Soul

If the Cubs are reviewing his medical records it could take awhile. Ouch. I didn't think of that, and I should have... Now I'm starting to get spring training fever. Why do I do this to myself every year? 8-)

I don't have a problem with it. I do have a problem with this win 3 drop 2 mentality that seems to have invaded the Bulls lately though. We're in the mid-season doldrums now.

Lovie's definitely on top of it when it comes to player performance and discipline. He grades every player's performance on an objective scale every week and has shown a willingness to replace starters who don't grade out. Obviously he gave Rex more rope than most, but others such as Mike Green and Chris Harris found their starting jobs on the chopping block pretty quick once there was a better option. People will point to Benson/TJ as an example of Lovie just sticking with the veteran, but to be honest there was nothing in TJ's performance that indicated he wasn't getting the job done. And man, did his faith in TJ pay off big time once the playoffs started. Wow.

Anything but the black-on-black, guaranteed-you'll-play-bad, nightmare unis

LOL, they're such wimps. Lovie's going nowhere. Bears are about to make him a very rich man, and he loves it in Chicago.

Well, he IS a Packers fan :wink: But seriously, he's under house arrest. If he isn't granted permission to go to Miami with the team, people shouldn't be in an uproar about it. Really? I think if Tank is held back in Chicago it blows the doors off every news outlet in the city. If he's under house arrest, doesnt he still have the right to make a living? Who's your backup DT? Idonije? You could do a whole hell of a lot worse than that. Of course the media will make a big deal out of it, but I don't think it would really hinder the outcome of the game. Losing Tank would be a huge loss. With Harris out, Tank is the only DT we have who has a shot to put pressure on the QB. Tank was missed in the 2 games he was out for at the end of the season. Even if Tank is under house arrest, doesnt he still have the right to make a living? To be honest, if I was Tank I would seriously weigh the punishment of skipping out with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if it comes down to that. Seriously, what would the punishment be? You would be arrested upon return, whereby court hearings would ensue and you would probably spend a couple months in jail after all is said and done. Worth playing in the Super Bowl? I think so. Ultimately I think that's why he won't be kept back in Chicago by the courts. Illinois wouldn't have the ability to get him back in time for the Super Bowl, and the punishment wouldn't likely outweigh the benefit anyway. They'll just let him go.

Wow, I certainly hope that's not the case. Norv is a trainwreck as a head coach. He's 58-82 in 9 seasons. I was thinking Jones would go with a hot, young HC he can use to bring fresh ideas to the club while still allowing himself to have a hand in the strategic on-field decisions----that's what Jerry has always wanted anyway. To be honest, I was baffled at the Parcells hire from the beginning; it was oil and water, doomed to failure.

LOL. Ahh, the Packer fan who will remember all the negative Bear details and whip them out to be a thorn in Bear fans' side. :lol: Yes, that's what I'm here for :wink: I just don't think people should be too upset about it. The Bears won the game. Who cares what Reggie did? The final score is all that matters. And personally, I don't care about taunting. I took a lot of heat from saying this to fellow Packer fans in 04, but I didn't mind Randy Moss mooning the fans at Lambeau. Maybe the defense should've actually tried to stop him and that wouldn't have happened. That's just my whole take on the situation. Yeah, I didn't mind it too much either. The only reason I think it was ill-advised was because it's never a good idea to give your opponents ammunition. Not that the Bears should need motivation----it is after all the biggest game of their lives. I noticed Peyton Manning last night in his press conference: "The Bears have a great team.....we're excited for the challenge....we've been watching the Bears in the NFC and have been impressed......." yada yada. That's the smart play: kill 'em with praise. I expect the Bears to do the same.

*pokes head in* Deal done yet? What's the holdup Cliff, you know you're coming here :wink:

It's quite a bit premature for Colts fans to start comparing the playoff success of Peyton Manning and his team to the success of Tom Brady and his team. I don't see how they are doing that. They are celebrating the fact that Peyton and the Colts beat the Patriots, a feat that many people decided was impossible. Impossible? Come on. The only people who decided that it was impossible were probably lunatic homer Patriot fans. Most sane people could look at the teams and see an evenly-matched game, hence Indy being favored by about a field goal. And yet there were still probably millions of people who were shocked that Peyton came up when it counted and St. Brady did not. Many people relied on the Brady/Belicheck own Manning/Dungy theory going into that game. I understand all that, but it's still a bit premature. Ownage isn't when you eek out a single-digit win over a team that has repeatedly beat you down in the playoffs before. It's a great win, but ownage? No.

What the hell is that thing? Not a bear, unless it's a deformed Bear with rabies. Looks like a WoW screenshot to me.

Well, he IS a Packers fan :wink: But seriously, he's under house arrest. If he isn't granted permission to go to Miami with the team, people shouldn't be in an uproar about it. Really? I think if Tank is held back in Chicago it blows the doors off every news outlet in the city. Who's your backup DT? Idonije? You could do a whole hell of a lot worse than that. Of course the media will make a big deal out of it, but I don't think it would really hinder the outcome of the game. I just think there will be massive outrage if it happens. I think Tank gets little credit for what he does. We're already down one DT----we like to rotate so being 2 down will make a big difference in how fresh we can keep our guys.

