Progkakke Week 12

Progkakke Standings:

Iggins!: 90-43

Mrs. Code Red: 88-45

Code Red: 86-47

Erik: 81-52

New Orleans Saints (8-2) @ Atlanta Falcons (2-8)

Iggins!: Well, Saints win.

Erik: It is strange that this game is so little of a contest, but yeah Saints.

Code Red: Atlanta sucks. Saints win.

Mrs. Code Red: Saints.

San Diego Chargers (4-6) @ Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)

Erik: The Kansas City Star did a lovely job of collecting the filth about the Chiefs “being exposed” and how their “season is over” because they lost to the Fucking Broncos, but that’s whatever. They are still a very good football team that can’t overcome a deficit, and they are not going to experience once en route to victory here. Chiefs.

Code Red: Erik, are you so hungry to bitch about the stupid media that you've gone national in your quest for butthurt? Chiefs win.

Mrs. Code Red: I have this really gut feeling that the Chargers might win here. But I just can't pick them. Chiefs win.

Iggins!: Well, I love me some Chiefs, so Chiefs win.

Chicago Bears (6-4) @ St. Louis Rams (4-6)

Iggins!: I have no goddamned confidence in the outcome of these games, but I think MCCOWN can shepherd us to another close win. Bears win 27-20.

Erik: I am perpetually optimistic about the Rams because, as they demonstrated against the Colts, that defense is ever-hungry and even anemic offensive production can carry them to victory. McCown is taking care of the football extremely well to this point, though, and I think his Shredded Wheat Offense can grind out a boring win here. Bears, 30-17.

Code Red: Bad defense can make any “sure win” a questionable proposition, but I think the Bears should pull this one out. Bears win, 24-20.

Mrs. Code Red: Bears 24-21.

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-6) @ Cleveland Browns (4-6)

Erik: Baaarf. The Steelers have remembered how to pass the ball for a few weeks now, and the Browns don’t even remember what an offense is. I guess the Steelers.

Code Red: Years from now Browns fans will tell their grandchildren that for like a month or so there in 2013 the Browns were semi-competent. But no more. Steelers win.

Mrs. Code Red: Steelers look better, Browns look worse. Steelers win.

Iggins!: The Browns and Bengals always have strange games, that Steeler win against the Lions was a fluke caused by coaching incompetence on the other sideline. Browns win.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-8) @ Detroit Lions (6-4)

Iggins!: The Bucs have been way better lately, and I mean… fuck Detroit. UPSET SPECIAL BUCS WIN.

Erik: I really do believe Schwartz can throw this game away, but the Bucs are just so fucking bad. I want to do it. But home field is pretty big for Detroit, especially against a rookie QB. Lions.

Code Red: Detroit isn't going to fuck away two in a row, even if I wish they would. Lions win.

Mrs. Code Red: I'm picking Detroit, but it'll be closer than everyone but Iggins! seems to think.

SKOdcast Episode 26: This one's personal

Because tonight'll be a short one, what with me being the only one here!

LINKS N STUFF

Episode 25 of the SKOdCast is Now Up

SKOdcast Episode 25

Come as we discuss how nothing happened this past week, really. Right? Nothing eventful or anything.

LINK

Is Jay Cutler's Job in Danger? No. No It Is Not.

I know we get down on Bears fans for being dumb a whole lot, but I really don't think I've heard anything dumber in my time overreacting to fan and media opinions than the idea that Josh McCown should be the Bears' long-term starter.  Nevermind that he's older than Cutler and half as talented, the mere fact that he has only even played more than 10 games in a season once at the age of 34 should be a dead giveaway.

Mark Potash of the Sun-Times disagrees with that idea, as well. But not as much as he should, apparently, because he let this nonsense see the light of day. "Josh McCown's Success Makes Jay Cutler Expendable" may be the single biggest concentration of stupidity in a single sentence ever written by a Sun-Times reporter, and it wasn't even somebody named Rick!

I had intended to do this column in customary point-counterpoint style, but there’s just not enough substance there to bother with. It’s just a few tepid arguments that kind-of-support the headline, it’d be like fighting a handicapped man. And not like that guy from Eagle vs. Shark that kicked the shit out of Jemaine Clement. 

Pictured: Not Mark Potash

Lions 21, Bears 19. Brutal

I like Marc Trestman a lot. He's smart, he's generally a certifiably brilliant offensive game-planner, and I like the Bears future in his hands going forward. Today was a day I hope we'll soon forget, but I doubt it, because Marc Trestman threw first place away today.

Not a soul would have argued if Marc Trestman had told Jay to sit for one more week. Not a soul would have argued if Trestman had sat Jay at halftime when he appeared considerably slower than he did in the first half.

I wouldn't have argued if he'd left Jay in all game. Jay is your starting quarterback, and must be going forward. The team can't waver on this, as there's no future with Josh McCown, even if you're the meatballiest meatball who ever meatballed. If Jay finishes out a gutsy but ultimately futile effort, you just have to roll with it and hope he gets better next week.

The one thing you can't do? That. Now Cutler's status as the starter will be questioned. Josh McCown will grow in meatball legend. Back to back 2 pt conversion attempts failed on awful calls that made no sense. Why bootleg and willingly limit yourself to half a field on a do or die play? Why run up the middle against a defensive line that whooped your ass every snap? Things just got very, very ugly. This season will kill us all, I swear.

The Good:

The Defense: Corey Wootton was stellar. The run defense held up for all but two drives. They held the Lions to 21 points, practically a miracle by their standards this year. It was truly upsetting to see their effort wasted.

Brandon Marshall:  He caught 7 of 12 targets for 139 yards and 2 TDs. It was an impressive effort as always.

First Half Jay Cutler: I don't know what kind of fatigue set in at half time, but it's a damn shame. Jay was near perfect to start the game, completing the first drive with a beautiful 32 yard strike to Marshall and moving the ball at will. An unfortunate tipped pass killed a TD drive and then everything went to hell. When healthy, however, Jay is still this team's best option. I don't really care if you disagree.

The Bad:

Alshon Jeffery: He had 114 yards, but caught just half his targets and had several brutal drops, including what should have been a TD pass on the Bears first drive after halftime. The overturned TD catch was a tough play, but it wouldn't have been necessary if Alshon had made the play the first time around.

Matt Forte: the run-blocking was awful, but this offense is designed around Forte managing to make at least one guy miss. He failed to do that at all today, and it killed them.

Run-blocking: Good god, guys. Detroit is stout up front, but 38 yards rushing? 38? 

 The Ugly:

This week. It's going to suck. Think I'm going to just avoid the radio as much as possible. Guh.

Episode 24 of the SKOdCast is Now Up!

Episode 24 of the SKOdCast Live at 6:15!

Listen as we discuss the upset over the Packers, Jay's magical crotch powers, the Lions game, bullying, and of course, GDBF.

LINKAGE.

Bears 27, Packers 20- HA. HAHA. HAHAHA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Where was I?

Oh yeah, the Bears just beat the fucking Packers at Lambeau Field. Shea McClellin may have ended Aaron Rodger's season. Josh McCown is now unquestionably the greatest backup quarterback in Bears history. Julius Peppers remembered he was Julius Peppers.

Everything that needed to happen for the Bears to win tonight happened. Now they're staring at a 5-3 record, first place, and the potential return of Jay Cutler next week for a winner take all battle at Soldier Field. I know what I said last week, and I'm an idiot. This shit is still theirs for the taking.

ONTO THE BREAKDOWN:

THE GOOD:

Shea McClellin: Did that really just happen? Shea may still be on path to being a bust, but for one night he was everything we'd ever hoped he'd be, and it may have changed the entire NFC playoff picture. I have no other words. I will need you all to assure me tomorrow that this actually happened.

