
To say the least, this past weekend I had was very fun. On Saturday, I went to my first hometown west of Freeport for an annual town festival and had a chance to meet up with a lot of old friends that I hadn’t seen in years. A lot of us were together and talking about the old days as kids and it was the most fun I had in a long time. Since most of us were talking for a while, I ended up not getting back to Dekalb and in bed until 4:00 so I only slept for about four and a half hours before getting up, showering quickly and driving to Soldier Field.
I arrived around 10:45 and had just enough time to meet up with Carl, Dan and Gerry from Fire Mike Martz. If you guys are reading this, it was awesome meeting up and I am sure we will have a lot more time to tailgate when we are all there later this season. This next sentence is not a joke: Sarah Spain was in the same parking lot as all of us. Yes. The same Sarah Spain who called me a hater and said that my article about her being a skank was completely incorrect. I was within ten feet of her when I was hesitating whether or not to talk to her. I decided to be a pussy and bite my tongue mainly because there were three muscular guys around her and I think it would have been dumb that myself, a 5’9 165 pound guy would say something to set her, or any of the three douches that were around her off. I am guessing those guys were there because she was once again, auctioning herself off to the highest bidder. It was a Bears’ game after all.
My brother and I had really good seats as shown above. We were in the fifth row of section 226 on the south end zone. It was the first opener we have ever been to so we were really pumped for this. The pregame stuff was pretty cool with the American Flag filling the entire field and Jim Cornelison singing the National Anthem with everyone cheering like it was a Blackhawks’ game. We were both surprised that jets didn’t do a fly over during the anthem. Anyway, the Bears played a great game. There were a couple stupid things that were done (Aren’t there always with the Bears?) but overall, a very enjoyable game. As always, here are my thoughts in detail:
Offense: The offense looked much better than I thought it would be. I think the offensive line protected Cutler for the most part although he was still sacked four times. It’s a work in progress. I still prefer Roberto Garza to play at guard with Chris Spencer at center full time. Time for stats (Cue Irish Yeti): The Bears only had 92 yards of rushing. That needs to increase. The balance of rushing/passing was present and that is a very good sign. Matt Forte is awesome. I thought he should have signed the offer he had last week but he wants more cash. After today, I say do whatever it takes. If he keeps having great games like this, his value will go up. He led the team in both rushing and receiving yards. I think the backup Khalil Bell had a decent game as well and I am confident, he can carry the load when Forte is getting a break.
Through the air, Cutler played alright. I know I said I enjoyed this game and that is true but Cutler did a few stupid things. First, he over threw a receiver at least three times. He threw the ball in tight coverage at least twice and luckily wasn’t intercepted. That was until the fourth quarter when Jay Cutler Rex Grossman threw the ball right to Jason Taylor Kroy Biermann for a pick six. No bueno. On the good side, he threw the ball to eight different receivers. Roy Williams had a few nice catches but unfortunately, had a groin injury and could miss some games. That hurts because he is the only receiver who can actually jump up and get a ball if it’s thrown to him. The last thing I have to complain about is third down conversions. Just like last year (And the year before that, and the year before that…), the Bears sucked ass on third down efficiency. They should have scored more than 23 offensive points. At least Robbie Gould had a chance to give his leg a workout. But seriously, this shit needs to stop.
Defense: Anybody ready for me to complain about the defense? Well, I won’t do it too much. The only thing I have to say that’s bad is that the defense still sucks when the other team is in a hurry-up offense and therefore, gave up over 400 total yards. I still think the defense was dominant. They did not give up a touchdown and Matt Ryan’s face was put into the ground countless times. The line was outstanding getting five sacks by Peppers, Melton and Okoye. Speaking of Peppers, his stats (Cue Irish Yeti) don’t always tell the whole story. He put pressure on Ryan many times and caused him to run for his life including a forced fumble in which that Brian Urlacher guy ran it in for a touchdown. Urlacher is healthy once again and has seemed to have found the fountain of youth. We all know he is a bit slower but he is still pretty damn good. He had a diving interception early in the game and had six tackles. Finally, I am going to give major props to Charles Tillman (Worthless). It’s only the first game but he actually covered the receivers he was playing defense on and forced a turnover in the process. I wish he could play like that every game.
That will be it for now. The Bears take on the Saints next Sunday afternoon. I know the Saints are missing Maques Colston and I believe, another receiver but this offense is still one of the best in the NFL. Let’s see if the Bears’ defense can hold down the fort.