Game 9 - Houston Texans @ BEARS - 7:20 PM SNF

[Banedon]

(Texas Defensive Coordinator Wade) Phillips said the Bears have “only thrown it to one guy basically,” and that the Texans have to make stopping that one guy the focal point of their coverage.

 

“Marshall’s a great receiver,” Phillips said, via ESPNChicago.com, “but they haven’t thrown it to the other guys very much except the running back. They do a great job of that. He’s a tremendous receiver.”

 

Phillips is basically correct: Marshall has 59 catches for 797 yards and seven touchdowns this season. No one else on the Bears has more than 20 catches, 200 yards or two touchdowns.

 

Phillips also offered a wry observation about how the Texans can stop him: “We double cover him every play,” Phillips said. “That’s our plan. We’re going to double cover him every play.

 

Time to step up Earl.

 

Hester could be the x-factor if they could get him a deep ball.

[Cubswin11]

(Texas Defensive Coordinator Wade) Phillips said the Bears have “only thrown it to one guy basically,” and that the Texans have to make stopping that one guy the focal point of their coverage.

 

“Marshall’s a great receiver,” Phillips said, via ESPNChicago.com, “but they haven’t thrown it to the other guys very much except the running back. They do a great job of that. He’s a tremendous receiver.”

 

Phillips is basically correct: Marshall has 59 catches for 797 yards and seven touchdowns this season. No one else on the Bears has more than 20 catches, 200 yards or two touchdowns.

 

Phillips also offered a wry observation about how the Texans can stop him: “We double cover him every play,” Phillips said. “That’s our plan. We’re going to double cover him every play.

 

Time to step up Earl.

 

Hester could be the x-factor if they could get him a deep ball.

That and him figuring out the whole being a decent WR thing

[Banedon]

Hester could be the x-factor if they could get him a deep ball.

That and him figuring out the whole being a decent WR thing

 

Yeah yeah, I know I know. He's not a WR, blah blah. Except that's the position he's playing, and occasionally he does catch a long TD. It doesn't happen as often as it should, but it happens, and with Alshon out and Marshall likely to be double covered by a good defense, this would be a great week for it.

[Cubswin11]

Hester could be the x-factor if they could get him a deep ball.

That and him figuring out the whole being a decent WR thing

 

Yeah yeah, I know I know. He's not a WR, blah blah. Except that's the position he's playing, and occasionally he does catch a long TD. It doesn't happen as often as it should, but it happens, and with Alshon out and Marshall likely to be double covered by a good defense, this would be a great week for it.

Yeah, I was being a bit facetious. I know all it takes is one deep ball to change a game with Hester, but I just hate him as a WR. Not having Alshon and/or a decent 2nd WR option is killing the Bears right now and playing against two good defenses the next two games is/will likely really hurt them. Hopefully they can get creative with Forte and get him the ball in space a lot. Marshall is so good that even if he's double teamed I still expect Jay to get him the ball 7+ times, Jay's ability to not give a [expletive] about throwing a ball into coverage and Marshall's skill is too much to completely shut him down.

[UMFan83]

I wonder how different this offense would look if Johnny Knox was healthy this year.

 

Then again, its possible the Bears don't pick Alshon if Knox doesn't get hurt, despite them being different types of receivers.

[Banedon]

Film Room: Texans-Bears

[rawaction]

Hester could be the x-factor if they could get him a deep ball.

That and him figuring out the whole being a decent WR thing

 

Yeah yeah, I know I know. He's not a WR, blah blah. Except that's the position he's playing, and occasionally he does catch a long TD. It doesn't happen as often as it should, but it happens, and with Alshon out and Marshall likely to be double covered by a good defense, this would be a great week for it.

Yeah, I was being a bit facetious. I know all it takes is one deep ball to change a game with Hester, but I just hate him as a WR. Not having Alshon and/or a decent 2nd WR option is killing the Bears right now and playing against two good defenses the next two games is/will likely really hurt them. Hopefully they can get creative with Forte and get him the ball in space a lot. Marshall is so good that even if he's double teamed I still expect Jay to get him the ball 7+ times, Jay's ability to not give a [expletive] about throwing a ball into coverage and Marshall's skill is too much to completely shut him down.

I wouldn't say not having Jeffery is "killing" a Bears team that has not lost a game without him and scored 37ppoints without him last week.

[Banedon]

Hey guys. Jay has something he wants to say to you.

 

 

http://0-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/sp/image/1349/15/1349155172811.gif

 

[Soul]

Oh, NSFW.

[Cubswin11]

Hester could be the x-factor if they could get him a deep ball.

That and him figuring out the whole being a decent WR thing

 

Yeah yeah, I know I know. He's not a WR, blah blah. Except that's the position he's playing, and occasionally he does catch a long TD. It doesn't happen as often as it should, but it happens, and with Alshon out and Marshall likely to be double covered by a good defense, this would be a great week for it.