Julius Peppers: You can't stop time, but sometimes you can tell it to back off for a night. Peppers had a sack, two batted passes, and an interception. If he and Shea can bottle this and take it throughout the rest of the season, this defense might be even slightly less than awful. That may be all they need.

Matt Forte: The Bears offensive game plan without Cutler may not have been the usual "Forte and Defense and Pray" that it was under Lovie, but Forte still put the team on his back in the fourth quarter. The nine minute drive that clinched the game was pretty much all Forte, and he fought for every yard on his way to 125 yards rushing, to go along with 54 yards receiving.

Josh McCown: This may be his last career start. No offense to Josh, I hope it is. If so, he went out with a bang. He completed just 53% of his passes for 6.6 ypa, but he got 272 yds and two beautifully thrown TD passes and did far more than any of us could have ever dreamed he'd do in this game. I hope he sticks around as Jay's caddy for at least one more year, because everyone seems to love him and I understand why now.

Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery: These two. What a gift it is to watch them make DC's pick their poison and lose either way. 

Marc Trestman: I am so happy this man is the head coach of the Chicago Bears. On the road, with his backup QB, going up against a defensive coordinator who had never failed to kick the ass of whoever his counterpart in Chicago was at the time, Trestman dialed up a perfect game as the offense compiled 27 points and 443 yards. With their backup quarterback. Not only that, but on 4th and inches, at his own fucking 30, with a 4 point lead on the road in Lambeau Field, he bet on his team and won. I look forward to seeing what this man can do with a team at full strength someday.

The Bad:

The Safeties: Ok. I get that you all were drafted to be Cover 2 safeties and you can't be expected to cover for 5 seconds when the pass rush is inert, but the simple inability to square up a runningback is just inexcusable. Major Wright was just garbage tonight, and Conte was only a hair better. Guh.

Special Teams: A punt block and caught completely off guard on a surprise onside. It's getting old seeing the once Best-in-the-NFL unit play this poorly.

The Ugly:

Jon Gruden: HIS NAME IS ALSHON JEFFERY. ALSHON. JEFFERY.

That's all for now. Holy shit. Ho. Lee. Shit. Go Bears.

Progkakke Week 9

Progkakke Standings:

Iggins!: 82-38

Mrs. Code Red: 79-41

Code Red: 76-44

Erik: 74-46

Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) @ Miami Dolphins (3-4)

Iggins!: Welp, the Fins have certainly lost all their steam and the Bengals have gained all of theirs, so, Bengals win.

Erik: The Dolphins should be able to give Dalton a bit more of a scare than he’s had in recent weeks, but the Bengals are going to devour Ryan Tannehill. Bengals.

Code Red: I won't lie. We didn't get our picks in until after this game, but Mrs. Code Red and I had both said Bengals, and we cannot tell a lie.

Mrs. Code Red: Maybe you can't, but I totes picked the Dol....okay. Bengals.

Kansas City Chiefs (8-0) @ Buffalo Bills (3-5)

Erik: A team with a pretty good defense and no offense vs. a team with a great defense and a mediocre offense. Get ready for the hard-hitting, fast-paced 21-10 Chiefs win.

Code Red: Guys, the Chiefs can swallow good QBs whole. Why keep throwing the Case Keenum's and Jason Campbell's and Jeff Tuel's of the world at them? Chiefs win.

Mrs. Code Red: The Chiefs have to lose at some point. Just..y'know, not here. Chiefs win.

Iggins!: Gonna be another close one because neither of these teams seems capable of getting any separation either way, but I'll take the Chiefs to win.

Minnesota Vikings (1-6) @ Dallas Cowboys (4-4)

Iggins!: Just not picking the Vikings, ever. Dallas wins.

Erik: Even the Cowboys couldn’t fuck this one up.

Code Red: Oh, Erik. That's tempting fate a bit much. Still, Dallas win.

Mrs. Code Red: I'm really tempted to say Dallas will fuck this up, but that would be too much. Dallas win.

Tennessee Titans (3-4) @ St. Louis Rams (3-5)

Erik: The Rams pissed away their chance to win their annual “the Rams beat who?” game last week because Kellen Clemens was afraid to scramble, but that defense looked vicious. I guess Rams?

Code Red: THE JEFF FISHER BOWL. That would be a narrative if anyone had given a shit about either of these teams in the last five years.  Titans win.

Mrs. Code Red: Can't pick the Rams without Bradford. Never really picked them with Bradford either, but still. Titans win. I think this is the first time I've picked them all year.

Iggins!: Elyse, if you had only picked the Titans more you might be tied with me! Titans win.

Friday Hoopyball Recap: B1G Preview Edition!

Hello again everyone! This week we have 2 Bulls games that happened and a preview of happenings yet to happen. To be concise, this column is happenin’. Let’s start with the Bulls!

Bulls 95 – Heat 107

Not exactly the best case scenario for game 1 but it’s hard to be too down about losing to the 2-time defending champions, in their house, on the night they get their rings. There were a few bright spots: Boozer dropped 31 points and 7 rebounds and he even looked fairly aggressive. Several plays he actually made strong moves towards the basket (his normal move, the back-to-the-basket turn-around fade-away is easily the #1 thing I take issue with about Booze. He’s a big guy, and strong. If he would just assert himself, well… Tuesday night happens) and he showed no fear in trying to shoulder the offensive burden when nearly everyone else was ice cold.

Jimmy Butler also had a very nice game, putting up a mini-Paul-George line of 20pts, 5 steals, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and even a block. He hit half his threes and his early foul trouble (and resultant benching) was certainly a factor in the large halftime deficit the Bulls incurred.

But the real issue in this game was that the bench simply didn’t play correctly for the first 3 quarters. Dunleavy, when he came in, was very obviously lost on several plays. All those open 3s the Heat took? If that wasn’t Dunleavy’s guy it was Hinrich’s. There was even a play where both of them ran to the same guy, instead ran into each-other, and the Heat hit a wide open 3, pretty much encapsulating their entire night. Mike finally got going on offense later on in the fourth, but he did just enough (or not enough, as it were) to earn week 1’s…

Bulls Player Who Will Absorb My HATERAGE

I’m watching you, Dunleavy.

Episode 23 of the SKOdCast is Now Up

In honor of Halloween we discuss the terrifying state of the Bears defense, and the Ghost of Brian Griese.

Episode 23 of the SKOdCast Live at 6:15 PM!

Listen live as a  fully-stocked SKOdCast Crew very briefly previews the upcoming DOOMgeddon against the Packers, lots of NFL stuff, a strange sport that Travis calls "bazgetbol" and GDBF.

LINKAGE

Progkakke Week 8

Progkakke Standings:

Iggins!: 71-36

Code Red: 67-40

Mrs. Code Red: 67-40

Erik: 62-45

Carolina Panthers (3-3) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-6)

Iggins!: I’m on board the Cam train when he plays shit teams. Panthers win.

Erik: To be fair, you’re pretty much always on board the Cam train. But yeah, Panthers.

Code Red: He's often been in front of the Cam train, if you catch my drift. Panthers.

Mrs. Code Red: I'm tempted to take the Bucs, but my two longshots worked out last week and I'm scared to press my luck. Panthers win.

Cleveland Browns (3-4) @ Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)

Erik: Poor Browns. They looked like they had something going for a minute there, and now they’re going to be 3-5. Chiefs keep it moving, but people still won’t acknowledge that they’re good.

Code Red: Who the hell have you heard not acknowledging that the Chiefs are good? Everyone I know has the exact same opinion of that team: man it's going to suck when Alex Smith costs them a superbowl. Chiefs win.

