Hanie: Chicago's best shot at victory Sunday

In the end, it played out as expected: when it mattered most, one team played with poise, with purpose, and maintained control throughout the game.  The other team came out embarrassingly flat, dug itself a hole, seemingly found some late inspiration in an attempt to save face, but it was too little, too late.  Bears fans have seen this scenario too many times before.

Did the defense play well?  Yes, but not until they failed to show up for the first two minutes of the game as Aaron Rodgers methodically picked apart Chicago on the first drive resulting in a clean, efficient, quick score which showed the home team that the Packers were well prepared.  Playing from behind is never a recipe for success, so as much as the defense did to stabilize the game the rest of the way (only allowing one more TD), they put the offense in an uphill position before they held the ball.

Now for Cutler and the offense.  I see no need to comment on Jay Cutler’s injured knee because, for one, it’s pure speculation at this point (although an MCL injury seems to be the latest word), and two, if there’s one thing Cutler has shown over time is the ability to stay on the field.  Therefore, I can only comment on Cutler’s play in the NFC Championship Game.  One word comes to mind: poop.  In one half, Jay Cutler demonstrated everything that makes him frustrating, specifically incredible inconsistency when accuracy is most needed.

You don’t have to be an NFL analyst to see that Cutler was throwing off his heels, making ill advised throws (some seemed like bail out “lobs”), and showing a general disinterest.  His mood and mindset is irrelevant if his play is akin to his perceived talent, but the truth is that Cutler threw several balls asking to be intercepted but was lucky his numbers weren’t even worse than the end result.  Injury or not, the Bears were better off without Cutler in the second half.

Think about the last statement: the Bears were better off without Cutler in the second half. Not matter how much a Cutler fan you might be, it’s hard to argue against that statement.  In the NFC Championship Game, the Chicago Bears had a better chance of coming from behind and stealing a victory with Caleb Hanie behind center than Jay Cutler, healthy or otherwise.  Let that sink in for awhile, and readers will suddenly understand the point of this website.  Would that ever be the case with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers?  Never, but many people want to put Cutler at the same level as Rodgers and others and it’s simply not the case.

It’s not that a QB isn’t allowed to have a bad game (even the “unstoppable” Tom Brady and the Patriots failed to sniff the AFC Championship Game), but it’s Cutler’s overall decision-making and attitude in his “bad” games that make it obvious that his team is not going to win on that day.

Cutler was far from the only reason the Bears lost yesterday.  The lack of any offensive playmakers outside of Matt Forte was reason enough to think back about the early round picks Chicago could have used on developing the offense and the line while letting a QB like Kyle Orton carry the current team to its potential.  Fans, even Rex Grossman carried the Bears to a Super Bowl matchup, so don’t fire back that Orton couldn’t have done the same.  If you have the opportunity to get an elite QB like Manning, Brady, Brees, Rodgers, etc., I am all for making the deal to get it done.  Unfortunately, Jay Cutler proved that he isn’t one of those on Sunday.

As much as this site has questioned Cutler’s ability over the years, I’m not ready to dismiss the Bears chances simply because the starting quarterback is playing in his first playoff game.  It’s still just a football game, and if there’s one positive thing to take away from Jay Cutler’s penchant for the aloof, it’s that he doesn’t seem to get overhyped for a game, which is a good trait to have for an NFL quarterback.  See that, I just paid Cutler a compliment.

On the other side, Matt Hasselbeck will be starting his 11th playoff game of his career.  Does that give Hasselbeck and the Seahawks the edge then?  Not at all.  Hasselbeck is 5-5 in the playoffs, so while experience can’t hurt, talent and preparedness still matter, and the Bears are more talented than Seattle.  In fact, in Hasselbeck’s last playoff game against the Bears, it was a similar situation in that the Bears were home, they were the better team, but they had a QB (Grossman) who only had one playoff game under his belt (a loss to Carolina a year earlier).  The result?  An uninspired performance by Hasselbeck and an overtime win by the Bears.

I’m still not confident in Chicago’s roster in terms of it being talented enough to win a Super Bowl, but for this Sunday, the Bears are the better team and should dispose of Hasselbeck and his squad from Seattle.  The Seahawks won the regular season battle, but I foresee Jay Cutler getting his first playoff win and preserving his spotless postseason record.

Sign up with Football Bets Direct and win over 90% of your picks!

Wrong Richter

6.3.  That sounds more like a Richter Scale reading than a QB Rating, but that was the best Todd Collins could muster yesterday.  HOWEVER, the Bears won which once again illustrates my point that while it’s great to have a guy behind center capable of completing a pass, there are so many more needs that go into developing a playoff caliber NFL team. 

Would the Bears have beaten Carolina with Jay Cutler at quarterback?  Sure.  Kyle Orton?  Definitely.  Rex Grossman?  Yes… provided he didn’t fumble the snap more than three times.  In short, Chicago has enough talent (particularly on defense and a career day from Matt Forte) to beat really bad teams regardless of the starting quarterback.  Using that same logic, though, the Bears are going to be hard pressed to beat playoff bound teams like New York (Jets), New England, and Minnesota even WITH Jay Cutler. 

An offensive line will give an NFL team protection, making even a mediocre quarterback capable of beating better teams.  Without protection, however, the QB is irrelevant.  In fact, the Bears probably would have won if they immediately went to a wildcat formation and alternated Forte and Taylor behind center.

Electric Orange from ING DIRECT USA. Make money while you pay your bills.

Carolina’s defense is far from Pittsburgh-esque, but Todd Collins will still have his hands full with a shaky O-line and an OC who forgot what running the ball meant.

Goooooooo Todd!

Pack penalized 17 times!

