WEEK 16: Bears at Detroit Sunday December 24th noon CST

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Nope, not yet.

[thedaymen]

I don't think anybody is worse than Thomas but I agree I may need to modify my sig to include Millen. I still think Hendry is terrible even with his new signings.

 

Probably even as a result of.

 

EDIT - Or, better stated, the new signings continue to illustrate just how terrible he is.

 

Well, yeah...I'm not a fan of this offseason. To think that for Lily and Marquis we could have afforded Matsuzaka.

[Balsa]

What is the most carries Benson has got this year?

[da bears]

Have they said yet what their plan is for playing people? Half, quarter, full game? I'm not sure what I'd like to see, actually.

[Southpaw191679666239]

What is the most carries Benson has got this year?

 

15 carries... vs the Bucs.

[Mark_R]

What is the most carries Benson has got this year?

 

15 carries... vs the Bucs.

 

Not to split hairs, but he had 16 vs. The Rams the previous Monday.

[Southpaw191679666239]

What is the most carries Benson has got this year?

 

15 carries... vs the Bucs.

 

Not to split hairs, but he had 16 vs. The Rams the previous Monday.

 

You're right... :oops:

[oldstyle81]

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_whatsgoinon/2006/12/bears_power.html#more

 

Bears power

"The Bears aren't posers. Posers don't go 12-2. They're not frauds. Frauds don't clinch a first-round bye as early as Game 14. But they're also not the NFL's best team. Or second best. Or third. Or fourth. Or maybe fifth."

 

Thus speaks Gene Wojciechowski. Well, none of the power rankings seem to agree with him, rating the Bears no lower than No. 4.

 

That low rating, of course, comes on Wojciechowski's own ESPN.com, which appears to have a company-wide mandate to discount the existence of anything National, whether it be the League or the Football Conference.

 

Wojciechowski jumps on the bandwagon being driven by Steve Rosenbloom and Jay Mariotti, that the Bears have too many flaws to be considered a playoff contender. Y'all out there in readerland have heard/read/written the arguments all season long. The proof? Beating pathetic Arizona by only a point. Beating pathetic Tampa Bay by only three points in overtime. Beating pathetic St. Louis while giving up 27 points.

 

I point to the following games:

 

Week 15: Washington 16, New Orleans 10

Week 15: San Francisco 24, Seattle 14

Weeks 4, 7, 10 and 15: Jacksonville losing to Washington, Tennessee, and Houston twice.

Week 13: Tennessee 20, Indianapolis 17

Week 9: Washington 22, Dallas 19

Excuses abound for those losses. They're fluke losses, Vince Young makes Tennessee a completely different team, whatever. But the fact remains, these are examples of contending teams failing to beat the "easy" teams on their schedule. The Bears have failed to beat only one "easy" team on their schedule. They have beat the rest of them.

 

Yes, the defense is a concern, but as I said Monday, Nathan Vasher and Todd Johnson will make a difference. Yes, the offense remains a question mark despite two good games in a row. Yes, this team has some hairy warts. But to act like no contending team in the NFL has the warts the Bears have, that's just Chicago-centric. Take a gander at the papers in those other cities. Hand-wringing abound.

 

The Tribune's Don Pierson, Sports Illustrated's Dr. Z and FoxSports.com's DVOA ratings all have the Bears at No. 2 behind the San Diego Merrimomlinsons. Tomlerrimans? Whatever.

 

Pierson suggests that having two meaningless games is more danger than blessing and the DVOA ratings suggest that Devin Hester will be a Hall-of-Famer who will retire for 1½ years and then return for a couple more. You know, 'cause that's what No. 23s do in Chicago.

 

Dr. Z, by far the best read of any of the rankings, points this out from Sunday's post-Tank fallout: "On Sunday Joe Buck, hosting Fox's pregame show, served us a blind item referring to Johnson as 'training dogs to kill.' Howie Long, who maintains journalistic integrity, promptly jumped him on this one. 'Training to kill what?' he said. 'Where'd that come from?' Buck, true to the instincts of all sound bite airheads, went into a stammering backstroke and bailed out."

