Christmas Day NFL Sunday Night Football Preview

            After suffering their first loss of the season last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Green Bay Packers face the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Chicago announced this week that backup quarterback Josh McCown will start for the first time this season. For the Packers, tonight's game is about how the defending Super Bowl Champions will respond after losing their first game in their last twenty. They have secured the number one seed in the playoffs in the NFC, which means that the next two weeks are opportunities for the Packers to fine-tune their offense for when it really matters--the post-season. For the Chicago Bears, they are trying to stop their four-game losing streak with a win against their division rivals. In their first matchup of the season, the Bears played the Packers close, losing 27-17. The second time around, however, the game will be much different. The Bears will be without three of their biggest offensive weapons--quarterback Jay Cutler and running backs Matt Forte and Marion Barber. Instead, Chicago will have to rely on McCown and third-year running back Kahlil Bell. Bell has had limited snaps inthe NFL, with only 79 carries for 382 yards rushing.

Courtesy of http://www.yoursportsfan.com/index.php/sports/nfl

            Being a Chicago Bears fan, I wish I could sugar-coat this game and talk about how great the Bears defense is but it's impossible. I can't talk about the Bears losing by less than two touchdowns with a good conscience. Aaron Rodgers is a contender for MVP with 4,360 passing yards, 40 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions, and he's ocmpleted nearly 70% of his passes. The state of Wisconsin has forgotten about Brett Favre. There's a new sheriff in town and his name is Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are loaded with offensive weapons. Being a pass-first offense, Green Bay doesn't need much of a rushing attack but between James Starks, Ryan Grant, and Rodgers, they can count on 100 yards per game. While the Packers do not have a player with over 1,000 receiving yards, they do have seven with over 200 yards this season. It's hard for a defense to to pick out one wide receiver or tight end and say "We're going to shut him down," because any player that is an eligible receiver can beat any defense in the league.


Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/bryan_armen_graham/01/09/packers.eagles.grades/index.html

            The Bears will be lucky to rush for more than 100 yards and throw for more than 150. They're relying on third-string players at quarterback and running back. While Green Bay's defense is second to last in passing yards allowed per game, they played against the likes of Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Matthew Stafford, and Eli Manning, to name a few opposing quarterbacks. They have not been playing against Josh McCowns all season, but rather elite quarterbacks in half of their games. McCown has not started since 2007 and will struggle tonight. Green Bay is excellent at stopping the run, so Kahlil Bell will likely have a rough first start. Chicago's defense have better luck in stopping Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense than most of Green Bay's opponents this season, but the Bears have no way of scoring. The combination of the game being at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers coming off of their first loss of the season, and the Bears having arguably the worst offense in the league playing tonight, I predict the Packers win 31-10.

Bears in Need of Quarterback, Should Have Pursued McNabb

            After the Chicago Bears announced that recently signed quarterback Josh McCown will be starting on Christmas Day against the Green Bay Packers, it is apparent that the Bears desperately need a new quarterback. Jay Cutler had been playing very well for the Bears and Chicago had forgotten about his debatable injury last year in the playoffs. Backup QB Caleb Hanie was horrendous in the four games in which he replaced Cutler, completing less than half of his pass attempts, throwing for 600 yards, only three touchdown passes and nine interceptions (two were returned for touchdowns). The Bears lost by a touchdown or less in three of the four games thanks to their defense, but they lost all four games that Hanie started. McCown has jumped from team to team in his nine seasons in the NFL, with most of his experience coming from his time on the Arizona Cardinals from 2003 to 2005. He has already made Chicago Bears fans nervous in his relief of Caleb Hanie against Seattle, where he threw two passes, one of which was intercepted. With any quarterback currently on their roster, the Bears are unlikely to beat the Packers. The Packers have won nineteen of their last twenty games for a reason--they're the best team in the NFL. McCown has not had significant playing time in years and even when he did he was a mediocre quarterback. The Bears are technically still in the playoff picture even though they would have to win their final games and need the Cowboys, Giants, Lions, Seahawks, and Cardinals to lose their last games. The Bears should have contacted Donovan McNabb the minute they found out that Cutler was done for the year.

