Cutler/Game Thoughts

[Daventry]

A hard game to lose today. Rogers came out on fire and looked unstoppable, while Cutler looked mediocre. We were thoroughly outplayed for most of the first half.

 

Then, Cutler went out of the game??? WHAT? He is standing on the sidelines, talking, no obvious pain, and he is out? Hmmm.....I have been a big supporter of Cutler, but do we have a pu$$y here? I told my wife, "No one takes himself out of an NFC Championship game at QB unless he can't walk." But there was Cutler, sitting/standing on the sideline, usual sour look on his face, watching the game. And getting paid.

 

Defence really stood up today in the second half. We had a chance to steal this game but could not quite do it. Thanks to the D for keeping us close.

 

Hanie is worth giving a shot. He looked good today overall.

 

Collins should be cut. Whoever decided to put him in should be slapped. Hard.

 

Cutler looked like crap before his game ending "injury." If he had a good game early things could have been much different.

 

We don't need to hang our heads, we should be better next year. Thanks for the Bears for a good year and see you next year, it should be even better!

[DrunkBomber]

I completely agree with all of this.

[Bears4Ever_34]

Cutler is dead to me now and I'm sure to most Bears fans. Guys like Roethlisberger and Favre would have been in the game if they had an arm missing, hell Phillip Rivers played a few years ago in the AFC Championship game with a torn ACL! I always thought Jay was a tough quarterback and I was somewhat surprised he didn't toughen it out in the biggest game of the career.

[Daventry]

Cutler is dead to me now and I'm sure to most Bears fans. Guys like Roethlisberger and Favre would have been in the game if they had an arm missing, hell Phillip Rivers played a few years ago in the AFC Championship game with a torn ACL! I always thought Jay was a tough quarterback and I was somewhat surprised he didn't toughen it out in the biggest game of the career.

 

 

I have to say that it is VERY disappointing to see a QB go out like he did, I have never seen anything like it that I can remember in the 4 plus decades I have been watching football. He did not even look upset or in pain....WHAT? But it is hard to think of giving up on him after the price paid....damn. Perhaps all of the naysayers have been right. Not to mention he sucked while he was in the game, I don't think he made one extraordinary throw and missed some pretty easy ones. Disappointing.

[Bears4Ever_34]

[chitownman]

Totally agree with everyone here. Cutler proved what my family and friends who are Bronco fans have complained about and the so called experts talked about in the pre-game. Cutler just gave up like a big puss dog and the coaches made a huge mistake with the Never Was QB. Hanie made it a game at the end. Better season than I ever expected though.

[bradjock]

Doug & OB on the SCORE are saying he likely had a ligament tear and the Doctor's told him "no."

 

IMO Cutler's earned the benefit of the doubt. He takes a beating and gets back up . . . why would he quit in the biggest game he might ever play in?

 

During last year's season opener, I called Urlacher a pussy for going out with a broken finger. Turns out that was pretty damn serious. Urlacher don't miss much.

 

Unless I here differently, I'm giving Cutler the benefit of the doubt. Please don't start with the "We want Caleb!" bullshit.

[southsideirish71]

Doug & OB on the SCORE are saying he likely had a ligament tear and the Doctor's told him "no."

 

IMO Cutler's earned the benefit of the doubt. He takes a beating and gets back up . . . why would he quit in the biggest game he might ever play in?

 

During last year's season opener, I called Urlacher a pussy for going out with a broken finger. Turns out that was pretty damn serious. Urlacher don't miss much.

 

Unless I here differently, I'm giving Cutler the benefit of the doubt. Please don't start with the "We want Caleb!" bullshit.

 

The funny thing is if Jay threw a pick six and a pick at the end of the game he would of been roasted all over the place. But of course its the most loved position in Chicago, the 3rd string QB. Where dreams can come true.

 

 

 

[jason]

Doug & OB on the SCORE are saying he likely had a ligament tear and the Doctor's told him "no."

 

IMO Cutler's earned the benefit of the doubt. He takes a beating and gets back up . . . why would he quit in the biggest game he might ever play in?

