Bernstein: Bears-Packers Big, But Don’t Get Crazy
December 26, 2013 9:54 AM



(CBS) It’s not a movie, it’s a football game. And it’s one between two mediocre teams.
The cinematic storylines are there, I understand completely, but that doesn’t give us license to lose our collective marbles over the regular-season finale to crown the best of this limp NFC North. It feels like it should be really important, so there’s some inflation at work regarding the stakes.
Yes, every spot-break on the station currently includes a recorded promo with one of us intoning turgidly about Sunday’s upcoming cataclysm, so the urge to point that out is completely warranted. We read what’s on the sheet, as part of our job. But you’re right.
So far, however, this game is building wildly into not only the final-act showdown between ancient rivals, but Jay Cutler against everything. It’s Cutler against Green Bay, the team that has beaten him seven times in eight tries and intercepted 17 of his passes, enough for Charles Woodson to once trash-talk “We don’t need luck. Jay will throw us the ball.” They are the team that helped ignite the unfortunate, misguided national conversation about his toughness.
It’s Cutler versus the idealized alternative that is Josh McCown. Anything that happens will be measured against some fantasy of what could have been, assuming only positive scenarios had the surprisingly-effective un-Cutler performed in his place.
Cutler goes up against his future, staring at free agency with one last chance to validate his Big Game credentials and shore up trust that this single stamp of legitimacy would pave the way to deserved riches.
Cutler against himself – can his competitive instinct to embrace risk ever be curtailed enough for him to flourish? Cutler against Chicago – will this polarizing enigma ever do enough to be embraced, despite being the best ever at his position in franchise history?
Will a victory mean Marc Trestman’s first year is a success? Does a loss mean he’s embarked on a long slide to failure? Is this the last stand for Mel Tucker? Can Batman and Robin escape from the net that holds them over the vat of bubbling acid in time to thwart The Riddler’s nefarious plan to destroy Gotham City?
Chill out for a second.
First, the Cutler stuff is far more complicated than a single outcome deciding his fate. Phil Emery is examining not only an entire body of work to this point, but projecting the growth that would come by his continuation in a proven system. He is evaluating age and injury frequency when formulating options for contract structure, and still leaving open the fallback possibility of the franchise tag. If we know one thing for sure about Emery, it’s that he’s deliberate – a firm believer in process. The process of appraising Cutler’s future at the position began some time ago and is ongoing. His performance Sunday is part of it, but not its entirety.
Moreover, even a spectacular turn will do little to alter the entrenched feelings that surround him. You can hear it now: Clay Matthews didn’t play, it was a home game, etc. And then what about the next week? If Cutler lays an egg in that first playoff game, would it then utterly invalidate the previous performance? It’s all a bit silly.
Trestman should be judged by whether or not the Bears are closer to winning a championship, regardless of how the ball bounces against the Packers. 9-7 or 8-8 is merely arbitrary, far less significant than the actual proximity to a title.
Most importantly, this game does not instantly turn the winner into a good NFL team. It merely determines the winner of a bad division. The Bears’ historically-inept defense precludes hope of accomplishing much more than ending their season quietly a week or two later.
Perhaps it’s that awareness that has turned week 17 into something that feels strangely like a college bowl game, puffed up to be something more than it is.
Like two heritage programs with years of history between them meeting for something less than a national title to close out a decent season, fans celebrate what they have while trying to ignore what they don’t.



http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/12/26/ ... get-crazy/

Jesus, this guy is a fucking putz.

I love when somebody tells me how to behave or react.

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

It must be a sad state of life when all you can do is suck any bit of interest or fun out of everything you run across.

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You cannot make me care about the WNBA.

come on now, jimmypasta isn't that bad.

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

Seriously,no sport talker has polarized more people than Bernstein. Say what you will about LoHo or North,but they were never like this. Every sport thought to this guy can be argued as silly or dumb.
He is a Major League Asshole.

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

One more thing,if Cutler wets the bed AGAIN against GB,launch him!

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

"Sports are dumb and you're dumb for caring about them. As a result, it's not a big deal if the Bears lose, so don't even think about criticizing Trestman or Cutler."

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

You do? You keep telling me not to tell you how to behave or react ... you're sending me mixed messages ...

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Has Rosner addressed the fact that he has been talking since the weekend how it is a medical impossibility for Rodgers to play?

I know, WYC, I said he wouldn't play either but I was somewhat less definitive.

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You know me like that.

Seacrest hitting the Jameson mid show.

Surprised to hear that Spiegel would keep a bottle of Jameson in his desk.

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You know me like that.

Sorta. He admitted to saying there was no way he would play and just kinda said "I was wrong."

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

Wow, thanks, Dan. I was actually planning on wasting my Sunday and enjoying the game, but you sure set me straight with that hard-hitting expose on what it's really all about. You are so brilliant in your analysis of how so many of us are stupid, ignorant boobs who don't really see the meaninglessness and unimportance of this game.

Now, having been schooled by the master himself in the proper way to think about sports, I doubt I'll even watch the game, let alone enjoy it. Maybe I'll spend a little more time on that Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle, listen to some NPR, and then think about some REALLY. IMPORTANT. STUFF.

Oh, and Dan, I can't wait for the day when you're able to break free from those chains they must have you in at the Score--you know the place where they make you accept a very nice paycheck for having to talk to stupid people like us on the phones and where they force you to "turgidly intone" those stupid station promo spots that you know are so ridiculous. I'll keep hoping for you, Dan, that they'll soon stop holding you in slavery there and you can get out of the world of sports-talk and use your brilliance to accomplish something that you can feel good about because when that day comes, the world can't help but be a better place.

God bless you, Dan Bernstein!

Ha!

BernSTINE just recently tried to rock the boat and get some national recognition, it didn't work out the way he planned. BernSTINE was smacked around by BIG.NATIONAL.MEDIA.STUDS

had you forwarded the Glenlivet 25 year old to the station then I could have drank that instead.

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It's gone. My hope is it is as effective as root killer in the pipes.

What is this Farmer thing? Weird.

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You know me like that.

Wow Dan you really are antsy today

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

I STILL respect your opinion. Bernstein has lost me and I was a fan.

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

I have really enjoyed Roz and Bernsie this week. I have always said that long term these two could not work together. But I think I maybe changing my mind on that. Roz plays opposite Bernsie really well and he seems to have a good understanding of when to poke fun at him and when to challenge him. Maybe this pair could work long term

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

When you think about it,Cutler is the new Lovie Smith.

Don't launch him because we are afraid of what we might end up with.

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

Huh?

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You know me like that.

Caller: Am I the only person that sees this exactly the same way you do, Dan?

Paraphrasing because I didn't want to type it all out like I'm doing now.

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You know me like that.

That's funny; I thought he went on vacation after he got bumped from middays.

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I am excited as the next meatball

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

When Lovie was coach,a lot of the sporttalk was: "Don't dump him because the next coach might not keep them playing at this level."

I hear the same thing with Cutler now.

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

I'm pretty sure that was never said by anybody about Lovie.

It's Ok. I always think that super models would fight over me if they just got the chance to meet me.

Goff is in the building.

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You know me like that.

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

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

I absolutely think they could. Rozner is funny as hell, and, though I don't agree with a lot of what he says, he can back up his thoughts. I think he and Dan would be a good pairing.

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