NFC Championship: Bears vs. Saints - Sun Jan 21, 2 pm CST

[CuseCubFan69]

Right now I think the Saints D is better.

 

Update?

Come on, this is toeing the line of arrogance, isn't it?

 

Give me a break, guy. Just having some fun here.

 

That is if OMC doesn't mind you busting his chops. I think he's been pretty good about all this.

 

I'm not trying to kick the man when he's down but he went out on a limb with that statement and it kind of stuck with me.

 

No hard feelings though. Saints fans should be thrilled, obviously. Their team is in the up and ups big time.

 

I realize you're having fun and that's why ya'll were chirping before the game. I suppose I was just saying that for everyone and not just you.

[BigbadB]

I thought Reggie Bush's somersault was a bit more arrogant than Chocolate Milk's post, but luckily for CM, his post won't live forever in infamy like Reggie's flip.

 

HAHA! Do it again Reggie. Way to put personal performance before team performance!

 

That move is stupid IMO, you screw it up one time, and one time is all it takes, and you are paralyzed for life. It probably won't happen to Bush, because he is so athletic, but what about some younger kid trying to emulate it?

 

Why would anyone want to emulate looking like an idiot in front of millions of viewers?

 

This is a team sport, not an individual sport. Somersaults into the endzone is a selfish individual activity. Did Drew Brees do a cartwheel after throwing the ball to Bush? Did the offensive line do back flips for giving Brees time to find Bush wide open? Did the other receiver that made the pick allowing Bush to get open do a handstand?

 

Did any of the Bears do somersaults on their TD runs?

 

Reggie's somersault didn't even give the Saints the lead. They never got the lead. The Saints scored zero points after the somersault. There was a missed field goal that could have given them the lead, but 40+ yard field goals in outdoor stadiums are not "gimme's" unless your name is Gould.

 

Did the somersault have any impact in the Bears defense shutting the Saints down for the rest of the game? I sure hope so. I get so tired of watching clowns who make millions treat the game like it's their own individual arena.

[BigbadB]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

[CuseCubFan69]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

 

If Brees had time he could have done a lot of damage. I'm not sure why the Saints abandoned the running game just to ease the pressure but Peyton knows his team and I'm sure he had a reason.

[Soriano12]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

 

If Brees had time he could have done a lot of damage. I'm not sure why the Saints abandoned the running game just to ease the pressure but Peyton knows his team and I'm sure he had a reason.

 

This is the same guy that lost his play calling duties to Jim Fassell.

[OleMissCub]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

 

If Brees had time he could have done a lot of damage. I'm not sure why the Saints abandoned the running game just to ease the pressure but Peyton knows his team and I'm sure he had a reason.

 

The reason I think was that Deuce got hurt in that first quarter. He came up limp after being hit low on a pass. He got up limping around and grimacing. After that play, he only had 3 rushes the entire rest of the game. I feel like they mainly kept him in there as a decoy and had to run the obligatory rush with him every so often to try and show that he was still a factor. It kind of sucked keeping him in there though because most of the times that Brees got hurried or sacked it was because the DE got past Deuce, who is normally an outstanding pass-rush blocker.

[Banedon]

I know it's early, but it'd be fun if Saints-Bears could turn into a Colts-Pats type rivalry where we meet in the playoffs each year.

[CuseCubFan69]

I know it's early, but it'd be fun if Saints-Bears could turn into a Colts-Pats type rivalry where we meet in the playoffs each year.

 

Especially if the teams in their divisions continue to stink.

[Chocolate Milk]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

 

If Brees had time he could have done a lot of damage. I'm not sure why the Saints abandoned the running game just to ease the pressure but Peyton knows his team and I'm sure he had a reason.

 

The reason I think was that Deuce got hurt in that first quarter. He came up limp after being hit low on a pass. He got up limping around and grimacing. After that play, he only had 3 rushes the entire rest of the game. I feel like they mainly kept him in there as a decoy and had to run the obligatory rush with him every so often to try and show that he was still a factor. It kind of sucked keeping him in there though because most of the times that Brees got hurried or sacked it was because the DE got past Deuce, who is normally an outstanding pass-rush blocker.

 

I forgot about that. He was limping around a little bit.

[Banedon]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

 

If Brees had time he could have done a lot of damage. I'm not sure why the Saints abandoned the running game just to ease the pressure but Peyton knows his team and I'm sure he had a reason.

