ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

MJ pointed out that I promised you guys a post a day this week. I'm already behind. Great. Losing my credability and my drive to write is killing me. Now I know what Mark Buehrle feels like! ZING!

The spring training season opener took place today. Its time for baseball kids, and the White Sox are "Back to the grind." What nonsense. We're back to watching Mark Buehrle throwing palm balls and getting rocked. 12-4 Rockies. Nice. Jon Garland got in on the action too. He gave up 6 runs on 8 hits in 2 innings.

I was wondering if I could find a box score for the spring league in Arizona. I can't seem to find one on [WhiteSox].com. I guess the fat guy eating nachos in the hot desert sun must have used the napkin kept score on to wipe his brow. No need to panic yet, right White Sox fans? We're just working the kinks out. I keep telling myself that it was a good move to keep Buehrle and trade Garcia. We needed to get some more young arms. The truth of the matter is the White Sox didn't have a choice in the matter. I'm sure that GM Kenny Williams tried to trade Buehrle as well (maybe to the Cardinals, they could always use a soft throwing left hander) but was offered old outfielders who can barely keep the duct tape on their ankles from showing when they run.

I've got to sit down and organize my thoughts on this coming season. I've got a lot of bitching and moaning to do. Hopefully, it works out like it has these past few years. I complain, and the Sox win 90+ games.

I was stuck in class when the news broke: The Bears signed Lovie Smith today to a reported $22 million 4 year deal. Lovie got paid. I'm happy for him and I'm happy to report that my faith in this organization has been restored. Lovie deserved to get paid this cash. He has won coach of the year honors and was 58 minutes away from a Superbowl parade. What more did this man have to do to prove he earns his keep around here? Seriously. This has been the most frustrating off-season I can remember. First, we lose the Superbowl, nay, we got smoked in the Superbowl. Secondly, we go from having one of the most stable coaching staffs in the league to a rag-tag group of unknowns. It was like watching people get voted off Survivor island.

Yes, I can hear you all muttering under your breath, "Hardy Nickerson is not a rag-tag unknown." I suppose neither is Bob Babich, right? Check out the coaching staff here. You tell me if I'm over stating it. Go ahead. I'll wait for you to come back.

The anchor of any football team is its management. Tonight the Bears solidified our future by extending Lovie's deal, as well as rewarding Angelo. They each played a very large role in our success this year. I can cry till August about the horrible performance we put forth in the big game, but knowing that Angelo and Lovie are going to be maning our draft war-room again this year makes it seem all right.

It's good to know that my previous opinion of the Bears' Ted Phillips was wrong. I was picturing him sitting behind a large, wood-carved desk with stacks of neatly organized $100 bills. It conjured images of a certain duck. You know, Scrooge McDuck. Glad to see I was wrong. Congrats to Lovie and his agent.

What can I say, things have been super busy in the real world since the Superbowl.
I'm thankful I have a couple of good writers to cover for me while life gets hectic.
So what have I been up to? Let's see...

I've been working a ton more hours at the office. It is the start of a new year and the folks I've been working with are pushing hard. All that great free time I had during lunch or early in the morning is actually being consumed by production problems, code releases, and writing power-points. Power-point, as you know, is the language of the daft in the business world. At in least in my humble opinion.

Secondly, I decided to head back to grad school. Yes, I'm back in school. I'm a lot wiser, fatter, and much smarter than I was when I was first in school. I thought I was taking an easy class. I picked something that was heavy on documentation, and light on code. It turns out, that I'm a much better coder than I am writer. That sucks for us all.

I'll wrap up my re-introduction to blogging post to let everyone know that I will do my best to get a post a day up this week. Yes, you heard right. A post a day. I've got to cover what I think the White Sox are doing. Don't think my lack of posting on the Pale Hose is because I haven't been paying attention. Trust me. I'm not happy with Kenny Williams, and I'm going to let you know why in the next few days.

I'll also take some time to review all the garbage the Bears' front office is going through. Suffice it say, MJ did a great job point out how one of the last family led operations in the NFL is actually acting like a big dumb conglomerate. We've had more turnover in our coaching ranks than the Arizona Cardinals. Seriously. What gives? It can't be because Ted Phillips is that cheap. Whatever. We've got enough holes to fill on the field let alone in the coaching staff. It is pathetic.

