How Bout Dem Bears?

So RDS Hows the head this fine Friday ? You were full of the joys of life last night due it being thanksgiving and the bears looking like a serious unit deep into the season. I rememeber what that was like last season. Things going right and winning games you are meant to instead of losing them. Yeah it's a nice feeling for a fan to be involved in the business end of things in last November.

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Head's grand! My two year old was always going to be in looking for breakfast at 7 in the morning, so hangovers aren't really an option!

Yeah the bears have had a lot of bad, bad years, to the point where we went from losing games we should win to a situation where there was no game we should win. We were the game other teams should win. Nice to not be having the "should we tank for a draft pick" debate for the seventh year in a row (just as well since we'd be tanking for the raiders), but I don't think we are as good as the eagles last year either, and more importantly right now the saints look unreal (more scary than the Rams for sure). Would love to see a decent playoff run though. Still, when you're going well you want to win, the records tell us this kind of thing can be very temporary outside new England. No guarantees that progress this year will be built on next year.

Realised my hope for this year, an 8-8 record, is now the absolute worst case scenario.

Yeah I've seen the saints the last two weeks against the Bengals and the Eagles and it looks so fecking easy for them as a team. I mean it's not a case of if it's when they will go up through the gears and pull away from team. And to think people thought Drew Brees was on the decline ? The only thing that would sour me on them is Sean Payton and his involvement in bountygate. He deserved more than what he got IMO.

adrian522 wrote: »

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Head's grand! My two year old was always going to be in looking for breakfast at 7 in the morning, so hangovers aren't really an option!

2 Year old?

Touche. She was two when she was GOING to be looking for breakfast. She was three by the time she came in to shout at me. She seems surprisingly indifferent to the bears victory.

Realt Dearg Sec wrote:

That was bolloxology tbh. Really tough game against the Rams next week, and if we lose that things are starting to look a lot less rosey for us. A lucky recovery of an onside kick (because Beckham didn't fancy getting hit) and some seriously heroic stuff from Cohen shouldn't blind us to the fact we deserved to lose that. "A lot of lads around here with their heads up their holes" as my old hurling manager used to say.

3-1 say in the next 4 being optimistic. How are we then? Howard when he gets time on the field is lethal and with Cohen on fire, I'm glass half full 😉

Bears (8-4):

vs Rams
vs Packers
@ 49ers
@ Vikings

Vikings (6-5-1):

@ Seahawks
vs Dolphins
@ Lions
vs Bears

If the Vikings win in Seattle and the Bears lose to the Rams then I'll start to get worried. However the Vikings don't look great. I think they'll be at 8-6-1 coming to Soldier Field in Week 17.

Well, how are we feeling about this weekend? Trubisky is back, and it's not a moment too soon.

I did think we'd win last week but I was wary of going in with a backup on his second run out. Some people had argued he would be better with an extra week training with the starters, but that's also an extra week for a team to spend studying his very obvious limitations and figuring out how to exploit them. But it's not all on him at the same time, the D was not good, particularly in the second half, which has been a bit of a habit all year.

That being said, I'm feeling kind of bullish about Sunday. Nobody is giving us a chance, we're coming off an embarrassing defeat, we have a national stage again, it'll be freezing cold on our home ground, this is the kind of time where good teams can make big statements. I think the D will come out all guns blazing, and hold them to 20 points or so. Their D isn't as good as ours but they have a mean front 7 with Suh and Donald ready to cause damage, but Trubisky is the right man to slip the noose and take advantage of their secondary, which is not so strong, certainly not on par with ours. No doubt this is the best team we'll play all season, and losing would be neither a shock nor a disaster. But that also means the pressure is off us here. I dunno. I thought we'd lose that second Detroit game so my track record is far from perfect on this, but personally, I'm excited about Sunday night.

adrian522 wrote: »

We've been written off all year....

Objectively, though, in the week 14 thread, nobody has tipped the Bears. I understand that, obviously, if I was not a Bears fan, objectively I would probably do the same.

But then nobody tipped the Giants to beat us last week either, and that was easily a bigger upset.

With that Vikes loss last night we can wrap up the division on Sunday.

At Soldier.
Against the Pack.

Oh my.

Badabing wrote: »

If we beat the Packers on Sunday and win the Division is there a possibility of resting a few guys against the 49ers? Especially if the Saints and the Rams keep winning. Will it make any difference to us for the play offs?

