They deserved It

Way back, when the Bulls were averaging 70 wins a season, we were watching them take on the Pacers- and the Bulls looked off. The whole game they looked like they were playing @ 70%, and although we were thinking they would win the game, Jackson made the remark that "maybe this is just one of those games they will lose." It just happens, sometimes - the best team on the court that nite wasn't the to be 87-13 Bulls champs, it was the Pacers. Last nite = No question, although the clear superior team the first 18 games of the season was the Patriots, it's now very clear that the best team for the last four games of the year was the Giants.

From the beginning of the Super Bowl, they were the better team. One kept waiting not only for New England to wake up from the stupor they were playing in the whole game but for the Giants to start to make mistakes that would take them out of the game. But the huge Giant drive in the first quarter made the statement : we're gonna play this down to the last second.

Although this wasn't as big a upset as the Jets in '69, I would rank it as the second biggest upset in SuperBowl history. The fact that the dynasty unbeaten Patriots were beaten to a team that many thought was , @ best, the third best team in the weaker conference.

Not anymore.

My two favourite moments in the game was the shot of the brother Manning up in the box seats celebrating his brothers 45 yard completion to Boss in the third quarter. One look and it was appearnt that he knew the giants had a chance, as long as plays like this were being made. And although I bring this up to show how the confidence was building on the Giants side as the game when on - hey, we can do this- I will freely acknowledge that I was more touched by the very obvious family love on display. Although his season was over, it was very obvious who he was pulling for. It wasn't his team playing, but you could see how invested in this game Peyton Manning was.

My other favourite shot was one of the Giants line before their final drive started. It was a quick shot, but you could see they were bucking each other up; and again, one could see the confidence. So, although I - along with 18 out of 18 reportes from dcs, The Sun Times, and the Tribune - picked New England to win it - by the time the Super Bowl Champs got the ball for their final drive, everyone was believing.

Bowl Anarchy Society

We take note of L.S.U.'s win against Ohio State in the final bowl game of the 2007 NCAA season. We also note that they can now claim the 'mythical' college championship for this year. Too bad they can't ACTUALLY claim the 2007 NCAA championship, because there is no way to fairly claim the championship these days.

But maybe babysteps are on the way. The important news is not the result of one of the bowl games, no matter how highly touted as a "championship", but rather the possibilty of a four team" after the bowls" playoff. Not exactly what the public needs and deserves - @ least 16 teams, please- but a start.

once more into the breach

One of the most reviled successful QB's- in terms of regular season winning percentage- is back @ the helm of the Bears. Welcome back Kyle Orten to taking snaps on the Bears. Since Rex came back in the last game of the year in 2005 to reclaim the starting job, Orten hasn't had a snap during a game that counts.

Although we know he was deeply over matched as a rookie in 2005, he did lead the Bears to a 10-5 record. However, he did so so comically that it is hard to take him seriously as a starter- or even as a third stringer. You think Rex looked bad when he is in the bad Rex mode? Shit, you'd have to tag Orten as Stunningly Shockingly Horrible Orten. But, two years later, he's back. And I, for one, welcome him back.


Oh, but there is a problem: there is still a season to go. I know that the Bears are 5-8, but they are only two games out of a playoff spot. Playing the third stringer- well, he's second on the depth chart rite now- means that the white flag is being raised. However, even though I am Diehard Hilts, I fully realise that this year the team is probably not gonna beat the Colts or Patriots, or even the Giants or the 1976 Tampa Bay Buc's, so I'm more than willing to give him a shot.

But: does he have a future in the NFL? He has worked in the Bears system for three years now, and there are a lot of familiar faces around him. Presumably he has grown - but we don't know. So, I will be interested Sunday, and not just during Hestertime. I have a feeling we are going to witness the second coming of Henry Burris- or, rather, the second coming of Kyle Orten- and I think we will get the same results.

I always felt bad for any of the Bears when they turn up laughingly bad. Hopefully he has used his two years in the wilderness to good effect. We'll see. I hope he stuffs it in my face and comes up with a decent game. It is baby Drax's first Bears game, after all.

the dcs selection show

This here's the first dcs selection show for the Revolutionary Workers International People's College Football Tournement.

We had to fite for this. And yes, that's Chemical Man in the role of a lifetime.

I worked a long time on this. Please let it run the entire 5m.

