BearFan2000

After the way they and their fans acted in that game I don't feel a bit sorry for them.

Wonder how many times Josh voted

Some things that were going through my mind watching. 1. Sure did seem like the Broncos were acting like it was their superbowl in a sense like their game plan was built out of spite and hatred for Jay. Like they've all bought into the BS that the reason Jay's not in Denver is because he's just a big baby and the whole debacle was his fault. If the fans should be pissed at anyone it should be their arseclown coach. I actually laughed watching the clips of Marshall. Not because what I think he is doing is actually funny but more along the lines of "you made your bed now lay in it." Marshall needs to friggin grow up. Who in their right mind would trade for this turd. It's one thing when you draw the ire the media, fans and coaches but when your teammates are sick of you it's pretty bad. So for the time being Denver is probably stuck with him and he's stuck with Denver. Serves em both right. If anyone acts like a baby it's Marshall, McDannials, the players and their fans. 2. I'm glad we came out of that game without any injuries. The way that game started I wouldn't have been at all surprised to see some defensive player intentionally injure Jay to make a point. Seemed like every play there were late hits, like Clark getting spun out of bounds then hit and no flag, How many times did Jay get hit after he threw the ball before they finally threw a flag on it. Plays blown dead and Denver players continuing to pile on. I really got sick of watching that and them getting away with it. Particularly in the light of all the ticky tack fouls. I kept yelling that the TV... LET THEM PLAY, seemed like ever few plays there was a flag just sucks the fun out of watching a game. Flag for illegal shift then let a blatant late hit go unflagged. I don't know the final number but it seemed like Denver wad flagged more than we were but just the constant stoppage. 3. not to make light of injury but the look on Kyles face when he's walking to the sideline holding his finger up like "look mommy I got an owie" made me chuckle a little. Maybe I have sick sense of humor but the visual just made me crack up. 4. I have more respect for Jay now. That must have been Hell being pinned inside your own 10 for what seemed like every drive with the fans booing and stomping so loud out of blind hate. He looked a little shaky at the start but I like that he didn't let it get to him and he settled in and did his job. Rex would have soiled himself, then thrown a few pick 6's. You have to have a thick skin to play that position and play in situations like that he has that. Jay strikes me as the type of guy that is like screw them I've got a job to do 5. I was mildly impresses with Bazenez, that's the best he's looked this pre-season. He did some good things out there, I hope he never has to start but I'm ok with him as our #3. 6. Early on it sure seemed like the commentary was taking Denver's side catering to Josh's side of the story as fact. Really at the end of the day they both could have handled it better and beyond that it's all he said she said blame depends on your perspective and where your loyalties lie. It happened it's over move on. If they were completely satisfied with how things worked out as Josh seems portray then why all the bitterness if they think they got the better end of the deal then what's the need to sling mud and act childish. Answer, deep down they know that they got the short end of the stick. Fans are bitter that Jay isn't there anymore and are misdirecting their anger and projecting it on Jay. I say let em. The commentary did later com to the point that I've held to is when you have a franchise QB you don't pull that kind of crap and trade him. Franchise QB's are rare when you have one you do what you can to hang on to him. We know all to well how difficult it is to find them. Contrast Denver with Pittsburgh when they interviewed Tomlin who to me comes across as a real class act. He was interested in Vick but out of respect for Ben's situation he felt it wasn't the right time to bring another QB into the picture. That to me is a coach that understands the importance of team chemistry and doing what's best for his team. I'm not saying coddle but you sure as hell don't go behind their back and lie to them. 7. Thought the halfback pass was a dumb call and a waste of a down. May as well have had Jay spike the ball.

tired of him as well tired of waiting for him to be healthy tired of him talking and failing to back it up tired of waiting for him to be the player he says he is and has been billed to be. Pre injury he was very good to great, looked like we'd found a gem and came off like a good guy.. fast forward to now and he's an injury prone, underachieving, player who despite his poor play acts and talks like the media and everyone else is to blame for his bad image... Well Tommie shut up, do your job, prove it on the field and let your game speak for it self... right now you are a walking contradiction. Time to put up or shut up.

couldn't agree more and that I think is part of the growing and adjustment we Bears fans will be making. For a long time now we have been a team that likes the low scoring close games because we've not had an offense that can keep up in a shootout or score a lot of points for the occasional turnover to not hurt us. Precisely the reason Orton was given the starting job over Rex we were looking for a game manager from our QB to do enough to win but not loose us the game. Our offensive approach was safe less risks vs more aggressive with more risks the result was a less exciting offense that didn't put up a lot of points but was aimed at not turning the ball over. A philosophy I and many of us have hated. That is why Rex excited so many of us when he was drafted and with what we saw early in 2006. We saw a glimpse of what it's like to have an offense that can win games and put teams away. And it's the reason many if not all of us are giddy about having Cutler here. With an offense that puts points on the board in increments larger than 3 with regularity is an offense that can make up for the occasional turnover this less of a concern. Couple an offense that can put up points in bunches and a defense that is above average to great and you have a dangerous team. Jay is the first step into that brave new world

