Packers rule, Bears fans drool

So I finally had an opportunity to tune into my first Packers game of the season last night.

Just before halftime.

With the Packers beating the Bears.

42-0.

At halftime.

Rodgers showed the Bears for the second time this season that he is the epitome of an elite quarterback, worthy of every cent he earns. He directed one of the greatest statistical performances in NFL history. The easy degree of difficulty against the Bears' impotent pass rush and confused secondary won't be mentioned in the record book, but the results speak for themselves.

Before halftime, Rodgers completed 18 of 24 attempts for 315 yards and six — yes, six — touchdowns. His passer rating was 156.2.

The six first-half touchdown passes tied the NFL record, last achieved in 1969 by Daryle "Mad Bomber" Lamonica. The Bears' 42 first-half points allowed were the most in franchise history.

The Packers destroyed the Bears in one of Rodgers' most impressive games yet.

I’m so sorry I missed that first half.

The final was 55-14, and Mike McCarthy didn’t have “a whole lot to say” about it.

Meanwhile, in Chicago. Last night was pretty bad for the team that Chicago media were drooling over and punching playoff tickets for at the start of the season. Now the Bears have lost five of their last six games, and last night was the third time in their last 11 games that the Bears have given up 51 or more points. Their coach is oblivious.


Social media was a virtual riot during last night’s game.

Today, the Chicago media was having a field day.

While the national media are now predicting the Packers to land in the Super Bowl. That has a nice ring to it.

The Pack is back

I'm watching the Steelers and Jets in the AFC Championship game now.

I don't care who wins.

All that matters is the Packers are going to the Super Bowl.

There are three things about this year's NFL season I've maintained since the opening week.

1. The Minnesota Vikings would not finish the season with Brett Favre.
2. The Chicago Bears were overrated.
3. And the Green Bay Packers were heading to the Super Bowl.

I was proven right on all three accounts, thank you very much. ... And now that I think about it, it sure would be amusing to see the Jets make the Super Bowl and set up a meeting between two of the teams Favre failed to take to the big game during his final years  -- a notion Favre haters floated all week.

There was hardly a doubt in my mind the Packers would be advancing today. ... I say hardly because my stomach churned every time the ball went Devin Hester's way, and that third-stringer Hanie kid was pretty decent. That fourth quarter wasn't easy to watch.

Now they're burning Jay Cutler jerseys in Chicago. ... I, too, found it a little mysterious to see him standing with so much ease on the sideline if he suffered a serious knee injury.

The Packers have played with so much confidence throughout the playoffs. The defense is tight, always stepping up when it needs to make a big play. Aaron Rogers is the real deal, and he has one of the best receiving corps in the league to throw to. Now they've added James Starks. Look out.

On to the Super Bowl.

Good read ...
a Twitter gives fans ultimate Packer party

Updated reads (2.1.2011)
a Reality Finally Caught Up to the Bears
a A missed lesson in knowing when and where to whine

Packers defeat

Don't even get me started on the Packers loss to the Bears Monday night.

Seriously. I'd had a long day that kept me at school from 7:30 in the morning to 9:30 at night. I'd been waiting all day -- no, all weekend -- for that Packers-Bears game.

The Packers should have won that game by 20 points. They beat themselves. ... Dropped passed. Fumbles. Dropped interceptions. 17 penalties. ... 17 penalties! The Bears should not have won that game. The Packers handed it to them on a platter. And I'm rolling my eyes at everyone who thinks the Bears are back.

Ok. I'm done ranting. The season is still young. Sunday brings a new round of games. I'm moving on. The Packers can still make the Super Bowl.

I'll admit it was fun seeing Mark Suppelsa sheepishly wearing a Bears helmet on the WGN News tonight. The result of a bet he lost with Eric & Kathy -- who I still listen to every morning thanks to the wonders of the internet. At least some things remain the same.

At least the Chiefs are still rockin' ... They have been super to watch so far. Then again, I wasn't around for their recent lean years, so for me their strong start is no different than the way I remember them playing during the 90s.