Bowl Anarchy Society

There will be no Extra Point
Written by Le Roux

For this post, I had all sorts of hostile accusations, bitter dununciations, and other arguments and asides denounciung the BCS sorta shit, but the final day of the year came through for us= in effect, the BCS dug it's own grave this year.

So, going into the Saturday, we were hoping for an Oklahoma win over #1 Missouri in the Big 12 title game and a Pittsburgh win over #2 West Virginia. I figured that Oklahoma would win, but only the tenor of the season so far would give anybody hope for a Pitt win.

So, imagine our deep excitement in the dcs circuits Saturday nite watching the updates on the Pitt- West Virginia game during the Oklahoma- especially with it 13-7 late. Having both of these games go the way we wanted them was insanely great. And, to top it all off, Hawaii finished undeafeated.

So, gloat we will. One loss Ohio State and two loss L.S.U. are in the "Championship" game for the BCS. And we ask:
What about Oklahoma, also only TWO LOSSES? Ditto Georgia, Virginia Tech, USC, and Missouri?
What about Kansas, with ONE LOSS?
And I'll even say: What about Hawaii, with NO LOSSES?

If the regular season means so much, how come the one and only team to survive it UNDEFEATED is not playing in the BCS title game?

Because the BCS SUCKS. And after seeing what this wreck-shit offers us this year and years and years before, we are now petitioning the NCAA to fix the system and stop cheating us out of our football season. Fuck the fat cat tourist travel representives
who are the only people who want the bowl system the way it is.

We want it fixed, and we what it now.

To-morrow= the Bowl Anarchy Society switches to it's post revolutionary organizational name, the People's Revolutionary Football Playoff System will reveal it's playoff system, and on Wednesday, be prepared for the dcs show detailing the picks. Rumours has it that Comrade Mustberger will be involved.

Viva la Revolution!!

We Remember

We Celebrate

We Believe

there will be

no

extra point

Devin Hester, the next president of the United States of America

With a notable exception or two, the Bears looked like shit against the Broncos. Probably most alarming was the great gaps in the defense. Seven yard run here, 65 yard pass there, 432 yard run everywhere. The offense looked anemic as well- until the end. When Rex lost a fumble in the fourth with the Bears down 14, it surely looked over. Sometimes a team can hang around for an entire game even being outplayed, and deservedly win it in the end. I really can't say that in this game.

A clear chain of impossible events conspired to keep this season alive- for another week at least. Hall of Fames two kick returns for TD's were obvious points of divine intervention. The blocked punt. Adrian Peterson was stopped short of the goal line- but then the Bears' lines push wasn't whistled dead until the ball was in the end zone. And the final drive was kept alive with a ' very lucky to be called ' penalty on fourth down and one of the most spectacular and clutch touchdown catches in N.F.L. history by Bernard Berrian. And: nice pass, Rex- is this not a sign of God's help ??

And what are we to make of Hall of Fame? He had an NFL record six returns last year, plus another TD on the longest play in NFL history -the 108 yard missed field goal run back- and the KO return in the Super Bowl- the fastest points ever scored in the Super Bowl. That's eight last year - and four this year. He has more TD returns than Billie "White Shoes" Johnson and Gale Sayers. And his rate of TD/returns is the highest in NFL history. I believe that if he retired today, he should immediately be enshrined in Canton. What- there's ever been better??

More than anything, it was Hall of Fame that kept the patient alive. The Bears wanted to let it get away, but he brought them back. He didn't allow the Broncos get away. On the Tillman punt block, I thought right away that that ' fear of a Hester planet ' somehow made the block possible- later views on the Sunday nite recap shows shows that to be correct. It was way more than just him, but a supreme player elevates those around him. What time is Sunday's kickoff??

And the playoffs are still in reach. Waited forever for the Sox this past season, and am waiting still for the Bulls. But maybe just maybe they can stay alive this season and turn a corner. As it is, they are tied with six other teams at one game out of the wild card position. Many have said the Bears will have to win out, but It's possible nine wins will do.

The Giants are next. They are 7-4, but were just beaten by the Vikings. The Bears mite be able to do it next week. The Bears also have to play Green bay, who has only one loss (to the Bears) this year. The other games are winnable- but only if the Bears can start to win. They haven't won two games in a row this year, and nothing (other than miracles) suggests they can again. But there is still life.

