Damn You Bumpesses' !!!!

     I wasn't going to write about the Bears again for awhile, but I was at a wine tasting party Saturday night, (I know Mike Ditka would be disgusted, but it was actually 'pretty cool.') while the subject of Jay Cutler came up. My friend Allison, who has a much better handle on the Bears than I do, was still disgusted by what happened and wants no more of Cutler ever again, wishing we could exile him to a mosquito infested island somewhere they've never heard of football.(did we forget his performance against Seattle so quickly??)  I can certainly see her point; Cutler either shows up and plays great or he has a sub-par performance and makes perfect spirals between the letters of opposing linebackers that make Bears fans cringe. He can be just as frustrating as he can be exhilarating. Compare the games against Washington and Seattle, (regular season) to the games against the Eagles and the Jets as well as his playoff performance against Seattle. I understand my friend feels Cutler "quit" on us against Green Bay. I do remember saying early on during that game that something seemed 'off'' about Cutler's performance. Despite that, I still believe he wanted to win that game and would have stayed in if he could have. Cutler simply doesn't live in the same world as you and me. He wasn't up last night with his seven year old's sore tummy. He doesn't peel himself out of bed at 5 a.m. and walk to the train. And I'll bet my house he won't be shoveling snow tomorrow afternoon!! He may never understand  what "Da Bears" mean to fans such as my friend Allison and I. It borders on a religious experience for alot of us. He says he grew up a Bears fan but you don't get the feeling he bleeds orange and blue like we do.  As much as I've written about Cutler's aloof personality, or lack thereof, and his need to grow up, going forward, he still remains our best shot at making it to Indy next year. Comparing Cutler to Rex Grossman makes Cutler look like John Elway. During Grossman's best year with the Bears, the 2006 Superbowl run, his completion percentage was a pedestrian 54.6% His QB rating a meager 73.9. While he threw for just under 3,200 yards, he only rushed for a net of 2 yards! Hardly a nimble sack dodger. Cutler not only absorbed 57 sacks, primarily due to horrendous line protection for most of the year, but he rambled for 232 yards this year averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. We never had this added dimension with Grossman. Throw out Cutler's 2006 season when he assumed the starting role with 5 games left and he is averaging 202 yards rushing per year. He adds a spry foot to the position we have rarely seen in Chicago. Overall, Kyle Orton compares more favorably as his numbers have gotten much better in Denver, He is not as nimble as Cutler and never surpassed 80.0 in QB rating and or 3,000 yards passing while with the Bears. He just wasn't gonna be "the" guy for the Bears. It was a good trade for the Bears also netting Johnny Knox.(would we have gotten this far this year without Cutler and Knox??) On top of his "escapability" Cutler has also completed over 60% of his passes as a Bear and thrown for over 3,200 yards both years. True he is reviled by many Bears fans for his cold demeanor, but he seems to be largely liked by his teammates and coaches. He and Mike Martz cannot seem to get enough of each other. (I'm not dismissing Martz's flaws here, but warts and all, who would ever want Ron Turner and his tinpan scheme back??) Jay Cutler has a firm grip on the reins of the team which Grossman and Orton never did. He has proven to be a proven consistent talent over his 4 and a half years in the league. Imagine what he may be capable of with a decent offensive line (let alone a reciever over 6 feet tall!) and a year of Martrz's 'evil plans' under his belt. Outside of pulling off another trade, which the Bears will not do, or hoping the Bears draft a phenom, (Andrew Luck is staying in school) Having an established talented young quarterback who has a firm grasp on the offensive scheme is our best shot at winning a championship. (Caleb Hanie, though full of promise, just isn't ready yet) What we are really upset about as Bears fans is we lost, not only lost, but  to the Packers when the biggest game of all was on the line. The Bumpess' hounds stormed in and stole our turkey!! (the scent of it still hangs in the air...) We wanted our quarterback to hobble out there on one good leg and leave every last ounce of his blood on the sandy turf while leading  us to victory over our hated rivals. At least most of you didn't marry into a gaggle of Packer fan relatives!!  Come Sunday night, I'll be watching the Superbowl in a room full of screaming Packer fans. I get to relive the misery of the loss one more time. To sum it up, like it or not, Jay Cutler will be back next year, as our quarterback. Let's not judge his Bears legacy on one game let alone his two years here. Let's give his career in Chicago as well as his attitude time to grow and mature, not unlike a fine wine. Hopefully, Kristin Cavalieri has a settling effect on him as well.    Go Bears in 2011!!    Dave Kuhlman    bullsbearscubssoxhoxx   dave@onyerleft.com

Don't You Know That You Are A Superstar???

