BigDaddyBear

Rex is so frustrating because we have seen him make just tremendous throws and then turn around and look like he's never seen a football before. It is also frustrating for me because I keep thinking that he'll learn and mature after going through so many different situations. Like after the Minnesota and New England games on the road. And after the St. Louis and Tampa games it seemed like he had come out of his slump then he turns around and does what he did against Green Bay. Somehow I just have to believe that he's going to look good now because I think the bye week and everything leading up to this will help him.

Come on bro, have more hope than that. Really only the Bears can beat the Bears in this one, I think. If bad Rex shows up and Lovie doesn't pull him, or pulls him too late then sure we can lose. But I see our team showing up this year in the playoffs and being more comfortable, especially on defense. Alexander and Hasselbeck are both clearly not what they were last year. I'm also counting on the presence of Tillman and Todd Johnson to make a big difference on D. I suck at predicting scores but.... Bears 31 Hawks 14 Overly optimistic score? Maybe.... I expect Grossman to play something like he did in St. Louis, which would be fine by me. I predict that Grossman throws no more than 25 pass attempts. I also expect the running game to have a very fun time going agaisnt the Seattle defense. Benson will have a huge second half for us. At halftime, we'll only be up like 14-7 or 10-7 but the Bears will settle down and have a nice second half all around. Also don't forget special teams. We have an advantage on just about every team in that aspect of the game. My sincere hope is that we not only win this game, but that we squash most of the doubts that might lead to us being the underdogs in the NFC championship game.

I would make Shoop sign a contract saying that he could never ever throw a three yard pass on a third or fourth down with 10 or more yards to go.

I'd love to see some diversity in the offense too (when we do pass). Kind of like what we saw at St. Louis with middle screens and quick slants over the middle. I'd also throw in a reverse, end around or some other plays like that to loosen up the defense. But yes the beginning of this game is crucial. Win the first quarter and we should be in good shape.

Yeah Turner is definitely better than guys from the past like Shoop and Shea, no doubt. Just needs to figure out how to get the ball to playmakers such as Bradley and Berrian more often. I'm feeling more optimistic about this game the closer it gets though.

I don't want to get ahead of myself but yes, a Saints/Bears matchup would be very interesting. I'd be either extremely happy or extremely ticked off especially being around Saints fans assuming I watch it with my friends down here. I think it would be good for "Bear" weather to come in full force, espcially if we play the Saints after beating the Seahawks this week.

At my job we are either really really busy or really really slow. It's not bad though, just doesn't pay enough. Not sure how long I'll be here.

I've actually only been to Chicago twice, with my first Bears game in Soldier being at the Vikings game this season. I was so happy that I got snow and cold temps for my first game. And they won even though it wasn't pretty. I love the city of Chicago too. The closest big city to me is New Orleans and it is such a dump compared to Chicago.

Obviously, we need to worry about Rex. But in my mind the biggest worry is with our coaching, mainly Lovie Smith and Ron Turner. Will Lovie pull the plug if Rex struggles? Will he make the change soon enough if needed? I also worry about the decision to not start Cedric Benson over Thomas Jones. I love TJ, but Benson is ready to become a force in this league. Benson needs to be the focal point of this offense. And Ron Turner, is this guy going to committ to the run enough? Sometimes it seems to me that he gets too cute with the offense. Running the ball and throwing down the field off play action is great, but if you are going to pass early, throw the short, high percentage passes to get Rex into a rythm.

Hey guys this is my first post! Glad to be a part of the discussion. Intro about me...I'm a 25 year old male from Baton Rouge, LA. I've been a Bears fan since about the late 80s/early 90s, which is about the farthest back that I can remember. Being a huge Bears fan in Louisiana is tough because most everybody cheers for the Saints and other local teams. I also don't get the full impact of seeing the Bears play in person much and I don't have much local Bears coverage to digest either. But hey, I'm with the Bears through thick and thin no doubt. I need to get direct ticket on satellite but until then I hit the local sports bar for each game that isn't televised nationally. Anywho, that's about all I got for now. But if you want, hit up my myspace site to see pics and get to know more about me. www.myspace.com/ben_the_bear_61