Mrs. Code Red: Going out on a limb to take the Chiefs here.

Iggins!: I'm interested in how good the Browns can be with Campbell, but against the Chiefs it's hard to see them winning. Chiefs win.

Dallas Cowboys (4-3) @ Detroit Lions (4-3)

Iggins!: This is a tough one. Two teams with records that reflect what they are so well. Just one step ahead of average at all times. I guess I have to go with the home team. Lions win.

Erik: The Cowboys seem to get better and worse depending on how good their opposition is, which is strange. But yeah this is pretty much a tossup, I guess I’ll actually factor home field into my decision and pick the Lions.

Code Red: I'm going to take the Cowboys because it's worked for me this year.

Mrs. Code Red: Lions, I guess.

Enjoy Episode 22 of the SKOdCast: One Lonely, Sad Man

Travis ALSO abandoned the SKOdCast due to a terrible injury, so I was forced to go it alone for 27 painful, awkward minutes. ENJOY (or don't):

Episode 22 of the SKOdCast Live at 6:15!

Erik is ill so you'll have to deal with Travis and I as we discuss that disaster of game against the Redskins, the Cutler Injury and his Future, The Demise of BEAR FOOTBAW (forever?!), Around the NFL, and perhaps the biggest edition of GDBF ever.

Tuesday Hoopyball PREVIEW YEAH NBA IS BACK SOON

Welcome back, NBA, your sweet siren song is a welcome reprisal from the pain of the current state of the Chicago Bears! Yes, the NBA season opens next Tuesday when our Chicago Bulls take on the Miami Heat. Hard to think that game will determine anything about this season, but the Bulls ARE the only team to have a winning regular season record against the LeBron Heat. However, this preview is about the season as a whole, not the games we have Tuesday and Thursday, so hows about we talk about what the Bulls can accomplish this year?

What’s Realistic?

The overall sentiment I’ve been getting from fans and the media is… hell there is no overall sentiment. Nobody can agree! Some think the Bulls will end up as the 5^th seed (behind Miami, Indiana, Brooklyn, and New York), some think the Bulls will lose to the Heat in the East Finals, some think the Bulls will win the title! Hell, I’m sure someone thinks they’ll miss the playoffs as well.

What do I think? I think we, for sure, play Miami in the East finals. Indiana is basically Chicago lite, and we kind of have their number. Brooklyn? That’s going to be the most enjoyable train wreck to watch since… well, since last year’s Lakers! The Bulls and Heat will be the #1 and #2 seeds in some order. Thibs plays his guys like it’s the playoffs every regular season game: it’s hard to imagine the Bulls not winning 60+ with Rose looking like he does.

But what happens in that series against Miami? That depends a lot on…

Hey, this is that season I’ve been talking about for the last two years!

If you read the Hoopyball column at all last year you’ll remember me going on and on about how this is the season Chicago constructs their true title team. Luol Deng’s deal is expiring. Boozer has this year and next left. The Bulls have that Bobcat #1 pick and Marquis Teague. Essentially, the Bulls have a package to send somewhere, and it is:

Where Do We Go From Here?

Well, that was fun.

If you've read even one post on this blog you can probably imagine my mental state when Jay Cutler went down after that play. In a second the entire Bears 2013 season went up in flames, most likely, and I had to learn to live with that.

I have. I have chosen to not to cling to the fleeting hope of McCown somehow keeping the Bears afloat through the Cutler-less period so that Jay can carry the team into the playoffs. I did that in 2011 and it crushed me once, so I've taken the road I usually don't travel and embraced the worst-case scenario. The Bears are more than welcome to prove me wrong, but for now here are the facts:

1) This defense is hopelessly and irrevocably lost, and that makes Phil Emery's job easier.
If the Bears defense had repeated its 2012 efforts and Jay had stayed healthy, Phil would have had one hell of a challenge in figuring out how to bring back so many of the key performers and keep this team's financial situation intact. It's a problem we'd have all have been glad to see him deal with, but that ain't happening now. I'll get to my thoughts on what they should do with Cutler in a minute but the simple fact is the defense is now a clean slate for Phil.

Bears 41, R... Washington 45: Taking a Bite of the Silver Sandwich

The Bears just lost to the Washington Racists, and that makes me very sad. However, under the circumstances, I find it hard to get too beat up about. I can’t think of many teams that could lose their starting QB, two starting defensive tackles, two starting linebackers, a starting corner and a starting safety and still pull out a win.

On the offensive side of the ball, this game was proof positive to me that Marc Trestman’s philosophy works. We lost Jay Cutler, for an estimated four weeks at the very best, and still put up 41 points against an admittedly weak defense. Our receivers still came up with big plays despite Brandon Meriweather providing video evidence of the Most Illegal Hit Imaginable on multiple plays. Matt Forte exploded for 91 yards and three touchdowns, with another 20 yards in the passing game.

Josh McCown went into the game and nothing bad happened. He fell short in a couple places where Jay wouldn’t have; most notably on the final Hail Mary when he just kind of awkwardly flailed at incoming pressure where Jay would have run out of the pocket and maybe avoided the sack. They had to limit the passing game to shorter, safer routes and it cost them some time that they could probably have used later in the game. But he threw for 200 yards, a single TD and a 119 rating.

Progkakke Week 7

Progkakke Standings:

Iggins!: 63-29

Code Red: 59-33

Mrs. Code Red: 57-35

Erik: 56-36

Seattle Seahawks (5-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (3-3)

Iggins!: Arians is getting way too much out of not enough on the Cardinals, and I commend him for it, but even taking Seattle out of Seattle won’t be enough here. Seahawks win.

Erik: Yeah the Cardinals are better than they have any right to be, but the Seahawks are just way better. Seahawks.

Code Red: That defensive line will eat Carson Palmer alive. Seahawks win.

Mrs. Code Red: Seahawks.

Chicago Bears (4-2) @ Washington Redskins (1-4)

Erik: A lot is being made of the fact that RGIII “could return to form any day now,” KYLE. But I just don’t see how the Redskins, who are literally worse at every position than the Bears, pull this one out. Bears win, 31-21.

Code Red: Being uneasy =/= fatalism. The Bears should win this one.  Bears win 38-23.

Mrs. Code Red: Bears 28-24. I'm not predicting any blowouts till they prove they can do it.

Iggins!: The Bears can outscore the [REDACTED]s, so I'm not too worried. Bears win 38-27.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-5) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-4)

Iggins!: Look, Atlanta, is you don’t win here just rest everybody for the rest of the year and trade Tony G back to Kansas City. Atlanta wins.

Erik: I would argue that they should do that anyway. I doubt Roddy White has long left in him, and Steven 

Jackson thus far has done exactly what I said Steven Jackson would do in Atlanta. They have literally zero shot at anything of value this year. Still, the Bucs are really, reaaaally bad. Falcons.

Code Red: Yeah their season is over. Tony G should go back to KC. God that would make a great story! This is the NFL, though, so it won't happen. Still, Tampa sux. Falcons win.

Mrs. Code Red:  Can't believe Atlanta is 1-4. Falcons win.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) @ Detroit Lions (4-2)

Erik: This is a confusing one, and I would not have expected it to be at the beginning of the year. The Bengals have tried as hard as they can to not be a 4-2 team, but somehow they’re still here. The Lions have been the team their roster says they should be about 2/3 of the time, and the Detroit Lions the remaining 1/3 of the time. I guess I’ll take the home team here. Lions.

Code Red: The Bengals validated my faith in them when I picked them over the Packers, but that was at home. In the dome the Lions are just a better team. Lions win.

