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Some headlines before the Week 11 recap……
Case Keenum to start despite benching, Andre Johnson approves
The Texans have said that Case Keenum will start this week even though he was benched in the 3rd quarter this week in a loss to Oakland. Seeing how the team responded to Matt Schaub when he entered, this is probably a wise move as the Texans move a game closer to killing Gary Kubiak. My bet is Andre Johnson will be happy with this move. Johnson got into a verbal altercation with Schaub on Sunday, and left the field before the game ended. Schaub has lost every ounce of anything he had in Houston. A new start next year year somewhere else will be good for his career to disappear into the abyss.
Rex Ryan takes team to Dave and Busters Saturday night, promptly gets ass kicked by Bills
So in a week short for headlines, I read that Rex Ryan took members of his team to Dave and Buster’s Saturday night before their match up with Buffalo. Obviously underestimating their opponent, I’m guessing the Jets played one too many skee ball games because the team was non-existant against the Bills. It got so bad that Willie Colon was quoted saying, “We lost to the fucking Bills”. Yes, Willie, yes you did. Not only lost, you got bitch slapped. The Bills outplayed you, outcoached you, and had more will than you.
Still no decision for the Vikings starting QB on Sunday
Like that really matters. I never thought I’d say this, but Matt Cassell really looks like the best option for the Vikings against Green Bay. This may just be because I’m a Bears fan, but I want Minnesota to stop the QB experiment, put in the best option for this week, and take out the Packers while Scott Tolzien is still QB.
And now, the Bears recap for Sunday, November 17th……..
Ravens - 20 Bears – 23 (OT)
The game started rough for the Bears. Through 10 minutes of the first quarter, the Ravens had rushed for one TD, tacked on a field goal, the Bears had only passed for 1 yard, and it was an early 10-0 deficit. Then Mother Nature struck with a vengeance. With thunderstorms and tornadoes ravaging the area, the game was delayed for almost 2 hours. Fans and stadium personnel were ordered into the concourses and under the stadium to wait it out.
The best part about those pictures, is that it was 12:30 in the afternoon!
After the delay, it was like a brand new ball game. The sun came out, and the Bears had new life. The Bears scored 10 points in a 12 second clip in the second quarter, with David Bass tipping a Joe Flacco pass to himself and returning it 24 yards for a TD. Flacco did lead the Ravens to an answer drive right after that with a 5 yard pass to Torrey Smith giving Baltimore the 17-10 lead. Jon Bostic showed his athleticism intercepting a Joe Flacco pass, which set up the Bears next scoring drive. A run-oriented drive due to 60 mph wind gusts, it ended in a 46 yard Robbie Gould field goal. Josh McCown engineered an 11 play, 83 yard drive on the Bears next possession, capped off by a 14 yard TD pass to Matt Forte. Forte broke a couple tackles, and took a tackler or two into the end zone with him. No one was stopping him from getting 6 that play. The Ravens put together a drive highlighted by a great catch by Dallas Clark on 4th down, and ended up tying the game with :03 left on the clock. (More on that drive below). The Bears kicked off in overtime, and the defense held stout, forcing the Ravens to punt. The Bears took over, and McCown gave the critics reason to doubt Cutler. He was in charge, calm, and poised through adversity in leading the Bears on a 7 play 60 yard drive that included a huge 3rd down completion to Alshon Jeffrey, and a great pass to Martellus Bennet for 43 yards. Robbie “Goulden Toe” Gould came in and made (barely, but good as Gould) a 38 yard FG to win it.
Now you got my recap, here’s my 5 Bears thoughts………
1. The drive at the end of regulation was mishandled by Marc Trestman. I understand his thinking. I really do. Trust the defense to make a stand, give your offense all 3 timeouts to have a chance to win. However, that backfired big time. Baltimore ran the clock down and ended inside the 5 with a chance to win with no time left on the clock. Trestman really should have started using his timeouts when it was obvious that the defense couldn’t stop them, and it almost cost the Bears the game. Hopefully he takes this like everything else, learns from it, and doesn’t make the same mistake again. He seems to be doing that so far this season, so I’ll trust he won’t let that happen again.
2. Julius Peppers has shown some life, and I have a theory why. I don’t believe he has dropped off as far as people say. I think he’s way smarter than that. Here’s a few stats to ponder.
First 6 games: 8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble.
Last 4 games: 21 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception
I really think Peppers was either hurt, and didn’t say anything (not likely), or the Bears covered it up. That doesn’t seem right, so what I REALLY think, is that Peppers was deciding when he wanted to start playing. He knows he’s getting older, he knows he’s not as fast, and he knows that if the Bears are going to make the playoffs they need him in top shape in the stretch. I really think he might have been taking it easy the first half so that he’d be fresh in the playoff run. Just a thought.
