TMT's

This week's theme------- Random.

1. The ESPN army for Monday Night countdown went on and on about Mendenhall stating that he was going to have a good game against Baltimore and how that would upset Baltimore. They then proceeded to play a clip of Bart Scott getting upset that Mendenhall said he would have a good game against Baltimore.

First, what is Mendenhall supposed to say? "I think I am going to have a bad game". Secondly, enough with the bulletin board material shit that teams love using. How big are these bulletin boards? Because it seems almost everything said by any opposing player could be used as bulletin board material these days. Lastly, it doesn't matter what someone says. Just like you can never take to heart what a middle east politician says about anything, you can't take to heart what an NFL, NBA, MLB, etc., player says about anything. Honestly, if Chad Ocho Cinco guarantees a victory before a game, does that mean anything? Would we listen to him if he said that he found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?

2. Buffalo and Tennessee are either a) not going to the playoffs are b) destined for a first game exit in the playoffs.

3. Baltimore/Pittsburgh makes you feel like its 1912 again and they just invented the forward pass.

4. When your fantasy team goes 1-3, you start to convince yourself that fantasy football is stupid and a waste of time. Thus, I think that fantasy football is a waste of time.

5. There is nothing more annoying than watching your favorite football team play with a close friend, who constantly yells and screams because his fantasy football player just scored a touchdown, while your douche bag QB of your beloved team just threw an interception. I'm not into the whole man rules thing, but I do think there should be a moratorium on rooting for fantasy players while watching your home team play. Just saying I-truth.

6. Bret Favre is a peace of f'n shit. I hope he breaks a hip. I thought I was through with that Levis wearing bastard after he left the Packers. But no, 6 f'n TDs against my fantasy team. How on earth does he go from shitty and crippled in one week, to throwing 6 TDs (a career best) the next week. On that note, the Cardinals should be banished from the NFL. They should take the approach that European futbol leagues take. The worst teams get relegated to college football and the best two from college get elevated to the NFL. Take out the Cardinals and Bengals and give me Ohio State and USC. Wouldn't that be more enjoyable?

7. Kyle Orton is disgusting. Physcially, mentally and as a player.

8. Tony Romo is starting to make me wonder whether he is a good QB. I still think he is though. I think when you have to try to throw the ball to one WR, it just messes you up. 17 pass attempts to TO, with only 7 completions. 10 attempts and 7 completions to Whitten. I just don't think you can force these things.

9. Lat week I thought I had a draft day steal with the ascension of Mendenhall (i.e. injury to Willie Parker). Today? Seriously, nothing is going well for me in Fantasy.

10. Mat Millen is gone. Thats a good start. When are they going to fire the rest of the owners, coaches and players?

Bears: Better lucky than Good

For the life of me, I can't understand how we managed to win the game last night. We turned the ball for what seemed like 10 times. Our defense played 90% of the second half. And our offense was as incompetent as Sara Palin. I guess after undeservedly losing two games we should have won, good luck finally caught up with us. I'll take 2-2. And as Lovie will say (read in thick southern idiot accent), "Its the first quarter of the season, we're 2-2 and in 1st place". Spoken as if we're going to the Superbowl. Alright, quick thoughts on the game.

1. Our offensive line is not that good. We had trouble running the ball against the 8-9 man fronts and they constantly got beat in the passing game. I fault Orton for being a bad QB, but a lot of his turnovers and problems had to do with the shaky line play.

2. Speaking of Orton. He made nice throws on the TDs. But basically again, I think what we see are receivers making great plays to get open and catch balls. Orton's passes to Olsen and Hester showed some good touch. But again when you play a team that is simply taking away your running game, blitzing and stacking the box, this is what a QB should do; throw the loft ball over the top. The one great throw was the throw to Booker for his TD. However, Orton still doesn't do it for me. He waited to long to read the defense on blitzes, throwing costly turnovers (the one in the end-zone killed me), and fumbling the ball a few times. If we're grading him as a game manager, the guy gets an F. Lastly, I really want to punch him in the face when he does that smile/grimace look after he throws a terrible pass. I can't stand that f'in look.

