Bad trend for the Bears (1 Viewer)

[DrJ]

point taken about the young QBs not getting it done, but that was in week 1.   Bye week beneficiaries aided by rest and playing at home, backed by the league's best D and in brutal passing conditions are far more likely to fly straight.  Im betting the house on the Bears this week....Carolina doesnt have a chance.

The Bears are 0-5 coming off their last five bye weeks.There's another bad trend to chomp on.

FWIW, the weather is supposed to be pretty nice (for Chicago in January, that is) --This Weekend's Forecasts

40°F for a high, 35°F for a low with a 20% chance for precipitation. Partly cloudy, with moderate winds most likely...That's about as good as it gets in this venue during January.

My .02.

That is what it looks like. Still 5 days out though, weather reports can change very fast. Panthers got some decent weather last time around too.

 

[DrJ]

point taken about the young QBs not getting it done, but that was in week 1.  Bye week beneficiaries aided by rest and playing at home, backed by the league's best D and in brutal passing conditions are far more likely to fly straight.  Im betting the house on the Bears this week....Carolina doesnt have a chance.

The Bears are 0-5 coming off their last five bye weeks.There's another bad trend to chomp on.

Playoff loss to Philly, and then 3 years of miserable play put them at 0-4 there. That doesn't mean a whole lot.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

panthers weren't playing well then

Why do people keep saying this? The Panthers had won 6 straight games heading into Chicago. Their last 3 heading into the game, they outscored their opponents 102-30. They were "the hottest team in the NFL outside of Indy". They even went on to win 2 after the Chicago game making it wins in 8 of 9 games - all except Chicago.Enough of the Panthers weren't playing well BS.

Sure, they were playing well. But the running game sucked. Over the last 6 games of the season, our running game has gotten better. The key of this game is going to be how well the Panthers can establish the run. If they can, this will be a much different ballgame. I don't think that anyone is trying to argue that the Panthers weren't outplayed in November. But this isn't November. Its a new game and the stakes have been raised. We'll see how both teams respond come Sunday, but I really think it will be a much closer match up this time around.

 

[DrJ]

panthers weren't playing well then

Why do people keep saying this? The Panthers had won 6 straight games heading into Chicago. Their last 3 heading into the game, they outscored their opponents 102-30. They were "the hottest team in the NFL outside of Indy". They even went on to win 2 after the Chicago game making it wins in 8 of 9 games - all except Chicago.Enough of the Panthers weren't playing well BS.

Sure, they were playing well. But the running game sucked. Over the last 6 games of the season, our running game has gotten better. The key of this game is going to be how well the Panthers can establish the run. If they can, this will be a much different ballgame. I don't think that anyone is trying to argue that the Panthers weren't outplayed in November. But this isn't November. Its a new game and the stakes have been raised. We'll see how both teams respond come Sunday, but I really think it will be a much closer match up this time around.

The last 6 games of the season? Try the last game of the season and this past game against the banged up Giants. They didn't do much against Dallas, and lost in week 16. They weren't very impressive against a bad New Orleans D in week 15 averaging about 3 YPC. They got shut down against Tampa, and lost in week 14. They were underwhelming against Buffalo in week 12.The two Atlanta games and this past game were the only ones the entire season where they showed any running game at all. And Atlanta's D sucked against the run.

 

[DPRugby]

i'm not a homer jerkoff i live in Maryland i just know football and you are a bears homer that knows jack. i hate the whole NFC but i gamble and play FF so it pays to know things. you actually think delhomme will be as pressured this week after osi and strahan couldn't get to him last week. they had the best d line warm up for the bears and with delhomme upright there's no chance for the bears.

also i don't hear you refuting the statement:

NO WAY BEARS WIN

Turn the tool factor down a notch eh?

 

[mozzy84]

Home teams are traditionally very dominant in the 2nd round of the playoffs, moreso than in any other round, I believe.

The last time the Bears hosted a game in the 2nd round of the playoffs, they got manhandled pretty easily by the Eagles.

Chill and drink the kool-aid. We owned this team already, as well as their division. What have they done? They beat up the Giants with half their D out or injured!! You think after the starting D watched how pathetic the 3rd stringers played against Minny, that they won't be flying for this game? Did you see Urlacher on the sideline. I feel sorry for the Panthers, cuz they are going to get a beat down.

 

[PsychoMan]

I'm a Bears fan, but am afraid Carolina is advantaged by the fact that they've played the Bears once. I will be very surprised if we can put that amount of pressure on Delhomme again. Carolina will have a different game plan and they have been playing very well lately. This game will be much tougher for the Bears than it was the first time around. Lucky for us, it's in Chicago. If only Grossman had a little more experience, I'd feel more confident. I just haven't seen enough of the guy to really feel like the Bears can win this one. This matchup is like flipping a coin to me; I can't decide who I'd bet on if I had to.

 

[bullitt]

I'm a Bears fan, but am afraid Carolina is advantaged by the fact that they've played the Bears once.

Why aren't the Bears advantaged, by the fact, that they pummeled the Panthers once this season?

