Week 16: Packers @ Bears, MNF on ESPN (7:30 CT)

[Wilson A2000]

Someone fill me in on the Bobby Wade references...

 

After the Vikes lost he said that the Bears are choke artists and will lose at home against Green Bay. Maybe he should worry about his own team.

[hawkeyecub]

Thanks for not getting the kick above the heads of the linemen Crosby. The garbage horse collar didn't hurt either.

 

Congrats Bears on your 2008 NFC North Division title. It's over.

 

i wouldn't count out a complete choke job next week at Houston

 

No way. I've seen this movie too many times.

 

Vikings have a chance to wrap it up at home and fumble it away 4 times. Bears need everything to go right, can't do anything on offense but get the usual huge special teams plays, some breaks and pull out close wins.

 

It's over

 

zygi would just file some sort of an injunction to get the vikings into the playoffs.

 

Said injuction would just get tipped, bounce off the league office and into Halas Hall.

 

please. everything has gone right for the queens this year. then their two star defensive players get caught using a masking agent and a minnesota judge overrules the league.

 

if there's any justice, minny will lose, bears will win, and the fat williamses will have to sit out the first 4 games of next year.

 

Yeah just like in the first Bears game when you had (another) punt bounce directly into a man on the return team, our punter inexplicably dropped a perfect snap and of course another tipped ball interception.

Or last week when we control the game but fumble 4 times (recovering 0 because those are typical odds) and watch Ryan fumble it into the end zone and go through 3 guys for a touchdown.

 

And you're right, the Williams' are obviously juicing. It couldn't have been that they got caught trying to drop some water weight before training camp so they could meet their required weight. Especially Pat who had to sit out the beginning of training camp two years ago for being 5 pounds over.

[da bears]

Thanks for not getting the kick above the heads of the linemen Crosby. The garbage horse collar didn't hurt either.

 

Congrats Bears on your 2008 NFC North Division title. It's over.

 

i wouldn't count out a complete choke job next week at Houston

 

No way. I've seen this movie too many times.

 

Vikings have a chance to wrap it up at home and fumble it away 4 times. Bears need everything to go right, can't do anything on offense but get the usual huge special teams plays, some breaks and pull out close wins.

 

It's over

 

 

 

zygi would just file some sort of an injunction to get the vikings into the playoffs.

 

Said injuction would just get tipped, bounce off the league office and into Halas Hall.

 

please. everything has gone right for the queens this year. then their two star defensive players get caught using a masking agent and a minnesota judge overrules the league.

 

if there's any justice, minny will lose, bears will win, and the fat williamses will have to sit out the first 4 games of next year.

 

Yeah just like in the first Bears game when you had (another) punt bounce directly into a man on the return team, our punter inexplicably dropped a perfect snap and of course another tipped ball interception.

Or last week when we control the game but fumble 4 times (recovering 0 because those are typical odds) and watch Ryan fumble it into the end zone and go through 3 guys for a touchdown.

 

And you're right, the Williams' are obviously juicing. It couldn't have been that they got caught trying to drop some water weight before training camp so they could meet their required weight. Especially Pat who had to sit out the beginning of training camp two years ago for being 5 pounds over.

 

Maybe you should worry more about the Vikings doing a complete choke job than the Bears "getting lucky." The Vikings have absolutely nobody but themselves to blame if they blow it. So get over yourself and stop worrying about the Bears. Cause if the Vikings weren't a bunch of losers in the first place, they wouldn't have to worry about the Bears at all.

[Magnetic Curses]

Thanks for not getting the kick above the heads of the linemen Crosby. The garbage horse collar didn't hurt either.

 

Congrats Bears on your 2008 NFC North Division title. It's over.

 

i wouldn't count out a complete choke job next week at Houston

 

No way. I've seen this movie too many times.

 

Vikings have a chance to wrap it up at home and fumble it away 4 times. Bears need everything to go right, can't do anything on offense but get the usual huge special teams plays, some breaks and pull out close wins.

 

It's over

 

zygi would just file some sort of an injunction to get the vikings into the playoffs.

 

Said injuction would just get tipped, bounce off the league office and into Halas Hall.