 

During last year's season opener, I called Urlacher a pussy for going out with a broken finger. Turns out that was pretty damn serious. Urlacher don't miss much.

 

Unless I here differently, I'm giving Cutler the benefit of the doubt. Please don't start with the "We want Caleb!" bullshit.

 

I agree with this. Shades of the NYG game. Everyone was calling him out, but it came out later that he had a legit injury. I'd like to see this play out before making any concrete statements about his toughness. But I will say, in the past he has played pretty tough.

[Controlled Chaos]

Shocked at the Cutler crap. I expect this from all the bandwagon fans, but if you have watched Bears football at all this year...the last thing you are doing is questioning Cutler's toughness. Question him over/under throwing. Question his decision making. Question his attitude. But toughness. Gimmie a break.

[Daventry]

I am definitely waiting for the verdict and hope that some solid information comes out that verifies that Cutler was hurt. But, it sure does not look good that he goes out looking basically OK, with a bit of a limp and standing on the sidelines with no obvious discomfort. It is questionable to say the least.

 

AND, BTW, no one here has been calling for Hanie....it is reasonable to ask questions about why your QB goes out in a Championship game without an obvious injury.....can we forget what was given to get him to Chicago?

[BearFan PHX]

i think you guys are missing a possibility here.

 

I don't think Cutler took himself out of the game. I think they YANKED him, and the knee was just a coverup.

 

Now its a strange call, but so is the idea of Cutler sitting down by his own choice. The only other option is he was really hurt, and he sure didn't seem really hurt.

 

I think Martz and Lovie pulled him.

[DaBearSox]

Let it play out but i agree it was hanging it up...this is football...Caleb Hanie showed the heart of a true QB...Jay looked like he could give a piss about the biggest game in his career. you stand you play, there was no talk about the coaches benching him and Lovie said that he was "banged up." He lost at least 3/4 of the Bears fans today including me...You'd want the guy still pumped up when he's out trying to educate his backups but no he sat there silent doing nothing..was it all his fault today...no...did he give up...yes

[Controlled Chaos]

I am definitely waiting for the verdict and hope that some solid information comes out that verifies that Cutler was hurt. But, it sure does not look good that he goes out looking basically OK, with a bit of a limp and standing on the sidelines with no obvious discomfort. It is questionable to say the least.

 

AND, BTW, no one here has been calling for Hanie....it is reasonable to ask questions about why your QB goes out in a Championship game without an obvious injury.....can we forget what was given to get him to Chicago?

Except you aren't waiting for the verdict. "But there was Cutler, sitting/standing on the sideline, usual sour look on his face, watching the game. And getting paid." Also, note this coming from you, who doesn't even get to watch the games and see what Cutler has dealt win game in and game out. The one thing the dude has going for him is he is a tough SOB.

[Daventry]

Shocked at the Cutler crap. I expect this from all the bandwagon fans, but if you have watched Bears football at all this year...the last thing you are doing is questioning Cutler's toughness. Question him over/under throwing. Question his decision making. Question his attitude. But toughness. Gimmie a break.

 

 

I am shocked that anyone is not taken aback by a QB going out of a game without an apparent injury!! Can anyone remember the last time they saw a QB, or any player, go out of a game and stand on the sidelines with no obvious discomfort?

 

GIMME A BREAK INDEED! BANDWAGON INDEED! Cutler looked like crap the whole game and then went out, mysteriously, with no obvious hit or reason, and one should not question? Please...give ME a break! He is paid big money to perform and he definitely did not today. Perhaps the Broncos fans were right all along, I hope not.

[southsideirish71]

i think you guys are missing a possibility here.

 

I don't think Cutler took himself out of the game. I think they YANKED him, and the knee was just a coverup.

 

Now its a strange call, but so is the idea of Cutler sitting down by his own choice. The only other option is he was really hurt, and he sure didn't seem really hurt.

 

I think Martz and Lovie pulled him.

 

I suggest that you retake that logic 101 class. Because if you think that they yanked Cutler to go to Collins then we need to contact the FBI. Because someone has some money on the game.

