Momentum Switch?

by WCG on Dec 22, 2008 11:57 AM CST Comment 18 comments

Since one first time poster wanted the Bears scenario written out I will oblige now that there is one.

To win division:

1) Bears win against the Packers

2) Bears win next week against Houston

3) Vikings lose next week against the Giants

To win a wild card spot:

1) Bears win against the Packers

2) Bears win next week against Houston

3) Tampa lose against Oakland

4) Dallas lose against Philly

In the past in these situations, I am used to the hating on the Bears. Everybody has always assumed the Bears couldn't get it done. Even on our run to the Super Bowl a few year's back, almost nobody expected us to beat New Orleans. In their defense why would you pick the Bears? Half the time we had no QB, no RB, no Line and no receivers. Now we kind have a QB, no line, no receivers and maybe no RB if Forte cannot go tonight. Plus this time we don't have a dominate defense, yet people seem to think the Bears can pull it off.

Even though the Bears got lamblasted by the Packers last week, all the 'experts' as well as the Accuscore have the Bears winning tonight.

To add on to that yesterday Trent Dilfer and Mark Schlareth thought the Bears would win the division.

Two reasons: One, I just know the Vikings' history of sliding toward the end of December," he said. "They have a great opportunity to erase that history, but they have a tough road against the Falcons and Giants.

"And I think the Bears are playing better. I think this is a dangerous game Monday night against Green Bay, but the Bears are playing some of their better football."

Ron Jaworski while not willing to pick the Bears does think they have a decided advantage in their remaining two games.

"First, those are two defenses that they match up well against offensively," he said. "They can run against both teams, and they can use their intermediate passing game.Kyle [Orton] throws from 8 to 18 yards down the field pretty well. He has done a good job managing those situations.

And surprise, surprise, Dilfer thinks the Bears defense will be the key ingredient.

"And then defensively, they can put pressure on the passer," Dilfer continued. "Obviously if they take away Greg Jennings (Packers) and take away Andre Johnson (Texans) … you can't let those guys work down the field. The Bears do a good job of breaking down pass protection. Yes, they'll give up some yards, but I don't know if they'll get gashed like some of the others teams have against those two offenses."

I guess the point here is that I am not used to people giving us credit when we hada pretty good team, now we have a radically inconsistent team and people seem to be our side.

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On the outside looking in

I feel better today about our playoff hopes than I did last weekend, but I am not going to get excited until the game goes final tonight. I can’t see us taking a wildcard, so it is division or bust for us.

And before the season started, would anyone have predicted that Atlanta would have helped us yesterday? Man, Minnesota sure did put the ball on the ground a lot yesterday.

Let’s hope the Bears can pick up a victory tonight!

Dave

by Dave in the basement on Dec 22, 2008 12:29 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

you know what kills

had we won any one of the 3 games we let get away, we’d be playing to clinch the division tonight

by DartmouthCubsFan on Dec 22, 2008 12:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

TB

The Tampa game hurts the most too! We let he Carolina game go but that was without Steve Smith and we didnt deserve to win the ATL game, but that Tampa game killed us!

by CurtisConway on Dec 22, 2008 12:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe

I think they can win tonight, but the G Men winning last night hurt, now they have nothing to play for, although no one wants to back into the playoffs so hopefully NY comes to play next week.

I am a Bears fan in MN, I would LOVE to see the queens choke it away at the end, Oh the sports media and fans would go nuts on Childress! It would be great, but we got to win tonight or none of it matters.

by CurtisConway on Dec 22, 2008 12:46 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

We'll win if the recievers hold onto the damn balls tonight.

Defense also has to come in with a good scheme and mix in the press coverage every once in a while. We got burned badly last time because we brought no pressure and dropped our linebackers for coverage.

by aznsensation on Dec 22, 2008 1:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

can you explain to me

why the Giants have nothing to play for NOW????

Had they lost, they would’ve wrapped up the #2 seed and couldn’t move their positioning either way

Why does this mantra keep getting repeated???

by DartmouthCubsFan on Dec 22, 2008 1:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think the idea...

Is that the Giants would play to win if they lost the three games prior to the final one of the season, because going into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak would be an awesome way to set up a one-and-done situation.

The corollary to that is that a Giants team that whiffs it against the Eagles, Cowboys, and Panthers is a Giants team that could blow one even against the Vikings.

The best we could have hoped for, I guess, would have been for that overtime to have ended scoreless, but I think we got the most realistic happy outcome to that game possible- winning a squeaker in overtime after two shitty losses isn’t the sort of thing that is likely to get Tom Coughlin resting on his laurels, so they’ll probably show up. And with a little bit of meat in their teeth, they’ve got a good chance to win.

