What place on the U.S map starts with a ‘C’, ends with an ‘O’ and is covered with Bears fans?

Be careful, it’s a trick question.

Of course you would be right if you said Chicago. But you would also be correct if you said Colorado.

From Boulder to Colorado Springs, with Denver in the middle, Bears fans made their presence felt in the Centennial State.

From the moment we stepped off the plane in Denver, we knew we were not alone in traveling to the Rocky Mountains to support our team and star quarterback Jay Cutler. It’s always a bit of a rush to see how a host state will welcome visiting fans, but this one had a little extra to it. Since Broncos fans still have hatred towards Cutler no matter what team he plays for.

From a distance, it was hard to tell the fans of the two teams apart, being that the Broncos loved our taste of colors so much that they adopted the scheme. However, once a fan opened his/her mouth, all doubt was removed. It may have been the distaste for Cutler, or the defense of their turf, but many Broncos fans really let us know what they thought of us, our beloved team and, of course, good ol’ number six. Don’t get me wrong, this is not my first time to Colorado and the people there are very friendly and welcoming….when you’re not the team’s enemy that week.

Though the Bears held a 10 point lead late in the fourth quarter, neither fan base inside Sports Authority field could breathe easy. And unlike our players, that was not due to the altitude. As one Broncos fan put it, ‘We deal with this every week. ‘

We all know how the game ended, though we’d like to erase that memory like Barber forgetting to stay in bounds. I for one had to take a few minutes after the game to comprehend what had just happened.

It happened so fast. It was a grayish/brown blur. By games end, the teams’ matching color scheme didn’t matter. Again, you could tell who was who by the words being spoken, or not spoken. Bears fans were speechless, surprised and deflated. Broncos fans, the complete opposite.

‘TEBOW! TEBOW! TEBOW!’ The sound still rings in my ears.

Waking up to go to the airport and head home, I was still in denial. Trying to play the game back in my head. And just as I was about to give up on this season, there were the groups of Bears fans traveling through the airport. Through all the snickers and ‘TEBOWs’, our fan base wore their Bears t-shirts, jackets and hats with pride. Heads as high as they were at the beginning of the weekend.

Faith, Luck, or whatever you’d like to call it, has definitely not been on our side these last few weeks. But with three weeks left and a playoff spot within our mitts, maybe a little Mile High magic can rub off on the city that starts with a ‘C’, ends with an ‘O’ and has a hicag in the middle.

We will always remember Walter Payton as one of the greatest players in NFL history. We will always remember his impact off the field just as much, if not more, than on the field. Heck, the NFL even went as far as to name their Man of the Year award after the man they call Sweetness.

In the great city of Chicago, Sweetness’ legacy is only rivaled by His Airness and Da Coach. But neither of those men were loved or endeared as Walter, and rightfully so.

Now, 12 years after his passing away by the hands of the very rare PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis) disease, a former senior writer at Sports Illustrated wants to tell the untold story of Payton. The story of Payton’s demons and private, deepest thoughts. No coincidence that the book is out for sale now, a month before the anniversary of Payton’s death. There’s also no coincidence that an article about the book is plastered across the SI.com homepage and at the bottom of the article is a link to buy the book.

Nothing like making money on a dead man’s private life.

The author explains that he wrote the book because he wanted to write about, "someone decent; someone caring". Yet goes on to say, "Classy guy, perfect in all areas, the ultimate role model, great running back and the ultimate prankster. And while that is, in many ways, sort of true, it's also a cheap, easy and unfair portrait."

We all have our faults, we all have our skeletons. The only biography that depicts its subject in a good light is the Bible, and who knows, that could be an autobiography.

Yes, Walter Payton was much more (good or bad) than just a Chicago Bear. However, writing a book to bring a good man down 12 years after his passing is just in poor taste.

Well, a team finally did it; a team finally made Jay Cutler show emotion on the sideline. No, it wasn’t the New Orleans Saints. It was Jay Cutler’s own team that made hit crack.

After enduring a league leading 52 sacks last year; it was supposed to be different for the Bears signal caller this year. 10 sacks after the first two weeks is not a promising start, unless you are trying to show the league what Caleb Hanie can do.
 