     "They announced it,"  I can't get Norm's voice, Margie's huband, in the movie, Fargo, out of my head. While Norm is relating a small victory in a stamp design contest ("it's the 2 center"... "the mallard")  he is merely a bit player while the larger world swirls around him. All the while his character's existence illustrates  the central theme of the movie, ' real happiness in life is to love and enjoy your family, and be happy with what you have'.  What they announced last night was of much larger importance to Chicago sports fans wether they realize it or not. Derrick Rose, the uber talented, unassuming 22 year old point guard was just voted in as a starter for the upcoming NBA All Star Game. He is the first starter in the contest since Michael Jordan in 1998!!  Chicago Bulls basketball has been as relevant as Norm and as cold as Fargo N.D. ever since Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan and company decided 6 titles were enough and packed it in. There have been fits and starts in the last 12 years but decidely more stumbles than rumbles; Ben Wallace, overpaying a worn out Scottie Pippen, getting used as a pawn by D'wayne Wade in last summer's free agency circus to name just a few. But, with credit to John Paxson we now have half of last years Utah Jazz lineup and the Bulls have practically clinched their division and a playoff spot before the All Star game! The Bulls are finally a hot ticket again!! Let's admit it, Bulls basketball has been largely unwatchable the last decade and a half!! The driving force behind this ressurgance is the aforementioned 22 year old. His talent level has never been questioned,  but during most of his first two seasons he was either afraid to take the reins of the team or largely unaware that he could. With super sulker Ben Gordon gone, Rose has blossomed into the team leader we have all been hoping he would. Maybe it takes a few seasons to become seasoned in the NBA and or we forget the guy is still only 22 years old!! How many of us would have been ready to assume this much responsibility so early in life?? Either way it is highly refreshing to have the Bulls back in serious contention. While the NBA All Star game is irrelevant, as most sport's are, Derrick Rose's selection to play in it is not. It means so much more as I have previously mentioned. It not only signifies we have a viable 'superstar'  on the Bulls again but it tells the league the Bulls are back and ready to compete for the title again! I'm talking to you, Miami!

     This brings me to Derrick Rose's character. While all the money and fame that are flowing his way, with the success he's had thus far, his response to his All Star selection is most refreshing of all. When asked how he felt about the vote, he replied, ".....I'd be happy for myself, but it's nothing like I'm going to have a bunch of people over and celebrate. I don't know why. That's just the way I am."  That makes me want to hug the guy!!  Does Derrick Rose realize how level headed and mature that sounds?? (Patrick Kane grab a pencil) Probably not. He's not trying to be someone he's not. He's as grounded as Norm from Fargo. He's simply an unassuming guy with crazy skills from Chicago doing what he loves to do. It just so happens he does that in front of 20,000 hometown fans every night while poster dunking on the NBA's elite. At some point he will have to let the fans into his world.  Learn to relate to his fanbase. If and when he does he has the potential to reach Jordanesque heights. Until then we are left to ask him one question, "Dont you know that you are a superstar?" "Don't you know??"  Dave Kuhlman   bullsbearscubssoxhoxx    dave@onyerleft.com

(my apologies to Bad Company for bending your lyrics)

Playoff or Layoff??? Let's Go HOXX!!

