SB Nation - Vinny Testaverde

2nd look at Freeman & Bucs big day on offense

Niko Houllis — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:32:25 -0000

Coach Fox is not the only one to point out Freeman is something special so far.

There was an interesting list in the St. Pete Times of Bucs Quarterbacks with the most interceptions. Believe it or not, 5 isnt the record! Steve DeBerg has the most with 7 against the 49ers in 1986. Lets take a look at the list again...

Steve DeBerg 7 Sept. 7, 1986 49ers 31-7 L

Vinny Testaverde 6 Oct. 23, 1988 Vikings 49-20 L

Josh Freeman 5 Sunday Panthers 16-6 L

Vinny Testaverde 5 Nov. 4, 1990 Bears 26-6 L

Vinny Testaverde 5 Dec. 3, 1989 Packers 17-16 L

Vinny Testaverde 5 Sept. 4, 1988 Eagles 41-14 L

Doug Williams 5 Dec. 9, 1979 49ers 23-7 L

Not a big deal, each name here is someone special in Bucs History. Doug Williams was a winning QB for years, taking us to the playoffs 3 of 4 years here, and the team went 2-14 after he left. Steve DeBerg was QB for the Bucs best offensive year 1984 (Tied at 10th in offense with the 2003 team). Vinny did not take the Bucs to the playoffs, but he had an arm, and once he left, he had great years with the NY Jets. He had no one around him here.

Then I saw another list, that had something funny in it.

1. 573 yards at Minnesota (11/16/80)
2. 483 yards at Indianapolis (10/16/88)
3. 476 yards at Miami (10/20/85)
4. 475 yards at Cincinnati (10/29/89)
5. 469 yards at Carolina (12/6/09)

This list is the most offensive yards in a game in Bucs history, and its from the Pewter Report. What stands out to me are the Quarterbacks that I remember to have started each game.

Top one was Doug Williams, who had a 467 yard game on 11/16/1980 in Minnesota (Outdoors mind you, before the HHH Metrodome).

Numbers 2 and 4 are both under Vinny Testeverde. Number 3 was Steve DeBerg, who threw 4 TDs to Jimmy Giles, still a Bucs record for most TD Catches in one game.

Notice the similarities between the two lists? Same names. There have been dozens and dozens of Tampa Bay Quarterbacks, but these guys managed to come out on top on two offensive record setting lists.

Josh Freeman appears to be in good company.

Opponent History: Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets

sireric — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:00:23 -0000

Buffalo Bills (4-7) vs New York Jets (5-6)
Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 8:20 PM EST
Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Woot! A Thursday night game! As this is a Thursday night game this week, I probably should have had this up sooner, but I didn't even think of that until just now, so that is why this gets posted now.

These two teams have a long history against each other, dating all the way back to 1960 when they first met. Fast forward 50 years, and this will be meeting No. 99 between these two franchises. The Bills hold the edge 54-44 all time, including a stretch from 1987 to 1992 where the Bills won ten straight games. The last five meetings between these two teams in Buffalo are after the jump.

Sunday, November 7, 2004: Bills 22, Jets 17
In what seems to be a common theme in Bills/Jets games, the Bills ground out 157 yards on the ground, spearheaded by Willis McGahee's 132 yards on 37 attempts - one for a touchdown. When the Bills have big days running the football against the Jets, they normally win. Lee Evans added a touchdown catch and Rian Lindell kicked two field goals; Big Pat Williams even tackled Curtis Martin in the end-zone for a safety. For the Jets, Chad Pennington got knocked out of the game, and former Cowboy Quincy Carter had to finish up. Carter hit Santana Moss for a 51-yard touchdown to make it close late, but the Bills held on for the win.

Sunday, October 16, 2005: Bills 27, Jets 17
Another Bills win over the Jets, another 177 rushing yards from Buffalo. McGahee was once again the workhorse with 143 yards on 29 attempts and a touchdown. Kelly Holcomb added two touchdown passes, one each to Jonathan Smith and Eric Moulds to help pace the Bills' scoring. This time, the Bills had Vinny Testaverde to go against, and the speed rushers of the Bills took advantage. (Please note use of sarcasm.) Ryan Denney (2.0), Tim Anderson (1.0), Sam Adams (1.0), and Angelo Crowell (1.0) all recorded sacks for the Bills.

Sunday, September 24, 2006: Jets 28, Bills 20
The Bills controlled time of possession and moved up and down the field with ease, but turnovers and costly penalties killed them. The Bills ran for 169 yards, once again led by Willis McGahee (who finished with 150 yards), and J.P. Losman even passed for 328 yards. A Victor Hobson fumble return for a touchdown and a key Losman interception gave the Jets the win. Chris Kelsay picked up the lone Bills sack.

Sunday, September 30, 2007: Bills 17, Jets 14
This was the starting debut of Trent Edwards. With the Bills holding a slim 10-7 lead halfway through the fourth quarter, Dick Jauron shows lots of faith in his young QB by going for it on a fourth and one. Jauron's faith was rewarded when Edwards hit Michael Gaines in the end zone for some much-needed insurance points. Less then four minutes later, Leon Washington crossed the goal line for the Jets to pull the Jets to within three points, but the Bills' defense would hold on for the win.

Sunday, November 2, 2008: Jets 26, Bills 17
After Jay Feely hit a field goal for the Jets, the Bills came back with a Derek Fine touchdown pass from Edwards to make it 7-3. It was all downhill from there. Feely hit two more field goals and Abram Elam's 92-yard pick six put the game away for the Jets. The Bills rushed for only 30 yards, and Kris Jenkins singlehandedly shut down the Bills' running game. Jabari Greer added a 42-yard pick six to make it look a little more respectable.

NightLinks: Turner Says Cutler's Struggles Aren't Vision-related

Dane Noble — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:24:59 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

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In what has been a hot topic for both main-stream media and small football blogs, offensive coordinator Ron Turner addresses the speculation that Jay Cutler's struggles this year could be sight-related.

''I think it is totally a coincidence, I really do,'' Turner said. ''It's not a situation where it's night, it's prime time and maybe he's trying to force the issue too much. That is not the case. I went back and looked at all of them -- that hasn't been the case. I don't know.''

When one reporter brought up the fact that Vinny Testaverde was color-blind, and also had trouble throwing picks, Turner responded:

''I will ask Jay if he's colorblind. I have never asked him that,'' Turner said with a laugh. ''I really will go ask him. I appreciate it.''

Dan Pompei also gets in on the action, and provides a statistical look at Cutler's career at night. Make sure you check it out.

In his four-year career, Cutler has played in 13 night games and is 4-9, even though his numbers with the Broncos at night mirrored his daytime career statistics. Still, what stands out most is Cutler has thrown one interception for every 20.3 attempts in night games, compared with one interception for every 34.6 attempts in day games. And yes, those numbers are a bit skewed from last Thursday's five-interception evening in San Francisco.

Honestly, what do you make of this idea, that Cutler's struggles could be sight-related? We have to assume that medical professionals would have a better understanding of a player's situation than a layperson, but this certainly has gained a lot of attention.

Some will say that when there's smoke, there's fire. Then again, when the media is the one setting the fire, you have to consider the source.

My medical diagnosis: It's the OL people!

Jets vs Dolphins – Rivalry Redux

Xander Diaz — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:30:19 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

2 months ago: Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown (23) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter against the New York Jets during an NFL football game in Miami, Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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The newest chapter in the Jets – Dolphins rivalry began with another spectacular Monday Night Football game. The Miami Dolphins edged out the New York Jets 31-27, in a game that featured 2 ties and 6 lead changes. A disappointing end to an exciting game for Jets fans.

The loss got me to thinking about some of the great games I’ve seen these two teams play over the years and I decided to put together my list of the most memorable games played between these rival AFC teams.

January 23, 1983 – 1982 AFC Championship game – aka the ‘Mud Bowl’
During the strike- shortened 1982 season, the Dolphins swept the regular season series. The two teams would meet again in the 1982 AFC Championship game, a trip to Super Bowl XVII at stake. This game was marked by a rather strange incident. The tarp was left off the field of the Orange Bowl during a marathon rainstorm leading up to the game. This resulted in a mud covered field which helped keep both teams scoreless in the first half. This game would feature ten turnovers, eight of them on quarterback interceptions. Three of those interceptions came from the star of the game, Dolphins linebacker A.J. Duhe who would nab three of Jets quarterback Richard Todd’s five interceptions of the day. Duhe cemented the 14–0 win, sending the Dolphins to Super Bowl XVII, when he returned one 35 yards for a touchdown.

November 10, 1985 – The "Super" Duper Game
Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was down to the Jets 17-14 with less than a minute to play when he fired a 50 yard touchdown pass to Mark "Super" Duper, winning the game, 21–17. Duper had been sidelined for seven weeks with a broken leg leading up to this game, coming back to have the game of his life against the Jets. He set a Dolphins club single game record with 217 receiving yards in helping Miami secure the win.

September 21st, 1986 – The Shootout
On this day Jets quarterback Ken O’Brien and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino would each give legendary performances. The two quarterbacks would combine to set 2 NFL single game records. O’Brien and Marino would combine for a whopping 884 net passing yards and ten passing touchdowns. Records that still stand to this day. Dan Marino completed 30 of 50 for 448 yards and six touchdown passes. Ken O’Brien would throw for 479 yards and four touchdowns. Memorable moments include a Ken O’Brien td pass to wide receiver Wesley Walker with no time left on the clock to force overtime and his game clincher in overtime for the win, 51-45. To this day, this is the highest scoring game between the teams (96 total points).

November 27, 1994 – The Fake Spike Game
With first place in the division on the line, the Jets would outplay the Dolphins for three quarters and hold a 24-6 lead. The score cut to 24-21, Marino and the Dolphins would drive to within the Jets’ five-yard line. With thirty seconds left on a live clock, Marino took the snap from center, motioned as if he was going to spike the ball and instead fired the ball past Aaron Glenn and into the corner of the end zone where Mark Ingram waited. The touchdown gave the Dolphins a 28-24 victory and the division. The Jets went into a spiral after that play, losing all of their remaining games. This game marked the beginning of a dark down-ward spiral for the Jets that would last until the end of the 1996 season. The Jets would compile an embarrassing record of 4-33 during this period.

December 13, 1998 – Remember Chad Cascadden?
Both teams were 9-4 and the division lead, and possibly the division title, was the line. Going into the final minutes of the game, the Jets led 14-10 when a Marino fumble was picked up by Jets linebacker Chad Cascadden, who returned it for a touchdown putting the Jets ahead 21-10 with less than two minutes on the clock. The Jets would win 21-16, going on to win their first post-merger division title the following week at Buffalo.

October 23, 2000 – The Monday Night Miracle
Both teams started the 2000 season 5-1 when they met on Monday Night Football to determine control of the AFC East. What should have been an exciting match, turned into a three quarter drubbing by the Dolphins. The Dolphins held a leadthat grew to 30-7 at the end of the third quarter. Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde threw three picks and running back Curtis Martin was held to 30 yards rushing. In fact, the Jets would manage only two first downs in the entire first half. The game was so one-sided that Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler was heard on the sidelines telling defensive end Jason Taylor, "They ain’t coming back on us!" to which Taylor replied, "Hell no! You kidding? C’mon now." Those words would come back to haunt the Dolphins in short order. Testaverde would hit wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Jermaine Wiggins for td’s, cutting the lead to 30-20. A John Hall field goal later, Testaverde hits Wayne Chrebet in the end zone to tie the game 30-30 with 3:55 left. Almost crushing the revitalized hopes of the Jets, Fiedler would respond by tossing a long touchdown pass to Leslie Shepherd retaking the lead 37-30. The Jets would re-tie the game with 42 seconds left, when Testaverde hit offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott with a three yard touchdown strike, sending the contest into overtime. Elliott famously bobbled the ball as he fell in the endzone. The Jets would eventually win on a John Hall 40-yard field goal in overtime. The key to this game was the Jets fourth quarter performance. After managing only 5 first downs in the first three quarters, Testaverde completed 18 of 26 for 235 yards and four touchdowns, converting twenty first downs. This game came to be known as ‘The Monday Night Miracle’ and was selected by fans as the greatest game in the history of the Monday Night Football television series, when Monday Night Football celebrated its 500th telecast. The game also set the mark as the largest comeback from a fourth quarter deficit in NFL history.

Xander Diaz is Editor-In-Chief at AFCBeast.com

Opponent History: Buffalo Bills vs Cleveland Browns

sireric — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:30:15 -0000

Buffalo Bills (1-3) vs Cleveland Browns (0-4)
Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 1:00 PM ET
Ralph Wilson Stadium - Orchard Park, NY

Random, unexpected pre-post note: Cleveland on Wednesday morning traded WR Braylon Edwards to the Jets in exchange for WR Chansi Stuckey, LB Jason Trusnick, and two undisclosed draft picks. Essentially, Buffalo will be playing against Edwards soon - it's just been delayed a week. Report comes via ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Well, it took last week's "game" to finally bring out the pessimist in me. This Buffalo Bills team is really killing my enthusiasm for football. But the cupcake Cleveland Browns are coming in this week, so they should be pushovers, right? I'm fairly certain that is the sentiment that most of us had the last two seasons when the Bills played the Browns, and look how that turned out. If you forget how that turned out just, skip the rest of my rambling and hit the jump.

The Browns and Bills have met fifteen times during their histories, despite being less then 190 miles from each other, that includes one playoff game. The Browns hold an all-time edge in the series 10-5, including wins in their last two meetings. Hit the jump for the last five meeting in greater detail.

Sunday, November 4, 1990: Bills 42, Browns 0
Ah, the good old days when the Bills could take a weaker team behind the wood shed and beat them senseless. The Bills ran for only 102 yards on the day, but four runs ended in touchdowns. Thurman Thomas had three touchdowns on the day (two rushing and one receiving), while Jamie Mueller and Kenneth Davis punched in the other two offensive scores. Darryl Talley picked off two Mike Pagel passes, taking one of them 60 yards to the house to cap the scoring for the Bills. The Browns had 43 rushing yards on the day and committed 13 penalties for 87 yards to aid the Bills. Marvcus Patton and Hal Garner recorded a half-sack each.

Monday, October 2, 1995: Bills 22, Browns 19
Steve Christie (three field goals) and Matt Stover (four) had very active days for their respective teams. The Bills got two Jim Kelly touchdown passes - one to Justin Armour and the other to Andre Reed - while the Browns got a 69-yard punt return for a score by Derrick Alexander to round out the scoring. Vinny Testaverde hit his favorite target, Andre Rison, to the tune of 6 catches for 126 yards, but it wasn't enough for the Browns. Phil Hansen (1.0), Bruce Smith (1.0), and Bryce Paup (1.0) all recorded sacks for the Bills.

Sunday, December 12, 2004: Bills 37, Browns 7
Ah, the good old days when the Bills could take a weaker team behind the wood shed and beat them senseless... again... but this time with defense. Luke McCown and the uber-popular Jeff Garcia combined to go 9 of 21 passing for 62 yards while getting sacked 8 times for a loss of 108 yards. Add to that the pitiful 29 yards rushing for the Browns, and Buffalo's defense held Cleveland to 17 total yards of offense on the day. Ouch. And you thought the Bills' offense was bad? Willis McGahee ran for 105 yards and two scores to pace the offense. Sam Adams (2.0), Chris Kelsay (1.0), Jeff Posey (1.0), Aaron Schobel (2.0), Lawyer Milloy (1.0), and Troy Vincent (1.0) all recorded sacks, and Vincent and Nate Clements added interceptions.

Sunday, December 16, 2007: Browns 8, Bills 0
This was the "Blizzard Game" from 2007. You remember - the one that started a three-game slide to end the season and eliminated the Bills from playoff contention. Jamal Lewis put the Browns on his back to the tune of 163 yards rushing. The Bills' offense, on the other hand, did almost nothing, with the exception of a single long run by Marshawn Lynch that didn't result in any points. And, of course, on the final play of the game, with the Bills attempting to tie it up... well, you know.

Monday, November 17, 2008: Browns 29, Bills 27
Trent Edwards came out of the gates firing in this one! Three interceptions to the Browns in the first quarter really set the tone for this game. Cleveland capitalized by going up 13-0 on two Phil Dawson field goals and a Josh Cribbs two-yard touchdown run. Two Rian Lindell field goals and a Marshawn Lynch 18-yard touchdown catch sandwiched another Dawson field goal to bring the Bills to within three points at 16-13. Jerome Harrison then broke Buffalo's back by rumbling 72 yards for a touchdown. Yes - that remains the lone career touchdown of his four-year career. Leodis McKelvin then resuscitated Bills fans by taking the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a score to stay three points down. After another Dawson field goal, Edwards plunged into the end zone to give the Bills a 27-26 lead. But that jerk Dawson hit his fifth field goal of the day - and then Lindell missed one wide right as time expired - to give the Browns victory.

Warner Nearly Perfect as the Arizona Cardinals Beat Jacksonville 31-17

Pyromnc — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:00:43 -0000

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

2 months ago: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, left, dives for a third quarter touchdown as Jacksonville Jaguars safety Sean Considine tries to make the stop during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. Arizona won 31-17. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

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One week after losing an important home division game to the San Francisco 49ers the Cardinals dominate the Jacksonville Jaguars for most of the game. The offense was in sync for the first time this year and looked even better than the 2008 offense. As for the defense, they again looked good and were able to hold the Jags to two touchdowns and one field goal. Overall the team looked very good and definitely alleviated some of the worries most of the Cardinals fans had after the week one loss.

The Good:

Kurt Warner: In week 1 Warner was starting to look like the 38 year old quarterback that most 38 year old quarterbacks look like. Not very good. In week two Warner did a complete and flip flop and decided to break the NFL record for completion percentage in a game (minimum 20 attempts). Warner completed 24 of 26 passes (92.3 %) beating out the old record held by Vinny Testaverde who had completed 21 of 23 passes (91.3) in 1993. To add to that, Warner tied the team record for most consecutive completions with 15, a record originally held by Jake Plummer who made that record in 1998. Warner's final numbers were 243 passing yards and 2 touchdown passes.
Tim Hightower: Hightower followed up his 12 receptions for 121 yards in week 1 with another good game carrying the ball 15 times for 72 yards (4.8 ypc) and 1 touchdown. This week the Cardinals offensive line opened up some holes allowing HIghtower to rumble for several long runs with his longest being 17, meaning that he was pretty consistent on each carry. Hightower also had 3 catches for 12 yards.
The Offensive Line: Compared to last week this line looked much improved. They gave Warner time and opened up holes for the run game, but they still had some penalties, though not as much. Levi Brown added to his resume another false start and Deuce Lutui had another holding. Those were the only two penalties that were really the offensive line's fault. Overall this unit was much more productive and if they continue to play that well the offense shouldn't have any trouble putting points on the board this year.
The defense (through the first 3 quarters): The defense again looked solid holding Jacksonville to just 17 points,10 through the first 3 quarters. They were able to get pressure on the David Garrard and if Garrard weren't so mobile and strong they probably would have come away with eight to ten sacks. They ended up only getting four sacks but that is not bad at all and is proving to be a lot better than people gave them credit for. They were also able to force four fumbles, recovering two. This unit is continuing where it left off last week and is not looking like they are going to slow down any time soon.
Special Teams: In week one the special teams was probably the most solid unit, pinning the opponent down to bad field positions, making all their field goals, and giving the Cardinals good field position. For the most part that was true for week two also. They didn't allow anything on kick returns and punt returns while LaRod Stephens-Howling made smart decisions on his kick returns and averages 25 yards per return. They also blocked a field goal that was returned by Antrel Rolle for a touchdown, giving the Cards a 17-3 lead. All that good made up for the sloppiness that happened for this unit. Antrel Rolle again is not looking good as the punt returner, not knowing when to run up and catch the ball or to just let it go by him. This indecision caused two fumbles and could have drastically changed the game if either of those had ended up mattering. Neil Rackers also missed a field goal but that happens sometime.

The Bad:

Chris Wells: Beanie actually had a pretty good game, carrying the ball 7 times for 44 yards (6.3 ypc). His problem was that he could not hold onto the ball and fumbled the ball twice. Now the first time they got lucky and the tight end, Anthony Becht, was there to recover the ball on the one yard line. The second fumble though, he was not so lucky as it was recovered by Rashean Mathis. Luckily for Beanie, the Cards defense didn't allow the Jags to do anything with that turnover.
Penalties: The penalties were not nearly as bad as they were in week one but they still were a problem. The Cards racked up another 8 penalties for 50 yards. They are definitely down from the 12 from last week but that is still too much and is something they will have to continue to work on.

The Ugly:

Fourth Quarter Defense: First, in the effort of full disclosure Whiz was subbing in some of the second string defense towards the end of the third quarter and into the fourth but their performance still has to be graded at the same level. The defense only allowed seven points to the Jags in the fourth but they were lucky that it wasn't more. There was several dropped passes by the Jags that would have gone for long yardage and one of them would have gone for a touchdown bringing the game within seven points. They also missed tackles, one of them by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie allowing the receiver to go in for the touchdown. The defense has played well in the first three quarters in the first two weeks of the season but has also played bad, or not as good, in the fourth quarter in that same time frame. This has got to get better as the better teams will take advantage of this.
Turnovers, or possible turnovers: This was already covered earlier but it is very important that it stops. There was a total of five fumbles on offense. That is way too many and the Cardinals got lucky that only 2 of them were recovered by the Jags. This has got to stop if they want to be an elite or top 10 team.