After allowing only one sack in the first half, and still having every opportunity to win the game, the Bears opened the flood gates. We have not seen anything move so fluidly through obstacles in New Orleans since the Bears defense did it to the Patriots in 1985. Granted, it didn’t help that up-start rookie tackle Gabe Carimi left with a knee injury. However, when guys are rushing in un-touched in critical moments of the game, it doesn't really matter who is playing on the offensive line.

Please help me understand, Bears fans. When a defender is on the line of scrimmage showing blitz with no disguises, shouldn't someone block him? They say the crowd noise in the Superdome had the Bears playing with only four of their five senses. Well, shouldn't sight and touch heighten when hearing is lost?

The Bears blockers heard no evil, saw no evil and had their quarterback speaking evil on the sideline after this performance.

*writer's note: I know that all of the protection problems are not on the offensive line. Kellen Davis played ole' on a critical sack of Cutler, the receivers didn't help matters and Mike Martz will always be Mike Martz.

But, come on man! Block somebody!

These should be exciting times for us Bear fans. The newly released schedule is littered with high profile Bears games. From getting an extra pre-season game with the long overdue induction of Richard Dent, to showing our fans abroad what American football is all about, to dumping coal in our hated rival’s stocking  on a lone Christmas night game; our focus should be on what plane tickets or days off from work we will need to support our team.

Then there’s next week’s draft. What players will be picked by our brass to help improve a division winning team? With only a few missing pieces, the draft and free agency should put us near the competitive top.
With all of this going on, grouped with how bad Jay Cutler wants to come out and destroy every team in his path, our thoughts are not on the game itself. But rather the buSINess side of things. Like we don't have our own financial problems now a day.

I understand the need to get the CBA resolved, I am not that naïve. But why drag it out? As of today, the NFL and NFLPA will not meet again until May 16. Really? May 16? Is this to work out some strategy that should have been devised weeks, if not, months ago? Maybe I am a little naïve, but shouldn’t the two parties be in a room every day and night until this thing is resolved?

The common saying is that this lockout is Millionaires vs. Billionaires. However, not every player is Tom Brady or DeMarcus Ware, where they don’t need to worry about where their next check is coming from. This is evident in the current player divide. It may be bad for the players, but should be good for us fans.

If the players are starting to disconnect, they might have to give in to the greedy owners.
 
At this point, I don’t care who "wins", because we are all losing. The mid tier players are losing their lively hood, the high profile players are losing their millions, the owners are losing billions and the NFL as a whole is losing face.

Us fans? Who cares about us? Who cares what we lose? In a crazy mixed up world, football is a release. We will be fine without it, but it’s much nicer with it. The fun of the off season has already been taken away. The fun of the regular season is soon to follow.

If this drags on too much longer, even if we do start the season on time, the first few weeks will be watered down. No team will be prepared to start the season. Injuries will be occurring at an alarming rate. No one will take this season seriously.

I don’t want an asterisk next to our Super Bowl trophy.

At least the city of Chicago has the Bulls to fall back on for the time being. However, the NBA is setting up to mirror the NFL. I really hope I don’t have to write an article entitled, ‘No More BULLsh**’ come November.

Life is funny sometimes. Not necessarily in a humorous way, but in a curious kind of way.

Like when you miss out on a date with the hot chick, only to fall in love with her smarter, even hotter, friend.

Everything happens for a reason, right?

In 2004; a soft spoken, yet stern voiced former defensive coordinator took the podium at Halas Hall to accept the responsibility to lead the oldest, most famed franchise in professional football, the Chicago Bears.

After endearing years of looking up to division rival Green Bay in the standings, Bears new coach Lovie Smith knew what goal number one had to be.

"Beat the Packers"

Who knew seven years later, Lovie’s words would almost be his defining moment.

If the Packers stood in the way of the ’06 Super Bowl team, it might have been a little different. Smith was coming off of a division title and was expected to make a run in the playoffs.

But not this year. Many were surprised that Lovie was even still around when this season started. Many wanted a losing record so that Smith could move on. However, Lovie assembled his coaching arsenal and now stands 60 minutes from a trip Dallas.