We're two games behind the Rams and saints with three games left, so TECHNICALLY if we win out and they both lose out (or if the Rams went 1-2, as we'd beat them on head to head) we could get the number 1 seed. That's obviously not likely but if we win against the Packers and the Rams and saints win next week then the number two seed would still be possible at that point, so we couldn't rest lads then either. If all three won out we could rest players against the Vikings.

Not sure I'd actually want us resting lads too much. If it wasn't for home advantage I'm not sure I'd even want a bye. We were terrible after our bye and coming back after the break from a Thursday game. Trubisky looked (to be charitable) rusty after his recent break. But as Sunday demonstrated, home advantage is massive for us, so however unlikely it is, I think it's worth battling for.

But anyway beating the Packers is no given, I'll never be relaxed about a game against them, they are NEVER going to doubt they can beat us with Rodgers, they're obviously on the up now without McCarthy, and psychologically while we have a lot to prove, we are going on with huge expectation. Can't look past a Packers game...

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

We're two games behind the Rams and saints with three games left, so TECHNICALLY if we win out and they both lose out (or if the Rams went 1-2, as we'd beat them on head to head) we could get the number 1 seed. That's obviously not likely but if we win against the Packers and the Rams and saints win next week then the number two seed would still be possible at that point, so we couldn't rest lads then either. If all three won out we could rest players against the Vikings.

Not sure I'd actually want us resting lads too much. If it wasn't for home advantage I'm not sure I'd even want a bye. We were terrible after our bye and coming back after the break from a Thursday game. Trubisky looked (to be charitable) rusty after his recent break. But as Sunday demonstrated, home advantage is massive for us, so however unlikely it is, I think it's worth battling for.

But anyway beating the Packers is no given, I'll never be relaxed about a game against them, they are NEVER going to doubt they can beat us with Rodgers, they're obviously on the up now without McCarthy, and psychologically while we have a lot to prove, we are going on with huge expectation. Can't look past a Packers game...

Plus the fact Rodgers and cobb looked fairly lively for us on sunday and they always turn up in Chicago. Even though our season is terrible, im really looking to this as its the best rivalry in the nfl. here's hoping for a Bj Raji moment

So McManis will be filling in for Callahan again. I presume they'll see him as a weak point to target. Expecting a lot of passes to go his way, let's hope he holds up like he did last day.

Still, I think that while the team has blown hot and cold during the year this game clearly means a lot to the players, because of Week 1. Hicks is definitely taking Rodgers's response after that game personally. I'm hoping that translates into a fired up D, with the backing of a very, very loud home crowd. I expect they'll go with quick release short passing in the slot a lot, to try and negate the pass rush, that was a formula that worked for them the last day and for several teams since. But our front seven is getting better all the time, and I think we'll put the frighteners on them early. Need a full four quarter performance but if we get that I think we'll keep the Packers sub-20. I don't see us getting a massive number of interceptions, but maybe one...by Fuller...

I expect us to pound out the run game, rely on Howard more, like last week. They have a relatively poor run defense. If Trubisky can keep from overthrowing the ball, we'll be fine. I expect him to have a really good game though. Won't be surprised if he throws an INT early though...

Psychologically I think a win here would be much bigger than it looks on paper. It secures the division, puts the Packers out for the year and prevents them getting a bit of self-belief, which is when they are most dangerous. But also we haven't beaten them in Soldier Field in 8 years. I mean...FFS. If we go 20 points up on Sunday, anyone who starts looking any way relaxed, or even satisfied, before the clock gets to zero, needs to be cut, mid-game. But frankly I'd take a one-point win. Which is what I'm predicting.

Oh my God that was just as satisfying a win as you could have. Always good to beat them but to retake the field, and more importantly the division, while ending their season? God I love it.

Once again, don't forget to raise a glass to the Jon Gruden tonight. What a saint.

Oat23 wrote: »

Nagy just said in his presser that it's a sprained ankle for Eddie J. Thank christ for that.

Savage, he is the biggest draft steal in recent memory, and we've had a few lately.

Next year opponents, Home: Vikings Lions Packers Cowboys Giants Chiefs Chargers Saints. Away: Lions Packers Vikings Eagles Redskins Broncos Raiders Rams.

Not able to make a rational prediction at all, too nervous.

I'm actually on the road today and we were late leaving so I might end up missing the first half entirely (listening on radio possibly). That is not helping my nerves.