Showing posts with label Chicago Bears. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Bears. Show all posts

Friday, December 16, 2011

Friday Night Thoughts

Getting late on this Friday, here's what is happening.....

- The sad story of Bears WR Sam Hurd gets worse for Hurd as he was put on waivers by Chicago Friday. It's his own fault if all this drug talk is true but still not good for a player that was probably just hanging on anyway.
- The one-game suspension of Steelers LB James Harrison was upheld by the league. Harrison will sit out Monday night's game at San Francisco. Maybe he will learn at some point that he has to play by the NFL's rules, even though they aren't good rules.
- A bad week for Kobe Bryant continued when his wife filed for divorce. I would have thought she would have done that after his cheating in Colorado a few years back but she held on for this long. What worse thing could he have done?
- In baseball news, the Rockies signed former Twin Michael Cuddyer. A great signing of a player who can play almost anywhere on the diamond. Also helps that he can hit some and in that ballpark, he will definitely do that.
- Barry Bonds got his sentence Friday from the BALCO case, being sentenced to two years probation and 30 days house arrest. Doesn't seem like a huge punishment for perjury but at least it is something. Bonds may have slipped through the cracks with MLB and not the court system.
- Also in the courts, the two former Penn State officials charged with perjury can stand trial. It was nice to finally see Mike McQueary come out of the woodwork to make a statement about what he saw. Might have helped the kid out if he would have done something right away instead of calling his father up first.

That will do it for tonight, prediction Saturday comes in the morning....

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Thursday night ramblings

A busy Thursday in the world of sports, here's a look...

- I start tonight with the stupidity of Bears WR Sam Hurd. Hurd was arrested and remains in jail tonight after he allegedly attempted to buy over half a million dollars in cocaine and marijuana from a supplier in North Texas. Words can't even start to explain how dumb you would have to be to do that, if Hurd did. Any pro athlete who would pull something like that needs an one-way ticket out of the league.
- I move on now to the world of IndyCar where the accident that killed Dan Wheldon to end last season was a "perfect storm". Wheldon hit his head on a pole that held the fencing up around the track. A very sad story and a great example of why race car driving is always a dangerous thing to do.
- A concussion has once again ended a season early for a NHL player as Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger will sit out the rest of the season with post-concussion symptoms. Hockey is a violent sport in its nature and big-time hits are a part of the game but when a lot of your major names are sitting on the bench, it hurts the game. I've talked about Sidney Crosby in the past, don't know what to fix but something has to.
- A commentary on Los Angeles pro basketball and things that may be happening. Rumors are swirling now that Kobe Bryant is upset over recent events with the Lakers and may want out. The Clippers have got a lot better with Chris Paul but are still not a dominant team with just two stars. Will the battles at the Staples Center be better? Yes but I don't think Kobe has anything to worry about.
- With the recent warmer weather in the country, thoughts head toward baseball and that spring training is only 2 months away. It appears one team is trying real hard to get their fans back on board. The Cubs put in a claim on Yu Darvish and reports state they are about to go hard after Prince Fielder. If both happen, I don't see any reason why the North Siders don't win the NL Central.
- Last a reminder that college bowl season starts this Saturday with three games. I will have predictions the day of each game for you if you want to use them for your bowl pool in your office or wherever you are playing at.

That's it for tonight, more in the morning.....

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Wild Sunday

A crazy day of football, let's take a look....

- I can't start without bringing up Tim Tebow and yet another fourth-quarter comeback. The Bears had Tebow and company right where they wanted them, up 10-0 with 2:30 to play but Tebow being who is tied leads the Broncos down the field twice to tie the game and force overtime before winning it there. Great win for Denver, a loss that will haunt Chicago.
- Time to send congrats to the Houston Texans on clinching the AFC South to make their first playoff appearance in team history. With a third-string quarterback, this team still has the potential of being the top seed in the AFC but for today, celebrate Houston. Your football team is great while your baseball team still needs work.
- The Packers continued their run toward perfection with a dominating win over the Raiders. Only one bad thing came out of the game with a left knee injury sidelining Greg Jennings. Green Bay has clinched almost everything at this point and basically has 4 weeks until a game that have to win in the playoffs. The biggest thing will be how long will Jennings be out.
- Another collapse from the Dallas Cowboys occurred Sunday night. With a 12-point lead late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys allowed the Giants to score twice and had a tying field goal blocked in losing 37-34. The two teams are now tied at the top of the NFC East and will play again before this season is out but another bad loss in Dallas.
- It appeared for one day at least that the Eagles team we expected to see all season wanted to make an appearance. 9 sacks in a 26-10 win over the Dolphins. Too little, too late but still a good sign.

There was more that happened Sunday but we'll do that in the Monday morning blog....

Monday, December 5, 2011

Monday Morning Thoughts

The weekend is over....let's look at what has happened.

