ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

Brian has concerns that Chad Hutchison isn't going to be better than Craig Krenzel. I don't think we can get too excited about any of the 3 remaining QBs we have. Krenzel is out of OSU, and from what I recall of his college days he has a marshmallow arm. The Hutch on the other hand seems to have fallen into that “great athelete” bin at Wal-Mart. We got him at a discount. He was a two sport athelete (buy one get one free) who showed he can suck at baseball almost as much as he sucked in football. I can just see it. He is sitting at Jim Miller's house drinking some beers, playing some poker with Miller, Cade McNown, and Jeff George. Akili Smith is probably on his way over with the new Madden 2005 in hopes of proving he hasn't been run out of the league...then the phone rings, and its Angelo. (turns out Miller got a job with the Pats -- huh, who would have thought that could happen...)

Friends around here remind me that Krenzel is another “unknown” Big-Ten quarterback who could blossom into the next Tom Brady. Shhhh! Don't let that secret out! If you believe that, I would like to also convince you that the path to happiness can be found leading to the Coors Light Twins. Wait. That is actually TRUE.

There is no way in hell these guys are anything more than journeymen. Then again, I am the guy who mocked Jack Delhomme last year when his name came up as a free agent signing. It's a good thing I just write a crap blog instead of running da Bears.

Of course, me and the Twins believe that there isn't anything a six pack of Coors Light and a copy of Madden 2005 can't fix when it comes to running a football team. If it was my task to figure out which of these guys is the next great back up -- I would throw each of them into the fire and figure out who can handle it. But wait, I have one more bit of good news for Krenzel fans out there. Lovie could go bonkers and decide to run that 2 QB offense. Isn't that the same offense Krenzel ran at OSU? It should make him feel comfortable just knowing we aren't that far removed from the good ole days....

Final thought -- Brian is right. I neglected the O-Line. I seriously have not talked this group up enough. So here goes: The O-Line is FANTASTIC. Seriously. They have done everything we expected them to do, and more. Their run blocking and pass protection both have been equally great. Grossman had plenty of time to make reads and to actually sling a few deep balls in the first three games, but more importantly the running game of T-Jones is leading the NFC. In the immortal words of Dan Marino, I grant some Isotoners gloves to the hands that take care of me! Strong work fellas.

I know I am a day late on this, but there is good reason. I was actually in a car driving back to the Chi during the game this past Sunday. So I did not have the privelage of watching our young defense handle Randy Moss. But don't worry -- while I didn't see the game live (shame on me, I know) I did listen to the radio, and eventually watched hours of recaps. So lets start

• Defense -- What is there to say? We are hurting bad. Urlacher was out with that hammy injury from earlier this training camp. Our cornerbacks were from either the second or even third position in the depth chart. This includes McQuarters in my book. Randy Moss scored 2 touchdowns. You think the dreadlocked wonder would be able to TURN AROUND! Jeez, Moss makes most people look dumb -- he makes McQuarters look just plain bad. The fantastic news on the defense is that Wally had a break out game. This guy is a monster. Takeaways, hurries, a few sacks. A complete and utter monster. I am so happy we made this trade -- yes, even after just this one good performance. We need to stop the run better...but our bend don't break defense is a good start.
• Offense -- What can I say about the offense. Thomas Jones leads the NFC in rushing. He is the the running back advertised by Angelo. Kudos to the GM for going with “his guy“. There is a potential catch with signing Angello's Guys -- specifically our signing of a replacement QB for Rex Grossman. We lost Rex to that most evil substance on the planet -- TURF. Rex, with only six games was showing that he can lead a team very well on the field. Losing him pretty much has tanked our season. We didn't  see Rex throw any touchdowns, but he didnt throw and picks either. The leading receiver was Jones -- see a pattern here?
• Special Teams -- It would be nice to get a real return man on the team. This is the one point of contention I have with Lovie. Berrian can't return kicks for much longer, but he insists on giving the kid a longer look. He was asked on his radio show this past Monday why we don't get Merrit back onto the team to return kicks -- Lovie simply stated that the team has gone into another direction. Edinger was 3/3 from field goal range. I hope he is back to his regular form. We didn't give up any long runs or any points to the Vikings in the kicking game, so a solid effort this week.
• Coaching  -- I gotta give it up to Terry Shea and Lovie Smith. Whatever they are doing in practice is working. This team plays hard for them. The rookies on defense did a very good job considering they were facing an offense that lead the NFL last year in most major categories. I honestly expected Randy Moss to have 4 touchdowns this week. The fact he only got two is a credit to the defense, and the coaching. And come on, how can you NOT pick Lovie over Mike Tice. Yuck.