LOL. Ahh, the Packer fan who will remember all the negative Bear details and whip them out to be a thorn in Bear fans' side. :lol:

I'm leaning towards switching to that line of thinking. But if a team doesn't win the final game, would I want to go back and buy a t-shirt? For this, though, I think I'll wait for the SB t-shirt (although the navy locker room shirt does look nice). As for the taunt, I could care less. But for clarification, the taunt came before the flip. What I do care about, though, is Harris' angle to Bush (horrible) and the fact that it sure looked like an illegal play by NO. You can't pick a DB like that. Then again, I didn't really see the replay. It was "illegal" but teams do it all the time. So it wasn't like NO was doing something no other team tries to do. It's like WR's pushing off----they all do it but they have ways of doing it that don't require their arms to be extended. And so it is rarely called. As for the taunt, apparently Reggie came right to the sidelines and told coach he wished he hadn't done that. Most guys who do something like that don't care afterwards, so I give Reggie props for it. I don't think he's a bad kid or anything like that. He just got really excited after making an excellent play on a huge national stage.

Well, he IS a Packers fan :wink: But seriously, he's under house arrest. If he isn't granted permission to go to Miami with the team, people shouldn't be in an uproar about it. Really? I think if Tank is held back in Chicago it blows the doors off every news outlet in the city.

Hahahaha. Gotta love those B&B guys. Looks like they're stretching out into left field to try and find a controversy. Lovie's so back for a multi year deal it isn't even funny.

True. I'm curious on how Ward feels about the Cubs signing Floyd? I would assume that he thought he would be the main lefty off the bench....of course he still may be if Floyds injury problems continue. I fully expect Ward to be counting his paycheck, smiling, and thanking his lucky stars to still be playing major league baseball :wink:

Yeah, I'm not impressed with Wallace either. I keep hoping he'll turn it on in time for the playoffs, but I'm starting to think this is all we're going to get from him.

Fred Thomas should be shot. He's no NFL DB and it's stunning he is still in the league. I've watched the replay several times now and it makes me sicker each time I watch it. A mediocre college DB would have been able to knock that ball away. That play almost made me throwup. Wow. The kid's doing the best he can. Look, the Saints put all their eggs into the offensive basket this year. That dictates there will be some sacrifices on the defensive side, just because of the salary cap. Also----good corners are in short supply in this league. Some teams with good defenses find themselves a little shaky at that position. Honestly? If I'm a safety and I know my CB can't cover and I see the Bears best WR lining up 1-on-1, I'm making damn sure I get over to help out in coverage. But that's just me.

Well, at least the national media will have something they enjoy covering instead of having to write about these boring crappy Bears. Not to veer off the thread topic, but I really don't understand how the Bears have gotten this reputation as a boring team. Granted, it might be because I'm a Bears fan, but I find the way this team plays incredibly fun to watch. On the other hand, I didn't find the 2005 team nearly as exciting. The offense was boring, and the team just eeked out victories with their defense for the most part. This year's team, though? A big play defense (the only part of this equation that's really a constant from last year). An offense that can make the big play. A punishing, exciting RB in Benson. An unprecedented ability to run balls back on special teams. This team has completely and thoroughly dominated the opposition several times this year. The Bears don't do it conventionally, but they seem to often break the 30 barrier in scoring and make their share of SportsCenter highlights. I guess unless you have a 6'5" QB who throws 50 yard bombs on every play to streaking WRs, you are "boring." To me, incessant passing is just as boring. I like all facets of the game.

I really think this was all about TO. Jones wants to keep him. That's not acceptable to Parcells. And that's it. I wonder what the chances are that Mr. Chico Rivera is your next Dallas Cowboys head coach. Rivera has shown an ability to work with a system; might be a good fit for the overbearing style of Jones.

Rex was clearly picking on that poor CB because he knew he wouldn't be able to make a play. Saying it should have been intercepted and trying to draw some kind of conclusion from it ignores the fact that, if it was a decent cornerback, the pass would likely have not been thrown to Berrian on that play...

I wouldn't say they exactly shut down the Patriots running game. The first running play that I can remember was a 40 yard scamper on a play that the Bears run quit well with both Jones and Benson. They have improved their D tremendously since the end of the regular season, but all it takes is one missed tackle or one well timed block to break a big run. Run the ball early to open up the field for Grossman. And he needs to hit his tight ends often. They also need to throw that slant route over the middle. That is Grossman's best ball. They did, after all, give up 30+ points yesterday. I think most Colts fans understand their offense is where their route to a SB victory lies.

I agree. Just get refs that can do their job and that helps eliminate the problem. Yeah, I don't like the 15-yard PI call. That idea didn't make it in the pros because it would lead to the "good" pass interference, sort of like a "good" foul in basketball. And the NFL doesn't want 13-6 games to be the rule. And as much as I love defense, I agree with them. As far as roughing the passer, there's no way they are going to change those calls. I'd settle with just better officiating on the PI calls. That horsecollar crap needs to go the way of the do-do bird though. And the "illegal contact" calls have gotten out of hand. You can't even so much as lay a pinky finger on the receiver after 5 yards or it's a penalty, but you can effectively trip him to the ground if you play it right and it will be called "incidental." Doesn't make any sense. They need to start calling holding better too. They're letting OLines get away with blatant holding on nearly every pass play now.

Yep, that is interesting. Also, so much for the "hot" team being unstoppable because they're streaking. Colts were 2-3 in their last 5 games. Bears were 4-1, but playing patty-cake with some awful clubs. The 2 hot teams seemed to be Baltimore & Philly, both of whom turned in disappointing playoff campaigns.