Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Thank you Ryan Pace, Matt Nagy, and Vic Fangio






December 17, 2018

A recent trend in the National Football League is one team goes from worst to first.  In 2017 it was the LA. Rams. After three moribund years with Coach John Fox, the Chicago Bears go from worst to first under rookie coach Matt Nagy. The Bears clinched the NFC North Division with a 24-17 win over the Green Bay Packers. For the first time in 10 years the Bears are going to the playoffs!

At the start of the season I was going off on General Manager Ryan Pace. I’m ready to eat my words. He has made some very astute moves, putting the pieces in place for the great Bears’ defense. Free agent signings of linebacker Danny Trevathan and safety Prince Amukamara are now a big fixture on defense. Linebacker Leonard Floyd has been fantastic. Playing like a No. 1 pick, he has made Pace’s moving up in the draft to get him a very good move. This year’s first-round linebacker, Roquan Smith, has turned out to be an outstanding choice; He has 107 tackles thus far.  I’m sure there are even veteran players who would like that stat. A great find in the fourth round was safety Eddie Jackson, who has six interceptions, two of which resulted in touchdowns. At this juncture this is a very good defense. However, the shrewdest move was trading for one of the premier defensive players in the league, pass rusher extraordinaire Khalil Mack. What was a good defense became a great defense.

The defense once again was mainly responsible for the Bears’ victory over the Packers. Any time you hold the league’s best quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, to 17 points, that’s a good game. The Packers only scored one touchdown. It seemed every time the Packers were moving the ball the Bears would come up with a big play and make them settle for field goals. The pass coverage was outstanding. Not able to find open receivers, Rodger was frantically running around and was sacked five times. Rodgers had thrown 402 passes without being intercepted. With the Bears leading 24-14, his pass in the end zone was tipped by Smith into the hands of Jackson, ending the streak
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People have been praising Nagy for changing the Bears’ culture. I don’t how much credit he deserves when the defense is responsible for winning games. You can give Nagy credit for the development of quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Prior to his injury you could see he was improving. After his three- interception performance against the Rams, he looked great against the Packers, completing 20 of 28 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. If he comes just close to this performance, the Bears will be formidable in the playoffs.

I could go into Nagy blunders but why spoil a good feeling? Just hope that the defense keeps playing at a high level, making sure the Bears don’t have play catch-up in the fourth quarter.  The Bears are still in the hunt for a playoff bye if the Rams stumble again after losing to the Eagles. Otherwise, look forward to a home game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Awesome! Best Defense in the NFL




December 10, 2018

Many prognosticators thought this would be a high-scoring game with the Los Angeles Rams coming out on top. This couldn’t have been further from the truth. The Bears beat the Rams and their juggernaut offense 15-6. Before a national TV audience, the Bears showed that they are legit Super Bowl contenders.

The defense put together by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was the reason the Bears won .This was a true team effort as the Bears bottled up one the most explosive offensive teams in the league. The numbers tell the story.

The Rams average 34.9 points per game and were held to six, three coming after an interception returned deep into Bear territory. Rams quarterback Jared Goff completes about 60 percent of his passes and had only thrown seven interceptions coming into Sunday’s game. Under relentless Bear pressure and good coverage, Goff went 20-44 with four interceptions, each by a different player. The Bears lead the league with 25 interceptions. Leading rusher and MVP candidate Todd Gurley had one of the worst game of his career. He carried the ball 11 times for a measly 28 yards. The Rams are unlikely to face a better defense this year than the Bears.

There were many key plays on defense.  After trading field goals, sensational rookie linebacker Roquan Smith got his first interception with  a nice return, setting up a field goal that put the Bears ahead 6-3. The Rams would tie the game going into the second half at 6-6.

I was expecting the Rams to get in sync, reeling off first downs and scoring multiple points The Rams had the ball to start the second half. After a penalty on the kickoff the Rams were backed up to their ten yard line] On the first play of the second half, Leonard Floyd tackled Gurley for a seven-yard loss. On the ensuing play, nose tackle Eddie Goldman crashed through the Rams’ offensive line and sacked Goff for a safety, giving the Bears an 8-6 lead.

On the punt after the safety the Bears were at their 19 yard line. Behind the tandem of running back Jordan Howard and wide receiver Allen Robinson, the Bears moved the ball to the Rams’ two-yard line.  I have criticized Coach Matt Nagy all year. However, he is very good on goal line calls. He puts in four defensive players in what looks to be a power run by Hicks. However, quarterback Mitch Trubisky rolled out and completed a touchdown pass to reserve offensive tackle Bradley Sowell. I don’t know if many Bears fans have heard of him. Bears 15, Rams 6.
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Although that was the final score, there was still more drama left.

