Dan
12-02-2005, 02:18 AM
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Dan’s Bear Den Part 1:
My thoughts on the Bears season so far
http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/files/7/bea.gif (http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1273&c=53)This is the first of what I hope will be many editions of my new column called Dan’s Bear Den. In this edition, I will review the Bears season to this point game by game and I will talk about their keys to success, and talk about the keys for the remainder of the season. Since I am one of the few Bears fans on PSH, I would like to share my thoughts on the team and their season.
First I will discuss the keys to their success to this point in the season. The main keys have been the running game and the defense. People do not give the Bears offense enough credit for their success, yes they have won mainly on the strength of their defense, but the fact that the offense controls the clock and doesn’t turn the ball over has been important as well. I don’t know where the Bears’ offense would be without Thomas Jones and Adrian Peterson, and to a lesser extent Cedric Benson. The Bears have three running backs that could all start for a lot of teams in the NFL when they are healthy.
The second major key to the Bears success is the defense which is one of the top defenses in the league. Brian Urlacher is of course one of the top linebackers in the league, but they are building a great group of players around him. I think that Alex Brown has possibly been the most surprising player on the team, coming up with a lot of sacks and even interceptions. The secondary has also been outstanding with Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Mike Brown and all the others. Vasher has been outstanding on defense and also has the most memorable play of the year with the missed field goal return for a touchdown.
Now I will talk about the first eleven games of the season and talk about the keys to those game, or what went wrong in the games they lost. It has been a very interesting season, so there is plenty to analyze.
The first game was against Washington and they lost 9-7 in a defensive struggle. The running game struggled with Thomas Jones leading the Bears with only 31 rushing yards. It was a tough first NFL start for Kyle Orton. Nonetheless, the Bears still had a chance to win until the end when three false start penalties cost them a chance.
In week two the Bears pounded the Lions 38-6 for their largest margin of victory in a long time. The Bears defense was outstanding intercepting Joey Harrington 5 times. Jones and Orton both broke out for their early season slumps and had their first big games.
Week three against Cincinnati was their only time the Bears defense truly struggled, giving up a season high 24 points. Bengals receiver Chad Johnson had a big game and Kyle Orton threw 5 interceptions.
Following their bye week in week 4, the Bears’ final loss of the first 11 games came in week 5 against Cleveland. The Bears offense struggled, but they came from behind and lead late until the defense collapsed late. The Bears played well for 52 minutes, unfortunately the game is 60 minutes.
Week six featured one of the Bears best performances of the year with a 28-6 win over Minnesota. In the third quarter, the Bears broke open a close game lead by two touchdown catches by Desmond Clark. Thomas Jones dropped off slightly from his previous three games, but still rushed for 89 yards.
The Bears’ defense dominated in a 10-6 win over Baltimore in week 7. The Bears showed that they have one of the top defenses in the league, not allowing a touchdown for the second straight week.
The Bears took control of the NFC North with a week 8 win in Detroit in 19-13 in overtime. Charles Tillman scored the winning touchdown on an interception return with 8:39 to play in overtime. The Bears went up a game in the division over Detroit and have beaten Detroit twice.
The Bears won their fourth straight and took a two game lead in the division with a 20-17 week 9 win over the Saints in Baton Rouge. The Bears struggled to hold off the struggling Saints, but won on a Robbie Gould field goal with 6 seconds to play.
http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/files/7/chi_f_649602.gif (http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=738&c=53)http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/files/7/bears1.gif
The Bears winning streak reached 5 with a 17-9 win over San Francisco at wind-swept Soldier Field. The game featured the Bears most memorable play of the year as Nathan Vasher returned a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the half.
The Bears winning streak continued in the following week with a 13-3 win over Carolina. The defense continued to prove itself holding down the high powered Saints offense, which hadn’t scored fewer than 20 prior to this game. Nathan Vasher set up two scores with interceptions, continuing to be a star player for the Bears.
The winning streak reached 7 when the Bears won 13-10 in Tampa. The key play was a fumble recovery at the Panthers’ 1 yard-line to set up the Bears’ first score. The Bucs scored the first touchdown against the Bears’ defense in three weeks, and almost tied the game when Matt Bryant missed a 29 yard field goal.
I think the Bears are capable of winning the NFC North and going far in the playoffs if their defense and running game continue the way they are. They do have tough games remaining against Atlanta and Pittsburgh, but they have shown that they can beat good teams.
