Interceptions make their ugly return to burn Da Bears

I know I've been away for a short bit and some of you faithful followers of The Way were probably thinking I went away because of the Bears struggles. Well that is not the case.
Yesterday the return of "Old Jay" made an appearance at Soldier Field and it was the reason the Bears lost. Well, really the four interceptions by DeAngelo Hall scored the winning points, but Jay's fumble on the goalline in the middle of a scrumb that showed he had crossed the goal line was what really cost the Bears the game.
At some point, Jay has to find a way to go and win the game for the team and I have no problem with him throwing interceptions if he is making at attempt at what could be a big play.
Considering the Bears lost just 17-14 with six turnovers could be a sign the defense is as strong as it's ever been and they just need to fix the offensive line to get this thing turned around after the bye week.
It is still like this game slipped away, though. There were many chances and the defense and Jay know they had a golden opportunity to make a run at winning this game and staying in first place in the NFC North.
The picks Jay did throw are all ones he knows how to fix and the problems are all things he can fix. That's what is the silver lining in this game.
The fumble on the goalline was a situation where I'm sure Lovie did not want to challenge after just challenging a play earlier. But in all honesty, that is the play he should have challenged and he would have won that one to get the Bears out front.

Note: As I've been away, I have still been making NFL picks. If you know me you can see my picks. I'll update things Thursday for you guys and get you a new season number.


Yep, my boy Brock got his ass handed to him and his face busted in this weekend. Can't say I didn't see it coming. I'll say Cain Valesquez is great and everything I heard coming into this fight was how he was the real deal and such a great threat to Brock, who came out firing, but couldn't finish it quick enough to avoid danger.
I just hope Brock gets a rematch and doesn't have to go through an undercard fight to get a shot at his title again. I think he deserves it.

Alight, time for the Nussie Hunter and while I was on the subject of MMA and UFC I was going to mention Ariany Celeste is on the cover and in the pages of this month's Playboy. Bad news is I couldn't find photos suitable for this space.
I did, however, find some shots of Adriana Lima that are easy on the eyes. She might be the single hottest Victoria's Secret model. But maybe I'm just smittent! There's more here at Guyism.

What to think of the 2010 Monsters of the Midway

At noon Sunday the Chicago Bears start another season and this may be the first time in a long time my expectations for the season are low.
Does an 0-4 preseason give fans anything to get excited about? Well, not really. Aside from Matt Forte's 89-yard touchdown run against the Raiders in Week 2 of the preseason.
Everything from Jay Cutler's production with the offense, to the offensive line in pass protection, there are a lot of things I don't think this team can do.
Is that to say they won't get it fixed through the year? Maybe, but with an offseason and preseason games to work on things, you'd think they'd have things under control by now.
On the defensive side of the ball Julius Peppers has been everywhere on the field and Brian Urlacher (when he has not been nursing a calf strain) has been a welcome re-addition to this unit. There are still question marks at cornerback with Nathan Vasher shipped out of town and Zachary Bowman taking over. Also, at safety where the coaching staff cannot seem to figure out if Daniel Manning and the re-acquired Chris Harris belong at the spot.
So, ,you're probably thinking, do I think the Bears are going to do this year? Well, the folks that have this team winning three games this season are mistaken. They are better than that if they just let Jay make the calls for himself and just wing it at the line. If you saw my NFL preview the other night, you saw I didn't have them in the playoffs and that is right. The Vikings and the Packers are too good within the division for the Bears to make it into the postseason.
The schedule this year is pretty tough and I'm thinking this team could have another 7-9 or 8-8 year in them. It's not awful, but it's not great either and I'm going to say it now, Lovie Smith should not be back next season.
The only way things turn is if things start to click offensively and Cutler and Martz figure out the offense and everyone gets rolling. In order to do that, the offensive line is going to have to play out of their minds and Mike Tice will have worked wonders because even the supposed best of the bunch in Chris Williams has looked terrible at points during the preseason.


Alright, let's turn our attention to the near future and Sunday's game against the Lions, shall we? The Lions have lost 20 at home and in two games the Bears scored 47 points against Detroit last year.
With the Bears playing at home, I'm going to give them the edge in this game to get things established with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor early. Whether that is with straight runs or with short throws from Cutler is up to Mike Martz, but I see it happening.
To me, that is the key in the offense. If a line can run block, they can protect the QB and if they can push bodies around when the guys are running down hill, they will be able to get the confidence needed to protect Jay and maybe even let him make some strikes downfield.
The news today is that Lance Briggs and Desmond Clark are "probable" to play and both should be welcomed on the field. Briggs, moreso, clearly for his importance on the weakside next to Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tinoasumoa on the strong side.
The key for the defense is simple, get off the field on third down. If Julius Peppers can get some pressure on the Matt Stafford or bring enough attention to himself that Tommie Harris and Marc Anderson can get pressure, the Cover-2 will be able to shine.
Prediction: Bears 24, Lions 20


OK, folks, time for a talk with the Nussie Hunter. He made a trip Down Under and brought back with him shots of Miranda Kerr set to appear in Victoria's Secret. I'll say it's not a secret anymore, hun. Here she is. And here are more shots of her!