Nothing personal: All eyes on Cutler in Week 17

Nothing like a big game to bring Wilber's Way back from a near year-long hiatus! This one is for all the marbles. 

As much as the return of Aaron Rodgers to the Packers lineup Sunday seems to have pumped Green Bay fans with confidence, the key to the game lies with No. 6 Jay Cutler. Yes, Rodgers has flippped the point spread from three points in favor of the Bears to  4.5 points for the Packers, but everyone knows if Cutler has a good game, the Bears will have a shot in this NFC North title game.

His numbers against the Packers are not anything to get excited about. Since joining the Bears he's 1-7 against Green Bay during the regular season since joining the Bears in 2009. As Michael C. Wright writes on ESPN Chicago Cutler has completed 55.3 percent of his passes against the Packers for 1,702 yards with nine touchdowns and 16 interceptions. That adds up to a 61.5 quarterback rating. Comparitively against the rest of the NFC North, the Santa Claus, Indiana native has thrown for 33 touchdowns and 16 interceptions during that span.

So why would a Bears fan have confidence in Cutler? Well, just as he said, he has not played against the Packers with this offense and this coaching staff. Marc Trestman pumped Josh McCown up enough that he was able to lead this Bears team to a 27-20 win on November 4 with 442 yards of offense.

It was the first time the Bears beat the Packers since the 2010 season. Yes, there was no Aaron Rodgers, but what the Bears offense was able to do that night at Lambeau Field has shown itself over and over this season, albeit with a backup quarterback.

Cutler said in his press conference at Halas Hall earlier this week, this game was not personal and it was not about just him and "it would take everyone on the team" for the Bears to win this game and he is right. He is going to need help if the Bears are going to win this game and make the playoffs, but he still holds the key to the outcome. 

"He is in a new offense, with new coaches all around him. And I think that's probably the direction and what he was thinking," Trestman said of Cutler's comments.

According to Football Reference, Cutler is having his best year since his Denver days in terms of completion percentage (63.1), yards per game (239.5), passer rating (88.1) and the ESPN equivalent, QBR (63.81).

Last week, he had a touchdown and an interception that was returned for a touchdown, but didn't play bad in the lopsided loss. One would be more apt to look back to the Cleveland game in Week 15 for a truer gauge of where Cutler is in his progression within this offense. Trestman has been dubbed the "Quarterback Whisperer" and has turned things around for McCown. The Bears and their fans have to hope he has his QB's ear this week to put his demons to rest in this game.

Offense to blame for Bears lack of success against Packers

Jay Cutler and the Bears offense doesn't have an identity three weeks into the season and it's a problem.

After an offseason which pointed to an offense moving toward becoming more run oriented, the Chicago Bears have ran the ball and after running the ball just 12 times in each of the last two games, one has to wonder where that mindset has gone. It's a bigger question when the best player without argument on offense is the running back, Matt Forte. Forte has even been called the best player on the offense by Mike Martz, the guy calling the plays as the offensive coordinator, and it has to make the "whispers" that were surrounding his future in Chicago a lot more audible.

I normally don't get on my soapbox and say one guy either needs to change or go, but this might be the time to do so with Martz. Last season it took a stern talking to from Lovie Smith to focus more on the running game, the team took off and won eight straight en route to an NFC North title.

When a guy like Forte is responsible for over 50 percent of the offensive yardage through two weeks of the season, you know he's important and a guy the quarterback turns to in a tight spot. But to let him pretty much vanish against the Packers when it was needed doesn't make sense. Now, I get the Packers may have had a linebacker shadowing Forte when he released out of the backfield which wouldn't have given him a chance to get many yards, they are not going to do that every time and even when they do, he's a player that can create on his own in space, so you have to give him a couple chances. Especially when the running game isn't working. Essentially, those dump offs would work as an extension of the run game to give him a chance to contribute.

As for the loss to the Packers and not running, they fell behind by quite a bit and were forced to be more pass happy, which I'm not upset with, but for Forte to not be thrown to as much as he was is a problem to me. Especially when the ball was thrown down field it was either over thrown or dropped by a receiver. I don't fault Cutler for some of those overthrows, as the receiver fell down on a couple of them. The drops, however, are inexcusable but an issue all their own.

Sticking to Martz and the gameplan, with the time Jay had to throw in the first half, there were still too many three and outs. Part of that has to fall on Jay for not executing, but let's be honest, he wasn't that bad. I just don't see him and Martz seeing eye to eye on this thing. It's very clear in his quote tonight in the Chicago Tribune when he says "Until we get more consistent, I guess we don't (have an identity as an offense)."

The mistaken identity has something to do with the interceptions from Jay. Last year he threw 11 interceptions on passes that were intended for Johnny Knox. That leads one to believe he wasn't where he was supposed to be and/or he didn't fight for the ball. Well, Sunday Roy Williams was targeted four times and a whopping two of those times the pass was intercepted. I'd say there is some miscommunication there. Cutler has said it himself in the postgame, they need to get their timing better. If Roy is not on the field in the Red zone, he shouldn't be on the team. Plain and simple. 

One other thing I need to call Martz out on is his trick plays. They don't work. Throw them out of the playbook. Especially the ones involving the Wildcat formation. I like the idea of running the play and giving Forte a chance to run with it more than I actually like the play. It's just going to expose some other part of the offense that doesn't work. (See Devin Hester jumping the start)

Whatever the relationship is between Cutler and Martz, it's still not working right. The job of the coaching staff is to put the players in the best position to win games and right now, that's not happening on the offensive side of the ball. Whether it be Cutler, Williams, Forte or Knox, something isn't right and needs to get hashed out and soon, if they want to stay in this race with Detroit and Green Bay.

Matt Forte ranks 24th in the NFL in carries through three weeks. He needs to get more rushes for the Bears offense to have its identity.

Bears must focus on quieting Rodgers to win in Week 3

With all the attention this week on Jay Cutler following an all-around awful performance in New Orleans, it's hard to come back to earth a little bit and get ready for the Green Bay Packers. Yes, you know, the (Gulp!) Super Bowl Champions (I hate saying that) and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers.

That's what has me thinking this game, for the Bears to be successful and have a shot at victory, the defense led by Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Julius Peppers, needs to step up and deliver a performance similar to what they turned in last season. With both teams being very similar to last year's squads - they each have 17 of 22 starters back from last year - I'd expect something similar to last year.

But, Aaron, the Packers won two of three meetings with the Bears last season, do you want the same performance as last season? The Packers scored 17, 10 and 21 points in three games against the Bears defense last season. Tell me the Lovie Smith version of the Tampa-2 doesn't give the Packers fits and frustrate the bejesus out of them and I'll tell you to get your eyes examined. There's just something about the Bears defense that keeps these games close.

The one thing that might make this game slightly different from last season is the fact that Rodgers is absolutely ripping defenses to shreds through the first two weeks of the season. With the Bears situation at both safety spots up in the air heading into the weekend, Rodgers could have another one of those games. But, if history is accurate - and with the number of guys back from last year it should give us a good jumping off point - the Packers will not be able to run very effectively against the Bears' seven-man front. The Packers have always been a pass-first team under Mike McCarthy anyhow, so I don't see it being a big concern.

You have to expect Rodgers to take his shots downfield and find ways to get at the inexperience (at least within the Cover 2) from Brandon Merriweather and Craig Steltz, who has seen some, but not significant time in the secondary.

Of course, none of who's back there really matters if Julius Peppers has another one of the games he did when the teams played in Week 3 of last season on MNF. I'd expect him to move around on the line and bounce between the left and right ends throughout the game in hopes of exposing something and keeping the Packers guessing where to send help.

For Cutler and the Bears offense, they'll have to find a way to cope without Gabe Carimi, who is expected to miss "several weeks" with his knee injury. If things were shaky with him, imagine how it will be without him. The allure is there for this Bears offense to test the Packers pass defense, too. It has been torched in the first two games, as has the entire unit really with a pass rush, namely Clay Matthews, that has little bite to this point in the young season.

So do the Bears exploit the injury of Nick Collins in any way? Expect Mike Martz to take some shots, but they'll have to be quick. And with Johnny Knox and Devin Hester both having their druthers to this point of the season, I'm not sure it will mean much. The duo has been thrown to 34 times, but has a combined eight catches in two games. Roy Williams joins the rivalry and could have a shot at making plays down the field and might be on his own in doing so, if he's able to get healthy after missing last week's game.