(Update: 10.02.10) Good read ...
a Packers WR Jones wants to atone for fumble

Cheers and jeers

“Brett, who?” was exactly what I said last night when the Packers clinched their first win of the season.

I will try not to wax about every Packers game this season …

But last night’s game was fantastic.

I decided early on I would have to sacrifice my valuable sleep time. I wasn’t going to bed early. I wasn’t going to risk missing the end of a Packers-Bears game …

In between brushing teeth and changing to pajamas, I caught Mason Crosby’s 39-yard field goal to give the Packers a lead early in the fourth quarter. And then I watched Jay Cutler lead the Bears down the field, only to settle for the field goal of their own, and the lead returned to the Bears …

Then, I settled into bed as the Packers regained the ball with barely two minutes left in the game …

Bring up third-and-1. When Aaron Rodgers launched that ball toward the sideline, and it fell into Greg Jennings’ arms, I sat straight up in the bed, thrust both fists in the air, and shouted a squelched “Yes!” so as to not wake Phoebe who was sleeping across the hall.

Still, it was enough for Kates to shush me from the bathroom.

If only Pheebs knew what she was missing.

* * *

In the meantime ...

I've been hearing all morning about something Kanye West did at last night's MTV's Music Video Awards ...

Now, I've finally seen the video and read the accounts of him stealing the stage from Taylor Swift.

I heard about one musician who equaled the display to "stomping on a kitty."

Pretty much.

Sunday reading

Some of the good reads I found from the past couple weeks ...

Sports ...
a MLB wants balls kept in temperature control ... 'bout time.
a Owner explains Bonds' new contract to fans
a Hank Bauer dead at 84
a Bears fan prepares to become Peyton Manning
a Brett Favre says he will play in 2007
a 30,000 and counting: ESPN's SportsCenter still going strong

Music & TV ...
a LPs? Hold that swan song -- Several innovative bands may be demonstrating how the rock-album concept can retain its relevancy in an ever-evolving digital world.
a Network patience (yes, it exists) pays off -- Four sophomore series -- 'Close to Home,' 'Supernatural,' 'Bones' and 'How I Met Your Mother' -- benefit from careful nurturing.
a 'Heroes' saving NBC
a The hot button of a casual embrace -- Interracial relationships abound on TV now, but they're often colorblind. How real is that?
a Josh Holloway on his bad-boy 'Lost' persona
a The 10 worst Super Bowl ads of all time
a General Motors to edit robot ad ... Seriously?
a Where a lack of talent is its own reward
a 'American Idol': Point/Counterpoint
a Web site builds links to music connection
a Music Preview: Symphony celebrates Gibson, Robinson, Aaron
a Apple Revs Up Ad Attacks on PCs, Vista

Politics ...
a Putting 9/11 into perspective
a Many young Bostonians think city overreacted
a Obama's kickoff is steeped in symbolism

Everything else ...
a Intrepid armchair explorers -- Paper maps are a cartographer's view of the world, whereas digital versions in Google Earth, Google Maps and Microsoft's Live Search Maps are sophisticated collages -- moments captured by satellite and airplane cameras and blended to create a digital world that's irresistible to armchair explorers ...
a What Drew Us to Anna Nicole?
a How Smith's death hit Page 1

Top Ten Chicago Bears Excuses

From David Letterman's Top 10 last night, the Top Ten Chicago Bears Excuses ...

10. Too much pre-game paella
9. Hard to be motivated by a guy named "Lovie"
8. Spent every huddle talking about "American Idol"
7. Peyton promised to put us in a commercial if we let him win
6. We're not used to bad weather
5. Colts players were shoving us
4. Never adjusted to one hour time difference
3. Like the rest of America, we wanted to see Peyton finally win the big one
2. Hard to play when you're excited about upcoming Late Show Ventriloquist Week
1. Worried about sharing locker room with Prince

The party's over

... So Peyton's finally got his Super Bowl. Good for him ... There's hardly a player in the NFL right now who's more deserving and likable.