 

please. everything has gone right for the queens this year. then their two star defensive players get caught using a masking agent and a minnesota judge overrules the league.

 

if there's any justice, minny will lose, bears will win, and the fat williamses will have to sit out the first 4 games of next year.

 

Yeah just like in the first Bears game when you had (another) punt bounce directly into a man on the return team, our punter inexplicably dropped a perfect snap and of course another tipped ball interception.

Or last week when we control the game but fumble 4 times (recovering 0 because those are typical odds) and watch Ryan fumble it into the end zone and go through 3 guys for a touchdown.

 

And you're right, the Williams' are obviously juicing. It couldn't have been that they got caught trying to drop some water weight before training camp so they could meet their required weight. No the timing doesn't make any sense.

 

hey, those fumbles are nobody's fault but their own. conversely, i'd say that a team that loses 4 fumbles in one game and is still in it is damn lucky in the first place.

 

and yeah, the williamses are definitely juicing and yeah, calvin johnson still caught that ball.

 

these would all be moot points if the falcons don't pull out a miracle against us, down and receiving a kickoff with 11 seconds to go.

[hawkeyecub]

hey, those fumbles are nobody's fault but their own. conversely, i'd say that a team that loses 4 fumbles in one game and is still in it is damn lucky in the first place.

 

and yeah, the williamses are definitely juicing and yeah, calvin johnson still caught that ball.

 

these would all be moot points if the falcons don't pull out a miracle against us, down and receiving a kickoff with 11 seconds to go.

 

Correct. They coughed it up. All they had to do to win the division was hang on to the ball in a game they controlled and they couldn't do it. It's nothing new here.

 

Calvin's non-catch was close, I felt he ended with his hand on the side of the ball and the ball touching the ground.

 

Disagree on the Williams' simply because of the circumstances and timing. They were tested at the beginning of training camp. Each had weight requirements. Pat had to sit out the beginning of camp two years ago for being 5 pounds over. The main use of the pills they took are to flush out water weight and drop a few pounds quickly.

 

Falcons game was a Viking-esque loss, I'll grant you that. Helped balance out some of the others.

 

Anyways my intention wasn't to get into a pissing match with Bears fans in a Bears thread. I'm usually not a self-pitty sports fan with other teams, I've just seen this play out too many times before and should have seen it coming again. Enjoy your division title.

[Flames24Rulz]

Thanks for not getting the kick above the heads of the linemen Crosby. The garbage horse collar didn't hurt either.

 

Congrats Bears on your 2008 NFC North Division title. It's over.

 

i wouldn't count out a complete choke job next week at Houston

 

No way. I've seen this movie too many times.

 

Vikings have a chance to wrap it up at home and fumble it away 4 times. Bears need everything to go right, can't do anything on offense but get the usual huge special teams plays, some breaks and pull out close wins.

 

It's over

 

zygi would just file some sort of an injunction to get the vikings into the playoffs.

 

Said injuction would just get tipped, bounce off the league office and into Halas Hall.

 

please. everything has gone right for the queens this year. then their two star defensive players get caught using a masking agent and a minnesota judge overrules the league.

 

if there's any justice, minny will lose, bears will win, and the fat williamses will have to sit out the first 4 games of next year.

 

Yeah just like in the first Bears game when you had (another) punt bounce directly into a man on the return team, our punter inexplicably dropped a perfect snap and of course another tipped ball interception.

Or last week when we control the game but fumble 4 times (recovering 0 because those are typical odds) and watch Ryan fumble it into the end zone and go through 3 guys for a touchdown.

 

And you're right, the Williams' are obviously juicing. It couldn't have been that they got caught trying to drop some water weight before training camp so they could meet their required weight. Especially Pat who had to sit out the beginning of training camp two years ago for being 5 pounds over.

 

Hate to take the side of a Vikings' fan, but you're absolutely right. I watched the game with my friend and his girlfriend (who are Bucs and Cowboys fans) and they kept marvelling at how lucky the Bears are. Now I know some of you will say, "But we lost the Carolina and Tampa games due to unlucky play." Ok, I'll give you those games. But the Bears defeated the Saints and the Packers in consecutive weeks when they had absolutely no business winning those games. A ball bouncing off a blocker on a punt right into another Bears' hands? Only the Bears. I hardly ever see that crap happen to other teams.