HALL

OF

FAME

Bowl Anarchy Society

written by Le Roux

It's come down to the last week of the season, and our hopes for a clear cut picture that exactly shows how bankrupt the BCS system is doesn't seem likely. Unless there is @ least one major upset next week, the lap dogs in the NCAA will attempt to claim victory for its shit caked system. However, there has now been 12 upsets of a top 5 team by an unranked opponent SO FAR this year, so we still watch with interest.

There were two major upsets this weekend. The major one, of course, was the triple OT 50-48 Arkansas win over then #1 LSU. With 2 losses, it seems LSU has no argument for the title game....unless.... The other 'upset' was less major- former #1 USC beat former #7 Arizona State, giving them two losses. They also are out....unless...... And the best game of the weekend was the Big 12 North match up that lead to now 11-1 Missouri beating formerly undefeated Kansas. That leaves four teams with one loss, although West Virginia and Missouri play a last game next week.

Our hopes depend on the outcomes of these two games. Unranked Pittsburgh -v- AP#2 West Virginia is the most important, and boy do we need an upset. West Virginia, like Ohio State, has no conference championship game. Unless they lose to Pitt next week, we are stuck with a title game of Ohio State and West Virginia. The other game is the Big 12 title game between Missouri and Oklahoma (10-2). Both games start around 7pm Saturday nite, and by 11 we should know.

What the Bowl Anarchy Society are hoping for this last weekend is a massive Pitt upset of West Virginia. If this unlikely event happens, then we hope that Oklahoma beats Missouri in the Big 12 title game. This will give us two teams- Ohio State and Kansas- with one loss. Since Kansas didn't even play in their conferences title game, that will tarnish the BCS game. However, if West Virginia wins, our only hope is to claim "What about Kansas?" and the ultimate card= what about Hawaii ??

Hopefully, it will not come to that. But we are ready to deal with the BCS by any means necessary.

.............................................................................................

On Friday, I will run a special pre- conference championship Bowl Anarchy Society. Here is where I will outline my plan for the NCAA 16 team playoff the good people of America deserves. Next Monday I will return again with the matchups..... that the good people of America deserve.

The N.I.T of the I.H.S.A.

Congrats to St. Rita football team for thei 31-7 pounding of Morgan Park H.S. in todays Prep Bowl at Soldiers Field. This is the fourth Prep Bowl win in St. Rita's hisory, and their first since 1977. It's always best to end the season on a victory, and St. Rita can close it's books on a semi succesful season. QB Jason Kafka (left) was the star- 181yards on eight carries, including runs of 58 yards and a TD run of 85.

In addition to Kafka, there were many other Mustang hero's. D'Marcus Dullen and Daniel Dispensa also scored on runs. Three had two interceptions each- Alex Vitkauskas, Tim Nicholas, and Gerald Tonio. And superb kicker Steve Flaherty started the scoring with a 26yd field goal.

But the win for the 10-4 St. Rita Mustangs can only be described as 'bittersweet'. St. Rita was the defending 7A State champion (as opposed to what they won today, the Prep Bowl champion), and hopes were high for a repeat in August. With the #1 state ranking, a USA Today national ranking, and many seniors returning, another run to the crown was anticipted. But it just didn't turn out that way this year. St. Rita plays in the toughest high school football conference in the nation, the Catholic Blue. Every team in the Blue made the playoffs this year. Rita lost to Mt. Carmel, Loyola, and Br. Rice - all tough teams. Despite the harsh schedule, they finished 6-3 and made the state playoffs. St. Rita advanced into the second round to meet #1 ranked and undefeated Wheaton Warrenville South. Leading by two touchdowns in the third quarter, it looked like they mite upset Wheaton. It was not to be.

But their does exist an out for Catholic and Public League teams in the form of the Prep Bowl. Back before the state playoffs existed, the champions of the Catholic League and the Public league played each other each November. Since the advent of the state post season system, the Prep Bowl has lost a lot of stature. Much like the N.I.T of NCAA basketball, the Prep Bowl takes those teams who didn't qualify for the state playoffs and those teams who lost in the first two rounds of the state playoffs. In other words, although yr still playing football in late November, a team like St. Rita would much rather be playing in the state championships- like they were last year.

