Week 2 - Chicago Bears vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 3:15 PM CBS

[David]

So Bear fans went from 2 days ago thinking this was a 11 win team, to season's over after Week 1? What?

 

 

Pretty sure those are different fans for the most part.

[Outshined_One]

So when do the Blackhawks start? This season is ovah!

 

Shut up, CubsGM.

[UMFan83]

Lovies PC on now on Comcast.

[Hall7810]

So it is Dez's ribs, not his back bothering him. Payne has a brace on his left hand; McBride has a knee sprain and Lance said he won't be moving to the middle.

[Hall7810]

Pisa is out at least a month. Bears are reported to be close to signing Tim Shaw

[UMFan83]

Lovie:

 

-Urlacher out for the year. Big shoes to fill. Will come back strong as ever next year

-Other injuries: Dez Clark (rib injury) sounds like d2d (will deal with on his own), Pisa and whats his face have knee injuries, don't know how long they'll be out.

-Can't turn ball over, couldn't get running game going, part of that was due to Packers

-Passing wise, we moved the ball, but getting inside the red zone 3 times and getting 0 TDs signals you are going to lose

-Jay has to and will play better. Cannot live with some of the things he did. Compared this performance to 1st preseason game

-Defense needs takeaways. Pass rush up front (front 7) was impressive. Shut down a good Packers offense. Despite offensive follies, we were still in position to win.

-We'll bounce back and go from there...

 

-(couldn't hear discussing player's rib injury)

-Bears are looking for all available LBs, been looking for a big part of the day. Pisa will be back "eventually", considers them only down 1 LB

-Asked if outside org. LB will come in for depth or starter, Lovie says he feels comfortable with his guys. He says he'll more likely look for guys that can help with ST, but looking at all options

-Asked about Derrick Brooks, Lovie reinterates that we are looking at all available players, and Derrick is an available player

-Asked more about Urlacher, has already had surgery, that's about all there is to talk about

-Lovie says the scheme won't change at all with Urlacher out (stupid), you can't replace Brian, but other guys will have to step up, he thinks other guys can step up

-Lovie says Lance will NOT be moving to MLB, they like Lance at OLB

-Urlacher is disapointed because he put himself into a position to have an outstanding year, was playing great before the injury, and wanted to come back in the game despite the injury.

-Said most likely he injured himself and continued to play thinking it would go away but it didn't so he got taken out

-Said all of the LBs on the team can play inside, but Hunter has the best grasp of the defense, and the team is comfortable with him playing at MLB (looks like he'll be our MLB)

-Asked if Lovie talked to Jay about INTs, Lovie basically just danced around the subject

-A lot of football left in the season

-Alfalava played "ok", made some plays they liked, made some mistakes he can't make again

-Very physical game, a lot of players have little nicks and stuff afterwards

-Talks about looking forward to matchup at home against defending champion Steelers and expects a lot of improvement between week 1-2

-Someone asked about McBride's knee and if he'll be out all year, Lovie says that won't be the case

-Playing 3 straight games against 3-4 defenses definitely will help them, played better in 2nd half than 1st half

-Anyone who they think can help them win, they will play (Vasher?)

-Nate made a bad play at the end, but made some good plays during the game

-Lovie expects progress from game 1-2 from Jay because in his experience Lovie's seen it before. All QBs have games they'd like to have back, but it's about how they come back. He's a QB and will come back as strong as ever.

-Lovie says Alfalava didn't bite on pump fake at the end, he says someone else should have been deep on that play.

 

That's about it.

[JonJayCutler]

The Bears are definitely a better team than Green Bay when healthy, but now that half the team is hurt, I'm not sure what to think. The nice thing is we lost the turnover battle 4-0 and still almost won. Hopefully Pisa and Clark are okay. Fortunuately Urlacher is not irreplacable anymore, but Hillenmeyer shouldn't be anywhere on the football field.

[Hall7810]

Biggs just reported the Bears have signed Shaw and placed Urlacher on IR.

[RedFlash]

Lovie:-Lovie says the scheme won't change at all with Urlacher out (stupid), you can't replace Brian, but other guys will have to step up, he thinks other guys can step up

 

I agree. This idea of not changing the scheme even though you are dropping in overall talent is as stupid as not establishing Forte before the end of the half. To expect Hunter to be as productive as Urlacher is really not smart.

