Bulls Big In Overtime!!

The Chicago Bulls have pulled out another stunning overtime victory, this time against the Houston Rockets. After coming off of two pretty important losses to the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics, the Bulls needed to get back on track and get a victory at home. The Bulls played bad basketball against the 2 top teams in the East and needed to redeem themselves. Those games, although early in the season, are important because 9 times out of 10 you will see these very team in the playoffs. We saw the failure on Wednesday night when Dwight Howard and the Magic came to Chicago and executed their game plan. This came with Joakim Noah not collecting a single rebound when he is averaging 12.2 rpg, second in the league. Friday night came and you would think the Bulls would have came out with more energy after a big loss at home against a team they have to be able to compete with. Instead they came out flat and did not look like the same defensive team we saw on the Circus Trip. Boston beat the Bulls with simple pick and roll basketball that involved a lot of layups, and wide open shots. Derrick Rose was not attacking the basket enough, and when he doesn't attack, the offense doesn't have the same flow. With Boozer only playing his second game of the season, going through him in that particular game was not the answer, so they continued to struggle and go on to lose the contest. Saturday night arrives, Bulls are at home coming off of two disappointing losses, it's time to end this losing streak. Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer played a great game tonight, and I think the chemistry between all the guys is starting to gel. Boozer seemed to find a flow early in the game by getting to the free throw line and being aggressive. Boozer who scored 25pts, and 9 rebounds did find himself in early foul trouble but was able to show discipline and stay in the game. Joakim Noah has had a tough two games going against some of the leagues best big men in D. Howard, Shaq, and KG. Noah had another big defensive responsibility tonight having to keep an eye on Luis Scola and veteran Brad Miller, and did a fairly good job while grabbing 13 rebounds with 4 blocks. Foul trouble found it's way to the Bulls big man with him fouling out with 1:04 left in OT. But the story of the night has to be D. Rose putting up 30 pts, 11ast, 7reb, 5stl, and 1 block, first time since Scottie Pippen did it in 1994, a Bulls player had at least 30 pts and 10 ast in a game. With under 10 seconds left in the game Rose is the guy to save the day by hitting a 3 point buzzer beater to tie it up 109-109 and send it into overtime. Rose continued his brilliant play through OT and the rest of the team was definitely on board as the Bulls pulled out a 118-116 much needed victory. Next game is against the Oklahoma City Thunder which is another tough team in the West. Once the Bulls get into the flow of their offense, and the bench becomes more solidified, this is going to be a serious contender in the Eastern playoff picture. Listen into the show for more Bulls talk today December 5, from 10-12 on www.sportstownchicago.com

It's Been A While

Sorry for being away for so long, but we're back baby! What has happened since the last time we've talked? Well a lot and there is no way to cover it all in one blog, so let's have a quick recap. The Chicago Bears are hot right now with a leading NFC North record of 8-3 and they are starting to put it together on both sides of the ball. The defense is sound, making plays around the ball with Julius Peppers making his way into Defensive Player of the Year conversations, not by stats but by making his presence felt all over the field. Jay Cutler just recently won Offensive player of the week after his stunning 4 TD game against Michael Vick and the Eagles. The Blackhawks have continued their winning ways by carrying on a record of 14-10-2. Doesn't sound like a very good Championship team, but trust me in this long 82 game season, the Hawks look a lot better then most thought just because of how different the team looks. The Hawks are coming off a high scoring 7-5 win over St. Louis and look to move forward Friday night against Vancouver. The Chicago Bulls have blown the minds of many with the way they have played recently. At this point in the season the Bulls would normally be trying to find ways to pick themselves up after a long 14 day 7 game annual "Circus Trip". But this year it's completely different. The Chi-Bulls went a remarkable 4-3 on this trip which the first time they've had a winning record on this trip since MJ was here in 1998, so for any Bulls fan this is big. Derrick Rose who averaged a show stopping 30.5 ppg led the team in just about all 7 games to a close margin win or defeat, no blowout games like we've seen in the past. In all honesty, the Bulls could have easily gone 5-2 on this road trip had Rose played in the game which resulted in a 2 point loss to the Denver Nuggets, not saying nothing, but I'm just saying. Unfortunately for the Bulls, the first game back home was against the SE Division leading Orlando Magic, who looks just awesome right now. With Boozer making his season debut in this matchup, the Magic were just too much for the Bulls to handle. Tom Thibodeau and his defensive stance has made the Bulls 10 times better on that end of the floor, but after last night, you can tell this is still a team in the learning process. Baseball is in the offseason, but means absolutely nothing because apparently, the Baltimore Orioles have made an offer to the Southsiders Paul "Pauly" Konerko, and "Alexi Ramirez has opted out of his deal. On the Northside, the Cubbies have looked to the future and began the rebuilding process by hiring former interim head coach Mike Quade. Oh, Northwestern and Illinois played a conference game on the infamous Wrigley Field, and to celebrate after such a good success, Todd Ricketts, Cubs Owner, played a little football himself with his staff. Let's just say, we should be glad the savvy left hander was good with business.