So fire up those RSS readers if you haven't already done that...and if you have deleted my RSS feed....well...it's time to subscribe again.

Stay tuned...

I wrote my prediction out last night, and wouldn't you know it? I lost the file. Great. I hope that isn't an omen for the big game. I'll take a stab at it once again, and this time while using a real text editor. First, I want to start describing the keys to the game. These are the things that I am watching for against the Colts:

• Urlacher. I have to put it all on Brian. He is a difference maker. If he could grab an interception against Manning, it could be the beginning of the end for the Colts. Manning is his own worst enemy. I know he has watched hundreds of hours of video tape on the Bears. Throwing a pick to the one man you have prepared the most for would cause his brain to melt. I can see this being a game changing play. Someone's legend is going to grow today. My money is on Urlacher
• Hester. Hester is another difference maker on the Bears. The problem I have with our awesome rookie is that he has the propensity to fumble a kick return. I'm just looking for him to hold onto the ball. I know his returns are spectacular, and I am almost taking it for granted that our great field position will be directly coorelated to his performance. I just don't want any special teams turnovers. Hold the ball.
• Cedric Benson. I think the time is now for Benson to shine. The rain is falling in Miami and the change of pace he provides for our offense is going to be critical. I don't believe Thomas Jones will be as difficult to stop because of his running style. Benson will just blast through the holes in front of him. Jones will be running outside, and today might not be the day for that. Benson is a bruising, downhill runner. I expect big things from Benson because I expect him to get the carries in the red zone.
• Ron Turner. The offensive play calling is going to be interesting. I can almost feel Ron Turner thinking he can call a game that has us running and gunning with Manning and the Colts. That would be a mistake. I don't want to see a repeat of the OSU, Florida championship game. OSU tried to run and gun with Florida. That was a HUGE mistake. OSU should have stuck to their roots. The Bears should do the same. Don't think you can unleash the gunslinger in Rex Grossman. I know Berrian will be open on a few deep plays. I know that Moose has had a big game in the Super Bowl with Carolina. It is tempting to play their game. It is tempting to prove everyone wrong. But today is not the day for that. I don't want to see offensive creativity from Turner. I want to see a run heavy offensive play book. I want to see passes to the tight end on third down and short. I want to play Bears football. Please Ron Turner, don't be tempted to air it out.
• Protect our safeties! Guys, we have a rookie (Manning) playing safety alongside Todd Johnson. This is the weakest part of our defense. We need to get pressure on the QB to keep the real Manning from exploiting our weak coverage deep. Watch Wayne. Don't let him go over the top.

Ok, lets get to it. Bears 24 Colts 10. The Bears defense will create a name for itself today by shutting down what everyone considers the most prolific passer in the game. We can cover Harrison, and I think we can cover Wayne (for the most part). Marc Anderson, Alex Brown, Wally, Urlacher, and Tank Johnson will be able to get to Manning. He will be frustrated like he has never been frustrated before. I expect a shutdown performance from our defense. I also expect Grossman do what he did against the Saints. A geat performance running an offense that scores touchdowns by running the football. If Moose and Berrian just hang on to the ball (especially the early high throws Grossman will undoubtedly throw) we should be ok. Bears win this in convincing fashion. 24-10

BEAR DOWN.

I have never done this at CSB - I've invited a guest writer to join me in covering the Super Bowl. It is the Super Bowl. Why not, right?

You have all read a ton of stories leading up to the big game. MJ did a great job pointing out all the great stuff floating around online, on tv, and in the papers. Every angle anyone could think of has been covered. Except this one. (as far as I know)

Our special guest today is Matt from MVN's Colts Couch Crew. You may remember Matt as the guy who drafted for the Colts in our Mock draft last year. I've asked Matt to take the time to write us a piece about how the Bears could beat his Colts. I figured it would be way more interesting to see a Colts fan's perspecitve on this. He knows his team way better than I do, and that means he knows their weaknesses better than I do. So without further ado:

 

Going into Sunday’s Super Bowl XLI as an Indianapolis Colts fan, here is what I’m scared of:

Devin Hester. And not only Hester, but Colts return man Terrance Wilkins could be a factor as well if he can’t take care of the ball. Should the Colts allow it, this game could absolutely be decided by special teams. Had the New England Patriots been able to convert some of the long returns from the AFC Championship game into touchdowns, then I might not be writing this column today.