 

-Lovie says Lance will NOT be moving to MLB, they like Lance at OLB

 

This is soooooooooooo stupid. Derrick Brooks is a better OLB then Hunter is a MLB. So I don't know why Lovie is adament about this. Hunter is NOT good.

[ELCABALLO45]

The Bears are definitely a better team than Green Bay when healthy, but now that half the team is hurt, I'm not sure what to think. The nice thing is we lost the turnover battle 4-0 and still almost won. Hopefully Pisa and Clark are okay. Fortunuately Urlacher is not irreplacable anymore, but Hillenmeyer shouldn't be anywhere on the football field.

 

I don't agree with most of that, but I do agree with the Urlacher comment.

 

This is not 2005 Brian Urlacher the Bears are losing. It sucks because he is the "QB on defense". However, He has lost a step or two. Watching him last night showed me that and watching him in the Pre Season game against the Giants watching him trying to tackle Jacobs showed me that as well. He's not the best LB on his own team, losing Briggs would be a bigger loss. Don't get me wrong, its a bad loss, but he can be replaced.

[Banedon]

Lovie:-Lovie says the scheme won't change at all with Urlacher out (stupid), you can't replace Brian, but other guys will have to step up, he thinks other guys can step up

 

I agree. This idea of not changing the scheme even though you are dropping in overall talent is as stupid as not establishing Forte before the end of the half. To expect Hunter to be as productive as Urlacher is really not smart.

 

-Lovie says Lance will NOT be moving to MLB, they like Lance at OLB

 

This is soooooooooooo stupid. Derrick Brooks is a better OLB then Hunter is a MLB. So I don't know why Lovie is adament about this. Hunter is NOT good.

 

Probably because they haven't signed Derrick Brooks.

 

Even if the Bears are going to change their scheme some with Urlacher out, I wouldn't expect Lovie to say so.

[UMFan83]

The Bears are definitely a better team than Green Bay when healthy, but now that half the team is hurt, I'm not sure what to think. The nice thing is we lost the turnover battle 4-0 and still almost won. Hopefully Pisa and Clark are okay. Fortunuately Urlacher is not irreplacable anymore, but Hillenmeyer shouldn't be anywhere on the football field.

 

I don't agree with most of that, but I do agree with the Urlacher comment.

 

This is not 2005 Brian Urlacher the Bears are losing. It sucks because he is the "QB on defense". However, He has lost a step or two. Watching him last night showed me that and watching him in the Pre Season game against the Giants watching him trying to tackle Jacobs showed me that as well. He's not the best LB on his own team, losing Briggs would be a bigger loss. Don't get me wrong, its a bad loss, but he can be replaced.

 

A lot of Bears fans were expecting big things from Urlacher based on the things that were said in the preseason about his dedication and the lack of pain he was feeling. How much of that was fluff, I don't. It's not unheard of to see performance dip during a career and then rise back to a similar level, though it's definitely not normal. Ray Lewis is probably the benchmark for that. I think a lot of people expected a good year from him, and watching his first half didn't do anything to lower those expectations. That's part of the reason why this sucks so much.

[ELCABALLO45]

The Bears are definitely a better team than Green Bay when healthy, but now that half the team is hurt, I'm not sure what to think. The nice thing is we lost the turnover battle 4-0 and still almost won. Hopefully Pisa and Clark are okay. Fortunuately Urlacher is not irreplacable anymore, but Hillenmeyer shouldn't be anywhere on the football field.

 

I don't agree with most of that, but I do agree with the Urlacher comment.

 

This is not 2005 Brian Urlacher the Bears are losing. It sucks because he is the "QB on defense". However, He has lost a step or two. Watching him last night showed me that and watching him in the Pre Season game against the Giants watching him trying to tackle Jacobs showed me that as well. He's not the best LB on his own team, losing Briggs would be a bigger loss. Don't get me wrong, its a bad loss, but he can be replaced.