That’s all the offense. Trubisky was off-target and was intercepted  three times. The Rams did have a chance to cut it to a one-possession game. Kicker Greg Zuerlein attempted a 40-yard field goal that hit the upright. At this point you knew the stars were aligned for a Chicago victory. However, the game wasn’t over. An interception of another Trubisky bad pass gave the Rams the ball at midfield. On the very next play, Kyle Fuller intercepted Goff. The Rams got the ball back and with a little more than four minutes remaining, had a fourth down with four yards needed for a first down, Hicks sacked Goff and the Bears had the ball at the Rams’ 26 yard line.  Cody Parkey missed a field goal, giving the ball back go the Rams. But with just over two minutes remaining, safety Prince Amukamara sealed the victory with Goff’s fourth interception.

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I think this was Nagy’s best-coached game. The pass-happy coach stuck with the run and his forgotten running back Jordan Howard rewarded him with 101 yards on only 19 carries. Trubisky will get better, they have a running game and with this defense the Bears can make deep run in the playoffs.

Finally, I was sorry to see that Chicago Tribune sportswriter Steve Rosenbloom wrote his last column Sunday. His analyses were spot-on and he always made me laugh. In his report of this game, he might have written Vic Fangio your table is ready.

Friday, December 7, 2018

Bears Hiccup




December 4, 2018

In what was their worst performance of the season, the Bears lost to the lowly New York Giants 30-27. The Bears did make a furious comeback, scoring 10 points in the last two minutes to tie the game, forcing overtime. It shouldn’t have been that close.  Suffice it to say, this was a bad loss. Chicago could have put a stranglehold on the division as the Minnesota Vikings lost 24-10 to the New England Patriots. The Bears hope they can maintain their 1 1/2-game lead. They don’t want to play the last regular-schedule game of the season against Minnesota with the division championship on the line.

The game started out poorly. Taquan Mizzell subbing for the injured Benny Cunningham fumbled the kickoff.  The Bears started out at their 15-yard line, and on the second play of the game Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree picked off Chase Daniel’s pass and returned it for a touchdown. This and other plays later showed why Daniel has hardly played since coming out of college in 2009.

The Bears tied the game mostly using running back Jordan Howard on a scoring drive capped by a nifty two-yard pass to tight end Adam Shaheen. A Kyle Fuller interception gave the Bears good field position. However, Chase Daniel was intercepted again by Ogletree. The defense kept getting the ball back. Once again Jordan Howard gained chunks of yardage and an acrobatic catch by wide receiver Allen Robinson set the Bears up at the one-yard line. On a fourth down defensive lineman Aikeem Hicks powered into the end zone and the Bears led 14-7.

Coach Matt Nagy has been getting accolades for the Bears’ 8-4 start. If it were not for the defense, the Bears would be 4-8. The offensive genius can’t find a way to score in most second halves. He has made a really good running back, Jordan Howard, a non-factor. In the first half, Howard had 68 yards on 13 carries. The rest of the game, Howard got only three more touches. Nagy said the run wasn’t working. How does he know? On the other side, the Giants’ Saquon Barkley kept getting the ball and eventually produced big gains. Many running backs get better as the game goes on. Howard didn’t get the ball even in short-yardage situations. Nagy seems to have clueless moments, especially underscored in his calling a timeout with 17 seconds left in the half. The Giants were content to run the clock out.  Instead they got another play and Barkley gained 22 yards.  A 9-yard completion to the sideline set up Giants’ kicker Aldrick Rosas for a 57-yard field goal. The Giants are back in the game. Nagy’s  initial explanation is a doozy. Maybe we go after them with a punt-block team. Huh?  What about the six previous punts? Seeing as the Bears haven’t blocked a punt this year, maybe Nagy should change the personnel  on his punt-block team.

The defense was playing well, giving up only the three silly points in the first half. But two major gaffes contributed the 12. to the loss.  On a trick play, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. took a handoff and threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide-open fellow receiver Russell Shepard.  The Bears said there was some miscommunication on this play. You would think that might be cleaned up after 11 games. Later, after three goal-line stops, Beckham gets wide open in the corner of the end zone for a one-yard touchdown. Cody Parkey kicked a field goal slicing the lead to 24-17. After a Bear hold, a Giants pun t pinned the Bears at their one yard line. Nagy came out passing. Wide Receiver Taylor Gabriel fumbled at the 12 yard line. The Bear defense came up big holding the Giants to a field goal for a 27-17 lead.