However, this years Prep Bowl was the 74th year of a tradition that has drawn as much as 120,000 fans to Soldiers Field in the 1930's and attracted national attention for the famous 'national champion' 1963 St. Rita team. To take part in this Chicago tradition is still a treat. Playing in a televised game @ Soldiers Field in Week 14 against good competition isn't all that bad. Although last years championship was rightfully celebrated, this years lesser championship will nonetheless once again put Rita's name on a championship trophy and another banner in the gym. St. Rita students a hundred years from now will look up to that banner during an assembly or a basketball game and wonder about those who came before to represent them @ Soldiers Field way back in November 2007.

Go Rita Go!

Watch the highlites here.

The Bowl Anarchy Society

Written by Le Roux

The sys tem

Fuck it- the current way of crowning a NCAA football champion suxx, and it should be done in with w/ a playoff system to determine a champion- just like every other level of football in college- and in high school- and in grammer school- and just like EVERY OTHER SPORT IN AMERICA. For me, there is no credibility in NCAA Division 1 football, since the champion is never decided on the field. For me, the current system is like throwing dice- the champion under the BCS system is the one of two teams who gets selected by a variety of sports writers and computers programs. There is no way of determining the true champion in a really unfettered way until everyone wises up and flushes the BCS into the sewer.

For monetary reasons - or whatever other excuses the BCS fools have managed to sadly create the current 'manufactured consent' in the public - we get stuck with this fucking crap. Enough. Lets determine the champion through palying, and not via the computer.

This week end

Well, what am I supposed to say? I'm scared? Maybe. Two great upsets this weekend. I love it-but there is a downside. The upsets may give a "Weapons of Mass Destruction" type dishonest arguing point to the Jokers who tout the BCS when there happens to be only two teams that seem to be the absolute best. With so many upsets this year, there may be just two teams with one or none losses this year that the fools can point to and say "HEY- BCS WORKS". Never. BCS is a deeply rotten system held aloft only by the various bowl committees who want it to cntinue.

But I'll also admit, that for our purposes, the revolutionaries in The Bowl Anarchy Society were resplendent with joy over the dual upsets this weekend: AP #2 Oregon lost on Thursday nite to Arizona 34-24, and on Saturday Nite Texas Tech ran up a huge lead in the first half and held on over AP #3 Oklahoma. Oregon and Oklahoma now have two losses, and that dwindles the field of possible national contenders to six........or is it eight? We love the fact that there has been deep anarchy @ the top of the college football polls, and we hope it continues to show up the BCS bowl system as the piece of shit fakery to real competition that it has always been.

Well, what am I supposed to say? I'm scared that the WMD crowd can continue their manufacturing ? Maybe. But I'll also admit, that for our purposes, The Bowl Anarchy Society were happy over the dual upsets this weekend: AP #2 Oregon lost on Thursday nite to Arizona 34-24, and on Saturday Nite Texas tech ran up a huge lead in the first half and held on over #3 Oklahoma. Oregon and Oklahoma now have two losses, and that dwindles the field of possible national contenders to six........or is it eight? We love the fact that there has been deep anarchy @ the top of the college football polls, and we hope it continues to show up the BCS bowl system as the piece of shit fakery to real competition that it has always been.

If you want the truth, I think the best two are LSU and Ohio State. And, if upsets continue, they may meet for the one off BCS championship. But more likely, it may produce an LSU -v- Missouri or West Virginia. If that happens, fuck all of you who keep this rot alive. The BCS and its crowd deserves it.

Me? I'm hoping for that dual championsip to yet again rear its lovely head. But you know what? Just like 50m people voted for Bush in 2004- Americans, believe it or not, voted for that guy- there will be similar types who keep insisting that BCS is the way to go.

I want a true national champion- not whatever two teams the computers have attempted to manufacture consent over.

Next Week

On Thursday, #7 Arizona State (9-1) plays still dangerous USC, and I believe USC will win. AP #2 Kansas and #4 Missouri meet this week to determine the winner of the Big 12 North Division. Kansas is 11-0 and Missouri is 10-1. The winner will play in the Big 12 championship in December. For our hopes, it would be nice to see Missouri win this game and then lose in the Big 12 title game. That would give both teams 2 losses. LSU, West Virginia, and Ohio State all have one loss.

The plan is to get all of the above teams 2 losses- that would mean that 20 teams or so would have a legitimate argument for inclusion into the BCS title game.

We're rooting for Anarchy.