 

I am on the record as someone who doesn't like the way Joe Buck does his job. So that just about made my week to read that. Thank you, doctor. I shall no longer refer to Joe Buck by the name Jack gave him. He is now officially Sound Bite Airhead, or SBA for short.

 

So ESPN has the Bears No. 4, three rankings have them No. 2, which means the last two rankings have 'em at—you guessed it—No. 3.

 

FoxSports.com's Peter Schrager and Sportsline.com's Pete Prisco have them behind San Diego and Baltimore. Prisco has a colossally lame version of the "Night before Christmas" adjusted for the football season leading into his rankings. It's clear he has no sense of meter. At least he admits it.

 

As Prisco did after the Bears lost to Miami, he calls the Saints' loss to Washington a mulligan, saying it was a letdown after the Cowboys win. Fair enough.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I gotta agree, Sound Bite Airhead has a much better ring to it than Joe Buck.

[brinoch]

I gotta agree, Sound Bite Airhead has a much better ring to it than Joe Buck.

 

Sound Bite Airhead is pretty damn clever.

[BigSlick]

Looks like Lions fans are trying to put together yet another protestfor this weekend.

I have to be honest here, if I was a Lions fan I would be fuming right now. Why does Millen still have a job? Has anybody had worse drafts than this guy? He is just plain terrible.

 

Yeah I don't see why this is a bad thing. Sure they've got your money already, but that's not going to change. I'd be looking to do anything that shows anyone who cares enough to notice that I'm unhappy as a fan.

 

That team and franchise has been so bad for so long. I can imagine the fans are just sick of it.

 

empty seats at a NFL game for the entire game is a lot more effective

 

But if you already bought season tickets there isn't much you can do about it....

[Jon]

Hillenmeyer (thight) and Ruben Brown (shoulder) are probable. Vasher (hamstring), Tait (ankle), Tillman (back), Jones (Ribs), Leon Joe (hamstring), and Todd Johnson (ankle) are all questionable.

 

R. Brown, Hillenmeyer, Joe, Jones, Tait, and Tillman didn't practice today.

[BigSlick]

Hillenmeyer (thight) and Ruben Brown (shoulder) are probable. Vasher (hamstring), Tait (ankle), Tillman (back), Jones (Ribs), Leon Joe (hamstring), and Todd Johnson (ankle) are all questionable.

 

R. Brown, Hillenmeyer, Joe, Jones, Tait, and Tillman didn't practice today.

 

They might not play at all. I'd rathernot risk a longterm injury in a game like this.

 

But I do want to see everyone that is healthy go 100% until at least half time.

[rawaction]

Hillenmeyer (thight) and Ruben Brown (shoulder) are probable. Vasher (hamstring), Tait (ankle), Tillman (back), Jones (Ribs), Leon Joe (hamstring), and Todd Johnson (ankle) are all questionable.

 

R. Brown, Hillenmeyer, Joe, Jones, Tait, and Tillman didn't practice today.

 

I'd like to see everybody play at least a half of the last 2 games. I don't want to see the injured guys getting 3-5 weeks off before the playoff game. I think it hurt the Bears last year.

 

Good to see Vasher and Todd practiced. I'd like both to get some time this week (especially Johnson).

[Fred Hornkohl]

My fearless prediction........

 

BEARS       21
Detroit     10

 

Another 16 in the old confidence pool.

 

Go BEARS !!

[Banedon]

Hillenmeyer (thight) and Ruben Brown (shoulder) are probable. Vasher (hamstring), Tait (ankle), Tillman (back), Jones (Ribs), Leon Joe (hamstring), and Todd Johnson (ankle) are all questionable.

 

R. Brown, Hillenmeyer, Joe, Jones, Tait, and Tillman didn't practice today.

 

I'd like to see everybody play at least a half of the last 2 games. I don't want to see the injured guys getting 3-5 weeks off before the playoff game. I think it hurt the Bears last year.

 

Good to see Vasher and Todd practiced. I'd like both to get some time this week (especially Johnson).

 

I thought I'd heard a quote somewhere that Vasher thought he was ready to play, but that Lovie was the one keeping him out.