- Quite a scare the Giants put into the Packers Sunday afternoon. Tie game late in the fourth quarter before Aaron Rodgers dug his team out to send Green Bay to 12-0. The Pack have 3 home games left in their last four remaining games. The road to 16-0 seems paved now.
- If this season couldn't get any worse for the Bears, it appeared to after Matt Forte went down in a terrible 10-3 loss to the Chiefs. Chicago has zero chance w/o Forte and Cutler in the lineup. Now a trip to Denver and Tebow is coming. The season is slipping away in the Windy City.
- Speaking of seasons slipping away, how about the Lions? A 5-0 start has slid all the way to 7-5. While Detroit put up a nice effort Sunday night in New Orleans, this team is going to need a major miracle now to make the playoffs especially with their final game on New Year's Day in Green Bay with the Packers likely looking to finish 16-0.
- As I bring up New Orleans, the college football rematch everyone really didn't want to see will happen when LSU takes on Alabama in the BCS Championshp Game. If anyone outside of the southeast going to care about this game unless you are an alum of either school? The SEC will win the national title for the sixth straight year and more power to them for it but it's time to move the trophy out of the south for at least a year.
- The rest of the college bowl schedule was released Sunday as well and one matchup I'm really looking forward to is the Fiesta Bowl between Stanford and Oklahoma St. Those two high-powered offenses should make for a great game in Glendale on Jan. 2.  Couple other games I'm looking forward to would be Houston/Penn St. in the TicketCity Bowl and Wisconsin/Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
- To finish the college thought train, it's a real shame Michigan St. gets stuck with the Outback Bowl against Georgia while their in-state counterparts get a BCS game against Virginia Tech. The Spartans were in the Big Ten Title Game, played Wisconsin tough while Michigan sat all day Saturday but what can you do?
- Baseball's Winter Meetings got off to a roaring start with the Marlins signing Jose Reyes. Great move to get fans into the new ballpark and now where will Hanley Ramirez play? You would have to figure he is moving to 3B but reports say he is not open to moving positions so stay tuned.
- Prediction-wise this weekend I went 8-6 with the NFL picks (Chargers d. Jaguars tonight for the last game) and Saturday's picks went 7-3 so an overall 15-9 weekend.....not terrible I guess.

That's all for now, look for more tonight....

Monday, November 14, 2011

Weekend Reflections: Nov. 14

A weekend of NFL and college football has passed along with all the other sports, here are six thoughts in my brain....

- What on earth were the Falcons doing going on 4th down on their own 30 in overtime?!? Atlanta doesn't get the first down and the Saints were able to make an easy field goal to win the game. This loss will haunt the Falcons, book it.
- Let's give it up for the Bears D and special teams. Two touchdowns on interceptions plus yet another Devin Hester punt return touchdown. If you had Chicago in your fantasy league, I think you are in great shape this week. This is a completely different team since they lost in Detroit five weeks ago and proved it in stomping the Lions on the lakefront.
- How sad is it to lose a game when the opposing quarterback completes just two passes...that's what happened to the Chiefs as Tim Tebow only had two completions but still the Broncos won the game. KC is so up and down, it can make your head spin. Their division hopes are probably done.
- How about TCU? They go into Boise and upset the fifth-ranked Broncos to end any hopes Boise State had of a national championship berth. TCU lost Andy Dalton to graduation but is still close to the same strong team from last season. Now what non-BCS school gets in? I'll go with Houston and their very high-flying passing game.
- Speaking of the BCS, the new standings are out with LSU firmly at No. 1 and Oklahoma State firmly at No. 2. I don't see LSU having any problems finishing their regular season undefeated along with a win in the SEC Title Game. I think Okla. St. has one major hurdle left and that's a date with their in-state rivals on Dec. 3. The winner of that game just might be LSU's opponent.
- Hopefully you got a chance to see the Carrier Classic Friday night on the USS Carl Vinson. It was a sight to behold, watching a basketball game on an aircraft carrier. Games like that get more people involved in the sport it seems but where else can they play? Comment about it.

Fantasy Player of the Day: Texans RB Arian Foster
Foster ran for 84 yards and a touchdown along with adding four catches for 102 yards and a score as Houston improved to 7-3 on the season with 37-9 win over Tampa Bay.

Matchup to Watch: Vikings at Packers, 7:30 p.m. (CT), ESPN
Green Bay looks to stay undefeated against one of their biggest rivals in the NFC North. I would see any problems for Aaron Rodgers and company. Here's a prediction as well...The Pack win 35-17.

This Date in History: Nov. 14, 1943
We go way back for this one....Bears QB Sid Luckman throws for a record seven touchdowns and records the first 400-yard passing game in NFL history in a 56-7 win over the New York Giants. Luckman threw for 433 yards on that afternoon.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Monday Reflections

Here are my thoughts on the weekend gone by....

- What a shootout in San Diego with the Packers and Chargers. 83 points scored, Packers stay undefeated. I don't see anyone knocking them off anytime soon.
- Defense came to play Saturday night with LSU and Alabama. A 9-6 overtime affair won by the Tigers. Don't be shocked if those two head out with a rematch. I don't want that, give a new set of teams a chance like Oklahoma State or Stanford but who knows with the BCS.
- The NBA lockout appears to be coming down to a final showdown. This hasn't been pretty at all and keeps getting worse. I predict the season will be cancelled.
- One big NHL matchup this weekend was Vancouver going to Chicago to face the Blackhawks. The Canucks ended Chicago's season last year and Sunday night smacked around the Hawks again to the tune of 6-2. Hawks got some work to do.
- Jim Thome signed with the Phillies recently and finally Thome may get the World Series ring he richly deserves. He's a guy who signs Halloween candy for kids, he needs a ring.
- Finally a pick for Monday Night Football....Eagles d. Bears. I'm thinking Michael Vick runs through the Chicago defense with at least a touchdown and 80 yds rushing. Give me Philly 24-13.

Fantasy Player of the Day: San Diego WR Vincent Jackson
Jackson had seven catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns for the Chargers Sunday but it wasn't enough in San Diego's 45-38 loss.

Matchup to Watch: Bears at Eagles, 7:30 p.m. (CT), ESPN
A key NFC battle completed Week 9 of the NFL season. The winner will have a key tiebreaker on the other for playoff seedings or just making it at all.

This Date in History: Nov. 7, 1991
A day that no sports fan will forget as Magic Johnson announced he has HIV and retired from the Lakers. The shock is still there 20 years later.