Thread: Wednesday cut and paste articles

This team especially does better when doubted

Most top pros motivated by doubters

By Mike Mulligan



Jay Cutler's availability for the Bears' game Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks will come down to a medical decision, but it's hard to imagine anything keeping Cutler off the field. Not when he has so much to prove.

The game will allow Cutler to reunite with former ally Jeremy Bates, now the Seahawks' offensive coordinator, who chose that job over a chance to hold the same position with the Bears. Bates served as Cutler's quarterbacks coach with the Denver Broncos in 2007 and 2008, calling the offensive plays in the second year and helping Cutler earn a Pro Bowl selection after directing the top offense in the AFC.

Sources say Cutler felt aggrieved when Bates, who became the offensive coordinator at USC after Mike Shanahan was fired in Denver, chose to follow Pete Carroll to Seattle rather than reunite with Cutler with the Bears. Their relationship has become decidedly chilly since then, a source close to Cutler said.

Enmity, of course, has a way of inspiring great players to great success. Just ask Michael Jordan, whose acceptance speech into the Basketball Hall of Fame became an instant classic. Jordan tried to define his competitive nature and wound up calling out everyone from Leroy Smith, the anonymous high school forward who made varsity over the sophomore Jordan three decades ago, to Bryon Russell, the former Utah Jazz forward who joked to Jordan that the Bulls great was retiring because Russell could guard him.

Jordan might stand alone in the intensity of his competitiveness, but most top professional athletes feel it. Legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells made that point to Hall of Fame baseball writer Peter Gammons this year at the St. Louis Cardinals' training camp. Parcells was a guest of Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, and Gammons was covering camp when they discussed the matter while slugger Albert Pujols took batting practice.

Pujols came over after he finished hitting and told them he overheard their conversation and agreed with the premise. He said he remembered every person who doubted him on the way up. Cutler nodded and smiled when he was told that story a month ago.

''Absolutely,'' he said. ''You definitely remember people who doubt you and don't believe in you. It's just in your nature; it's in my nature. You believe you can pretty much do anything on that field, so that is definitely true.''

Cutler said he's not walking around with a list in his head and doubted he'd ever give words to those feelings publicly.

''You just remember it in the back of your head,'' Cutler said. ''Michael [Jordan] was in a position to vocalize some of that stuff, but most of us can't.''

Could Cutler ever envision himself giving that kind of speech?

''I would say no, but you never know how it's going to go,'' he said.

The Bears got an idea in Carolina of how their season is going to go if they can't get Cutler back on the field and protected properly. Reserve Todd Collins threw four interceptions and was sacked twice while completing only six passes, making as many negative plays as positive ones. Caleb Hanie came in after the fourth pick and played better, sparking a media debate about how the depth chart should fall, but the simple fact is that Cutler is the most valuable player on the offense and on the team.

The Bears might have won without him, but they'll be hard-pressed to repeat the feat against better teams. The offense has dropped from No. 11 in the league after three games to No. 27 after road games against the New York Giants and Panthers. Cutler played only one half against the Giants, getting sacked a league-record nine times before being knocked out of the game with a concussion.


Things are worse in the Aikman Efficiency ratings, where the Bears' offense is 31st in the 32-team NFL, leaving the team ranked No. 24 overall despite being tied for the best record in the league and having Aikman's third-ranked defense.
Still, things are setting up perfectly. The Green Bay Packers are coming off an overtime loss and are reeling with injuries to top players. The Minnesota Vikings have managed only one victor

The Seahawks come in 2-2, but they have lost both their road games, including a 20-3 defeat at the St. Louis Rams. They're coming off a bye, but the Seahawks have won only twice off bye weeks since 1998.


Cutler might have heard fans wondering why the Bears traded for him now that Kyle Orton is regularly putting up 300-yard passing games. If Cutler has, it will serve as even more motivation, just as he's fueled by the criticism he received last season.
''You can't let it bring you down,'' he said. ''It is going to be out there. You are going to hear it at some point. You can either let it bring you down or you can use it. Last year is one of those examples that I am going to look back on and use as motivation.''

Cutler put up the highest passer rating ever by an opponent at Qwest Field last season when he produced a 126.4 outing in a Bears victory. No doubt he'd like to put on another show Sunday for the new Seahawks coaching staff and anyone who chooses to doubt him.

Bears in the driver's seat with control of NFC North

From a nationally televised embarrassment at the new Meadowlands Stadium, where Jay Cutler had to be peeled off the field turf, the Bears have, in just one week, ascended to the driver's seat in the NFC North.

At 4-1 they're a game ahead of the Green Bay Packers, who have been decimated by injuries, and the Bears also are 2½ games ahead of the Minnesota Vikings, who have dug themselves a 1-3 hole and are not finished dealing with the off-the-field distraction of Brett Favre's “Textgate."

Quicker than you can say, “playoff contender, the Bears have control in the NFC North, and their position should only be strengthened over the next four weeks.
The Bears have home games against the mediocre Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins, a bye week, and then a road game against the winless Buffalo Bills, which isn't really a home game for them because it will be played in Toronto.

So, unless they trip over their own feet, the Bears are looking at a 7-1 record at the halfway point; 6-2 at worst.

They will be favored to win each of the next three games, probably by more than a touchdown in two of them. That is, as long as Cutler plays, which is expected once he is cleared for a full return to activity after practicing Wednesday.

First up are the Seahawks, who have been solid at home this season under new coach Pete Carroll but awful on the road, losing by 17 at Denver and at St. Louis, both of which are 2-3.

