Bears End Season on a High Note

Say what you will about the Chicago Bears and their disappointing season.  But the Bears did not give up when they knew they were eliminated from playoff contention.  The Bears played with heart and determination, winning their final two games.  This Sunday, the Bears defeated the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field to finish the season 7-9.  They continue the curse of Super Bowl runners-up missing the playoffs in following season.  That streak now stands at six years and counting.  However, the Bears can take some positives away from this season, and they will certainly be back - better than ever - next year.

On the first round of good news, Devin Hester broke his own record for single-season punt/kick returns for touchdowns.  Last year, Hester set a record with five.  By adding a punt return against the Saints, Hester took his mark to six on the year, breaking his record by one return.  This puts Hester - after only two seasons - only two TD returns away from tying the all-time record in this category.  Obviously the man is on a level all his own, and it should be noted that he also caught a 55-yard TD bomb this week as well.  Hester is turning into a legitimate threat as a receiver, and next year should be an interesting one for the Bears’ offense, if they can get a decent quarterback.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 31, 2007 - Post a comment

Berrian May be Top Receiver in Free Agency

When it rains, it pours.  Bears fans must now deal with the reality that Bernard Berrian may be the marquee receiver on the market in the offseason this year, all but guaranteeing he will leave the team. The only receiver left who could trump Berrian would be Randy Moss, who may yet re-sign with the Patriots.  Only time will tell.

The main reason Berrian could become a hot commodity was the recent Cowboys re-signing of Patrick Crayton, who has filled in admirably in place of injured Terry Glenn this season.  Crayton took a deal at below market value to keep his family in Dallas, and to likely continue playing for a winner.  Berrian doesn’t have the same family ties to Chicago, and the Bears are not a guaranteed winner, so don’t be surprised if Berrian signs with another team after the season ends.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at stubhub.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 28, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears Rise in Power Rankings

Happy belated Holidays!  I’ve been out of town celebrating with the family and all that the past few days, and I took some time off from the blogs during this time as well.  I hope everyone reading these blogs had a lovely holiday season of their own, but now with the holidays behind us, it’s time to shift our focus to the next winter holiday - The NFL Playoffs.

The Bears enter the last week of the NFL regular season at number 20 in the NFL’s Power Rankings.  They rose four spots this week after another win over the Green Bay Packers.  Coach Lovie Smith is already looking ahead to 2008, and the Bears looked solid in this contest, so that bodes well for Bears.  For now, they can only go out, win their last game, and leave the field with their pride intact.  Get out there and cheer them on to victory.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at stubhub. 

Permalink - Posted in General on December 27, 2007 - Post a comment

Orton Back for Another Game

The Chicago Bears will send Kyle Orton out for another start, this time against the division-leading Green Bay Packers.  The Bears’ QB woes have been documented all over the place this season, but at least this week they know who their starter will be.  Bears fans are hoping Orton steps up and shows them something this week that he didn’t show them last week - perhaps a little arm strength maybe?  Bears fans would likely simply be fine if Orton could just win them a game through the air, tossing a few solid passes for a real gain to their wide receivers, or something.

Don’t hold your breath, Chicagoans.  Kyle Orton is not the savior of the Bears.  He isn’t the guy you want to pin your Super Bowl hopes and dreams upon.  You made the mistake of riding a ticking time bomb through the playoffs last season, and it came back and bit you this year.  The Bears need a true franchise quarterback, especially since it appears that they made the wrong decision in re-signing Cedric Benson over Thomas Jones.  If you don’t have a powerful run attack, and your defense is getting old, then you’re going to need a real leader out on that field.  Kyle Orton is just not your guy.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 21, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears Fall in Power Rankings

The ESPN.com Power Rankings are back once again to tell us who is the best and who is decidedly not the best in the National Football League this week.  With only a couple of weeks left to go in the season, these Power Rankings are now especially important for two reasons.  First of all, they are a good indicator of where each and every one of the playoff-bound teams stands heading into the final push of the season.  Secondarily, the Power Rankings allow fans to assess their team’s place among the non-playoff teams.  Is your team right there on the verge, in need of just one more piece of the puzzle?  Or is your team rebuilding, in dire need of an epic draft or four to get you back into contention?

The Bears fell yet another spot this week in the rankings, from number 23 to 24.  Kyle Orton didn’t set the world on fire in his first start of the season, which leaves the Bears back at square one as a franchise.  The “Loser’s Jinx” for Super Bowl runners-up continues for the Bears, who have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.  With an aging defense and unfortunate offense, do not be surprised if the Bears make a big play for Donovan McNabb.  McNabb is a proven winner and would likely be a good fit for Lovie Smith’s style.  He’s also likely to be the best quarterback on the market next year.  Here’s hoping the Bears can scoop him up.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 20, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears have Four Pro Bowlers

The Pro Bowl ballots are in, the votes have been counted, and the rosters have been announced.  The Chicago Bears will field no less than four players at the Pro Bowl.  To absolutely no one’s surprise, the players are split between defense and special teams, two apiece.  The defensive players named to the Pro Bowl for the Bears are DT Tommy Harris and OLB Lance Briggs.  The two special teamers were kick returner Devin Hester (obviously), and special teams player Brendan Ayanbadejo.  Congratulations to all these Bears players for being named to the Pro Bowl this season.