 

I'll be the first to admit to say that I'm overreacting and that I'm usually far more level-headed than I am right now. I also realize us getting into the playoffs in 2003 was one of the luckiest things I have ever witnessed as we had to beat a Broncos team that was heading to the playoffs as well as hope a 3-12 Cardinals team could knock off the big, bad Minnesota Vikings. I understand that the Bears are 9-6. My friend's dad is a huge Bears fan and even he said that the Packers were the team that should be 9-6, not the Bears. They aren't any good and I can back that up. Kyle Orton is a bad quarterback. Period. It's bull the way that he gets a free pass in Chicago despite having two horrid games in a row. If that were someone with the name Rex, he'd be having some weird meatheads booing him outside of his house.

 

It's just ridiculous that a team with that bad of a coaching staff, that bad of an offense (outside of Forte and perhaps Olsen) and a defense that really isn't that good can be 9-6 and be in position to win a division. And yes, I realize the Packers are bad and are probably deserving of our record because we have an incompetent coach. I'm just tired of Bears fans complaining how their team is so unlucky when they're extremely fortunate they're even in this position to begin with.

[SpongeWorthy]

Any Cub fan that roots for anyone but the Bears is a subhuman epsilon semi-moron anyway.

 

Cubs-Packers, Cubs-Vikings.

 

Really?

[hawkeyecub]

Any Cub fan that roots for anyone but the Bears is a subhuman epsilon semi-moron anyway.

 

Cubs-Packers, Cubs-Vikings.

 

Really?

 

Blame WGN.

 

People are generally fans of teams they can see on tv and/or have been influenced by family members from a young age. We got the Vikings on tv every Sunday and I was born into a family of Vikings fans.

In the spring and summer when I was a kid we got the Cubs on WGN every day with Harry Caray. The Twins were never on tv. Well except for when I could have seen them win two World Series.

[rawaction]

Bears had their chances. Turnover on the GB side of the field. Kickoff return to get the ball at the GB 28. Kickoff out of bounds, get the ball at the 40. Playcalling needs to get more aggressive. Get the ball to Forte vs. a LB. Get the ball to Olsen vs. whoever. Hester is open on the curl all day because of the fear of the deep ball. Bears are not taking advantage of the matchups they have.

 

This is my post at halftime. Forte and Olsen only had a combined 9 touches in the first half, with a combined 1 throw to either, that being the first offensive play of the game.

 

Bears did exactly what they needed to do. In the 2nd have they got the field position a couple more times and took advantage of it. 27 yard TD drive. 51 yard TD drive to tie it. Second half they touched the ball 21 times between them.

 

The difference is the Bears scored 14 on their 2 short drives in the 2nd half. The Packers scored 3 after getting the ball at the Bears 30 and 35.

[rawaction]

Man. I ain't done talking about this game! I slept about 2.5 hours because I was too excited to sleep last night.

 

-Corey Graham was absolutely excellent.

-Danieal looked good on returns, kick coverage, pass coverage, and for some reason was invisible to the Pack on the blitz.

-Briggs. What can you say about him? He's lapped Urlacher as the best LB on the team. And that's not a knock against Urlacher.

-Tommie only showed up for about 3 plays. But they were 3 great plays. I think that's about the best we can hope for from him right now.

-I thought Steltz played well after Grant ran him over.

-Urlacher and Alex Brown did some good things. Brown controled the RT all game, but just isn't a pass rusher.

 

15 games in, and I still don't know if this team is good. But I am enjoying it.

[Banedon]

Lucky, lucky, lucky. We had no business winning that game. Complete robbery.

 

Flames24rulz is right about Orton, at least in the last few games. He's been bad. Although whoever was criticizing him for not throwing a catchable ball to Hester just wasn't watching the same game. Hester had 2-3 passes hit him in both hands, and with no defenders helping things out, Hester couldn't reel the ball in. Any #1 or #2 receiver should be able to pull in those catches. Greg Olsen sure didn't have any issues with Orton's passes. Olsen is really turning into a stud receiving TE.

