Well, there's ups and downs to the season. I'm going to try and calm down a bit and be reasonable here.

The good: The defense really played well. I was really worried about the D coming into the season, but there's reason for hope here. Urlacher played much better, McClellan had some nice plays, Tillman cemented himself "all time best ball-puncher," and Jennings was very good once again. I hate that Ced-Ben got 100 yards, but at the end of the day, with the offense giving up 4 turnovers, you have to consider this a pretty excellent job by the defense in general.

The bad: Tillman got a ball-punch, but he fucked up in a major way on that fake. He was right on the guy's back, and he peeled off to cover a man who could never have caught a ball if he'd just jumped on the ball-carrier's back. Bennett caused an interception by starting to run-downfield before he caught the ball, instead of coming back to the ball with his QB under duress; that's a really bad mistake. The special teams in general was pretty lousy.

The ugly: Pretty much everything offensively-related. The running backs were pretty good, but pretty much every receiver had a fuckup, J-Webb seemed determined to have the worst game ever for a left tackle, the game plan wasn't good to start, and didn't do much to adapt, and Jay Cutler compounded problems by taking far too many chances, both with throws, and by holding onto the ball for too long. I briefly allowed myself to think that, just maybe, the Bears would finally have a top-level offense, but it apparently just isn't in the cards. The Bears will have a great offense the year after the Cubs win a World Series; which is to say, never. It's pretty amazing how they managed to play so poorly as a team; drops, bad routes, shitty blocking, questionable strategy; you name it. Clearly, this offense is no threat to lead the league.

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You can't see me because of internet.

The landowner effectively owns part shares in millions of part-time slaves called, "taxpayers." -Roy L
A Personal Relationship with Jesus?

If the Bears win and GB loses next week,they are back to a one game lead.
Too early for Fire Alarms.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

I'm not saying "season over" or anything, it's just that the offense isn't great. It's good at best. Probably no better than middling. Once again, they'll need a ton from the defense and special teams if they hope to go anywhere. The defense supplied some hope, but at the same time, you have to be worried about their age.

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You can't see me because of internet.

The landowner effectively owns part shares in millions of part-time slaves called, "taxpayers." -Roy L
A Personal Relationship with Jesus?

One positive I would point to, is the play of Shea McClelland (sp?). When he is on the field, he's been able to make plays. Another sack maybe 1 1/2, if he got credit on the 2nd one I saw him in on. He seems to be developing pretty quickly, after initially being panned by many reporters that observed him in camp.

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Go Cubs!!!!

This team will always be inconsistent. They don't build on anything.

Good: anything that was not the offense

Bad: the offense

Ugly: the offense

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The Bulls haven't done anything wrong, and they're not going to do anything wrong.

Speaking of Tillman's ball punching, I'm not a fan. Yes, it seems to be effective; I just don't think it's sportsmanlike or within the spirit of the game. I can't explain why, but it seems fundamentally different than swiping down in an attempt to strip the ball. Due to the possibility of injury, I can see the "ball punch" eventually being outlawed like the "horse collar."

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How can you injure someone by knocking the ball out of their hands? Wouldn't there be a better chance of injury by tackling them?

The ball punch is awesome BTW. If two guys have a player wrapped up, why wouldn't the third guy try to strip the ball away? It's smart football. Why is forcing a fumble unsportsmanlike? Maybe the guy on offense should hold simply fall down instead of trying to muscle himself an extra yard or two, which then creates an opening for the strip.

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That has got to be one of the dumbest sports thoughts I have ever read on this site. Please tell me it is a bit

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I was waiting for someone to say this.

Ugie, I am proud of you. You have not had a dumb sports thought in a long time.

Baby steps make progress.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Actually, no, I just don't like it. Is a player allowed to run up to another player and just throw a punch in an attempt to "tackle" him? (Not that it would be effective.) If Tillman would have missed the ball and instead broke the ball carrier's wrist, would there be any consequences? In addition, in the slo-mo replay, it looked like Tillman had a wristguard/body-armor thing on his forearm...does he wear that to support or add force to his punches? (Or maybe he's trying to protect his own hand/arm from the destructive blows he plans on imparting.)

I just think punching is akin to kicking and looks ridiculous--though I know others think it's cool...especially when it results in a turnover. Keep in mind, I'm not saying you shouldn't reach in for the ball and try to strip -- but punching crosses a line in my opinion.

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If they outlaw the ball-punch then the Bears need to fire Lovie immediately.

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You know me like that.