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The last 6 games of the season? Try the last game of the season and this past game against the banged up Giants. They didn't do much against Dallas, and lost in week 16. They weren't very impressive against a bad New Orleans D in week 15 averaging about 3 YPC. They got shut down against Tampa, and lost in week 14. They were underwhelming against Buffalo in week 12.

The two Atlanta games and this past game were the only ones the entire season where they showed any running game at all. And Atlanta's D sucked against the run.

Over the course of the last 6 games (including the Atlanta games but not the Giants), the Panthers were averaging 4 ypc as compared to 3 ypc earlier in the season. Having watched all of their games, I have also noticed a change over the past couple weeks in their running scheme. Wether or not they can perform against the Chicago D is another story. I certainly know that it is an uphill battle. Like I said earlier, if Carolina can run, I think they win. If they can't and have to depend on Delhomme, it may be a repeat performance. The x-factor is the Chicago offense versus the Panther's D. The Panthers have played good D all year, and they are very oppurtunistic. Turnovers are going to play a very key role in this game, as both offenses may have trouble moving the ball. I'm really looking forward to the rematch.

 

[bullitt]

I'm really looking forward to the rematch.

I don't think that anyone is trying to argue that the Panthers weren't outplayed in November.

Actually, that is exactly what bird brain was saying, not that they were outplayed, but that the Bears were just lucky to win. But he just "knows football"

 

[DrJ]

The last 6 games of the season?    Try the last game of the season and this past game against the banged up Giants.    They didn't do much against Dallas, and lost in week 16.    They weren't very impressive against a bad New Orleans D in week 15 averaging about 3 YPC.  They got shut down against Tampa, and lost in week 14.    They were underwhelming against Buffalo in week 12.

The two Atlanta games and this past game were the only ones the entire season where they showed any running game at all.  And Atlanta's D sucked against the run.

Over the course of the last 6 games (including the Atlanta games but not the Giants), the Panthers were averaging 4 ypc as compared to 3 ypc earlier in the season. Having watched all of their games, I have also noticed a change over the past couple weeks in their running scheme. Wether or not they can perform against the Chicago D is another story. I certainly know that it is an uphill battle. Like I said earlier, if Carolina can run, I think they win. If they can't and have to depend on Delhomme, it may be a repeat performance. The x-factor is the Chicago offense versus the Panther's D. The Panthers have played good D all year, and they are very oppurtunistic. Turnovers are going to play a very key role in this game, as both offenses may have trouble moving the ball. I'm really looking forward to the rematch.

And the only reason they averaged 4 over that span is because they spanked Atlanta's crappy run D twice. Week 12 against Buffalo - Foster is the leading carrier with 77 yards on 23 carries. 3.34 YPC.

Week 13 against Atlanta - Foster is the leading carrier with 131 on 24 carries. 5.46 YPC

Week 14 against Tampa - Foster is the leading carrier with 46 yards on 14 carries. 3.28 YPC

Week 15 against New Orleans - Foster leads with 75 yards on 21 carries. 3.57 YPC

Week 16 against Dallas - Foster leads with 68 on 22 carries. 3.09 YPC

Week 17 against Atlanta - Foster leads with 165 yards on 18 carries. 9.16 YPC.

The cumulative stats may look okay because they tore up Atlanta twice in this 6 games stretch, but that was the only team this running attack hasn't sucked against.

 

[mbuehner]

Has it occurred to anyone that the Bears have gotten significantly better as well since the last meeting? Anybody want to see the offensive stats under Grossman compared to Orton?

 

[3nOut]

Here's another trend. Heard this yesterday but don't have anything to back it up. Last year every team that won against their opponent in the regular season won their playoff game as well. This means the Bears should win.

 

[mbuehner]

This discussion brings to mind two of my favorite sayings:"Correlation does not indicate causation"and"The plural of anecdote is not data"

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

The Bears would have an easier time beating either Seattle or Washington.

 

[PsychoMan]

I'm a Bears fan, but am afraid Carolina is advantaged by the fact that they've played the Bears once.

Why aren't the Bears advantaged, by the fact, that they pummeled the Panthers once this season?

The bears had an advantage that first game; they knew exactly what they needed to do to shut down Carolina and they executed it perfectly. I'm saying, I think Carolina probably learned a LOT from that experience, and there's no way the Bears are going to get 8 sacks again.

 

[bullitt]

The bears had an advantage that first game; they knew exactly what they needed to do to shut down Carolina and they executed it perfectly. I'm saying, I think Carolina probably learned a LOT from that experience, and there's no way the Bears are going to get 8 sacks again.

I would agree that it is unlikely that the Bears get 8 sacks again. If the Bears figured out exactly how to shutdown Carolina then, even if Carolina is playing better/different now, why wouldn't the Bears be able to figure out how to exactly shut them down now?? If the Coaches were smart enough to do it once, they are smart enough to do it again.

One thing that strikes me funny, is that the same things that are being said of the panthers now, are pretty much the same things that were said of them before they played the Bears the first time.

That being said, there are allot of things that are trending against the Bears, and they have allot of hurdles to overcome to win this game.

 

[DrJ]

I'm a Bears fan, but am afraid Carolina is advantaged by the fact that they've played the Bears once.