[CoolHandLuke]

Eh, I don't like slipping down the draft board just to have a season that is slightly closer to mediocrity. If you are going to be middling you might as well be Lion bad in my opinion, so this loss doesn't bother me too much.

[rchap24]

Lucky, lucky, lucky. We had no business winning that game. Complete robbery.

 

Flames24rulz is right about Orton, at least in the last few games. He's been bad. Although whoever was criticizing him for not throwing a catchable ball to Hester just wasn't watching the same game. Hester had 2-3 passes hit him in both hands, and with no defenders helping things out, Hester couldn't reel the ball in. Any #1 or #2 receiver should be able to pull in those catches. Greg Olsen sure didn't have any issues with Orton's passes. Olsen is really turning into a stud receiving TE.

 

We really didn't that now we really realize how much the Packers have fallen

[bukie]

I think the Philly, NO and GB games just about make up for the Carolina, Tampa, and Atlanta games earlier in the year. It all balances out.

[kujay]

Lucky, lucky, lucky. We had no business winning that game. Complete robbery.

 

Flames24rulz is right about Orton, at least in the last few games. He's been bad. Although whoever was criticizing him for not throwing a catchable ball to Hester just wasn't watching the same game. Hester had 2-3 passes hit him in both hands, and with no defenders helping things out, Hester couldn't reel the ball in. Any #1 or #2 receiver should be able to pull in those catches. Greg Olsen sure didn't have any issues with Orton's passes. Olsen is really turning into a stud receiving TE.

 

I agree. They played awful for most of the game until Forte was finally able to get it going. And Orton is unbelievably bad. This is way worse than Grossman ever was. At least when Grossman was bad it was because he was trying to make plays. The INTs by Orton last night were things a high school QB should know not to do. I'll admit, I've never been an Orton fan. But he's not going to take this team anywhere and I hope they don't sign him for next year.

[jersey cubs fan]

Lucky, lucky, lucky. We had no business winning that game. Complete robbery.

 

Flames24rulz is right about Orton, at least in the last few games. He's been bad. Although whoever was criticizing him for not throwing a catchable ball to Hester just wasn't watching the same game. Hester had 2-3 passes hit him in both hands, and with no defenders helping things out, Hester couldn't reel the ball in. Any #1 or #2 receiver should be able to pull in those catches. Greg Olsen sure didn't have any issues with Orton's passes. Olsen is really turning into a stud receiving TE.

 

1 of those was whistled behind his head while he was running fast in the opposite direction and another hit his hands only after he had to stop running and wait for the ball, giving the defenders time to also get their hands on the ball. If you expect Hester to be a jump ball phenom like Moss and Burress, you are being unrealistic. Hester is the type of receiver a QB has to lead or hit in stride. He's the only Bears receiver capable of getting consistent seperation, not counting the tight ends. Olsen didn't have problems with Orton's passes because they were lobbed into the flat. That type of pass does not require a ton of accuracy, they are easy to make, and easy to catch.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

They need to just go back to recycling through mediocre veterans every year for the next few years instead of maintaining the delusion that anyone they have now might develop into a legit starting QB.

[jersey cubs fan]

Lucky, lucky, lucky. We had no business winning that game. Complete robbery.

 

Flames24rulz is right about Orton, at least in the last few games. He's been bad. Although whoever was criticizing him for not throwing a catchable ball to Hester just wasn't watching the same game. Hester had 2-3 passes hit him in both hands, and with no defenders helping things out, Hester couldn't reel the ball in. Any #1 or #2 receiver should be able to pull in those catches. Greg Olsen sure didn't have any issues with Orton's passes. Olsen is really turning into a stud receiving TE.

 

I agree. They played awful for most of the game until Forte was finally able to get it going. And Orton is unbelievably bad. This is way worse than Grossman ever was. At least when Grossman was bad it was because he was trying to make plays. The INTs by Orton last night were things a high school QB should know not to do. I'll admit, I've never been an Orton fan. But he's not going to take this team anywhere and I hope they don't sign him for next year.