Bowl Anarchy Society

The spectre of the dual National Champion 'rears its beautiful head'

There comes a time in our mission to strew anarchy across college football and destroy the bowl system root and branch when our rooting each week for giant upsets becomes possibly counter productive. The down side of weekly upsets is that the BCS system actually tends to make sense once every five years (at least not be majorly unfair), and to destroy this system, we must make sure it never makes sense. We wish to make sure that there is no clear cut choice of only two teams with a legitimate claim to the title game. For now, we feel secure in the validity of our claims will be see by all @ this point in the season- but things can change.

This week is a great example of the duality of our wishes: down again goes the #1 team in the nation- this time, our assassin was Illinois in its 28-21 upset of formerly unbeaten Ohio State. Boston College lost for the second week in a row and dropped them out of any possible hope for a BCS bowl. These two losses leave seven teams with one loss and one with none- Kansas*. So far , so good- eight teams with a good claim.

NCAA football expert John Suanders told the national television audience in the minutes after the Ohio State upsets that he believed there “could be a split national championship this year.” This sense of anarchy about having no satisfactory system of crowning a champion continues and hopefully will last until the end of the season. Good- fuck this system!

But with Missouri (9-1) at Kansas (10-0) on 24 November and the winner probably playing Oklahoma (9-1) in the Big 12 title game, two more teams will fall out of the BCS race with a loss. That will leave six teams with a legitimate claim to the BCS title game. Any more upsets can potentially whittle the field down to just two one or no loss teams- a public relations disaster for our side. However, all in all, we stand committed to a continued campaign of upsets in the hopes that there will be no teams without at last two losses. But- even if only two teams remain with one loss and meet in the BCS title game, we still despise this horrible system for settling a “national champion”. Do it like every other level of football or indeed every sort in the NCAA- by a playoff. Fuck the bowls!

This week brings more upsets chances. Ohio State, still with only one loss and currently #7 in the AP, plays @ # 23 Michigan. AP #5 West Virginia plays @ #21 Cincinnati (8-2), and Oklahoma plays @ Texas Tech (7-4). Although I warned all readers last week to watch for a possible upset in the Ohio State - Illinois game, I don’t see any upsets this week. However, Ohio State was the NINTH team this system to be upset by an unranked team, so whom knows what will happen. Check back here next week.
……………………………….............................................
*= not included in that count for now includes 9-0 Hawaii and 9-1 Boise State. I’ll handle their case later.

Death to the Bull Chit Series

Written by the Bowl Anachrist

Well, it could have been a better weekend for those of us interested in totally destroying the shitty bowl system the NCAA has shackeled us to, but when two of the top four in the BCS rankings lose, it can't be all that bad. We remain: interested in the replacement of the current bowl system by a 16 team playoff in NCAA football. We agitate and celebrate: losses and upsets and other factors that always make the BCS system look like what it is:

SHIT

The gimmie loss was Arizona State losing to Oregon. They were 4 and 5 in the BCS, so one high team or the other had to lose. They are both now 8-1. In retrospect it may have been better for our purposes for Oregon to lose- that would have given them 2 losses, whearas Arizona State still has to play USC and may well lose that game.

I figured that Boston College could not go undefeated this year, and they didn't. Normally I would totally root for B.C. against any of the Florida teams, but not this year.

The big excitement was the almost upset of LSU at Alabama. Double T.D.'s in the last three minutes- one helped by a fucking stupid ass fumble- allowed LSU to stay alive in the BCS chase.

And what about Kansas. Still another undefeated team we have to worry about, and fuck what a number they did on Nebraska.

So, as it stands now, Ohio State is a clear #1. We have to hope that there are too many questions as to who they should play in the BCS title game that its creditability will drop even further. Hopefully, we can have another split championship season. LSU is #2, but there are also six other one loss teams as well as another undefeated team. We still have a lot of work to go.

Best hopes this week for an upset, I hate to say, rests with Illinois -v- Ohio State. Hopefully something is out there to further fuck up the system.

Till next week-

DEATH TO THE BOWLS !!!

Fostering chaos for the Way forward

Did you miss any of the games in the football playoffs over the week end? There were some blow outs- one brackets #1 seeded team beat the #16 seed 48-7 and another won 41-0; but one #16 beat a #1 16-0. Although there were no overtime games in these brackets, there were plenty of close games: 13-7, 13-7, 14-7, 14-7, as well as 14-7. The second round will bring a #12 v -#13 game, a #14 v #6, and a #16- v #9.

