I didn't see the game today. Not one damn second of it. (I was blessed enough to be in my car when Gould hit the game winner - I was going nuts in my car). Only two more weeks of work on Sunday and then I'll be able to watch my beloved Bears.
But, even though I didn't get to see the game, I do know a few things:
1) Jay Cutler is absolutely fine. Where are the Cutler haters now?
2) OMG HERE'S A WARNING: Jay Cutler wins football games that don't involve magical tips. Don't say I didn't warn ya....
3) The Steelers blew chances to win - can't deny that. At the same time, losers don't take advantage of those situations; winners do.
4) Matt Forte and Greg Olsen - still bad fantasy picks. Johnny Knox - good fantasy pickup.
5) I have a man-crush on Robbie Gould.
6) Nice to see Tommie Harris finally do something.
7) I'm really looking forward to Rick Morrissey's next article.
Let's move along here....
Lovie Smith on the game:
"Anytime you can beat the Super Bowl champion, you have to be excited about it, and we are. I thought Jay was outstanding all day."
Lovie Smith on Robbie Gould:
"We've called on Robbie Gould quite a few times to win a game for us, and it's the same thing. He's as good as gold most of the time."
Cutler on the difference a week makes:
"Didn't throw four picks. I think they brought me here for a reason and I want the ball at the end every game with a chance to win it. I always hope to get a chance. I always think we're going to get a chance if it's 3 minutes or if it's 30 seconds. All we want is a shot.
"Week 1 to Week 2 is kind of where you make the biggest jump, and guys were in sync. We started off pretty basic. We wanted to see what they were doing, and as the game went on we started making more and more plays. Guys fought hard today. We knew it was going to be 60 minutes. We knew it was going to come down to the last couple drives, and we just hung in there and made the plays when we had to."
Cutler on the win:
"It means a lot. It means a lot to this team. We expect a lot of ourselves. To get this first one behind us and get rolling, it's good for us."
Cutler on what he said to Knox after his TD:
"I told Johnny congratulations, you're no longer a rookie."
Cutler on Gould:
"Robbie's good. We knew we just had to get to the 35 and Robbie's going to make it. He's made it in five-degree weather and snow and rain. We knew we just had to give him a shot, and he's going to do it for us."
Greg Olsen on Cutler:
"He was no different at the end than he was in the beginning. He's always in total control. That's kind of what everyone comes to expect from him, and he delivered."
Olin Kreutz on playing with Cutler:
"I think that all of us have to get used to playing with Jay and the level he is going to play at. When we get used to that level, we'll be all right. He came through for us in the end."
Johnny Knox on his NFL experience thus far:
"I'm out there just playing ball. Trying to take my time and to not be overconfident. Yeah, I'm nervous, but after that first catch and first hit, it's smooth sailing."
Kellen Davis on his progression as a Bear:
"I mean just my overall understanding of the offense. I feel like I can get out, play fast, and just make plays."
Ron Turner on Johnny Knox:
"He's done that really since he's been here. He's not real big physically, but he doesn't back down, he doesn't shy away. He plays fast. That's the key. If you play fast, you can make some plays and get after people. When he gets the ball in his hands, he hits it, and that's exactly what we want."
Danieal Manning on the early defensive meltdowns:
"It happened. We bounced back. We adjusted on the sideline early."
Hunter Hillenmeyer on filling in for Urlacher:
"It was really loud, which is fun, but we had a whole lot of checks going in on defense. We were switching up coverages and having a hard time communicating. We felt like we did some good things, especially towards the end. We got some pressure, which is always good."
Alex Brown on the play that injured him:
"I don't know if that will get me in trouble, so I don't even want to talk about that. I have two kids. I don't need to lose money." (ChiFan note: Ya make enough money. Let's hear it!)
Alex Brown on the team's performance:
"We believed we had a good team even before we beat Pittsburgh. I think this let's other people know we're for real. But it's time to go back to work."
Robbie Gould on his game-winning kick:
"You don't really think about missing kicks because when you do that you're going to miss kicks."
Jeff Reed on how he missed two FG's:
"I was trying too hard on both of them. That's what happens to a kicker when you hook them."
Mike Tomlin on the game:
"I'd like to tip my hat to Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears. They played a very good football game. They fought until the very end. They didn't blink, and they found a way to win it. We desired to do some things today, and we were unable to do them.
"I thought Jay Cutler was very good with the football. We faced some pressure, but he made great decisions. He put the ball in great locations, and the Bears converted third downs. They did enough to win, and we didn't. In the face of pressure he [Cutler] made great decisions, put the ball in some good locations and guys converted third downs. They did enough to win, we didn't. We accept responsibility for that."