The Bears, the year in sports and week 16

I’m having a tough time figuring out this 2006-(soon to be 07) Bears team. One week they look the second coming of the ’85 Super Bowl Shufflin Crew. The next they remind me of the Kordell Stewart led 2003 team. And with each game I watch, I get a stronger and stronger feeling that come January, Bears fans will be seeing the same thing we saw in 2002 and earlier this year. Something that nobody who follows this team wants to see, which is the Monsters of the Midway walking off the Soldier Field turf with their chins tucked into their necks.

Last season was different. Rex was injured. Orton was playing QB, and nobody who followed the team actually thought he could lead us to a Super Bowl. Our leading receivers were MEshin Muhammad and Justin Gage. Lovie and the Ron’s (Turner and Riviera) had never coached playoff games before. And no one in their proper thinking mind thought that the Bears could go up to the great northwest and beat the Seahawks at Qwest Field or compete with the Colts or Patriots (Or as it turned out, the Steelers) from the AFC in the big game.

So when Steve Smith and 52 other guys wearing white and sky blue came into the spaceship on the lake front and beat the Bears 29-21 on January 15, 2006, it wasn’t really a big shock. Well, let me re-phrase that. It was a shock that the top-ranked Bears D, which had been dominating opponents all season, would allow a wide receiver to catch 12 balls for 218 yards and two wide-open touchdowns. And it was a shock that Grossman, who hadn’t played a good game in his entire Bears career, would throw for two touchdown passes in a playoff game. But the fact that Carolina beat us wasn’t that shocking.

But this year was different. Our defense wasn’t just good, it was scary. The ’06 Bears became the first team since the 1941 Chicago squad to win four of their first five games by 25 points or more. They had the Monday Night Miracle versus Arizona. On offense, Sexy Rexy was looking like an MVP candidate. On defense, the only competition was who was gong to win Defensive Player of the Year: Tommie Harris, Lance Briggs or Brian Urlacher. And the Windy City Flyer, AKA Devin Hester set an NFL record with the most return touchdowns in league history. This year, the Bears wouldn’t be forced to schedule any trips to the Emerald City, because the NFC will be going through the Windy City. And it looks like Steve Smith and Co. will be watching the playoffs from their couches this season.

So why am I so worried? Because recently, the team has been falling harder then the Jamaicans did at the end of ‘Cool Runnings’. Sure, they still have been winning. But look closely at some of the statistics from the past three games. On December 3 versus Minnesota, the team had a total of 107 offensive yards. Peyton Manning and the Colts had that many after the first quarter Monday night versus Cincy. If it hadn’t been for some horrible Vikings QB play, that could have been an L. The next week, a Monday nighter December 11 versus the Rams, the O came back, but something else left. Out vaunted defense, the one aspect of the team that’s never supposed to fade or hide, allowed over 350 yards through the air to St. Louis. Sure you have to give some of the props to Marc Bulger, Torry Holt and the rest of the Rams, but there shouldn’t be any team that passes that well against the Bears. It’s just not supposed to happen. And finally, last week against Tampa Bay was uglier then Paris Hilton. Just sit and stare at the numbers for a couple of seconds. 20 for 35, 268 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Not great numbers, but certainly more then efficient. Now let me tell you who put them up. Bucs third-string QB Tim Rattay. Not a Pro Bowl quarterback. Not even a Toilet Bowl quarterback. A third string QB on 3-11 team. In the last six minutes and 13 seconds of the fourth quarter last week, Rattay threw two touchdowns, one for 64 the other 44 yards. Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick.

Thankfully, there’s still time to fix this. The Bears have two games left, at Detroit and home versus Green Bay, before. the playoffs begin They can still get their grove back that they had in the first half of the season versus these two division rivals that are a combined 8-20. Lovie Smith can give the guys who need a rest (Urlacher, Briggs, Muhammad, Desmond Clark, the entire O-Line) some time off while the guys who need to get sharp (Grossman, Berrian, Cederic Benson, everyone on the D-Line) can get their work in. They do have a first-round bye to work on the fundamentals and then home games against whomever the mediocre NFC sends their way. The Bears are still the obvious favorite in the horrible conference, and dreams of a Super Bowl aren’t impossible like they were a year ago.





