hawkeyecub

They tanked down the stretch but damn. You take over a 4-12 team, win 10, 4 and 9 and get the axe? I really hope Favre returns there again.

Beat the Iggles

Yes based on your posting history it's funny that you like a road team over the Vikings. Shocking in fact. The Eagles are the better team. Much like the Packers were guaranteed to be better this year, right? It will be a tough game and it's a toss up in Minnesota. I don't like the matchup. I was just making light of your analysis when you've proven to be less than objective concerning the NFC North.

Yes based on your posting history it's funny that you like a road team over the Vikings. Shocking in fact.

Whatever it takes is what I would say. As a Saints fan, I remember this time in 2005 wondering if we would draft Vince Young. We signed Drew Brees out of the blue, which freed us up to address other holes. The Bears could sign McNabb, then draft Knowshon Moreno from UGA, or trade up for Crabtree form TTech. That fixes alot of problems. Now, I will resume sulking about my Saints. PLEASE let us draft Rey Maualuga from USC or Laurenitis from OSU! Why in the world would they draft Moreno? Crabtree is probably going top 5-7 where it would cost an awful lot to get into. Moreno is the prototype of that change of pace back that ppl have mentioned in this thread. He's a great receiver out of the backfield and a homerun threat. That seems to be something the Bears seriously lack outside of special teams...a threat to stretch a defense. Match that with McNabb, with Moreno being his new Bryant Westbrook, in addition to Forte...that' a nice offense! It would just be an awful use of resources. When your best player on offense is a RB and you have many holes to fill, it's not a sound decision to use your first round pick on a RB.

Wade has no control over this team. You just look like a fool when you send the punt team out, your QB says we're going for it, you still say punt and he basically tells you to shut up. That improvised throwback to Witten and pass to Owens was awesome though. Now Romo coughs it up. Wow.

Whatever it takes is what I would say. As a Saints fan, I remember this time in 2005 wondering if we would draft Vince Young. We signed Drew Brees out of the blue, which freed us up to address other holes. The Bears could sign McNabb, then draft Knowshon Moreno from UGA, or trade up for Crabtree form TTech. That fixes alot of problems. Now, I will resume sulking about my Saints. PLEASE let us draft Rey Maualuga from USC or Laurenitis from OSU! Why in the world would they draft Moreno? Crabtree is probably going top 5-7 where it would cost an awful lot to get into.

Come on Cowboys. I would much rather play them than the Eagles next weekend.

Wow Jahvid Best is good. And fass I think Nate Longshore in Cal=Rex Grossman in Chicago. But probably worse.

Talent levels change quickly in the NFL. Just because a guy was a Pro Bowler a few seasons ago doesn't mean he has a thing left in the tank now, and half the guys you listed don't. Football is a game that attrites talent incredibly quickly. This team is pretty thin on talent, and bad teams are capable of winning 10 games in the NFL on luck alone, let alone coaching. Not only that but most of the offensive guys are either a stretch or not at premium spots. I'll grant you Forte and they've ridden him into the ground. Where would you rank Olsen among NFL tight ends? He's about 10th in production and still doesn't get great reviews as a blocker. Hester was extremely talented as a return man. You're going to list a guy who will probably end with less than 50 catches, a touch over 600 yards and 3 touchdowns as your primary receiver as extremely talented? Not as a WR he's not. Kreutz is an above-average center, hardly a difference maker in this league. Honestly if you held a draft right now where entire offenses were selected as a whole, where would the Bears get picked? Around 24th or so? The defense used to be great but has aged and is now just good.

do you mean that orton has regressed as the year has gone on? i guess that would be true, but i'd probably consider it "playing more like kyle orton." I would agree. I mean his production level has regressed. He had a nice stretch going there in the early-mid portion of the year where he looked solid. Outside of Jacksonville, he's pretty much been terrible since coming back.

And the Cowboys and the Panthers and the Vikings. Cowboys? They don't impress me. The Bears outplayed the Panthers in Carolina (albeit with no Smith) and they are very much equal with the Vikings. The Panthers are a better team now. The Bears are a worse team. The Vikings have more talent in every facet of the game except kick returning. I'll give you Carolina, not Minnesota. Their "superb talent" is vastly overrated. They've got a couple fat guys on the DLine and Peterson. Their QBs are nothing, their receivers are unimpressive, the rest of their D hasn't exactly shut down the league. They allowed 48 points to the freaking Bears. They've played the same teams as the Bears and have the same record. They do not outclass the Bears. The couple fat guys thing is so stupid. It's like dismissing a great WR duo as "a couple tall guys". Yes they are very fat. They're also extremely good and don't allow anyone to run the ball. Oh and Kevin is quick enough to pressure the QB. Oh they allowed 48 points to the Bears? Basing an opinion off 1 game from two months ago is always a great idea. Especially when 14 of those points came on special teams TD's. Two other TD drives started at midfield because of special teams. They were also using scrap heaps at MLB because E.J. Henderson was lost for the season two weeks prior as were his top two backups. The Vikings defense has been very good. They have the same record as the Bears because their passing game has been terrible most of the year and the special teams have been awful. Football Outsiders ranks them 3rd in defensive DVOA, 5th against the run, 4th against the pass. They're 6th in the NFL in yards allowed per game, 1 yard behind Tennessee. They aren't just one dimensional anymore because they're getting pressure (4th in sacks). If Tarvaris truly has improved, along with the running game and defense I think they're with everyone but the Giants. If he gives them the type of QB play they've had most of the year, they're very average. I'm betting we see the latter on Sunday.

I don't quite understand that sentence if it pertains to coaches. From an outside perspective, I think the Bears coaching staff did a heck of a job to get this team to 9, maybe 10 wins. Look at the talent on your offense. Forte has been better than anyone expected but your o-line is average at best, your WR's aren't a threat and Orton has regressed this year as a QB. Your defense is about what you would expect them to be at this stage of their careers with a few injuries. Not great anymore but still above average. I can whine all day about luck but I just don't see a roster talented enough where fans should expect more than 9 wins or 10 tops. If you were just talking about Angelo and those on the personnel side, disregard everything I just said.

MIke Davis and McCamey are really good players. I'm talking Deron Williams NBA good type players. If a couple of your recruits in the next 3-4 years live up to the hype, you guys are gonna be scary good. If you put a couple Deron Williams NBA good type players on any Big Ten (well except IU) they'd be a top 10 team.

Seriously ESPN, please get rid of your scrolling chat ticker at the top of the screen. No one wants to see DIABLOCONCARNE talking smack to TCU fans while trying to watch the game. Or any of the useless, illiterate blabber that's up there. I said it earlier in the season. Worst idea they've had since ESPN Hollywood.

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.

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.

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.

False I know you guys just can't catch a break. This year alone you've had more punts bounce off an unsuspecting player on the return team than the entire league. And of course there was the obligatory tipped ball interception, which makes 87 since the 2001 season.

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.

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

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.

+1 Jaws is tremendous and Tirico is at least average. Kornheiser just doesn't belong in there. jaws is atrocious imo Really? He's not as good as he is on NFL Matchup or breaking down film, but there aren't many better NFL game analysts in my opinion. Watch Blackmon muff the punt after they called timeout.

+1 Jaws is tremendous and Tirico is at least average. Kornheiser just doesn't belong in there.

It's a little easier cheering for the Packers tonight when Favre isn't back there. This still sucks.