Mrs. Code Red: I'm taking the Bengals because I think their defense can slow down the Lions if Calvin Johnson isn't 100%. Bengals win.

Iggins!: The Bengals can't stop great receivers for shit and their offense kind of blows lately. Lions win.

Enjoy: Episode 21 of the SKOdCast!

Episode 21 of the SKOdCast is Live in, Like, A Half Hour-ish

We discuss Eli's DERPs, Angry Bears Defense Hating God, the upcoming battle with NAME REDACTED, Goddammit Bears fans, and much more.

LINKAGE

Ten Years After Bartman: A Missed Call

I don't write much about the Cubs here. For one it's because they aren't much worth discussing these days, and for another it's because I know some very excellent Cubs bloggers who do a better job at it. Tonight, however, as you may have heard, is the ten year anniversary of the Steve Bartman game, and I felt compelled to share my own story.

Now I'm not going to relive the awful play by play of that night or recreate where I was like some kind of breakdown of the Zapruder Film, but there is one thing about that night that has always haunted me, and I'm not sure when would be a better time to admit it.

I inherited my Cubs fandom, like my Bears fandom, my Illinois fandom, and everything else I should resent him for, from my Dad. The actual nature of that Cub fandom, however, was shaped by my Grandfather. Grandpa, like me, was a perfect Cub fan because of his stubborn nature and willingness to waste years in an ultimately futile attempt to prove himself right. So I grew up spending summers helping Grandpa work in the yard as he would shout to my Grandma "Why would he do that Suzie!?" after Mickey Morandini bobbled another double play (Grandma, good sport that she is, never failed to answer "I don't know, Orvis"). 

In May of 2003, Grandpa suffered the first series of the hemorrhagic strokes that would ultimately claim his life. At the same time, the Cubs were having their best season in ages. I remember sitting beside Grandpa's hospital bed as Mark Prior struck out 16 Brewers in a single game and the two of us marveled over the phenom's ability. The Cubs, in true Cub fashion, still managed to lose that game. The doctors told us he had a few weeks left, at best, and among my many complaints with the world was that it seemed unfair that he'd be unable to see that season through to the end.

Then a minor miracle bought us a few more months. Grandpa actually went home and spent the whole summer watching Prior and Wood and discussing their efforts with me to the best of his ability. October rolled around and the Cubs were still in it. At a family gathering as my Dad and Uncles tried to warn me, with the wisdom of bitter experience, that I should prepare myself for the worst. Grandpa merely smiled and told me that they were going to pull it off. I believed him. Game 6 of the NLCS came and we all know what happened then.

As that 8th inning had approached I had grabbed the phone, preparing to call Grandpa as soon as the Cubs had clinched, imagining how fun it would be to have that conversation after all of those years of discussing failure. Once the whole thing had gone up in smoke, however, I put the phone away. "Let him sleep," I thought, "you'll talk to him some other time. No need to burden him with your anger."

It wasn't until much later, long after he was gone, that I realized how stupid of a decision that was. Tired as we was, sick as he was, Grandpa wouldn't have cared. He didn't need me looking after him. He'd gladly have taken a few minutes to make me feel better. To tell me, once again, that they would pull it off, or that they'd do it the next year. He'd have done what grandfathers do in that situation, particularly ones who've been down the Cubs heartbreak road before, and told me that the sun was going to rise the next day. I could have used that. Hell, I still can.

I'm not writing this to ask for pity. We're Cubs and Bears fans. Everyone has a million stories of disappointment and sorrow. I've never cried over a sporting event and never will. That's asking people to feel pity over a choice you willingly make to spend time and energy on a game. I've never felt self-important enough, arrogant as I am, even, to ask someone to feel sorry for me because of the Cubs.

I would, however, like to share this with people as a lesson. For all of the hours I spend on analyzing X's and O's and yelling at Brad Biggs on Twitter and debating Jay Cutler's mechanics, sports are entertainment. Games are meant to be enjoyed and shared with people who share the same rooting interest as you. For most of us, like me, that means family. I call my Dad almost daily to discuss things about NFL players he's never even heard of. I let him talk me off the ledge every time they lose because I still sometimes need the "it's just a game" talk. Talk to people who care about you even about stupid stuff like the Cubs, because in the end you only get to talk to them so many times

P.S.: I got a Cubs calendar for Christmas that year. Grandpa, just a few weeks from the end, pointed at the month with Corey Patterson's picture on it and said "he's going to be a great player." If any of you run into him again before I do, maybe don't let him know how that one turned out.

Progkakke Week 6

Progkakke Standings:

Iggins!: 53-24

Code Red: 48-29

Mrs. Code Red: 46-31

Erik: 46-31

New York Giants (0-5) @ Chicago Bears (3-2)

Iggins!: Two tough losses to good-to-great teams for the Bears, but this stretch of the schedule should let them build some momentum and really mesh as a team. Bears win 38-20.

Erik: The Giants are not good. The Thursday thing is a vague concern, because weird shit always happens in those games; but if there’s anyone more likely to have a sloppy-ass Thursday game than Jay it’s Eli Manning so I’m not that worried about it. Bears win 31-21

Code Red: Not to mention the Bears are the home team, and they win like 70% of these games. Bears 34-24.

Mrs. Code Red: Bears, 31-17. And that's giving the Giants too much credit.

Oakland Raiders (2-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)

Erik: Well, Terrelle Pryor is apparently good. We’re just going to have to accept this and move on with our lives. Not good enough to get past that Chiefs defense, though. It’s getting frankly hilarious to hear people saying “The Chiefs’ fall is coming!” as they roll to a 6-0 start. They could lose out the season, and still have improved more than anyone could’ve reasonably asked. Chiefs.

Code Red: The Chiefs fall will come as the Chiefs fall usually does, when they meet a playoff opponent who shuts down their typically overmatched game manager QB, before then I see no problem picking them over the surprisingly not that awful Raiders. Chiefs win.

Mrs. Code Red: Chiefs, because even though the Raiders have been better-ish, the Chiefs are just...better. Minus the ish. Y'know?

Iggins!: Chiefs, the #1 defense in the league!

Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) @ Buffalo Bills (2-3)

Iggins!: Without E.J. Manuel? Hard to see the Bills winning. On the other hand, the Bengal offense is, for no reason, just plain anemic right now. I’ll say Bengals win, but will not be surprised at all to see them lose.

Erik: I’d say that even with E.J. Manuel it’d be iffy, but without him it seems damn near impossible. The Bengals offense was a disgrace on Sunday, but so was New England’s so I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if the rain or something whatever. Bengals.

Code Red: I will NEVER pick a team that is starting a QB from Duke to win a game. Duke, people. Bengals win.

Mrs. Code Red: The Bengals are a very confusing team, but I can't pick the Bills and a QB who has one career start. For the Browns. Bengals win.

Detroit Lions (3-2) @ Cleveland Browns (3-2)

Erik: I could not have said that I think this will be a good game with a straight face a month ago, but it certainly seems possible that it will be now. The Lions showed that they are absolute horseshit without Calvin Johnson on Sunday, but if he’s on the field this week that is immaterial. The Browns were looking very impressive, but I don’t know if Weeden is enough to get past that defense. Lions.

Code Red: The Browns line is still very sketchy, and Weeden has not done all that well under pressure this year. Lions win.

Mrs. Code Red: If Calvin Johnson's out I think the Browns win. Hell, I'll do it. Browns win.

Iggins!: Whoah people think the Lions will win this game? You two are crazy. The Browns defense, at home, even with Weeden, will win this game. Cleveland wins.

Episode 20 of the SKOdCast: Oh Yeah I Forgot to Post This.