   Yesterday I posed the question, "What on God's green earth is wrong with the Chicago Blackhawks??  Having just dumped another home game to the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night,  the reigning Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks now sit tangled in a three way tie for the 'ocho,' the 8th and final Western Conference playoff spot. This hardly engenders confidence they will make the playoffs come April!! Factor in the remaining schedule; 32 games, with 20 of those on the road, and the Blackhawks may become only the 3rd team since 1965 to win the Cup and then fail to make the playoffs the following season. (Carolina in 2005 and the Devils in 1995)
     So what gives??  The first and most obvious culprit is the salary cap. The Blackhawks, thanks to now deposed talent guru, Dale Tallon, (I  agreed with the move to elevate Stan Bowman, it was just too bad Dale didn't get a ring for all his amazing work!) were loaded with young and veteran talent alike. After a season like the Hawks put together last year there was going to be a pressing need to dump some 'talent' ie. Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd. (I am definitely missing Brent Sopel's sacrificing body parts to block shots ) There just wasn't enough cash to go around to keep everyone the Hawks wanted due to the salary cap limit. The question of 'being cheap' has long since been buried with "Dollar Bill" Wirtz. After he passed in September of 2007, his son Rocky took the reins of the club, one with an entrenched losing culture, and reversed it so nimbly and effectively heads are still spinning. Rocky fearlessly spent money on locking up talent both on the ice and off.(The more Bowmans the better!!)  He repaired relationships with Blackhawk legends that his father so easily cut ties with years before. He expanded the marketing group bringing in Chicago Cubs expert, John McDonough. He did everything exactly the opposite of his father and it paid off in spades. Maybe a little too well. The downside of winning the Stanley Cup is that everyone wants to get paid and there just wasn't enough green to go around. So, their hand forced by this circumstance, Stan Bowman, the Blackhawks GM. wasted no time in making a dizzying amount of trades in a very short time. Gone were Byfuglien, Ladd,and Versteeg in a flash. In all, 10 players were traded or allowed to walk away as free agents! Granted the Hawks gained some very promising young talent in return; Viktor Stalberg, Jeremy Morin and Nick Leddy, but there was just too much turnover to maintain the vital chemistry last years squad had. The Aanti Niemi situation, unique in it's own right, going to arbitration, forced the Hawks to look elsewhere for a replacement. We got a superb backstopper in Marty Turco, but as we saw last year, the guy who begins the season in net does not always finish as the starter. (Corey Crawford starts now) We were lucky enough to be able to match the offer sheet from San Jose for Niklas Hjalmarsson, (14m over 4 years) avoiding another key loss of talent. All this being said, the Blackhawks are still loaded but with so many roster changes from last season the 'chemistry' needs to be re-established. This takes time. The Hawks have shown more 'cohesion' as of late but the effect is still being felt.
     Secondly, one can argue injuries as a factor. Patrick Kane, Johnathin Toews and Marian Hossa, who seems to have missed more time than he's played, have all spent time away healing up. All in all though the Hawks cannot attribute much of their slide to injury time. Possibly a few games?? But not as many as they have lost this year to date.
     A larger contributor to the Hawks current situation is the the sheer amount of hockey most of these guys have squeezed into a short amount of time; a full season last year,(82 games) with 7 Blackhawks putting forth a full effort on their respective Olympic teams, then a marathon post season (22 more games) extending to June 9th, then all the celebration before returning to work a mere 100 days later for training camp!! add to that the blistering pace the schedulemakers put the Hawks through the first half of the season. Until they caught a schedule break two weeks ago with 5 days off, 3 more games and then another 6 day gap over the All Star weekend, the Blackhawks had played a very rigorous schedule with sometime 5,6 or 7 more games played than many of their counterparts. To this point, the Blackhawks have played 50 games this season add that to last years 82 plus the 22 playoff games as well as a handful of Olympic games. Not adding in preseason contests, since October 2009, they have played up to 160 games a piece!! That's alot of hockey in a relatively short amount of time and took toll on their overall performance. Shouldn't the team that wins the Cup benefit from next year's schedule?? The Blackhawks were seemingly punished for winning by playing more games in a sorter time frame!

     Put all these elements together and they have had a dramatic effect on the Chicago Blackhawks this season. Can they put all this into a bowl and whip up another batch of championship cookies?? Most likey not. The last repeat victors were the 1997-98 Red Wings. Although not all that long ago, it was still a different era, no salary cap, making it far easier to retain talent!! There were only 28 teams in that time span as well. Not that 2 additional teams, currently 30 make a huge difference, but consider the odds of your team hoisting the Cup in a 30 team league!!  I will remain hopeful but guarded. The Bowman's Scotty and GM Stan simply know how to win Championships. Can they pull it off again so quickly??  Let's hope the Blackhawks can find a way to skate past all these issues and make the playoffs this April. The sky is the limit thereafter!!   LET'S GO HOXX!!!     Dave Kuhlman   bullsbearscubssoxhoxx     dave@onyerleft.com

Here Come The Hawks, The Mighty Blackha.....Or Not.....

