Awww C'mon.

It’s 2.5 (that’s 2 and a half, for you lay-jerks) weeks away from NFL preseason.  The football meat-ia machine is slowly building up speed, accelerating to that proverbial 88 mph when the regular season starts.  After marveling at the World Cup, and 75% of sports announcers pretending to care about baseball, training camps are now mere DAYS away. Journalists are starting to sum up everything they’ve been sparingly doling out since the Saints solidified themselves in history; taking down one of the game’s most respected quarterbacks while simultaneously proving that it’s own steps aside for no-one.  On the surface, it’s all the same from team to team, they just choose one of 3-4 issues surrounding a team and approach it from slightly different angles.  However, with an abundance of data, patterns and themes start to emerge.  Luckily, I have absorbed this data, and am ready for a major prediction.

THE CHICAGO BEARS WILL WIN THE NFC WILDCARD SPOT.

A bold statement.  Allow me to explain in excruciating detail.

It’s been now 4 full seasons since the Bears’ trip to the superbowl in the 06-07 season.  07-08 was attributed to the infamous “Super-bowl hangover.”  Here’s a statistic that provides insight as to how hung-over they actually were.  Robbie Gould scored exactly as many points(126) as the next 4 leading scorers: Devin Hester (48, 42 of which were on returns),  Bernard Berrian (30), Desmond Clark (24), and Cedric Benson (24) .  The 08-09 was attributed to Hester switching to WR, lack of sacks killing the Cover-2, and Safety switches.  09-10 to Cutler and his damn interceptions, among many other things of which we’ll get to.  All these seasons were not necessarily terrible (7-9, 9-7, 9-7 respectively), but they were not worthy of a playoff birth.

As such, the Bears have missed the playoffs three years in a row.   Not only that, but they’ve been told so.  Repeatedly.  ”Failure” is a word regularly brought up in interviews.  Failure to run, failure to pass rush, failure to meet expectations.  They now have something to prove.  Every interview done with the bears has at least one mention of “we’re a young team, we’ve got something to prove.”  While this is generally the bread and butter of the organization; the perceived notion that Lovie could be gone after this season has put a fire under their butts.  Keep that in mind: every team wants ton win and go to the superbowl, but the Bears have a deadline.  If they don’t go, Lovie doesn’t stay, and they’ve barely missed the past 2 seasons.  This competitive edge is what will make the difference in a lot of areas.

Now, there’s Mike “my god are you really saying my name AGAIN” Martz.  A hire that’s generated a ton of buzz.  In the past he throws it a lot, requires long pass plays that stress the offensive line (another perceived weak point), and supposedly “doesn’t care” about interceptions.  This is because his QBs take 7-step drops (most steps taken are usually 5, and in an NFL with quicker and quicker defenses this is a big deal), they throw it to where a receiver SHOULD BE, and not where they ARE, and they do so more often.  Every person interviewed about his system says that while it takes a long time to learn the system, that there’s more to it than that.  Every player must buy in to the system. This is where the Bears will succeed.  Their offense is largely a young team.  You have Cutler who hasn’t led success in his career, literally ever [11-35 in college, 24-26 in the Pros], and wants to buy into something he believes can get him that win.  You also have Seven 1-3 year rookie WR’s that are all looking to break out.  Finally, you’ve got other weapons like Matt Forte, Chester Taylor, and Greg Olsen (who Martz loves).    All this points to an offense that is ready to accept coaching as given, and run it to the best of their ability.

Now lets take a look at some specifics.

The Offensive Line.  The Bears made an offseason hire of Mike Tice to coach the line, which took the responsibilities off of Rod Marinelli, who got promoted to Defensive Coordinator.  However, Rod was rumored to be pretty much splitting the job with Lovie although Lovie was calling the plays.  Mike Tice has a proven track record of significantly improving Offensive Lines.  Also, not to bore you with lots of names, but last year the players on OL were all playing positions they weren’t familiar.  Now, with the firing of Orlando Pace, the line gets back to where it should be in terms of players at their natural positions.  You also have healthy competition at Left Guard, and that’s always a good thing.  Not only will the line be able to protect Cutler due to Tice’s expertise, but they should also be better in theory on the run.