Overall, the Cardinals played very well this Sunday and they made it tough to really find anything negative to say about their play. The one negative that was pointed out though that needs to be fixed is Beanie Wells. The kid looks very good and fluid in his cuts when running but he needs to get the ball secured better. This is something a lot of rookie backs need to learn, so it is not a big concern but it is something that needs to be pointed out and fixed. The other position that needs to be addressed is the punt return situation. Rolle has either got to learn how to field those punts or find someone else more reliable, this may be a tough task but it has got to happen. Next week this team will travel back home to play the Indianapolis Colts for the Sunday night game and after this game they should have the motivation and confidence to play well in that game.

Looking Back: The 1989 Chicago Bears

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:00:12 -0000

Twenty years ago. 1989. What were you doing? Were you even aware of our beloved Bears? Some of you weren't even born! There's always a big hoopla made over the 20^th anniversary of championship teams; I say why only look at the great teams? This year marks the 20^th Anniversary of the 1989 Chicago Bears. So I'll give them their due!

Before the season the popular, but injury prone punky QB known as McMahon was traded to the Chargers, leaving Mike Tomczak and Jim Harbaugh to battle it out for his job. Losing arguably one of the most popular players in Bears history was a tough blow and the Bears needed a strong start to the season to appease the fan base. Dual number one draft picks Donnell Woolford and Trace Armstrong gave the Bears some hope, and Da Coach, of course, would keep this team winning... wouldn't he?

What ever lingering hope us Bears fans had after the incredible 1985 season in thinking another Super Bowl was right around the corner, came to an abrupt end in 1989 with a 6-10 record. After winning their division five straight seasons and coming off a NFC Championship loss to the 49ers in 1988, the six win season was a reality check for many.

There were still many familiar faces from Super Bowl XX playing in Chicago, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, William Perry, Steve McMichael, and Dan Hampton among the defenders, and Jimbo Covert, Mark Bortz, Tom Thayer, Keith Van Horne, and Jay Hilgenberg were still manning the trenches, but there were some new players making their names in Chicago. Neal Anderson was coming off his first of what would be 4 consecutive Pro Bowls. Brad Muster was primed to take over the starting fullback job from Matt Suhey. James "Robocop" Thornton was coming off a solid rookie year, causing Bears fans to thing ‘we've finally found the next great tight end'. And who can forget Tom Waddle making his Bears debut in the '89 season? (1 catch for 8 yards and 1 punt return for 2 yards)

Things started out so promising by winning their first 4 games. The Bears opened up with the defending AFC Champion Bengals coming to town, and saw Dan Hampton sack Boomer Esisaon twice, while Neal Anderson (21 carries for 146 yards) helped the Bears offense overcome a shaky game by Mike Tomczak for a 17-14 win. Week 2 the Bears intercepted Viking QB Wade Wilson 4 times and rolled up 28 fourth quarter points in winning 38-7. In week 3 the Bears lit up Detroit 47-27 behind Mike Tomczak's 302 yards and 2 TD, and 4 sacks by the Bears D. Then in week 4 rematch of 1988's Fog Bowl, the Bears picked off Randal Cunningham 4 times, sacked him 4 times (3 by Dent), and won 27-13.

Then a 3 game losing streak nullified what ever Bears buzz was surrounding the city. RB Lars Tate (who?) and QB Vinny Testaverde helped the Bucs win a shootout 42-35. Next up the Houston Oilers scored 14 unanswered fourth quarter points to come back and win 33-28, helped along by Tomczak's 4 ints. Then in week 7 the Bears traveled to Cleveland and got spanked 27-7, behind an efficient 22 of 29 for 281 yards by Bernie Kosar including a 97 yard TD to Webster Slaughter (8 for 186, TD). This was also the start of a QB controversy as Mike Ditka yanked Tomczak for Jim Harbaugh.

Week 8 brought the L.A. Rams to town; Jim Harbaugh got the start at QB and was a solid 10 of 13 for 157 yards passing with 31 yards on the ground and a TD. Bears back in the win column 20-10.