 

 

[tshanno]

 

http://bearingthenews.com/?p=699

 

Game Comment: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears, January 23, 2011

 

Defense

1. The Bears came out in the cover two and stuck with it for the most part during the first drive. But I think it quickly became evident that it wasn’t going to work and they started mixing some single safety with man coverage underneath. The aggressive defense, particularly in the second half, did a better job of confusing and stopping Aaron Rogers.

2. There weren’t many times when Roger had a lot of time but he gets rid of the ball so fast he’s tough to get to.  Again, the BEars did a better job of pressuring him in the second half and it really threw his accuracy off.

3. On a related note, the contrast between Rogers and Jay Cutler was never so evident as when they ran the ball.  Rogers drops back, looks quickly and runs. Cutler drops back, waits…, waits…, waits and runs at the last minute. Weather its a question of style or personality, quick decisions just aren’t in him.  Rogers is clearly the more efficient thinker of the two.

4. I really thought the Bears defense was playing on their heels for much of the first half. They looked pretty confused. I don’t think they were mentally in the right frame of mind nor do I think they looked particularly prepared for what they saw on the field. You can chalk much of their success in the first half up for the Packers coaches.

5. Rogers is masterful at drifting to the right, drawing the defenders with him, then taking off to the left. It takes discipline to stop him.

6. Speaking of discipline, the Bears defense wasn’t doing a very good job of filling gaps against the run in the first half. There were some massive holes. They tightened it up in the second half.

7. The Bears actually got some good penetration on some runs. But particularly in the first half it looked to me like they just weren’t wrapping up and thenPackers running backs were allowed to escape.

 

Offense

1. The Packers started the game with four down linemen on the first play. I’ve never seen them do that before.  They didn’t do it often but they mixed it in occasionally, apparently when they expected a run. Other than that, I think we probably saw two down linemen most frequently.

2. Mike Martz apparently thought that little off tackle run to the left with the pulling linemen was going to work again.  It didn’t.  The Packers were looking for it and adjusted adjusted well to stop it.

3. I thought the Bear wide receivers had more success getting off the line of scrimmage this game than they did the last time they saw the Packers.

4. Too bad the rest of what we saw at the line of scrimmage wasn’t better. There were stretches where the Packers dominated it.

5. But what really hurt the Bears was the pressure that the Packers were able to bring. They were constantly resenting whatever quarterback was in the game. As a result the offense had no rhythm for most of it.  The BEars were particularly susceptible to the delayed blitz and the blitz of Sam Shields off the edge.  These have been their achilles heel all year.  They never managed to counter them.

6. As bad of a day as Rogers had, Cutler’s was much worse. His accuracy was as bad as I’ve ever seen it. He left some big plays on the field.

7. I don’t know why the Bears continue to run screens against the Packers.  They have the best offense in the league at running them and their defenses sees them in practice every week.  There has to be a better way to counter the blitz.

8. The Bears had to bring in Caleb Hanie.  Todd Collins was a sitting duck in the pocket and with the problems the Bears offense had in protection, they had to have a quarterback who could move.  I thought Hanie did fine all things considered.  Yes, two interceptions but what do you expect from your emergency quarterback who probably hasn’t taken a snap in practice in weeks.  Give him credit for bringing energy to the game and engineering a drive which made this game closer than it really was.

9. I don’t think its any coincidence that the Bears best drive came about when they managed to get Greg Olsen and Earl Bennett involved in the game.

10. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers did a masterful job of scheming today to take the Bears offense out of their element.  Kudos.

 

Miscellaneous

1. I thought that Troy Aikman and Joe Buck did their usual solid job during this game.  I’ve complained about Buck in the past because I’ve felt he was biased.  Whether it was fair when I said it or not I have absolutely no complaints today.  Good call.

2. Man, did penalties hurt the Bears today.  They cropped up at crucial times and it always seemed like first and 15 or 20 all game.  Once again the offensive line was a major culprit but the defense really got into the act as well.  They did a lot of complaining during one particular series in the forth quarter but those all looked like good calls to me.

3. The Bears special teams were OK.  They covered fine and generally speaking they did as well as they could giving the Bears decent field position.  But with the offense not moving the ball there wasn’t a lot they could do other than on kickoffs where they performed reasonably well.