After being dormant for the entire second half  the Bears turned to running back Tarik Cohen. With less than two minutes remaining he got open for a long gain deep in Giants territory. The offense stalls at the 5-yard line and Parkey kicked  a field goal. The Bears need a touchdown to tie and lo and behold they recover an onside kick. After another long pass to Cohen and an interference penalty against New York in the end zone puts the Bears at the 1-yard line with three seconds left If Nagy does one thing good, it is the playing calling at the goal line. Hand off to tight end Trey Burton , flip back to Cohen , touchdown to wide receiver Anthony Miller.

It was exciting but there are no moral victories. Slice it any way you want: it was an excruciating loss. After two interceptions and four Chase Daniel fumbles, the Bears need quarterback Mitch Trubisky back.  They now face possibly the best team, the Los Angeles Rams. I’ll be watching Monday’s game to see if the Seattle Seahawks can help by beating the Vikings.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

What's the Blackhawks One Goal?







November 27, 2018

It wasn’t too long ago when the Chicago Bears and Bulls were both lousy but Chicagoans always had a good Chicago Blackhawks team to enjoy during the winter. The Bulls are still bad while the Bears are the feel-good story of the year. The Blackhawks will most likely miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

With fans jumping off the bandwagon, General Manager Stan Bowman sits in his office negotiating the salary cap. His tenure includes three Stanley Cup championships. The core for these teams was put together by former General Manager Dale Tallon. Bowman did add minor pieces to the last two Stanley Cup winners who then were salary cap victims. Since 2009, Bowman has signed only one marque player, Alex DeBrincat. Other draft picks have been busts, showing a lack in talent evaluation.

Two years ago when the Hawks got swept out of the playoffs by the Nashville Predators, Bowman was not pleased and said changes had to be made. He then engineered two bad trades.

Artemi Panarin for former Blackhawk Brandon Saad, who Bowman had let get away (would you believe it had something to do with the salary cap)? On paper this didn’t look bad. On the ice it did. Bowman let go a 30-goal scorer and depleted one of the best lines in hockey with Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov. Saad was placed on a line in hopes of rejuvenating Jonathan Toews. This didn’t work and Saad just recently returned from the fourth line.

The second trade had to be the worst since Phil Esposito was traded to the Bruins for Pit Martin.*  It was another move related to the salary cap. The Hawks sent their best defenseman, Niklas Hjalmarsson, to the Phoenix Coyotes for Connor Murphy, who wasn’t good enough to avoid being a heathy scratch multiple times.

The loss of Marion Hossa and goalie Corey Crawford contributed to the down 2017-2018 season. Stan Bowman’s answer this time was to stand pat. The only new face is 19-year-old defenseman Henri Kokharju, who may turn out to be very good. He [a1] fired a great coach, Joel Quenville, for no apparent reason. He was not the cause of them being bad. The Hawks are stuck with the albatrosses Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, whose skills have diminished. They have forwards who can’t score and have puck possession issues, which puts more pressure on the defense. The best way to beat this team is to play short-handed. The Hawks have the the worst power play I have ever seen.

New coach Jeremy Colliton has his work cut out for him. So far he has made the mistake of reuniting Keith and Seabrook.  Neither can push someone out of the crease and they give away the puck way too often. Playing Saad, Kane and Toews together leaves the Hawks with no other line that can score.  Alex DeBrincat, the only other goal scorer, has no one to pass him the puck. This doesn’t look like it’s going to get better any time soon.


*Phil Esposito had a five-year stretch where he scored 336 goals. That’s an average of 67 per year.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Bears Zeroing in on Playoffs


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November 24, 2018

When the season began, I said if the Bears could gain a split in their divisional games there was a good chance of making the playoffs. They won their third game in 12 days against divisional opponents, assuring the split with two more division games left.  Winning the NFC North is a distinct possibility, after the Bears defeated the Detroit Lions in the annual Thanksgiving Day game. The Lions are always tough in this game and the Bears struggled, but they stayed on a roll and won their fifth straight game, 23-16.

The game started auspiciously, with the Lions taking advantage of a fumble by Bears’ tight end Trey Burton and the resulting short field to cash in on running back LeGarrette Blount’s touchdown. The Bears found themselves in an unfamiliar position, trailing 7-0. Quarterback Chase Daniel was making his first start since 2014, subbing for the injured Mitch Trubisky.  Completing mostly short passes, he moved the ball into position for a Cody Parkey field goal and he connected his fourth straight. Daniel was smoothly operating the Bears’ offense and they scored a go-ahead touchdown on a lob in the end zone to reserve running back Taquan Mizzell.  Inexplicably, Coach Matt Nagy went for a two-point conversion which failed. Instead of leading by a field goal the score was 9-7. In the second half, Blount scored his second touchdown and the Bears trailed going into the fourth quarter 13-9. Daniel, who completed 27 passes in 30 attempts for 230 yards, led the Bears  on a long dive downfield capped with a short lob pass to wide-open running back Tarik Cohen in the end zone. Bears lead 16-13.