 

The reason I think was that Deuce got hurt in that first quarter. He came up limp after being hit low on a pass. He got up limping around and grimacing. After that play, he only had 3 rushes the entire rest of the game. I feel like they mainly kept him in there as a decoy and had to run the obligatory rush with him every so often to try and show that he was still a factor. It kind of sucked keeping him in there though because most of the times that Brees got hurried or sacked it was because the DE got past Deuce, who is normally an outstanding pass-rush blocker.

 

I forgot about that. He was limping around a little bit.

 

The only reason I would question this is that if this was the case, why wouldn't something have been said about it postgame? The Saints don't really have any reason to keep something like that under wraps after losing the NFC Championship.

[OleMissCub]

I know it's early, but it'd be fun if Saints-Bears could turn into a Colts-Pats type rivalry where we meet in the playoffs each year.

 

Especially if the teams in their divisions continue to stink.

 

Much easier to say that given your division. In the NFC South, The Panthers, despite not making the playoffs are a pretty scary team. Although, Green Bay did show that they could play pretty well at times this year.

[OleMissCub]

 

The only reason I would question this is that if this was the case, why wouldn't something have been said about it postgame? The Saints don't really have any reason to keep something like that under wraps after losing the NFC Championship.

 

Speaking of the devil, they just said on our local sports station that Deuce took a helmet to his surgically repaired knee on a screen play.

[BigbadB]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

 

If Brees had time he could have done a lot of damage. I'm not sure why the Saints abandoned the running game just to ease the pressure but Peyton knows his team and I'm sure he had a reason.

 

Can you really say they abandoned the run when they never really ran in the first place? Deuce and Reggie combined for 10 carries. Brees threw the ball 49 times.

[goonys evil twin]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

 

If Brees had time he could have done a lot of damage. I'm not sure why the Saints abandoned the running game just to ease the pressure but Peyton knows his team and I'm sure he had a reason.

 

Can you really say they abandoned the run when they never really ran in the first place? Deuce and Reggie combined for 10 carries. Brees threw the ball 49 times.

 

I don't get the abandoned the run story. New Orleans lived by the pass and they died by the pass. They are not a good running team. They had one of the lowest running averages in the league this year. They were top 5 in passing attempts this year.

 

People were talking about the Deuce and Reggie show, but the fact is that team relied on the passing game more than anything else. It was a question of whether or not Drew could lead that offense threw the air against the Bears. And he couldn't.

[Soul]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

 

If Brees had time he could have done a lot of damage. I'm not sure why the Saints abandoned the running game just to ease the pressure but Peyton knows his team and I'm sure he had a reason.

 

Can you really say they abandoned the run when they never really ran in the first place? Deuce and Reggie combined for 10 carries. Brees threw the ball 49 times.

 

Didn't Payton say to the press he was going to mainly attack with the pass? This was after halftime, I believe? Maybe I'm imagining things.

 

Sounded more like the gameplan than a Deuce injury. Deuce is a tough kid. If he's out there, he can run if called upon.

[BleedCubbieBlue81]

That surprised everyone at the Saints party I was at as well. After we got done jumping up and down and watched the replay, none of us could believe that Urlacher was outrunning the DB's. He's a complete freak of nature that guy. Definitely not somebody you want to taunt.

Urlacher is extremely fast for a linebacker, but the reason he was still chasing Bush, and the reason he's in on almost every play is that he never gives up until the whistle blows. There have been plays this year (and throughout his career) where he has been knocked over 20 yards away from the ball, but he still gets up and sprints toward the play even if it looks like it's over already. The rest of the guys are already headed back to the huddle, and he's flying in out of nowhere to make a tackle or influence the play when he should've been dead in the water already. I was not surprised at all to see him leading the pursuit 75 yards downfield.

[OleMissCub]

 

Sounded more like the gameplan than a Deuce injury. Deuce is a tough kid. If he's out there, he can run if called upon.

 

Yes, he's a tough kid, but I've been watching him since he was a Freshman All-American here at Ole Miss, and that wasn't 100% Deuce at there, or even 75% Deuce. He was definitely hurt.

 

Not saying that's why they relied on the pass so much, but something was definitely wrong with him, and it really hurt us because he couldn't stop the pass-rush like normal. His efforts to block your DE's were just pitiful.

[BigbadB]

The rest of the guys are already headed back to the huddle, and he's flying in out of nowhere to make a tackle or influence the play when he should've been dead in the water already. I was not surprised at all to see him leading the pursuit 75 yards downfield.

 

I agree with your sentiments in regards to Urlacher. But, I think you're off a bit with the rest of the team. Lovie doesn't stand for any lackadaisical play out on the field. I was reading or listening somewhere where they talked about some form of demerits given out in practice and in actual games whenever someone is caught not hustling full out on a play.