But they didn’t. And maybe it provided a wake-up call for Colts’ special teams. If not, we may see a rookie win the Super Bowl XLI MVP.

The Chicago Secondary. Although I’m not necessarily scared of this, seeing as how we saw it the last time the Colts played, it seems appropriate to at least consider. If the Bears can make as many huge plays in the secondary that Ellis Hobbs and Asante Samuels of the Pats made two weeks ago, then things definitely won’t run as smoothly as the Colts are anticipating.

It has to be frustrating for Manning to finally get man coverage on either Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne after throwing constantly throwing underneath, only to have two or three touchdowns literally stopped by a single defensive hand. Look for Wayne and Harrison to be more aggressive in pursuing the deep ball on Sunday, but sometimes you just can’t defend great defense.

The Colts Secondary. I really wanted to start this section off titled, “Rex Grossman,” but who is honestly going to believe that a Colts fan is afraid of Sexy Rexy? Well, I’ve got some news. There is one thing in the Bears’ passing game that could work very well Sunday, and that is the deep ball. Grossman is probably his best when throwing it. The Colts are around mediocre in defending it. And the Bears’ receivers could out-size and out-man the Colts’ secondary for some of those jump balls should Grossman have the time to air it out.

Not to mention one of starters, Nick Harper, isn’t looking good for the game. But the Bears will have to be careful and pick and choose when they try to go deep. If Grossman drops back five or seven steps on a third-and-nine or third-and-six, there’s a good chance that without perfect protection from his line that he’s going down. The Colts are built exactly for those downs, and in order for them to be successful Sunday, barring a complete Grossman meltdown of course, it will be almost imperative for them to get pressure on Grossman throughout the game and on those particular downs.

Peyton Manning. Well, come on, there’s not guarantee anywhere that says the best player in this game is going to play his best, so of course I’m a little scared. Do I think Manning is going to meltdown? Not in the least bit. I believe there was a great deal of pressure taken off Manning’s back in the win over New England to the point where he’s even taken all or most of the pressure of himself this Sunday. I think we will see Manning at his ultimate best * checking down, running the ball, staying patient and exploiting weaknesses. But there’s a reason he’s thrown six pics in the playoffs, so I thought this merited mentioning.

Dallas Clark. The Bears cover-2 will ideally smother the Colts outside receivers, especially along the sidelines. Whether Urlacher rushes to leave Clark open in the middle, or whether Urlacher has single coverage on Clark, he will be big in this game. But if you’ve seen the guy in the past, he has had ball control problems, and I’m not trying to say that he’s on Viagra. He’s been pretty good this year, but he carries the ball looser than I carry a beer after I’ve had 20 of them. If we go to Clark, he must be able to withstand those scrappy Bears going for the ball.

Finally, what really scares me that no one is talking about is the Bears running game, which has come alive in the playoffs. Few people realize this, but its not THAT you run against the Colts defense; its WHEN you run against the Colts defense. Remember all those third-and-nine’s and third-and-seven’s the Patriots had early in the game? Remember seeing the draw to Kevin Faulk and Corey Dillon? Remember the first downs and big yardage gains? I do. And it scares me.

The Colts pass rush, led by Dwight Freeney, absolutely thrives on those types of ‘passing downs.’ The only way to fight it isn’t going to be throwing to Mushin Muhammed on those downs; its going to be running it right down the Colts’ gut while their ends rush upfield and outside. The best way they can keep Grossman from making turnovers is if they can successfully run the ball on second and third downs. This will neutralize the Colts pass rush.

I don’t believe either team, nor either quarterback, must play a perfect game to win. Both of these defenses are so opportunistic that they have the ability to keep their teams in the game. Not to mention the Bears historic special teams play of this year. With all of these factors at work, and Manning, who brought his team back from a 21-3 deficit the last time they played, I wouldn’t turn this game off until I was sure I heard my sister, or some other fat lady, singing mighty loudly. Go Colts!

There are very few times in a man's life when he is allowed to cry.  I'll start the ball rolling with listing the few times in my life that I have been so emotional that tears actually formed in my eyes:

1. When the Bulls won their first championship. Tell me the sight of MJ sprawled out on the locker room floor after beating the Lakers and balling his eyes out didn't get to you. If it didn't, you're a liar.


