Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo Is Officially On The Hot Seat

The Chicago Bears season opener is roughly 67 hours away, which is about the time that Bears GM Jerry Angelo’s tenure on the hot seat is about to officially begin.  If you are one of the few that haven’t questioned the performance of Angelo to date, by kickoff on Sunday night in a nationally televised opener against Super Bowl XLI nemesis, the Indianapolis Colts, you may have second thoughts.  By getting to the Super Bowl two years ago, the Bears have bought some time for the newly embattled GM, but the clock is ticking under the weight of very questionable draft picks and lack of player development on the offensive side of the ball.

Jerry Angelo was named GM of the Chicago Bears on June 12, 2001.  During his tenure, the Bears have drafted the following players in the following rounds:

2008

Rd Player Position School

1 Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt

2 Matt Forte RB Tulane

3 Earl Bennett WR Vanderbilt

3 Marcus Harrison DT Arkansas

4 Craig Steltz SAF Louisiana State

5 Zack Bowman CB Nebraska

5 Kellen Davis TE Michigan State

7 Ervin Baldwin DE Michigan State

7 Chester Adams G Georgia

7 Joey LaRocque LB Oregon State

7 Kirk Barton T Ohio State

7 Marcus Monk WR Arkansas

2007

Rd Player Position School

1 Greg Olsen TE Miami (Fla.)

2 Dan Bazuin DE Central Michigan

3 Garrett Wolfe RB Northern Illinois

3 Michael Okwo LB Stanford

4 Josh Beekman G Boston College

5 Kevin Payne SAF Louisiana-Monroe

5 Corey Graham CB New Hampshire

7 Trumaine McBride CB Mississippi

7 Aaron Brant T Iowa State

2006

Rd Player Position School

2 Danieal Manning FS Abilene Christian

2 Devin Hester DB Miami (Fla.)

3 Dusty Dvoracek DT Oklahoma

4 Jamar Williams LB Arizona State

5 Mark Anderson DE Alabama

6 J.D. Runnels RB Oklahoma

6 Tyler Reed G Penn State

2005

Rd Player Position School

1 Cedric Benson RB Texas

2 Mark Bradley WR Oklahoma

4 Kyle Orton QB Purdue

5 Airese Currie WR Clemson

6 Chris Harris FS Louisiana-Monroe

7 Rod Wilson LB South Carolina

2004

Rd Player Position School

1 Tommie Harris DT Oklahoma

2 Tank Johnson DT Washington

3 Bernard Berrian WR Fresno State

4 Nathan Vasher CB Texas

4 Leon Joe LB Maryland

5 Claude Harriott DE Pittsburgh

5 Craig Krenzel QB Ohio State

7 Alfonso Marshall CB Miami (Fla.)

2003

Rd Player Position School

1 Michael Haynes DE Penn State

1 Rex Grossman QB Florida

2 Charles Tillman CB Louisiana-Lafayette

3 Lance Briggs OLB Arizona

4 Todd Johnson DB Florida

4 Ian Scott DT Florida

5 Bobby Wade WR Arizona

5 Justin Gage WR Missouri

5 Tron LaFavor DT Florida

6 Joe Odom LB Purdue

6 Brock Forsey RB Boise State

7 Bryan Anderson G Pittsburgh

2002

Rd Player Position School

1 Marc Colombo T Boston College

3 Roe Williams CB Tuskegee

3 Terrence Metcalf G Mississippi

4 Alex Brown DE Florida

5 Bobby Gray DB Louisiana Tech

5 Bryan Knight DE Pittsburgh

6 Adrian Peterson RB Georgia Southern

6 Jamin Elliott WR Delaware

6 Bryan Fletcher TE UCLA

In total, 63 players have been drafted by Jerry Angelo since 2002, his first draft as GM of the Bears.  Of the 63 players, 28 (44%) are still with the Bears.  Of the 63 total, 29 (46%)  were offensive players, 34 (54%) were defensive players.

Angelo has been particularly questionable at the top of the draft, the first 3 picks. His misses: Marc Columbo (1st round 2002), Roosevelt Williams (3rd round 2002), Terrence Metcalf (3rd round 2002), Michael Haynes (1st round 2003), Rex Grossman (1st round 2003), Tank Johnson (2nd round 2004), Cedric Benson (1st round 2005), Mark Bradley (2nd round 2005), Dan Bazuin (2nd round 2007), Michael Okwo (3rd round 2007).  Of Angelo’s 7 first round draft picks since 2002, he has completely whiffed on 4 (Columbo, Haynes, Grossman, and Benson), hit it big with one (Tommie Harris) and jury still out on two (Greg Olsen and Chris Williams).