... Kates and I have got the local news on now and we're watching all the coverage of fans in full Bears garb crying in bars. And the sports guys are analyzing the game and interviewing the Bears players ...

All the while, the station is scrolling text messages from Bears fans on the bottom of the screen. Some examples...

... Go Cubs! Sorry Rex
... Rex is the Colts MVP
... Grossman needs to fall into a hole and stay there.
... Once again we left Rex in too long
... Trade REX
... Grossman Goodbye
... Rex started. He was never good.
... They need McMahon back
... Bad Rex, Bye Rex!

Hmm. Interesting. But I hardly think Rex Grossman is the reason the Bears lost the game, although he did toss a costly Brett Favre-like interception ... It's too bad, because no matter who won, the quarterback of the losing team was going to be blamed, even though both quarterbacks have played well and carried their teams to this point.

The Colts just flat-out played better and they capitalized on on their possessions. That's it. Game over. Colts take the trophy.

* * *

The best commercial of the second half was by far the Budweiser crabs! ... A sea of crabs find a cooler on the beach and the camera zooms out to show thousands of craps surrounding and bowing to the cooler filled with Budweisers ...

Super Sunday

... I just downed two chili dogs, got a Mountain Dew in front of me, watched the Prince halftime show and I'm ready to go for the second half ...

... Actually, the Prince show wasn't too bad. I had low expectations going in, but he showed up ... Having a marching band join him on the field was pretty great, and how appropriate/cool was his performance of "Purple Rain"!?

If the second half of this game is anything like the first, we're in for a heckuva finish ...

I was bursting with glee -- as was all of Chicagoland -- watching Devin Hester run back that opening kickoff for a touchdown ... (... holy cow!, I just logged into Wikipedia for Hester's link and someone's already posted this: "He holds the distinction of being the only player to return the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl for a touchdown, beating the Indianapolis Colts defense for a 92 yard score for the Chicago Bears, just 14 seconds into Super Bowl XLI on February 4th 2007..." )

... Then the Bears got it back on an interception. There were back-to-back fumbles -- twice! The Colts got on the board with the help of Peyton's bomb to Reggie Wayne but couldn't tie it at seven because of a botched PAT. And Thomas Jones tore out for that 52-yard run which helped the Bears get back in the end zone ... and pretty soon we've got the Colts leading 16-14 at the half ...

As for the commercials, here's my faves so far ...

...First, the honorable mentions: ... any of the Coke commercials, the Sierra Mist spot featuring Jim Gaffigan and his beard comb-over, the Snickers ad where two car mechanics kissed while eating a Snickers, Garmin's map-osaurus, Budweiser's parade dogs (a white dog gets splashed with mud spots, allowing him to hop on a parade cart with a Dalmatian) and Chevy's hot guy car wash ...

...From there:
4. Bud Light's rock, paper, scissors: It was the first to air after the game started. Two men decide who gets the Bud Light with a game of rock, paper, scissors ... one of the guys picks rock and literally throws a rock at his opponent, thus knocking him out and taking the Bud Light ...

3. The Late Show with David Letterman: Letterman is sitting on a couch in a Colts jersey and stuffing his face with popcorn. He says, 'You're cheering for the Bears, I'm cheering for the Colts ...' And a woman interrupts and says, 'Honey don't eat with your mouth full... The camera pulls out and it's Oprah in a Bears jersey. Classic!

2. Bud Light's fast wedding: Two guys at a wedding are worried the ceremony will last too long, and one guy says, 'Don't worry, I got it covered.' In steps an auctioneer who rattles off the vows, etc. so fast the young couple barely has time to think and then he caps the quick ceremonial kiss with a slap of a gavel ...

1. Bud Light's congratulatory slap: A couple of businessmen walk out of a meeting and one of them reaches out with a fist to congratulate him in his presentation. The other guy says, "No dude, the fist bump is out." To which the other guy replies, "Really? So what's in now?" The other guy pauses for a second, and then slaps him hard ... the rest of the commercial is a montage of guys slapping the wits out of each other in congratulatory situations ...