And to think I had tickets to this game and sold them.... lol Some thoughts I had a feeling that Cutler would rebound and play better. I'd like to have seen him and Devon connect on that pass Soldier field probably would have exploded had they connected. Overall the offense was much better this week. - RB good to see Forte out there and that TD run reminded me just how quick he is. It was a big hole but he was gone from the moment he got the handoff. I thought Jones did a good job driving his legs and getting positive yards after contact. He did put the ball on the ground by holding it too low in traffic. Why are we trying to make Wolf a short yardage between the tackles back he doesn't have the size for that and it doesn't play to his abilities he's a scat back with speed not a bruiser I'd rather see him used better to suit his skills. - QB I agree that Baz is probably the odd man out and will either get cut or put on the practice squad if possible. He has not impressed me in the least. On the other hand Haine gives me more confidence that he can be a good backup option. If we carry just two QB's it makes sense that Caleb is getting the extended playing time. Thought he got robbed of a rushing TD.... that holding penalty was BS. Question is do we carry 2 QB's or do we carry three if it's 3 then who do we pick up as I just don't see Baz sticking. Then there's this one quarterback I think his name is Jay looked pretty darn good out there.... I think he's a keeper lol - TE/WR I liked what I saw here particularly the show of good hands. The catch by AD was a thing of beauty the way he laid out and kept his concentration. The first pass to Bennett I assumed it was incomplete when the ball got there but somehow Bennett hung on and made a good gain out of it. If this group steps up we may have a balanced offense that can run and pass on you and potentially do both well. Good to see Olsen back out there. - OL I thought played well some stupid false starts late in the game but they were backups. - D-Line good to see pressure. I want to see our defensive line disrupting the offense I thin the line did a good job of this there is room for improvement but I like the improvement over last week. - Tackling, the D did start to improve as the game went on but way to much not wrapping up early. Backs like Jacobs you will not just hit to the ground you have to use leverage and wrap up. We need to see better tackling and fewer yards after contact. - I like what I've seen from Payne and Alfalfa who seems to be right around the ball every play. Payne made a great play on a deep pass deflection. - Defense overall I like the improvement i've seen and I really like the way even at the end of the game we were still fighting to keep them out of the end zone. That shows this team has a lot of pride desire. It's a good thing to see. - Something I caught in the commentary early in the game that there's a chance a guy like David Tyree may not make the cut if he is waived, any takers? - I think this game was good confidence boost and good momentum builder going forward. Once this offense gets on track and the defense plays well and special teams plays well the Bears will be a dangerous team. I say that without the word if and it's more a when. Once the Bears get clicking look out, this could turn out to be a dream season. And unlike a fairy tale season the team won't turn back into a pumkin when the season is over. We keep it in tact and we could see the Bears being a perennial force. That my friends excites me

It's Rex Grossman need we say more? Much of what he does defies belief. Perhaps he needs to find a new line of work or start living in a bubble.

As long as he survives to week 16 so I can see see him put in his place in person lol. By week eight he will be winding back down to retirement mode and as the season draws to a close you'll here the "this might be the last game at.......... Now I have some ideas for some signs to make for the game lol

What's the media's favorite method of drawing interest, increasing ratings, selling papers? That's right drama and controversy, if they can get people riled up and stir the pot it sells papers. Doesn't have to be based on fact, speculation and reading into things is enough. As you said there's nothing in that statement about throwing someone under the bus. Yet they make it sound as though Cutler went out and blamed Hester. If anything he put the blame on himself and admitted that they need to work on it. The media loves to make something out of nothing they love to ride tide of dissent. How many articles etc were made out of the good Rex bad Rex. The media milks the cow till it's dried up and dead.

Agree as well. The most common thing heard is "get through the games without injuries." any key starters with even minor dings are going to be held out. Preseason is a glorified scrimmage and more for the backups to earn their spots and for GM's to evaluate who's worthy of a roster spot and who to send packing. As pointed out in other posts the only real significant game is #3 where the starters play extended time and teams actually game plan to an extent. It gives teams a chance to try some things and if they work great if they blow up that's ok to since at the end of the day it's just preseason. I'd rather see a shorter preseason and a longer regular season. I rarely put much stock in what happens in these games. Our offense looked pitiful the year we went to the super bowl. The 85 preseason wasn't that great either. We've had years where we went undefeated in the preseason and laid an egg during the season so it's really not a good barometer of how the season will go. There's no need to panic an make a move to make a move. The offense is going to take time to get their timing down and gel. It's not going to be an instant fix. Just going out and signing someone on impulse is not wise. Let's see how things go and see what options become available I'd rather us be patient and bring in the right players.