One position that has been completely neglected is offensive line. After picking T Marc Columbo #1 in 2002, Angelo doesn’t even sniff a top OL pick until 2008 with #1 pick T Chris Williams. In fact, in 7 total drafts, Angelo drafted a total of 8 offensive lineman (2 in the 1st round, one in the 3rd round, one in the 6th round and 4 in the 7th round) Of those lineman, only 3 are still with the Bears. The injury to Williams is the icing on the sketchy cake for Angelo’s lack of high round draft pick success.

Hits in the top 3 rounds include: Charles Tillman (2nd round 2003), Lance Briggs (3rd round 2003), Tommy Harris (1st round 2004), Bernard Berrian (3rd round 2004), Devin Hester (2nd Round 2006) and arguably Greg Olsen (1st round 2007), twice as many misses than hits in the first three rounds.  Of all Angelo picks, only 4 made it to the Pro Bowl (Hester, Harris, Briggs, and Vasher).

On the other end in player development, the Bears have been less than satisfactory on the offensive side of the ball, most glaringly at QB.  Since 2002, the Bears have had the following QB’s on their roster who played at least one game: Jim Miller, Chris Chandler, Henry Burris, Cory Sauter, Kordell Stewart, Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzel, Chad Hutchinson, Jeff Blake, Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman, and Brian Griese.  Those are a lot of mediocre football players at the most important offensive position.  At WR, the Bears developed Bernard Berrian only to watch him sign with the Minnesota Vikings.  Justin Gage was a bust for the Bears, but emerged last season playing for the Tennessee Titans.

At RB, Cedric Benson will forever be linked to Jerry Angelo’s futility, seeing as the Bears best RB on the roster in 2007 (Thomas Jones) was traded to accomodate Benson, who rushed for 200 more yards in his entire career to date as Thomas Jones did in the 2006 Super Bowl season.  With draft and development failures as those listed above, it is no wonder that most analysts pick the Bears to finish 3rd or 4th in the NFC North this season.

Super Bowl XLI Rematch? Hardly…

For those thinking that tonight’s Chicago Bears - Indianapolis Colts pre-season game on Monday Night Football is any kind of a rematch of Super Bowl XLI, I have news for you…..it’s not.  It’s just a pre-season game, nothing more.   Thankfully, I haven’t noticed any marketing that suggests otherwise (although I wouldn’t put it past anyone trying to hype a pre-season game in a pre-season that is at least two games too long).

(AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

For the Bears, this is a start of a new season, a season filled with as much promise as last season, maybe even more.  The Bears offense may not surprise as it did last season, although it could be remarkable improved with the addition of TE Greg Olsen and another year of experience under the belt of QB Rex Grossman.   This Bears team, at least on paper, looks to be even better than last season’s Super Bowl team.  The true test of the Bears season begins in San Diego on September 9th against a Chargers team that is a Super Bowl favorite.  Then the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys hit town in back to back weeks and finally for the month of September, the Detroit Lions.  This is what will define the Bears season.  Championships are not won in September, but they certainly can be lost and 3-1 is what is expected in this stretch of the season.

Memo to Chicago Bears fans for tonight:  Super Bowl XLI was last year’s news, Super Bowl XLII is this year’s goal.  If the Bears play to their potential, they are there.  If not, nothing but disappointment and unfulfilled potential.

Top 5 Issues for Chicago Bears Success This Season

The Chicago Bears have what seems to be a very interesting problem:  too much depth.  Now, I know what you’re thinking, how can a team have too much depth?  But that’s what the Bears have, so much so that they have traded last year’s starting SS Chris Harris to the Carolina Panthers and are looking to move another, reserve CB and special teams standout Dante Wesley.  I will be the first to admit that I was very hard on Bears GM Jerry Angelo in the early days, but the last 3 years, he has proven that he has not only grown into the job, but has been one of the most shrewdest GM’s in the game in that period.

(Tribune photo by Scott Strazzante)

Angelo has wisely locked up core young talent early at a lesser price then they would have commanded in the open market, has drafted very wisely (has any GM drafted better from rounds 4-7?  If so, I want to know who that person is) and has built a roster that is arguably the strongest in the NFC from top to bottom.