Like Week 1, Week  3 wasn’t pretty but it got the job done.  Cutler and the rest of the offense seemed nonexistent at times, but that’s because they literally weren’t on the field for many portions of the second half.   The defense used a “bend but don’t break” strategy, and it worked when Rodgers and the Packers milked half of the 3rd quarter and came away with nothing more than a blocked field goal.  17 penalties on Green Bay didn’t hurt either.

Cutler was tough as nails again, but he did make some questionable decisions including airing out a woefully underthrown ball in the 4th quarter which was intercepted but got bailed out thanks to pass interference.

In the end, the offensive line still looked weak, Lovie still made some questionable decisions, and the Bears won thanks to a punt return and a timely turnover.  I’m not sure how long this “secret formula” can last, but it just feels like fool’s gold.  At least it’s 3-0 fool’s gold.

Free Shipping On Orders Over $75 at ChampionsOnDisplay.com

The past is the past though, and the beauty of the NFL is that, unlike college football, an ugly win is no different than a pretty one.  There are no rankings, just standings, and as it stands, the Bears are in first place.

Jay Cutler threw for a ton of yards and actually looked nimble as he often had to scamper away from a lack of protection.  He only made one really bad decision which led to an interception. I can live with that. Coming up next: a Dallas team that looked hapless in Week 1.

Buy Team Jerseys Here!

Chicago's best bet for a backup QB?

As if this came to a shock to any Bears fans, Jay Cutler was sacked FIVE TIMES in one half of a preseason game.  Against the RAIDERS!!  For the millionth time, it’s not a knock on the QB, but rather the complete lack of depth and talent around the QB… which came about because they traded for this specific QB!!  It was an exercise in failed circular logic that was doomed from the start, and now we get to watch the results mercifully play out in front of our eyes this season.

Rather that sign veteran Todd Collins as a backup for Cutler, the Bears should have looked for a better option, like Usain Bolt, because it’s going to take world class speed behind center to avoid a weekly punishing this season.  Prepare yourselves, Bears fans, the odds of the chosen one staying healthy for double digit games this year is looking bleak!

Take $10 Off Our Entire Selection of Cameras and Other Electronics! Use coupon code ABESAVES for $10 off any order of $150 or more.

Martz

Well, at least Jay Cutler can’t blame his next offensive coordinator for his failings.  The Bears appeared to bend over backwards for Cutler, attempting to get an interview with his former QB coach Jeremy Bates, even though he had no experience as an NFL coordinator.  Then, they tried everyone else and failed to receive any interest until Mike Martz finally fell into Chicago’s lap.

Marinelli

I hate using phrases like “genius” or “mastermind” to describe professional coaches, because one is limited by the rules of the game and the talent on the field, but fans and talk shows hosts love to toss those words around when describing coaches like Martz.  The reality is that when his teams were talented (Rams), his record was good, and when his teams were not (Lions), his record was bad.  Thanks to a rumored dinner together, Jay Cutler and Mike Martz should be on the same page heading into the season.  From then on, it’s a crapshoot.  

As for the coaching behind Lovie, here’s a few of what the Bears are trotting out there:

• Rod Marinelli, after having led the Detroit Lions to a record setting 0-16 record two seasons ago, just before joining Chicago’s staff.
•  Mike Tice, former Vikings head coach who failed to maintain an air of discipline around a team best known for a boat party scandal.
• Mike Martz, successful head coach of the Rams and more recently the offensive coordinator for two miserable seasons with Marinelli’s Lions (including a 3-13 year in ’06) followed by a year in San Fran.

Tice

Guess who fired Martz from Detroit?  That’s right – Marinelli.  Then Rod followed it up with that 0-16 campaign, and now they all get to live happily ever after on Chicago’s staff.

Sigh.

I didn’t even find his lone interception to be nearly as detrimental as Jon Gruden did.  Gruden is big on hyperbole, and he was all over Cutler for throwing that interception, but the truth is it was 3^rd and a ton, and Cutler let it fly about 30 yards.  You never want to get picked off, but if you’re going to give up an interception, that’s the time to do it.  If it’s simply incomplete, you’re punting anyway, and with a decent return the Vikings have the ball in the same place anyway.  Calm down, Chucky.

Not to be overlooked are the 4 touchdown passes.  Fans don’t expect 4 TDs every time out, but what was nice to see was the lack of mistakes in crunch time – no overthrowing, no underthrowing, etc.  The defense didn’t help the cause by utterly collapsing and giving up 30 second half points, and even the reliable Robbie Gould couldn’t help in OT, but the Bears did just enough to beat the Vikings and prevent Favre from winning his first game ever after falling behind by 17 points or more.

I give the Bears a heap more credit than the Colts this week.  In games that “don’t matter,” one team still tried to win while the other was content in basically suspending the competitive spirit of the game until the games “matter” again.  Using Indy’s logic, shouldn’t they just sit Manning in Week 1?  Sure a first week game won’t have a great effect on a team likely to make the playoffs, so why risk injury?

Maybe the Bears should have sat Cutler the past couple weeks once the chance at a playoff berth disappeared.  Why risk injury on a player considered to be the franchise in a season of lost hope?  Save him for next year when the records are wiped clean again.  Can you imagine an NFL where every coach only put out his best team when he felt a victory was relevant to the playoff picture?  The Lions’ starters wouldn’t have played a down for 2 years! 

What Indy coach Jim Caldwell did was embarrassing to the sport.  Never underestimate the need for consistency and timing when it comes to playing winning football.  The best way for healthy players to get better heading into the playoffs is to play, not sit on the bench.  Hopefully Caldwell’s mistake won’t cost them a Super Bowl.