Pregame

So here we are …

Super Bowl Sunday …

Bears. Colts.

… Cheeseheads or not, we’re still close to Chicago and sometimes considered a far north suburb. And for the last two weeks, not to mention most of the season, it’s been like nothing else watching and hearing people get excited for the big game …

It’s hard not to get caught up in it.

… A few people I work with wore Bears garb to the office every day last week … At Kates’ school, each day’s morning announcements included the Bears fight song and on Friday the classes had a door decorating contest to commemorate the Bears’ run … And Friday, during a visit to the police station, guys and administrators I’m used to seeing in uniforms or office attire were instead dressed in navy and orange sweaters, ties and Bears jerseys …

Earlier in the week, a cohort and die-hard Bears fan came to us and said he had the weather forecast for Super Bowl Sunday. Then he deadpanned, “They’re calling for a Bear-icane” and held up an image with the orange and blue Bears logo embedded into a hurricane cloud spinning toward Miami.

And later in the week, another big time fan came, saying he’d come across a class picture from a Chicago school. He held it up -- The class of elementary kids were standing together, proudly on the gymnasium risers, smiling. And about five feet to their left, looking sad and sitting alone on the bottom step, a little boy wearing a Packers jersey … The photo had us laughing out loud.

Bears Inspire A City Still Reeling From Great Chicago Fire Of 1871

CHICAGO—As Brian Urlacher triumphantly hoisted the George Halas Trophy Sunday, it was a symbol of more than just the Bears' 39-14 victory over New Orleans—it was a symbol of hope to the thousands of Chicagoans who are still struggling...

And then you consider our proximity to Indiana, and stories start coming out about married couples who have ties to both teams and they can’t decide who to root for …

The last couple years have sure been fun for Midwest teams making championship runs. From the White Sox in the World Series and the Fighting Illini in the NCAA tournament a couple years ago, to Detroit and St, Louis in the World Series last fall. And now the Bears and the Colts in the Super Bowl … and hey, the Badgers aren’t looking too bad either …

I’m eating it up …

Good reads ...
a Super Bowl champs still the toast of Chicago
a Old song gets revival with Bears in Super Bowl

Super games!

... Wow. Talk about a great weekend for sports ...

Yesterday I caught my beloved Badgers pull out a thriller against Illinois, and then watched my beloved Jayhawks (with a little help from our DVR -- because we had to break for Frank Caliendo) choke (again!) against lowly Texas Tech ... ugh.

... And then those football games today!

... During a conversation the other day about the Bears-Packers game that ended the regular season, I asked a buddy if he was a Bears or Packers fan. He told me he's a Packers fan when they're not playing the Bears ... I liked his answer. I'm a Bears fan when they're not playing the Packers.

... and so in today's game, I was cheering hard for the Bears. But when the Saints took the momentum into halftime and came out roaring to start the second, I was beginning to think the Bears were going to implode all over again ...

Then they turned it into a route ... Chicago will be going crazy the next couple weeks, and it's going to be great!

Then there was that Colts-Patriots game ...

I would've been pleased with either team in the Super Bowl. The Patriots are a class act, and it's fun to watch them play so well year after year. On the other side of the ball, the Colts are flat out good, and I've had a soft spot for Peyton -- another class act himself -- and the Colts for a few years now ... But if you asked me straight-up who I was rooting for, I would have answered the Colts ...

So I was a little disappointed when the Colts slipped so far behind early. So much so that I pretty much tuned out the game ...

... Until I looked up late in the fourth quarter and realized the Colts actually had a chance at winning the thing! ... Peyton's final drive, and then that interception to end it -- Holy cow, what a finish!

So it's Colts-Bears. A classic cross-state rivalry ... Now I've just gotta figure out who I will cheer for ...

Good reads ...
a Bears fans celebrate
a Takeaways propel Chicago to first Super Bowl since '85




* * *


01.22.07 ... adding today's front page of the Indy Star ...