From Thursday Night:

Bears 27, Giants 21- Eli Sux

I am going to try not to overreact to anything that happened tonight. Thursday Night Games are generally less than  pretty, and the Bears, at least on one side of the ball, managed to keep it completely clean. That's to be commended. Otherwise, I can only say I'm glad the Bears survived.

The offense was everything we had ever hoped it would be for one half and then saw several promising drives in the second half fizzle out thanks to a mediocre effort in the run game and some missed passes. Nothing on that side of the ball really concerned me, though. A handful of plays (a crappy grounding call, a couple barely missed deep balls to Jeffery) go differently and they put this one away fairly early, but a few missed opportunities are understandable when you didn't even have a real practice in the week. They still managed 375 yards, picked up 25 first downs, and possessed the ball for over 32 minutes. Most importantly, they had zero turnovers in a game where one could have killed them. Again, for a Thursday night shitpile, I'll take it.

As for the other side of the ball? Well. Things there are...still panic-inducing. It's hard to harp too much on a team that was down 6 starters by the end of the game (really hope Anderson's injury isn't serious), but when some of those players struggling are the 5 starters who were so good last year, that Is concerning. Hopefully the ten days off will let them field as close to a complete unit as possible and let them get some practice reps for the new guys. Either way, I suspect they're going to keep us awake at night the rest of the year. In the end, though, 4-2 is nothing to be upset about and they get a long respite before taking on a struggling Redskins team. Hopefully they keep getting better.

THE GOOD:

Jay Cutler: He was smart and accurate for most of the game, with the only mistakes being some missed connections between he and Jeffery, some Jay's fault and some Alshons. He finished 24/36 for 262 YDs and 2 TDs, with his second straight 100+ passer rating, and his 5th 90+ passer rating in six tries. He also ran for 20 yards, converting several 3rd downs, because that's just what he does.

Brandon Marshall: Far too much will be made of the Bears determination to get the ball to Brandon, when really Jay just threw it to his star fucking receiver because he was, y'know, open. He finished with 9 catches for 87 yards and 2 TDs.

Marty B: He caught 6 of 7 passes thrown his way for 68 yards against his old team. Considering Eli's last DERP clanged off the hands of his TE, I'm sure the Giants are wishing they'd have found some money to keep him.

Pass Protection: The Giants aren't doing a very good job of getting to the QB right now (I sympathize!), but the line not only allowed zero sacks, I can't even remember more than one or two plays where Jay seemed to be under Any pressure. Commendable.

Marc Trestman: I thought that was a pretty good game plan on offense. It's a shame some promising second half drives ended in Giants territory, but the approach was sound and I was pleased with his decision to throw for the first down on 3rd down with less than 2 minutes left. I can't imagine Lovie being so ballsy in that spot.

THE BAD:

Run Defense: I can't say I expected them to be dominant with a d-line composed of guys signed off the street and Shea Fucking McClellin, but the Giants haven't run the ball worth a damn all year before tonight. That was ugly. Hopefully Stephen Paea and Charles Tillman (whose run defense should Never be understated) are healthy in ten days. Guh.

Shea McClellin: Once Paea is back, I expect Shea to be back at situational pass rusher and Nothing else. He is literally the worst run-defending DE in the entire NFL (and no, that's not hyperbole. That's where he ranks according to PFF), and teams just run right at him for huge gains. It's time to put an end to that experiment. I've defended that pick in the past, but not anymore. He's a liability.

Tim Jennings: Yes, he had two INTs, including a pick six, but he was pretty spotty in coverage most of the night, missed several tackles, and had one dumb PI penalty and had another that was only waved off because the pass was uncatchable. Tim's a fine complementary corner, but he has been exposed everytime he's had the role of guarding the #1 of another team's offense.

Injuries: Tillman was out. Paea out. Anderson and Williams went down. Make it stop. Please. God. Make it stop.

Run Blocking: the Giants were 24th against the run before this game, and the Bears have generally run-blocked well this year, so I was shocked to see Forte get less than four yards per carry tonight, and that, more than anything else, is what slowed the offense down in the second half and allowed the Giants to hang around.

THE UGLY:

Eli Manning: Holy shit. 15 INTs in 6 games. That's just brutal. And I don't want to hear how he has no offensive line this year. He was barely pressured all night, and still DERP'd his way to defeat. He's a joke right now.

That's it for now. The Bears won, that's all that matters, and the offense keeps getting farther along each week. If the defense can just get healthy in their extra time off, things will be better going forward, but for now we may have to content ourselves with winning some uncomfortable close games.

Go Bears.

SKOdcast 20: Revenge of the SKOds will be live at 6:15 tonight!

Join us for a pregame podcast at 6:15, with topics of discussion such as "How stupid is everyone talking about Brandon Marshall?" and "Hey look, the Giants are terrible!" Plus, laugh at Kyle's antics as he attempts to conduct a podcast in a crowded sports bar because he only seems averse to piracy when it directly inconveniences me. See you there! And by there I mean here.

Morrissey Must Get a Bonus if he Uses the Phrase "Team Cancer" This Season

A little over a month ago, after preseason game three, Brandon Marshall made some pretty straightforward remarks about not being back in top shape and learning a new offense. If you'll recall, the media flocked to it like kids flock to the house that gives out full-size candy bars on Halloween. I'm pretty sure Bernstein actually uploaded a video of himself having a hands-free orgasm at the thought of Brandon Marshall hitting a woman in a nightclub. Because the guy was feeling a little slow after someone stabbed his leg with tiny knives for a few hours.

This week, a lot of reporters asked Brandon Marshall a bunch of variations of one question: How frustrated are you with your production? Because he had two bad games in a row, one of which was pretty much Jay's fault for playing like dogshit until the Lions went to the prevent. Clearly, he must be ready to explode in a fit of rage and murder everyone in the locker room.

Really, it all comes back to the same thing as the first pointless media feeding frenzy: they want him to slip. They want him to give them something to talk about. They've more or less lost Jay now, he's played their game and kept his head down. Even Morrissey can only talk about him shoving a lineman for so long. But this, Rick can talk about. And talk he does. His article is in italics, my responses are regular text.

A Guest Post by Mrs. Code Red: What's in a Name?

Editor's note: It's a little-known secret that I really don't care for fantasy football. I play it, because it's expected of me and it's hard to scrape up enough living, breathing idiots to form a decent league that I feel bad refusing to play, but frankly it distracts from my pure, unfiltered obsession with the game, and it only ever makes me feel bad as I have a tendency to NEVER WIN ANY GODDAMN CHAMPIONSHIPS. My wife, however, freaking loves fantasy football (and has a trophy won at my expense to boot) and through the process has discovered a fact about ESPN and Jay Cutler that irritates her to no end and led her to write the following piece:

What’s in a name?

In the NFL, apparently a lot. As a devoted fantasy football player, and even more devoted Bears fan, I have been continually flabbergasted by ESPN’s continued refusal to believe in Cutler’s fantasy football potential. Granted, I own him in one of my leagues and happen to be married to just about the biggest Cutler fan imaginable so I am hardly an impartial audience. But as you’ll see, the numbers are definitely on my side.

When ESPN projected Jay to score only 10 fantasy points in the season opener, it was understandable. After all, he was coming off of a disappointing 2012 season, was running a brand new offense under a new-to-the-NFL head coach, and despite the attention paid to the offensive line in the off-season, lots of questions remained about their ability to provide Cutler with the protection he so obviously lacked in 2012. I was completely willing to accept their low-ish projection and was, in fact, happy and slightly surprised when he came away from the game with a solid 16 points against a genuinely good Bengals defense. I didn’t expect entirely smooth sailing from here on out, but things were looking up for my guy.