3. In the second half our offense was simply incompetent. The offense made my point last week that the Bears are basically the Bush administration- i.e. incompetent. Orton's fumbles, the INT in the End zone, and the inability to make a simple hand off. I could only imagine what was going on in the mind of Urlacher after that play. I think the offense even went into Sara Palin territory. Palin thinks she understands foreign policy because she can see Russia from Alaska. I think the Bears believe they understand how to run an offense because they've seen tape of the Colts offense. Just terrible. Its a win, but this isn't playoff offense we're seeing here.

3. The defense played great yesterday considering that they played 90%of the time in the 2nd half. They still can't manage to get pressure by rushing four (which leads to teams easily dissecting the Cover 2), but they still got it done. The goal line stand was great.

4. Going along with number 1 above. We need to do something about giving Forte some holes to run through. Whether its stretching the passing game or just figuring out how to deal with the 8 man front, I think we're wasting the talent of our best offensive weapon in Forte. The guy is good. But if there are no holes, you can't run.

5. I'm glad Devin Hester was back last night. You could tell he wasn't 100% on the returns b/c he just didn't have that extra burst or wiggle. But, his speed was evident on offense. Great touchdown play by simply outrunning the DB. He also should have had another TD, but dropped a pretty easy pass.

I'll take 2-2. Sometimes it is just better to be lucky than good.

Chicago Bears and the Bush Administration

During last Sunday's debacle against the Bucs, my dad repeatedly asked me why the Bears couldn't get a normal QB to the lead the team. I-Truth asked me why the Bears repeatedly allowed mediocre Bucs WRs the slant option, after Griese's 60th attempt to throw the short slant. They asked these questions as pleas to Lovie Smith, as if he was in the room. On behalf of Lovie, I responded simply, "We like the guys that we got'". A non-answer for sure. But, no doubt this is the stance of Lovie and the BEars. Stay the course and don't make changes. It got me thinking; The Bears are just like the current administration. Here's why.

Bush Admin: Staying the course in Iraq with eyes shut despite constant reassurance that the war is a disaster costing both American and innocent Iraq's lives.

Bears: Staying the course with terrible QB despite constant reassurance that Kyle Orton is an Arena league back-up QB.

Bush Admin: Lead by a southern figurehead who can't distinguish the difference between Al-Qaeda and so called Iraqi insurgent freedom fighters.

Bears: Lead by a southern coach, who can't distinguish the difference between a good CB (Ricky Manning) and a terrible one (Danieal Manning, Trumane McBride).

Bush Admin: Believes that 'machismo' and ego should supersede rational thought. I.E. Lets blow up an entire country because (1) we can; and (2) because 19 terrible people committed a terrorist attack, so lets punish an unrelated country and entire population because, well we can.

Bears: Lets obtain stupid personal foul penalties called during important parts of the game (I'm talking to you Charles Tillman and Mr. Kreutz (who will inevitably get called for a few this year), simply to defend your ego and "protect your house".

Bush Admin: Failure to recognize that your policies (unprecedented spending, cutting taxes and going to war) are hurting the average American.

Bears: Failure to recognize that your policies (Cover 2, obtaining a competent QB, etc), are hurting every Chicago Bears fan.

Bush Admin: Talking down and lying to the American people about almost everything, thinking that said people are idiots.

Bears: Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo talking down to us fans and lying about injuries and the quality of the team, thinking that we are idiots.

Bush Admin: Thinking that by simply existing in a certain area of the world, we are somehow in a position to win the war.

Bears: Thinking that because its only the "1st quarter" of the season and we're only 1-2, and that by simply existing, we are somehow in a position to win the Super Bowl.

Honestly, like real life, lets hope both this country and the Bears get a change of administration.

Oh yeah, a McCain analogy.

McCain: Picking an incompetent inexperienced idiot as your VP candidate.

Bears: Picking an incompetent inexperienced idiot as your defensive coordinator.

Chicago Bears: We let Brian Griese Beat Us.

Wow. We somehow managed to let Brian F'in Griese beat us. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be able to get out of bed after a Bears' loss, but you can't be too upset when your team losses when you know that they aren't a good team. True, the Bears should be 3-0 at this point after blowing two consecutive wins they should have won. But, in reality, the Bears just aren't an elite football team. 1-2 or 2-1, whats the difference when you know your team is likely to be bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs? Alright, now to the points.