There is a ton of stuff to cover about the outcome of this game. Especially with the loss of Grossman. It's going to be a busy week, but I want to get my thoughts down on the signing of Hutchinson to backup Quinn. I'll be back later tonight with a review of the latest Bears news as well as my thoughts on whether or not I agree with the Tribune's assesment that the Bears will be looking, yet again, to draft a QB this year. More to come

I opened the Trib today to read Pierson's column. He has a pretty good run down on the injuries from this past week's games. It is amazing how much I care about some of these other guys around the country. Is it because of my fantasy team? Perhaps. And while we are mentioning fantasy teams, you know its getting out of hand when CNBC is keeping score during the Power Lunch...looks like everyone on the set has a team. I hope they are doing better than me, I'm 0-2 for the record. Anyway, the point of this is I care about the injury report because I am shelling out a large sum of cash to have the NFL package on DirecTV. Last year was a disaster when Vick went out for the season. He is that much fun to watch. Plus, the ability to swap to another game during a Bears timeout is fantastic.

Anyway, lots of injuries this past week and I don't necessarily mean the Bears. The Steelers lost their QB, Tommy Maddox. The Ravens lost TE Todd Heap for a few weeks and it looks like Deuce McAllister is out four to six. Adjust your fantasy teams accordingly fellas.

The Bears, on the other hand, sustained horrible losses in Peanut Tillman and Mike Brown. I have confidence that the younger guys can step up. Urlacher will have to prove himself as the true leader of this defense now. I am confident that this year, unlike last year, he is more than prepared to take this responsibility head on.

Finally, I wanted to answer some questions from the comments section on our Game 2 recap.

• Daryl Jones is returning kicks because our special teams stink. I don't know what to tell you. I wouldn't put him back there, but I have a short fuse when it comes to stuff like returning kicks. Lovie gives him until next week, after that we make a move. Theres going out on a limb for ya.....
• I am holding off from calling Terrell a complete idiot. Especially since I think he will prove to be worth that draft pick we wasted on him...someday. As for why A-Train is coming in for 2 series in a row, the only reasons I can come up with are the obvious ones: They wanted to keep Jones fresh, and give him a small rest, and/or they are trying to get A-Train some carries because he is going to be traded. I would trade the A-Train. Especially after all the injuries to our defense. Free the guy and let him find his away on another team. Anyone want to trade him to Miami for that draft pick we gave them for Wally?
• Grossman. Ah, the modern day punky QB. Actually, he looks a little like a Vulcan doesn't he? Anyway -- Nathan you correctly identify that the float pass is part of his M.O. He did it when he was in Florida and he continues to do it in the pros. I think someone will correct that in him, and soon. But I don't think any of his interceptions have been that bad. Sure, it killed the drive and our hopes to win in Detroit, but we blew that game in many ways before it got to that point. At let us not forget, it was only his 5th start in the NFL...if that is the worst mistake this kid makes, we are in great shape.

And finally, before I get back to work -- I AM a Bears fan. I had to draft Favre because he was the best available at that time. Now, I am actually thinking about trading him. There are enough cheese heads in my league that it shouldn't be too hard to unload their messiah. Have a great week everyone.