 The defense once again proved to be the decisive factor, holding the Lions to seven points in the first half. Coming off a game on only three days’ rest, it seemed the defense was tiring in the second half. Detroit easily drove about 70 yards, ending with a fourth down and short yardage near the end zone.  Detroit Coach Matt Patricia decided to tie the game with a field goal. With nothing to lose, why not go for the win? However, this seemed to be the right decision when Detroit got the ball back.
The Bears have always discussed needing playmakers. They found one in second-year cornerback Eddie Jackson, who intercepted Lions quarterback Matt Stafford and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown and seven-point lead. This game was not quite over as the Bears went three-and-out on their final possession. The Lions had the ball on their 41-yard line. The Bears were surrendering huge gains on Lions’ runs and Stafford guided his team to the Bears’ 10-yard line. In trying to tie the game and force overtime, they got no yardage on first down and had an incomplete pass on second down. On third down another playmaker, safety Kyle Fuller, intercepted an overthrown end zone pass.

The Bears are now 8-3 and control their own destiny. The best-case scenario would be to clinch the division before their last two games against the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings.  Prior to that are very winnable games and the L.A. Rams. Two wins and they should make the playoffs. Although Daniel played well, it will be nice to get Trubisky back and shoot for the division championship and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Bears Euphoria

November 19, 2018

In front of a national TV audiencethe Chicago Bears proved they belong in the playoff conversation. They defeated a good Minnesota Vikings team in every phase of the game, 25-20.  The Bears’ record now stands at 7-3; the Vikings are one-and-a-half games back, followed by Green Bay trailing at two-and-a-half back and the Detroit Lions three games behind.

 The Bears’ defense was the primary reason for the victory.  The Vikings have a great defense but on this night the Bears were better. It all starts with the front seven. The Vikings only gained 22 yards rushing. The tone was set early. Minnesota had third down with inches to keep a drive going. After calling a running play that lost 2 yards, they had to punt on fourth down.  Another key play came with the half winding down. Minnesota was poised for a touchdown or at least a field goal.  Linebacker supreme Khalil Mack recovered his own forced fumble to preserve a 14-0 halftime lead.

Not being able to run the ball, the Vikings’ offense became one-dimensional. Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins was under constant pressure. The Bears got close to him many times, forcing hurried erratic throws and two interceptions. The second was costly. Cutting the deficit to eight points, Cousins was intercepted by safety Eddie Jackson who returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion gave the Bears a 16-point lead.  Later, down 11 points]  the Vikings would score a touchdown but miss the two-point conversion. This last drive left them only 48 seconds and their on-side kick was unsuccessful.

The Bears’ offense had a good start, confusing the Minnesota defense with multiple formations and misdirection. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky was completing passes to multiple receivers. He also kept some drives alive with his scrambling ability. The first drive stalled and in came Cody Parkey to attempt a 31 yard field goal. After the previous game’s four misses, Bear fans held their breath and let out a sigh of relief after the kick was made. A long drive culminated with a spectacular catch by Anthony Miller for an 18 yard touchdown. .Maybe worried about Parkey, Coach Matt Nagy goes for a two-point conversion, a pass to receiver Josh Bellamy.  He is a perfect example of the new Bears, making good catches with few drops. Next Bear fans hold their breath again as Cody Parkey hits from 41 yards out.]

As good as Trubisky was in the first half, he was equally bad in the second half. His two interceptions and a Tarik Cohen fumble gave Minnesota a chance to catch up, and they almost did. Letting this lead slip away would have ruined the season. But the Bears’ defense saved the day. After Eddie Jackson’s pick-six the Vikings came back and were within a touchdown and two- to tie point conversion the game. With just under three minutes left the Bears were in no-man’s land, facing fourth down and needing more than five yards and a choice of running an offensive play or letting Parkey try a 48-yard field goal. If he missed Minnesota would get the ball back at its own 38 yard line with over two minutes left, enough time to drive a short distance for the potential tying score. So in came the much-maligned Cody Parkey, who kicked the ball straight through the uprights to seal a Bears’ victory.

The euphoria of this win will not matter if the Bears have a hiccup against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. However, the Bears are on a roll and should prevail. With the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers on the schedule, that totals 10 wins, which should be enough to make the playoffs. Any more wins would be gravy.  The last regular-season game of the year in Minnesota should be fun. 