Then there's Matt Forte. Is there anything he can't do? You have to expect him to be a factor in the passing game, but you'd also have to think Martz is going to make a point to run more with him this week, too, after Lovie made a point in the media to say he was going to get the pass-run ratio closer to 50-50. It will help having Marion Barber available for the first time this season and his ability to punish defenses could be the spark the Bears need on the ground to get something going and help play keepaway from the Packers offense.

The prediction: OK, here's how I see it shaking out. The Bears are at home in this one and will be ready to make big changes after losing the last two meetings last season. Whether they're big or not remains to be seen, but we'll notice them. If the defense can make the Packers work their way down the field and not give up the big play, they could force Rodgers into his first interception of the season and must find a way to create turnovers in general. That should put the offense in a good spot to produce points.
If that offense can get on track, finding an answer to the Packers blitzes with quick hits to Matt Spaeth and Forte and are allowed to run after the catch, the offense will have its desired success. Martz has told the offense the Packers  play a lot of man defensively, so to break it down even more, they have to win those one-on-one battles 100 percent of the time.
For the defense, get a turnover or two and get pressure with those front four and they'll be in good shape. It's the gameplan every week, but against this offense is paramount. They always seem to give the Packers fits and will find a way to do it again on Sunday.

The Score: This one will be tight and McCarthy still hasn't shaken that "can't win the close one" tag and that's why I have the Bears winning a 20-17 tight one. As good as Gould!

Just as I did with the NFC Championship game, I'm going to put the Twitter widget to work here. Seemed to put all the info in one central location and made it fun to see what was going on from both perspectives.


And now to the NFL Picks for Week 3. Last week I went 13-3 which puts me at 23-9 for the season. That's a 72 percent success rate which is good enough to put me in the top 4,841 in the world on ESPN.com. But enough bragging. On to this week's prognosis. Winners, as always, in bold.
Patriots at Bills
49ers at Bengals
Dolphins at Browns
Broncos at Titans
Lions at Vikings
Texans at Saints
Giants at Eagles
Jaguars at Panthers
Chiefs at Chargers
Jets at Raiders
Ravens at Rams
Falcons at Buccaneers
Packers at Bears
Cardinals at Seahawks
Steelers at Colts
Redskins at Cowboys

So that's my Bears-Packers score prediction. What is yours? Comment below and tell me one thing that will determine things beyond your score!

Is Jay Cutler controversy media created?

A Wednesday wouldn't normally be a busy day in the world of the NFL, but with it being Bears/Packers week, things usually get interesting. As I'm combing around Twitter today I come across a link from ProFootball Talk that says Fox admitted to falsifying headlines in the season opener against the Falcons.

The admittal of such things only cements my thoughts that the whole controversy surrounding Jay in the NFC Championship game last January was created by the media and specifically Fox, which broadcast the NFC Championship game.

Let's be real, a TV director of a live sporting event has a shot of all the cameras in front of them and can dictate when they show a certain camera. It's why you don't see a shot of the coach picking his nose at random times of the game or warming himself up and usually see him yelling at someone when you would expect him to be.
The quote from the Fox Sports producer was that the falsified headlines were used to better portray the national perception. Well, if you had to make them up, how did they show the national perception? I know for a fact the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times talked with practically the entire Bears locker room and every single guy in that locker room had Jay's back.

But that wouldn't fit the perception many have of Jay. They'll say they saw him on the sideline in that game "pouting" and "keeping to himself" and not "cheering on his teammates like Charles Woodson in the Super Bowl." Well, how do you know he wasn't? We were shown six random seconds with Jay kept to himself on the sideline. Who's to say he hadn't been talking with Caleb Hanie, the backup quarterback, about what to look for.

Why am I talking about this? Only because Fox has made this great decision to make the news up and tell us what to think. Makes sense this is the same organization as Fox News which also owned the News of the Wold in Britain that hacked voice mails of so many in London. I guess we shouldn't expect anything more from a company with those types of journalistic ethics.

Helping things out, I guess, too, is the fact that it is also Bears-Packers week. That also brings me to furthering the perception of Jay was his reaction to questions in the conference call with Packers beat reporters today. The reporters were asking about the incident from January and he came back with one-word answers and was no help to them. The fact of the matter is if I'm sick of talking about it, he's most certainly sick and tired of dealing with it. That's a dead horse and doesn't need to be kicked anymore. The story is up on Packers.com, if you want to take a look for yourself, and I'm pretty sure they have the audio to go with the transcript.

If I'm going to cover some media, I laughed when I saw these guys rush to Twitter and post this right away how they were shut down by him when asking questions about the game from months ago. I know these reporters aren't around Jay every day like the beat writers from the Tribune and Sun-Times, but one should know they might get some sort of reaction similar to this.

On top of it, Cutler and even coach Lovie Smith were dealing with the Fox nonsense with the Chicago media today with Lovie pretty much playing the "we get no respect" card to the team given this development. And, he's totally right.

Tomorrow is the full Bears-Packers preview, plus my NFL Week 3 picks.

Annoyance of the week: Packers dynasty talk

Maybe it's the Bears fan in me, but I'm thinking it's more of the sports fan in me when a talk of "Dynasty" comes up. That's what made all the talk this week about the Packers being able to get back to the Super Bowl for MANY years to come.
My favorite Packers writer, Jason Wilde, had it about right with his post earlier this week on them "being built to last" but that doesn't mean they'll get back to the big game multiple times over the next handful of years.
Now, before you jump down my back, hear me out here. You can look at history to show you dynasties don't come around too often. You can look at more recent history and see they are even more uncommon.
Let's look at that recent history. Dan Marino went to the Super Bowl in his rookie season. He never went back.
The very next year, the Chicago Bears were supposed to be the next dynasty after winning the Super Bowl with the youngest team in the NFL. Well, the strike in 1987 derailed that, after the Bears made the NFC title game in January 1987.
The 49ers, Cowboys and Bills are all dynasties of the 90s and late 80s, so there's a point to you Packers fans thinking it was going to happen.
But the Packers in 96 and 97 were thought to have many more coming, but Brett Favre never made it back after that, either.
In the 2000s the Rams had two years. The Giants have gone twice, with vastly different teams, but the last team, that beat the Pats was supposed to be a young group and could be a dynasty, but that went nowhere.
Yes, the Patriots are the only dynasty in the last 10 years. I would not count the Steelers, because for me, one of the criteria for a dynasty is at least back-to-back appearance in the Super Bowl.  Yes, they could have won three, but that doesn't do it for me.
So, can the Packers become a dynasty? It's possible. For me, though, for all of those guys that had to step up this year, that means more guys think they deserve a piece of the pie and want to get the payday they feel they deserve either with the Packers or somewhere else if the Packers won't give it too them. That will make things a little more difficult for the Packers. That will already start this offseason (after a CBA gets agreed upon) when a handful of guys, including A.J. Hawk could end up in different places. Hawk is due $10 million if he stays around and was on the trading block before injuries went down, but Ted Thompson is not the guy that spend big money on good players.
To me, it was a perfect storm that got the Packers here. The story surrounding the Packers is injuries, but for them to not strike the key parts for multiple games (Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews each missed one) and it was up to the role players to come through when called upon. The chances for those guys to come through in the future is less likely. Obviously the core should stay in tact, but look at every title team in every sport and it's those role players that make the difference. Dare I say this was the best group of role players ever assembled outside of the big time players on the team and if a big chunk of them seek out the big payday, things could go south.
The one thing the Packers have to control this is what Thompson and Mike McCarthy have taken a lot of credit for over the last couple of months and that is talent evaluation. They might be two of the best at it in the NFL. That will be the biggest key to keeping things going and getting the Packers back to the Super Bowl. If some of those role players leave, different guys will have to be ready.
Things will have to fall perfectly for that to happen, though, and I don't think it will.


