See You in Super Bowl XLII
o unless you were hiding under a rock on Sunday and Monday, you already know that Chicago didn't win Super Bowl XLI. Yep, we had several issues in which we got beat by a good Indianapolis Colts team. I'll admit it, the Colts played well. They capitalized on our defense weaknesses which kept them on the field twice as long as our offense who couldn't seem to get in any rhythm to save our lives. The most exciting part of the game was definitely the first 30 seconds when Devin Hester ran the opening kick-off back 92 yards for a TD. Surprisingly we were really still in the game until the 4th quarter, which leads me to believe that while we played bad, we are still a great team. Thus the title of this post. Folks, we've tasted the Kool-Aid and I guarantee it won't be something that goes away for a while.
So what is it going to take to make sure we see Super Bowl XLII? Well I'm no expert, but at this stage in the game, who cares. I'm a fan and I'm entitled to an opinion just like everyone else. So here is my list of what the off-season must bring for the Bears to be right back in it next season.
- Get Lovie that contract! Pay him what he is worth. He took us to back-to-back NFC North titles, an NFC championship, and to the Super Bowl. Let this man finish the job by winning the title.
- Resign players like Lance Briggs and Thomas Jones (although that might not happen). Keep that defensive line in tact as much as possible and lets develop a back-field with Jones and Benson much like Indy has Rhoades and Aidai.
- Rex, Rex, Rex. Ok, buddy, I'm going to chalk up this season as truly your rookie year. The fact that you won that many games only proves to me that you are as good as Kyle Orton (who went 10-2 when you were hurt). You got that far because you had a good team backing you up. That's not to say that you can't do better. And that's exactly how you should see it. How can I do better next year? So from the arm-chair quarterback to you, here is your homework assignment for the off-season:
- Practice that Center/QB hand-off. There is NO reason why you continue to have issues with that in key games.
- Learn how to use the Shotgun offense. Your consistent 3-5 step drop just keeps you way to one-dimensional.
- Learn to roll out of the pocket naturally, not like you are running for your life.
- DON'T READ YOUR RECEIVER THE ENTIRE WAY. Why don't we just put a big red bulls eye on the intended target here. Every good linebacker can read your eyes and pick up who you are going to throw to. You need to learn how to read your other options, even if it is to fake out the other team. That is a classic rookie/college QB mistake.
- Continue to learn from each play. What does Peyton do that not many other QBs do after they get off the field, they head straight for the bench, get a set of printouts from the last set possession and analyze the defense and the run breakdown. Why? Because he can make adjustments and expose the weaknesses of his opponent. Learn from that!
- Make confident decisions, even if they are wrong. But don't make stupid mistakes, like throwing into double coverage when if you looked right you had a receiver wide open. Or run for a few yards yourself instead of always wanting to pass the ball.
- Ron Turner, you need to work with Rex all off-season. Half of the reason why Rex was having difficulty is because you lack confidence in what he can do. The more you work with him on your playbook, the better he will be. Period. You only get one more season in my book too. And please, for the love of Pete, take that stupid screen pass out of the playbook if you can't execute it right. When you are 3rd and 7, don't throw a screen pass!!
- The Defense needs to learn how to adjust the Tampa 2. What Peyton exposed on Sunday was that we can't adjust for when there is an arsenal on the field. Peyton had people to throw to, but we constantly played 10-15 yards off each receiver. I could have drove a tank through some of the holes you left for receivers to get the pass.
Overall, I've been very happy watching the Bears this last season and I look forward to next season as well. I think we have a real shot at making a great run for the next few seasons. We are a young team and have a lot of potential. That being said, here are some marching orders for Lovie, Ron Turner and Ron Riveria. Boys, its all about the "W". Do what ever it takes to get it. And in this case, loyalty to certain players can only go so far. Sticking by Rex all season was admirable, but in all honesty, if bad Rex was showing up, Brian Griese should have been thrown in to get the win. Period. Work on the mistakes in practice and let Rex try again. I know the adage of "working through the problems" but your season is only 16 weeks long. It is tough to work through the problems if the problems are bigger than a single bad game. The city of Chicago will have little patience for loyalty when it is clear that by making a line-up adjustment we can get a "W". Remember that.
So Bear Down and look out for next season. Peyton Manning already said he'll be back in Indy in March starting to work on next season. Rex, where will you be in March?
By the end of today we will know who is going to the Super Bowl. So will it be a Super Bowl XX reunion? Bears vs. Patriots?