SB Nation User Blog: ChiFan13

I'm heading into Chicago on Thursday afternoon for a conference. I'm staying at the Silversmith Hotel, but who wants to watch the game in a hotel room?

Help me out and direct me to your favorite place to watch the game. I figured I may as well go out and watch it with fellow Bears fans.

Injury Update Thread

ChiFan13 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:39:01 -0000

We have some injury news for y'all:

- Garrett Wolfe is hospitalized with a lacerated kidney. He'll be fine, but unfortunately, he's out two to four weeks.

- Al Afalava re-injured the shoulder he injured during training camp. He's getting an MRI today.

- Charles Tillman also re-injured the shoulder that he's had two surgeries on in four years. However, he has been cleared for the 49ers game.

We'll continue updating this throughout the day. Make sure to let us know of any updates!

UPDATE: In his press conference today, Lovie Smith said that Tillman would be good to go this week, but was pretty vague about Kevin Payne (back) and Al Afalava (shoulder). With Lovie not saying much now, it is likely that we won't know anything until Wednesday or Thursday.

UPDATE: Al Afalava's injury is not as serious as first reported, and we'll find out if he'll play tomorrow.

The Quotable Bears - Week Nine

ChiFan13 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:38:01 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Browse more photos »

I returned from northern Minnesota today after an unsuccessful deer opener, and I got to my girlfriend's house around 12.30. I was checking on the game through my iPhone and texts from friends. I went inside and realized that the Bears weren't playing on any of the Minneapolis Fox affiliates. In all honesty, I think that was good. I talked with my mom and my dad to see what had happened. They both said was that Olsen and Hester were ok, Cutler did pretty well, but the OL and DL were awful. Judging from what's going on here, I'd have to say that their assessment was pretty solid.

First, I'm going to talk about Tommie Harris, a thought on Lovie Smith, and finish up with the quotes. Follow me inside.

Let me say that I want Tommie Harris suspended for a few games by the NFL. That was a bullshit move on his part. Punching a player who is down on the ground is the sign of a sure pansy. Way to be a big man, Tommie.

One of the only positive things about this game is that Tommie has driven that nail through the coffin - he won't be a Bear next year. Since 2007, we haven't been getting a lot out of him. The problem with Tommie is twofold: Players don't regress that quickly. There's no reason for it, whether it was due to the payday or his knees. His knees aren't in the best of health. Do I believe that he got paid and decided to quit? No, I really don't. Do I think that his knees have completely given up? No, I don't believe that either. I think it's a mixture of both. I know that until Lovie sat him down in the Cincinnati game, he didn't practice that often. That was a source of consternation for us throughout the offseason, and Tommie still didn't practice until Lovie sat him. And looking at all we have to upgrade, I think you'll see that Tommie Harris will be an ex-Bear. If they're focused on getting the OL and DL fixed, you have to go out and get rid of waste. We're well under the cap - get rid of waste (Tommie) and go from there. This isn't an offseason to hang around and be under the cap, we can

Good coaching is all about preparing your players, making sure they're motivated, and executing what they're told to do. Before this year, I never really had a problem with how Lovie prepared. As we all know, a big problem last year was that we prepared and were too rigid in our playcalling - we'd start hot and then not make any second-half adjustments. I don't care which 2009 game you look at, but we start out lethargic. Good coaches make sure their players play with a sense of urgency, and that hasn't happened this year. That, in my opinion, is disappointing.

I know one of the things that everyone's going to be talking about (and rightfully so) is the rest of the schedule and where we go from here. I'm not calling for Lovie's head. At the same time, I believe that if we continue melting down the rest of the way like we have, Lovie will probably be the coach in 2010, but it wouldn't shock me if Jerry axed him.

I'm sure some of y'all are looking forward to Lovie Smith's press conferences and somehow try to objectively critique his fire and passion. Bottom line: Everybody wants to win. Whatever you do, you want to win and do a good job. If you're a lawyer, you want to win every case. If you're doctor, you want to cure every patient. Whatever your occupation, you want to do a good job. I have a hard time believing that just because Lovie doesn't show emotion, that's a sign he's apathetic or he doesn't care. That's just wrong. He wants to win, everybody in the Bears organization wants to win. Some people just don't show emotion, and that's ok. I have no problem with him not showing any emotion, that's fine with me. At the same time, I don't want to hear the bland answers at pressers.

I know Bill Belichick has been dishonest when talking in press conferences, and that's fine. He's Bill Belichick and he has earned the right to do what he wants to. It's saddening to see this team, who we thought would look like a cleaner product on the field regress horribly. Just please, don't start the fire and passion arguments. It's a used, worn-down, and absolutely unsubstantiated. He has passion to be a head coach, he wants to win just like we all do. If you want to talk about Lovie Smith and his playcalling, go ahead. Saying that he doesn't have fire and passion because he doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeves is a horribly misguided opinion for you to have.

