My Friends,
For the second straight week, the Bears found a way. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong way.
The elation of the season-opening road win over the gelded Colts has long since faded, and what we’re left with is the cold realization that this Bears team has little in the way of poise and is sorely lacking in the mental toughness department.
The defensive line can’t get to the quarterback, with or without help. Brian Griese, the Bears’ reject who was forced by the Lovie Smith and his staff to recant after he told us that he called all the plays on a last-minute, game-winning drive in Philly last season, sat back and threw 67 passes and was never touched. 67! SIXTY-SEVEN, and it looked like he could have had the Tampa equivalent of Tony Medlin neatly fold his jersey and put it away for their next road game without even a whiff of a spin cycle.
Today’s ticket featured the image of Bears’ good citizen and newly minted millionaire Tommie Harris. While I’m sure Ginny appreciates all the fine work Harris does in the community, for my money what I’d really like to see is Harris earning any part of that $18 million check she cut him this past summer. For that kind of cash, I think the obvious question is why isn’t Harris playing every down? Did the same Bears’ crack medical staff that pronounced Chris Williams’ back sound before the draft conjure the x-rays of Harris’ balky knee? When Jerry Angelo agreed to give Harris $40 million over four years, we all thought he was locking up a perennial All-Pro. Now you have to wonder if Harris is going to be the second coming of Darwin Walker.
Same goes for Nathan Vasher. Despite his pick, why is the self-proclaimed “Interceptor” taking breathers against an offense that is throwing the ball more times than the Bears usually have total offensive plays? Is he hurt? He can’t possibly be tired. Come on! Tampa held the ball less than 24 minutes in regulation. If Vasher isn’t in game shape, maybe he should have run a few more sprints during Club Lovie in Bourbonnais.
Maybe the entire defense should have, because they looked absolutely gassed on the Bucs last two possessions in regulation as well as on the game-winning drive in OT. The Bears defense got pushed around late for the second straight week by a team that was simply in better shape than they were. That’s on Lovie, and it’s inexcusable.
Not that the offense didn’t do their part. For the second straight week they couldn’t pick up a critical first down late, this time failing to gain three yards in two tries to at the very least force Tampa to spend their final time outs. Instead, the Bears punted the ball away at the Two-Minute Warning, and watched as Griese ran those same plays that the Bears coaches insisted they called last season, all the way into the endzone for the tying score.
On the final play of that drive, the Bucs lined up in a running formation and then split 6-7 tight end Jerramy Stevens wide left. When 6-4 Hunter Hillenmeyer went out there to “cover” him, you just prayed for the Bears to win the overtime coin flip. All week leading up to the game we heard the verbal chess match about whether Griese or the Bears D would have the advantage after the two worked against each other all last year, and we got the answer with an exclamation point when Hillenmeyer gave Stevens the inside release that Bob Babich’s defenses always do and Griese tossed what may have been the easiest touchdown pass of his career. Couple that with the catch the legendary Jeff King made down to the one last week in Carolina, and I know Hunter is not a gatherer of tight ends. Why isn’t Jamar Williams getting a shot? Is he too short at 6-0?
Still, the Bears had their chances, but they either passed on them (like when Lovie soiled himself having the offense take a knee rather than run a play at the end of regulation) or they simply slipped through Rashied Davis’ alligator arms. Mark Bradley can make those drops just as well, so why not give him a chance? If the reasoning is that Smith wants to give Davis an opportunity to earn his new contract, then why doesn’t that same logic apply to Tommie Harris? What is he saving him for? If Harris is hurt, why did Angelo pay him? To keep the team happy? They’re happy, all right. Happy about the checks, it seems.
And despite all of this the Bears had a shot to win it, until Peanut Tillman rose to the bait and committed the most boneheaded Bears’ penalty in the short history of the new Soldier Field. (Anybody have a more glaring example? I’d love to hear it – I’ll make a list and share).
At least the tailgate was spectacular. A visit from Woj to go along with steaks, shrimp, salad, grilled veggies and beverages, all compliments of Lactose Intolerant and his lovely bride. But I found out that LI was holding out on the asparagus. Dog.
Maybe the Bears are holding out, too, until the regular season starts. Oh, wait.
Club Lovie’s over, boys. Time to play 60 minutes.
At least.
LBF
9/21/2008