 

I don't remember what the demerits count towards (laps maybe?), but most of the players pride themselves on trying to not earn any of these things. And from what I heard, it sounds like it's a very tough grading system. Urlacher probably earned a few demerits even in that game, but definitely not on that play.

[BigbadB]

 

Sounded more like the gameplan than a Deuce injury. Deuce is a tough kid. If he's out there, he can run if called upon.

 

Yes, he's a tough kid, but I've been watching him since he was a Freshman All-American here at Ole Miss, and that wasn't 100% Deuce at there, or even 75% Deuce. He was definitely hurt.

 

Not saying that's why they relied on the pass so much, but something was definitely wrong with him, and it really hurt us because he couldn't stop the pass-rush like normal. His efforts to block your DE's were just pitiful.

 

You know the team better than I would, but they were still using Deuce most of the game. And he was blocking for Brees most of the time, which I would imagine would be tougher on the knees than his typical running style of plowing straight up the middle. He also had 3 catches.

 

Not trying to dissuade your opinion, but to me it just seemed like they wanted to go to the air since they were having some success with it early.

[CuseCubFan69]

It's called smack talk. I'm never going to say my team sucks before a big game.

 

That said, I feel that one or two good natured pokes are ok after the game. What you said was fine. I'm eating crow today for sure. It's when people openly mock someone after a game that bothers me.

 

The Saints have nothing to be disappointed about. They will be a team to take seriously next year. Not that they shouldn't have been taken seriously this year. They were the team I was most afraid of in the NFC this year. Brees is an awesome QB.

 

If Brees had time he could have done a lot of damage. I'm not sure why the Saints abandoned the running game just to ease the pressure but Peyton knows his team and I'm sure he had a reason.

 

Can you really say they abandoned the run when they never really ran in the first place? Deuce and Reggie combined for 10 carries. Brees threw the ball 49 times.

 

I don't get the abandoned the run story. New Orleans lived by the pass and they died by the pass. They are not a good running team. They had one of the lowest running averages in the league this year. They were top 5 in passing attempts this year.

 

People were talking about the Deuce and Reggie show, but the fact is that team relied on the passing game more than anything else. It was a question of whether or not Drew could lead that offense threw the air against the Bears. And he couldn't.

 

Didn't they run the ball more often then that though during the year? I understand they fell behind and had to throw at one point but a draw once in a while would have been nice.

[BleedCubbieBlue81]

I agree with your sentiments in regards to Urlacher. But, I think you're off a bit with the rest of the team. Lovie doesn't stand for any lackadaisical play out on the field. I was reading or listening somewhere where they talked about some form of demerits given out in practice and in actual games whenever someone is caught not hustling full out on a play.

 

I don't remember what the demerits count towards (laps maybe?), but most of the players pride themselves on trying to not earn any of these things. And from what I heard, it sounds like it's a very tough grading system. Urlacher probably earned a few demerits even in that game, but definitely not on that play.

Oh, I'm not saying the rest of the team dogs it out there. I'm just saying, if you look at Urlacher in relation to other middle linebackers throughout the league, you'll probably notice him being involved in more downfield pursuits and tackles in the secondary than you would most other guys. He does not quit.

 

Yeah, I remember hearing about that demerit system. Urlacher said he could watch the same game as Lovie, but when Urlacher grades himself, he gets 1, maybe 2 demerits. When Lovie does, its often in double digits.

[OleMissCub]

 

Didn't they run the ball more often then that though during the year? I understand they fell behind and had to throw at one point but a draw once in a while would have been nice.

 

Deuce averages 16 carries a game and Reggie 10.

 

Last night Deuce carried 6 times and Reggie only 4.

 

Following getting hit in the knee at 8:50 in the second quarter (thought it was first but it was second), Deuce only had 4 plays the rest of the game. Something had to be wrong with him.

[sweetpeteman]

From ChicagoSports.com poll on who was the MVP of the game yestaurday:

 

Reggie Bush (taunting Urlacher, Saints don't score after that)

[OleMissCub]

From ChicagoSports.com poll on who was the MVP of the game yestaurday:

 

Reggie Bush (taunting Urlacher, Saints don't score after that)

 

I seriously doubt that made a lick of difference. Do the Bears D have to get taunted to play hard and effective?

[goonys evil twin]

From ChicagoSports.com poll on who was the MVP of the game yestaurday:

 

Reggie Bush (taunting Urlacher, Saints don't score after that)

 

I seriously doubt that made a lick of difference. Do the Bears D have to get taunted to play hard and effective?

 

No, they just need to play a team with a better defense, like the Saints, to get inspired.