Two Division Loses Make Playoffs Unlikely for the Blackhawks

February 22, 2019 

Following the NHL all-star break, I thought Jonathan Toews was off his rocker when in an interview he talked about making the playoffs. There are still many games left on the schedule. The Blackhawks had sunk to the NHL abyss and showed no signs that they could make a run. Lo and behold, with a mixture of young and experienced players they have been one of the league’s hottest teams. The hot streak has positioned them to compete for the eighth and final playoff spot.

New coach Jeremy Colliton started out looking to be a bad choice. After getting to know his team, he has made some extremely good moves. For the past couple of years the Hawks have been searching for someone to energize Toews. By putting MVP candidate Patrick Kane on his wing, Toews has 28 goals, one short of his career high. With the acquisition of 24-year-old Drake Caggiula as the third winger, this could be one of the most dynamic lines in hockey. 

Winger Alex Debrincat is blossoming into a star. As a first-year player he had 28 goals.With 21 games games remaining, he already has 33 goals. Nick Schmaltz was a talented player but not a goal scorer. General Manager Stan Bowman traded him for two players. Dylan Strome is young and is playing exceptionally well and unlike Schmaltz, scores goals. Brandon Saad is playing like they thought he would and has started to get going with 21 goals.

Colliton’s replacing Duncan Keith with Erik Gustafsson has turned the worst power play to the number one unit since 2019. Plus/minus is a good barometer of player evaluation. So although Gustafsson has sparked the power play,he has to work on his defense as he is a -9. Brent Seabrook is washed up. He can no longer push people from the crease and is frequently out of position; he is -7. His longtime partner Keith has improved as of late. Playing a little less the monster minutes he used to in the past, he now has a + 5 rating. I have been really critical of General Manager Bowman for his trades, especially the trading of Niklas Hjalmarsson for Connor Murphy. I was wrong, as in his second year he leads the team with a +11 rating. The Hawks have stockpiled young defensemen (too many to mention) who get better with every game. Rookie Collin Delia and veteran Cam Ward for the most part have been solid in goal. 

I wrote this all on Thursday, being extremely optimistic going into the weekend. However, two excruciating losses on home ice have diminished my enthusiasm. Against the Colorado Avalanche, the Hawks overcame three one-goal leads, eventually succumbing 5-3. Sunday they erased a 3-goal lead. I thought the momentum had swung their way but a stupid too many men on the ice penalty, compounded by a tripping penalty 28 seconds later, gave the Dallas Stars a five-on-three  they scored the go-ahead goal. What made matters worse, with a little more than four minutes left to play, Dallas gave the Hawks a four-minute power play. Having converting earlier I thought they could at least one maybe two goals. Even when they pulled the goalie to give them six-on-four they didn’t score. 

So as is stands, the Hawks are five points back of the eighth spot fighting multiple teams to make the playoffs. The two goalies have done an admirable job but you don’t win many games giving up four or more goals which has been the case as of late. Maybe it’s time to see if Corey Crawford can put a spark into this team. Making the playoffs will be a tough go. They will have to get back to playing the way they were before last weekend. I’m not real confident they will do so. 

Bulls Rebuild Will Take Time & Patience

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Barry

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February 5, 2019

 I have finally found the energy to talk about the moribund Chicago Bulls. There are reasons why this one-time proud team is one of the worst in the NBA.

In 2015, the Bulls front office wonks, John Paxon and Gar Forman, couldn’t wait to fire Tom Thibodeau and hire golden boy Fred Hoiberg to coach the 2016 Bulls.  Hoiberg’s vision was a fast-paced offensive team. You never heard a word about defense, where Thibodeau excelled. The biggest problem for Hoiberg was he didn’t have the right players for his system. His best player was Jimmy Butler, who slowed things down going one-on-one against defenders. The wonks further impeded Hoiberg inserting his offense by acquiring aging veterans Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. Instead of installing an offense that suited his players, he tried to fit square pegs into round holes. Problems arose after a game in which the Bulls blew a late 10-point lead against the Atlanta Hawks  Butler took on the role of prima donna and attached himself to Wade and publicly criticized the young players, never mentioning Wade not getting back to defend anyone. Rondo responded objecting to their throwing players under the bus. All three were fined for their comments. The rest of the year Hoiberg debated about playing Rondo. Finally realizing they were better with him in the lineup, miraculously they made the playoffs. Playing against the heavily favored Boston Celtics, Rondo led the Bulls to two straight road wins. However, he got hurt and without him the team lost four straight, three on their home court.

Changes were in order and the Bulls promised a rebuild, letting Rondo and Wade go and trading Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In return the Bulls got former coveted first-round pick Kris Dunn, who had a disappointing season. An injured Zach LaVine was supposed to be the key to the trade. I hadn’t seen him play, although I knew he won the slam dunk competition. What turned out best was seventh overall pick forward Lauri Markkanen. The wonks told Hoiberg they would not be concerned with wins. They just asked them to compete with the young core. What they did, despite trying to lose, was wind up seventh in the draft, not a real game-changer.