His statement can be taken to mean that he is making the point that the type of throw he was trying to make wasn't to Hester's strength in that he as the QB should realize that and learn from it. He doesn't place the blame on Hester but rather on himself for putting his teammate in a bad spot. I've re watched that play and when the ball gets there Hester is shielded from the play by the defender. IMO there was little Hester could have done to break it up. The ball was short the blame for that pick is solely on Cutler. Jay knows that they need to work on it. Watching him I get the impression that he just needs to calm down. It looked like he was trying to hard to make things happen. If it's not there throw the check down. I have a feeling next Saturday will be a better showing.

commentary has sucked for a long time often not relevant to the situation but then again real life commentary often leaves much to be desired. Stadium announcements in the background like the "person in section.... row.... seat... has won an evening with the cheerleader of his choice. When it's a game at Soldier Field and there are no Bears cheerleaders. I've gotten to where I basically ignore it or turn it off. The feel of the game overall is the first thing I noticed camera angles more accurate, player actions/reactions more accurate. Adding the little things like the measurement, refs actually on the field, the sideline stuff, better opening to the game showing inside and outside the stadiums etc. For the first time I played a game and wasn't mugged the moment I fielded a punt and subsequently fumbled giving the opponent a walk in TD. That flaw was one of the most maddening things. I could rarely ever field a punt because their gunners were on me before the ball got there totally unrealistic. Once in a while they do get there due to the punt but not every time and more often than not in the past the result was a fumble recovery for a TD... no halo penalty for hitting me as the ball got there to cause the fumble. The only way to have a fighting chance was to fair catch or to set punt block and force max protect. This year I'm actually able to field and make an attempt at a return. The pre-snap ajustment controlls are taking some getting used. Like press coverage I hit the button and move the appropriate thumb-stick shown on screen and nothing happens. Should be Y then thumb-stick down Yet I see no movement by the defense? fatigue is it just me or is the fatigue set way too high. color key on the play calling chart dark green best, light green slight fatigue, yellow/orange fatigued, red very fatigued. after one run play Matt Forte shows up on the chart as orange.... what the heck? How can you be fatigued after one play? Perfect weather conditions and it wasn't even a tough run barely touched outside run for about 5/6 yards. I've turned the fatige slider down from 50 to 25 and will have to see if that helps but seems like players are getting fatigued far to quickly. I could see it if it was a long sustained drive where I ran the ball a lot but after one play is not realistic at all.

But hey he's consistent... he hit two of those 49er defenders in stride. The other one had to adjust to the ball. I'm sure Kyle will work on that this week. Simms is probably thinking... I have a golden opportunity.

I actually feel bad for the Denver fans how horrifying would it be to know that your team was an improved defense away from a very dangerous team.... now they are a team who's defense is still poor, and their QB position is on life support. If McDanniels has even half a brain he may have to face the music and start Simms. If he sticks with Orton and there's no improvement those fans will be forming mobs with torches and pitch forks. Denver fans are passionate about their team. We know all to well how frustrated they might feel at this moment. Denver front office has made their bed now they have to lay in it.

in no way am I comparing dog killing to killing another human being while driving drunk. Obviously the latter is the more severe but I think most of us can agree that you can run down a list of offenses by celebrities, athletes, etc. that if any of us had committed those offenses we'd most certainly receive a much harsher penalty in most cases. That's not to say our legal system doesn't let common people off easy at times either but why should someone who can throw the football or shoot the basketball or what not get preferential treatment. It's almost like there's one set of rules for them and another set of rules for the rest of us. 30 days for someone getting drunk, getting in a car and killing an innocent person is insane. At some point someone needs to put their foot down and stop pampering these guys and force them to face the consequences of their choices like any of the rest of us. I realize also that these athletes and celebs can afford the top $ lawyers that we don't have access to. Almost makes me wonder what can't they get away with?