Bear Down

What's that, the Chicago Bears are 4-1, the Green Bay Packers are 3-2 and the Minnesota Vikings are 1-3. Anyone who thinks they know football probably feels like a complete idiot after the first 5 weeks of the season. The Chicago Bears have proven week in and week out that they can win football games, it hasn't been the prettiest of victories, but none the less they are victories. The game against the Carolina Panthers showed that the running backs we have are good, and when the line does there job, the running game works. Matt Forte carried the ball 22 times for 166 yards and Chester Taylor had 18 carries for 43 yards. By default, the Bears had to run the ball because Cutler was out and it only took Todd Collins a little under 3 minutes in the first quarter to throw his first of four interceptions, in the redzone. Martz tried to give Collins the benefit of the doubt by starting him over Calib Hanie, but throwing 4 picks shows me and hopefully Lovie Smith, they might have been better off with Hanie taking the reigns. Both TD's the Bears scored were rushing touchdowns, and the only two on the season so far. Maybe this will be the start of something, the running is alive again.
2nd on Depth Chart: Should the performance of Todd Collins move him to the 3rd QB spot on the depth chart? Hanie, only attempted 3 passes and completed 2 of those, but can he do any worse then 4 turnovers is really how this should be judged.
Offensiv Line Changes: Chicago also has questions on the offensive line with J'Marcus Webb and Edwin Williams taking the starting jobs yesterday at right guard and right tackle. They did a fairly good job keeping up with the pace of the game, and this may be a good combination for a running game as well.
Defense: The Bears defense is ranked 6th in the league so far, 4th in the running game and 17 in the passing game. They have a total of 9 sacks on the season and 7 interceptions. They have been very good at stopping the run and progressively are improving on stopping the pass. This defense is led by Brian Urlacher (34 tackles, 1 sack, 1int) and Lance Briggs (33 tackles, 1 sack, 1 int), it looks very promising right now.

Offensive Line Not Playing Well...Get Rid Of A Defensive Lineman...Hmmm

So where do we start? Sunday night, the New York Giants hosted the Chicago Bears and it was probably one of the ugliest games in a long time. The first half alone the Bears gave up 9 sacks, and got their QB, Jay Cutler, knocked out of the game. He was apparently diagnosed with a concussion, but let's not get it twisted. We all know that Cutler was getting his brains beat in and we could probably say the coaches felt it not the right move to insert him back into the game. So we move on to the second half, and here comes Todd Collins, and there goes Todd Collins. He was then knocked out of the game not before he threw his first interception since 1997. So it's obvious that the O line is, in the words of former Bears receiver Tom Waddle, hot garbage! This is something that needs to be addressed, and after coach Lovie Smith showed that he is no longer afraid to bench players who are not performing up to par, you would think this would be addressed. It wasn't, and instead, the Bears decided to get rid of a Defensive lineman, Mark Anderson, who in his rookie season recorded 12.0 sacks, and has only had 9.5 since then (4 years later). Ok, so I can see why you would release Anderson, but at this point in time, you need an O lineman, why would you pick up another defensive lineman in Charles Grant who was last playing in the UFL for just a short stint. This problem with the offensive line needs to be rectified if Jay Cutler wants to see the end of the season. He will not be playing this upcoming Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, Todd Collins will be taking the reigns.