The big news yesterday from 1 Miller Park Way was the Brewers announcing their bobblehead days. As a fan, this might be as big of a day for me as Opening Day. This is the day I plan out and know at least a handful of games I will be attending. Leaving with some free garb doesn't hurt things.
Here's the schedule (And the full schedule from the Brewers)
Sun. April 24: John Axford Bobblehead (It's what's pictured and looks awesome!)
Sun. May 22: Casey McGehee Bobblehead (My favorite guy, so you know I'm pumped for this)
Sun. June 12: Zack Greinke Bobblehead (The Cy Young winner and the guy lots are putting all their hope behind)
Sun. July 10: Hot Dog Bobblehad
Sun. Aug. 14: Craig Counsell Bobblehead (Milwaukee's favorite son in his final season)
Sun. Sept. 25: Randy Wolf bobblehead (Have to give the big money guy his bobble)
While I was a bit upset there was no Yovani Gallardo bobble, I saw Adam McCalvy post this on his blog and it was pretty clear he was flexed out in favor of Greinke in what could be his only year in town. It's a safe choice and Yo is here for a few more years, so it's not the time to get upset about this. Either way, this should be a great season. All of those, minus the hot dog, will be welcome additions to my bobble family.

A bit of this day in history before we get into the Nussie Hunter segment. Bust Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson on this day in 1991. So good and so historical.


Now to the Nussie Hunter. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue will show up in my mailbox next week and the folks at SI are drubbing up the press machine for it. One of our favorite girls, Brooklyn Decker was featured on this promo poster below. Will she make it back to back years on the cover? We'll have to see. Either way, check this out. And get ready for Monday night on Letterman to see who is on the cover!

Super Bowl XLV a microcosm of Packers season

Rub your eyes and pinch yourself, I am going to speak the praises of the Green Bay Packers and for good reason. They started the season with one group of guys and essentially had to work with another group of guys to bring it all together and make a run when they needed to to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Think about it. They score two touchdowns in 24 seconds (Jack Bauer would be proud), making us all think they were going to roll to an easy win. And heck, even at 21-3 in the second quarter, I figured the rout was on.
They were doing everything right, getting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and making him make throws that he didn't make. The interception return for a touchdown came on a play were Ben's arm was hit, leaving the ball to float like a punt.
Ben had another interception in the game and throughout just didn't look himself. Having led a game-winning drive against the Cardinals just two years ago in the Super Bowl, you almost figured he was going to deliver the same magic, again, but never came through. His three straight incompletions to end the game showed how erratic he was.
Then, things got interesting in the second half. Just like the Packers season when, in Week 6, that team was 3-3 and didn't look like they'd be able to live up to all the "Super" expectations put on the team at the start of the season.
Even as Aaron Rodgers looked pedestrian in the third quarter, the Packers defense came up and slowed things down enough to keep the Packers in the game. The offense needed it too, as James Jones and Jordy Nelson at times looked like they couldn't catch anything and had no business being on the field.
To me, they were the single biggest reason the Steelers were even in the game. There was easily one touchdown in there and a couple others, that, if caught, could lead to more points.
Either way, Rodgers had tons of time to throw all game, which is a tribute to his offensive line. I cannot remember Troy Polamalu even being a factory in the game really, which is a tribute to that front and to Rodgers for not making the silly throw with him in coverage.
Then, of course is the Packers defense. it gave up 398 yards, putting the Steelers on a short list of Super Bowl teams to outgain an opponent and lose. But Clay Matthews, who missed out on Defensive Player of the Year by two first-place votes, made the big play forcing a Rashard Mendenhal fumble on the Packers 33 yard line, the Steelers third turnover of the game, which slammed the door and got the Packers the momentum back. You have to think if they keep going with that drive, the Steelers kick the Packers even farther back on their heels, take the lead and seem to ride on to victory. Matthews knew it was his time to make a play and he did it. That's what a big-time player does.
I can do nothing more than bid the Packers congrats on the victory. Oh, and, if you read the blog Friday, you saw my score prediction of 33-28. Well, it was 31-25, so I was pretty close.

Alright, now to the other big part of yesterday: the commercials. They were not as good as in past years, but a couple stuck with me.
My man, Eminem, was in two of them, which were pretty good. This Brisk one:


This Chrysler one was my fave though. Here's the extended cut...


My fave of the day, though, had to be the Volkswagon Passat commercial. This is why I like VW.


Oh, and how can I forget this one, from the NFL itself.


Now for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast on the Super Bowl Sunday recap edition of the blog. One inparticular stood out to me, featuring Kim Kardashian.


But, she is not our Nussie Hunter feature of the day. For that, we go to Jaime Edmondson. We have to pay tribute to the Super Bowl Champs, no? To be fair, she pays tribute to every NFL team, here, but hey.

The winner of Super Bowl XLV will be...

Super Bowl weekend is finally here. As much as the Bears fan in me still aches at the thought of the Packers playing in the big game, it is still the Super Bowl and the biggest game of the year. That means it gets my full attention as a sports nerd, enthusiast and writer. All week I have been biding my time and reading up on the specifics of the game to come to a conclusion on who I will take. So here we go with my full Super Bowl XLV preview.


Let's start with the Packers. Yes, I'm a Bears fan, but I live in Wisconsin and end up reading up and watching most everything on them throughout the season. There is a story on ESPN.com Insider section (HEAD TO SUPER BOWL CENTRAL) talking about their six losses this season. The keys to the Packers losing is simple, they've given up sacks, lost the turnover battle and failed in the defensive secondary.
On the offensive side, the Packers have protected Aaron Rodgers (above) much better over the last month. A lot of that gets hidden with his escape ability, but still, sacks have not been prevalent during this five-game winning streak.
Rodgers has relied on his feet a lot more during that span. While that has helped him, it is also what got him hurt in what was one of his worst games of the season, the 7-3 loss to the Lions which saw Matt Flynn come in. He has been smarter after the concussion that followed, but the key for this game will be his ability to run and get down. The Steelers have a few head hunters who love to hit and would love to lay the smack down on the Packers QB. That jumps out to me as one of the keys to this game. If Rodgers can use his feet to get a few yards and a couple first downs to keep key drives alive, the Packers will be in good shape.
He has fixed the turnover thing, as well, but has not played the Steelers defense during that time. He did, however, play the Bears defense and threw a pair of interceptions in the NFC championship game. With many believing the Packers will try to spread the Steelers out and go with four or five receivers, he has to be smart with the ball against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
That leads me into a couple of the key matchups the Packers position players must win.  The first of which is going to be the head games that will take place between Rodgers and Troy Polamalu. Troy will be lined up all over the field and it will test Rodgers' ability to call him out and the Packers O-line ability to pick him up if he comes on a blitz.
Also, when the Packers go with four or five wideouts, they will have to survive going across the middle. If they can win that area of the field, they should be able to march the ball up and down the field.


On the Steelers side, Ben Roethlisberger can also run. The difference is that he is a big guy at 260 pounds and it hard to bring down. He is not just a threat to run and any attacks on his ability as a quarterback are just from people who do not like him in the first place. The guy threw for 500 yards in the meeting against the Packers last season and can do that again. Will he in this game? I doubt it, but he has the ability to lead a team with his arm. There is a good story in Sports Illustrated this week about what he went through during his four-week suspension at the start of the season and I can kind of feel for the guy. If he wins this game, it is going to be big for him. Dare I say, this could be the one that helps land him in the Hall of Fame if the Steelers win. Before you question that, remember Terry Bradshaw had the Steel Curtain in the 70s to help him lead the Steelers to four titles and he is in the Hall, so don't laugh at that too fast.
Back to this game, Big Ben is going to have a similar head game that Rodgers will with Polamalu with Charles Woodson. Woodson is by trade a cornerback, but likes to cover the slot receiver when the Packers are in nickel and comes on a blitz. That could be a key and he will have to be accounted for.
I wouldn't make as big of a deal of the Steelers being without their rookie center Charles Pouncey in this game as many will. They have had two weeks to prepare for this game and as I have picked up throughout the week, things have been simplified and should be OK for the Steelers line. The Packers will still want to send rushers through the middle though and is the best way to attack Big Ben.
Another key matchup to keep an eye on is Mike Wallace. He caught the game winner in the Steelers 37-36 win over the Packers last season and while he has been quiet during the playoffs, has the speed to attack this Packers secondary and go off for a big game.
On the other side of that coin is Heath Miller. There might not be a better target in the red zone not named Tony Gonzalez. While Clay Matthews is a great rusher, I'm not sure how good he is in coverage and Miller is great at getting open for Ben to find.

