NFC Championship (Bears fans)

[NeifiIsMyHomeBoy]

sack up, this is the NFC Championship between the Packers and the Bears, it should be played in [expletive] conditions.

 

It's an indictment on the Green Bay organization and fan base.

 

It's a well known fact that Soldier Field's playing surface is garbage. Like I said earlier in the other thread, both teams have to play on it so I don't think GB will be at a disadvantage. I just found it interesting that the NFL is looking into it.

[Smack]

We're having 'Packer Jersey Day' at work on Friday. I'll be wearing my Bears jersey. Should be good times.

[rawaction]

The one additional cool thing about this game, is that it seems to me that both fanbases are extremely confident in their team's chances on Sunday. I don't think Packers fans are all that fearful of playing the Bears, and I don't think Bears fans are all that scared of playing the Packers. It's not like where one team is clearly a better all around football game, and the other side is praying for a miracle to win. If I goto this game, I'm gonna find a safe spot so that I can survive if things get out of hand between the winning and losing fan bases. There is likely to be a lot of energy and emotion coming from both fanbases.

 

Assume you meant "team" and not "game", but I think the Packers are pretty close to being clearly better than the Bears. Passing game is one of the league's elite. Bears run game is much better, but not enough to make up the difference. I think the Packers are a better team defensively too, especially vs. the pass. But that's a closer contest. Special teams is where the Bears have a huge advantage, though.

 

But if you ask the Packers and most of the free world, they would say the Packers are clearly better (as witnessed by the early picks for the game).

 

That being said, the Bears clearly don't need a miracle to win and they aren't even overmatched in any way.

[cubweiser03]

3:1 margin is not enough to stop the Kuhn chants, dammit.

I can't stand Kuhn. I have no idea how this average talent jackwad makes plays in the nfl. He is not shifty yet players completely whiff on him. I can see getting trucked by this guy but whiffing on him annoys the f out of me.

[chuckywang]

3:1 margin is not enough to stop the Kuhn chants, dammit.

I can't stand Kuhn. I have no idea how this average talent jackwad makes plays in the nfl. He is not shifty yet players completely whiff on him. I can see getting trucked by this guy but whiffing on him annoys the f out of me.

 

He must be doing something right then. :wink:

[Ding Dong Johnson]

There's little I enjoy more in the NFL than when Kuhn gets stopped short of the 1st down marker. I don't know what it is about him that's made me suddenly really hate the "OOOOH" chants.

[UMFan83]

The one additional cool thing about this game, is that it seems to me that both fanbases are extremely confident in their team's chances on Sunday. I don't think Packers fans are all that fearful of playing the Bears, and I don't think Bears fans are all that scared of playing the Packers. It's not like where one team is clearly a better all around football game, and the other side is praying for a miracle to win. If I goto this game, I'm gonna find a safe spot so that I can survive if things get out of hand between the winning and losing fan bases. There is likely to be a lot of energy and emotion coming from both fanbases.

 

Assume you meant "team" and not "game", but I think the Packers are pretty close to being clearly better than the Bears. Passing game is one of the league's elite. Bears run game is much better, but not enough to make up the difference. I think the Packers are a better team defensively too, especially vs. the pass. But that's a closer contest. Special teams is where the Bears have a huge advantage, though.

 

But if you ask the Packers and most of the free world, they would say the Packers are clearly better (as witnessed by the early picks for the game).

 

That being said, the Bears clearly don't need a miracle to win and they aren't even overmatched in any way.

 

People keep telling me the Packers are better than the Bears, yet the Bears are the ones hosting this game. I realize we've gotten a lot of breaks this year, but we've played them twice and have showed no signs of being inferior to the Packers. Maybe we just match up really well against them defensively, but for whatever reason I don't fear the Packers one bit. Doesn't mean I don't think they can win or even blow us out. But I like our odds on Sunday, as much as the Packers fans probably do.

 

Maybe I shouldn't be doing this, but a huge huge part of my confidence comes from almost beating the Packers in Lambeau when there was nothing on the line for us and everything for the Packers. By all rights they should have blown us out, especially coming off a 30+ point victory over the Giants, and no Bears fan would have lost that much confidence in the team. But their high flying offense that scares everyone put up 10 points and struggled to move the ball most of the game, and we were right there in the end despite having an unsustainable unbalanced offense. That gave me all the confidence in the world that we can beat them if we play them again in the playoffs, which we are about to. I'm not confident of a victory, I'm confident that we have a good chance of winning. I'll take 50/50 at this point.