1. There were so many opportunities to win that game yesterday, its baffling just trying to recount them. But I'll try. 1. 4 turnovers created. 2. Inability to score touchdowns in the beginning of the game after said turnovers. Score should have been 14-0 in the 1st quarter and likely the end of the game. 3. Kyle Orton's stupid, stupid interception return for a touchdown. 4. Kyle Orton's terrible accuracy on long throws. The interception to Forte should have been a TD. Forte had his guy beat by 5 steps. Instead, Kyle throws it behind him. 5. Rashid F'in Davis drop off of a great thrown ball by Kyle Orton, which would have given us a 1st down and likely the end of the game. 6. Nathan Vasher's failure to catch an interception thrown directly at him with no WRs in his field of vision. 7. And of course, Peanut's loony personal foul call in OT. Just stupid. I know what your thinking, there are probably 10 more stupid plays that would have sealed the deal here- I don't want to get into all of it. Its depressing.

2. Kyle Orton has been downgraded. He is a below average QB. His interception that was returned for a TD, was soo f'in stupid. He can't stretch the field and make plays in the passing game. Okay, but we gave him credit for managing the game. But he can't even f'in do that. Orton threw one great pass yesterday, a pass that was dropped by Rashid Davis. All of his other throws were inaccurate and only caught due to a great play by the WR, not Orton. Think about it. Brandon Lloyd must have had his guy beat 10 times yesterday, but each time he had to make a circus catch, because of Orton's often under thrown ball. The TD? The long pass? All plays made by the WR, in spite of Orton's throw. I don't like this guy. Give me Grossman. At least he'll make a few spectacular throws.

3. Matt Forte is the real deal. Not only is he the real deal, buy Ascento (yes, I like it), is our entire offense. He can do everything, run, catch, and even likely punt and pass. I'm falling for him. No homo of course.

4. Defense played great at times, and off course terrible at times. In their defense, they just looked really tired. Brian Griese threw the ball 67 times. Almost 70 pass attempts? Thats crazy. I didn't even know that was possible.

5. Is it me, or is everyone punting the ball 10 extra yards this year? MAynard's suddenly got the leg of a Futbol goalie.

6. Brandon Lloyd has been upgraded from serviceable NFL WR, to NFL wide receiver.

7. Rashid Davis has been downgraded from special teams player, to Arena football league water boy. Can we end the Rashid Davis experiment? Please put in your most explosive WR Bears. His name is Mark Bradey. Sure, he will get hurt. But he's got to be better than Rashid Davis.

8. Mike Brown hasn't made an impact this year. Where is Mike Brown?

9. Kevin Payne reminds me of a slower and less experienced version of Chris Harris.

10. Danieal Manning didn't have a terrible game last night. Surprising to me.

Well, there we have it. In the end, Brian Griese beat us.

Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay: Don't let Brian Griese Beat You

In my gmail chat with I-Truth this morning, he left me with some immortal words, "The Bears cannot let Brian Griese beat them". Oh dear god, what if Brian Griese and the Bucs beat us Sunday?

I know Griese isn't a terrible QB. Its not like he's Tim Rattay, Alex Smith, or Kyle Orton (just had to throw that last one in there). He's just a notch below average. But there's something about him that just screams, incompetent, sort of arrogant, not that good at passing- QB. I don't know, all I am saying is that we can't lose to a Brian Griese led Bucs team. We're at home, our home opener, playing an okay team led by an average QB. Seriously, Bears don't f'in lose to Brian Griese (as if the Bears read this).

Anyway, I'm not into predictions like the morons on TV and papers who couldn't out-predict a monkey, so here are my thoughts on the game.

1. Bears D, please hurt or damage Brian Griese. I hope the defense continues its aggressive strategy of crowding the line and giving the QB different looks. Its worked pretty well. Stick with it.

2. Give the ball to Mathew Garrett Forte (Forte is spelled with an accento over the e. This is just cool. Maybe his nickmame should just be accento, not as an accent, but like ascension? So Ascento. Hmm, I'll try it for this post. Ascento needs to get his carries, but stay fresh. I think we used him a little too much last week. I hope they insert Kevin Jones for one or two more series, just to keep Ascento fresh.

3. Once Ascento tears up the Bucs D, use the play-action pass and hit (insert no-name WR here) for a deep pass or two. If Orton is QB, we got to stick to the running game, but we have to make them fear the long pass. I figure that if Jim Miller could throw the long ball, so can Kyle Orton.