I'm going to make you wait for the picks. Take in the rap songs made for both teams.
First, the "visiting" Steelers: "Black and Yellow" by Wiz Kalifa


For the "home" Packers it's "Green and Yellow" by Lil Wayne


THE PICK: Had to tease you a bit. Here we go. With all of what was said above, I have a hard time thinking the Packers don't have what it takes to win this game on all front. Aside from special teams, they have everything covered.
If they can start strong and not be start struck, they'll be fine. That said, I don't see them winning this game by four points or less. It's just their track record. Either way, this will be a great one to watch and enjoy.
So, with my grandpa on my mind, I know he'll be happy to know I'm picking his Packers to win this one in a shootout, 33-28.

The Super Bowl isn't the only big game being played this weekend. Sunday during halftime of the game in Dallas, the Lingerie Football League will be holding Lingerie Bowl VII. The game keep rising in popularity. I'm pretty sure, though, it's not for the great football being played, as you can see on Coed Magazine and below...

Was Polamalu right choice for NFL DPOY?

There was a lot of outcry, at least in these parts, about Troy Polamalu (yes it's spelled right) winning the AP's Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week. To be fair in this discussion there was no clear player that jumped off the page. Sure Packers fans all though Clay Matthews should have won the award running way, but that was not an open-and-shut case like they thought.
Matthews, like Polamalu missed time during the season. Both are however, the glue that hold their respective unit together. I'll admit I was a little shocked Polamalu shot to the top of the list for the DPOY over Matthews. But let's be real here, this award is voted on by 50 members of the AP not the Football Writers Association of America so there could be some discrepancy and issues with this.
To be fair, I actually thought Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher would be high than fourth or fifth, but they were both right there. Maybe it was my fandom that though this was close.
Polamalu is great and does impact games, but I'm not sure he was better than Matthews this season. Maybe in past seasons, but not this one. He did make a couple more plays that directly effected the outcome of games and tipped things in the Steelers favor. Matthews, while great, did not have many plays where you can say turned the game late in the Packers favor. I may be wrong on this, so let me know, but I can't remember any ideas off the top of my head.


So now the question become which of the two; Polamalu and Matthews is more of a factor Sunday? My answer is Matthews and here's why. I see guys like Lamar Woodley and James Harrison being more of a factor with Aaron Rodgers for the Steelers Sunday than Troy. The biggest key for the Steelers is going to be keeping Aaron Rodgers in the pocket or at least containing him where he won't run away from guys on the outside. Harrison says he's going head hunting, which is nothing new for him, but with him I wouldn't be surprised if he gets caught trying to lay a hit and Rodgers runs right past him.
On the Packers side of the defense, I see Matthews having more of an impact on getting to Ben Roethlisberger. Both teams blitz, but I see the linebackers for the Packers being more part of that with Matthews and A.J. Hawk likely being a big force in not only getting to Big Ben, but stopping the Steelers running game.
Does this mean Polamalu doesn't deserve DPOY? No. It just means in this matchup, he is going to be doing other things and won't have as big of a factor than Matthews.

I've hit a couple points the last two days leading up to the Super Bowl, but tomorrow is the big day where I will break down the game closer and make my pick for the game. If you have yours be sure to comment below or shoot us an E-mail.

Next up is some news on this blog. I am proud to announce this site which has seen 170 posts (including this one) will now be in conjunction with WiscoSportsTalk.com. Be sure to check out the site. I will still be covering all sports here, but will share some content and write some original content for them during the Brewers season as their Brewers beat reporter. It's a great opportunity for me to broaden the audience here and get a chance to do what I love covering a team I love. Should be fun.


Now to the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. I'd like to introduce you to Kate Upton, an Australian model who is in a Guess ad campaign you can see here, and is also seen in some bikinis you can see here, and sample below. She is said to be the next big thing. So check her out!

Clock is ticking toward Bears-Packers at Soldier Field

The weekend is here and the Bears and Packers in the NFC Championship game is just around the corner now. I did not think the week could go by fast enough, but it is finally here. I have a couple of great things set for today. Also, be sure to take a look at our mailbag in Thursday's blog with some fans' picks on what is going to happen in the game.



Sports Countdown Clock Generator
Now to some breaking down of what is on tap for Sunday's game. I've reached out to a good Packers friend, Josh Golberg, who will give five keys for the Packers and I'll come back with five keys for the Bears.

1. Momentum. Nobody wants to play the hot team heading into the playoffs and no team is hotter than Green Bay. The Packers have won four straight going back to two must-win games to close out the season. They seem to be peaking at the right time. (You could argue that New Orleans/Seattle were hot teams heading in…but they played each other)
2. The running game. If you would have told me midseason that 25 carries for 66 yards by your main running back against the #1 seed in the NFC on the road would be enough to carry a dominant passing attack and earn an upset…I would have asked for whatever you were smoking. But the resurgence of the ground game with Brandon Jackson, and more recently James Starks, has kept defenses honest and allowed Aaron Rodgers to pick opponents apart. It doesn’t matter if the Bears held offenses to an average of 90 yards rushing during the regular season. They at least now have to account for somebody running the ball effectively.
3. Aaron Rodgers. There isn’t a QB that has played better in the postseason…and not just because the Patriots, Saints and Colts are all out. Rodgers is coming off of what many people are saying is the best postseason performance in history: 31 of 36 passes, 366 yards, 3 TDs, passer rating of 136.8. Ran for a 4th TD. In fact he has 10 TD passes in his first three career postseason games, an NFL record. Against Chicago this year, he’s a combined 53 for 73 with 2 TDs, 2 INTs and a combined passer rating of 91.1. Definitely mortal-like numbers. He’ll have to break that mold Sunday.
4. Dom Capers. Show me a defensive coordinator who has done more with less. Seriously. Ten players on IR. 10. That’s almost enough to form an entire defense. Starters/backups/3rd stringers. No coordinator has had to tweak things more to the constantly changing strengths and weaknesses…yet they still wound up with the 5th ranked defense when the regular season was concluded. I wouldn’t want anyone else gameplanning for an opponent.
5. The receiving corps. Possession receiver? Check (Driver). Downfield threat? Check (Jennings). Emerging threat? Check (Jones). Token white guy who seems to be forgotten about only to come up big? Check (Nelson). No defensive secondary can cover those four plus account for a tailback or a tight end. Top to bottom, Green Bay has the best receivers in the league. Their #1 or #2 might not be as good as some teams, but combine them all and they’re the best. Throw in Rodgers and you’ve got an explosive passing attack. They’ll dink-and-dunk you down the field and just when you make a mistake, they’ll make you pay for it.
Prediction: Packers 31, Bears 17


Now to the Bears keys to success Sunday.
1. Good Jay. It's tops on the list and it is the most important because how Jay Cutler goes, so goes the offense. He played in his first playoff game last week and showed he was not above the moment and had one of his best games of the season. Some of what he is able to do Sunday is not tied directly to him, as he needs the front five to make sure he is not getting the tar beat out of him. Is there any doubt to think Jay will not continue to play smart? No. He has been on point for the last two months and has limited his poor decisions. For his sake, the sack is the lesser of two evils when compared to an interception.
2. Make James Starks a nonfactor. Starks rushed for 66 yards against the Falcons, but 123 against the Eagles where he was an even bigger factor. It will not take much for him to be a factor and do all the Packers need in just planting an idea of the run, but to silence him has to be a key objective for the Bears. Making the Packers turn away from the running game on 2nd and 1 and 3rd and 1 will set the tone for the defense and make them one dimensional. That will open things up for the defensive line to pin their ears back.
3. Get pressure with the front four. Speaking of the defensive line, those front four of mainly Julius Peppers, Tommie Harris, Anthony Adams and Israel Idonoje need to establish pressure on Aaron Rodgers, but with a slight purpose. Consider this an extension of limiting the run game in containing Rodgers and not letting him use his feet to create. Keeping the pocket from moving will set things up for the line and help the secondary.
4. Create turnovers. There is no secret the Bears defense is one of the best in the league at creating opportunities for themselves. Against the Packers it seems they always find a way to force a key fumble when the Green Bay is knocking on the door and getting a key interception, even on Rodgers. If Chris Harris plays like he has been announced he will with his injury, look for the secondary to have to come up big with a great GB secondary. It's all bend but don't break and they can give up yards, if they create opportunities by hawking the ball.
5. Special teams domination. I would expect little argument from Packers backers that the Bears have an elite special teams unit compared to the Packers. In the regular season finale Devin Hester was kept rather silent, but I don't expect that to happen again. He needs to help flip field position and help the offense work a short field to scores. Even if he forces the Packers to kick the ball short or out of bounds, it would work to the Bears advantage most of the time. I do not expect Tim Mastahay to have the game he had in Week 17 where he was pretty much perfect.