Lovie’s Bears teams have stood behind their embattled coach, tallying an 8-6 record against Green Bay since Smith took over. That record will mean nothing on Sunday.

The Bears need to be 1-0 against the Packers in the playoffs under Smith. That’s what will matter.

So in a few days, the two oldest rivals in the NFL will play for the right to hoist the trophies named after their legendary coaches.

That is a story line all in itself.

Life sure can be funny sometimes. But I don’t think anyone is laughing.

What can $20 million buy you now a days?

A large executive jet, 70 new Bentley Mulsannes, approximately 285,755 Ditka sweater vests.

For the Chicago Bears, $20 million for this season bought them 54 tackles, eight sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. Though very solid, the numbers aren’t spectacular.

However, the player that produced those numbers, is.

Julius Peppers.

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"New England is the best team in the NFL, record-wise. But I feel like we’re the best team, period." Chicago Bears Middle Linebacker Brian Urlacher.

I still believe you Big Guy. Even though in the heat of the moment you changed your mind, I still got my money on ya. Even though you were the only Monster to show up on a snowy Midway last Sunday, I still believe you.

After winning five games in a row, maybe the Bears needed to be humbled a little bit. We all know how success can go to this regimes heads.

There is no shame in losing to Tom Terrific and Bill the Brain. Never the less, there is shame in the way the Bears lost.

With three games left until the Bears return to the playoffs, this past Sunday’s embarrassment could have been just what Lovie and company needed.

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Well, here we are. The 2010 NFL season is finally upon us. Months of guessing, worrying, excitement, and a whole host of other emotions will come to a tipping point in a few short days.

Hopefully these emotions will carry on for the next five months. Each week our moods will be determined by how our Bears fared on game day.

There was optimism leading up to August. The Bears brought in some high profile free agents to plug glaring player needs. They also brought in high profile coaches to fix glaring player imperfections. All looked good on the Lake front.

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For a fan base as football starved as we are, thus far our Chicago Bears have not given us much to be excited about.

Three pre-season games, three loses. But more important so than the final game outcome, is the level of play from our team.

With everything to lose and only a Super Bowl to gain, the 2010 Bears have started awfully slow this pre-season.

But that’s just it, it’s pre-season. Remember Bears faithful, the NFL is all about who is playing well in winter, not summer.

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Ugh! That’s the best way to describe Chicago Bears left tackle Chris Williams in the game against the Oakland Raiders. A game in which Williams gave up four sacks, making Oakland’s defensive end Kamerion Wimbley look like, well, Julius Peppers. You can't call Williams' game good. That's just obvious. But you can't call it bad because it was the pre-season and the team was trying out different scenarios to better prepare their new left tackle for the regular season. 

Watching Wimbley run past Williams time after time was frustrating for me to watch. Hence the, Ugh! 

I can only imagine how o-line coach Mike Tice felt. 

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Believe me, I hate to do it. Brett Favre once again is dominating the NFL summer. With every media outlet talking about the Vi-Queens and their geriatric QB, we here at WCG should only talk about how we are going to pound on Favre and his teammates. So I have picked a picture that is worth a thousand words. What do you have to say?

As the saying goes, "Any time you’re keeping score, you’d like to win." Well, in that aspect, the Bears did not accomplish their goal. But there were other goals that the Bears were looking to reach.

Quarterback Jay Cutler looked solid on his only drive of the night. A drive that resulted in three points. Cutler hooked up with Johnny Knox twice for gains of 33 and 14 yards.

The defense looked fast and hungry. It was great to see #54 back in action running sideline to sideline.

For a veteran team such as the Bears, they realize that the NFL season is a marathon and not a sprint. They may have played the game with a little less meaning than their opponent, the San Diego Chargers.

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Today on ChicagoBears.com, there is a multimedia video entitled Camp Breakdown. It’s a very nice look into the training camp battles between the offensive and defensive lines.

The Bears are loaded with talent. From the All Pro linebackers to the Dynamic Duo at running back, the Bears roster boasts many household names. However, without both the offensive and defensive lines playing above average, this Bears team could be more glitter than gold.