Yeah, I was being a bit facetious. I know all it takes is one deep ball to change a game with Hester, but I just hate him as a WR. Not having Alshon and/or a decent 2nd WR option is killing the Bears right now and playing against two good defenses the next two games is/will likely really hurt them. Hopefully they can get creative with Forte and get him the ball in space a lot. Marshall is so good that even if he's double teamed I still expect Jay to get him the ball 7+ times, Jay's ability to not give a [expletive] about throwing a ball into coverage and Marshall's skill is too much to completely shut him down.

I wouldn't say not having Jeffery is "killing" a Bears team that has not lost a game without him and scored 37ppoints without him last week.

True, and killing was probably a bit of a strong word. But they've also played mostly [expletive] teams without him and the passing game has looked bat at times. I think against better defenses you are going to see the effects of not having him more.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Cubswin11

[Soul]

Hester could be the x-factor if they could get him a deep ball.

That and him figuring out the whole being a decent WR thing

 

Yeah yeah, I know I know. He's not a WR, blah blah. Except that's the position he's playing, and occasionally he does catch a long TD. It doesn't happen as often as it should, but it happens, and with Alshon out and Marshall likely to be double covered by a good defense, this would be a great week for it.

Yeah, I was being a bit facetious. I know all it takes is one deep ball to change a game with Hester, but I just hate him as a WR. Not having Alshon and/or a decent 2nd WR option is killing the Bears right now and playing against two good defenses the next two games is/will likely really hurt them. Hopefully they can get creative with Forte and get him the ball in space a lot. Marshall is so good that even if he's double teamed I still expect Jay to get him the ball 7+ times, Jay's ability to not give a [expletive] about throwing a ball into coverage and Marshall's skill is too much to completely shut him down.

I wouldn't say not having Jeffery is "killing" a Bears team that has not lost a game without him and scored 37ppoints without him last week.

 

Yeah, it's just too much for me to think of Alshon as that important. Not yet, anyway.

 

I'd rather not look past the obvious OLine flaws to find reasons why we've struggled. Fix the pass protection issues and then let's see how many of these other problems are actually problems.

 

Personally I think Bennett is filling in just fine. Jay's going to target Marshall more often even with Alshon Jeffrey in the mix. He just feels most comfortable that Brandon is the guy who will pull the ball down, covered or not.

[Careless]

I would respond that not every couple can say, "Let's get pregers in August or September" and magically make it go to plan. Many people have to try for a while for lots of reasons.

When you're maybe 30 and on your fourth kid, fertility is obviously not a problem.

[JonJayCutler]

True, and killing was probably a bit of a strong word. But they've also played mostly [expletive] teams without him and the passing game has looked bat at times. I think against better defenses you are going to see the effects of not having him more.

 

It's looked bad with him playing too. GB game, St. Louis game, first half of Jacksonville game. Not having a decent receiving TE is hurting this team more than not having Jeffery, IMO.

 

I do want him back though.

[Banedon]

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/11/9/3617052/nfl-sunday-preview-houston-texans-chicago-bears

[mul21]

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/11/9/3617052/nfl-sunday-preview-houston-texans-chicago-bears

 

I laughed:

 

Jay Cutler, American Treasure

 

Jay Cutler is the absolute worst, and that's what makes him so wonderful. Every single week. (I also think he understands pro sports better than anyone in pro sports not named Rasheed Wallace?)

[ctcf]

Zach Zaidman @ZachZaidman

Alshon Jeffery practiced, but Lovie Smith says he's doubtful for Sunday night.

 

Even though it's a bummer that he'll be out Sunday, I'm ecstatic to know he'll be back for the 49ers game and beyond. Not a bad turn around time on that injury at all.

[rawaction]

With Wright and Conte as starting safeties the Bears have allowed 10 td passes in 14 games...over that same time the Bears D has scored on 9 td passes.

[wekse]

With Wright and Conte as starting safeties the Bears have allowed 10 td passes in 14 games...over that same time the Bears D has scored on 9 td passes.

 

2 of those td's have come in garbage time in the lions and cowboys games this year.

[Banedon]

With Wright and Conte as starting safeties the Bears have allowed 10 td passes in 14 games...over that same time the Bears D has scored on 9 td passes.

 

2 of those td's have come in garbage time in the lions and cowboys games this year.

 

And does that count the Chris Johnson 80 yarder against the backups?

[bukie]

With Wright and Conte as starting safeties the Bears have allowed 10 td passes in 14 games...over that same time the Bears D has scored on 9 td passes.

 

2 of those td's have come in garbage time in the lions and cowboys games this year.

 

And does that count the Chris Johnson 80 yarder against the backups?

If that was a passing TD, it may go down as the shortest pass in history.

[Banedon]

With Wright and Conte as starting safeties the Bears have allowed 10 td passes in 14 games...over that same time the Bears D has scored on 9 td passes.