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Bears Set Up Game For First Place




 November 12, 2018


The Chicago Bears scored the first 26 points and cruised to an easy 34-22 victory over the Detroit Lions. The loss squashed any faint hope the Lions had of making the playoffs as they are now three games behind the first-place Bears. The victory sets up a game for first place with the Minnesota Vikings on national TV.

Young quarterbacks usually have some bad and some good games. Sunday against Detroit, Mitch Trubisky had a very good game. The accuracy he has shown returned. He completed 23 of 30 passes. He read the defenses and made smart decisions. Trubisky had a career-best 355 passing yards with three touchdown passes. He also scored on a four-yard quarterback draw play. A big key: he was not intercepted.

Allen Robinson returned from a two-game absence and showed why the Bears made him their priority free agent signee. He had six catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Another free agent, tight end Trey Burton, has been good all year. The steal of this year’s draft, wide receiver Anthony Miller, had five receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. The only downside to the offense was that aside from Trubisky, running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen rushed for only 36 yards on 18 carries. The Lions came into the game ranking 30th in rushing yards allowed per game. The Bears have to improve on this, especially with the winter weather ahead.

After sitting out two games, Khalil Mack returned to lead the Bears’ domination of the Lions offense. Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford was under constant pressure, sacked six times – twice by Mack. Linebacker Leonard Floyd also recorded his first sack of the year. The Bears forced two interceptions and a fumble. An unsung hero of the defense is nickel-back Bryce Callahan, whose coverage has been good all year and had a monster sack and interception on Sunday.  And first-round draft pick, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, contributed with the first sack that took the Lions out of field goal range.

This game was marred by the lousy performance on special teams. Signed for four years, kicker Cody Parkey missed two extra points and field goals from 41 and 34 yards out. Taquan Mizzell (who?) muffed a catch on a kickoff return, letting a ball bounce at the one-yard line.

The Bears probably have their most important game in years playing the Minnesota Vikings for first place in the division. Minnesota has an elite defense which can shut down any offense. Coach Matt Nagy will have to devise a game plan to put up some points.
Easier said than done.

However, the Bears’ defense isn’t too shabby. Minnesota’s free agent signee, quarterback Kirk Cousinshasn’t provided the huge impact the Vikings expected. Therefore, this should be a low-scoring game.  My fear is that it might be a battle of field goals.

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Bears Taking Care of Business


November 6, 2018


The Chicago Bears kept their focus and remain atop the NFC North, crushing the Buffalo Bills 41-9. The weekend improved as the Green Bay Packers lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 31-17. The Minnesota Vikings recorded 10 sacks in their 24-9 victory over the Detroit Lions to remain in second place. The Bears next opponent: The Detroit Lions.

The Bears’ Khalil Mack sat out his second straight game. He was not needed, as the rest of the defense suffocated the Bills. Granted, Buffalo is an extremely bad offensive team; however, the Bears’ defense would have overwhelmed many other teams. They had constant pressure on quarterback Nathan Peterman, forcing errant or hurried throws. They had four sacks and caused four turnovers. A fumble recovery by Eddie Jackson] turned into a 65-yard touchdown. Kyle Fuller, who is having a really good season, jarred a ball loose that landed in the hands of Leonard Floyd, who returned it 19 yards for a touchdown[. The Bears had two more interceptions and forced many three-and-outs, setting up excellent field position. The defense should get better with Mack back at 100 percent.  If he doesn’t play next week, the Bears are lying about the severity of his injury.

This was a game where the offense didn’t have to be good and it wasn’t. Ever since his otherworldly game in which he threw for six touchdowns, Mitch Trubisky has regressed. His accuracy has dipped where he is completing only about 50 percent of his passes, mostly for short gains. On deep sideline throws he has no touch. His reads and decisions are not as good as they should be after eight games. The last game was his worst, completing only 12 of 20 passes for 135 yards. He had an interception with no receivers in sight and a fumble that thankfully the Bears recovered. The touchdowns they did score were on short-yardage possessions set up by the defense and a Tarik Cohen punt return. You know the offense is stumbling when it has to settle for field goals in Cody Parkey’s range. The total offense gained less than 200 yards.

The possibility of making the playoffs still exists. The Bears have five division games left and most likely have to win three of those games. Trubisky needs to get better, which is the job of offensive guru Coach Matt Nagy. Only in games against teams like Buffalo can you gain less than 200 yards, commit 14 penalties and win. In the span of 12 days they play the Lions and the Vikings in home games. Then they have the Thanksgiving game which a beatable Detroit Lions team gets amped up for. After that the playoff picture will get a lot clearer.