It's a Train Wreck!

AGGGHHHH! This game is a complete train wreck! It's actually almost unBEARable to watch. Cincy scored on every possession--EVERY POSSESSION--of the first half.

For all the talk that wussy boy Benson did all week about how the Bears hit him too hard in practices, you'd have thought the Bears would have come out more fired up. This is pathetic!

The only good news if that at least this isn't a shut out... the Bears have actually managed to score 10 whole points.

Cut a Cutler Jay-O-Lantern

Just what every Bear fan needs for Halloween... a Jay Cutler "Jay-O-Lantern." It's perfect for your Browns tailgating/party festivities since that game is the day after Halloween. Visit the Chicago Tribune for a downloadable/printable PDF version.

What the *&$@?!

Boy, oh boy, did the Bears screw up last night’s game against the Atlanta Dirty Birds. It was terribly painful to watch them self destruct.

The domino effect of poor play, bad moods (did you see Hester’s face from the sidelines throughout the game?) and stupid penalties cost the Bears the game. I’m not even sure where to begin…

• Forte not being able to run the ball, not to mention his two back-to-back fumbles FROM THE 1 YRD LINE!
• Cutler’s interceptions (although his 30 year run was nice to see)
• The Bears’ inability to score ANY points in the red zone. Maybe the Bears think the red zone means STOP and DON’T score. On the Mix 101.9 this morning, Maynard said we should begin to call it the Green Zone, as in GO…
• Orlando Pace’s penalty in the final drive at 4th and 1. I know he’s a Pro Bowler and all, but he sure does get beaten on the outside a lot, and that penalty was COSTLY, as in GAME COSTLY!

Clearly I haven’t settled down yet. Insult to injury, the Vikes squeaked one out, or more accurately, Baltimore blew their chance to win the game with a field goal.

So, next week the Bears are in Cincinnati and face former teammates, Cedric Benson and Tank Johnson. I want (hope) to see a much improved Bears team and a pounding of Benson.

One City. Two Teams. Several Goals.

The Blackhawks approached the Bears with a pretty unique marketing campaign… one that team up players from the Bears with player from the ‘Hawks to promote both franchises.

The campaign called "Crosstown Supporters" was created by Hawks agency Ogilvy & Mather, and is separate from the Bears' "One City, One Team" campaign and the Hawks' "One Goal" campaign.

Some of the ads include:

• Bears QB Jay Cutler and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews trade tips on passing accuracy
• Bears linebacker Lance Briggs and Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook compare notes on how big hits can lead to big turnovers.
• Bears kicker Robbie Gould, with the Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp holding, tries to boot a field goal into a hockey net strapped to the uprights
• Hawks' Patrick Kane shooting footballs for the Bears' Devin Hester to return
• Hawks' Brian Campbell helping out Bears tight end Greg Olsen

The first spot will begin airing in a few weeks, with the Hawks, who paid to produce the ads, buying time and placing the spots, while the Bears donate airtime on programs they own. I can’t wait to see the finished products!

Read more in the Phil Rosenthal's column in the Tribune.

Knox Wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Congratulations to Johnny Knox who was chosen as the NFC special teams player of the week following his performance in last Sunday’s 48-24 victory over the Lions. The fifth-round draft pick returned the second-half kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown—the second longest kickoff return in franchise history—to give the Bears a 28-21 lead they would not relinquish.

According to "Write now ... at Halas Hall Wednesday blog", Knox said that “It feels good that I won the award because there are other good players in this league. I’m humbled and blessed to win that award.”

Knox leads the NFL with a 35.8-yard average on nine kickoff returns and has now scored a touchdown in each of his last three games. The 22-year-old caught 7-yard TD passes from quarterback Jay Cutler in back-to-back wins over the Steelers and Seahawks before going the distance against the Lions.

This is great and all, but the real question is, did Know drop the ball before crossing into the end zone? There's be a lot of discussion (see here and here), but the general consensus is that it was too close to call. Next time Johnny, hold on to the ball a smidge longer, just to be safe.

Bears Home Record at New Stadium

According to Larry Mayer on ChicagoBears.com, since the new Soldier Field opened in 2003, the Bears are 32-17 in the stadium, tied for the second-most home wins in the NFC and tied for the fifth-most in the NFL during that span. That includes a record of 12-6 against NFC North rivals, including 4-2 versus the Lions.

http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=6166