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Well, so far, so good for the Chicago Bears.  Besides some nagging aches and pains, the Bears seem to be trudging along through training camp without any serious injuries, fingers doubled crossed... and toes too.  

With the San Diego Chargers on the horizon, what might the captains of the offense be doing to get ready for the first pre-season game? Bear Down!
                                 

I’m not going to even say it. With the way Brett Favre changes his mind, I don’t want to put in print that the 19 year veteran quarterback is retiring or not.

To be fair, most of this hoopla is driven by the media. In a very slow period for sports: Tigerless golf and scandal, no major injuries to report in any of the 32 NFL training camps, the other spoiled athlete has already made his "Decision" and well, baseball is baseball; there has to be something for the sports masses to discuss while waiting for this weekend’s riveting Hall of Fame game.

Last season, all of the talk during the off season was about our new strong armed quarterback Jay Cutler. But Favre couldn’t handle a young brash uber-talented quarterback stealing his thunder.  I kid, I have no idea what runs through the head of a hick from Mississippi, besides the pain killers of course.

Brett can have the days of summer; Jay will have Labor Day through Valentine’s.

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70 years removed from the nickname that has stood the test of time, the Chicago Bears are determined to take it back to the 1940’s and the Monsters of the Midway.

On paper, the Bears look to live up to the defensive style of football that this franchise and fans have prided themselves on. But we all know that "on paper" is as faithful as a married sailor on day leave in a brothel.

But the Bears defense seems to have the sense of urgency and maturity to not let their own shortcomings define the season.

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Come on down! You’re the next contestant on Name that Chicago Bear!

With training camp only 1 day, 18 hours, 59 minutes and 59, 58, 57, 56, 55….. away, there are still some starting positions up for grabs and roster spots to be earned. With many new faces on the team and spaces left to fill, let’s see how well you know your 2010 Chicago Bears.

Use a life line if you need to and let’s play the feud! No Whammys!

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It's almost here! 3 days, 18 hours, 59 minutes and 59, 58, 57, 56......

According to this article by ESPN's John Clayton, the tight end position will be a highly contested competition in Bourbonnais this summer. Though both Greg Olsen and Dez Clark are ultimate professionals and teammates, competitive spirit and pride take over whenever your job is on the line. So what trash talk might these two 'more than capable of starting' tight ends be spewing to each other?

Last Friday, Sports Illustrated writer Don Banks posted an article discussing some of the more important questions facing a few NFL teams heading into the 2010 season.

Banks’ only question for the Bears; Will Julius Peppers elevate the Bears defense more than Jay Cutler did for the offense last year?

A very fair question. He goes on to state how Jay Cutler’s first season as a Bear resulted in two fewer wins than the year before. Again, fair enough. We might have let Cutler Mania get the best of us, but so did his colleague Peter King.

We are more prepared for big news this offseason; we will not get ahead of ourselves.

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Love this picture. The intensity in Kreutz's eyes, the urgency in Fred Miller's expression..the rumble in their stomachs. These behemoths of the team put their body on the line every offensive play for the better of the team. Difficulty on this one: what is each line ordering for lunch? Or dinner, or breakfast, or brunch, or fourth meal......

Training camp is still about three weeks away. So while the Bears live up the final days of their summer vacation, let’s discuss what has to go right this season in order for the Bears to return to the playoffs and to ultimately have head coach Lovie Smith and Co. keep their jobs.

Ironically, when I think of what must go right in 2010, I think about the three phases of the football team: Offense, Defense and Special Teams.

In Chicago, we have a Fourth Phase, the wonderful diehard fans who are more than just spectators. The Fourth Phase will always hold up their part of the bargain and need not be discussed in this article.

As for the other three......

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Trying to follow David’s OSS post is tough. Great job by the way. But I will follow his basketball theme.

With NBA free agency just a few hours away, here is my address to LeBron James to become a Chicago Bull, Bears style.

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"This disease is so scary". When speaking about Guillain-Barre syndrome, you can’t help but realize what a devastating affliction it is. Gullian-Barre syndrome, named after French physicians Guillain, Barré and Strohl whom discovered the disease, is a rare autoimmune illness in which the body’s own immune system attacks the neurological system. Most who suffer from the disease recover in a year or two with minor residual effects. However, about 10% who are sickened from the syndrome experience long term effects, including recurring relapses of the disease. In worst case scenarios, the patient can suffer from paralysis.