Match Ups To Watch IN Week 4 For The NFC

This is the week where the match ups begin to really mean something. The Chicago Bears are the only team in the NFC that are 3-0, so now they have to prove themselves worthy of the record. Most analyst don't believe in the Bears, they have them down as one of those teams that are not for real. The upcoming schedule for Chicago reads as follows: @ NYG, @ CAR, SEA, then WAS. It is very much possible the Bears can look to go anywhere from 7-0 to 5-2, this game against the Giants will be another test. Elsewhere in the NFC, you have Washington vs Philadelphia, and they are playing in Philly. Donovan McNabb is coming back to the place he called home for 11 years, how will the crowd react to him returning? Will they boo, will they cheer, and will their reaction affect the way McNabb plays on Sunday. More importantly, what about Michael Vick? This is his first game starting back in Philly, and he's going against the guy who for the most part brought him back into the National Football League. This game has a great story behind it, and the outcome of this game is far more then important to both sides. This will proves Vick's worth at the QB position, or it will give Washington some breathing room after a couple of tough losses. At this point in the season, teams should begin to separate themselves from elite, to average, to maybe next year.

Monday Night Preview...

It has been too long since the last Bears and Packers match up, but not to worry, there is a Monday Night Football game where the Bears host the Packers and it's going to be a doozie!! Aaron Rodgers vs Jay Cutler, Clay Matthews vs Lance Briggs, Cullen Jenkins vs Julius Peppers, this is going to be a fairly good match up. Defensively, both teams are going to be solid based on what we've seen in the past two weeks. Clay Matthews has exploded for 6 sacks total in two games, and 12 solo tackles so I think it's safe to say he is playing out of his mind. The Packers as a defensive unit has allowed on average 136 rushing yards so far this year, where the Bears have only allowed 28 rushing yards. But when you look at the passing game Chicago has let the opposing QB air the ball out a little bit too much. The Bears are giving up about 261 yards in the air, and the Packers, only 116 yards passing. This may be an issue because Aaron Rodgers has been great for Green Bay since he took over the starting job. Rodgers so far has thrown for 443 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, pretty good numbers especially going against a defense who is ranked 27th in opposing teams passing yards. On the offensive side for the Bears, they are ranked 3rd in passing and 29th in rushing, they have got to find a way to move the ball between the tackles. With Martz's pass heavy offense, the run game hasn't been able to really get it going and that I think will be one of the key's to winning this game. Cutler is off to a great start with 649 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, and only 1 interception, oh yeah he also has the highest passer rating in the NFL right now with a 121.2. Wait a minute, there is a guy by the name of Brian Urlacher that is 100% healthy and seems to be having a lot of fun on the football field, he's flying around the field, he and Briggs teamed up for a total of 14 tackles last game, yes the poses a problem for the Packers. If you double team one, then the other is going to reek havoc. Go Bears!! Hey, I'm still a fan!

Braylon Edwards Gets DWI....C'Mon Man!!

Ok for the life of me I can't understand why professional athletes just don't get it, specifically NFL players. Is because they are constantly getting hit? Or is it because they feel the money puts them in a different category then everyone else? I think it may be a little bit of both. Edwards starts the night off at a fundraiser for another teammates organization, great that looks good especially after a big win against the Patriots. Then the next place he ends up is probably the spot where he did most of his partying, have some fun, it's ok you just had a pretty awesome game with a stat line that read 5 catches for 45 yards and a touchdown, plus a 2pt conversion catch. Feeling good, well you should. But wait this is where things get interesting, Edwards and apparently two teammates, tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and defensive end Vernon Gholston were in the car as well when Edwards got pulled over. 5:15 in the morning he's stopped for having tints on his window that are past the legal limit, then once the arresting officers see Edwards eyes were blood shot red and he reeked of alcohol, matters just got worse. Braylon then tried to talk his way out of the DWI by suggesting he just leave the car where it was and take a cab, but that wasn't enough for the police. They administered a breathalyzer test, and this is where he blew a 0.156, then later at the station blew a 0.164, yeah he was drunk. So that's just part of the story, the NFL has this program where players who have had a couple of drinks while hanging out can call a number where an armed guard, (off duty officers or retired), will come pick you up and take you home, this is called The Player Protect Program. This is not just a cab ride, these vehicles are top notch, and the best part about it is that you DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE!! I don't understand it, why is it that so many of these guys have issues with DUI's Or DWI's in this case, there should be none at all. Now, this is where "believing you're above everybody else" comes into play. Going out spending cash then driving off into the night in your new "whip", this is what they think it's all about, not making the right decision is the case for them anymore. Now the league says due to certain rules that are in place from the collective bargaining agreement, the Jets can not deactivate a players for certain offenses and this happens to fall under one of them. Living above the law it seems like these are doing, ok so he might catch a charge from the law, but we all know what hurts athletes the most, take away what they love to do most. We will talk more about this on Sunday at http://www.sportstownchicago.com/ from 2-4 on Chi-Town Shop Talk.