 

Disagree. When Grossman was at his worst he made last night's Orton look like a solid QB. At least when Orton is bad he still makes the occasional pass and doesn't completely crap the bed and give it all away. He's still been awful recently.

[kujay]

Lucky, lucky, lucky. We had no business winning that game. Complete robbery.

 

Flames24rulz is right about Orton, at least in the last few games. He's been bad. Although whoever was criticizing him for not throwing a catchable ball to Hester just wasn't watching the same game. Hester had 2-3 passes hit him in both hands, and with no defenders helping things out, Hester couldn't reel the ball in. Any #1 or #2 receiver should be able to pull in those catches. Greg Olsen sure didn't have any issues with Orton's passes. Olsen is really turning into a stud receiving TE.

 

I agree. They played awful for most of the game until Forte was finally able to get it going. And Orton is unbelievably bad. This is way worse than Grossman ever was. At least when Grossman was bad it was because he was trying to make plays. The INTs by Orton last night were things a high school QB should know not to do. I'll admit, I've never been an Orton fan. But he's not going to take this team anywhere and I hope they don't sign him for next year.

 

Disagree. When Grossman was at his worst he made last night's Orton look like a solid QB. At least when Orton is bad he still makes the occasional pass and doesn't completely crap the bed and give it all away. He's still been awful recently.

 

The only reason Orton's picks didn't completely "give it all away" last night was because the Packers were pretty inept in their own right. Those throws were inexcusable.

[rchap24]

I think the Philly, NO and GB games just about make up for the Carolina, Tampa, and Atlanta games earlier in the year. It all balances out.

 

True...and about the whole Orton thing he's actually throwing balls at the defense sometimes...Like some of his interceptions don't even look like he intended to hit a receiver. I really think they rushed him back and ever since then he just hasn't had the right mentality that he used to have

[jersey cubs fan]

Lucky, lucky, lucky. We had no business winning that game. Complete robbery.

 

Flames24rulz is right about Orton, at least in the last few games. He's been bad. Although whoever was criticizing him for not throwing a catchable ball to Hester just wasn't watching the same game. Hester had 2-3 passes hit him in both hands, and with no defenders helping things out, Hester couldn't reel the ball in. Any #1 or #2 receiver should be able to pull in those catches. Greg Olsen sure didn't have any issues with Orton's passes. Olsen is really turning into a stud receiving TE.

 

I agree. They played awful for most of the game until Forte was finally able to get it going. And Orton is unbelievably bad. This is way worse than Grossman ever was. At least when Grossman was bad it was because he was trying to make plays. The INTs by Orton last night were things a high school QB should know not to do. I'll admit, I've never been an Orton fan. But he's not going to take this team anywhere and I hope they don't sign him for next year.

 

Disagree. When Grossman was at his worst he made last night's Orton look like a solid QB. At least when Orton is bad he still makes the occasional pass and doesn't completely crap the bed and give it all away. He's still been awful recently.

 

The only reason Orton's picks didn't completely "give it all away" last night was because the Packers were pretty inept in their own right. Those throws were inexcusable.

 

Well that and they were "relatively safe" picks, in that they were right over the middle in front of a crowd. Grossman just lobbed the ball into the flat no matter who was around when things got tough. Grossman at his worst is much worse than Orton has been. If bad Rex was playing last night, the team never would have had a chance to comeback.

[BigbadB]

Wow. What a game! I thought the officials botched that first kick call. May I suggest NFL invest in some high def replay tv's? It sure looked like the ball touched the return man's foot to me.

 

Orton was really bad last night. I guess I'll blame it on the extreme cold, because I can't think of anything else to blame. He's certainly not a great QB, but I certainly expect more from a QB than the effort we watched last night.

 

The defense was actually pretty good last night. If it weren't for special teams, we certainly would be out of the playoff picture at this point.

 

I was happy to not see Rashied Davis drop any passes last night. Was he officially benched on offense? He did make one nice special teams play that helped the Bears recover a fumbled punt.

 

Really should have lost that game. I was actually impressed with how Rodgers could put the ball in a spot where only his receiver had a chance to catch the ball time and time again, but also in a spot where his receiver WOULD catch the ball. The Packers looked like a better team than the Bears in both games this year, which makes it a real head scratcher that the Bears have a better overall record.