4. But the star of the game was Packers punter Tim Masthay who picked up where he left off at the end of the last Packer-Bears game.  He did a masterful job of pinning the Bears against their own goal line.  He was huge today.

5. The Bears defense really didn’t meet expectations as far as turnovers were concerned.  Hanie’s interceptions obviously were the game killers.

6. I didn’t think the Bears dropped the ball too much.  I think the Packers receivers did.  These guys are used to having Rogers lay it in for them and when it doesn’t happen, they don’t catch the ball as often as they should.

7. I thought the better team won today.

 

[bradjock]

But, it sure does not look good that he goes out looking basically OK, with a bit of a limp and standing on the sidelines with no obvious discomfort. It is questionable to say the least.

 

True, but it's being reported they were burning his jersey in the parking lot. A caller on the SCORE compared him to Cedric Benson. Seriously. I don't mind anyone questioning the injury, I sure as hell did. But the anti-Cutler remarks seem idiodic.

 

AND, BTW, no one here has been calling for Hanie....it is reasonable to ask questions about why your QB goes out in a Championship game without an obvious injury

 

I promise you there will be a push by stupid fans for more Hanie. I'd stake my life on it. Hell, some fans STILL want Orton . . .

 

can we forget what was given to get him to Chicago?

 

Agreed. There was a report in Denver about how McDaniels ruined the franchise by dumping Cutler.

[Daventry]

Except you aren't waiting for the verdict. "But there was Cutler, sitting/standing on the sideline, usual sour look on his face, watching the game. And getting paid." Also, note this coming from you, who doesn't even get to watch the games and see what Cutler has dealt win game in and game out. The one thing the dude has going for him is he is a tough SOB.

 

 

I am waiting for the verdict, although the obvious facts in front of my face do not look favorable. I watched this game, and many other games, and as I have said in other posts, there was no obvious reason he went out. I have never seen anything like it in all of the years I have watched football, and would not be surprised of some other posters views that he was pulled out by the coaching staff, were true. Either way, he did not seem to earn his keep today, and unless I learn that he had a real injury, backed up by medical reports, I will suspect his toughness and resolve from here on out. As will most fans I suspect. When was the last time you saw something like this happen?

[Bears4Ever_34]

Doesn't matter what the injury was, Bears fans will have a hard time forgiving him for quitting. Even if the doctors said no, Cutler, if he really wanted to, he could go back in. I'm not letting a decision like that be dictated by a Doctor. If I'm a gamer, I play.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

YOU GUYS ARE A F***ING JOKE!

 

You are the same clowns who say OMG THE BEARS NEED OL IN THE DRAFT AND FREE AGENCY. So WTF? This was bound to happen eventually. He got concussed in NY on national television and today, with the whole world watching, took a hit to the knee. This is complete and utter BS that you people think he quit on the team. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. Did you hear Urlacher after the game? "My QB is tough as hell. He gets hit and never b****es and never complains." Or Kreutz? "It's a ligament tear." Or even Cutler himself? "I couldn't plant and throw, and the doctors wouldn't let me back out there."

 

Philip Rivers played on a torn ACL? Oh really? And they lost 21-10 you f***ing idiots. Who gives a rat's a$$ then?

 

You people are sick and make me f***ing sick. It's time to get back to the drawing board people. Caleb Hanie f***ing sucks and there's a reason he'll never be a full-time starter on an NFL roster. Oh, and Kyle Orton f***ing blows too, so don't give me any of that bulls***. If you don't like Cutler, his attitude, his "toughness", then keep your eye out for Orton this offseason when he'll be on another damn team because HE F***ING SUCKS. When he's playing for the Titans or Dolphins, you all can hitch your bandwagons on that f***ing train.

 

Where were the rollouts today? Did Earl Bennett play the 1st 3 quarters? Why the f*** did Lovie not kick a 52 and 49 yard FG with Robbie Gould? Mr. "Good as Gould", Mr. "Highest Paid Kicker in Football."

