- All over Chicagoland and elsewhere, Bears fans are wondering where this #6 guy was all year. My son the prognosticator has given Jay Cutler much grief this year, but you have to give Cutler a lot of credit; he played a beautiful game.
- I don't know if this game is enough to save Lovie Smith's job in Chicago, but I would say this: I don't know that da Bearz would find a better coach than the one they have now. If the Bears ownership wants to know where the problems lie in the organization, I'd suggest they consult a mirror.
- The old saw goes that it doesn't matter who you play as much as when you play them. The Vikings are circling the bowl now because they are finally getting hit with the injuries that other teams faced earlier in the year. It's quite clear that Antoine Winfield has not recovered from his earlier foot injury; he got beat badly on the last touchdown and on a few other plays, which is something I've not seen happen before. I don't know why Pat Williams didn't play, but without his presence in the middle the Viking pash rush wasn't much of a factor. Much commentary will be made about Adrian Peterson's fumble or other offensive failings early on, but the bottom line is that the Vikings defense was the problem last night.
- Having said that, the Vikings are in a bad spot because they no longer have the advantage on either line. Bryant McKinnie looks like a shadow of himself and Anthony Herrera was pretty much awful last night. Every team left in the NFC playoffs has at least one top-notch pass rusher on the team. If the Vikings don't get things fixed on the offensive line, they won't win.
- So the Saints get beat in their own house by Tampa Freaking Bay and the Vikings can't close the deal. So we can't figure much of anything, can we? Which leads to the question --who do you like in the playoffs? Based on the way the teams are playing now, you could make a case for or against any of the six NFC teams that will be in the playoffs getting to the Super Bowl. Based on what I've seen, the best team right now is probably the Eagles, but I think they could be beaten by any of the other teams. One thing for sure -- I'm glad that I don't work at one of the Vegas sports books, because it's awfully hard to rank these teams.
- One other scenario that now is open: the Vikings could end up hosting my beloved Packers in the first round. That could be a festival of hype, doncha think?
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Bear Down
What a great football game last night. If you ever wondered why the NFL remains so wildly popular, despite all the foolishness, yesterday's game is a great explanation. Just a few quick thoughts:
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9 comments:
Lovie Smith is now a good coach? Mr D obviously hasn't looked at his season (and coaching career) body of work. Calling a timeout so he could make a challenge that he would ultimately lose at a key point in the recent Packer Game immediately jumps to mind. One win does not a good coach make.
If Peterson doesn't fumble that ball, the Vikings win, and everybody is talking about how Lovie blew another game.
Mr D praising Smith reminds me of how Big Ten Coaches used to praise Steve Yoder when he was coaching Wisconsin Basketball. The other coaches would say what a class act he was, and that he ran a clean program. That was code for "his style and recruiting guarantees us 2 wins each year, we'd sure hate to lose that."
It was a great game. It was interesting to watch Farve put on his superman costume and still have it not be enough. I guess it takes more than one player to win.
One win does not a good coach make.
True. He did get to the Super Bowl with better personnel than he has now, so I'd say he knows a few things.
Mr D praising Smith reminds me of how Big Ten Coaches used to praise Steve Yoder when he was coaching Wisconsin Basketball. The other coaches would say what a class act he was, and that he ran a clean program. That was code for "his style and recruiting guarantees us 2 wins each year, we'd sure hate to lose that."
A funny observation (yep, Bob Knight, Gene Keady, Shinglehead Henson and Jud Heathcote all swore by Steve Yoder), but if I remember correctly, Lovie has beaten my beloved Packers more often than not since his arrival in Chicago, including twice in '07. I'm guessing the next coach in Chicago won't do as well.
i dont blame lovie for the challenges. he gets the word from upstairs, after they've looked at the replay from more than one angle, and then radio to lovie to drop the hanky.
and the Bears have lost most, if not all, of their challenges this yr.
Mark,
I gotta agree with you on Lovie Smith. As you can imagine, I have been having a lot of "Should He Stay or Should He Go" conversations with other Chicagoans. The consensus is that he should go, but I am not so sure. He's about .500 since winning NFC, which isn't exactly horrible by NFL standards. Especially for a guy who got us back to the Super Bowl in two years after almost a quarter of a century in the waste land. This feels an awful lot like the discussion we had here last year regarding Grossman. And I'll say now what I said then: you can't blame him for the lack of a fully functioning offensive line. I think this year's results proved my point. My guess is that Lovie's got one more year to improve. That guaranteed 11 Mil is just too big a nut for the McCaskey's to walk away from.
The NFC really is up for grabs this year. I liked the Saints a lot, but that loss to Tampa was shocking. And the Vikings have a real problem on their hands if Pat Williams isn't back and healthy for the playoffs. As much as I hate to admit it, I like the Pack. Especially if they draw the Vikings in the first round.
Rich
rich: i think our problems are higher than lovie.
angelo needs to go. he's made too many bonehead personel decisions.
the Vikings could end up hosting my beloved Packers in the first round.
That will indeed happen if the following takes place in week 17:
-The Giants beat the Vikings
-Philly beats Dallas and
-Arizona beats Green Bay
Another scenario to ponder for week 17:
-Vikes beat the Giants
-Dallas beats visiting Philly
-Arizona beats visiting Green Bay
The NFC games in the wildcard round will be rematches of week 17 (Eagles @ Cowboys; Packers at Cards)!
Gino,
agreed. The fish is rotting from the head down.
FWIW, I said "This feels an awful lot like the discussion we had here last year regarding Grossman".
Of course, I meant Orton, but it's tough keeping all those starting quarterbacks in Chicago straight in your head.
Rich
Rich,
Are you sure you didn't mean Peter Tom Willis or Henry Burris? Just Checking....
Henry Burris
I just about spit coffee on my monitor when I read that one, anon. I am so stealing that one for later use. Well played!
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