 

A lot of Bears fans were expecting big things from Urlacher based on the things that were said in the preseason about his dedication and the lack of pain he was feeling. How much of that was fluff, I don't. It's not unheard of to see performance dip during a career and then rise back to a similar level, though it's definitely not normal. Ray Lewis is probably the benchmark for that. I think a lot of people expected a good year from him, and watching his first half didn't do anything to lower those expectations. That's part of the reason why this sucks so much.

 

Oh trust me I understand it sucks.

[ConstableRabbit]

I'm trying to get tickets for the game on Sunday (I went yesterday and want to get the bad taste out of my mouth). I've always been given Bears tickets... does anyone have good advice on getting tickets on gameday? Are there usually a lot of scalpers outside Soldier Field?

[Guest]

It's not a bad thought but its one of those plays where you better make damn sure that you're going to get it in on time. Hawk was well off the field by the time of the snap.

 

Not a bad thought? It most certainly is a bad thought. The long snapper has no business counting bodies on the field. His job is to snap the ball to the kicker. Period.

 

Any coach that gives a long snapper the power of decision making like a fake punt on their own 26 yard line should be fired immediately.

 

And I'd still be pissed about that call even if there were 12 people on the field. The stunned look of our defensive players after that stupid play said all their really needed to be said about it. Here they are busting a hump to keep the team in the game even though the offense has turned the ball over 3 times, and you are giving the other team possession of the ball at the 30 yard line?

 

You're right. It's not a bad thought. It's a horrendously horrible thought. I'd rather see WR's lining up offsides (Bennett) than watch long snappers trying their best to act like the special teams coach.

[RedFlash]

Probably because they haven't signed Derrick Brooks.

 

Even if the Bears are going to change their scheme some with Urlacher out, I wouldn't expect Lovie to say so.

 

It's being said (Adam Schafter) that the Bears are holding off on signing Derrick Brooks until they see how Roach and Hillenmeyer fare in the starting lineup. My guess is the Bears will sign Brooks the Monday after the Steelers game. I just don't see either playing even remotely solid.

[Wilson A2000]

This is not 2005 Brian Urlacher the Bears are losing.

 

He was closer to the 2005 Urlacher than the 2006-2008 Urlacher. He was the healthiest he had been in years.

 

Listen to the first 15 secs of this clip. In what category were the Bears fifth in defense? 30th in yards, 16th or so in points last year. Anyone who watched last season saw how bad the defense was.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/3260/replacing-urlacher

Edited September 15, 2009 by Wilson A2000

[JonJayCutler]

The Bears are definitely a better team than Green Bay when healthy, but now that half the team is hurt, I'm not sure what to think. The nice thing is we lost the turnover battle 4-0 and still almost won. Hopefully Pisa and Clark are okay. Fortunuately Urlacher is not irreplacable anymore, but Hillenmeyer shouldn't be anywhere on the football field.

 

I don't agree with most of that, but I do agree with the Urlacher comment.

 

Well of course you don't agree with what I said about a healthy Bears team being better than Green Bay. What kind of fan would admit their favorite team is inferior to another? :roll:

[UMFan83]

This is not 2005 Brian Urlacher the Bears are losing.

 

He was closer to the 2005 Urlacher than the 2006-2008 Urlacher. He was the healthiest he had been in years.

 

Listen to the first 15 secs of this clip. In what category were the Bears fifth in defense? 30th in yards, 16th or so in points last year. Anyone who watched last season saw how bad the defense was.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/3260/replacing-urlacher

 

Weren't we in 5th in yards against the run? Or maybe turnover differential or total turnovers? That's my best guess. Or if they are using advanced metrics, Football Outsiders statistics generally favor our style of defense statistically.

[David]

Yards per play

[Flames24Rulz]

The Bears are definitely a better team than Green Bay when healthy, but now that half the team is hurt, I'm not sure what to think. The nice thing is we lost the turnover battle 4-0 and still almost won. Hopefully Pisa and Clark are okay. Fortunuately Urlacher is not irreplacable anymore, but Hillenmeyer shouldn't be anywhere on the football field.

 

I don't agree with most of that, but I do agree with the Urlacher comment.