Chicago Bears’ very own William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry is currently fighting this terrible disorder. First diagnosed in June 2008, The Fridge has since been in and out of the hospital taking on a disease that is far more intimidating than any offensive lineman.

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A few days ago on ChicagoBears.com, there was an article praising one of the least admired players on the Bears roster, wide receiver Rashied Davis. According to the article, Davis has shown tremendous catching ability and has stood out among a group of more well known pass catchers.

We have heard this story before, however. Last season, after the Jay Cutler trade, much focus was given on who will catch the ball from Cutler. In early ’09 OTA news, Bears receivers coach Daryl Drake could not stop talking about Davis; his great work ethic, toughness and ability to learn.

Davis finished the ’09 season with four catches for 30 yards and zero touchdowns.

So, is this year the same fluffy hype?

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You would think with six Pro Bowl appearances, a Defensive Player of the Year award and 1,406 career tackles, Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher has cemented his place as one of the best linebackers in the National Football League.

Yet, after 10 solid seasons as the leader of the Bears defense, Urlacher still has many so called experts doubting his play for this upcoming season. Calling into question his age, injury history and overall decline in skills. The epitome of ‘what have you done for me lately’.

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Taking it back to the good ol' days. We are hoping that today's Bears defense can match what the great teams of the mid 80's accomplished. A big part of that defense,literally, was William 'The Refrigerator' Perry. A fan favorite from day one, Perry will forever live in Bears lore. So here's to the Fridge!

The difficulty on this one...oh heck, like the Fridge, just have fun with this one and keep it clean, if possible. 

Photo after the jump...

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For this being a slow Chicago Bears news day, I sure found some articles around the web to rile me up. Last year at this time, the Bears were every ‘experts’ pick to challenge for the NFC North title and maybe even a Super Bowl. All of this because we traded for quarterback Jay Cutler.

Well, we all know how the 2009 season went.

Now, a year later, and the Bears are not even a blip on the 2010 playoff radar. A team that looked awful at times last year, still found a way to win seven games and even when the season was all but over, beat two division rivals to close out the year.

This same 7-9 team has now added three immediate impact free agents and an offensive coordinator who understands what it takes to score in this league, Mike Martz. They have also added veteran offensive line coach Mike Tice who brings experience and respect to an o-line that under achieved last year.

Add that to the fact that veterans and team leaders Brian Urlacher, Olin Kreutz, Charles Tillman and Tommie Harris all seem to be fully recovered from the injuries that have hampered them for the last few seasons; to go along with the possibility of two new starting safeties (a position that killed the Bears last year), the young receiving group having a full year to get more familiar with Cutler and playing wide out in the NFL, and Cutler having the chance to show off his talents under the aforementioned offensive coordinator; the Bears have to better than last year, right?

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There is no offseason in the NFL anymore. If there is nothing to talk about, the league will find a way to make any announcment a huge event. Case in point, the announcement of where the 2014 Super Bowl will be held. After never playing a Super Bowl in a cold weather city that didn’t have a dome, the NFL has decided that Super Bowl XLVIII will be played in New York/New Jersey.

With this news, it begs to ask the question; "Will other cold weather cities now have a chance to host the Super Bowl?" or an even better question; "Will Soldier Field now have a chance to host the Super Bowl?"

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Well, PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears, you got your wish. Here is a snapshot from this past weekend's first Bears minicamp of 2010. The difficulty factor on this one -- say what you will about the two star players in the foreground, but please let us know what Lovie is thinking, doing, yelling, whatever in the background. Have fun.

Go 'Hawks!

The first of a few player cuts is upon us. All NFL teams must only have 80 players listed on the roster before the teams’ first minicamp. 

The Chicago Bears currently have 81 players in house, with the imminent signings of top draft picks Major Wright, Corey Wootton and Dan LeFevour, the Bears will have to choose one guy out of 81 to pack up and vacate Halas Hall before this weekend’s minicamp.

So who will it be?

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