Dan’s Bear Den Part 1:
My thoughts on the Bears season so far
http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/files/7/bea.gif (http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1273&c=53)This is the first of what I hope will be many editions of my new column called Dan’s Bear Den. In this edition, I will review the Bears season to this point game by game and I will talk about their keys to success, and talk about the keys for the remainder of the season. Since I am one of the few Bears fans on PSH, I would like to share my thoughts on the team and their season.
First I will discuss the keys to their success to this point in the season. The main keys have been the running game and the defense. People do not give the Bears offense enough credit for their success, yes they have won mainly on the strength of their defense, but the fact that the offense controls the clock and doesn’t turn the ball over has been important as well. I don’t know where the Bears’ offense would be without Thomas Jones and Adrian Peterson, and to a lesser extent Cedric Benson. The Bears have three running backs that could all start for a lot of teams in the NFL when they are healthy.
The second major key to the Bears success is the defense which is one of the top defenses in the league. Brian Urlacher is of course one of the top linebackers in the league, but they are building a great group of players around him. I think that Alex Brown has possibly been the most surprising player on the team, coming up with a lot of sacks and even interceptions. The secondary has also been outstanding with Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Mike Brown and all the others. Vasher has been outstanding on defense and also has the most memorable play of the year with the missed field goal return for a touchdown.
Now I will talk about the first eleven games of the season and talk about the keys to those game, or what went wrong in the games they lost. It has been a very interesting season, so there is plenty to analyze.
The first game was against Washington and they lost 9-7 in a defensive struggle. The running game struggled with Thomas Jones leading the Bears with only 31 rushing yards. It was a tough first NFL start for Kyle Orton. Nonetheless, the Bears still had a chance to win until the end when three false start penalties cost them a chance.
In week two the Bears pounded the Lions 38-6 for their largest margin of victory in a long time. The Bears defense was outstanding intercepting Joey Harrington 5 times. Jones and Orton both broke out for their early season slumps and had their first big games.
Week three against Cincinnati was their only time the Bears defense truly struggled, giving up a season high 24 points. Bengals receiver Chad Johnson had a big game and Kyle Orton threw 5 interceptions.
Following their bye week in week 4, the Bears’ final loss of the first 11 games came in week 5 against Cleveland. The Bears offense struggled, but they came from behind and lead late until the defense collapsed late. The Bears played well for 52 minutes, unfortunately the game is 60 minutes.
Week six featured one of the Bears best performances of the year with a 28-6 win over Minnesota. In the third quarter, the Bears broke open a close game lead by two touchdown catches by Desmond Clark. Thomas Jones dropped off slightly from his previous three games, but still rushed for 89 yards.
The Bears’ defense dominated in a 10-6 win over Baltimore in week 7. The Bears showed that they have one of the top defenses in the league, not allowing a touchdown for the second straight week.
The Bears took control of the NFC North with a week 8 win in Detroit in 19-13 in overtime. Charles Tillman scored the winning touchdown on an interception return with 8:39 to play in overtime. The Bears went up a game in the division over Detroit and have beaten Detroit twice.
The Bears won their fourth straight and took a two game lead in the division with a 20-17 week 9 win over the Saints in Baton Rouge. The Bears struggled to hold off the struggling Saints, but won on a Robbie Gould field goal with 6 seconds to play.
http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/files/7/chi_f_649602.gif (http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=738&c=53)http://www.pigskinheaven.com/gallery/files/7/bears1.gif
The Bears winning streak reached 5 with a 17-9 win over San Francisco at wind-swept Soldier Field. The game featured the Bears most memorable play of the year as Nathan Vasher returned a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the half.
The Bears winning streak continued in the following week with a 13-3 win over Carolina. The defense continued to prove itself holding down the high powered Saints offense, which hadn’t scored fewer than 20 prior to this game. Nathan Vasher set up two scores with interceptions, continuing to be a star player for the Bears.
The winning streak reached 7 when the Bears won 13-10 in Tampa. The key play was a fumble recovery at the Panthers’ 1 yard-line to set up the Bears’ first score. The Bucs scored the first touchdown against the Bears’ defense in three weeks, and almost tied the game when Matt Bryant missed a 29 yard field goal.
I think the Bears are capable of winning the NFC North and going far in the playoffs if their defense and running game continue the way they are. They do have tough games remaining against Atlanta and Pittsburgh, but they have shown that they can beat good teams.