[Banedon]

I honestly think it's a 50-50 crap shoot on Sunday. It'll come down to which team makes less mistakes, and which team gets the bounces/breaks.

 

I think I"d find it hard to be surprised by any outcome.

[UMFan83]

BTW, Bill Simmons says he doesnt regret picking the Seahawks and said that it was just one of those games where you lose a starting TE right away, and the receivers drop a few balls and all the sudden things unravel and you lose a winnable game.

[UMFan83]

I honestly think it's a 50-50 crap shoot on Sunday. It'll come down to which team makes less mistakes, and which team gets the bounces/breaks.

 

I think I"d find it hard to be surprised by any outcome.

 

Exactly. And that doesn't upset me at all. If you told me back in September that we'd be in the NFC title game with a 50% chance of winning, I'd be all about it and I am all about it now.

[Keener98]

I honestly think it's a 50-50 crap shoot on Sunday. It'll come down to which team makes less mistakes, and which team gets the bounces/breaks.

 

I think I"d find it hard to be surprised by any outcome.

 

The only outcome Id be surprised with is a blowout by either team.

[ConstableRabbit]

BTW, Bill Simmons says he doesnt regret picking the Seahawks and said that it was just one of those games where you lose a starting TE right away, and the receivers drop a few balls and all the sudden things unravel and you lose a winnable game.

This is a joke, right? I honestly can't tell.

[Flames24Rulz]

Oh, hooray. The NFL is monitoring the field condition at Soldier Field and will have the final say in what is done with it. Glad they have recognized what a problem the atrocious playing surface poses. Sorry to post the JS again, but it just popped up.

 

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/113932249.html

 

Nothing will happen. Even if they replace the sod, it won't take by Sunday. They played on a sheet of ice in Minnesota...they'll play on some bad grass in Chicago.

 

That's just the Green Bay press whining.

 

Unlike the Chicago press, the Packers beat writers aren't fans of the team. Objective journalism. Who knew such a thing existed?

[SpongeWorthy]

Would you be a fan of an entity that forced you to live in Green Bay?

[UMFan83]

BTW, Bill Simmons says he doesnt regret picking the Seahawks and said that it was just one of those games where you lose a starting TE right away, and the receivers drop a few balls and all the sudden things unravel and you lose a winnable game.

This is a joke, right? I honestly can't tell.

 

OK, he didn't use the term "winnable game" exactly, but the rest he said, and it was implied that it was a game that got out of hand early that probably shouldn't have.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Oh, hooray. The NFL is monitoring the field condition at Soldier Field and will have the final say in what is done with it. Glad they have recognized what a problem the atrocious playing surface poses. Sorry to post the JS again, but it just popped up.

 

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/113932249.html

 

Nothing will happen. Even if they replace the sod, it won't take by Sunday. They played on a sheet of ice in Minnesota...they'll play on some bad grass in Chicago.

 

That's just the Green Bay press whining.

 

Unlike the Chicago press, the Packers beat writers aren't fans of the team. Objective journalism. Who knew such a thing existed?

 

huh? have you read much of the Chicago sports press coverage this year? its as snarky towards the Bears as it has been glowing.

[Butterscup1679666578]

BTW, Bill Simmons says he doesnt regret picking the Seahawks and said that it was just one of those games where you lose a starting TE right away, and the receivers drop a few balls and all the sudden things unravel and you lose a winnable game.

 

Yes, the great John Carlson was going to lead the Seahawks to victory.

[gflore34]

I concur Kuhn sucks nevertheless, the Bears special teams may be the difference if I recall correctly the Packers punter was nearly perfect in his execution the last game. Don't believe he'll be able to pull that off again.

[Magnetic Curses]

Oh, hooray. The NFL is monitoring the field condition at Soldier Field and will have the final say in what is done with it. Glad they have recognized what a problem the atrocious playing surface poses. Sorry to post the JS again, but it just popped up.

 

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/113932249.html

 

Nothing will happen. Even if they replace the sod, it won't take by Sunday. They played on a sheet of ice in Minnesota...they'll play on some bad grass in Chicago.