Let's get to it.

Lovie on the game:

"Don't have a lot of reasons to give you why we played that way. I know we're a better football team than that. But of course, our play didn't say that today. When you get yourself back in position at home, normally with momentum, good things happen. But that's the way our day went a little bit. In critical situations, we didn't make the play. You look at reality, and we're 4-4. That's all you can look at. We haven't played the defending champs in our division (the Vikings). You're disappointed, which we are, but then you move forward and you just do everything you can to get a win the next time out, and that's what we'll do. We have a lot of important football games coming up."

We have some soul-searching to do right now on a short week. When you play a game like this, you want to play [again] almost immediately. That's the good thing about having the chance to play the 49ers on Thursday night. We have a lot of character on our football team. We realize where we are right now. We'll come back ready to go this week."

Lovie on Tommie:

"You can't lose a player like Tommie Harris. Tommie has to be smarter than that. He can't get himself thrown out of the football game. That hurt our football team. I haven't really had a chance to get a good explanation from Tommie. I didn't talk to Tommie after the game."

Jay Cutler on the game:

"A loss is a loss. We've got to do things better in the first half. If the other team is going to score like that, we've got to close the gap somehow. We're not really into moral victories at this point."

Jay Cutler on facing a large deficit:

"It's tough. We tried to mix in some runs. We tried to mix in some quick screens and stuff to the wide receivers. But when you boil it down, we've got to get some chunks of yards. We've got to score and we've got to do it quickly. The defense knows that. They understand that. It makes it an uphill battle."

Alex Brown on the game:

"Before it's going to work, we've got to believe it's going to work. We've got to have a sense of urgency, and we don't have that right now. I don't know what the hell is wrong, but we've got to change it. This is the eighth game of the season, and I know a lot of people like to think that we're better than 4-4. But hell, our record is 4-4. So that's what we are. If we have any aspirations of going any further or making it to the playoffs, then we've got to play a hell of a lot better. We've got to play better. Everybody that doesn't feel bad after that shouldn't be here. That's horrible. We stunk up the place. It was pretty

bad."

Everybody that doesn't feel bad after that shouldn't be here. We stunk up the place. That's horrible. I really don't know what to do, but we've got another game Thursday (at San Francisco). We keep saying, 'Go home and soul search and look at yourself,' but I don't know. There might be something more, might be a little more than that."

Alex Brown on Tommie:

"Ninety-one [Harris] going out hurt us a lot. That's as far as I'm talking about 91."

Zack Bowman on going against Larry Fitzgerald:

"He has powerful hands. I saw one on the sidelines that he caught against Tillman, and Charles had perfect coverage against him. Just an excellent catch. You win some, you lose some."

Danieal Manning on the game:

"We didn't play good football today. We just didn't play football."

Al Afalava on his injury:

"I already injured (the shoulder) in preseason, but I just hurt it more. I missed a tackle on a long run and the running back ran through my arm."

The Weekend Bears Den - 11/7/09

ChiFan13 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:35:22 -0000

....where we just got back from a wedding and need to get up early tomorrow AM for MN deer season opener - therefore, we're going to bed and you can come up with your own damn one-liner.

ChicagoBears.com

Lovie Smith is still friends with Kurt Warner. Thanks, Larry!

The official injury report for the Bears and Cardinals.

Chicago Sun-Times

The Bears are forced to play solitaire. Or football.

Olin Kreutz's rallying cry versus the Cardinals in 2006 still resonate with the current Bears.

Mark Potash details the Bears - Cardinals winner plus his best bet.

Chicago Tribune

Garrett Wolfe on the Bears' running game: "You just have to stick with it."

Devin Hester is ready to go for Sunday.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Hester was a full participant in practice today and said he's ready to go for Sunday.

Are the Cardinals cursed? The Bears hope so.

Daily Herald

The Bears reminisce about the last game versus the Arizona Cardinals.

ESPN Chicago

Lance Briggs wants the Cardinals at full strength. ChiFan13 wants a damn win.

The Bears Den - 11/6/09

ChiFan13 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:32:53 -0000

....where we saw him reach for his groin and hold it, and, uh, whatever you do with a groin....rub it, that's what we think we witnessed.

ChicagoBears.com

Cardinals have been red-hot on the road this season.

The Bears are gearing up to face a potent offense.

Chicago Sun-Times

Dah Mah Nah: An ugly victory and a homely future for the Bears.

Neil Hayes: Ron Turner's job is on the line if the Bears can't figure it out.