 

[DaBearSox]

I am waiting for the verdict, although the obvious facts in front of my face do not look favorable. I watched this game, and many other games, and as I have said in other posts, there was no obvious reason he went out. I have never seen anything like it in all of the years I have watched football, and would not be surprised of some other posters views that he was pulled out by the coaching staff, were true. Either way, he did not seem to earn his keep today, and unless I learn that he had a real injury, backed up by medical reports, I will suspect his toughness and resolve from here on out. As will most fans I suspect. When was the last time you saw something like this happen?

 

agreed, if in the next few days i hear he tore some ligament in his knee then i'll get it...but if it was just a sore knee you get your a** out there and play...this is football, you see players break legs and ligaments and beg to get back on the field in a regular season game..the biggest game of his life and he sits quietly on the sidelines not helping his back ups with a jacket on his back...

[Daventry]

http://bearingthenews.com/?p=699

 

Game Comment: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears, January 23, 2011

 

Defense

1. The Bears came out in the cover two and stuck with it for the most part during the first drive. But I think it quickly became evident that it wasn’t going to work and they started mixing some single safety with man coverage underneath. The aggressive defense, particularly in the second half, did a better job of confusing and stopping Aaron Rogers.

2. There weren’t many times when Roger had a lot of time but he gets rid of the ball so fast he’s tough to get to.  Again, the BEars did a better job of pressuring him in the second half and it really threw his accuracy off.

3. On a related note, the contrast between Rogers and Jay Cutler was never so evident as when they ran the ball.  Rogers drops back, looks quickly and runs. Cutler drops back, waits…, waits…, waits and runs at the last minute. Weather its a question of style or personality, quick decisions just aren’t in him.  Rogers is clearly the more efficient thinker of the two.

4. I really thought the Bears defense was playing on their heels for much of the first half. They looked pretty confused. I don’t think they were mentally in the right frame of mind nor do I think they looked particularly prepared for what they saw on the field. You can chalk much of their success in the first half up for the Packers coaches.

5. Rogers is masterful at drifting to the right, drawing the defenders with him, then taking off to the left. It takes discipline to stop him.

6. Speaking of discipline, the Bears defense wasn’t doing a very good job of filling gaps against the run in the first half. There were some massive holes. They tightened it up in the second half.

7. The Bears actually got some good penetration on some runs. But particularly in the first half it looked to me like they just weren’t wrapping up and thenPackers running backs were allowed to escape.

 

Offense

1. The Packers started the game with four down linemen on the first play. I’ve never seen them do that before.  They didn’t do it often but they mixed it in occasionally, apparently when they expected a run. Other than that, I think we probably saw two down linemen most frequently.

2. Mike Martz apparently thought that little off tackle run to the left with the pulling linemen was going to work again.  It didn’t.  The Packers were looking for it and adjusted adjusted well to stop it.

3. I thought the Bear wide receivers had more success getting off the line of scrimmage this game than they did the last time they saw the Packers.

4. Too bad the rest of what we saw at the line of scrimmage wasn’t better. There were stretches where the Packers dominated it.

5. But what really hurt the Bears was the pressure that the Packers were able to bring. They were constantly resenting whatever quarterback was in the game. As a result the offense had no rhythm for most of it.  The BEars were particularly susceptible to the delayed blitz and the blitz of Sam Shields off the edge.  These have been their achilles heel all year.  They never managed to counter them.

6. As bad of a day as Rogers had, Cutler’s was much worse. His accuracy was as bad as I’ve ever seen it. He left some big plays on the field.

7. I don’t know why the Bears continue to run screens against the Packers.  They have the best offense in the league at running them and their defenses sees them in practice every week.  There has to be a better way to counter the blitz.

8. The Bears had to bring in Caleb Hanie.  Todd Collins was a sitting duck in the pocket and with the problems the Bears offense had in protection, they had to have a quarterback who could move.  I thought Hanie did fine all things considered.  Yes, two interceptions but what do you expect from your emergency quarterback who probably hasn’t taken a snap in practice in weeks.  Give him credit for bringing energy to the game and engineering a drive which made this game closer than it really was.

9. I don’t think its any coincidence that the Bears best drive came about when they managed to get Greg Olsen and Earl Bennett involved in the game.

10. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers did a masterful job of scheming today to take the Bears offense out of their element.  Kudos.

 

Miscellaneous

1. I thought that Troy Aikman and Joe Buck did their usual solid job during this game.  I’ve complained about Buck in the past because I’ve felt he was biased.  Whether it was fair when I said it or not I have absolutely no complaints today.  Good call.

2. Man, did penalties hurt the Bears today.  They cropped up at crucial times and it always seemed like first and 15 or 20 all game.  Once again the offensive line was a major culprit but the defense really got into the act as well.  They did a lot of complaining during one particular series in the forth quarter but those all looked like good calls to me.

3. The Bears special teams were OK.  They covered fine and generally speaking they did as well as they could giving the Bears decent field position.  But with the offense not moving the ball there wasn’t a lot they could do other than on kickoffs where they performed reasonably well.

4. But the star of the game was Packers punter Tim Masthay who picked up where he left off at the end of the last Packer-Bears game.  He did a masterful job of pinning the Bears against their own goal line.  He was huge today.

5. The Bears defense really didn’t meet expectations as far as turnovers were concerned.  Hanie’s interceptions obviously were the game killers.

6. I didn’t think the Bears dropped the ball too much.  I think the Packers receivers did.  These guys are used to having Rogers lay it in for them and when it doesn’t happen, they don’t catch the ball as often as they should.

7. I thought the better team won today.

 

I felt very frustrated that the defence did not blitz more earlier when it was obvious Rogers was going to pick them apart. There would have been little to lose to go to a more aggressive package earlier.

 

More downfield shots would have also been welcome if Cutler had shown any signs of being able to complete one...

 

I agree the better team won today, the Pack are tough and solid and there is no shame in losing to them.

 

If we bolster the O Line, get a big time WR, and hopefully Cutler comes back strong, we will be really good next year IMO...

 

[Bears4Ever_34]

YOU GUYS ARE A F***ING JOKE!

 

You are the same clowns who say OMG THE BEARS NEED OL IN THE DRAFT AND FREE AGENCY. So WTF? This was bound to happen eventually. He got concussed in NY on national television and today, with the whole world watching, took a hit to the knee. This is a complete and utter BS that you people think he quit on the team. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. Did you hear Urlacher after the game? "My QB is tough as hell. He gets hit and never b****es and never complains." Or Kreutz? "It's a ligament tear." Or even Cutler himself? "I couldn't plant and throw, and the doctors wouldn't let me back out there."

 

Philip Rivers played on a torn ACL? Oh really? And they lost 21-10 you f***ing idiots. Who gives a rat's a$$ then?

 

You people are sick and make me f***ing sick.

What does losing the game have anything to do with it? Rivers played on a god damn torn ACL. That's being a tough SOB. Donovan McNabb played through the 4th quarter on a broken leg a few years back, hell Byron Leftwich had to be carried back to the huddle in a meaningless college football game and played on a broken leg. We all know about Brett Favre. The point being, this is the biggest game of the guys career and he did not want to continue playing.

[Daventry]

http://bearingthenews.com/?p=699

 

Game Comment: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears, January 23, 2011

 

Defense

1. The Bears came out in the cover two and stuck with it for the most part during the first drive. But I think it quickly became evident that it wasn’t going to work and they started mixing some single safety with man coverage underneath. The aggressive defense, particularly in the second half, did a better job of confusing and stopping Aaron Rogers.

2. There weren’t many times when Roger had a lot of time but he gets rid of the ball so fast he’s tough to get to.  Again, the BEars did a better job of pressuring him in the second half and it really threw his accuracy off.

3. On a related note, the contrast between Rogers and Jay Cutler was never so evident as when they ran the ball.  Rogers drops back, looks quickly and runs. Cutler drops back, waits…, waits…, waits and runs at the last minute. Weather its a question of style or personality, quick decisions just aren’t in him.  Rogers is clearly the more efficient thinker of the two.

4. I really thought the Bears defense was playing on their heels for much of the first half. They looked pretty confused. I don’t think they were mentally in the right frame of mind nor do I think they looked particularly prepared for what they saw on the field. You can chalk much of their success in the first half up for the Packers coaches.