Courtesy of http://chicago.sbnation.com/chicago-bears/2011/12/21/2652027/packers-vs-bears-week-16-2011-news-injury-odds-score-update-recap

            Sure, the Minnesota Vikings were not having success with McNabb but he is still capable of playing at a high level in the NFL. He is a tested quarterback with playoff experience and would be mature enough to step into a new situation and lead the Bears to the playoffs as a Wild Card team. If Chicago's playoff chances weren't so slim, I would be tempted to call McNabb's agent, fly him to Chicago for practice, and have him start against the Packers on Sunday.

Courtesy of http://www.topusatrend.com/2011/12/02/vikings-donovan-mcnabb-research-stops-with-waiving-of-experienced-qb/

            The Chicago Bears had won five straight games before Cutler was injured and were one of the hottest teams in the NFL at 7-3. With Cutler for the rest of the season, they would have been a lock for the playoffs. McNabb may not have been able to have a winning record with the Bears, but it would have only taken three or four wins for the Bears to make the playoffs. The Bears were essentially without an offense their past four games since Matt Forte and Cutler are sidelined with injuries. Hopefully Lovie Smith and Chicago's front office has learned from their mistake and finds a solid backup quarterback in the off-season through free agency or the draft.

Keys to the Bears vs. Broncos Game

            Tim Tebow's impressive 6-1 record this season as a starter will be tested when he faces the Chicago Bears in Denver today. Tebow will have the hardest time scoring today out of any regular season game this season, but the Broncos will have great chances at winning.

Keys to the Game:
Bears: Force turnovers on defense, getting good field position on special teams, have a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter, scoring on defense/special teams
Broncos: Don't turn the ball over, put pressure on Caleb Hanie, keep the game close in the first three quarters
           
            The Bears defense has wreaked havoc this season, intercepting sixteen passes, forcing eleven fumbles, and recovering nine of them. Tebow will have more pressure than ever to play smart. The few times he throws he will have to place the ball in places where only his receivers can catch the ball. When he scrambles, he'll have to hold onto the ball very tightly because Chicago is the best team in the league at stripping the ball. With Chicago's top two offensive players, Matt Forte and Jay Cutler, out with injuries, the Bears will need the defense to give them the best field position possible so that they can settle for field goals if they can't put the ball in the endzone. Caleb Hanie has struggled in the two games that he has played, completing less than half of his passes. His touchdown to interception ratio is 1:3, throwing three picks in both games. As we saw last year in the playoffs, Hanie does have the ability to perform well, we just haven't seen it in 2011. He may need a few games under his belt to get warmed up, but if that is not the case, a defensive touchdown would be critical to the Bears winning the game. If there was ever a game where Chicago needs  Devin Hester to be a big-time playmaker it's today. If he can get to a least the Bears own forty yard line a two or three times on kickoffs, Chicago will have a much shorter field to work with and will take some of the pressure off of Caleb Hanie. The Chicago Bears will need to have at least a two score lead going into the fourth quarter because of Tim Tebow's ability to lead the Broncos to comeback victories.  The longer the Bears hold onto the ball in the fourth quarter and the more they slow the game down, the less time Tebow will have to put together a potential game-winning drive.

Courtesy of http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/6ilGKu3ghRf/Houston+Texans+v+Denver+Broncos/QxLpplhlnIb/Tim+Tebow

            I think that the Chicago Bears will play the Broncos very tough and Tebow will have one of his worst statistical games this season. Chicago's offense is missing too much of its firepower and will struggle offensively. Caleb Hanie will have his best game this season, throwing for 200 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one interception. The Bears will force three turnovers and have one defense or special teams touchdown. However, the Broncos defense will keep the game close in the first three quarters so that Tebow can win the game in the fourth. Denver Broncos win 24-20 over the Chicago Bears in a close game at Denver.