Super predictions

... I didn't get to see very much of yesterday's football games because I was too busy (and more interested) in other projects and business around the house... But I had the games on in the background and managed to at least catch the most important points -- Robbie Gould kicking a winning field goal for the Bears and Tom Brady bringing the Patriots from behind against the Chargers ...

In a column this morning, Dave Goldberg makes a case of a Patriots-Saints Super Bowl ... I'd prefer a Colts-Bears matchup, but with the Tom Brady mystique and the way the Bears are playing, Goldberg's on to something ...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! … Here’s hoping 2007 isn’t as stressful as 2006 …

… Kates and I played it low key tonight, skipping our usual celebrating in Chicago and instead settled in for a quiet night at home with the Packers, Carson Daly, Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark …

… There was something about watching Brett and the Pack during their opening drive tonight that had me thinking this was going to be a special game. The Green Bay offense was gelling (the Bears certainly were not …) and the defense was capitalizing on key opportunities. Favre was completing passes, and his receivers were making the grabs, like that unforgettable night a couple years ago after his father’s death …

Then came that post-game interview -- which the local stations, of course, couldn’t seem to get enough of as they played it over, and over, and over during their postgame coverage … You knew the question was going to be asked; it was only a matter of whether the reporter was going to show sleaze or class in asking it. It proved to be the latter and Andrea Kremer, I thought, did a masterful job of asking the questions, pacing them and being patient with an emotional Favre …

Despite the “supposed” tearful good-bye, the question seems to be looming even larger now. Will he, or won’t he, return for one more season?

Yes, after the disaster that was the 2005 season, I was one of the people hoping Favre would not come back for another season … That was then. Given Favre’s performance tonight, and the resurgence of the team this fall and some top-notch young talent, I’m actually sitting here and hoping Favre does return. And if the Pack does good on the rumors swirling about a pursuit of Tony Gonzalez …

Well. Next year could be very, very good …

And if Favre doesn't return? Well. Tonight's game was the perfect way to say goodbye ...

Good reads ...
a Favre's last stand? QB fuels Pack rout of No. 1 Bears
a Tears aside, here's betting Favre comes back
a Emotional Favre’s last hurrah?
a Packers Await Favre's Final Word
a Red zone woes could prod Packers to seek playmakers in off-season

Bears comeback scores well on TV

Last night's Bears game is the talk of the town today ...

... While most people apparently were turning their TVs off with the Bears down to start the fourth quarter, I was the one returning home from a late night at work and turning the game on ...

I could hardly believe the Bears were losing so badly -- to the Arizona Cardinals!

... and then right before my eyes, the Cardinals crumbled and the Bears defense stepped up ...

... what a finish.

The long season

Packers got crushed by the Bears yesterday. First time Brett Favre has ever been shut out. It’s going to be a looooong season …

Ugh.

At least the Colts-Giants game -- aka “The Manning Bowl” -- was fun to watch. Of course the importance of the game was way overblown, but at least it was a competitive game … And how cool was it to see Eli and Peyton spend several moments together in the middle of the field at the end of the game? I had expected the two to meet in the middle, pat each other on back and go their separate ways -- just like all the quarterbacks; forget the brotherly love stuff. Instead, the two met in the middle and spent more than a few seconds together, embracing and talking amid the hoard of cameramen and reporters, even graciously posing for pictures. Very cool.

… When a sideline reporter grabbed Peyton a couple minutes later, he told all of America how strong his bond with Eli really is, talking about the meeting at the end and saying how much he loved his brother. Sweet moment. … And when the reporter pointed out Peyton had never seen Eli play live, Peyton chuckled and said how impressed he was with Eli’s game, adding “he’s going to be in this league a long time.”