[rchap24]

Wow. What a game! I thought the officials botched that first kick call. May I suggest NFL invest in some high def replay tv's? It sure looked like the ball touched the return man's foot to me.

 

Orton was really bad last night. I guess I'll blame it on the extreme cold, because I can't think of anything else to blame. He's certainly not a great QB, but I certainly expect more from a QB than the effort we watched last night.

 

The defense was actually pretty good last night. If it weren't for special teams, we certainly would be out of the playoff picture at this point.

 

I was happy to not see Rashied Davis drop any passes last night. Was he officially benched on offense? He did make one nice special teams play that helped the Bears recover a fumbled punt.

 

Really should have lost that game. I was actually impressed with how Rodgers could put the ball in a spot where only his receiver had a chance to catch the ball time and time again, but also in a spot where his receiver WOULD catch the ball. The Packers looked like a better team than the Bears in both games this year, which makes it a real head scratcher that the Bears have a better overall record.

 

Yeah I forgot to mention about that punt replay...So for the first 10 replays they showed I thought it didn't touch him, but for some reason they decided to show another angle which they hadn't show yet. That was the only angle that showed it touching him...why didn't they show that until the last second!!!!!!!

[Banedon]

Lucky, lucky, lucky. We had no business winning that game. Complete robbery.

 

Flames24rulz is right about Orton, at least in the last few games. He's been bad. Although whoever was criticizing him for not throwing a catchable ball to Hester just wasn't watching the same game. Hester had 2-3 passes hit him in both hands, and with no defenders helping things out, Hester couldn't reel the ball in. Any #1 or #2 receiver should be able to pull in those catches. Greg Olsen sure didn't have any issues with Orton's passes. Olsen is really turning into a stud receiving TE.

 

1 of those was whistled behind his head while he was running fast in the opposite direction and another hit his hands only after he had to stop running and wait for the ball, giving the defenders time to also get their hands on the ball. If you expect Hester to be a jump ball phenom like Moss and Burress, you are being unrealistic. Hester is the type of receiver a QB has to lead or hit in stride. He's the only Bears receiver capable of getting consistent seperation, not counting the tight ends. Olsen didn't have problems with Orton's passes because they were lobbed into the flat. That type of pass does not require a ton of accuracy, they are easy to make, and easy to catch.

 

Do you remember a time when Hester made a semi-difficult catch? I'm not asking for him to make catches like the one handed blind catch that Booker made earlier this year, but the one that Orton shorted was still right in his hands, even though he had to slow up and turn around. If he's going to be a WR, I just want to see him make some medium difficulty catches.

[BigbadB]

Wow. What a game! I thought the officials botched that first kick call. May I suggest NFL invest in some high def replay tv's? It sure looked like the ball touched the return man's foot to me.

 

Orton was really bad last night. I guess I'll blame it on the extreme cold, because I can't think of anything else to blame. He's certainly not a great QB, but I certainly expect more from a QB than the effort we watched last night.

 

The defense was actually pretty good last night. If it weren't for special teams, we certainly would be out of the playoff picture at this point.

 

I was happy to not see Rashied Davis drop any passes last night. Was he officially benched on offense? He did make one nice special teams play that helped the Bears recover a fumbled punt.

 

Really should have lost that game. I was actually impressed with how Rodgers could put the ball in a spot where only his receiver had a chance to catch the ball time and time again, but also in a spot where his receiver WOULD catch the ball. The Packers looked like a better team than the Bears in both games this year, which makes it a real head scratcher that the Bears have a better overall record.

 

Yeah I forgot to mention about that punt replay...So for the first 10 replays they showed I thought it didn't touch him, but for some reason they decided to show another angle which they hadn't show yet. That was the only angle that showed it touching him...why didn't they show that until the last second!!!!!!!

 

I thought I saw every replay several times. You can just barely make out the football changing its momentum and spin after it passes his foot. There is no angle that CLEARLY showed it touching, but the ball did make that slight adjustment, which is how I could tell it touched him.