In what a lot of people called a must-win game for Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith, he delivered. And after it was over, he responded like he always does--dispassionately, and like it was some sort of accident. After all, that is exactly how the Bears will begin the 2010 season, by complete accident. What Sunday afternoon prepared us for is what will undoubtedly be a rocky ride for the captain of the Bears' ship this season. Every turn of the helm by Cpt. L. Smith will be scrutinized so closely by Bears fans that it will run "the Love Machine" straight out of town. Whether or not this ship sails into a behemoth iceberg in the next 3 weeks (otherwise known as @Dallas, Green Bay, @NYG), or Cutler keeps his guests aboard as blissful as a Carnival Cruise Line remains to be determined. Now I'm sure if you would have told Lovie when he popped out of his giant, four poster bed Sunday morning that Cutler and Forte would put up big numbers, Julius Peppers would strangle Stafford into a sling in the 2nd quarter, and Calvin Johnson would be so mad that steam was rising from his skull cap like a pot of boiling water at the end of the game, Lovie could look forward to a stress free afternoon. Instead, he found himself in an NFC North battle that wouldn't be decided until the final minute, and even then, it would be decided by a foot locker employee disguised as an NFL referee.
As much as you can talk about how Calvin Johnson's catch/non-catch could have won the game for the Lions, there were many opportunities to be had by both teams. For instance, I think the Lions win if Stafford keeps his jersey on his back on the sidelines (I don't even care if he played, I just think that putrid dri-fit cutoff they kept showing him in really distracted the Lions). Jahvid Best looked tough in the first half becoming the smallest athlete to wear #44 since the Pistol Pete era, but disappeared in the 2nd half with the emergence of Shaun Hill. Go figure. And, although Cutler put up some gawdy numbers, he and the Bears offense only registered 19 points against arguably the worst back 7 in football. However, their front 4 and co. made a huge stand in the 4th quarter stopping the Bears from gaining a ruler's length with the football which would have registered a touchdown for the home team and virtually sealed the game. Both teams had bad turnovers which could have cost them the game, but didn't. Everyone expected the Lions to be improved, and they were. They will most likely amass more wins this season than they did in the entire years of 2008 and 2009 (2) if they can get Stafford back relatively soon. As for the Bears, they escaped a trap game week 1, and whenever you can get to 0:00 with a lead in those situations in the NFL, you take em. Nobody wanted a moral victory yesterday and although a victory at the expense of a technicality in the rules isn't exactly dining at Ruth's Cris, it's not exactly Hardees (losing to the Lions @ home in week 1 has got to feel like choking down an unnecessary triple thick-burger).
Now, the Bears are off to Dallas in what can be seen as a winnable game after last night. However, the Bears need to do a few things on offense: A) establish Hester (thrown to 1 time Sunday). If you want him to be an electric punt returner--great! I'm all for it. But, if you want him to be your #1 receiver, you have to throw to him. Just don't have him be absolutely forgettable at both. B)Get points in the Red Zone (No Cutler INT's, Greg Olsen fumbles, or shanked Robbie 'field' Goulds inside the opponents 20). And C) Defend like they did last week against a much better offense. That's the only time this season the Bears are going to face someone as bad as Shaun Hill, unless Jake Delhomme gets traded mid-season. After all, the Bears are atop the NFC North as of right now and the Lovie-boat is smooth sailing .
As for Pick of the Day, the Pulse Man came through again on Friday as the Rangers defeated the World Champion Yankees in extra innings. His Saturday 6 Pack was a little shaky winning only 2 out of 5 games and none of the 3 bets. Still, he regrouped on Sunday and came through on his teaser. His weekday winning streak is still running strong at ten games. Tonight, he likes another player prop and is betting Braylon Edwards to be over 45.5 receiving yards at (-125)
Pick of the Day: Braylon Edwards Total Receiving Yards 45.5- OVER
Record: (20-11-0)
No comments:
Post a Comment