4. Devin Hester. Or as I like to call him, DH or our Designated Hero. If he's hurt, let him rest. I'd rather see him fully healthy than play half-hurt. But if he's ready to go, I say we use him more in our offense. What, are we afraid we'll take playing time away from Rashid Davis? Marty Booker? Go all out with the guy. What else do we have to lose.

Alright, thats all I really got. Its the Bucs for crying out loud.

Football Perceptual Map

I found this pretty interesting. In the marketing world, I believe this is what they call a perceptual map. For instance, if it were Beer, the axis would be labeled Premium/Value and Tasty and light. So Guinness would be in the upper right corner as Tasty and Premium. Anyway, just a little B-school stupidity applying to my life.

Tuesday Morning Thoughts

The Bears lost and my Fantasy team put up the following points: Hasselback- 4, LT- 3, Ryan Grant-2, Edj James, 5, Chad Johnson-3. Needless to say, I'm really not in the football kind of mood today. So lets just go with 5 thoughts for now.

1. When did the NFL become the Arena League. Cowboys/Eagles, Pack/Lions, Chargers/Broncos, all crazy, high scoring games this week. I guess it makes for great football drama, but to me, I don't think it makes for good football. Football shouldn't be like basketball where you can skip the initial 3 quarters and tune in for the last second possession. Nor should so many points be put on the board by both teams. Maybe I'm old fashioned, by I like my football to be played in the 20s and under. And every once in a while, I love a 45 to 3 like victory. 45-37, just seems like a poorly played big-ten basketball game, with the exception that a big ten basketball game has great defense.

2. Speaking of defense, do NFL teams play defense anymore? Are they fielding their special teams units on defense now? All of sudden, average offenses like San Diego and Denver are playing Brady-Pats like offense. I don't get this. Is it because the NFL doesn't let corners touch WRs anymore? This would make sense. In the last few years we've seen the emergence of the little short speedy WR that can dominate a game. 20 years ago, the little short speedy receiver would have been in the hospital (See Tom Waddle). Or maybe its that offenses are spreading the field (ala college football these days) and taking more chances. Last night the Eagles basically played with 5-6 WRs every play by making Westbrook an extra WR. Finally, maybe defenses just suck.

3. I've said this before (and likely sounding a little Marrioti-ish right now), but I simply don't get the Cowboys are America's team concept. They are fun to watch this year. But, I don't root for them. I root for the Bears. I also suspect that Eagles, Steelers, Lions, Packers, etc fans' root for their own teams as well. To me, unless your from Dallas or Texas (or have some connection to that place), rooting and wearing a Cowboys jersey, just makes you a douche bag. Its like a kid in Iowa sporting his Kobe Lakers' jersey.

4. Fantasy Football has become totally random. And yes, I say this because my team sucks. But its become unpredictable. Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers have outplayed Peyton Manning, Hasselback, Brady and Drew Brees. RB, C. Johnson of Tennessee has outplayed LT. Kurt Warner put up 35 points in my league. And Eddie Royal outscored Braylon Edwards for two straight weeks. Although this is an exaggeration, I feel that I would have probably done just the same, if I drafted my players from a hat on draft day.

5. Sportscasters. I loathe Kornheiser and dislike Cornheiser. I like Jaworski. I love Tommy Waddle on NFL network. I dislike almost everything ESPN. On one last note, during pre-game introductions for last nights' MNF, ESPN employed the following people - Berman, Chris Carter, Tom Jackson, Ditka, Meshawn Jackson, Chris Mortenson, Stuart Scott, Steve Young, and Emmit Smith. Not to mention, Michelle Tafoya and I believe Suzy Colber on the sidelines. Thats 11 football personalities dissecting one football game. Add in the three in the booth and that makes 14. 14 people? Is this really necessary. How about we just cut the following people, Tafoya, Emmit Smith, Ditka, Meshawn, Stuart Scott, Steve Young, and Kornheiser. Thats 7 people, still leaving 7 others to handle the duties. In my opinion, not only would the pre-game and commentary be a lot better, but I also just saved ESPN at least $1.4Million (I assume these guys avg. $200k a year. Just a guess) in salaries. This just makes sense to me.