3. The referees were pretty bad in this game. There was bad calls on BOTH sides. The late hit on Peppers when Flacco slid was as ticky-tack as it comes. The horse collar on Bowman WASN’T a horse collar, and it changed the momentum of the 4th quarter. The roughing the passer penalty on Baltimore was BS. The refs really need to start letting these guys play a bit. I think Ahmad Brooks would agree. (Check the replay of the so called roughing the passer penalty from Brooks to Brees. That was as clean as it comes) The NFL is getting soft.
4. I loved Trestman’s game plan in the second half. He knew the wind in their face was going to be a problem in the 3rd quarter. Wind gusts were up to 61 MPH. How many pass attempts did the Bears have? ZERO. When they got the wind in the 4th quarter, and Baltimore figured they were run heavy, the Bears opened the playbook back up and allowed McCown to do his thing. Great strategy. McCown now has 101 attempts with 0 turnovers. Can’t ask much more from a back-up QB. He’s one of the better ones for a system like this.
With that said…… don’t confuse that with a better QB than Cutler. Please. He’s not a starter, and Cutler would be doing this if he was healthy, and maybe winning games more convincingly. So please, let’s cut the McCown for 2014 talk. It’s ridiculous.
5. 13 penalties for 111 yards. PATHETIC. By far the worst disciplined game under Trestman. Now, I understand the refs were to blame for at least 3 of those calls, but still, that’s horrible. The Bears better pull their heads out from their asses before the next stretch of winnable and MUST WIN games if they want a shot at the playoffs.
My final Bears thought……..
What an entertaining game. The Bears were getting whooped before the delay hit, then all we heard about was that the Ravens “have been through this before” with the Super Bowl and Week 1, blah blah blah. How did that fucking work out for them? I can’t stand most TV announcers, I think they’re horrible. This is what the Bears needed. A win against a team that’s not that good, but seem good based on the fact they won the Super Bowl last year. It’s a game to instill some confidence back in the club. I still worry about the Bears run defense. The Bears gave up 174 yards rushing to a team that has been struggling to run the ball all year. The run defense needs to improve if they want any shot at a post season berth. The safety play needs to improve, and the over-pursuing gaps needs to stop. They need to start trusting in one another to cover their assignments so that all the gaps are covered. That’s where the breakdowns are coming from the D.
NEW ADDITION TO THE BLOG! WHOA! EXCITING, I KNOW!
Player that impressed: Julius Peppers
11 total tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for loss
He was all over the place on Sunday, and finally started to show up this season
Player that disappointed: Landon Cohen
Now, I understand he’s a street free agent, but most of the Ravens rushing yards came right up the gut of the Bears defense. Players need to step up and play. David Bass, Kasheem Greene, and others have done it. Time for Cohen to start earning his roster spot.
Around the NFL
Indianapolis – 30 Tennessee - 27
The Colts have been digging early holes in games, but they are learning to come from behind and win. They have been outscored 35-0 in the first quarter in their last 3 games. Luckily for them they won 2 of those, but you can’t get into early holes in the playoffs, you won’t win games like that. The Titans played tough, but might have just deflated their balloon for the season with this loss.
New York Jets – 14 Buffalo – 37
Ah, the New York Jets. They kept to the win one, lose one pattern for the year. The J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets looked F-L-A-T flat flat flat. I can’t remember a team alternating W/L in 10 games in a row. It’s a pretty awesome feat. I don’t know what’s worse, the Jets’ mediocrity, how bad Geno Smith looked (more on that below), or that fact that the Jets are still very much alive in the playoff race at 5-5.
Cleveland – 20 Cincinnati – 41
The Bengals only had 118 yards passing, converted only one 3rd down, and ran 20 less plays than the Browns. They found a way to win thanks to defense and special teams, including 3 interceptions, and a fumble and blocked punt returned for TD’s. The offensive inefficiency didn’t matter as this game was done by halftime.
Washington – 16 Philadelphia – 24
I can’t believe I picked the Redskins in this game. What the shit was I thinking?? They look like a total mess, and I doubt it gets better anytime soon. Even with the game within reach, RG3 looks like a shell of himself and it appears as if he’s at a total loss of confidence.
Detroit – 27 Pittsburgh – 37
The Lions’ offense was on fire in the first half. Despite an early Pittsburgh lead, Matt Stafford threw for 327 yards in the FIRST HALF. Calvin Johnson racked up 179 receiving yards in the FIRST HALF. Detroit came back from 14 points down, and went to the half up 27-20. Then the wheels fell off. Pittsburgh’s defense held Calvin Johnson without a catch in the second half, and Stafford only added 45 yards passing (no completions in the 4th quarter), as Pittsburgh went on to win. The win was aided by a BONEHEAD call by Jim Schwartz to fake a chip shot field goal and go for a TD. Pittsburgh promptly got the ball, drove 97 yards, put in the go-ahead score, and deflated the Lions’ balloon. Thanks Jim Schwartz!!