But when week 2 rolled around, ESPN projected Cutler to score 10 points. Again. Okay, okay, fine. Maybe the first game was a fluke or the new offense just took people by surprise. He still needed to prove himself to the critics. And he did - Jay scored 17 points against the Vikings, outscoring ESPN’s projection for him by over 50%.

When week 3 came around, I was expecting another low-ball fantasy projection from the “experts” at ESPN, but even still, their 9 points against the Steelers seemed a bit too low. Sure enough, Jay had his lowest yardage totals all season and still scored 11 fantasy points.

Surely after three straight weeks of outscoring their projections, the sage minds at ESPN had to give Jay some credit before the week 4 matchup against the Lions. They did not, with a projection of 11 points. Cutler played what was easily his worst game of the season and still finished with 16 points. Are you noticing a trend?

Okay, even with the undefeated Saints rolling into town, ESPN had to expect that Jay would put up at least 11 points, his lowest total yet. But no. They projected him to score 8 points. 8 POINTS! For crying out loud, Ryan Tannehill had just scored 9 points against the Saints in a game in which he threw three interceptions. How did Jay answer? With 22 points, easily his best total to date. For you math types, that means he outscored their projection by a whopping 275%.

So where does that leave us? With the woeful Giants heading to Chicago this week, ESPN has finally put together a bullish prediction for Cutler, prognosticating a 22 points effort against what is easily the worst defense the Bears have faced all year. Way to go out on a limb. Even still, they can’t help themselves from being jerks to Cutler. In their little blurb on Cutler’s player overview card, they spend the first half of the paragraph talking about Jay’s turnover problems before a game in which they are not even projecting him to turn the ball over. That’s right. The “Jay Cutler – Turnover Machine” stereo-type runs so deep in the ESPN offices that they literally cannot stop themselves from bringing it up.

So in summary, ESPN has projected Cutler to score an average of 9.6 points during his first five games when in reality he has averaged 16.4. That’s right, their dislike of Cutler is so intense that it apparently lowers his value by over a full touchdown.

For comparison’s sake, let’s look at golden boy Tom Brady. It’s obvious that this season has not started out well for Brady, a fact that ESPN only barely acknowledges and usually does so only in terms of blaming his supporting cast. Comments like “His 52-game touchdown streak came to a close last week, but it wasn't all Brady's fault as his receivers dropped four passes, including Julian Edelman's drop in the end zone in the game's final minute,” have been used over and over to apologize for Brady’s low point totals. Despite his mediocre showings and obvious issues, ESPN has projected Brady to score an average of 17.4 points through his first five games. What has he actually scored? 13.2. That’s 3.2 points lower than Cutler has averaged. As if to add insult to injury, ESPN cited Cutler’s great game against the Saints last week as a reason why Brady should bounce back against the Saints this week. Because hell, if Jay Cutler can do it, any old idiot can!

I’m not asking for anybody to name Jay the “elitest of the elite” or anything like that. I’m not even saying that he’s a better QB than Brady in real life (although I don’t think he’s too far behind – but that’s a different discussion altogether). But it’s fantasy football – open your eyes and quit ignoring a breakout fantasy season just because you don’t like a guy’s pouty face and double chin. 

Editor's note: Jay Cutler homer-ism is strong in this family. We make no apologies. Except for Jay, of course. 

Opinionating: Ten Thoughts on the Bears and Beyond

1) I'm not really disappointed that the Bears sit at 3-2. I have the same amount of confidence that, with their schedule, they can make the playoffs that I had before the losing streak. Even if they should fall short of that goal, to me the clock was somewhat reset once Lovie was fired. Lovie had run out of time, but Trestman has not. He was handed the job of fixing the offense, and so far the results are promising. Have they looked out of sync at times? Absolutely, but they're 4th in the NFL in scoring, 11th in yards, and Cutler, Forte, Marshall, and Jeffery are all on pace for phenomenal seasons. The amount of progress they've made from an utterly inept unit last year to a legitimate NFL offense in just five games should be praised, not criticized for being too slow. If the defensive collapse continues, and I see no reason to think it won't, sadly, that's hardly to be pinned on Trestman or even Emery. Give them a year to spend some time fixing that side of the ball (as they've largely fixed the offense in just one offseason) and then adjust your expectations accordingly.

2)Alshon Jeffery's development is the biggest positive for me this year, even including my happiness over Cutler finally putting up legit franchise QB numbers. To see the Bears identify and draft a talent at that position and have him actually develop the way a legit prospect should is comforting. After Jeffery's rookie campaign kind of hit a wall due to injuries after a promising start I have to admit I had horrifying Mark Bradley flashbacks.

3)Before this season I laughed at people suggesting the 3-4 defense was in the Bears future,  but with Henry Melton and others who were integral parts of the 4-3 approach suddenly regressing and having cloudy futures with the team, and with the abundance of talent at linebacker (including a possible position switch for Shea McClellin) and dearth of it elsewhere, I actually wouldn't be shocked to see the team move that direction next year.

4)It hasn't really been noticed much because of the attention paid to raw sack totals, but the tackle play for the Bears hasn't been great lately. Bushrod's struggled a lot of this year, as has Mills since week two. Hopefully that trend reverses before the Bears face another talented 3-4 defense that will really bring pressure off the edge.

5)It failed miserably, but I was really pleased to see the Bears use a package play in the red zone on Sunday. Cutler held the ball too long, causing the illegal downfield penalty on Long, but it's nice to see the Bears with an offensive coaching staff that's at least trying to embrace the newest innovation in football. Outside of all of the damn times Mike Martz attempted a bizarro version of the Wildcat, that is.

6)I love Drew Brees. Always have, always will. If the Bears are out of it eventually he will definitely have my backing in the NFC playoff field.

7) Matt Schaub is one of three QBs I can think of in recent memory who have rapidly and nigh inexplicably gone from perfectly adequate to bafflingly terrible overnight. The other two were Jake Delhomme starting with the 2008 Playoffs and Jake Plummer starting with the 2005 AFC Title game. Neither ever seemed to recover from letting their team down in a huge spot.

8) I hope Jadaveon Clowney keeps pissing all over his draft stock. I'll spread rumors of substance abuse issues myself if it drops him  somewhere into the back half of the draft where the Bears might have a shot at him. Anyone who overrates his struggles this year and passes on him will live to regret it.

9)Speaking of the draft, I wholeheartedly admire Gus Bradley's determination to tank with Blaine Gabbert, and I'm sad Gabbert's repeated injuries keep derailing the effort. That man knows what his best play is, and also knows that Gabbert's historically awful play is literally the only interesting thing about the Jags this year.

10)I won't say this often, but my God do I feel bad for Tony Romo.

Bears 18, Saints 26: We Told Him So

Well, the Bears lost to the Saints. Hardly surprising, but it was more painful that it had to be. Really, though, the pain seemed to roll to every phase in turn. When the defense was busy holding Brees to 6 points on two drives, one of which began at first and a goal, the offense couldn’t do anything. Then the playcalling just kind of fell apart. Then the offense worked, and the defense decided they didn’t need to.

Still, I said I wouldn’t be upset if they held up reasonably well against Brees in a loss and I stand by it. There were a lot of encouraging signs in this game, despite the frustration. Thanks to Green Bay spanking the Lions, the Bears are still tied for first and are looking at two pretty soft teams before the first Packers game. Without further ado,

Prognostication Bukkake Week 5

Progkakke Standings:

Iggins!: 45-18

Code Red: 42-21

Mrs. Code Red: 40-23

Erik: 39-24

Buffalo Bills (2-2) @ Cleveland Browns (2-2)

Iggins!: Two very surprising 2-2 teams here. What the hell is with the Browns? Apparently trading away over-praised A-Train was a nice kick in the ass. I like the Browns to win here as, honestly, they’ve just looked better.