5. Rogers is masterful at drifting to the right, drawing the defenders with him, then taking off to the left. It takes discipline to stop him.

6. Speaking of discipline, the Bears defense wasn’t doing a very good job of filling gaps against the run in the first half. There were some massive holes. They tightened it up in the second half.

7. The Bears actually got some good penetration on some runs. But particularly in the first half it looked to me like they just weren’t wrapping up and thenPackers running backs were allowed to escape.

 

Offense

1. The Packers started the game with four down linemen on the first play. I’ve never seen them do that before.  They didn’t do it often but they mixed it in occasionally, apparently when they expected a run. Other than that, I think we probably saw two down linemen most frequently.

2. Mike Martz apparently thought that little off tackle run to the left with the pulling linemen was going to work again.  It didn’t.  The Packers were looking for it and adjusted adjusted well to stop it.

3. I thought the Bear wide receivers had more success getting off the line of scrimmage this game than they did the last time they saw the Packers.

4. Too bad the rest of what we saw at the line of scrimmage wasn’t better. There were stretches where the Packers dominated it.

5. But what really hurt the Bears was the pressure that the Packers were able to bring. They were constantly resenting whatever quarterback was in the game. As a result the offense had no rhythm for most of it.  The BEars were particularly susceptible to the delayed blitz and the blitz of Sam Shields off the edge.  These have been their achilles heel all year.  They never managed to counter them.

6. As bad of a day as Rogers had, Cutler’s was much worse. His accuracy was as bad as I’ve ever seen it. He left some big plays on the field.

7. I don’t know why the Bears continue to run screens against the Packers.  They have the best offense in the league at running them and their defenses sees them in practice every week.  There has to be a better way to counter the blitz.

8. The Bears had to bring in Caleb Hanie.  Todd Collins was a sitting duck in the pocket and with the problems the Bears offense had in protection, they had to have a quarterback who could move.  I thought Hanie did fine all things considered.  Yes, two interceptions but what do you expect from your emergency quarterback who probably hasn’t taken a snap in practice in weeks.  Give him credit for bringing energy to the game and engineering a drive which made this game closer than it really was.

9. I don’t think its any coincidence that the Bears best drive came about when they managed to get Greg Olsen and Earl Bennett involved in the game.

10. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers did a masterful job of scheming today to take the Bears offense out of their element.  Kudos.

 

Miscellaneous

1. I thought that Troy Aikman and Joe Buck did their usual solid job during this game.  I’ve complained about Buck in the past because I’ve felt he was biased.  Whether it was fair when I said it or not I have absolutely no complaints today.  Good call.

2. Man, did penalties hurt the Bears today.  They cropped up at crucial times and it always seemed like first and 15 or 20 all game.  Once again the offensive line was a major culprit but the defense really got into the act as well.  They did a lot of complaining during one particular series in the forth quarter but those all looked like good calls to me.

3. The Bears special teams were OK.  They covered fine and generally speaking they did as well as they could giving the Bears decent field position.  But with the offense not moving the ball there wasn’t a lot they could do other than on kickoffs where they performed reasonably well.

4. But the star of the game was Packers punter Tim Masthay who picked up where he left off at the end of the last Packer-Bears game.  He did a masterful job of pinning the Bears against their own goal line.  He was huge today.

5. The Bears defense really didn’t meet expectations as far as turnovers were concerned.  Hanie’s interceptions obviously were the game killers.

6. I didn’t think the Bears dropped the ball too much.  I think the Packers receivers did.  These guys are used to having Rogers lay it in for them and when it doesn’t happen, they don’t catch the ball as often as they should.

7. I thought the better team won today.

 

I felt very frustrated that the defence did not blitz more earlier when it was obvious Rogers was going to pick them apart. There would have been little to lose to go to a more aggressive package earlier.

 

More downfield shots would have also been welcome if Cutler had shown any signs of being able to complete one...

 

I agree the better team won today, the Pack are tough and solid and there is no shame in losing to them.

 

If we bolster the O Line, get a big time WR, and hopefully Cutler comes back strong, we will be really good next year IMO...