The Wide Receivers don’t get a lot of credit.  However, I can tell you that this is to their advantage.  Devin Hester has been working out with Isaac Bruce, a former WR in the Mike Martz system, f0r most of the summer to get acquainted with the system and work on skills.   One of Hester’s weaknesses was route running, and this was definitely worked on in these sessions.  Martz has raved about Johnny Knox, for good reason.  That dude is just flat out fast, and has some great hands and that flair for the dramatic.  You have big, dependable guys in Earl Bennet and Devin Aromashodu who both had huge seasons last year.  When you factor in a few more reserves you’ve got yourself a deep, albeit largely unproven, core of receivers.  This is where youth will play a big factor, as Martz will have putty in his hands.

The run game.  Lovie has repeatedly, repeatedly said that the Bears will not stop running the ball.  They play in an open stadium, in Chicago.  They know they can’t throw the ball all the time, and so they will not forget the run.  This was made evident by the hire of Chester Taylor, which I honestly believe to be the best offseason move they made the entire year.  Chester Taylor made it possible for Adrian Petersen to be Adrian Petersen.  The man behind the legend.  This, I feel, will be the case for Matt Forte.  While I don’t want to compare Forte to AP because that would be silly, I will say that the two running in tandem will be a sight to see.  Taylor is fast as hell and can catch, and Forte can catch even better.  The two of them will combine for some major yards, I garuntee it.

The Bears offense has really only one way to go, and that is up.  However, from the looks of things, it is going to go way, way up.  Journalists seem to agree on this point, although they wont hesitate to dissect the many problems that plagued the Bears last season.  The defense, however, is a different story.

Not many have good things to say on the Bears defense, and for good reason.  They have not had a respectable defense since their superbowl year.  However, it looks like that will change.

The Bears signed Julius Peppers.  I know you know that, but I’m being thorough.  Peppers has a ridiculous amount of sacks, and will be an immediate threat.  The Bears waved Alex brown (6.5 sacks last season) in favor of Mark Anderson, who had 12 in his rookie season.  Nobody thinks Anderson is capable of that again, with the exception that Peppers will draw double teams, leaving Anderson to clean up unabated.   I can’t say either way what will happen in that regard, except the two DE’s should combine for a satisfying amount of sacks.  The big factor here that I think people are forgetting about is a healthy Tommie Harris.  Harris, albeit a little dumb in the head, is in the first healthy off-season in recent years. From all reports I’ve read it is paying off.  Now you’ve got three rushing threats.  All of a sudden, QB’s can’t throw the ball when they want to.  This is the basis of the Cover-2 Defense that Lovie covets, and why the defense is going to be formidable.

When the QB is forcing his throws to avoid sacks, he is doing so when receivers aren’t necessarily in position, or they at least aren’t too far past our secondary.  This is crucial to our secondary, which I will admit is mediocre.  Charles Tillman is getting older, Zach Bowman just isn’t that good, and the play of the safeties has been questionable at best.  While I am a big Danieal Manning fan (best Manning in the league!),  he did not play like I know he can last season.  This is because he is not Troy Polamalu.  He is a role player in the Cover-2.  All of a sudden, when the QB is throwing sooner than expected, the secondary has less time to get burned and thus are playing markedly better despite never having increased their skills.  Again, this is huge.

Lets not forget that Urlacher is back, baby.  Yes, he is 32.  Yes he has declined in recent years.  But his leadership is crucial, and there just isn’t anyone to take that spot yet.  With him and Briggs splitting the “i have to own this defense” responsibilities, and with nobody needing to blitz because we’ve got a great defensive line, all of a sudden it’s like you’ve gained 2 players on the field.  This, added with Urlacher’s knowledge of the game, will go a long way towards improving a defense that was in desperate need of improving.

*phew*.  We are done with that.  I made a lot of assumptions in my descriptions that the Bears will improve rather than degrade in areas where there might not be sufficient proof to support that theory.  This is where I think about the “something to prove” factor.  The Bears are working hard, real hard, with the hunger for the post season.  They have a chip on their shoulder, and paired with low expectations can be a big advantage.