What on God's green earth is wrong with the Chicago Blackhawks? Didn't they just get done scrubbing the last of the champagne spray off the locker room ceiling? Was it all that long ago we, the grateful mass of 2 million die hard Hawks fans, (which had rapidly mutiplied, like bedbugs, from 16,000 just 4 years earlier) were elbowing each other for street space on a hot June day for just a glimpse of our heroes as they streamed by on parade?? It was just a little over six months ago "we" won the hardest trophy to win in all of professional sports, The Stanley Cup!! So, how is it now, our beloved Blackhawks sit on the palyoff bubble clinging to the 8th and final spot?? As I watched the Hawks take another loss at home to the once lowly Minnesota Wild, I shuddered to think the unthinkable; maybe the Blackhawks don't even make it into the playoffs!! (It's happened a few times before) Blackhawks color man, Eddie Olczyk, laid out the tough road ahead following the upcoming All Star game. Starting Feb 1, The Blackhawks have only 32 regular season games left (64 available points) of which only 12 are home games!! The Blackhawks would need to compile 56 more points, (28 of 32 wins) to match last years point total. (not gonna happen!!) Granted the Hawks are no better at home than on the road this year but, they really have their work cut out for them!! Typically an NHL team needs to amass somewhere between 90-95 points just to qualify for the playoffs. This means the Hawks need at least 39 more points of the remaing 64 available to them. They may need to win 20 of 32 not factoring in OT losses which still net a point. Hopefully as the Western Conference, which has become dramatically more competitive this year with 14 of 15 teams above .500, evens out the math a little bit and the Hawks can squeeze in with 90. Winning the Central division, which would net an automatic bid, is not out of the question, but does not seem probable right now. Detroit has cooled off and sustained injuries to several key players but still holds an 8 point advantage as we sit in third place. It just seems to me the Blackhawks cannot get hot and stay hot for very long while struggling to gain ground in the standings. It does seem like there is a little more team cohesion than there was earlier this season with so many roster changes, but there have been huge lapses in intensity and concentration. Case in point, last night's game; for starters a lazy turnover with less than 90 seconds ticked off the clock led to an easy Martin Havlat goal. Down 1-0 we rallied for 2 goals the remainder of the period to take the lead. Patrick Sharp slapped home a beautiful pass from Kane while Troy Brouwer netted a nice tap in. Following that there were flurries of attacks but as it's gone this year, the breaks just aren't trending our way. This was punctuated late in the game as Patrick Kane appeared to have slid one past Backstrom, who played 'lights out' last night, only to find out the referee had whistled the play dead because he lost sight of the puck!! Aaargh!! even if Kane's goal had been allowed, the Blackhawks would still be down one score with time dwindling. This has been the modus all year long; get a lead, give up the lead, and scramble to get back into the game late. Don't get me wrong the Blackhawks have played great at times this year but have been far too inconsistent to match last years team. The sense of urgency seems to be gone. The 'hunger' sated. Last year there was an underlying feeling the Hawks were destined for greatness. This year that feeling seems to have floated away on the celebratory champagne bubbles!! I'll get into the reasons behind this years "slump" later in the week. Meanwhile, there is a "hockeyless" week ahead for the Blackhawks save for the All star festivities. Hopefully the break does them some good. The drive for the playoffs begins anew next Tuesday in Columbus against the Bluejackets. That will be the first game of a six game roadtrip. Here's hoping the Blackhawks find a little magic on the road ahead!! Dave Kuhlman bullsbearscubssoxhoxx dave@onyerleft.com

No more X's and O's ....Just Whys???