This year, maybe winning mattered more as they dismissed Hoiberg early in the season. Due to injuries he never had the chance to coach the players they traded Butler for. By not waiting until the end of the season or having someone in mind, the Bulls quickly replaced him with Neanderthal military man Jim Boylen. He rants and raves up off the bench and has grueling practices mid-season despite injuries to many players. He’s more like a college coach who failed when he was. The crux of the problem is they named their coach for the rest of this year and next. Making him an interim would have given the Bulls a better idea if he is the right fit. His team continues to lose, most often getting blown out.

This team is in desperate need of help. First-round draft pick Wendell Carter Jr. is only 19 years old and looked good until his injury. No matter how good he is, big post men are not as important as they once were. Kris Dunn was playing well until last year’s injury. He is good at penetrating and passing but can’t shoot 3-pointers. In the current NBA, you need a point guard who can shoot 3-pointers, the best being Golden State’s Steph Curry. There are other point guards who have this ability. Some people think LaVine shoots too much, but the only other person on the floor who can score is Markkanen.

The players may turn out to be very good, but not the stars needed to win. One star makes you competitive, two win championships. The Bulls had this in Pippen and Jordan. Recently, it has been the Golden State Warriors’ Curry and Kevin Durant, Miami’s LeBron James and Dywane Wade, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and David Robinson, the list goes on and on. Even In my earlier years following basketball it was the L.A. Lakers Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain winning championships. The franchise player in in this year’s draft will be Zion Williamson of Duke. Believe it or not, there are teams with worse records than the Bulls who have a better chance of getting the first pick. Maybe there is a point guard out there who can shoot 3-pointers. Derrick Rose?

NFL Playoffs: The Thrill is Gone

January 15, 2019

There is nothing better in professional sports than the post-season playoffs. You don’t need a rooting interest to enjoy these games. In hockey, there is nothing more exhilarating than an overtime game. The tension mounts when every rush up the ice could result in the winning goal. This is real hockey. No three-on-three or shootouts.

Basketball has had its share of dynasties. The Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls. The current dynasty is the Golden State Warriors, by far the team of the decade. Although they did lose a championship series to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, they have won two in a row and three of the last four titles. Last year the Houston Rockets got close, extending their series to seven games. The Warriors are a lot of fun to watch.

  

In baseball, a great Boston Red Sox team was the major story of the past season, coasting to a World Series victory. However, the Milwaukee Brewers played a seven-game series before succumbing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2016, the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in seven games. In 2017, the Astros defeated the Dodgers in seven games. These games are my personal favorites.

Amidst all the excitement, the real reason for this post is I’m watching the NFL playoffs with a heavy heart.  There are no Chicago Bears to watch. Cody Parkey has ruined my season. I was watching what turned out to be a weekend of football mismatches. The Kansas City Chiefs scored early and often in crushing the Indianapolis Colts. The Chiefs have probably the best offense in football and in this game the defense was particularly good, or maybe it was the Colt offense play calling. The L. A. Chargers hadn’t lost a road game all year. However, they got annihilated by the New England Patriots, who don’t lose on their home field.  I can’t predict a winner of what should be a close game.Another non-competitive and boring game was the L. A. Rams beating the Dallas Cowboys.  The game was not as close as the final score. The best game of the weekend saw the New Orleans Saints overcome a 14-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Dream is Over

January 7, 2019

The Chicago Bears had an excellent season, finishing 12-4. This was the third-best record in the conference, netting them home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. But a heart-breaking, gut- wrenching and mind-numbing 16-15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles put a pall on the entire season. General Manager Ryan Pace has done a great job putting this team together with one exception. After unceremoniously dumping Robbie Gould, last year’s kicker Connor Barth was let go before the season ended. Spending big money, Pace signed Cody Parkey, who ranked among the worst kickers this season. His missed a 43-yard attempt for a field goal to win the game hitting the left upright, then the crossbar before bouncing back onto the playing field, knocking the Bears out of the playoffs. I thought they would make a run to the Super Bowl, but my worst nightmare came true when I saw Parkey coming out to try and kick the winning field goal.