[Soul]

Hillenmeyer (thight) and Ruben Brown (shoulder) are probable. Vasher (hamstring), Tait (ankle), Tillman (back), Jones (Ribs), Leon Joe (hamstring), and Todd Johnson (ankle) are all questionable.

 

R. Brown, Hillenmeyer, Joe, Jones, Tait, and Tillman didn't practice today.

 

I'd like to see everybody play at least a half of the last 2 games. I don't want to see the injured guys getting 3-5 weeks off before the playoff game. I think it hurt the Bears last year.

 

Good to see Vasher and Todd practiced. I'd like both to get some time this week (especially Johnson).

 

I thought I'd heard a quote somewhere that Vasher thought he was ready to play, but that Lovie was the one keeping him out.

 

Vasher's been saying he can play for more than a week now. Lovie's just making sure he's good to go. I expect him to see action this week.

[Banedon]

One of Sportsline's "Face Off" questionsis: Which team is more vulnerable in the playoffs, the Chargers or Bears?

 

Pete Prisco says the Bears. Clark Judge says the Chargers. And I'm not sure I like either of their reasoning...lol.

[Soul]

One of Sportsline's "Face Off" questionsis: Which team is more vulnerable in the playoffs, the Chargers or Bears?

 

Pete Prisco says the Bears. Clark Judge says the Chargers. And I'm not sure I like either of their reasoning...lol.

 

Bah these are all the same morons who said the Bears would finish 8-8 and win the North "because someone has to"

[Banedon]

Two of the guys on Sportsline.com have the Lions winning in an upset.

 

Peter King has the score 30-7 Bears.

[oldstyle81]

One of Sportsline's "Face Off" questionsis: Which team is more vulnerable in the playoffs, the Chargers or Bears?

 

Pete Prisco says the Bears. Clark Judge says the Chargers. And I'm not sure I like either of their reasoning...lol.

 

Bah these are all the same morons who said the Bears would finish 8-8 and win the North "because someone has to"

 

add mike downey to that list

[CubmanPi]

Two of the guys on Sportsline.com have the Lions winning in an upset.

 

Peter King has the score 30-7 Bears.

Since the Bears have nothing left to play for except practice, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they didn't end up winning this game. The only implications it has is on next year's first overall pick, so the Lions may not be terrible interested in winning either, but it's not out of the question that the Lions take this one. (I'm giving the guys on Sportsline the benefit of the doubt and assuming they're using the same logic. If they just think the Lions will surprise the Bears hands down, then...)

[Fred Hornkohl]

Two of the guys on Sportsline.com have the Lions winning in an upset.

 

Peter King has the score 30-7 Bears.

Since the Bears have nothing left to play for except practice, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they didn't end up winning this game. The only implications it has is on next year's first overall pick, so the Lions may not be terrible interested in winning either, but it's not out of the question that the Lions take this one. (I'm giving the guys on Sportsline the benefit of the doubt and assuming they're using the same logic. If they just think the Lions will surprise the Bears hands down, then...)

 

The Lions will completely meltdown at the 8 minute mark of the 2nd period when all of their fans walk out. :wink:

[CubmanPi]

Two of the guys on Sportsline.com have the Lions winning in an upset.

 

Peter King has the score 30-7 Bears.

Since the Bears have nothing left to play for except practice, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they didn't end up winning this game. The only implications it has is on next year's first overall pick, so the Lions may not be terrible interested in winning either, but it's not out of the question that the Lions take this one. (I'm giving the guys on Sportsline the benefit of the doubt and assuming they're using the same logic. If they just think the Lions will surprise the Bears hands down, then...)

 

The Lions will completely meltdown at the 8 minute mark of the 2nd period when all of their fans walk out. :wink:

No way. At the 7:55 mark, Millen will be fired. By 7:15 in the 2nd, they will have hired a new GM, and by the second half, the new GM will have a fully competent team on the field, and all the fans that left will have magically solved all the Lions' troubles!

[Jon]

Ruben Brown was downgraded from probable to questionable, but Vasher was upgraded to probable and Hillenmeyer was removed altogether. Everyone else is still questionable, although Kreutz is now questionable with a knee injury.

 

Tait, Tillman, Ruben Brown, and Kreutz did not practice today.