     I'm not frozen anymore. I can feel my feet again. But I'm still a pretty numb over how the Bear's season ended. I was lucky enough to attend what may turn out to be a 'once in a lifetime' event; Bears vs. Packers for the NFC title in Soldier Field!! The ticket stub, now a souvenir, is resting, in peace,  in a plastic sleeve alongside my Superbowl XLI ticket.  I still can't believe it happened. While the end of the game was nailbiter exciting, thanks to Caleb Hanie, the prospect of what could have been, slipping away, still stings. A slew of questions linger; Cutler, the oddly placed timeout, the end around to Earl Bennet???   Having had a ligament tear in my knee before,  I know how painful the injury is how and unstable your knee joint is afterward. I simply cannot believe, despite his lack of personal charm, that Cutler did not want to get back in and try to win this game. These kinds of matchups are what every kid dreams about. The silver lining to Cutler's now categorized, grade 2 MCL tear, is how his teammates rallied to his defense. Olin Kreutz, arguably the toughest guy on the team said he could see how "wobbly" Jay's knee was as he ambled back to the huddle. Brian Urlacher, the heart of the team, alluded to his toughness and how much the guys on the team like him regardless of how Chicago's media portrays him. (Urlacher knows firsthand how easy it is to get yourself on the wrong side of the press in Chicago!!) The injury while painful both literally and figuratively now, may prove to be the rallying point for next season. The fans and media as well as other NFL players may be giving Cutler a verbal beatdown for not playing the second half, all saying what they would do if they were in the game. The hard fact is none of them were so none of them can really know what they would have done. ( Take it easy, Deion!!)  My point here is; his teammates are behind him. Ready to follow a leader they all trust, a QB who was sacked 57 times, but still found a way to lead his team to the NFC title game. With his teammates on board,  Jay Cutler can become an elite QB in this league. The guy took a beating all year and only missed a game and a half! That being said, I still believe his emotional maturity to be an issue. I still believe he needs that 'spiritual kick' to head. It'd be nice to see him crack the occasional smile, loosen up a little at the podium, reel off a joke or two, and act like it's fun to be a starting QB in the NFL!! (It's got to be, how could it not??) If that happens, hopefully before this September, then look out, the Bears will be back as strong contenders, with Cutler leading the charge, to make it to Indy, (yes, XLVI is in Indy)  in 2012.
      The other two questions I posed are actually more troublesome than Cutler's knee. The oddly placed timeout. Third and three with under a minute left in the game, the Bears hand off over left tackle through a huge hole in the Packers D line....whistle....penalty?? false start??  illegal motion?? No, a poorly placed time out called by Lovie Smith!!  (not the first time he's done this!) Arrrrrgh!! The Bears would have had an easy first down near the 20 yard line with 2 timeouts left and 40 seconds plus on the clock. Instead, the Bears braintrust outsmarted themselves once again and called for an end around run to Earl Bennet. This play took far too long to turn upfield resulting in a two yard loss and 4th down and 5 coming up. The next play, Caleb Hanie throws the game ending interception to Sam Shields and the Packers go to Superbowl XLV. So close, yet so far away. Why the timeout?? Why did Mike Martz try such an elaborate move? We still had a shot!!

     I'm still not and may never be a wholesale chugger of Lovie's 'were gonna look at some film'  koolade. I may be pining for the glory days of  "Da Coach"  and his gum tossing, clipboard snapping, middle finger flipping style of coaching. I want a coach as well as a starting quarterback who act like they give a damn and display that  where we can see it. Give us this and we Bears fans will jump off cliffs for you!! I know Lovie may never do this. Maybe I'm the one who needs to mature a little bit (or alot)  and accept this dynamic. Failing that, here's hoping Lovie Smith and Mike Martz learn from these 'boneheaded' mistakes and "mature" alongside Jay Cutler this offseason!!  Go Bears in 2011!!    Dave Kuhlman    dave@onyerleft.com

Veni,Vidi, Vici! Hail to The Victors!!