Which football playoffs? It was the first round of the Illinois State High School football playoffs: eight different classes with 32 teams each. Like the NCAA basketball tournament - or, indeed, any NCAA sport except Division I Football, which has no playoff - there is a lot of cross mingling of teams that normally wouldn’t play each other in the regular season facing off in the post season. And this for the rite to go on challenge another strange team in the next round. The delicious aspect of the unknown beckons @ each new level of the playoffs- unless there is a rematch of a regular season game. The excitement of a rematch between two foes can be great. And sometimes a game can be between two area teams that normally do not play because they are in different leagues. I want the same sense of excitement the Illinois playoffs

I bring all this up because of my deep hatred of the NCAA’s cheap ass system of bowl games that farcicates (I know, language polizi- I apologize) ruins the end of each beautiful division I system. The stupid system where numbers are fed through computers to come up with a #1- v #2 end of the season match has worked a few times in the past few years, but has also led to some laughable - and often deeply unfair- matchups in the past. Later in the season I will proffer my idea for a playoff - but one of my arguments will enshrine what I have written about in the first two paragraphs above.

In my campaign to destroy the bowl system root and stem and branch, I will be presenting arguments from time to time against this foul and dirty system. As it is now, There are five unbeaten Div. I teams left: #1 Ohio State, #2 Boston College, #7 Arizona State, #12 Kansas, and #16 Hawaii. #’s 3-6 teams LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, and West Virginia all have one loss. All of these teams are still seemingly in the hunt for a the BCS #1 v #2 matchup, and to varying degrees I hope all of them lose or otherwise make the annual farce that is the Title game selection impossible not to be shown to be deeply arbitrary and unfair. Now, do not get me wrong- there have been good and correct matchups in the BCS title games of the past- but usually one or more teams are screwed each year.

This week we can fuck up one of the above teams fer sure; #5 Oregon(7-1) plays #7 Arizona State (7-0). And in all other games, lets get some more great upsets. The more misery @ the top, the better the for righteousness to grab its riteful place. Lets go Wisconsin and GASP!: am I rooting for Florida Sate v. Boston College?

This week, why yes.

The minute fiftyseven drill

Only watched the second half of the Bears game, but liked several things from what I saw.

The defense held. Although Philly got a T.D. late, the defense didn't fall apart in the second half. It was a tough game, but they held their own till the end.

Cedric Bensen looked like he was a running back in the second half. he was running with spirit and hitting the holes. Final stats indicate only 46 yards on 17 carries and one catch for 19 yards (terrible), but I like the way he looked running.

The "anti Hester policy" deployed by teams to avoid kicking to him. He was become such a World Historical Force in football these past 22 games or whatever that teams have finally started to avoid him completely in the kicking game. He had no returns at all- but for the Bears, it wasn't all bad= when they kick to avoid Hester, invariably the Bears got great field position. I love to watch Hester run, so that sucked- but getting the ball on the 4o was great too. It'll be offset a bit by his continued and growing use in the offense. When he knows all the plays by heart (give'm some time!), he'll be silly dangerous on every play. We're lucky we have him.

Gotta love the winning drive. The Eagles have a pretty good D, and it was a relief to see the offense MOVE when it HAD TO. Great confience in Griese that was missing from Rex.

Dicey win, but something to build on.

Is it time yet ??

Although my two favourite NCAA football teams, Northern Illinois and Notre Dame, are currently riding on one win seasons, I'm still thrilled by this football season. It's a negative thrill: I hate the BCS system. Just hate it. Anything that fuxx it up I love. So far, this has been a great season. The last few weeks have seen a dizzying rate of destruction amongst the top teams.

There are still six unbeaten top division teams, although most attention has been given to the top three; Ohio State, South Florida, and Boston College. Ohio State has had a log and proud history in football, but the other two are upstarts- S.F particularly.

I'm not so sure any of these teams will remain unbeated @ the end of the regualr season. We most likely will have 8-10 one loss teams all having a claim to the title game. The computers and coaches polls will ferret out two teams that will claim to be the best matchup, but that's totally debateable. I understand that any playoff system will have to pick some teams in the field, but better pick the top 16 or eight and be wrong than pick ONLY TWO.

Every year there appears logical and real arguments for a playoff. When the regular season ends I will revisit this with my own 16 team plan and matchups. Until then, watch the regular season play out.

ARRRRRGH !!!