This advantage comes directly into play when considering their place in the NFC-North and the NFC as a whole.  I don’t think it’s any secret that the NFC-North is the best in the NFC right now.  You’ve got the Packers and the Vikings, who were just unreasonably good last year.  Lets, for the moment, assume Farve comes back.  The Bears have proven they can beat the Vikings by throwing past their secondary, which the Vikings did almost nothing to improve in the off season.  With a high-octane passing attack, I don’t see the Vikings beating the Bears next year, and you can take that to the bank.  The Packers are my pick to win the division (as much as that pains me) due to their ridiculous defense, their pro-bowl quarterback, Ryan Grant, and the Driver/Jennings combo that simply gets the job done.

Then you look at the rest of the NFC and pick your division winners and runner ups.  Mine are the NY Giants, the San Fran 49ers, and the Saints.  Your runners up would be The Bears, the Falcons, the Cardinals, and the Cowboys.  Lets assume I got this all right.  With an easy schedule, the Bears will have a chance at a great record.  The Falcons I definitely don’t have faith in for anything above a 9-7 season.  The Cardinals lost both Kurt Warner and Bouldin.  The only team I’d be concerned about, but mostly out of respect, is the Dallas Cowboys.  However they do have Dez Bryant, who I think will kill it.  However, none of these teams did much to immediately bolster themselves while the Bears were busy trading in Free Agency in lei of draft picks.  Now they’ve got a full team with depth (except at saftey) that can really really play.  I don’t know, if I were you, I’d put money on the Bears.  Maybe I’ll throw in my superbowl bet NOW so i’m rich come january.  Just a thought.

So there you have it.  A comprehensive prediction on football.

I think it’s no secret: Alex and I are not the biggest Baseball fans.  This is probably made apparent by the fact that a couple months went by without a posting.  Granted, at our pace, you aren’t missing much.  However, the fact remains that we both pass the time while the Cubs/Sox are on by reading everything we can on our two favorites: Basketball and Football.  I’ve had a lot of free time lately, so I’ve been hitting it harder than ever.

And now, I have a beef.  Nay, many beefs.

So much beef, in fact, that I had to say something.  Because of the immense amounts of stinky beef I have with ESPN and it’s general reporting standards.  The stories it choses to cover, and the information used to report them.  I have an Insider account, and use it too much.  I watch Sportscenter and other ESPN shows when I’m watching TV, and I work in a place with ESPN on most of the day.  Basically I’ll be the first to know when Ben Roethlisberger gets suspended another 5 games for not cleaning up his dogs poop.  And I’ll hear about it.   FIVE TIMES A DAY.  While this is definitely not entertaining, I don’t really hold it against ESPN.  There isn’t enough happening in the major sports to warrant all new content 24 hours a day.

My real problem is when they run away with a story.  Like Big Ten Expansion rumors.  They started off as just that: you’d see an article pop up here and there: “Big Ten thinks about expansion.  Like they probably do every year, but we need more web content!”  But at the end of the season, an article claimed Joe-Pa supported it, so I guess it made sense.  Then more of these articles started to circulate, with different quotes from Big Ten reps giving empty statements on the topic: “Yes, we will discuss it.”   After a few of these had been written by bloggers and the like, all of a sudden ESPN flares up!  ”Holy shit, could this really be happening?!”  And then they have the balls to write another article about the increase in number of expansion articles.  Not only did they write about their own gossip-train, but they went a step further to say that this meant expansion had a chance. Imagine that.

Then come the talk about which schools would fit best, which schools would benefit, would not, square pegs round holes etc etc.  There was real talk about the Big East literally “falling apart.”  While insanely flattering to those who know that the Big Ten is the best conference in the land, that thought is pretty ludicrous.  THEN a number of stories broke saying that 4 schools had actually been offered!  Notre Dame, Rutgers, Nebraska, and Mizzou/Syracuse/Pitt.  Then the next day all of those schools denied being offered.  But ESPN claimed a source had told them.

Having an Insider’s Account has taught me that a source is usually a text from someone within the organization.  Just a text from some dude who works there.  Or, if you like, “like, I totally know this guy who works there.  I’ll just t-x-t him to get the haps.  OMG B-10 made an offer omfgomfg!”. Which I do.  But that is just the tip of my hate-berg.