Veni, Vidi, Vici!! Hail to the Victors!!
Congratulations Packer fans, and thanks for sharing your forum with me this season. The Packers are headed to Dallas to tackle the Steelers in Superbowl XLV!! As Bears fans, we are left scratching our heads and asking, "what just happened?" We are pondering whether our franchise quarterback 'tapped out' or not. (I'm not saying he did.) Not what we were hoping to be talking about today! Conversely, Packer fans are secure in the knowledge they have the better team and a much more mature leader at QB. While the Bears finally have found some "stability" at our team's least stable position since the 1940s, it has been put into the hands of an aloof, immature, albeit talented gun slinger. While Cutler is capable of looking like Bart Starr and Brett Favre at times, as recently as last week during the Seahawks drubbing, he all too easily slides back into his shell when things are going poorly.On the other side of the coin is Aaron Rodgers. He is more accurate than Cutler with a better arm while being just as nimble. Both of these guys got their respective teams to the NFC championship game with excellent play.The real difference between the two? Maturity. Plain and simple. While Aaron Rodgers is secure in his own skin; fun loving, and goofing around with his teammates on the sidelines. Cutler sits alone, refusing to "coach" Caleb Hanie when he needs it most. Rodgers is a guy who loves to compete, loves to win, and loves his teammates. It shows. Rodgers does not take being an NFL starting quarterback for granted as so many others do. (Google Ben Roethlisberger's his civilian track record for comparison as well as Michael Vick's.) His level of emotional maturity should not be underrated in the overall performance of his team.This is magnified when you compare him to Jay Cutler. Cutler takes all the aforementioned for granted. Blessed with size, speed, and good looks, he acts as though he is entitled to his position as a starting QB in the NFL. He is a prima donna who believes his spot on the main stage is his birthright. Granted you want this level of confidence in your field general. But without humility it boils over into cockiness which is never a good thing. We Bears fans were blind to the fact Cutler whined his way out of Denver forcing a trade; we were getting a guy who threw for 4500 yards!! We were willing to accept his impetuous nature and aloof demeanor, he was Joe Cool. Maybe a redux of Jim McMahon?? If that got us to the Superbowl we could easily see past all the other stuff. If we had won yesterday I'm not writing this article today! The grapes always taste sour after you lose and we have no shortage in Chicago this morning. What I'm saying is Cutler can still get us to and win the Superbowl, but to do so he will need to grow up. He needs a "Rod Tidwell moment." The greedy self absorbed wide receiver in the movie, Jerry Maguire. Like Cutler, Rod is a self absorbed selfish player who is looking to "get paid" for his talent without realizing he needs to leave everything on the field in his athletic effort while embracing the "team" aspect of the game emotionally. Until Cutler experiences this spiritual 'kick to the head' and grows up, his team, da Bears, will not advance. I wish the best of luck to the Packers in Superbowl XLV. If the Bears can't be in the big game there is a small point of pride knowing the two best teams in the NFC this year came from the North. We lost to the better team with a better leader at the helm! Sure Aaron Rodgers isn't Julius Caesar, but he came, he saw, he conquered!!

Bears-Packers....... The X Factor

ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE??!!..........It's NFC Championship Eve Eve!! The biggest showdown in Bears vs. Packers history draws near!! Who is going to come out on top?? Who advances to big D?? We all know the Packers O is on fire and Aaron Rodgers will not only win the game but ascend straight to Packer heaven thereafter, Clay Matthews, Tramon Williams, B.J. Raji, Charles Woodson and company are primed after a huge performance in Atlanta. Conversely, The Bears D dominated Seattle for 3 1/2 quarters Sunday and when they aren't outsmarting themselves, ie. Matt Forte chucking ill advised passes, the Bears Offense can be dangerous as well, as Jay Cutler has shown of late. Where the Bears don't match the Pack in offensive firepower they make up for with special teams. Devin Hester, Danieal Manning, Robbie Gould, Corey Graham not to mention long snapper Patrick Mannelly, are pivotal players on the top special teams unit in the league. This is "X" factor number one to a Bears victory Sunday. The Bears Special teams can turn the complexion of the game quickly on it's ear as Hester's punt return TD in September cemented the win over the Pack or as Corey Graham showed Sunday twice downing a Brad Maynard punt inside the 5 yard line. XF2 is Tommie Harris, a pro bowl selection in 2006 but mostly a non impact since, injured and benched over and over for failure to produce, has suddenly resurfaced with 3 sacks in the last 2 games! If he can continue to apply pressure from the nose tackle spot this frees up Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije ever so slightly and greatly increases the Bears chances of getting to the nimble Aaron Rodgers, a huge key to slowing the mighty Pack attack. XF3 for Chicago is playoff experience, not to mention there is still a sizeable core left from the Bears 2006 run, head coach, Lovie Smith has been to and won an NFC championship game before. This may be a small intangible as McCarthy has been to and lost 23-20 to the Giants , but in the end knowing how to close out a close game may clinch the trip to Dallas. McCarthy has shown on at least two occassions this past season of making very poor clock decisions with under 2 minutes left. XF4, home field advantage; There is a huge difference between Atlanta's delightfully smooth next turf running track and climate controlled environment and the horrendous condition of the "grass" and howling winds in Soldier Field. Having seen it up close last Sunday, I can attest the footing is tenuous at best with chunks of turf torn loose on every play. It's much closer to a litter box than a field! This will definitely slow both teams passing games. lastly XF5 is Bears kicker Robbie "good as" Gould. Not only is Robbie the league leader in all time accuracy, 86% , but he knows first hand how to handle the unstable conditions in Soldier Field better than all others. If it comes down to a field goal late in the game,Robbie Gould is the guy you want kicking for your side!

To be fair, I will present the X factors for Green Bay. These hinge more on weaknesses than strengths for the Pack. XF Number One; for the Bears to win we need red hot cornerback Tramon Williams to cool off!! The Bears need to find a way to exploit the Packers backfield coverage by throwing in seams and for shorter yardage. Going deep on this guy has failed to produce! 3 playoff interceptions at key junctures are a very large reason the Pack has advanced to Soldier Field this week. The game saving endzone pick against Philly and another endzone grab just like it against the Falcons, not to forget the lightening quick momentum swing brought on by his 70 yard pick six just before halftime last week!! Additionally finding a way to limit Clay Matthews as well as B.J "big as a meat locker Raji are the key to freeing up Jay Cutler and the Bears attack. XF2 Packers special teams. As evidenced only last week the Packers kickoff coverage team is average at best, yielding a 102 yard return for a TD against Atlanta. Luckily the Bears are the best on the opposite side of the coin!! Please kick to Devin, feel free!! Lastly, XF3 as previously mentioned clock management could count for alot if the score is tight late! Here's hoping McCarthy does another lousy job with the clock and his T.O. allottment!!

Overall these games rarely live up to the amount of hype pumped in beforehand. Most likely we will see a spirited battle. Someone unexpected, unmentioned, will play the game of their lives influencing the outcome. The Packers O will be less potent, the Bears D will have some slip ups but I also see Devin Hester coming through in crunch time while the Pack muffs an extra point along the way.....Bears win 24-23!! Hello Superbowl!! LET'S GO BEARS!!!! I will be counting the minutes until 2 o'clock Sunday!! Dave Kuhlman dave@onyerleft.com

Ring the Bell You Pansy!!

The previously inconceivable, the dream NFC title match; Bears vs. Packers, is still 4 days away!! Does the anonymous woman on the sidewalk, who gives me a hearty, "Go Bears!!" sense my antsyness? Or is she just as excited as I am? I know at some point, like all weeks, time will go into hyperdrive and the end of the week will be here. Until then I'll pore over every article in the Chicago Tribune, The Sun Times, as well as numerous online sources absorbing every angle, opinion, prediction and stat I can find. I'll go about my routine at home all weekend long unable to pull my thoughts away from Sunday at 2 p.m. It seems ridiculous to be so emotionally attached to the heart of a team I have no effect over. I cannot or will not try to lessen the hold the Bears have on me. I blame Walter Payton and his loveable loser teammates I started watching as an 8 year old Pop Warner football player in 1975. Dreaming of one day donning a Bears uniform myself and trotting out to call 'tails' during the pregame coinflip. That one, like many other childhood dreams never materialized, so here I am, a rabid Bears fan watching the clock tick by oh so slowly . Not your average Bears fan this week, but one with a stable of Packer fan inlaws added by choice when I married my wife, a Packer fan! For the most part that has been the source of alot of fun over the years as we have gathered to watch or attend Bears-Packer matchups. Initially, the Bears held the upper hand, annually trouncing the hapless Packers twice a season en route to a landslide victory in Superbowl XX. Then Brett Favre, (pronounced Fah vruh ala Ben Stiller in Something About Mary), came along, running and throwing circles around Bear defenders as we struggled to find a quarterback who could string two sentences together let alone lead a team to victory.