Well, they didn't look so bad that first half, did they?

What worries me most is the beating up of the defense in the second half. I'm used to Rex being, well, Rex: but even though the Bears struggles the first two games, the D held up.

But, and I hate to say it: they looked like a beaten team that was deserving of the 3TD + beatdown. W/ 10m left, they looked like they wanted to quit. The last ten minutes were all quit.

And the injuries. The entire 53 man roster will be out in 3.4 weeks, @ the present rate. Nitemare!! Key players lefat and center and rite, all shipped off to the hospital. And I haven't really even brought up Rex.

REX!! Fuck, I have no clue. I'm always a "Let'm try, he'll work it out!" If I had my tepid way, Bobby Douglas would still be the Bears starter. However, I'm not sure greasycat is the answer anymore than Rex.

we'll see next week, now not expecting the Bears to win but hoping some miricles come our way.

Yeesh!!

In praise of Rex

Bad Rex was on display in front of the world wide audience, and the team paid for it. He sucked. We lost. But, just give him some time. I believe it may be well worth our while. The question is : if we had Luckman or Nameth or even Jimmy Mac, would we have won the Super Bowl? Maybe (even probably), but these types of payers do not grow on trees.

Given Rex's total playing time of 23 games (my constant harp this year), I'm willing to wait another year for him to develop. Rex needs time to grow, and shouldn't be judged wholly on these 23 games. He looked terrible in some, but he also looked great in others. Given that some of his great games were against shitty teams, but he had enough to show me some promise.

But do the Bears have time? Jackson has posted in these pages that 2006 may have been this generations shot @ the Super Bowl. Very maybe. In todays NFL, teams seem to be good for 2-3 years before they fade. The Bears the last two years have been very good, and that was playing with less than a full QB. The Bears may be in the mix again next year, and another full year of a healthy Rex can only be good for the Bears.

Go elsewhere? They did have a 'good' year without Rex last year, which is kind of damning towards Rex; in the regular season he was not much better than Kyle Orton record wise. maybe the solution is to make a trade, start Griese, or draft someone new. But I've seen more than enough from Rex to say Lets try again next year. Another years seasoning will do him good. And, hopefully, our memories of Super Rex will begin.

No way !!

Well, it was the best team that won. The Colts, best team from a strong AFC, proved that they were way too much for the best team in a weak NFC. After a brief bit of hope in the first quarter, the dominant team showed who deserved it. The Bears did they best they could, fighting off the inevitable until a late in the game. In this way, just hanging around hoping to accomplish a miracle, the Bears actually did quite well. Before the game, I posted a few items that Da Bears would have to accomplish if they were to win.
Let's review:

What Went Wrong

Beat up the Colts.
Never happened. It was the fourth quarter before the defensive line finally got to Manning. Otherwise, there was next to no pressure on him. Thomas Jones had some nice runs, but overall, line play on both sides of the ball went to the Colts. Any chance for the miracle would have meant decisively winning this battle.

Bad Rex.
Great. We hoped. My favourite line of the night was said by me in the fourth quarter: O.K. everybody, this is the drive that we will always remember as the real start of Rex's Hall of Fame Career! After the fumble or interception or whatever badrexplay that immediately followed my pronouncement, the next line was I hope this is not the drive that we will always remember Rex's career by. Rex was terrible. Better than Orton would have been, but just terrible. Fumbles, interceptions, and no leadership. I'm sticking by Rex for next year, but what a shitty game yesterday.

Turnovers.
Too many. Bad situations. The only hope was for it to all fall the Bears way. Not yesterday. The early interception of Manning gave a lot of hope to Bear fans, but he settled down.

What Went Right

Keep it Close.
What can you say? As badly overplayed as they were, they were in a position to win the game near the end if things went right. They were only down by two at half despite indications that things were headed south. The Bears needed to keep it close, and they accomplished that. A wicked hit on Manning, a fumble, interception, bad call or missed tackle etc... and the Bears might have just pulled off the miracle. As it turned out, when it came time for a championship caliber team to stand up, it was all Colts. But as sloppy as they played the entire game, it was only with four minutes left or so where it became obvious no miracle would happen. They did the best they could.

Special Teams.
We got what we wanted out of Hester. We couldn't've asked for two or three td's from him. Gould did well. And Vintieri actually missed a Super Bowl kick. For awhile, these items may have looked like possible signs of an upset. In the end, they were just isolated incidents early in the game, signifying nothing. Just wasn't enough.