Erik: Yeah they’re clearly doing something right, though if the Josh Gordon rumors are true it seems like they may be doing too much. Just… you’re good, guys. Get a new QB and a couple linemen and you’re good! Browns.

Code Red: The Browns have a good enough defense to be…like, legitimately good now. I don’t know how long this whole Hoyer thing can last, but I like them here. Browns win.

Mrs. Code Red: The Browns seem less mediocre. Browns win.

Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) @ Tennessee Titans (3-1)

Erik: While I predict an eventual return to Earth for the Chiefs, they just keep getting handed more and more wins. The Titans have been better than they had any right to be, but they’re up against a team that’s essentially just them, but better at every position here. Chiefs go to 5-0.

Code Red: Jake Locker finally plays as good as everyone was pretending he was playing and gets hurt. Figures. Chiefs win.

Mrs. Code Red: Chiefs. I keep waiting for them to lose, but I don’t think this is where it happens. Also,  Jake Locker is hurt, and that’s somehow a bad thing. Chiefs win.

Iggins!: I like the Titans, but that Chief defense is way too good for Fitzy. Chiefs win.

New Orleans Saints (4-0) @ Chicago Bears (3-1)

Iggins!: I took this one first so everyone could see I didn’t pick the Bears. I think we’ll do much better than we looked last week. Cutler should recover from whatever he had, the offense should get in tune. I think we can keep it close. But when you throw no pass rush, mediocre secondary play (if we’re being generous), and Drew Brees into a pot, you get a Saints win, 38-27.

Erik: I’m not going to mince words because I’m writing a long-winded rant about it, but here’s my take on Sunday: The QB played like shit, and we were never going to win that game. Everything starts there, and he owned it and was apparently sick. So I don’t like it, but every team loses and I’d rather it be an external factor making that happen than Jay just being bad for no reason. I don’t see how they slow down the Saints, but I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if we somehow keep up with them. But still, yeah, Saints 31-24.

Code Red: You treasonous bastards. My head may agree with thee, but I’ve sacrificed progkakke standings to loyalty before, and I’ll do it here. I do think the offense will play pretty well. Whether that will actually be enough, I don’t know. Bears win 34-30.

Mrs. Code Red: I have to admit I’m nervous, but Bears win 27-30. Think about that score for a minute. You gutless cowards!

SKOdCast Episode 19 is Now Up!

How many excuses can we make for Jay Cutler? ALL OF THE EXCUSES. Which of us are TRAITOROUS BASTARDS? (Hint: it's not me). What situations need Greg Schiano, besides every situation ever? More dumb trades, Brett Favre's dong, and more!

Episode 19 of the SKOdCast Live at 6:15 PM.

Listen in as we discuss DOOOOM, DOOOM, AND MORE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.....

and probably the Bucs. 

LINKAGE

What's in a game?

The Chicago Bears are 3-1. Not a sentence I wanted to write. Not one I expected to write. Still, all things being considered, not one I’m as upset as you would think about writing. But God damn are a lot of people really upset about it.

We’re in that ridiculous part of the early season where ESPN insists upon figuring out whether teams are “for real” or not. Any team that has done well to this point now has to justify their success by winning all games, forever, always, lest they be exposed as pretenders.

And for some reason errbody keys on the Bears in these situations. But really, what about that game other than a poor showing from an allegedly ill Jay Cutler exposed the Bears as anything other than a pretty good team with flaws and a decent shot at making the playoffs, much like almost every good team in the NFL?

Lions 40, Bears 32- Die By the Sword

For three games the Bears have largely thrived off turnovers generated by the defense and have played largely smart, low-risk and effective offense to win games. Today they got hit hard by the reversal, and the result was ugly. The defense failed to get turnovers early, and Jay Cutler suffered an ugly case of regression to put the team in a hole. The result was an eventual 30-10 first half lead for the Lions, and the end of the Bears perfect record.

Where does this put the team? Plenty of members of the fanbase have immediately forgotten the 3-0 start or undoubtedly thrown it away as a mirage in order to jump on the team and it's quarterback as shitty. That's to be expected. I won't defend the way Cutler played today. I, like everyone, was hoping these kinds of days were behind him. A few stupid turnovers, however, does not entirely undo the progress this offense has made. As of right now they're averaging 32 PPG (or 26.5 if you take out defensive scores), up from 23.4 PPG last year (or 19.5 PPG without defensive scores), and their 360 YPG average is well above their 310 YPG average from last year. This offense is undoubtedly improved. Bad Jay, as he always does, will disappear once again for a few weeks before rearing his ugly head again and making us all want to choke ourselves in another game down the road. That's fine. They'll survive as they always have. There's no reason to ignore progress on so many fronts because of that.

The defense remains my going concern. It seemed to me like Julius Peppers played pretty well even outside of his strip sack, but the first start for Nate Collins was underwhelming, and Stephen Paea had his worst game yet. The Wootton/McClellin combo was once again a no-show. The secondary actually managed to hold the Lions passing game in check as much as could possibly be expected given the lack of a rush, but all three units failed miserably when it came to slowing down the run game or mastering the manly art of tackling. I'm slowly losing my confidence that they're going to all round into form at some point, and that's going to be an issue next week with Breesus coming to town.

In the end, the Bears are 3-1, tied for first place (yes, Detroit fans, use the tiebreaker excuse if you want because that's totally relevant before the second game has even been played), and get back to back games at home in the next two weeks. This offense was always going to have it's growing pains, but it's still given us plenty of reasons for hope going forward.

The Good:

Alshon Jeffery: Alshon caught five balls for 107 yards (with his sideline grab at the end of the first half being maybe the best yet of his young career) and a TD, and also had a 27 yard run. His development is going to pay big dividends down the line.

Charles Tillman: He had to leave the game several times, and is clearly hurting, but he managed once again to largely make Megatron a non factor. Get well, P'nut.

Matt Forte: He had 14 rushes for 95 yards and a TD before the scoreboard forced the team to abandon the run. Hopefully the next time these teams meet the game won't get out of hand so fast and he can continue to gash them as he has done most of his career.

The Bad:

Jay Cutler: That sucked. To his credit, Jay admitted the loss was on him. It certainly was. While the defense was less than spectular in the first half, Jay put them in bad spots with every turnover, and is actually lucky they didn't come away with as many points as they could have. I'm not going to sweat this, however, because every Bad Jay game feels like the end of the fucking world and he has never failed to rebound yet. It was also good to see that Marc Trestman called Jay out for it very calmly, and Jay responded without anger or any of the usual chirpiness. It was a pipe dream to think that his penchant for these kinds of games would completely disappear, but he has a chance to show actual growth in his response to this going forward. Let's hope he does. A win over New Orleans next week would make all of the negativity disappear quickly.

Run Defense: Jesus Christ. Pick a man. They all had a hand on a Lions runningback at some point and failed to make the play. The sad thing is that the run game was the only department where they Hadn't been shitty this season.


The Ugly:

Thom Fucking Brennaman. Again. God I hate this man. Apparently in Thom Brennaman's world, any sort of pass on a play where you have only a yard to go to pick up the first down is worse than child abuse. YOU MEAN TO TELL ME, THAT A TEAM IN THE NFL WOULD PASS IN A SITUATION WHERE DEFENSES WOULD ACTUALLY BE GEARED TO STOP THE RUN? UNBELIEVEABLE.