 

That's just the Green Bay press whining.

 

Unlike the Chicago press, the Packers beat writers aren't fans of the team. Objective journalism. Who knew such a thing existed?

 

are you freaking kidding me? i hope you're being saracstic, the packer fan base and media coverage are indistinguishable from one another.

 

i've never met a group of fans or a media base that was more rah-rah about the home team. chicago will tear their own team apart, even being a bears town.

[Guest]

BTW, Bill Simmons says he doesnt regret picking the Seahawks and said that it was just one of those games where you lose a starting TE right away, and the receivers drop a few balls and all the sudden things unravel and you lose a winnable game.

 

Yes, the great John Carlson was going to lead the Seahawks to victory.

 

Who?

[bukie]

More oddities...NFC Champions since 2000:

 

2001: St. Louis Rams

2002: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2003: Carolina Panthers

2004: Philadelphia Eagles

2005: Seattle Seahawks

2006: Chicago Bears

2007: New York Giants

2008: Arizona Cardinals

2009: New Orleans Saints

 

So, if the Packers do somehow manage to win, that will make 10 of 16 NFC teams making the Super Bowl in 10 years. Rest of the NFC: Falcons (1998), Packers (1997), Cowboys (1995), 49ers (1994), Redskins (1991), Vikings (1976) and Lions (maybe next year).

[CubColtPacer]

More oddities...NFC Champions since 2000:

 

2001: St. Louis Rams

2002: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2003: Carolina Panthers

2004: Philadelphia Eagles

2005: Seattle Seahawks

2006: Chicago Bears

2007: New York Giants

2008: Arizona Cardinals

2009: New Orleans Saints

 

So, if the Packers do somehow manage to win, that will make 10 of 16 NFC teams making the Super Bowl in 10 years. Rest of the NFC: Falcons (1998), Packers (1997), Cowboys (1995), 49ers (1994), Redskins (1991), Vikings (1976) and Lions (maybe next year).

 

Meanwhile, if the Steelers win in the AFC they will only have been 4 AFC champions during that time and only 3 since 2003.

[Brian]

Oh, hooray. The NFL is monitoring the field condition at Soldier Field and will have the final say in what is done with it. Glad they have recognized what a problem the atrocious playing surface poses. Sorry to post the JS again, but it just popped up.

 

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/113932249.html

 

Nothing will happen. Even if they replace the sod, it won't take by Sunday. They played on a sheet of ice in Minnesota...they'll play on some bad grass in Chicago.

 

That's just the Green Bay press whining.

 

Unlike the Chicago press, the Packers beat writers aren't fans of the team. Objective journalism. Who knew such a thing existed?

 

huh? have you read much of the Chicago sports press coverage this year? its as snarky towards the Bears as it has been glowing.

 

I can't speak to Green Bay, and all I know from Chicago press is following Brad Biggs on Twitter and he has never sounded too impressed with the team.

[BigSlick]

Odd tidbit: if you look at game-by-game DVOA, the Bears outplayed the Packers both times the teams played each other this year.

As a guy that loves baseball sabermetrics, I think football sabermetrics are foolish, if honest mistake, and aren't really the best way to look at football teams.

 

I remember the Bears were still a negative DVOA team overall well into like week 14. Its a dumb stat.

It's a great way to look at football teams. It's a sketchy way to look at individual performance, because so much of football performance is team-dependent.

 

I'm not sure if you realize how awful the Bears were from weeks 4-7. And on week 14, for that matter. However, they've been so good since week 9, especially defensively (they've been second overall since then, 3rd against both the run and pass), and even slightly above average offensively.

 

Thinking a stat is foolish because it doesn't reflect well on your favorite team is a foolish reason.

 

No its stupid because each play is not equal, and there is so much context in each throw, every running play, every down that its impossible to take those things into account. I understand that there are contingencies and they try to see what plays are succesful based on what down it is, and all that, but its still impossible. Its a nice try, but its dumb.

 

Its nothing at all like baseball where every at bat is basically the same for the batter no matter what.

 

And I should simplify this even more: Baseball statisticians still aren't close on getting a consensus on baseball defense, and thats is one million times more simple and cut and dry than what goes on a football field.

[UMFan83]

So Aaron Rodgers is a cancer patient hating jerk apparently.