2011 Christmas List

            Since today is December 1st, it is officially time to start thinking about Christmas and making a Christmas list. Here is my sports-related Christmas list:

• AFC Wild Card spot for the Cincinnati Bengals
• Jay Cutler's finger to heal towards the three week side of the three-to-ten week recovery period
• A Chicago Bears win on Christmas Day
• Chris Paul traded to the New York Knicks
• Chicago Cubs sign Albert Pujols
• Andy Dalton wins Offensive Rookie of the Year
• Xavier Musketeers finish the season in the top 10 of the polls in basketball
• Jacksonville Jaguars move to Los Angeles

Getting to Know Caleb Hanie

             After Jay Cutler's season-ending injury to a finger on his throwing hand after chasing after Antoine Cason, who intercepted Cutler in the fourth quarter, it will be back-up quarterback Caleb Hanie who will look to lead the 7-3 Bears into the playoffs.

Courtesy of http://planbphilosophy.blogspot.com/2011/01/are-you-prepared-for-opportunity-caleb.html

             The last we saw of Hanie was when he replaced Cutler after an "injury" in last year's NFC Championship Game. Hanie was 13-20 for 153 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, which for a replacement QB in the biggest game of his life, was by no means a bad performance. Hanie is in his fourth NFL season after playing at Colorado State. He is almost the same size as Cutler, at 6'2" and 222 lbs. Luckily for both the Bears and Hanie, the team is capable of winning without relying too much on the play of the quarterback. As we saw against Detroit last week, Chicago managed score with its defense, special teams, and dual running back system under Mike Martz. As long as the defense can limit the scoring opportunities of their opponents, Hester gives the offense good field position, and Matt Forte and Marion Barber are able to carry the offense, Hanie will be gradually re-introduced to the offense. If he is able to lead the Bears over the Packers in Week 16, he'll become a living legend in Chicago.

Bengals Fall to Ravens because of A Ridiculous Rule

            You would think that the NFL would learn from the drama of last year's Chicago Bears-Detroit Lions game where Calvin Johnson caught the game-winning touchdown in the final minute, but dropped the ball before the play was officially over. It was ruled incomplete and the Bears won. A similar situation occurred in Baltimore as each tick of the clock brought the game closer to ending in a Ravens win. Quarterback Andy Dalton threw a pass to tight end Jermaine Gresham, who bobbled the ball three or four times before controlling it, taking one step, and then a second, which put him in the endzone. However, when he fell to the ground, the ball slipped out of his grasp and hit the ground before he grabbed it again.

Courtesy of http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/11/16/1818418/jermaine-gresham-nominated-for-rookie-of-the-week

            To most football fans, especially Bengals fans, the play appeared to be a completion and touchdown. Gresham caught the ball, made two steps in bounds, and the ball crossed the plane while under his control. He held on the entire way down until he hit the ground. Sadly there is nothing the league can do for the Bengals, but they definitely need to re-evaluate this rule in the offseason and find a way to modify it. The rule seems to imply that the wide receiver has to hold on to the football until he runs back to the bench. The rule is overkill, and led to the Bengals losing 31-24, after not scoring on their final drive. Andy Dalton got cheated out of a fourth quarter comeback and the Bengals got cheated out of a win.

Top NFL Plays of Week 10



3. Yesterday in the Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs game, half of Tim Tebow's completions were touchdowns. Considering that he only had two completions make that stat much less impressive, but nonetheless, I think he deserves credit for his sole passing touchdown after lulling the Chiefs' secondary to sleep in a game that featured fifty-five Broncos rushing plays. In the fourth quarter, while the Broncos were only up by three points, Tebow connected with wide receiver Eric Decker for a fifty-six yard score. I give props to Decker for his salute to the American troops in honor of Veterans Day even though the officials did not agree. He was flagged for excessive celebration.


Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/extramustard/hotclicks/11/14/catrinel-menghia-eric-decker-penalized-for-saluting-to-troops/?xid=cnnbin 

2. Chicago Bears speedster Devin Hester scored his third touchdown return of the year against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. As so many great special teams plays often start, Hester bobbled the punt, but doing so caused the Lions punt team to overcommit on Hester, allowing him to run to the outside and sprint down the sideline virtually untouched for his 12th punt return touchdown of his career. What was most impressive about his touchdown is that he returned the punt while he had an unspecified sickness. I would hate to be the opposing team when he's completely healthy!

Courtesy of  http://www.suntimes.com/sports/morrissey/8813736-419/why-teams-still-kick-to-the-bears-devin-hester-is-a-mystery.html

 1. Easily the most spectacular play from last Sunday was Kansas City wide receiver Jonathon Baldwin's catch, that ended up not counting because of a penalty on the play. Matt Cassel underthrew Baldwin, who was streaking down the field, and then amazingly, Baldwin caught the ball blindly behind the back of Broncos saftey Brian Dawkins. Baldwin went down with both the ball and Dawkins, but his efforts were nullified by the penalty.

 Couresy of http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/13/jonathan-baldwin-catch-chiefs-broncos-dawkins_n_1091370.html



It's Hard to Lose with Chicago's Defense

                The Chicago Bears got revenge at Soldier Field today after losing to the Detroit Lions in Week 5 at Detroit. The Bears were able to score in four different ways today and what is most promising for Chicago is that they were able to win despite Jay Cutler having a mediocre game. Cutler went 9-19 for 123 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. Matt Forte also had a bit of an off-night with only 64 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. However, the Bears defense and special teams carried the team against the Lions. Detroit never got into an offensive rythm after turning the ball over on their first two possessions in both halves. Detroit's fumbles, both lost by wide receivers, turned into ten easy points for the Bears and they never looked back. The second quarter started with a Robbie Gould field goal and less than a minute later, after the Lions went three-and-out, Devin Hester returned his NFL-leading 12th career punt for a touchdown. Despite being questionable leading up to the game he turned a mishandled punt into his third special teams touchdown this season. The Lions went into halftime down 20-6 and their woes continued when quarterback Matthew Stafford threw two pick-sixes on consecutive possessions to Major Wright and Charles Tillman. After Stafford's third interception to Tim Jennings, he took his anger out on Bears defender D.J. Moore, tackling him by his helmet, setting off a chain reaction that escalated along the Lions' sideline. Moore ended up charging back at Stafford before getting pummeled by two Lions players. Moore ended up getting ejected from the game, but that was the least of his worries since his team was up 37-6 in an absolute rout of Detroit.

Courtesy of  http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/14112011/5/photo/14112011004810.html (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

                     The Lions picked up a touchdown in garbage time, but seven more points could not heal Detroit after such a bad loss. While I wasn't thrilled with the Bears' offense, this was the type of game I love watching Chicago play. They didn't rely on Cutler trying to throw the ball across the field and be Tom Brady, but their defense forced six turnovers and they scored three touchdowns while their offense was on the sideline. Chicago definitely has a long way to go to make it to the playoffs, but having such a potent defense and special teams that can both limit their opponent's scoring opportunities and find their way to the endzone will give them an extra advantage against most of the Bears' opponents. As seen by Stafford's temper tantrum, a defense as good as Chicago's gets in the heads of their opponents and causes them to make more mistakes later in the game.The Chicago Bears are in great position at 6-3 in second place in the NFC North behind the Super Bowl Champion Packers. With a few more stellar performances by the Bears defense and if Hester can continue to tear it up on special teams, Chicago has great chances at making it to the playoffs, hopefully after finishing first place in the NFC North.