—d

by itsugly on Dec 22, 2008 2:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

the best thing we could've hoped for

was them to beat Dallas then lose to Carolina!

This is a team that had won last year in Week 16, blowing out Buffalo going into Week 17 that was meaningless against New England and they played everyone and played hard.

I just don’t think last night’s game had much impact and drawing a definitive on their motivation from the result (one way or the other) is just pure speculation.

by DartmouthCubsFan on Dec 22, 2008 4:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Because

no one wants to back into the playoffs like the Cardinals, you may not agree with this but Momentum is a huge deal in sports and no team wants to go ace backwards into the playoffs, like itsugly said, they were on the verge of a 3 game losing streak, no coach would allow his team to coast into the playoffs on a losing streak.

Stop looking at the concrete facts Dartmouth, its in their heads not the stats on the sheets.

by CurtisConway on Dec 22, 2008 3:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

huh?

where am i talking stats?

Now forgive me… but if they lose next week wouldn’t they be “backing” into the playoffs whether they had lost 3 of 4 or lost 4 in a row? Wouldn’t that be the case either way?

All it is is pure speculation on your part that last night’s result would have ANY impact on next week’s game.

For all we know had they lost last week they could’ve had further confidence issues and laid an egg on the road. Now that they’ve won, maybe their confidence is back and they’ll play well. It’s all pure speculation.

It’s not like if they lost last night they’d officially have something to play for (meaning their playoff positioning), you’re just making something up and saying it mattered. Those aren’t concrete facts, it’s pure speculation

by DartmouthCubsFan on Dec 22, 2008 4:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Respect

::I guess the point here is that I am not used to people giving us credit when we hada pretty good team, now we have a radically inconsistent team and people seem to be our side.::

I agree with this, but the big difference is we have a QB to believe in now.

by tacologic on Dec 22, 2008 2:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Let's not get excited about Orton

See the problem we have in rating Orton is that we are comparing to ever other Chicago QB, let’s face it, they have all sucked and Orton has done some good stuff and some bad. He is by far a franchise QB, and with Turner up there calling plays nobody is ever going to look good as a QB with the Bears. The times Orton has looked best is when he calls his own plays, eliminating Ron’s run up the middle 80% of the game. Orton looks somewhat promising, but I need another year to see him play before I jump on his wagon.
I just hope that sorry shit we have as a coach can get our boys up and ready for this game. We need to see some HEART!!!

by stumpo on Dec 22, 2008 2:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I won't go that far yet

I do give him credit for doing more to help us and less to hurt us than Grossman, but his last 3-4 games have been nothing to get excited about.

Being Who You Thought We Were Since 2005!

by WCG on Dec 22, 2008 2:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Don’t get me wrong, I think he has some talent. He reads defenses very well, as most of his audibles have been good calls – he a game managing QB. Similar to Rothlisberger, not great but can manage a game well. I say bench Ron Turner and let Orton run the game.

by stumpo on Dec 22, 2008 3:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

he doesnt have any physical tools a qb needs to be a game changer

plus he runs the most boring offense i have ever watched in my life. our only deep passes are meant to be pass interferences because orton couldn’t hit a barn if it was more than 10 yards down the field…

larry has that system down to a science. Especially with the way the economy is….big wigs like larry coming in dressed in their mink coats and 24k gold cigarrete holders with pockets lined with coke make for a large draw during shift changes.
by BobbySouthSide on Dec 9, 2008 4:24 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

by Jbasic89 on Dec 22, 2008 3:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Lets be honest

Were not going to find the next payton manning, Orton has looked good enough for me and should for most bears fans since the carousel of QB’s we have had in the last 15 years. he is still young, 26, we got a solid RB, hopefully Williams pans out at LT, I mean this guy has looked solid (for the most part) with Hester as his # 1 rec, thats pretty respectable to me. And finally, I dont want to start over next year, so in my head I feel like sticking with him means that were that much closer then if we started with someone else.

Also, regarding the boring O, how come we saw the wildcat formation one time in a game with forte and hester and never saw it again? just seems very odd.

by CurtisConway on Dec 22, 2008 3:23 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Wildcat

Talk to dumbass tuner, he avoids everything that works well on offense. Lets look back…no-huddle(works great, use it sparingly)…pick on a defender with mismathes – we use it for one drive only….screens(I know most look like shit because we never practice or use them, hence why our defense cannot stop screens, but they have been effective).

Keep orton another year and get some pissed off line mien that can actually push a line FORWARD at least once in a game. Defense – blame Lovie and Babich, if babich still has control next year, expect some heated players venting frustration next year.

by stumpo on Dec 22, 2008 3:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs