| Wow. I am a Bears fan, yes, but I can also appreciate the efforts of other teams and enjoy an exciting game regardless of who is playing. For the first time in a long time, I was able to enjoy an exciting game which involved my beloved Bears. From the middle of the preseason, I have been preaching about the improved Bear defense. A couple of weeks ago, I said the Bears defense will keep them in the game against most anyone and said it is the offense that must improve for them to succeed. Against the 49ers, I got to see both. The Bear defense had a rough day. They gave up several big plays to the Jeff Garcia led 49er offense. Some of the big plays were due to confusion, but the others were simply great plays by the 49ers. The Bears were down. The defense winded. But they never once gave up. The fact they were able to keep their focus, and keep under control, while handling their first true adverse situation is a credit to their character as much as to their ability. They are fully ready and able to give everything they have for the full 60 |
minutes (and more if required). It was fitting that the defense should get the winning score in overtime. There isn't a Bear fan around who didn't hang their head when Jim Miller went down. Shane Matthews is not the come-from-behind kind of guy, simply because he does not have the same arm as Miller. But he stepped in and did more than anyone had a right to expect. Could it be the never say die defense is having their attitude carry over to the rest of the team? Aside from the intereception returned for a 49er TD, Matthews came up big when needed. And our new Michigan connection also stepped up to say hello to success. David Terrell's tap dance on his TD catch was inspiring. If you remember early in the year, he had a couple of big catches be ruled incomplete because he only got 1 foot in bounds. He got them both down this time. Replays clearly showed it, though at regular speed it sure looked close. I have to give credit to the confidence, and balls, of the offense to run in the tying 2 point conversion. I know a lot of folks said he wasn't in, but again, the replay showed otherwise. And again another heads up play by a rookie, |
extending the ball to the goal line as he was going down. Plus, Mr. Thomas is making 100 yard rushing days appear to be his normal average production. It wasn't long ago that a Bears team in a similar situation would fold like a cheap suit. Well, as the rest of the league is finding out, these are not those Bears. The heart of this team is young (Urlacher, Holdman, Colvin, Thomas, Terrell), and they have none of the residue of the Weeniestedt era soiling them. Now we enter Phase 2 of the R.W. McQuarters "Do you still doubt us?" challenge. I had said after the Bengal game that I would wait unti the end of this 3 game homestand before becoming truly convinced. The inspiring overtime win over 'Frisco showed me the true heart of the team. The upcoming game against the Browns will show if they can regain their focus and get back to business. The Browns are going to find ground yardage hard to come by, just as everone else is finding out. Tim Couch, I have no doubt, will be a very good quarterback in this league. But is he capable of carrying the entire offense? My guess is, not quite yet. Bears 20 Browns 9 |