In the end, the magic the Bears needed just wasn't in the air. They needed a lot to go rite, and it didn't. They pushed it for awhile, but in the end it was a mismatch.

Yes way.

No way !!

Yes way:
I think the Bears have a chance in the Super Bowl. I even think chances are more or less equal for both teams. Maybe I'm just the biggest homer outside of Springfield, but I'm not buying into the notion that Da Bears are the quaking underdogs that should be shivering under their angry masters rolled up newspaper.

Well, for one, how about statistics that point to Da Bears 10th NFL title? Consider what’s on the Scores website : a system that has supposedly been a correct predictor in 14 of the past 16 Super Bowl. According to this system, 12 categories are compared, and whoever has led the other in more of them in the regular season wins the title. Categories include such indicators as rushing yards, point deferential, opponent total yards, etc… this system has Da Bears leading 9-2 and one tie. A team like the Bears leading in nine categories has won 15 of the last 18 games.

And then there is today’s New York Times article by Mike Smith, who indicates that in recent Super Bowl history, the generally held theory that ‘defense wins championships’ has held. This holds even in games that feature good defenses against high powered offenses. This seems to favour the Bears fifth ranked D vs. the Colts third ranked O.

But statistics can be made lap dogs for anyone with an argument to push : isn’t the Bush administration attempting to tout the economy these days to show its competence? Similar handling of statistics show that Rex has a 2006 playoff QB rating almost ten points better than Manning. However, the point of my argument is is that this game will be competitive, point spread be damned. And yes, Da bears can win.

Beat up other team.

This is not a call to play dirty, but a call to play the game its meant to be played. Football is a sport where it is of the utmost importance to physically dominate the other team. One has to pound on the other team for 3 1/2 hours in order to assert its will. This means hitting the other players hard enough and consistently enough where they will be taken off their game. This way several things happen : the opposing team is worn down. They may get injuries. They become tired from having to exert themselves so much. And they get the mindset that whatever they do, a big hit is coming their way. Lets hope the Bears Tyson them. This is most important when it comes to the sumo crew on the line. Games are won through the strength of the lines. It will be most important for the Bears to do well on both sides of the line.

On defense, if the Bears can get in and put some hurt cycles on Manning, he becomes less of the awesome danger he is. Lets get him aching and thinking. We need to see him being pressured when he drops back to pass. We need to see the blitz hounding him. And the Colts running game must be halted.

On offense, Rex needs the time to be comfortable. How many bad Rex plays have been when he made a bad decision while scrambling for his life? Then think how much like a pro QB when he has the time to confidently throw downfield. We also need to see Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson having lanes to run. Lets control the offensive line!

Good Rex.

And Rex should have not just a good game; he has to play worthy of Super bowl champion QB. He must, of course avoid a QB rating in the 23’s and the 10’s, and especially the 1’s and 0’s. Especially that sort of game. But he must show more: this is the Super Bowl. He’s started 26 games in the NFL now (this is his fourth playoff start), and he has shown flashes of leadership @ different times this year. We got to get a full game from him.

The defense must control the Colts offense so they do not go wild.

No doubt, the D has a tough job to do. The DCS staff have written already about the non-inviolability of this fifth ranked defense. But in this most Super of games, they must not resemble voile. Control the Colts line. The secondary must have a great day against the Colts passing game. Tough, tough, tough; but it’s doable.

Special team have to come up big.

Both team have excellent kickers. Adam Vintieri is in his element, but Robbie Gould has also had a great year. Punting and kick coverage should go the Bears way. A big wild card is Devin Hester. The Colts coverage has been suspect, so look to Hester to make some magic happen. Avoid fumbles !! Hopefully, when we think back to on Hester this season years from now, it will be on his spectacular game in the super bowl. It can happen. And maybe not on a kick return : i’m waiting for him to get some plays on offense, or maybe a fumble return or interception.

Finally, who knows where this game will take us?
Who will be the star of the game; will it be Hester or Manning or Urlacher or…………..someone we haven’t concentrated on so far this year. Who knows?

So:
Keep it close in the first half.
Beat up on the Colts.
Pressure on manning and good coverage in the secondary.
Rex
Hester.
Make turnovers happen.
Start showing signs of dominance in the third quarter.
Play hard till the end.

Baaaeeerrrzzz : 26-20.