Prediction: Bears 23, Packers 20 off a Robbie Gould field goal in the final minute.

On to that other playoff game going on that will determine who the winner of this game will play in the Super Bowl, I know haven't done a lot with it this week. For good reason. This is huge.
That said, I'm still leaning toward the Steelers. They have a better defense all around than the Jets and are not banged up or inexperienced like the Patriots and Colts defenses were. This will be a great game, but I'm still taking the Steelers, 21-17.

As most of you who know me know, I'm a huge fan of Twitter. I have been following the chatter all week on both sides of the aisle and figured I'd make it easy for some of you to do that this weekend. Here's a list of a select number of media members with what they have to say. Should be fun to follow this during the game Sunday. Check out the list on my Twitter page.


Now on to the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. With a big game and a big blog, you have to bring out the big guns for the event. That leads us to the one and only Megan Fox, who is in a new ad campaign in for Armani. She looks as good as ever. You can see more pics, here.

The Cutler trade is reason Bears are in NFC title game

It was early April of 2009 and baseball was on my mind when I got a text and a congratulatory phone call from a close friend that the Bears had finally gotten a franchise quarterback. I did not expect it at all, but the move set the landscape for the Bears going forward and it has paid off in just two seasons.
Yes, last year was a bit rocky for the Bears and Cutler and in a story today on ESPNChicago.com, the case is made that the Cutler trade and its after effects that led to a couple things in the offseason that made this Bears team what it is today.
First off, Jerry Angelo gets some credit for not standing pat and rolling into the 2009 season with Kyle Orton as his quarterback. He wanted a guy who could win him some games and not just play not to lose it. That led him in a search for a franchise quarterback. Yes, last year was not Cutler's best. Hell, it was one of his worst. But things like that are what you learn from and amidst a change with Mike Martz coming to town, Cutler has played within himself this year (and he'll need to Sunday, too). He showed last week why they got him by making some of the throws he made. Namely the one to Greg Olsen to open the game.
Now with Cutler coming to town and two first round picks going out of town, the Bears did not have a first-round pick. That opened up some cash and led them down a path to go out and bring in the mother of all free agents in Julius Peppers. The two are tied to one another now and it is the result of the Cutler trade that allowed the Bears to make such a move prior to this season.
Of course, the return of Brian Urlacher from an injury which forced him to miss all but 15 minutes of last season. That brought No. 54 into this season rested and ready - he only hurt his wrist - and made him hungry to get back on the field this season.
Of course, things had to change somewhat during the bye week this season for Cutler to completely bring the offense together, but it did. Is it a matter of him being better, or just playing better this season? To be honest, I think it is him just playing better. There was nothing I saw that made me say he couldn't be the guy the Bears traded for last season. He just had to limit the turnovers.
Of course the argument is there for whether Orton would have the Bears in this spot. My answer is simple. Cutler gives them a much better chance of winning than Orton did and that is why the Bears went and got him when the opportunity was there.


As promised, now is the time to turn things over to you the readers in a mailbag edition of Wilber's Way. I'm impressed with the turnout and am hopeful we can get more like this in the future.

 Jeremy Lubus, Packers fan

"Two of the three players to keep an eye on if your a Bears' fan this Sunday went undrafted, and the other was taken in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. Cornerback Tramon Williams and running back John Kuhn went undrafted in 2006 and 2005 respectively. Williams has been placed in the spotlight recently with his strong play and will be asked to lock down Johnny Knox who was shutout in their last meeting. Kuhn should not scare you on the ground but I expect him to be used more like he was when the Packers lost at New England. Kuhn had three catches for 27 yards and a score, two of the three resulted in first downs not to mention they were not check down passes. He is a north-south runner which will help given the surface at Solider Field.

The last guy that will make the difference is Donald Driver. Driver, a former seventh round pick who many thought was on the decline, has been extremely reliable in the playoffs. Driver has 11 catches for 127 yards in his last two games. More importantly an average of 10 plus yards per catch. Don't forget his costly fumble in their Week 17 meeting which should fire him up even more.

Prediction: I love the Packers but the field will slow down the receivers greatly. Much was made about Rodgers' escapabitly but he will be facing a much more talented front four that can get him down. Robbie Gold is head over heels better than Mason Crosby which will be the difference.

Bears 27 Packers 24"

-Jeremy Lubus is the Sports Editor for the UW-Milwaukee Post Newspaper and Journal Sentinel contributor.

Alex Tomter, Packers fan

"Aaron Rodgers vs. the Tampa Two – Since Jermichael Finley’s injury, Aaron Rodgers has looked confused at times against the cover 2, resorting to unnecessary scrambling, or holding on to the ball too long and taking sacks. Rodgers will have to stay patient and within the offense as he did in week 3 against the Bears as opposed to his efforts in week 17.

Take Advantage of turnover opportunities – When Jay Cutler gives the Packers a chance for an interception, they must take it.

Bears Keys

Front Four Must Create Pressure – Rodgers has proven himself deadly against blitzes, so the Bears front four will have to create pressure to throw Rodgers off his rhythm. Julius Peppers will obviously be the key to this attack.

Ride Matt Forte – Getting Forte 25-30 touches could be the most important key to the game for either side. An effective Forte will open things up for Greg Olsen and allow him to have a second straight huge day.

Final- Packers 23 Bears 1"

Matt Goins, Bears fan

"It's easy to look at this game on paper and think you know exactly what a team needs to do to win a game.
For the Bears, they need to be opportunistic with their blitz calls, and they need the front four - not just Julius Peppers - to get pressure on Aaron Rodgers and try to force him to make mistakes. They can't afford to be constantly sending five and six defenders to the quarterback and not getting there - Rodgers has shown his mobility can give his receivers time to get open for him.
For the Packers - get to Jay Cutler, early and often. In my mind, it's that simple. Cutler has shown me nothing to give me confidence that he is a great quarterback under pressure. He gift-wrapped at least two interceptions to the Seahawks that were dropped. He's going to make mistakes, and the more pressure that Green Bay gets on him, the more likely he is to make those mistakes.
Of course, this could be a 40-37 shootout too.
Prediction: As much of a Bears fan as I am, I'm going 23-14 Packers with the victory"

R.J. Osterhaus, Packers fan (and President of the 223)

"I foresee a relatively low-scoring affair coming Sunday. Late in the 4th quarter the Packers will find themselves up 17-14. One of the Bears TD's will be of the special teams variety, the other a passing play in which a defender loses his footing on the shoddy Soldier Field turf. The Packers will get their scoring on a field goal, a passing TD and a pick six. The Bears will find themselves driving for victory in the games closing moments, when a pass down the right sideline results in...nah, I'm not going to spoil it! But I can't wait to see it! :)"

Prediction: ?!?! (He didn't want to spoil it!)

Mitch Maersch, Bears fan

"Bears need to run a balanced offense. Don't give up on the run too early. Also, Cutler can't just toss up jump balls. This game counts, unlike the last one. Double team Matthews every down.

They must shut down the Packers' running game and make them one-dimensional. Cover Jennings since he broke free the last game.

Hester has to make plays on special teams, either give good field position or score.

Also, take the attenas from the Sears Tower and clunk Rodgers over the head with them, preferably before kickoff.

Packers must kick away from Hester and force Cutler into a key turnover or two, while not committing any. They also must have a balanced offense to slow down the pass rush

Prediction: Bears 27, Packers 24 (wishful thinking)

Vaughan Gartrelle, Giants fan

"Packers offense has a great first quarter taking off to a 14 - 3 lead. Second quarter and the rest of the game controlled by the bears defense taking a 17 -14 lead into the half. Bears come out firing on all cylinders in the second half getting to Rodgers very often.

Prediction: Bears win 35-21"

What do you think? Be sure to comment below!