Although Parkey was the main culprit, he is not the only reason why the Bears lost. The defense was great all year. On their first possession, the Eagles marched down the field deep into Bears’ territory.  Doing what they had done all year, the defense forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal. With two interceptions, one in the end zone, those were the only three points the Eagles could muster in the first half. However, things changed after the intermission. Trailing 9-3, the Eagles were trying to mount a comeback. On a third down incomplete pass, safety Adrian Amos was penalized for a helmet-to- helmet hit, so the Eagles retained possession. On the next play the Bears committed another penalty for too many men on the field. Two plays later, cornerback Prince Amukamara was penalized for pass interference at the Bears’ 10-yard line. Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide-open backup tight end Dallas Goedert. Maybe he was wide open because the Bears only had 10 men on the field. With about six minutes remaining, the Bears had the ball at their 22-yard line. On a three-and-out, which consisted of a two-yard loss and quarterback sack, punter Pat O’Donnell got off a terrible kick, giving the Eagles a short field to attempt a game-winning touchdown drive. People have been talking about how great the Bears were in stopping the Eagles three consecutive times on a first- and-goal at the Bears’ two-yard line. That means absolutely nothing when your opponent scores on fourth down. The crux of the matter is the Bears couldn’t get enough pressure on Foles to keep the Eagles from getting to the two-yard line. They did stop the two-point conversion, giving them a chance to win

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Before you give Matt Nagy the coach of the year award, consider this: The Bears scored 15 points. Two weeks earlier in San Francisco the Bears scored 14 points. If you take away defensive scores, you’ll notice in many games the offense didn’t score 20 points. This is your offensive genius?  Against the Eagles, the Bears had good field possession for 2½ quarters and came away with three field goals. If you are close enough to be in Cody Parkey’s range you need to score some touchdowns. To Nagy’s credit, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is getting better. On a go-ahead scoring drive, he completed a 34-yard pass to wide receiver Josh Bellamy and a 22-yard touchdown to wide receiver Allen Robinson (10 receptions, 143 yards). In the closing minutes to put the Bears in field goal range he made two big throws to Robinson. The reason he only needed two throws was a terrific kickoff return by Tarik Cohen. Question to Matt Nagy: In the biggest game of the year, why wasn’t Cohen in on all the other kickoffs?

The Bears are a young team that should get better. Hopefully the offense improves and everyone stays healthy. Who knows if it might have been different with safety Eddie Jackson and nickel back Bryce Callahan helping in the coverage of Eagle receivers? With a tougher first place schedule can the Bears get back to the playoffs? Here’s hoping the Bears get another chance to compete for the Super Bowl. The outstanding 1985 Super Bowl champs never appeared in another.

About The Chicago Bears...

January 1, 2019

The Chicago Bears capped a spectacular season with an impressive 24-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. A Vikings, win would have earned them a spot in the playoffs with the first game against the Bears. The Bears’ win ensured them that they wouldn’t have to play a third game against the Vikings this season right after losing to them.

I don’t think anyone predicted the Bears would win 12 games this year. After hiring Coach Matt Nagy, he and General Manager Ryan Pace said to temper expectations. Nagy was brought in to develop quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Pace signed free agents on offense to assist Nagy’s efforts to revitalize the offense. Toward the end of the exhibition season, they traded for All-Pro defenseman Khalil Mack. . All of a sudden, expectations were raised, although still most thought they wouldn’t go 12-4. Adding Mack to a good defense made this an elite defense, which is the biggest reason for the Bear’s turnaround from worst to first.

The defense had another great game against the Vikings. While the Bears’ offense was clicking, the Vikings went three-and- out on their first five possessions. The defense would give up only 10 points. The defensive line caused Viking’s quarterback Kirk Cousins to have a terrible afternoon. The defensive pressure on the quarterback is part of the reason the Bears lead the league in interceptions.

In a hostile environment against one of the league’s premiere defenses, Mitch Trubisky had one of his best performances. His numbers may look pedestrian (18-26 163 yards); however, he was error- free and good when he needed to be. The Vikings are the best team in preventing opponents’ third-down conversions at 28 percent. Yet, the Bears were 8 for 14. Trubisky completed seven passes for first downs and ran for another. On the ground, the Bears had their best rushing game of the year. Running back Jordan Howard looks like he has regained his old form with 21 carries for 109 yards, including two first-half barreling touchdowns. This accounted for 13 points as woeful kicker Cody Parkey, who barely made his first extra point, kicked his second attempt off the goal post. After the Vikings cut the lead to 13-10, the Bears took nine minutes off the clock and Tarik Cohen ran it in for a 3- yard touchdown. Instead of sending Parkey in for the extra point, Nagy decided to go for two. He is excellent in these situations as the Bears converted on a pass to reserve linebacker Nick Kwiatktski.

 The Vikings’ offense floundered the rest of the game, causing heated conversations between Cousins and his receivers on the sidelines. The Bears tacked on a field goal for good measure. The focus of the offense has been the progress of Trubisky, but kudos go to the offensive line for giving him the protection he needs. The offensive performance bodes well for the playoffs.

When the Bears beat Minnesota on a Sunday night in a game for first place, I started to think playoffs. After beating the L.A. Rams on a Sunday night, I was thinking maybe they could make a run in the playoffs. The Bears open up at home, where they are 7-1, against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. Under backup quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, the Eagles have a three- game winning streak that propelled them into the playoffs. Not to worry: the Bears are 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Eagles have not faced a defense like the Bears. The Bears who, won’t need Trubisky to be great, but just efficient. I think the Eagles don’t score more than 13 points

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.

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 a 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.”