I am done reading about Lebron James’s contract expring in 6 weeks.  You hear me?  Done.  Not a single person on this Earth (with a blog) knows what Lebron James is going to do.   Nobody can penetrate the complicated psychosis that exist in the mind of a man who has been revered as a god, a savior, the best since he graduated high school. A man who has created his own persona: the King.  A man who, according to some ESPN articles, even answers his fucking phone as “The King.”  He does this WITHOUT A CHAMPIONSHIP RING, I might add, and only 2 MVP awards.  Now, this is not to say I don’t respect the player immensely.  He is simply tremendous, and makes the game of basketball look effortless.  However, it is no secret that Lebron has one true love over basketball, and that is Lebron James.

While only Lebron knows where he’ll actually end up come next season, the rest of the world can tell you where he’s NOT going: THE FINALS.

While this post does bash ESPN and their analysts for some spotty journalism, I do want to make it clear that I admire and respect these people and thank them dearly for all that they do.  While these things I am writing about are annoyances, they are simply that, and can be simply solved by turning off the damn TV.  I have, however, been noticing a trend lately.  I just hope it doesn’t become common practice, as I do enjoy reading most of the real articles.

Dear Bill Belichick, if you had not said that Randy Moss missing practice was unrelated to injury, I probably wouldn’t have put him in my playoff fantasy challenge.  This is just another step in a long-standing trend in professional football of not considering the fantasy players at home.

Come on man.  There people are your lifeblood.  The die hard fans that watch every game they can every week and live and die by the performance of their fantasy teams.  We need the information if we’re going to make proper decisions, and you’re embarrassing us in front of our friends, families, and co-workers.

Injuries happen.  They’re a massive disappointment, and I can’t even begin to imagine how it would feel to be in his situation, but we’re your fans, level with us.  Ok so I’m not a fan of Randy Moss or Bill Belichick, but I did pick Randy Moss in my post-season fantasy challenge against Paul, and he totally sandbagged me.

So the New England Patriots are officially on my shit list. I’m sure they’re crushed.

So Charlie Weis has gotten everyone into a huff again.  Why not, right? He’s a lame duck head coach – he’s been fired but, for some reason, people keep interviewing him.  If you continue to put a microphone in front of someone who has nothing to talk about, eventually they’re going to say something stupid.  I think this was a last ditch attempt by Charlie Weis to be remembered for something other than his coaching record.

Charlie Weis? Who? Oh that guy who said Pete Carroll was living with a grad student in Malibu?

Anyways, if you get all this media coverage just for slandering the dynasty USC head coach, then Paul and I should have been famous years ago.  I once claimed that he bribed incoming freshman prospects with coke. Paul’s fantasy team name makes… dubious claims about him.

Also, for the record, I’m not saying Pete Carroll is not living with a grad student in Malibu.  Maybe Charlie Weis was a private investigator the whole time – he had to infiltrate college football to find out about Pete Carroll’s infidelities and reveal them to the world.  Maybe it’s all the prescription pain medications. See – we should be famous.

-Alex

Hello, I’m Paul.  I like sports, and I like talking about them.  I love a good morning tailgate, and can’t get enough of adverse weather football.  I’ll watch most sports for at least a little while.  Never a player of most of the sports I follow, I am no stranger to competition and physical play.  I yell at the TV/players like they can hear me, but they of course cannot.  I can read lips to a moderate degree and enjoy reading angry players’ mouths.

Most of all I love the competition and ideology behind a game.  It’s a group of people (or a single person) exercising teamwork and physical discipline to win a matchup while not breaking the rules.   Most traditional sports preach good sportsmanship, which I fully endorse.  The respect for others and for the game is admirable, but the physical lengths some players will go to while miraculously keeping injuries fairly low is also impressive.

I’ve heard sports programming called a reality TV show before, and I will not disagree.  In some degree, It definitely is.  But even if coverage sometimes does focus a little heavily on inner-sport drama,  the constant battle with both teams clearly trying their hardest is something that can’t really be controlled.  Barring any tampering, of course.  Anything can happen on the field, and there is a certain historic feel to it.

In short, that’s some of what I like about sports.  I’ll write about that, and things like why I’m not all that broken up about Greg Oden sustaining a fracture.

For the honor and the glory,

-Paul

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