**Check out tomorrow when I break down the five keys for the Bears to win and Packers fan Josh Golberg will break down the keys for the Packers.**

Alrighty boys and girls, it is now time for the Nussie Hunter portion of today broadcast and if you follow me on Twitter and FB you saw me mention Grace Potter of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals who performed on Jay Leno last night. I was enthralled by her and had to put her on the blog today. She's all legs, and has amazing pipes. Take a look at these pics with this preview.

What to take from Bears/Packers 3 Media Day

It was Wednesday today and in the NFL that means "Conversation Day" when the parties involved gather in front of microphones and take questions from us media types. There was a lot of the usual from both sides as I jumped between listening to both 670 The Score in Chicago and 540 ESPN in Milwaukee from my humble apartment in West Bend.
A couple things. First, Packers media, like their fans is not really worried about this game and it bugs me. I know I'm a Bears fan, but as a writer, I feel I have enough perspective to look at this game and not thing the Bears will run all over because that's what I want to happen. If you've talked to me in the last month, you know I also HATE hearing the words "The Bears suck" as reasons why the Packers will win. Essentially, cutting all the crap, to those that think this game will be decided by more than four points need to get checked out mentally.
I've started to form my thoughts on what needs to happen in this game for the Bears to win and they were touched on slightly in talks today and written about by the sources I usually hit during the week.
One of the big ones is protecting Jay Cutler
. Had a talk with a Packers fan today and he tried telling me that Jay is still an interception machine. Said INT machine did not throw a pick against Seattle last week. In response to that, this what I feel is an intelligent Packers fan said, "But Seattle sucks." OK, that is beside the point. In fact, that totally ignored the point. So against bad teams you shouldn't and can't throw picks? What about the good ones? Yes, Jay made a couple bad decisions, but none ended in an interception. Yes, Jay does have times where he makes wreckless decisions with the football, mainly when he is under pressure, but that doesn't mean he is still an INT machine. Yes, I said still, as last year he was prone to turning it over, especially in the red zone.
As the season has gone on this year, Jay has gotten better at taking care of the football and limiting his mistakes. Hell, in the games the Packers have lost, Aaron Rodgers was pretty wreckless with the ball and threw some picks, as well.
The Bears, though are the team with the quarterback that has been sacked 50 times this season. So that is the key part to this game to me. The Packers' 3-4 scheme is so hard to break down, especially when they go into amoeba mode of sorts and only have two down linemen. The presence of a running game will keep Cutler safe and more specifically a few draw plays will keep Woodson and Clay Matthews at bay on the edge to the Packers pass rush. Those will be the key guys to keep off balance, along with BJ Raji, who has been a beast up the middle. Those are a lot of guys to stop (well really, they need to keep everyone back), but still, it's a job that is vital and almost goes without saying.


On the other side of the ball, the most pleasant surprise has been Tommie Harris. I touched on it yesterday a bit, but Harris had two sacks and was the only Bears player to do so. I know Julius Peppers is the guy most think about when they think Bears defensive line, but Harris needs to go back to the guy he was in 2006 and what got the Bears to the Super Bowl. He needs to have a presence up front and has some guys around him that will keep the Packers off balance in Peppers and Israel Idonoje on the ends. All three have a job on the line. One of the biggest may be to contain Aaron Rodgers in the pocket. I'm talking about rushing with a mindeset and not letting No. 12 get outside too much and run wild. That could come up big in helping the rest of the defense. It's what the defense is built on. I'm seeing the three of them, along with Anthony Adams, having to play their game Sunday. They'll have to start with not letting James Starks be a factor and make the Packers one dimensional.

Alright, I'll have more tomorrow on what to expect in this one. Including some fan picks on what to expect from this game and how fans on both sides of the fence are picking this.

On to the Nussie Hunter portion of the show. It was announced today that Anne Hathaway was cast as Cat Woman in the newest Batman movie by Christopher Nolan. I'm a little apprehensive about it, but Nolan has absolutely taken Batman to a whole new level with his movies, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. What can you expect from Hathaway? Guyism.com has a peak. And there's one below.

Bears-Packers Round 3 should be one for ages

Some won't call it a domination because of the tack on points at the end, but for all intensive purposes, the Bears dominated the Seahawks Sunday at Soldier Field. Jay Cutler was the second QB in playoff history to run and throw for two touchdowns. Greg Olsen had a TD and had a career high for receiving yards. The offense racked up 437 yards of offense, the most by a Bears team in franchise history. Of that, 176 yards were on the ground. It may be the most telling number of any stat, really. For an offensive line that has been suspect all year, they may finally be pulling it together enough to get this team where it wants to go. Both Matt Forte and Chester Taylor showed some flashes Sunday afternoon. I know it was the Seahawks, but they didn't just barely win. They did it in convincing fashion.
The defense was on point like none other until, they went into the prevent defense and then had to recover a couple onside kicks. I'm not worried about them at all. In fact, while Julius Peppers was pretty quiet in the pass rush, Tommie Harris re emerged as a possible threat in the middle of that line. something the Bears had been waiting for all season. If he can return to anywhere near the form he was in four years ago, this team could have something with its front four.
And the special teams. What didn't they do well. Devin Hester had a couple solid returns and when he wasn't returning the ball, he was goating the Seahawks into kicking out of bounds. Most impressive though was the punting by Brad Maynard in the snow and wind on the Lake.
That performance sets up a showdown with the Packers for the NFC Championship. If the two meetings during the season were good, this one should be that much better. Put your 18 penalties excuses to bed. Don't count much on that Week 17 victory when the Bears' hearts were clearly not in it. Get ready for the mother of all show downs. There will be no smack talk from either side during the week. Both sides respect each other and this rivalry too much to degrade it like that. It's all respect and football.

What the teams are playing for is the Halas Trophy, named for the owner and founder of the Bears back in 1910. It has a new look this year.



I have a few things planned for this week and before you think I'm going I"m going to paint this solely in Bears love, just know I've reached out to a few of my friends in the media game and have some great stuff panned for later in the week that should show some great perspective on both sides.
Here's a look at the main pieces the rest of the week:
Wednesday: Media Day will give us another chance to hear what some of the key parties involved have to say about the game.
Thursday: Mail bag. I've reached out to a number of friends on both sides of the aisle who will make their prediction. These are from key media friends I have. So these should be good.
Friday: Wilber's Way Official Preview of the showdown. I already have received the five keys from a Packers fan explaining why his team will win the game. I'll pen the 5 reasons why the Bears win. Both will have score predictions.

Off to the Nussie Hunter feature of the day. I'm pretty sure if you've watched an NFL game during the playoffs, you've seen the commercial for the new Adam Sandler movie "Just Go With It" and had your jaw drop when Brooklyn Decker comes up. Yeah, it's pretty awesome. Here she is, just because you can't get enough!