Week 9 and finally a trip to Green Bay to face the "Magic Man" (gag) Don Majkowski in what would have a very controversial ending. With less than a minute remaining in the game, fourth and goal from Chicago's 14 yard line, Majkowski scrambled, crossed the line of scrimmage, then threw a strike to Sterling Sharpe in the end zone. The referees correctly threw the flag (loss of down penalty, game over!), but some shadow of doubt crept into the Zebra's minds and they asked for an instant replay review. Play reversed, TD scored, Packers win. B.S. B.S. B.S.

The Bears and Packers were both now 5-4 just 1 game behind the 6-3 Vikings, and the NFC Central was still there for the taking.

Week 10 in Pittsburgh was easier than expected with a 20-0 win. The Bears defense held the Steelers to 216 total yards and picked up 6 turnovers and 4 sacks. With 6 games remaining everything was looking up for the Bears and their fans. Tampa Bay was coming to Chicago and the Bears were looking for payback. However, 4 turnovers later, and a late Donald Igwebuike field goal, and the Bears lose 31-32. The Bears let a McMahon like comeback by Mike Tomczak go for naught. He replaced Jim Harbaugh and threw three fourth quarter TD's on 6 of 7 passing for 156 yards.

Chicago's hopes died a slow and painful death, as they continued their losing ways by dropping the rest of the games on their schedule. They fell to .500 at the hands of the Redskins losing 38-14 and getting out gained 492 to 191. Then in week 13 the Vikings turned the tables and won 27-16 as Wade Wilson threw 2 TD's and had 260 yards passing. In week 14 the Bears faced a hot Lions team that would win 27-17, sacking Bears QB's 5 times and getting 2 TD and 120 yards rushing by rookie Barry Sanders. The hated Packers traveled to Chicago for the next to last game with the Bears still fuming over that B.S. call in week 9, they were ticked off and looking for retribution... but it wasn't their day as the Packers ran up over 450 yards and cruised to a 40-28 win.

The season finale and the defending champ 49ers were waiting for a final tune-up before their playoff run. I wonder why the Bears even showed up, dropping the contest 26-0. The Bears D tried to keep them in the game, getting 3 sacks and picking of Joe Montana, but the Chicago O couldn't get anything clicking. The 49ers would go on to defeat the Broncos 55-10 in the Super Bowl behind league and SB MVP Joe Montana.

The Bears were represented in the Pro Bowl in 1989 by running back Neal Anderson (274 rushes for 1,275 yards, 11 TD, & 50 receptions for 434 yards and 4 TD), center Jay Hilgenberg (when will Jay get some Hall Of Fame love for his 7 straight Pro Bowls?), and middle linebacker Mike Singletary (1 sack, countless tackles, and numerous bulging eyes).

What were some other notable 1989 moments?

A gallon of gas was .97 cents!

Batman was being played by Beetlejuice.

Kevin Costner made us believe there was more in Iowa than just corn.

The Simpsons first aired.

Arsenio Hall was relevant.

The Pistons swept the Lakers (Booo!!!).

‘Don't Worry Be Happy' was making America smile and forget their troubles.

Spike Lee wanted us to Do The Right Thing

1989 the number, another summer (get down)
Sound of the funky drummer

"Fight The Power" ~ Public Enemy

Morning Update (Blogging in Zubaz Edition)

Chris Thorman — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:59:24 -0000

Unlike Chris Cooley, I photoshopped my penis out of the picture before posting this.

Whoops, we missed yesterday's signing of WR Nate Hughes to the practice squad. QB/WR/Whatever Marques Hagans was released to make room.

John from Gang Green Nation has a FanPost up asking for questions about the Jets. Head over the to participate.

When asked by the NY media if he had called veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde yet, Herm Edwards said, "Not yet. He’s on my hotline, though."

I'm starting to get behind Tyler Thigpen, only because of the ridiculousness of the Kansas City Chiefs QB situation. Dwayne Bowe seems to like Thigpen - "He brings a lot of energy. He’s always ready to get the ball out of his hands. He's not willing to take a sack, and he’s likely to just take off."

I was just about to link to Jason Whitlock's solid editorial about Larry Johnson then he had to go and mention Jeff George at the end of it.

Bob Gretz has lots of advice for Larry Johnson.

This is a legit question: Do the Chiefs currently have the worst quarterback depth chart...of all-time?

Man, I still love this video (FYI music plays when you start it).

Herm as a college coach? Thoughts?

C.E. Wendler places the blame for Brodie Croyle's injury squarely on the shoulders of Herm Edwards.

Ooohh...the Real Clear Sports Scoop Counter pitting NFL writers and reporters head to head.