My heart stopped there for a minute. It was when David Terrell fumbled that ball on that idiotic reverse in the 4th quarter. I swear my heart stopped. Every Bears fan I know was awash with that horrible feeling: “Oh no, not again”. I received text messages and calls from the faithful -- as if they were calling 911. There was good reason to be afraid. The last thing we wanted to do was give the ball back to the king of all Bears Killers, Favre. His name is uttered with respect most of the time around my house. I say most of the time because it is hard to drop an MF'er in the same sentence as his name and call that respect. Today was different. I didn't curse the TV out nearly as much as I did in previous Bears-Packers games. The simple fact was, we outplayed the Packers today. Outplayed. No doubt about it. We took it to them in their own house. I am not like most Bears fans. I can see the bigger picture here. I don't really care that we beat the Packers. I mean, I care. But this isn't our sole purpose. Our purpose is to win this division. It will be tough this year, but the consolation prize of beating the Pack isn't good enough anymore. I'll tell you why. We have a young quarterback who is poised and fearless. We have a defense that is starting to come together and play Lovie Smith type defense. We also have a running back that is as good as advertised. Finally, Terry Shea knows how to call an offensive game. This year is already more fun to watch than last years crap Shoop offense. Enough of schmooze -- let's get to this weeks break down, shall we?

1. Offense -- Grossman throws one TD and one int. The running game was amazing. Thomas Jones ran for 156 yards and a TD. He has great vision and can hit the hole hard. Terry Shea called a great game, as we mixed it up and found both our tight ends at least 3 times. The O-line was great.
2. Defense -- What can I say. Urlacher was on fire. He rushed the passer well and caused Favre to throw a few balls away as a result. Of course, he stripped the ball from Green and caused a fumble which Mike Brown returned for a 95 yard TD. We also picked Favre off. Wally didn't get any sacks, but he was close a few times. It is only a matter of time. Great job. The sad part of the whole game came as we found out we lost Mike Brown for the season. This is a serious blow to the Defense. But I have confidence that the coaches will have us prepared to cover the enormous whole left by Mike Brown. He was going to be a Pro-Bowler this year....it's a shame.
3. Special Teams -- Getting better. No major errors, besides a missed field goal. We didn't give up a TD like we did against the Lions. Special teams seems to be our weakest team right now.
4. Coaching -- Lovie said he was going to beat the Packers. It was like they gave him a script on that first day they hired him. They rushed him into the media room and handed him a card that said, “Beat the Packers“. While I am pissed the organization thinks this is the only thing that matters to us fans (thanks to the media coverage of the a-typical Bears fans at the tailgate), I will admit that Lovie wasn't playing around. A man that delivers. If his team adopts this character trait, we are in for some good years

Well, that's it! We are 1-1. Which honestly, I didn't think was going to happen. How many of you had 0-4 marked down on your picks? I'm glad to have been wrong. Congrats to Lovie and team

I promised you guys an article covering my thoughts on the NHL and its impending lockout. You can stop waiting with bated breathe, that day has arrived. Read it here, in my second article "I’d rather watch NASCAR"

I have no idea how I can possibly be considering this, but I am in a buying mood lately. The fact remains the economy is still crap, and I haven't found any freelance gigs lately to feed my gadget addiction.(email me if you need some programming done) Still, I find it necessary to dream about adding such things as a Tivo or a new mini stereo system to my collection of electronics. The Tivo is a no-brainer. Everyone I know who has one swears by it. I just need to figure out if DirecTV can get someone to come and install it without having to drill crap holes through the side of my house, ruining the siding. I sort of want to run the cables into a junction box and then figure out how to drop cable inside the house. I currently have one of those new fangled HD satellites, which I believe has 3 LNBs. Since one is taken, I was hoping they could wire up the bedrooms and use two feeds into the Tivo...we'll see what they say.

The second gadget I want is a new stereo. Not a real stereo, but one of those mini systems. Actually, I would really like it to have an optical audio IN jack. This way I can use this g/c I have at Apple for one of those new Airtunes devices and stream my mp3 collection to the stereo downstairs. Any of my two loyal readers have a suggestion on the stereo? I don't want to spend a fortune on anything, since I plan to own a proper stereo someday. I just need something that I could use to entertain with -- via iTunes. I am surprised Apple doesn't have any recommendations...

These two gadgets have something in common. They provide entertainment, or content, without the need for physical media. I am tired of storing DVDs, CDs, XBOX and PS2 game discs everywhere. I am tired of those plastic cases. I am tired of having to worry about the CDs I've lost, lent, borrowed, forgot in the car, tossed out the window while driving...you get the idea. I want to simplify. I want all my content to someday just appear across a network connection. The Tivo will keep me from missing any big games, or a few shows that I actually watch. The mini stereo is an expensive way to get my audio unleashed from my computers. Hell, if I could find a pocket sized firewire drive for a decent price, I would copy all my content onto it and just carry that around the house. This shouldn't be that hard.