2. When the White Sox won the Series in '05. I just couldn't believe it. A World Series Championship. It was special.


3. When Greece won the Euro Cup. What can I say, my national pride came out that year. They never win at anything and to pull this off in Portugal was awesome.


4. When Sweetness died. He was my hero growing up. Watching Payton break down in that press conference was rough. When he died it was even rougher. It chokes me up till this day.

Can you see a pattern?
Sure, there were private times that caused a watery substance to come streaming out of my eyes but in reality those are much fewer and far between. You don't want to hear about the births, the deaths, the marriages or the divorces. That stuff is a buzzkill. Oh, and laughing so hard you cried yourself silly doesn't count either. We've all cried at Chris Rock's stand up, and all the great articles on KissMeSuzy.

The point of all this is I want to know how many of you are going to break down when the Bears win tomorrow.

Hell, I want to know if you'll break down if they lose.

I'm sure there are Cubs fans that shed tears of pain when the Cubs blew it back in 03. Will you react the same tomorrow? Whether the Bears win or lose tomorrow, I wonder how many of you are going to allow yourselves to cry in front of all your friends.

It will be tough to control your emotions. Between the italian beef sandwiches, the deep dish pizza, and the buffalo wings, will you get caught up in the moment and shed a tear for the beloved Bear? I hear a lot of the ultra die hards out there calling me a nancy-boy right now. But I know better. I know that deep down, if your house was empty and you were sitting there in the dark wearing your mittens to protect yourself from scratching your eyes out everytime Rex throws a pick - that YOU sir would shed a tear for the Bears.

It has been a almost a quarter of a lifetime since the last time we were in this situation.
I think we're all allowed a moment to share those tears of joy. So after the clock ticks down to double zeros - everyone start coughing at the same time.

Pretend that you're literally getting choked up over that dry piece of bread from your combo beef and sausage. See, you now have a cover story.

You can thank me on Tuesday with a hot cup of coffee as I stand outside the parade route freezing my ass off.

BEAR DOWN

We're not here to start no trouble....we're just here to do the Superbowl Shuffle!

I can't get a tank of gas in this town without hearing the Shuffle. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. It brings back memories of being a 10 year old kid amazed with how much my dad was fascinated with the Bears. I argue that is about the age you start to really come to grips with sports. This is especially true of football. It's not that easy of a game to explain to a 5 year old. That is why I don't believe all those die hards that remember Vince Evans at quarterback for the Beloved Bear. There is no way you remember Vince Evans. You were shitting your pants back then. (my apologies to the old timers out there, you clearly are shitting your pants now! ZING!)

My second go around with this "Superbowl" is truly memorable. I may have forgotten to post a few times these past 2 weeks since the Bears destroyed the Saints, but it is only because I am still basking in our return to the big game. This weekend may not be the best weekend of your life Chicago fans, but it will be pretty damn close. Here is why:

• The Bears are going to the Superbowl to face a team that everyone has picked as a solid favorite. The Colts are still favored by 7 pts the last time I checked. Winning the big game as an underdog is that much sweeter. It's the opportunity to stick up that middle finger to our favorite (not-so-favorite) sports writer. Peter King. I refuse to link to him, so don't bother asking.
• The Bears have the advantage at running back. The combination of Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones should be enough to remind everyone of old school Bears football. I know everyone wants to win this game, but the way in which you win it also matters. At least it does in Chicago. I was raised on heavy doses of run, run, run and more run. I was raised watching the great Walter Payton. It is the way you beat a team into submission. So while Sweetness isn't with us any more, his memory should be revived with Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson's performance. It will bring a smile to your face. Trust me.
• Brian Urlacher. This man is a machine. We've already talked about how Urlacher  is the current face of the organization. He could be your MVP (more on that later) tomorrow. We've heard the rumors about how he may show up on offense. I don't know if that is really Lovie's style. Then again, if Lovie shows up wearing a navy Bears sweater-vest, I'll gladly eat those words. The point is this Bears fans, we've enjoyed watching Brian grow into a dominate force in the NFL. Be prepared to see him reach the next level tomorrow. Watch Urlacher. It will be special.

I've got a backlog of things to write about. So come back for some quick stories before kick off tomorrow.

BEAR DOWN