It is always wonderful to see your team’s players named to the Pro Bowl, but wouldn’t it be nice if the Bears could send an offensive player or two?  It’s all well and good to be sending tons of defensive and special teams players to the pro bowl when you’re winning, but the glaring omission of any Bears offensive players stings that much  more when your team is on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.  Here’s hoping that in this year’s offseason, the Bears pick up some difference-makers on offense to compliment their amazing defensive and special teams work.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 19, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears Fall to Vikings

In case you missed the Monday Night Football game last night, the Chicago Bears fell to the Minnesota Vikings last night, 20-10, in a game they absolutely had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.  This loss serves as the final nail in the coffin of the Bears’ season, as they will not be making the playoffs only a year after representing the entirety of the NFC in the Super Bowl.  To call this season a disappointment for the Bears would be an  understatement.  This season has been a horrible mess for the Bears, and they must now struggle to figure out what went wrong and right the ship.

Last night’s game was shocking on many levels, and yet somehow unexpected.  It is shocking to see the Bears fall so seemingly far so fast.  Only a year removed from dominating a moribund NFC North, the Bears are now wallowing near the bottom of the division.  The Minnesota Vikings seem to be the newer and more improved version of the Bears, and the Packers have found a whole other level of play over night.  The Bears will have to go back to the drawing board in the offseason, and don’t be surprised if you see some big moves from the Monsters of the Midway this spring.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 18, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears will Face Improved Vikings Team

The Chicago Bears will face the Minnesota Vikings tonight on Monday Night Football, in a game pitting one team playing more for draft position than a true playoff spot against another team getting hot at just the right time.  This was the divisional David vs. Goliath match-up the MNF big wigs had envisioned when they made this game, only in reverse.  It was supposed to be the Bears who were the powerhouse team with the blistering defense and the exhausting run attack.  However, at Matt Mosley writes in his Hashmarks Blog, it is the Bears who must now prepare themselves to do battle with the mighty Vikings, not the other way around.

This game illustrates just how much danger the Bears are truly in right now.  Their division, once a lock for them to win, has reloaded.  Even with the collapse of the Lions, it is now apparent that the NFC North is not going to roll over and die for the Bears again anytime soon.  These teams are young, hungry, and focused, and the Bears need to reclaim that hunger and focus if they want to get back to the Super Bowl.  Right now, a few questionable offensive personnel moves and an aging defense have people in Chicago wondering if their window of opportunity is closing.  If these Bears can show them something in the last few games, we could see some real shake-ups in the Bears organization in the offseason.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 17, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears Vasher Still Unlikely to Play

This is what happens when your team all but falls out of playoff contention.  You get news stories about the fact that Nathan Vasher, who has been out for 10 weeks with a partially torn groin muscle, will likely still not play this week versus the Minnesota Vikings.  Why is this news, you ask?  Well, likely because there simply isn’t much else to report. Rex Grossman is also injured and will not play.  Defensive tackles Tommy Harris and Darwin Walker were also held out of Thursday’s practice with knee and elbow injuries, respectively.

The Bears are reluctant to place any of these players on injured reserve as of yet, however.  Coach Lovie Smith maintains that there is still football to be played, and the Bears have not lost all hope for making the playoffs.  Good for them, I say.  If they want to try to win their last three games and hope to make the playoffs in a weak NFC, there’s no shame in that.  The Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL by getting hot at the right time and running the table as a Wild Card team, so it can certainly be done.  The Bears will need a lot of help and a lot of support, but they haven’t given up yet, and neither should you.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 14, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears Pick Up Defensive Tackle

In a relatively slow news day for the Chicago Bears, we have this story about the Bears signing defensive tackle Matt Toeaina to a three year deal.  Toeaina was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad before the Bears picked him up. Toeaina was a late round selection by the Bengals in this year’s draft.  He’s seen some playing time with all the injuries the Bengals have had this season, and apparently the Bears saw something they liked, because they snatched him up for three years.  Look for the Bears to ease Toeaina in as they build depth to guard against some of the injury woes this season brought them.

Prepare for lots of stories of this nature, Bears fans.  We’ll do our best over here to provide you with recent news stories involving your beloved Bears, but with the season now being turned over to Orton, it’s going to be hard to find a lot of stories that are more exciting than this one.  However, this team still deserves your support.  Don’t be some kind of fair weather fans.  This team went to the Super Bowl just last year.  Just because this year didn’t go so well, that’s no reason to turn your back on your Bears right now.  You’re Chicago fans.  Get out there and support this team.  They’ll be back next year.

You can get all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 13, 2007 - Post a comment


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