That's all for now. Losing sucks. Let's just not do that again.

Go Bears.

Progkakke Week 4

Progkakke Standings:

Iggins!: 34-14

Code Red: 32-16

Erik: 30-18

Mrs. Code Red: 29-19

San Francisco 49ers (1-2?!) @ St. Louis Rams (1-2)

Iggins!: Last week, hopefully, was a massive haymaker to the face for the Niners. The Rams gave them trouble last year, but that was because the Rams literally knew every play San Fran was running. Niners get back on track.

Erik: As much as the Niners have looked like garbage the last two games, there’s just too much talent on that roster to believe this is who they are now. A week ago I might have taken the Rams, but their defense is clearly not as consistently great as I believed. Niners grind this one out.

Code Red: The Rams defense looked really solid in all phases last year, but this year the D-Line has remained stout while the secondary has really struggled. Which is good, because f*&k Cortland Finnegan. 49ers haven't sunk that far.

Elyse: God, it feels weird that I'm even debating it. Goodness gracious, Colin Kaepernick. Still, they aren't that bad. 49ers win.

Chicago Bears (3-0 :-D) @ Detroit Lions (2-1)

Erik: Looking back on the game last night, I feel pretty confident that a lot of those “errors” were actually just super-conservative playcalling allowing the Steelers to stay in the game. Hopefully Trestman learns from that and takes a bolder stand against a team that can score as quickly as the Lions. Pass rush still concerns me, as does Tillman’s availability against Megatron, but for the first time since the Lions were “good,” I feel confident saying we can keep up even without a Pro Bowl performance there. Bears win, 28-21.

Code Red: Yeah, we'll never know what game Trestman would have called if they hadn't been up 24-3 before you could blink. I understand not wanting to chance that on the road, and when he called deep drops to try and get 'em moving again in the 3^rd quarter the OL suddenly couldn't block. Bears can score on the Lions. Really looking forward to Suh vs. Kyle Long. Bears 30-24.

Elyse: Kind of did not expect this to be a battle for first place, but I'm not impressed with Detroit. Bears win 30-21.

Iggins!: I’ll take the Bears to win because it’s bad luck not to, but I’m pretty sure we lose here, randomly, and for no reason. Just a hunch!

New York Giants (0-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)

Iggins!: So apparently the Giants are terrible? The signs were all there, I guess. Terrible linebackers, mediocre secondary… if the d-line fell apart that defense would be crap, and it did. More concerning has to be Eli failing while having Nicks and Cruz to throw to. Also, that Chief defense is a nightmare. Chiefs win.

Erik: I really wasn’t that surprised. Even the years they won the Super Bowl, I have a hard time describing those teams as “good.” Certainly they had good players who put on good performances, but they’ve always (and by always I mean in the last five or six years) been flying by the seat of their pants and just scraping by. Eli’s protection has been shit, which has prevented him from putting on those Incredible Hulk performances that hide all the flaws under a barrage of TDs. It doesn’t get any easier against the Chiefs.

Code Red: that defense was shit last year, too. Then they made no additions on D and lost players on offense. Why does this shock people? I mean, the turnover hilarity is surprising even with Eli being Eli, but otherwise not surprised. Chiefs win, Eli gets caught in a Groundhog's Day like infinite loop of INTs.

Elyse: Woof. Chiefs are going to decimate them. Chiefs win.

BEHOLD! The SKOdCast: Episode 18

I did, in fact, call Jim Schwartz a f*%kface.

Episode 18 of the SKOdCast is Live at 6:15 PM

Listen in as we discuss a bit of Bears-Steelers and Bears-Lions (Odds are high that I'll call Jim Schwartz a f*&kface), and a bunch of around the league stuff ranging from Geno Smith to Josh Freeman to the Chiefs defense and various other topics. Also, Goddammit Bears Fans. LINKAGE

Opinionating: Ten Thoughts on the Bears and Beyond, Week 4

1) If he keeps up his absolutely stellar play, James Anderson may be one of the best free-agent signings of the last decade for the Bears, considering the pittance Emery is paying him. Perhaps the biggest difference between Tucker's scheme and Lovie's (although the similarities are apparent as well) is the large role Tucker has assigned to Anderson. With all due respect to two pretty solid players in Nick Roach and Hunter Hillenmeyer, I can't imagine either being able to do the kinds of things in the pass-rushing and pass-coverage departments that Anderson is excelling at right now.

2) The biggest difference between 2012 Jay Cutler and 2013 Jay Cutler? I suppose you could go with his maturity, as Dan Pompei says in this very good article. Statistically, though, it's in his accuracy downfield. Cutler right now is leading the league in completion % on passes thrown more than 10 yards in the air at 58%. Last year that number was just 39%. Although Trestman is calling more short passes for Jay than previous Bears coaches, it's been Jay's effectiveness downfield that has prevented defenses from sitting on those routes and preventing the offense from moving the ball.

3) That hole that Forte had on his 55 yard run is maybe the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. No analysis or anything. It was just awesome.

4) Did Lovie Smith do some kind of pump-fake drill every summer that Mel Tucker doesn't? Because I'm pretty sure that every single Bears defender has had their lunch money stolen on a pumpfake at some point this season. Hell, even Pro Football Focus mentioned it.

5)I have the normal amount of "Detroit Sucks" bravado and moments of panic-inducing "oh God what if they actually lost to Detroit?" thoughts this week, but one thing I am undeniably excited to watch this weekend is Kyle Long vs. Ndamukong Suh. Suh will win his share of matchups, but for once I believe the Bears have two guards who have a fighting chance against him. Besides, Long is just undeniably fun to watch. I don't know how you can say that about an offensive lineman, but the dude likes to hit people and I like seeing him do it.

6)I feel bad for Josh Freeman. I don't exactly think that he, like Steve Young, is a transcendent talent who will become a Hall of Famer when he escapes Tampa like Young did. There is some talent there, however, and it's always rough to see a guy just play without any confidence because his own coach hates him. I also can't imagine anyone who would trade for him in-season. Some teams that may look into a veteran option at QB next year *cough*Vikings*cough* will consider bringing him into camp, but the mid-season QB acquisition rarely works. Byron Leftwich's turn in Atlanta comes to mind.

7) I wonder how many weeks I can go without admitting how utterly fucking wrong I was about Ryan Tannehill being a Gabbert-like disaster. At least one more!

8)That Chiefs defense is downright terrifying. Any great 3-4 has to have three key ingredients: a play-making, wide-ranging safety (Eric Berry), a holy terror of an rush linebacker (why, hello, Justin Houston) and an immovable object at the nose (Dontari Poe). The Chiefs have all of that now, plus loads of depth at LB and DE. It's going to be so depressing watching another limp-armed journeyman QB with delusions of grandeur spoil this team's chances.

9)As dumb as it looked on draft night, I think it's fair to say the Jets deserve credit for taking Sheldon Richardson and Dee Milliner and not reaching to draft a QB when the arguably best QB in this draft fell to them in the second round anyway. With a front seven that is now loaded with young, premier talent (first round picks in Richardson, Muhammed Wilkerson, and Quinton Coples), they're slamming the door shut on opposing run games and placing Geno Smith in positions where he doesn't have to do much to win or at least keep the game competitive. If Geno can avoid the turnovers that doomed Rico Mirerez, he could enjoy similarly undeserved credit for riding a talented defense to a wildcard spot in a weak division.

10) There was a time when I was a big, stupid kid and hated on Peyton Manning out nothing more than pure jealousy. Those days are long past. If you don't enjoy watching what that man is doing (unless you're one of his poor victims, in which case hate away), then I'm not sure you really like football.