clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Ten Thoughts on the NFL: Chicago Bears and beyond

I have some NFL thoughts. Ten of them to be exact. Check out what I have and leave a few of your own in the comment section.

By Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

1) Just when we think the Cleveland Browns have turned a corner they lose to the previously winless Jacksonville Jaguars.

And just when quarterback Brian Hoyer seemed to have established himself the The QB in Cleveland, he goes 16 of 41 with a fumble and an interception.

It's time to warm up the Johnny Manziel stories again.

2) One more nugget from that game. I've always thought Denard Robinson could be effective at running back. After a career high 127 yards rushing, I'll bet the former Michigan Wolverine QB is a bigger part of the gameplan moving forward.

3) Another player I always thought would be a solid NFL player is quarterback Colt McCoy. I know it's only a brief bit of action, but he was 11 for 12 in leading Washington to only their 2nd win of the season. He now has a chance to put some film together while he fills in for Robert Griffin III, who should be out at least one more week.

RGIII is due back at practice this week, but they should be extra cautious with his health and sit him for at least one more game. It's not like his team is going anywhere in 2014.

4) Peyton Manning is just fun to watch play football. I know there are a lot of people that simply can't stand him, but is that because of anything he's done, is it jealousy, or is it the way the media seems to fawn over him? And by the way, the media should hold him in high regard, he is that good and he's about as pleasant and accommodating an athlete that has ever played.

5) What happened to the 3-0 Cincinnati Bengals? After their week 4 bye, they've gone 0-2-1.

6) The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't look very good for most of the Monday Night game, but they capitalized on some bad play from the Houston Texans.

Aided by a slew of stupid Texans decisions, the Steelers scored a trio of touchdowns in 90 seconds, becoming just the first team in a decade to do so.

The most surprising part of that game to me was that J.J. Watt only had three tackles and a sack. He's slipping...

7) The Oakland Raiders may be the worst team in football, but this is just a classless clown move.

Even though he had his reasons and was provoked by some classless clown fans...

Nothing good can ever come from getting into it with, or criticizing fans.

8) Just ask Chicago Bears offensive guard Kyle Long.

Moments after the Bears loss on Sunday, he was asked about the Soldier Field fans booing, and as expected, with emotions running high, he said the following.

"To be getting booed at home when you're walking off the field down two possessions is unacceptable. Especially when there's not a lot of noise being made on (Miami's) 3rd down."

To his credit he took his medicine and apologized on both WXRT, "It was wrong for me to point fingers at the fans" and on ESPN radio "What I said was very stupid."

9) I loved how Bears' fans jumped all over social media after the St. Louis Rams pulled off this trick play on a punt return.

Bear fans are a proud bunch, and we want to make sure credit is given where credit is due.

Here's the original featuring Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and a phantom holding penalty.

10) I suppose there are more disappointing NFL teams to root for than the Chicago Bears, but there are plenty of Chicago fans that weren't even alive the last time the Bears won a championship. There have been 14 fanbases that have seen their team win a Super Bowl since the Bears' only win in 1985.

Here's the list of Super Bowl winning teams and their number of wins since SBXX.

New York Giants - 4
Washington Redskins - 2
San Francisco 49ers - 3
Dallas Cowboys - 3
Green Bay Packers - 2
Denver Broncos - 2
St. Louis Rams - 1
Baltimore Ravens - 2
New England Patriots - 3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 1
Pittsburgh Steelers - 2
Indianapolis Colts - 1 (DAMN!)
New Orleans Saints - 1
Seattle Seahawks - 1

The word "unacceptable" has been bandied about the Bears locker room, in press conferences and in and around the Chicago media since Sunday's loss dropped the Bears to 3-4.

I'll tell you what's truly unacceptable.

It's unacceptable that one of the greatest, if not the greatest, football city in the NFL has only one title to show for itself since 1964.

It's unacceptable that the third largest market in the NFL, with fans that sell out Soldier Field week after week, with a fanbase that historically travels well and shows up in droves at opposing stadiums has the same amount of Super Bowl rings as the Seahawks, Buccaneers and Saints.

It's unacceptable that the Bears have participated in just 5 postseasons in the last 21 years while the Green Bay Packers have only missed 5 playoffs in the same time frame.

Next Up In News