link--please click the link even if you read the story here.
It was an emotional roller coaster for Bears fans today, and the Bye week wait was like a long walk to the top so that the game could start with a free fall. The Bears looked painfully unprepared. I’m not sure if they spent their bye week on a boat, or just practicing missed tackles and botched blocks, but the time off didn’t do them any favors in a game that looked to be an easy win based on the personnel match-ups.
Mitchell Trubisky Trubisky’s first pass was an important reminder for anyone who questioned his accuracy after his struggles last week. He continued to move the ball well, despite the offense being continuously handicapped by penalties and offensive line breakdowns. If a few external things had fallen differently, Trubisky had enough great throws for this to be a breakout game.
Bears Defense The Bears defense has a lot of talent and can be suffocating. They will have multiple three and outs a game, and as a fan, I start to trust them to get the job done. Then they have a missed tackle or a missed assignment that gives away a huge gain. This is sneakily excruciating for a fan. Of course I want the good, but it was less painful when I expected them to be bad and they delivered.
Way too many Sacks I’ll defer to Lester’s Sack Watch for the full analysis, but I did see Trubisky holding on a too long. I can’t help wondering if Trubisky is scared to throw a bad pass after the Saints game and possibly a little worried about his sub 50% completion percentage. I hope not.
Dontrelle Inman Showed some good stuff in limited snaps. If you didn’t read my number plunge on him, I recommend it. The content is mediocre but it’s very well written.
Kyle Fuller doesn’t make loving him (or hating him) easy In the first Packers drive, Kyle Fuller had two missed tackles and two pass deflections. He remained inconsistent, with some terrific plays and some embarrassing misses. I remain a Fuller fan, but he’s not the best cornerback on the Bears. I do hope he gets a reasonable contract and stays for a long time.
Cohen remains fun to watch On his second kick return, Cohen gained an extra five yards at the end driving his feet as he was falling backwards. Love that guy.
Welcome to the NFL, Adam Shaheen stepped up in a bigger role and caught his first two targets. On the first, he displayed his size and strength trucking for an extra yard or two. On the second he seriously impressed me with his size and speed, running through a defender and getting a huge gain after the catch.
Leonard Floyd I kept seeing that guy in the backfield as Hundley threw away a hurried pass. Good Bear.
Penalty Party Bears had two offensive penalties on their first drive (both declined) then three in their second drive. Then I stopped counting but the penalties didn’t stop piling up.
The defense wasn’t on its best behavior either, getting a hands to the face penalty on the first drive and a 30 yard pass interference later in the 2nd quarter.
The worst penalty in my opinion was a personal foul on Bradley Sowell, who was pancaked by a Packer defender and in a pathetic attempt to prioritize his pride over his team, shoved the defender after the play. If I saw this wrong, I apologize to Mr. Sowell. If I saw it right, he doesn’t belong in a Bears uniform.
I believe the official line was 8 penalties for 78 yards on the Bears, but I recall at least 3 declined penalties. Bad Bears.
New candidate for most absurd call of the year John Fox looks bad for challenging a play and causing the ball to be taken from the Bears inside the 5 yard line and given to the Packers on the 20. He shouldn’t have challenged the play, but the decision to overturn was something between bizarre and criminal.
To understand this call, you first have to know the dumbest rule in the NFL rulebook. If an offensive player fumbles the ball in the end zone, it counts as a touchback for the other team. Why does the offense not get the ball back like it does the ball back like they would if they fumbled out of bounds anywhere else on the field? Even in a fairly extension internet (and old newspaper) search, you will find little in the way of explanation of this.
But it is a rule, and it’s been enforced to boos and outrage repeatedly over the years (including earlier this year reversing a touchdown for the Jets). If Cunningham didn’t go out of bounds, he did lose control of the ball before hitting the pylon, and this is technically the correct call.
Now remember the ruling on the field was that Cunningham was out of bounds. Watching the replay, I agree he was out of bounds, Dean Blandino (former NFL head of officiating) agreed he was out of bounds on the broadcast, and the refs on the field agreed he was out of bounds. Presumably, the call on field (out of bounds) is supposed to be upheld unless their is definitive evidence.
In this case, there was at best refutable evidence, but the call was overturned to enforce the dumbest play in the NFL rulebook. It’s bizarre, and would be laughable if I wasn’t a Bears fan. As a Bears fan, it was gut-wrenching and infuriating. And also laughable.
It was a rough day for Bears fans, but every week Mitchell Trubisky shows more of why he was drafted number two overall. This is almost surely a lost season, but if Biscuit continues to improve, it will all be worth it in the long run.
One thing you can always count on is if a play is in question it will normally be ruled in favor of the Packers. They're good for TV viewership so the NFL wants them in the playoffs if possible.
I'm not sure on what basis they judged him OB because his foot didn't hit the chalk before he stretched for the pylon. At that point he let go of the ball with both hands negating possession and the ball hit the pylon before he landed.
IMHO one thing that needs to be eliminated are these reviews in NY. Bring the game and the decisions back to the field. Week after week those ass clowns are reversing call when there isn't undisputed evidence to the contrary. No one but the ass wipe in NY seemed to believe there was any evidence to change the TD call on the catch Miller made in NOLA yet they did. On what? A hunch? A replay view no one else saw.
I'm no conspiracy nut job but IMHO there is way too much room for manipulation of scores and outcomes when one single guy and his staff are evaluating all of this vs 16 separate officiating teams. I said when the league announced it that it was a very bad idea and I still believe it is. They aren't even following their own rules for reversing calls.
Post by brasilbear on Nov 12, 2017 16:53:11 GMT -6
never mind my question above, found my own answer:
page 65 in the NFL's 2017 rule book.
"All reviewable aspects of the play may be examined and are subject to reversal, even if not identified in a coach’s challenge or if not the specific reason for a replay official’s request for review."
never mind my question above, found my own answer:
page 65 in the NFL's 2017 rule book.
"All reviewable aspects of the play may be examined and are subject to reversal, even if not identified in a coach’s challenge or if not the specific reason for a replay official’s request for review."
That's a sure fire loophole for reversals at NY's discretion. It wasn't a scoring play so it would not automatically be reviewed. But when a coach challenges the ruling should be limited to what was challenged not a review of the entire play. In essence game officials are there mostly to keep the game moving along. NY makes all the tough calls leaving it wide open for them to call 'em as they see 'em even if it's contrary to their stated policy of needing irrefutable evidence. Here irrefutable becomes whatever they choose to make it. This is getting ridiculous.
Fox. Fox first, Fox last, Fox all the way through. He has single-handedly ruined our offense. What's a gameplan? What are adjustments? Why the F do you challenge a play when you have 1st and goal FROM THE 0.5 YARD LINE? Just run a play and score. F FOX. F Fox. F Fox. That is all.
I have to give a shout out to the refs. Last game it was the NY crew I was pissed at. This week it's the on-field boys. Why is a little incidental bump of a pecker WR on an uncatchable ball PI when tackling our receiver before the ball gets to him is okay ?
It doesn't matter if it's Favre, AR or even Brett Hundley under center, we just can't beat these assholes.
Embarrassing.
Come now... Let me offer a bit of humor to cheer you up: On the first day of school, a teacher tells her students that she is a Bears fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they are a Bears fan too. Everyone in the class raised their hand except one little girl. The little girl said, "I am a Packers fan". The teacher asked why Lily is a Packers fan. Lily responded by saying "My mom and dad are Packers fans". "Well," said the teacher, "what if your mom and dad were idiots, then what would you be?". Lily smiled and said, "Then, I'd be a Bears fan"...