By George Ofman
How do I hate thee, let me count the ways.
How about two interceptions, back-to-back fumbles by the same guy, offensive linemen who can’t count and block, special teams that can’t tackle, an invisible pass rush, defenders who fall on fumbles, too many men on the field, coaches who were clueless . . .
And the Bears still could have won the game.
We had to wait two weeks for this?
The Bears looked confused, check that . . . dumb! It’s hard to fathom a team that fancies itself a playoff contender could perform this poorly. But this franchise has a history of playing some mighty bad games. This was one of them.
Ignore the score. It’s meaningless. The fact the Bears sat on the doorstep of tying the Falcons in the last minute was erased by one of the myriad mistakes that plagued them throughout.
Please tell me Orlando Pace didn’t do what he did on third-and-one at the five.
Please tell me Matt Forte didn’t fumble on the one-yard line after fumbling the previous play.
Please tell me Jay Cutler wasn’t intercepted at the nine.
The next time the Bears enter the red zone, they should be kicked out.
And Frank Ohmygod! Where did Jerry Angelo unearth this dinosaur?
Somewhere, Josh Beekman is wondering when someone will remove the mothballs from his shoulder pads.
The Bears’ offensive line was exposed as a threat to its own quarterback who, by the way, is starting to make we wonder whether he shares a tiny bit of DNA with Rex Grossman.
And to think, Jerry Angelo just traded for a defensive end.
How about netting a defensive tackle? Somebody alert Tommie Harris he soon could be arrested for stealing money.
Oh yes, I almost forgot. Twelve players on the field for a punt return? A punt return!
Matt Forte managed just 23 yards on 15 carries. Was he bad? Well, did you see the line that attempted to block for him? Forget the bus,Lovie. The Bears now come off a Mini Cooper running. Forte is either a step slow or his line two steps slower. Maybe it’s both.
Most of what transpired in Atlanta last night had to do with an offense which was supposed produce enough points to cushion what is a shaky secondary. Other than the 48 they posted against laughable Lions, the Bears have averaged a measly 17.75 in splitting the other four games. And while Cutler made two bad plays, two really bad plays, he also made enough good ones to bail out his teammates. With the Bears trailing 14-7, Cutler made a gutsy run of 30 yards from his own 10. He also threw a 41-yard pass to Greg Olsen, who was located as a result of some good work by the missing person’s department. Olsen caught the touchdown pass to tie it.
Then came a not-so-special teams play. A 62-yard kickoff return by Eric Weems was shades of last year’s debacle in the Georgia Dome when the Bears took the lead with 11 seconds left only to lose on an ill-advised squib kick, a 26-yard pass by Matt Ryan and Jason Elam’s game-winning field goal.
The Falcons needed only seven more plays to take the lead.
Cutler also deserved a better fate on the final drive. But a sack and two unconscionable false starts left the Bears doomed in the dome again.
Forgive me but I’m doing some math here. The Bears are 3-2. The Vikings are 6-0. Winning the division might be a stretch. Four other teams in the NFC are 3-2 while the Falcons are 4-1 and trailing the division-leading Saints, who pulverized the previously unbeaten Giants. Next week the Bears play at Cincinnati, where the 4-2 Bengals were humbled by Houston. I’m thinking this is an almost must-win game.
If the Bears play like they did last night, must win games just might become commonplace.
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George Ofman, an original member of The Score and a veteran of NPR, has covered more than 3,500 sporting events over the course of his career. Comments welcome.
Posted on October 19, 2009