Atlanta – 28 Tampa Bay – 41
What the hell happened to Atlanta? You think Tony Gonzalez is happy he came back this year? It’s a shame he’s ending his career like this. Greg Schiano has taken his hot seat and put it under his team, with Bobby Rainey carrying the Bucs (more on that below) to two wins in a row now. Atlanta has fallen to 2-8 now. Tied with the Bucs and only one game ahead of Jacksonville for the worst record in the league. Ouch.
Arizona – 27 Jacksonville – 14
Holy shit, Carson Palmer is still alive. He threw for 419 yards and 2 TD’s in a cake walk game against the Jags. Michael Floyd finally showed something going for 193 yards receiving including a 91 yard TD catch. With the Jags losing yet again, the Tebow talk is getting revived this week. Some golf pro spent $1,200 to run an ad in the paper requesting the Jags to sign Tebow.
The golf pro’s name is Dewey Arnette. Was your response the same as mine? “Who the fuck is Dewey Arnette?” Yeah I thought so.
Oakland – 28 Houston – 23
Matt McGloin is doing his best to show he’s the NFL’s next Matt Flynn. McGloin played admirably filling in for injured starter Terrelle Pryor. Case Keenum was benched with the Texans down 11. Matt Schaub made a rare appearance and let the Texans to a couple field goals. With a chance to win he threw an incomplete pass in the end zone on 4th down that spurned an on-field argument with Andre Johnson. Johnson said after the game that the argument was worked out, and he messed up on the play. Schaub said it was a closed matter, and it was just emotions. I’d be emotional too if the trash heap that is Matt Schaub threw a bad pass to end the game too.
San Diego – 16 Miami – 20
Fuck you Miami. Fuck you too, San Diego. When I think Miami is going to suck, they win. When I think San Diego can look like an NFL team, they’d rather slip into the back alley and give handys for pocket change. The Chargers looked bad on defense. They’re so bad at tackling you’d think they were trying to catch Manti Teo’s girlfriend on the field.
San Francisco – 20 New Orleans – 23
Ahmad Brooks was called for a roughing the passer penalty (questionable at best) that gave New Orleans new life. They didn’t let the chance slip away, and Garret Hartley made the game winning field goal with no time left. The Brooks hit wasn’t a dirty hit, and was even debatable whether it was a penalty. Brees called it a clothesline hit, but you can see on the replay that the hit was initiated in the chest. As Brees went down, Brooks’ arm went up his chest and hit his helmet, causing Brees’ chin to bleed. Personally, I think it was a shitty call, but that seemed to be par for the course for refs this week.
Green Bay – 13 New York Giants – 27
Don’t blink, the Giants have now won 4 games in a row. Scott Tolzien threw for 339 yard, but also threw 3 interceptions, one of which was returned for a TD by Jason Pierre-Paul. Supposedly he called it during the TV timeout, even before a play was called. I guess when you’re going against Scott Tolzien it’s like predicting what you are going to make for lunch.
Minnesota – 10 Seattle – 41
I’ve never seen a quarterback completely cement his level of absolute shit as much as Christian Ponder. He keeps getting chances and keeps crapping his pants. Seriously, has any quarterback had as many opportunities to take control of a job and completely blow it? Oh, and suck a dick Pete Carroll.
Kansas City – 17 Denver – 27
Denver made their case for stopping the talk of being only second best in the division. Kansas City didn’t look as good as Denver, but it was a good game for Ol’ Fat Stache to have his team brought down a peg. He’s been a good motivator this season, so KC should rebound just fine. Peyton was Peyton, and Denver is rolling towards a first round bye in the playoffs.
New England – 20 Carolina – 24
This game came down to the last play, and it didn’t disappoint, ending in probably the most controversial call since the “fail mary”. Luke Kuechly appeared to interfere with Rob Gronkowski in the end zone, a flag was thrown, which should have given the Patriots another play. In true fashion of how the refs looked this week, the play was discussed and the flag was picked up. Game over. You need to have big balls to throw that flag on the last play of the game. You need bigger balls to pick it up to end the game. Now we get to hear Bill Belichick complain about how the Patriots got shafted. Bill, seriously, shut up and stop whining. Why do YOU go somewhere and get shafted. I hear Pete Carroll is available.
“Well You Didn’t Make a Lick of Difference” Performance of the Week:
Geno Smith – Quarterback – New York Jets
8/23 103 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT
Geno Smith looked like a true rookie this week. He looked uncomfortable and rattled all day. It got so bad for him that Matt Simms came into the game in the 4th quarter and threw for over half the yards that Smith did with 15 less throws. Whoops.
“Holy Crap, I’m Awesome!???” Breakout Performance of the week:
Bobby Rainey – RB – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30 carries, 163 yards, 2 TD
Bobby Rainey is a second year player from Western Kentucky. Once injuries hit the Bucs and they lost Doug Martin and Mike James, Rainey has been making the best of his opportunity. If he keeps this up he should enter next year as the unquestioned back-up to Martin. He went undrafted due to his size (5’8’’ 215 lbs) and he is showing everyone why they