One memory encapsulates the bulk of the experience over the years; The pain was palpable as I stood in my kitchen with the 9 other people, all Packer fans, who I attended the game with at Soldier Field that day. The weather was atrocious; intermittent snow and rain turning into tiny ice missiles that stung my face each time I lifted my head to see another play go horribly wrong for the Bears. Meanwhile I had given up my rainpants before the game so my wife could stay dry. By the end of the day I was soaked to the bone and frozen not to mention disgusted with the outcome. The Packers had thrashed the Bears that day by 30 points behind 'Fah vruh's' flawless play. I did my best to be a good sport and smile, but as they were all turning to leave for the drive back to Wisconsin, I thundered. "Get The Hell Out Of My State!!" I was mostly kidding but there was enough emotion in my spew that my nephew, who was 16 at the time still recalls it to this day.

Of course, over time, Brett Favre's skills slipped a little, the Bears hired a new coach who made priority one 'beat the Packers,' and the rivalry evened out. The Bears have had better luck with their quarterback talent, (o.k. Grossman was a flash in the pan, but he did help us get to Superbowl XLI) finally netting Jay Cutler as they traded away Kyle Orton. Meanwhile, the Packers drafted another phenom in Aaron Rodgers. That brings us to now; on the 'eve', albeit 4 days out, of the biggest game ever staged in Soldier Field . Yes, the other playoff games over the years and NFC title games were big, but this supercedes every one of them. Quite simply knock off the biggest rival in your storied history and advance to Superbowl XLI!! Images of 'Blue' from Old School (rest his soul) pop into my brain, maybe because he was old enough to have been around the last time the Bears and Packers squared off in the playoffs, (1941) if not for the entire history of the rivalry! I feel like I'll go nuts waiting for Sunday at 2 o'clock, I'm ready for the game now!! In the immortal words of Blue, "Ring The Bell, You Pansy!!!"

It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!!

Hearkening back to the 1986 Old Milwaukee commercial where four buddies are gathered around a roaring campfire while cracking open some frosty beers, 'It just doesn't get any better than this'!! Bears vs. Packers , winner goes to Superbowl XLV!! Not since the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor (The Germans? 'Let him go, he's on a roll') have these titans clashed in the post season. The Bears came out on top 33-14 in Wrigley Field. That was not one generation or two but three plus generations ago. Nearly 70 years have passed.
That being said, the dream matchup is about to take place less than 5 days from now. I'm sure George "Papa Bear" Halas and Curly Lambeau imagined meeting more often in the post season after that historic 1941 matchup, but it just hasn't materialized until now.Maybe the rivalry hasn't been what it once was; full of venom and hatred on both sidelines, both teams intentionally trying to injure and or at least embarrass the other. Maybe players have been sending congenial texts across battle lines, damn unlimited texting plans!! (I doubt Papa or Curly would like that very much!) Maybe the storied intensity of the rivalry is gone for good.Or now, with all the chips on the table, the Halas Trophy, then the Lombardi at stake, these two wizened charter members of the NFL will rain blows upon each other like two desperate UFC cage fighters until one heavyweight finally taps out. How could they not? If these two do not come out slugging they don't belong in this game!! I've been a Bears fan since I can remember and Super Bowls aside, I cannot remember being this excited about a Bears game ever! Many predict the Packers dancing into town, pounding on the Bears for awhile, and then punching their ticket for Dallas. They are now Vegas favorites to take it all. In an ordinary season, I'd probably say you're right. But in a year where we thought the Bears would be battling Detroit for 3rd place in the NFC North, a lot of unusual breaks and bounces have gone the Bears way all paving the road to hosting the NFC title match. Is it too much to ask old MOJO to keep rolling our way?? At this point, conventional wisdom had the Patriots set to easily walk away the all the hardware. Sorry Gisell-ichek!! I don't know if the Bears will get there but it's gonna be really fun to watch! I'll give a full breakdown and prediction later in the week. GO BEARS!!!!! Dave Kuhlman....BullsBearsCubsSoxHoxx.....