 

Well of course you don't agree with what I said about a healthy Bears team being better than Green Bay. What kind of fan would admit their favorite team is inferior to another? :roll:

 

I think it's pretty close. The Bears defense played great yesterday but give credit to McCarthy for calling one horrible game. Everyone knows the weakness of the Bears defense is their secondary and McCarthy stubbornly tried to get the ground game going for the better part of the first three quarters.

 

Urlacher was a big part in stopping the Packers run game yesterday. He looked pretty good last night. That loss will have some pretty big ramifications. He might be on the wrong side of his career, but he's still a pretty good LB.

 

I'm sure you guys will split with us, we'll split with Minnesota, and you'll split with Minnesota. That's the way this thing is going to take shape.

[Keener98]

The Bears are definitely a better team than Green Bay when healthy, but now that half the team is hurt, I'm not sure what to think. The nice thing is we lost the turnover battle 4-0 and still almost won. Hopefully Pisa and Clark are okay. Fortunuately Urlacher is not irreplacable anymore, but Hillenmeyer shouldn't be anywhere on the football field.

 

I don't agree with most of that, but I do agree with the Urlacher comment.

 

Well of course you don't agree with what I said about a healthy Bears team being better than Green Bay. What kind of fan would admit their favorite team is inferior to another? :roll:

 

I think it's pretty close. The Bears defense played great yesterday but give credit to McCarthy for calling one horrible game. Everyone knows the weakness of the Bears defense is their secondary and McCarthy stubbornly tried to get the ground game going for the better part of the first three quarters.

 

Urlacher was a big part in stopping the Packers run game yesterday. He looked pretty good last night. That loss will have some pretty big ramifications. He might be on the wrong side of his career, but he's still a pretty good LB.

 

I'm sure you guys will split with us, we'll split with Minnesota, and you'll split with Minnesota. That's the way this thing is going to take shape.

 

I wish our OC would have followed McCarthys lead.

[UMFan83]

 

I think it's pretty close. The Bears defense played great yesterday but give credit to McCarthy for calling one horrible game. Everyone knows the weakness of the Bears defense is their secondary and McCarthy stubbornly tried to get the ground game going for the better part of the first three quarters.

.

 

Last year when the Packers ran all over the Bears at Lambeau because McCarthy tried to expose the Bears who were trying to shut down the passing game it was brilliant, but this time it was stubborn and horrible?

[JonJayCutler]

The Bears are definitely a better team than Green Bay when healthy, but now that half the team is hurt, I'm not sure what to think. The nice thing is we lost the turnover battle 4-0 and still almost won. Hopefully Pisa and Clark are okay. Fortunuately Urlacher is not irreplacable anymore, but Hillenmeyer shouldn't be anywhere on the football field.

 

I don't agree with most of that, but I do agree with the Urlacher comment.

 

Well of course you don't agree with what I said about a healthy Bears team being better than Green Bay. What kind of fan would admit their favorite team is inferior to another? :roll:

 

I think it's pretty close. The Bears defense played great yesterday but give credit to McCarthy for calling one horrible game. Everyone knows the weakness of the Bears defense is their secondary and McCarthy stubbornly tried to get the ground game going for the better part of the first three quarters.

 

Urlacher was a big part in stopping the Packers run game yesterday. He looked pretty good last night. That loss will have some pretty big ramifications. He might be on the wrong side of his career, but he's still a pretty good LB.

 

I'm sure you guys will split with us, we'll split with Minnesota, and you'll split with Minnesota. That's the way this thing is going to take shape.

 

Not saying it isn't close, but we had the lead with just a few minutes remaining and all that was after Cutler had perhaps the worst game of his career, at least one of the worst. If he doesn't throw one of the first three picks, its probably enough to give us the win considering at least two of them either took away points from us or turned into points for you.

 

I hope we do sign Brooks. He can be our Jim Edmonds.

[Tyrant]

 

This is soooooooooooo stupid. Derrick Brooks is a better OLB then Hunter is a MLB. So I don't know why Lovie is adament about this. Hunter is NOT good.

 

I don't think it's stupid. Briggs is a great OLB, and probably less great as a MLB. There's no reason to weaken two positions while trying to fill one hole. Leave Briggs in a position he knows and try to fill MLB as well as possible.