Why this meeting with Seahawks will be different for Bears

It became official last night around 7 o'clock the Chicago Bears would get a shot at righting a wrong by taking on the Seattle Seahawks Sunday - this writer's birthday - at noon at Soldier Field where the early forecast has temperatures set to be around 15 degrees on the Lakefront.
The loss the Seahawks dealt the Bears back on Oct. 17 was one that stung for Bears players in hearing their talk in the locker room today at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. The vow things will change and I'm right there with them. Here are 10 reasons why this one will be very different, counting down to the most important). I have to give some credit to former Bears star Jerry Azumah for giving me the idea for this piece.
10. The Seahawks were coming off a bye and had two weeks to gameplan for the Bears. Their gameplan was on point using a hurry up offense and muddle offense to keep the Bears defense off balance. They could go that route a again, but the Bears will be ready for it this time.
9. The Bears are 10-point favorites. I know New Orleans was also 10.5 point favorites, but they were on the road. This is the NFL, people, and the teams are so close. The home team automatically gets 3 points in Vegas because of it. The Bears are the home team this week and you can expect them to have an advantage when they take the field.
8. Johnny Knox had five catches for 120 yards in the first meeting and will get Earl Bennett back from injury this week. Expect the two of them to play a role in this one in the intermediate passing game.
7. The Bears turned their touchdowns per game average around after the first meeting. The Bears entered the first meeting with 1.8 touchdowns per game, but have averaged 3 TDs per game since.
6. Devin Hester had kickoff returns of 93 yards and another for a touchdown in the first meeting. Expect he and Leon Washington to do battle Sunday in the kicking game. Hester has shown he can go the distance against this coverage unit.
--- They get MUCH bigger as we enter the Top 5. These will be vital in the game Sunday. --
5. Lance Briggs did not play Oct. 17. Yes Brian Urlacher and Julius Peppers are the co-MVPs of this defense, but take one of the Pro Bowl players out of the puzzle and things change. Briggs will be on the field Sunday and promises to be a difference maker.
4. The Bears had no turnovers in the 23-20 loss at Soldier Field that day. For a team that had just three games where they did not commit a turnover, I'm not even talking about being on the plus-side of the turnover margin, just forcing a turnover, and went 1-2 in those games. The other loss was to the Patriots. The only win was the narrow win at Ford Field over the Lions.
3. The Bears are the only team to rush the ball more than they threw it since Week 9 (their first game since the Bye). This is a different team since the bye week with Mike Martz moving towards the run and calling 238 runs to 231 passes. That was not the case in the first meeting when the Bears ran the Ball for just 91 yards on just 14 carries (the fewest this season). Chester Taylor ran the ball four times for 31 yards and Matt Forte had eight for 11 yards. Again, that has not been the formula for the Bears success during the second half of the season. It works two ways, really, in keeping Jay Cutler grounded.
2. Speaking of Cutler, he completed just 17 of 39 passes for 242 yards without a TD or an INT in the first meeting with a passer rating of 69.4. He was also sacked five times. If the running game can get going like it has for much of the second half of the season, Cutler relaxes (this will be his first playoff game) and is more composed in the pocket. It also allows the offensive line to impose their will on the Seahawks.
1. The biggest key to success for the Bears Sunday is converting on third down. The Bears were an awful 0 for 12 back in October during a stretch where they converted just 17.9 percent of third downs. Since the bye, however, the Bears have converted on 44.1 percent of their third downs, good enough for ninth in the NFL over that span.
Things will be vastly different than in the first meeting. I also feel the Seahawks caught lighting in a bottle last week and will run into a team that will not overlook them as they look to erase October's defeat.



James Starks and the Packers made the game with the Seahawks possible with their strong showing at Philly Sunday night. I went 2 for 4 with my Wild Card Weekend picks, getting both games Sunday right.
I like the matchup with the Packers and the Falcons, as it should be a tight one in the Georgia Dome Saturday night.
In the AFC, the Ravens get the Steelers and the Jets (Boo!) get the Patriots for the third time this season. Both should be great games between teams that know each other very well. I'll have a full breakdown later in the week, but it promises to be another great week of football.


Now it's time for the Nussie Hunter portion of today's episode and I'm not sure how many of you checked out the new show on NBC called "The Cape" but it was great. A stellar action super hero show. One of the great parts of the show is female star Summer Glau. She doesn't wear a cape, but is the tech and brains behind a lot of what goes on in the show. Plus, she can probably kick my ass. So, I have to put her here! Enjoy and watch the show on Hulu before next Monday's episode.

The league on notice, time to hit the Big Apple for the Bears

After Week 2 everyone said the Bears made a statement. Well, after Week 3 was put to rest, the statement got its punctuation. Yes, there were 18 penalties on the Packers, but the Bears took advantage and became the NFC's only 3-0 team.
They have areas they need to improve, but the positives do out number the negative which is promising heading forward this season.
Devin Hester shined and got that first return touchdown in two years and it helped Jay Cutler put it together. Yes, I'm not giving my full endorsement of his performance, but he did enough.
As usual, it was the defense that made the big statements ring true. The leader of all of that was the biggest acquisition made in the offseason, Julius Peppers. How amazing was he in the third quarter?
The stats might not show that the Bears did a lot of things right in terms of getting to the quarterback, but three big holding penalties and an intentional grounding speak for that.
Also, Brian Urlacher (So great to have him back) and Lance Briggs just continue to show how great they are together. Yes the Bears are 3-0 by way of a bit of some help, but you have to win those games if you're going to be a successful team and you have to give them credit for that.
This week, the New York Giants are on the docket, as the Bears get to check out the new Meadowlands. For once this season, the Bears are favored in a game and they'd rather be the underdogs. I think they have reveled in being the underdog and want us to not give them a shot so they can prove us wrong.
The Giants have shown they are not disciplined at all the last two weeks, and I'm not so sure that can go away after a week. It could be the key, again, for the Bears to win. I have not been impressed by Eli Manning all season and this could be another chance for the Bears to take a step forward.
Prediction: Bears 24, Giants 14


Before I get into my picks, I got an E-mail from a big Giants fan this week, that I have agreed to not talk about the game with this week so we wouldn't say anything lame to upset each other. Yes, On The Line Sports' own Vaughan Gartrelle wanted to chime in as things led into the game. These are his thoughts on the week:
"This is the week where it sucks to have two of your closest friends be bears fans. I will tell you this much my New York Giants will come out swinging. We have many problems but we are a team that plays extremely well under the owners pressure i.e. 2007. If I was in thee Giants locker room my pregame speech would sound something like this :

We played a damn good week one, instead of taking that momentum into week two for our game against big brother we let the media convince us we had no chance. And then in week three we did exactly what we should have done for week two and took that terrible momentum into a game that we should have won. No look at where it has us behind the eight ball let's just be glad we have many other shots before that's our concern. Now we must go out today and be the reverse of ourselves and be GIANT KILLERS. Let's go win on the big stage.

If this is the speech 20-13 giants if not 31-6 bears."



That was pretty good from V. But it's now time for my NFL Picks. Last week I delivered a great week and went 10-6 to push my record on the year to 28-20 for the season. Here is Week 4 with the winners in bold.
49ers at Falcons
Jets at Bills
Bengals at Browns
Lions at Packers
Broncos at Titans
Seahawks at Rams
Panthers at Saints
Ravens at Steelers
Colts at Jaguars
Cardinals at Chargers
Redskins at Eagles
Bears at Giants
Patriots (17) at Dolphins (14)

It should be a big week and the Nussie Hunter wanted to give you a girl that is a fan of sports to close things out. Is there one hotter than Kelly Brook right now? Yes she's made the blog twice in recent months, but that's because she's at the top of her game. Just check out the photo below. Then head over to Guyism.com to see her in a red dress. ALL HOT!

Making a statement: At 2-0 Bears turn heads

Did you think the Bears could beat the Cowboys? Be honest when you answer that! I know every single "expert" on Fox picked the Cowboys to roll without a second thought. You know what, I had my doubts, but check my picks on the last blog post. Yes, I'm a Bears fan, so I picked them, but be real here. They went on the road to a place not many teams can really go and win and you had to think many of the mistakes the Cowboys made in their loss to the Redskins would go away when they got to the friendly confines of Cowboys Stadium.
Well, they didn't and every time it looked like the Cowboys scored and looked like they were going to take over the game, Jay Cutler (and his 5 TDs and lone INT) led drives that got points with touchdown passes to Greg Olsen (beating an all-out blitz), Devin Hester (You are RIDICULOUS!) AND Matt Forte (after a missed FG that would have tied it to put the game away). Yes, this may be the Jay Cutler Jerry Angelo thought he was going to get when he traded a pair of first round picks and Kyle Orton for him.
Yes he took a ton of hits and at times looked to be in a ton of pain, but he persevered and made the big throws that everyone has been waiting for him to make.
Add to it the fact that the Bears defense allowed just 38 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Yes, this might be the beginning of something big. Heck, look around the division and the Vikings are 0-2, so things could be going in the Bears way.
As much as they'll say in the locker room over and over that they are not thinking about the "haters" when they came home with a win, you know they had some fresh crow ready to be served to the media at Halas Hall in Lake Forest.
Can't say you blame them. You can't put a lot of weight in an 0-4 preseason, but the way the Bears went 0-4 there wasn't a lot of positives you can take from it. You have to hand it to the team for being able to turn it on when it matters and do what they have done the first two weeks of the season.


Up next though is a visit from Clay Matthews, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to Soldier Field on Monday Night Football. For six quarters they didn't look like the team many expected to see to start the season, but the second half of the Bills game last week was very impressive. Aaron Rodgers finally got the offense in a groove and Clay Matthews.... I'll say it again Clay Matthews. Yes he is a man beast and yes he has turned quarterbacks into his own rag doll through two games.
It's going to make for a great night on the Lake in Chi-City. I'll have my preview this weekend in what should be a great game and maybe one that is the Bears official coming out party. A win in this one and do the Bears become a sexy Super Bowl pick? Heck after this one, they could go undefeated into the bye week in Week 8 or even 6-1 with a loss. That's if things keep trending up. Yes, this team could be something special. We'll have to see how things unfold over the course of the week.