 

2 of those td's have come in garbage time in the lions and cowboys games this year.

 

And does that count the Chris Johnson 80 yarder against the backups?

If that was a passing TD, it may go down as the shortest pass in history.

 

Oops. Reading comprehension fail.

[UMFan83]

Bill Simmons actually makes sense regarding the Bears:

 

Texans (+1.5) over BEARS

I could see this game going one of two ways …

 

Scenario A: Chicago wins a close game because of one big special teams play, one timely turnover (either a Schaub pick or a Foster fumble), one of those "35 carries for 125 yards"–type performances from Matt Forte, one huge Brandon Marshall play that either goes for a TD or a pass interference, and of course, at least one enormous turnover caused by Charles "Thank God His Wife Didn't Give Birth and He Played" Tillman, followed by Bears fans deliriously celebrating for about an hour before getting the news that Jay Cutler suffered a stress fracture in his foot on the last kneel-down play and Jason Campbell has to take over for the next few weeks.

 

Scenario B: Houston avoids giving up a big special teams play AND spitting up a costly turnover, pounds the ball down the throats of Chicago's defense, dominates the time of possession, locks down Brandon Marshall, harrasses Jay Cutler for four straight quarters to the tune of seven or eight sacks, gets Cutler to do a couple of Cutler-y things (pick three results from: a horrific throw into triple-coverage, a third-down interception in Houston's end zone, a deflected pick because he became the latest QB who thought it was a good idea to throw the ball over J.J. Watt's head, embarrasses one of his linemen on national TV, gets in a yelling match with his offensive coordinator), followed by Bears fans freaking out for a solid week because Cutler just crapped the bed and now they have to play in San Francisco on Monday night.

 

(Thinking … )

 

I could see either happening. It's practically a coin flip. You know what swayed me toward Houston? Bears fans are a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle too confident right now. Just a tad. Just a smidge. Their boys haven't lost since Week 2. Deep down, they've hit that freaky "Should I just roll the dice and book my New Orleans flight and hotel room right now, then not tell anyone so my friends don't blame me for jinxing the season?" part of any NFL contender's schedule. Houston fans would never do that because they've never been to a Super Bowl and don't know any better. But Chicago fans? It's been a constant mental battle between loving this particular Bears team and trying to not jinx what's happening … and now they just can't fight it anymore. That 31-point shellacking of Tennessee tested their resolve, as does the realization that their boys might finish with the greatest fantasy defense of all time. Over these first two months, the Bears clearly established an identity that their fans embraced: namely, "Old-school monster defense, great special teams, good running game, gunslinger QB … and by the way, if our QB didn't get hurt last year, maybe we would have won it all."

 

They're about 19 percent too confident. So what if they blew these next two games, got caught by Green Bay in the standings, went back to being the self-loathing, beaten-down Chicago fans we know and love, and THEN belatedly made that Super Bowl run? That makes more sense … right?

 

 

That's almost exactly how I feel. I feel very confident about the Bears right now, but at the same time I wonder 'should i really be this confident?' I see the team built on an absurdly abnormal amount of turnovers against mediocre to bad teams and I feel like I should be a little scared. At the same time, we throttled those teams, what a great team should do. So I am outwardly confident right now, but losing this game will definitely cause me and other Bears fans to look behind us and see the Packers 1 game behind with the 49ers come up. I'm not saying that even if we lose both of these games, I will give up on our chances to make the Super Bowl, but I'll be a whole lot more worried that's for sure.

 

Also.....everyone points out that Green Bay apparently destroyed us in week 2. No we didn't play well, yes they played better, but I don't think it was the blowout people make it out to be....We were down 3-0 just before halftime when a fluke fake FG put us down 10-0. But even then, it was a 10 point game (13-3....really 6-3 without the fake FG) until midway through the 4th quarter when they kicked another FG to make it 16-3 (9-3) and then broke our backs with a TD after yet another Cutler TO. I dunno, obviously they dominated our offense, but it almost seemed like it was their scheme and plan against Marshall that killed us, not because they were all that more talented. Defensively I thought we were great, and held the offense to 16 points (and who knows how many were short fields because of Cutler INTs...dont feel like going back and remembering). Anyways, the Packers deserved to win, no doubt, but I'm not necessarily looking at the Packers like a team we can't beat.

Edited November 9, 2012 by UMFan83

[ctcf]

Good lord that is some terrible sports-writing.

[Soul]

Yeah well Bear fans ought to know better this year, given what happened last year when we were riding high.

 

I'm sure there's plenty of Bear fan blustering going on, but I'm pretty cautious and every other Bear fan I know is the same.

[bukie]

Good lord that is some terrible sports-writing.

...how?

 

This is pretty typical Simmons article, and more than he's written about the Bears and their fanbase all year. And if he can relate to anything, it's overconfident fanbases.