Agree, I don't think he should be back in the NFL. What he did wasn't a momentary lapse of judgment and went beyond premeditated. It was planned out and executed over a period of time. What he did was wrong plain and simple but it was carried out over and over. Which to me is the most sickening thing about it. Were this guy not a star athelete he'd have a hard time getting a job with that on his record. But because he's a high profile athlete he does a little jail time and allowed back into the league like nothing happened. Pete Rose was banned from MLB for life for gambling yet Vick is allowed back in after a slap on the wrist for running dog fighting that killed and mamed a large number of dogs over a period of time which I have little doubt that had he not been caught would still be doing it today. He is a sick bastard and I would never want to root for him and did not want him on the Bears.

Ordered my copy through Amazon preorder and it will be on my porch when I get off work It arrived at the UPS dist center 15 min away from my house. I have to clean house though before I can touch it so I do have incentive to clean house today lol. Cant' wait to play it. I've been playing Mass Effect pretty heavily so this will be a nice change of pace

I'll be freezing my arse off at the Dec 28th Monday Night game. Now that that hoopla about Favre has mostly been laid to rest... for now. Either way it could turn out to be one of the most important games of the season. Given that the three QBs on their roster Rosenfels, Jackson, and Booty. Of which Booty probably has the most upside. Hard to believe that as a Bears fan I can now look down my nose at another teams QB situation. They have a lot of weapons but if you don't have the proper marksmen the weapons are useless. They do have AP but their passing game could be an adventure. Much like ours has been for the better part of two decades. All 5 games will mark key points of the season. The one that will likely draw the most attention early on is the Pittburg game. Week one vs Packers will be key. A win and we start off 1-0 in the division and 1-0 overall we ensure that the packers start out 0-1. A win is a win is a win.... so they say but if we merely get by with a win in week 1 we will have started out on slippery footing and won't get rest the following week. But a good start by a convincing win over GB and we head into our second key game with some momentum. Week two vs Steelers, home opener if we come into this game off a strong showing the previous week we have some momentum built up if not we will have our work cut out for us against the defending champs. Either way it will be a tough game and the onus will be on us to step up our game and take it to them. I hate the word moral victory but should we have a strong showing against the Steelers then it will be a confidence boost. I feel we have a shot at the upset here. Before the season gets too far underway. Week 11 vs the Eagles... every time the Eagles come here they make a story out of Donavan returning home because it's an easy story pull off the shelves and update. The Bigger picture is that the Eagles hope to be in contention in the NFC as do we. At this point in the season we could be in the thick of the NFC race for the top spots. Week 14 vs Packers much like the week 16 Vikings game could important for the division. I'm hoping though at this point that we are fighting to get the 1 or 2 seed between weeks 14-16. Even if that's the case and the Vikings and/or Packers are fighting for their playoff lives may be in a position to kill two birds with one stone help their own playoff chances and hurt our seeding. Or if one or both of those teams is out of it I'm sure they'd love nothing better than to play the spoiler.

It should be safe I would imagine there would be a lot of people heading for the train station and from the train station to the hotel is just a short Trek. The hotel I booked us at is the closest one to Soldier Field. I hadn't thought about luggage but you're right I may want to contact the hotel ahead of time and see if we can't check in early. We'll be traveling lite as it's just Dad and I and it's just overnight but will still need to account for luggage. I'm sure my camera will be fine then it definitely wouldn't be mistaken for a vid cam. I definitely want to take time to walk around and take in the stadium. I've not been there since the renovation.

Great interview. I like how well Jay is fitting in and building good chemistry with his teammates. You do get the sense that you could just join them for a drink and shoot the breeze. I like Bears All Access as the players on that show always seem to be themselves rather than the short party line nothing cliche answers. I like how the way it sounds like the players and coaches are working with each other to develop how the offense should run. Experimenting and testing ideas, this could be the most creative Bears offense we've seen in a long time. It tells me that they are aware that we have been predictable pass rushing the bears wasn't hard. Our QB was in the same spot 90% of the time. All you had to do was rush to that spot... little to no thought required. We implement a moving pocket due to Cutler's mobility that makes defenses have to think to defend the Bears. In past years it didn't require much effort to figure out the Bears offense. We got pretty good at calling the plays before they happened. If we can figure it out you bet that the DC and his defense who watches film knows it. I'd like to see the offense be more creative.