Alright, time to get on to the Nussie Hunter portion of this broadcast. In checking my "dude blogs" today I found some great stuff. I remember watching Holly Madison dating Hugh Hefner for something like seven years, but now she's single and is in UFC Magazine. All I can say is she looks incredible these days. The good folks at Guyism have all the photos. Here's a sample.

Are you ready for some football?! The time is here!

The time is nearing. Thursday night the NFL season finally kicks off and I must say as much as I love the Brewers it's time to move on to my other favorite team. You know, the one who's stadium shares the Wilber's Way flag with Miller Park, the Chicago Bears and the NFL.
So why, you are probably asking, is there a picture of Aaron Rodgers on the top of the page? Well, that one is easy, my friends, I'm a smart fan and am willing to realize that Rodgers and the Packers might be the team to beat in all the land. It will come down to the Packers defense in Year 2 under Dom Capers in the 3-4 defense and how well the guys around Rodgers step up. I'm going to cut right to the chase and make my division-by-division picks. Yes this is debatable, so please comment below and let's get the chatter going.

NFC North
Packers: The Green and Gold will beat out Brett Favre who will be without key parts for half the season. That might be enough for the Packers to get out front and beat the Vikings in their trip to Lambeau this season.
NFC South 
Saints: The defending champs will have to fend off the Falcons to win the division, but should get it done with Drew Brees leading the way.
NFC East
Cowboys: This might not be a popular pick with the followers of the way, but Tony Romo and his supporting cast is good enough to beat out the Shanahan-led Redskins for the division.
NFC West
49ers: This one is pretty much by default, but the Niners will have a lot of teams outside of the division fits this year. The key is coach Mike Singletary bringing Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore and Alex Smith together. That should be a potent quartet and all they need to do is get on the right page and stay healthy.

Wild Cards
Vikings: Favre will get this team back to the playoffs.
Redskins: Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb are too good to not get this team into the playoffs in their first year on the job with the weapons of Chris Cooley and Clinton Portis.


Before we get into the AFC, I have to talk about Joe Flacco. He might be the player with the most pressure on him in the entire league the season. Don't think so. Here's what I'm thinking. Yes, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee are in the backfield to ease the pressure, but for the first time in his NFL career, Flacco has guys to throw to on the outside in the traded for Anquan Boldin and the just signed T.J. Houshmanzadah (I'm allowed to spell that wrong). Add to the mix and aging defense and the offense will need to score more points to keep the wins coming. The one thing about him that leads me to think he will step up to the challenge is that winning is all he knows. The guy is the hero of Delaware. Name me one person that amounted to anything from there not a politician and I'd be surprised. OK, back to the Division picks.

AFC North
Ravens: The defense is aging, but can still make the big plays when needed and that could be the difference.

AFC South
Colts: The Texans are going to be in the hunt, but Peyton is too good to let the Colts sink. The only thing Indy might lose could be the consecutive seasons with 12-wins one that has made them the model of consistency.

AFC East
Patriots: Randy Moss and Tom Brady are in contract years. I'm not sure Brady will throw 50 TDs and Moss catch 25 like they did a couple years ago, but they might come close in proving how much they mean to their team.


AFC West
Chargers: Philip Rivers has had LT to look to turn to in each of his season until now. We'll see what he's made of on his own now. Let's be honest, there really isn't anyone else in the division who will put up a fight.

Wild Cards
Dolphins: Brandon Marshall's arrival means the 'phins have a playmaker on the outside. If they can work that i with the Wildcat, their offense should start carrying their part of the bargain.
Texans: I'm going to be honest, I originally had the Steelers in this spot, but Pittsburgh is nothing without Big Ben and him missing the first four games is going to take until Week 6 to shake off.
I'm saying Matt Schaub and the crew in Houston finally gets over the hump and into the playoffs.

Playoffs
NFC Wild Card
Cowboys over Redskins
Vikings over 49ers
AFC Wild Card
Patriots over Texans
Dolphins over Chargers

NFC Divisional Playoffs
Vikings over Saints
Packers over Cowboys
AFC Divisional Playoffs
Colts over Dolphins
Ravens over Patriots

NFC Championship
Packers over Vikings
AFC Championshp
Ravens over Colts

Super Bowl
Packers over Ravens
Yes, I just picked the Packers to win the Super Bowl. Now they will win just six games this season because hells is close to freezing and they need to balance the world. Or, everything will come together and they will show why I just took a chance on them.

Coming up: With a game Thursday, I'm going to make a quick post tomorrow night to continue something I started last year with posting my picks, by doing the same this year.
Friday or Saturday: My Bears season preview will come one of those two days depending on when I get to it and if I have game prep to do for that other Web site I write for.

Had enough NFL talk for the night. It's time to check out the woman Jason Kidd calls his own and the woman who is the Playboy Playmate of the Year. Yes there is hope. More specifically, Hope Dworaczyk. Want more? Here ya go!

One game a microcosm of the season for the Bears

In the matter of three hours Sunday in Chicago the Chicago Bears showed basically how the season has been in a nutshell for fans, players and coaches.
There was the start, the initial thud of Ryan Grant running through and from the Bears defense and getting things started. Yeah, I was not happy and it was a horrible display of defense.
Then the Bears offense sputtered and Jay Cutler threw an interception as the lead for the Packers grew to 13-0 after a pair of field goals. Yeah, it looked bleak early.
Then, as the Bears have done at times, things almost looked like us fans thought they would. A great throw by Jay cut the lead to 13-7 and the defense came up with a turnover that turned the Packers away just before the half. The momentum seemed to be going in the Bears favor and the second half went in their favor again after missed Mason Crosby field goal and another Jay Cutler touchdown gave the Bears the lead.
Yes, they had the lead. Pretty remarkable, actually. But then, it all fell apart.
The offense started to sputter and Jay Cutler, who had not thrown a bad interception yet, threw an awful pick that set up what turned out to be the winning touchdown.
Then while the Bears were attempting to tie the game Lovie showed why he keeps getting mentioned as possibly losing his job with that whole using two timeouts for one challenge thing. I mean really? C'mon!
So yes, it was a 21-14 loss to the hated Packers as the season of disappointment continues to hit all-time highs. The Bears did find an answer in Devin Aromashoduh (sp?) that could be a threat at WR and the defense, after the 62-yard run on the first play of the game for the Packers, played rather stout.
So the defense graded out well, the offense, with mixed results and special teams was decent. It's been the story of the season. They have not found and answer in the slightest and I'm positive some sort of coaching change is going down at the end of the season. Whether that's Lovie or Ron Turner, I'm not exactly sure yet.



Alright, time for some positive vibes on this space today. The Brewers made it official and introduced Randy Wolf to the Milwaukee media and the people today. He made it clear he was happy to come here and would be happy to help get this team back in the playoffs! Yessir, that's what I like to hear and I know he's got the money, but when a guy puts the effort and makes it clear he's happy in his choice, it makes it sweeter.
I'm going to say this about Randy Wolf and I said it last week when the signing became official, he has the potential to be great here and lead this team. I really like the offense the team has and it won't take much in terms of pitching - just defense - to get this team over the top and back in the playoffs. I'm talking a division title this year, but the Cardinals are going to be tough. Even last year with what looked like a dream team, they struggled down the stretch. I'm not exactly sold on the Cubs, either, so it's wide open. Why not Brauny, Prince, Tits and the gang?!?!

Now I got some funny little bits. And they're Tiger Woods bits. I'm pretty sure it's witty and not tasteless. I'm about done on this topic, but found a few things over the weekend so I figured I'd post them here.



Can you figure out what this means? Hahaha!




This one explains itself. Hehe!



And this, well, this is just GREAT! Love this. My boys, Covino and Rich play the shit out of this! Haha.

Now to the Nussie Hunter portion of today's broadcast and I know I had Olivia Munn on this space in the last month and a half, but hell, she is on the cover of the latest Maxim and is damn fine. And she's more than just a pretty face. I think she is damn funny. Check this vid with her and Michael Clark Duncan.

Game Trailers - E3 2010 - Movies and TV

Alright, now just enjoy the still pictures! Here's the gallery!