Why aren't the Bears advantaged, by the fact, that they pummeled the Panthers once this season?

The bears had an advantage that first game; they knew exactly what they needed to do to shut down Carolina and they executed it perfectly. I'm saying, I think Carolina probably learned a LOT from that experience, and there's no way the Bears are going to get 8 sacks again.

The Bears didn't do anything special in that game, they ran a pretty vanilla defense with no blitzing and they wreaked havoc with those 4 down lineman. What did Carolina learn from their tackles getting beaten like drums? When a much lesser defense like the Giants can get 3 sacks, what evidence is there that they're any better in that area? How are they going to be any more prepared for the blitz schemes that the Bears will throw at them if they do manage to be remotely effective at keeping the DE's off of Delhomme?They haven't seen anything out of this defense yet...

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The Bears didn't do anything special in that game, they ran a pretty vanilla defense with no blitzing and they wreaked havoc with those 4 down lineman. What did Carolina learn from their tackles getting beaten like drums? When a much lesser defense like the Giants can get 3 sacks, what evidence is there that they're any better in that area? How are they going to be any more prepared for the blitz schemes that the Bears will throw at them if they do manage to be remotely effective at keeping the DE's off of Delhomme?

They haven't seen anything out of this defense yet...

Yes, the Panther's O-line was by the Chicago D-Line. Chicago did a lot of stunting and it seemed to confuse and fluster the Panthers. But keep in mind that 4 of the 8 sacks were on the last drive in the game when Carolina was passing on just about every single down. Don't expect Carolina to give up 8 sacks next time. Carolina only rushed the ball 16 times the entire game. Once they were down by 10 because of two costly interceptions, they abandoned the running game. They won't make that mistake again.

 

[sho nuff]

The Bears didn't do anything special in that game, they ran a pretty vanilla defense with no blitzing and they wreaked havoc with those 4 down lineman. What did Carolina learn from their tackles getting beaten like drums? When a much lesser defense like the Giants can get 3 sacks, what evidence is there that they're any better in that area? How are they going to be any more prepared for the blitz schemes that the Bears will throw at them if they do manage to be remotely effective at keeping the DE's off of Delhomme?

They haven't seen anything out of this defense yet...

Yes, the Panther's O-line was by the Chicago D-Line. Chicago did a lot of stunting and it seemed to confuse and fluster the Panthers. But keep in mind that 4 of the 8 sacks were on the last drive in the game when Carolina was passing on just about every single down. Don't expect Carolina to give up 8 sacks next time. Carolina only rushed the ball 16 times the entire game. Once they were down by 10 because of two costly interceptions, they abandoned the running game. They won't make that mistake again.

Come on...do not ruin his dream...he might call you a bitter :insert team: fan...he thinks the game will go exactly the same.

 

[RBM]

The Bears would have an easier time beating either Seattle or Washington.

Not Seattle if it were in Seattle. Id rather have Carolina at homeThat Seattle o-line is big time

 

[Statorama]

The Bears actually remind me quite a bit of the SuperBowl Panthers from a couple years back. Inexperienced QB (Delhomme had only started 2 games before signing with Carolina as an FA), solid running game, defensive minded coach with an aggressive front 4, an athletic linebacking corps, and an opportunistic defensive backfield. The big key difference I see is the lack of a TE in the Bears scheme. Wesley Walls seemed to always get open when the Panthers needed a crucial 3rd and 7.The player that I think is most overlooked in this game is Adrian Peterson. He made some big runs in the second half, and is a great complimentary back to Jones when TJ needs a breather.I've been pretty shocked at the lack of "rah rah" on Chicago Sports Radio this week. It's almost a feeling of "oh gosh, how do we beat the mighty Panthers? Did you see the way they beat the Giants? Tiki's way better than Thomas Jones and they just locked him down!" What the hell? LETS GO BEARS!

 

[omally]

The Bears actually remind me quite a bit of the SuperBowl Panthers from a couple years back. Inexperienced QB (Delhomme had only started 2 games before signing with Carolina as an FA), solid running game, defensive minded coach with an aggressive front 4, an athletic linebacking corps, and an opportunistic defensive backfield. The big key difference I see is the lack of a TE in the Bears scheme. Wesley Walls seemed to always get open when the Panthers needed a crucial 3rd and 7.

Wesley Walls wasn't with the Panthers when they went to the Superbowl in 2003. He was a Packer then.

 

[Statorama]

The Bears actually remind me quite a bit of the SuperBowl Panthers from a couple years back.  Inexperienced QB (Delhomme had only started 2 games before signing with Carolina as an FA), solid running game, defensive minded coach with an aggressive front 4, an athletic linebacking corps, and an opportunistic defensive backfield.  The big key difference I see is the lack of a TE in the Bears scheme.  Wesley Walls seemed to always get open when the Panthers needed a crucial 3rd and 7.

Wesley Walls wasn't with the Panthers when they went to the Superbowl in 2003. He was a Packer then.

DOHI'm firing my fact checker. A quick look at the stats shows that the TE was Jermaine Wiggins, who is no better than anyone that the Bears line up at TE.

These might be your SuperBowl Bears.