schedule is so flaky cause teams that suck this year can be goo next year, teams the are good this year can suck next, and great teams this year can look average. At this point yeah that schedule looks promising. We can look at our division first of all, GB will be a force still and even while redily supplying the IR roster this season they have remained a dangerous team (wish we'd have beat them and knocked them out of the playoffs). Minny mostly needs some stability, I dont' see Favre coming back next year let alone to the Vikings. So they have to figure out who their QB will be whether it be Webb or someone else Jackson may be gone as well. Peterson is a load but he can't carry an offense. They have talent at wide out but need stability at QB (sound familiar). Detroit I think will be a force to be reckoned with with if not next year but the year after. They've been quietly loading up with talent and are now learning how to win and finish games. They are no longer a cellar dweller. so within our division alone, there is a tough GB team a tough up and coming Lions team, and if Frazier can right the ship in Minny we could have a very competitive division on our hands. By far the weakest division in our conf is the west and we face one team from there in Seattle who is more in the playoffs by default because someone had to win that cruddy division. The south has Atlanta and No and the upcoming Bucks and the horrid panthers. we play everyone in that division. We host the birds and the panthers and visit the saints and bucs. Three of those four games could be tough. THe East has the eagles who are kinda up and down, the Giants who annually fade at the end of the season, the Cowboys who have talent but haven't play up to their abilities. Eagles are the only team we have from the East. The AFC teams Chargers, Raiders, Broncos, Chiefs. Depending on when we play the chargers it could be a challenge but it's at Soldier Field. KC has improved but again it's at home. At Denver could be interesting Tebow gives them mobility at the QB position that they missed with Orton. Oakland has improved as well and that's not an easy place to play.

quiet thread for a game day game thread. Let's go Bears almost game time.

yeah should be a crazy week for the NFC playoff picture. I know I may have to burn my keyboard after typing this but I will be pulling for the vikings tomorrow. won't get to watch it. I'll be at a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert in Columbus, OH but if the Vikings some how pull off that miracle win we have the #2 regardless of what happens next week. Most likely though the #2 seed will be determined with our game against the packers and the Eagles game against the Cowgirls. Personally let's just win over the Packers and take the #2 by force lol Now if we beat the packers next Sunday they can still sneak into the playoffs with a giants loss to the redskins which is very possible. Giants are in full collapse mode.

exactly what a wild game

Today was a gutsy win. When we needed the offense to keep pace because the D was escorting the Jets to the end zone we kept striking the end zone matching them punch for punch. This was a wild game all around and man how many times did my heart about jump out of my chest. If we'd have played even decent on D we could have blown them out. One thing the Bears did show is they are capable of going toe to toe in a shoot out. That pick 6 and the missed FG were huge when they happened. But were for the most part the two biggest black marks on the the Offense and all in all they are forgiven because they kept us in the game when the D was giving away points like it was going out of style. On D we got virtually no pressure on Sanchez was he even knocked down at all? We sat back in coverage and let them make the catches and hoped to make a tackle or strip. It's a passive Defensive philosophy akin to a a cop setting a speed trap waiting for someone else to screw up. We wait for the opponent to make mistakes whether it's a bad throw, a shot to strip the ball, a pick, etc. Our defense doesn't attack it sits and waits for a mistake to try to capitalize on. It's only effective when we get turnovers. No turnovers and we give the opponents easy drives for points. it's a Gutless way to play defense.

Don't we still need to win next week to have the #2?

GAME OVER INT HARRIS!!!!!!

can't give them free yards

1:14 seconds and the D needs to hold them out of the end zone. Need a good punt and good coverage.

totally agree We need to leave no time we'll probably run again on 3rd down for a couple then punt. Hope I'm wrong and we pick up the first down.

Huge 1st down

anyone else feel like every Defensive possession is going to give you a heart attack? Horrible Field position again at the 5 now.

what a give up possession.

we're going to call 3 straight runs and punt.

that should have been grounding

an announcer calls the Bears cover 2 exactly what it is. Prevent

in other news grass is green