Since I was gone most of this week (which is why this column is on Thursday) and I’ll be gone for all of next week, I’m going to give my NFL picks today. But first I want to do an end of the year type wrap up by going over three main things that I learned in 2006.

1) Not Every Champion is Built in the Michael Jordan Mold

Growing up, I thought that to be a winner, on any level, a player had to show passion. There was ‘The Shot’ over Craig Ehlo and Cleveland where MJ jumps up and pumps his fit in un-controllable excitement. In the 1997 Super Bowl, Brett Favre runs around the field with his helmet ripped off after completing a 54-yard TD on the games second play. And when he was on Boston, Pedro Martinez would pretty much call out hitters while on the mound to inform them that he was going to strike them out.

But in 2006, we saw a different type of champ. In the Rose Bowl, Vince Young looked almost bored while leading the Longhorns down the field on the games final touchdown drive. Dwayne Wade took over the NBA Finals by just going to work, not changing his face weather he was draining a three or getting body slammed by Eric Dampier. And Cardinals manager Tony La Russa looked liked he was starring at a painting throughout the entire World Series. But all three of them won a title, so I guess their style works.

2) The US isn’t the Greatest Sporting Nation in the World

Lets take a look at what I consider the five biggest international competitions of 2006. The winter Olympics, the World Cup, the Ryder Cup, the FIBA tournament and of course, the Little League World Series. Uncle Sam, cover your eyes, because it isn’t too pretty.

Olympics---American star skier Bodie Miller fails horribly and the US finishes second in the medal count, trailing Germany by four medals.0

World Cup---After hyping up this event for months by telling Americans that team USA actually is good, the boys in red white and blue stink it up, not even making it out of round one.

The Ryder Cup---Even with Tiger Woods, the Americans are beaten by the Europeans for a third strait time on the links.

FIBA Tournament---OK, maybe events involving hockey, soccer and golf aren’t for Americans. But surely we can win a basketball tournament. Nope. The US loses to Greece in the semi-finals and finishes in third.

Little League World Series---Finally, a team our country can be proud of. The boys from Columbus, Georgia take home the title by beating the Japanese team 2-1 in the final.

3) Michael Barrett has a Lifetime Pass

In the movie ‘Dumb and Dumber’, Lloyd, played by Jim Carrey, trades his van in for a tiny two-person moped. When he shows this new ride to his friend Harry, played by Jeff Daniels, Harry is confused. He stares for a second at the moped, then glances up and looks at Lloyd. The Harry blurts out one of the movies greatest lines. ” Just when I thought you couldn't get any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!”

That was my thought when I saw what Cubs catcher Michaell Barrett did on May 20 when the Cubs were facing the cross-town rival White Sox. Barrett had been struggling for the seasons first six weeks when White Sox catcher AJ Pierzynski ran him over while trying to score a run in the second inning. Barrett wasn’t hitting well, the Cubs were reeling after Derek Lee had gotten hurt and things weren’t looking good. So the Cub backstop did what any reasonable person would do. He socked Pierzynski in the face. Sure he got suspended for ten games. And the team finished in last place. But that one punch made Barrett a legend in my eyes. He can do no wrong. Partly because he punched a player on the Sox. But more importantly, because he punched A.J. Pierzynski, the man who represents everything that’s wrong with sports.

Finally, here are my week 16 NFL picks, with my winner in bold.

Minnesota at Green Bay

Kansas City at Oakland

Chicago at Detroit

Washington at St. Louis

New Orleans at New York Giants

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

Carolina at Atlanta

New England at Jacksonville

Tennessee at Buffalo

Indianapolis at Houston

Tampa Bay at Cleveland

Arizona at San Francisco

Cincinnati at Denver

San Diego at Seattle

Philadelphia at Dallas

New York Jets at Miami



Have a happy holidays