I took the rest of the night off yesterday. Especially after the disgusting loss to the Lions. Their 24 game road losing streak ended yesterday, thanks in part to sloppy play from the Bears. The radio talk shows are a buzz this morning with coverage of things we did right, and the obvious things we did wrong. I wanted to continue my list continued from yesterday's post:

1. Defense -- We didn't look that bad on D. The first half of the game we were actually pretty good. I still don't see a pass rush. Joey Harrington had plenty of time to throw, and it is obvious that our corners need some more practice. We got lucky that Charles Rodgers hurt himself. Urlacher had something like 10 tackles, and he almost picked a ball off. He had no interceptions last year. So, the defense will eventually jell. Especially when Wally gets the system.
2. Special Teams -- did we talk about how pathetic our special teams were? The defining moment of this game was a blocked field goal attempt by Edinger. The fact that he was the only one to actually touch the ball carrier on the return should tell you something about our coverage. Terrible. Make a tackle already.
3. Coaching -- Umm, I didn't want to point it out, but our clock management at the end of this game sucked. We called a timeout right before the 2 minute warning. We then had to spike the ball on second down during our red zone drive. We needed the extra down, because the offensive line eventually succumbed to the pressure the Lions defensive front four put on Grossman. He was sacked, and eventually threw that final interception in the back of the end zone to end the game. But I will admit that it is refreshing to see them mixing up the play calling. I don't miss Schoop at all. As for Jauron, he gets the win for the Lions -- kudos to him and his defense. He knew there was no way we were coming back. He also pressured our QB often enough to throw his rhythm off.

After sleeping on it, I was wondering how great our offense really was. Sure, Grossman has a strong arm -- but he made a critical mistake at the end of the game. Terrell had the biggest game of his life, and continues to act like a jackass. The running game, I thought, was good -- but after reading the paper, and seeing the numbers, it was pathetic. 3.1 yards a carry for Jones? That is one sure fire way to finish 4-12. On to GB...

We have about 11:40 left on the clock in the home opener of the 2004 Bears season. My comments so far on this game are as follows:

1. Special Teams -- We really need to work on this. Our punt coverage is horrible. We have let too many yards be gained off of missed tackles on special teams. Edinger also had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown. This has to get better. People are overplaying their coverage on kicks, and as a result we are giving away good field position.
2. Running Game. Well, the Anthony Thomas era is officially over. Thomas Jones looks great. He has a great burst, and can hit the hole. He has broken tackles and made some smart cuts. As a result he has scored two touchdowns so far. Way to go. I guess we gotta give it up to our GM for finding his guy.
3. Passing Game -- Grossman looks good. He is poised in the pocket. He also has a great arm. The only thing I can say is that he needs to be more aware of the rush. He was sacked, and stripped of the ball on one play early in the first half. (I thought it was the second quarter)

UPDATE : The Lions just scored. Harrington was 4-4 and just threw his first TD pass to Az Hakeem. Peanut Tillman was just made to look stupid.

More when this game is over.

Ok kiddies, the posts will start coming fast and furious now that football is starting. I gotta tell you, I am super excited this season. I don't know if its because the Sox flamed out, or because the Cubs are about to, but I can't wait till Sunday's Bears v Lions game! I will try to get my picks up on the site before each week. This way, we can all see how great of a gambler I am. RIGHT.

Anyway, here is my new fantasy team. It was the first time I did a live draft. It is also the first time I am working with the Yahoo FFL. I debated about starting our traditional league on ESPN. Especially since me and my bro were of the very first people to play FFL online with ESPN. It is kind of sad. I will say, I attempted to start another league with my bro, and basically emailed everyone I know to jump in. Of course, no one did. So letsee if they move our two teams into an auto-draft league. It is sad to say, but everyone got married and moved away from the Chi -- and our FFL is suffering. Ah well, let us examine my team from my work league:

B. Favre (GB - QB)   
M. Harrison (Ind - WR)   
Ke. Johnson (Dal - WR)   
J. Lewis (Bal - RB)  
I. Mili (Sea - TE) 
M. Bennett (Min - RB)   
T. Brady (NE - QB)   
D. Driver (GB - WR)   
J. Fargas (Oak - RB)   
A. Becht (NYJ - TE)   
R. Grossman (Chi - QB)   
M. Gramatica (TB - K)
Seattle (Sea - DEF)
Chicago (Chi - DEF)

I took a chance on drafting Keshawn Johnson. I can admit it. But I like to think that he has something to prove, and if he actually falls in line and proves he isn't a cancer, then I will look like a genius. I know I am QB heavy -- but it's because I plan on trading one of these guys for another running back or a really good WR. I wanted Randy Moss, but the draft just didn't work out that way. I was drafting right in the middle of our 12 team league. I guess my best draft pick was Lewis. Let's hope he isn't a fluke. If he goes down, I am done. One final note, don't freak out Bears fans. I drafted Favre because he was the best available QB at that point. At let's be honest, he plays the Lions and the Bears 4 times in a season. That has to be worth something like a dozen touchdowns! No passion picks there. I did revisit my strategy of double point scoring by having the option of starting Favre and Driver at the same time...this 1-2 punch might carry me early. 

Good luck to all you FFL crazies!

I can admit that I read very few sports related blogs. Mostly because I the geek blogs seem to have content that effects me directly in my every day life. That being said, I do read a handful of them. I also find myself reading less and less of the sports columns as a result. I have been ultra busy these past few weeks, and I haven't really even had a chance to watch Sports Center much. The blogs seem to fill this void very well. Especially when I figure out how to get the feeds on my cell phone (more on that later)

The content on most is WAY, WAY better than the content I have here -- but I would like to think I am getting better. One of the blogs I find myself reading more and more, is this one. Vince comments on the booing directed at Felix Diaz in last night's White Sox game. I don't know how it went down. I was actually listening to the radio broadcast and honestly wasn't paying that much attention. What I can say is that if the fans at the Cell are anything like me, they booed because they are tired of reading how great our farm system is. Maybe that should be how good it WAS. It wasn't too long ago that we had either made trades or naturally developed enough arms in our farm system that we were told to expect big things. There are still a few of these so called “diamonds in the rough” in AA and AAA ball. Or so it seemed until the front office introduced the likes of Stewart and Diaz to major league hitting. This is the same staff that went out and got a 35 year old veteran reliever from Japan only to sit him most of the first half of the season because obviously, they didn't know what they had. Personally, the one thing that worried me about Oz getting the chief gig was his ability to evaluate talent -- specifically, pitching talent. I understand this is what a pitching coach is for, and ultimately it comes down to what GM Williams thinks -- but I am starting to wonder how smart it was to keep calling up these kids and watch them get rocked, keep Scott Schoeneweis in the starting rotation (remember him?), and waver on who your closer is going to be. All in all, the boos come from frustration....

Yea, yea, yea....I know. It has been a few days since I have posted anything of worth. Some would argue almost a year of crap posts to begin with. But I am back. At least for the next five minutes to let you know that I am working on getting my fantasty football team ready. I am in a league with a few co-workers, but might attempt to start my own league for my homies and bro in BeanTown. It is a fun event, that makes the season really interesting for us. That, and the season ticket option I have on DTV....

The most impressive thing about September 1st this year, is that we find the White Sox completely out of the hunt for the postseason, as well as the Cubs on a losing steak. Four out of their last five if I am not mistaken. I know for most Sox fans, this season was a wash after losing Big Frank and Mags. I didn't give up quite that early -- although I knew it was inevitable that this team would decline. The only goals Ozzie seems to have left are making it to a .500 record. Ok, maybe a few more. “The Kids might be able to play” seems to be the mantra for next year, and we are testing it out now, with the remaining 5 weeks of the regular season. You can expect, and only hope for a major shake up. It is obvious that this team has no chemistry. So here is the list of guys I expect to see gone next year: The Alomars (both), Everett, Mags, Valentin, Willie Harris (is it me, or does Ozzie hate this guy). So that leaves us with Konerko and Frank, Garcia, Contreras and Buerhle. Oh and Uribe who will probably play short/2B? I don't know. But I don't think this team will really be able to get any better until they clean house. For real this time.