Brad Biggs: Pare down isn't the Bears' fight song. Ha, ha.

Chicago Tribune

For a running team, the Bears sure are passing a lot.

Jay Cutler discusses his diabetes in webisode form.

The Bears' receivers are coming into their own.

John Tait: Give the OL some more time.

Nathan Vasher has been making progress at safety.

Sam Farmer makes his Week 9 NFL picks.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Scaling back the offense? Don't think about it.

Devin Hester misses his second straight day of practice.

No pressure on the QB? No way.

Is the criticism of Lovie Smith fair or foul?

Daily Herald

Ron Turner believes that better focus will help turn around the offense.

The Bears' O is grinding to a halt.

Getting to Kurt Warner is critical for the Bears on Sunday.

ESPN Chicago

Zack Bowman has a hefty challenge ahead of him this week.

This game is a big one. Thanks!

Bears remember the 2006 Arizona game.

Sporting News

Our very own wiltfongjr gives his Bearprint for Success against the Cardinals.

The Bears Den - 11/5/09

ChiFan13 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:31:55 -0000

....where we're not going to simplify our stories.

ChicagoBears.com

Jerry Angelo has his weekly Q&A with Larry Mayer.

Cutler is pleased with the performance of his WR's.

The Bears aren't going to scale back their offense.

Chicago Sun-Times

Four Down Territory: Will Anquan Boldin play?

Mike Mulligan: Will the real Bears' D stand up?

Brad Biggs dips into his mailbag: Where's D.A.?

Devin Hester vows to play on Sunday.

More after the jump.....

Chicago Tribune

Bears players support Lovie Smith. Thanks for the update.

Steve Rosenbloom: If only we had smarter WR's....

Browns LB was fined for his hit on Cutler.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Is there friction brewing between the offense and defense?

What would have happened had we signed Kurt Warner?

Daily Herald

Bob LeGere wants Ron Turner to let Cutler air the ball out.

Lance Briggs was among six players limited during Wednesday's practice.

Barry Rozner: Cutler's probably frustrated, and who can blame him?

ESPN Chicago

Be warned: DC's are going to blitz Cutler like crazy.

Kurt Warner doesn't regret not signing for the Bears.

Ron Turner's not going to simplify the offense.

The Bears Den - 11/4/09

ChiFan13 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:31:01 -0000

....where Carol Slezak needs to be blasted from this planet ASAP.

ChicagoBears.com

The Beas excelled with the switch at linebacker.

Greg Olsen is excited to host his charity country music show.

ChicagoNow

Adewale Ogunleye blogeth! Don't miss this one - pretty entertaining.

Chicago Sun-Times

The Bears dread the red zone.

Mark Potash: Bears fans and media have lost faith in Lovie Smith.

Carol Slezak waxes stupid on the Bears.

Jump with me....

Chicago Tribune

Ten ways for the Bears' offense to improve.

Steve Rosenbloom: How will the Bears fare against the Cardinals?

Tommie Harris played well on Sunday. Against the Browns. Let's throw a party.

The road ahead for the Bears is pretty daunting.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago

John Mullin: The Bears need a November to remember.

Daily Herald

To those of you who say that Devin Hester isn't a legitimate #1, take a look at the numbers.

Ron Turner doesn't like what he's seeing now and in the future.

To protect Cutler, the Bears offense needs to scale back.

The Bears are paying a high price for ignoring their offensive line.

ESPN Chicago

Rodney Harrison wants the Bears to get Chris Chambers. ChiFan13 wants Rodney Harrison to go away.

NightLink: Dan Pompei Breaks Down the Offense

ChiFan13 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:47:07 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Browse more photos »

Dan Pompei does an excellent job breaking down the Bears' offense. There is absolutely no reason not to read this article - it's the best breakdown I've seen in a while.

Follow me inside for more....

For example, Pompei found that the Bears had much better success running left than right:

On running back carries, the Bears went left 18 times for 107 yards, an average of 5.9 per run. Take away Garrett Wolfe's 36-yard run to the left at the end of the game if you wish, and they still averaged 4.2. On 13 running back carries to the right, the Bears had 36 yards, an average of 2.8.

The success to the left isn't all because of Beekman. One of the reasons the Bears replaced Beekman with Omiyale in the first place is they wanted a bigger, more physical run blocker. But there is no question Beekman helped the run game Sunday.

Now if Beekman could have the same effect on the passing game, the Bears really would be on to something.

I can't even do this article justice, so I'm going to stop. Read the article!

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I'm just kidding. I'm not done. I have a lovely video for you kids to watch. Watch the first couple of sentences.

First, he dresses up in drag. Now Brett's groin makes him squirm. Not judging, but I have questions for the man.