… Too bad it might be the most admiration I have for the game of football all season.
I’ve always known it on some level, but this weekend I realized straight up why I’ve never liked the game of football …

People who complain about baseball being too slow and boring -- good Lord! Have you watched a football game!?! … Football is such a herky-jerky, stop-and-start game, it drives me nuts. And I absolutely cannot stand to see a running back slam into a pile of 300-pound guys when there’s often a clear path to the end zone a few feet to the right or left. And there’s the waiting between plays… ugh.

With baseball, there’s a flow, a poetry. The battle between the pitcher -- not to mention the team in the field behind him -- and the batter at the plate is never ending. They’re constantly thinking about the opposing player’s next move. Add to that the elements of a defensive shift, or a base runner trying to throw off the pitcher… the only true break in the action comes every 10 or 20 minutes when the teams switch places in the field -- and then there’s always enough time to get up and raid the fridge.

…Football. There’s a play that lasts about 5 seconds, and it moves the ball two or three yards if you’re lucky. Then there’s a 10-second pause and the sequence begins again …

… Perhaps I’d like football a little more if ESPN didn’t beat it to death either. Aren’t there any other players or coaches in the league with some interesting stories aside from T.O. and Bill Parcells. … jeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzz. I refuse to watch Sportscenter on Monday mornings to avoid Sean Salisbury and all of their football blow. … As if the Monday Night Football moments they showed on Sportscenter every day since 2005 season ended weren’t pathetic enough, they kicked off their coverage for tonight’s Monday night game at noon today -- ok, maybe it was like 2 or 3, but c’mon!

What channel is the Cubs game on?

The difference between winning & losing

Well, Favre lost another one today.

Watching Packers games around here lately is becoming more brutal each week, and today it was even more stinging in that it was a low-scoring, turnover-ridden (actually, we’ve become use to that) loss to the lowly Bears. Once again, down just 7-12, the Packers were in prime position to put up a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth -- until Favre hastily launched another one right into the hands of Nathan Vasher.

I say stop all the complaining about Mike Sherman’s coaching, what we’ve got here folks is a Favre problem. It’d be a feat, indeed, but take away a Favre interception or turnover from each of the Packers losses this season and the green and gold could very well be battling the Colts for the best record in the league. …I’m serious. Sherman should put Packers fans and the receivers out of their misery and bench Favre.

It’s a lost season. You gotta start looking to the future. I dare you Mike Sherman -- play Aaron Rogers next week.

* * *

I’ve never been a big football fan -- except when it’s a team or game I’m truly interested in or fascinated by -- say the Packers, the Colts, or lately the USC Trojans …With all the buzz about USC and their chase for a third-stright national championship, I’d been meaning all season to turn on a Trojan game, but house chores and other activities kept taking precedent …

Finally, with little else to do and some relaxation on my mind, last night’s game couldn’t have been more pleasing to watch. Talk about a dazzling team -- and a dynasty-in-the making for college football. … and yes, Reggie Bush is THE man. His Jordan-esque fly to the end zone (picture above) in the second quarter just might be one of the coolest football plays I think I've ever seen.

* * *
Saving the best for last ...

The most exciting football game in my mind this weekend was one few people saw or cared about unless you live in the Kansas City area or, for some odd reason, made a road trip to Florence, Ala. Since I qualified in neither category, I was left listening to this game via the internet.

In thrilling fashion, my most beloved team, my alma mater, the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats are heading to their third national title game in eight years, their first since the thrilling quadruple overtime win in 1999 (and might I add, one of the greatest college football games in history ...)

Reminiscent of Ryan George's back-of-the-endzone catch that brought the 'Cats all the way back in '99, Josh Lamberson connected with Raphael Robinson with 23 seconds left in yesterday's game, and left the Maryville broadcasters I was listening to speechless. ... Trust me, if you're at all a Northwest fan or experienced the '98-99 seasons, you know what that feels like.

... and while I'm at it, God bless the big wigs for NCAA Division II football who had the foresight to create a playoff system that ends with a clear-cut national champion. Whoever created all this BCS crap could learn a thing or two …

Saturday, Dec. 10. 3 p.m. My living room TV with ESPN on the screen. Watching the Bearcats. That's where I'll be.