As much as I like Kruetz we do at some point have to think of life beyond him. When he does hang em up (hopefully on his terms). I think the same thing about guys like Urlacher where there will be a day when they won't be on the team anymore hopefully due to retirement. There are a lot of young or fairly young guys as the core but some of our key guys are getting up there.

certainly no rush but I have little doubt that unless he falls on his face here we will see the Bears extend him. You don't go out and give up what we gave up for the guy to just come here for a short stay. At this point all we have is expectation the rest is up to him and whether or not he performs at or above those expectations. He's yet to throw a pass as a Bear give him a year to a year and a half. I don't see us talking extension till sometime next season. Even if he does well this year. With three years left on the contract let him settle in for a year and then start thinking extension. Conversely if he does prove to be the guy we all think he is and is successful he will own this town. Not extending him at that point would be a death wish for JA and Co. Many of us are excited to the point where we aren't sure what to expect that we have a competent playmaker behind center. I for one am still adjusting to the idea of expecting good things from our QB. I think he's got the correct approach to it. He knows the situation and knows what's expected and wants to prove that he was worth what we gave up. Like I said earlier in the post unless he screws up royally this town will embrace him and he will be the face of the Bears Offense for the foreseeable future. The onus is on him and he knows it and is embracing that challenge.

Thanks for the tips the more I read and hear about what to do in Chicago the more excited I get. Are Monday Night Games any different than regular games as far as being there. Other than the obvious prime time kickoff at 7:30pm Are there any special cool things going on for MNF? Some of the sites I had in mind were the Sears (always will be the Sears Tower), Field Museum, Shed Aquarium, but nearly forgot about Ditka's that would be awesome to hit that either Monday or Tues. I figure we'll have about 3 hours or so to wonder around Chicago maybe more if we get there earlier. I booked a room at the Best Western Grant Park and check in is at 3pm but that doesn't mean we can't arrive on the train earlier. Maybe get there around noon or a little after grab a bite for lunch do some sight seeing and check in, grab dinner then head to the game. Go back to the hotel and not sleep a wink after watching the bears spank the vikes on prime time. Get up get some breakfast do a little more sight seeing and maybe grab lunch and head back home. sack out the ensuing Wed and recover from all the fun of the previous two days lol. Some things I do want to do is have a real Chicago Deep Dish pizza. I've heard of Uno and Jenos, hadn't heard of Lou Manalti's. Spend some time at soldier field checking out the museum part of it. I was reading about permited and non permitted items. Binoculars/Cameras/Video Equipment Hand-held binoculars and small still-photo cameras are permitted in Soldier Field. Video and movie cameras are NOT permitted in the stadium without the user holding proper media credentials. Photos cannot be used for any commercial purpose without the express written consent of SMG or the Chicago Park District. What about my nice Nice Digital Camera.... technically it can record video though being a camera video quality kind sucks so I'd only be taking still pics anyway. Should this be an issue or should I be safe and leave it at home and instead bring my less than stellar 35 mm camera. Or is the jist of this that they don't want people bringing camcorders, dv cameras etc. And I'll be ok bringing my digi. It's a 7.2 MP with a 12x zoom. Which I took to a cubs game and could see the rivits on the score board from across the stadium lol. The zoom doesn't go out very far but is pretty powerfull. Sitting up in the upper level I figure the zoom would be quite handy to get some good action shots Another question for those who know the area. The hotel is essentially at the corner of E 11th St and South Michigan Ave. 1. What is the best walking route to Soldier field it's hard to tell from the maps though every listing of this hotel states Soldier Field is within walking distance which I take to mean it can be reached on foot. Back in 2001 when we took the train to the Roosevelt Rd station it seems like we walked down lake shore and onto E McFetrige Drive and wiend down a ramp that went below ground towards the north end of the stadium. 2. May be a silly question but is it safe to travel there by foot though logic would tell me that if we are headed that way to the game we'll likely hook up with the mob of fans at the Roosevelt Road metra station. My biggest concern is after the game walking back to the hotel around 11/12 at night I don't want to get mugged lol. Would it be easier and safer to simply take a bus or Taxi?

Especially given Orton's weakness in throwing the long ball. Despite what homer comments the Denver coaching staff and management say. These two guys have speed to be deep threats but if your QB can't get the ball there what good is that speed. Denver's going to regret that trade. Now on the flip side Orton wasn't allowed many opportunities to go long because of issues with his long ball so we stuck with the shorter stuff. I'd be willing to bet that very little time in practice was devoted to improving his long ball. I do think that if Orton were to develop decent accuracy on the long ball he'd be a pretty decent QB. Perhaps now that he's not in a system where he's encouraged to play with shackles it may serve him well and he may yet flourish. I was passing the ball quite a bit early in his rookie year till the dreaded 5 INT game against the Bungles. Since that game he had shackles on and I don't think the staff ever truly removed them. But that won't happen over night. I can see a guy like Marshall being more and more of an chemistry issue the kid needs to grow up as it is. Then you take away the guy who is partly responsible for his success. The future there could be ugly. I don't know enough about Royal to guess his state of mind but I can't imagine he's totally thrilled either.

not opposed to doing a bit of walking. I figure we have some time in Chicago we might as well explore a little.