A 3-2 Washington team should offer a tougher challenge, since it already posted victories over the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Packers. But Washington also lost to the Rams by 14 points and has scored more than 17 points just once.
The Bills have allowed more points than any team in the NFL by a comfortable margin, an average of 32 per game.

Even if the Bears go 2-1, they'll be 6-2 and should still be in control of their own destiny and the NFC North.

The 3-2 Packers face a brutal four weeks with quarterback Aaron Rodgers questionable this week with a concussion. And that's the least of the Packers' injuries.
Packers tight end Jermichael Finley is expected to have knee surgery Wednesday and miss at least a few weeks. Running back Ryan Grant is already on injured reserve, NFL sack leader Clay Matthews has re-injured a hamstring, linebacker Nick Barnett could go on injured reserve with a wrist injury, right tackle Mark Tauscher has a shoulder injury, and safety Morgan Burnett has a knee injury.

On top of all that, the Packers face, in order: the Dolphins, Vikings, Jets and Cowboys. The lone bright spot is that only the Jets game is on the road, but the Packers have lost two of their last three with their only victory coming against the Lions by 2 points.
The Vikings are in worse shape. Their four week stretch begins when they host the Cowboys, making that a matchup of two 1-3 teams that were popular preseason Super Bowl picks but are now desperate for a victory. The loser faces long odds of even making it to the playoffs.

After that, it gets more difficult for the Vikings. It's back-to-back road games at Green Bay and New England before a home game against the Arizona Cardinals, who are off to a surprising 3-2 start. Split those games and the Vikings are 3-5 and can only afford one more loss the rest of the season to make the playoffs.

As for the second half of the Bears' schedule, it gets more difficult, especially if the Vikings get back on track, so they might need at least a 6-2 record at the midway point to make it to the playoffs.

The Bears and Vikings face each other twice, and the Bears also play at Green Bay, Detroit and Miami. They also have tough matchups vs. the Eagles, Patriots and Jets, but all three of those games are at home.
NFC North Outlook

Here’s a closer look at the schedule for the next four weeks facing the three contenders for the NFC North Division:

WEEK 6

BEARS (4-1) vs. Seahawks (2-2)
PACKERS (3-2) vs. Dolphins (2-2)
VIKINGS (1-3) vs. Cowboys (1-3)


WEEK 7

BEARS vs. Redskins (3-2)
PACKERS vs.VIKINGS


WEEK 8

BEARS bye week
PACKERS at Jets (4-1)
VIKINGS at Patriots (3-1)


WEEK 9

BEARS at Bills* (0-5)
PACKERS vs. Cowboys (1-3)
VIKINGS vs. Cardinals (3-2)

*game will be played in Toronto

Who's out on OL when Williams returns?

In a season full of changes, the Bears offensive line figures to once again feature a different starting five on Sunday against Seattle.

Left tackle Chris Williams appears ready to return from a hamstring injury he suffered Week 2 in Dallas. Williams spent last week testing out his hamstring by working on the side with a member of the team’s training staff, a strong sign the former first-round pick is close to being able to practice.

When Williams jumps back into the mix, the Bears will be forced to decide between Frank Omiyale and rookie J'Marcus Webb at right tackle, assuming Williams settles back into his old job on the left side. The Bears paid Williams to be their left tackle of the future, so moving him again to right tackle might be counterproductive. Without question, Williams struggled in the preseason and in training camp when matched up against Julius Peppers, but it may be premature to assume the Bears are ready to pull the plug on the idea of Williams as the team’s left tackle.

The choice between Omiyale and Webb, however, may be more difficult.

It's obvious the Bears are very high on Webb -- a 2010 seventh-round draft choice -- and envision the rookie as a future full-time starter. The Bears love his size and aggressiveness, but like most first-year players, Webb occasionally isn't sure where he's supposed to be.

Omiyale, for the most part, has played well this year, but did have two penalties against Carolina. Webb also was flagged twice, although one holding call was declined. It's safe to say Omiyale didn't play his best football in Week 5.

It's only a matter of time before Webb, if he stays healthy, permanently cracks the starting lineup. But should that time be now?

Originally Posted by grabowski85

I really think that the Viqueens are done this season with this Brett Favre mess coming into the light this will be disastorous for the club's morale. Bottom line the division will come down to us and GB...by the way you can check out ol dirty Brett at deadspin.com, it's pretty pathetic.

yep, that mess catching up with him now..and either dallas or vikes season basically over after sunday at 1-4, and if rodgers can't go this week I have Zero confidence in matt flynn to lead them over miami, which then effectively if we beat Seahawks gives us a 3 game lead on them already( 2 games and the tiebreaker)

Originally Posted by grabowski85

Media and fans don't know what to make of the Bears 4-1 record, but I'm one of the few fans that know what to make of it. Through 4 weeks the Bears have proven they are a good football team by showing you that they can win games in many ways. They can win playing tough stingy defense, they can win with their special teams unit, they can pass the football on you, and to add to that they showed they can win running the football. So again what do I make of the Bears 4-1 record? What I make of the record is that they are a good football team that if they can put it all together can be a great team.

Exactly.

Find it funny the saints losing to the Panthers all day, barely at end squeek out a "W" and they are still a good team and beat a detirmened Panthers team, we blow out the Panthers 22-6( despite god awful Qb'ing), and its "so what? the panthers a bad team".. funny how quickly the "spin" changes

This is what good team do- when one unit struggling( oline, running game), other units pick them up nd we have seen that all year. And with each "W" you see the confidence growing and team coming together