The Bears are trying to defy recent history by returning to the Super Bowl a year after losing the Big Game, only a return is not the goal.  Winning the Super Bowl is the goal and it seems as though Bears head coach Lovie Smith has every man clearly focused on that goal once again.  For the Bears, 5 things have to happen in order to have a chance at returning to the Big Game:

1.  Avoid injuries at all cost — having the best bench depth in the NFC (and maybe in the league, west of New England) is definitely an asset, but you need your best players playing in top form all season.  If LB Brian Urlacher, QB Rex Grossman, RB Cedric Benson, WR Bernard Berrian, KR/PR/WR Devin Hester, DT Tommie Harris, or any one of the starting OL goes down, the next line of talent is thin at these positions.

2.  Offense has to make another leap in performance — The surprise of last season’s team was definitely the performance of the offense.  Nobody on the planet thought the Bears would be #2 in the NFL in scoring nor that Rex Grossman would throw 20 TD passes and over 3000 yards passing.  For the Bears to jump to the next level, Grossman must improve his completion rate.  Last season, he was at 54.6%.  This season, he has to eclipse 60% and limit his interceptions from 20 to single digits.  RB Cedric Benson is on the spot now, and must rush for at least 1,200 yards and 10 TD’s.  WR Mark Bradley must avoid the injury bug and establish himself as the #2 receiver, and WR Bernard Berrian must prove that last year wasn’t a fluke.

3.  KR/PR/WR Devin Hester must emerge as a multiple options threat — this is probably the most tenuous of all the options.  I can’t recall a return man who has excelled on the offensive side of the ball in recent history.  The Kansas City Chiefs tried KR Dante Hall at WR and that didn’t work.  Devin Hester could be one of the best open field players in NFL history, but not after one record setting season as a KR/PR.  Hester must prove that he is a threat regardless of position.  He didn’t stand out as a DB.  The offensive side of the ball is where he belongs, but yet again, he is very raw and unproven there….

4.  Defense can’t have another late season drop off — It was clear that the defense dropped off significantly in the second half of last season.  It was still a very good defense, but a dominant defense wins Super Bowl XLI and that wasn’t the case for the Bears.  The Indianapolis Colts rushed for 191 yards in the Super Bowl against a defense missing DL Tommie Harris and SS Mike Brown.  That defense stepped up against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game, but the time for the defense to shine is in December and January.  New defensive coordinator Bob Babich must bring more energy to the table then his predecessor, Ron Rivera, otherwise the change may be for naught.

5. Young players must perform well — Of any reason listed above, the performance of young players have been one of the biggest contributors to the recent success the Bears have experienced.  KR/PR Devin Hester, SS Danieal Manning, WR Mark Bradley, when healthy, DE Mark Anderson, departed SS Chris Harris, K Robbie Gould are all young players that really turned their games on in their rookie or second years, pushing for playing time and putting high priced veterans on the bubble.  The pressure will be on this year’s draft class, particularly TE Greg Olsen, RB Garrett Wolfe, and CB Trumaine McBride to fill key roles.  If these rookies shine, expect the Bears to be even more potent.

Opening day in San Diego is right around the corner.  The time to play the Chargers might be early in the season, but this is a tough opener.  The non-division schedule is tough, with games against the San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Seattle Seahawks, but to be the best, you have to go through the best.  The Bears will definitely have that to deal with this championship season….

Chicago Bears are Super Bowl XLI Champions — In Zimbabwe

For those of you that watched the Super Bowl, you might think that the Indianapolis Colts won the game. For 288 Zimbabwe citizens, the Chicago Bears are the Super Bowl XLI Champions, as the sideline apparel for the Bears was donated to a charity that will send the erroneous clothing to Zimbabwe.

I wonder if Zimbabwe will have the Super Bowl Champion parade for the Bears, since Chicago didn’t provide the march of the NFC Champions. I’m sure that for all in Zimbabwe, their Chicago Bears are World Champions. Who would have thought Zimbabwe would be the place where the “American Dream” rings true? Go figure…..

Chicago Bears Let Super Bowl Slip Through Their Fingers

I know what you’re thinking, that the Chicago Bears were thoroughly dominated statistically in yesterday’s Super Bowl XLI. I beg to differ with my own Super Bowl analysis — the Bears were actually in it until the end. So what did the Sports Maven see in the matchup between the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts? I saw plenty to be disturbed about and things that are very encouraging for next season. My disturbing thoughts are:

1. The Bears played way too conservatively offensively. The Bears were 6 1/2 pt. underdogs coming into the game and had nothing to lose. When Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, first time in Super Bowl history that has happened, and the fastest score in Super Bowl history, the momentum of the game immediately swung to the Bears. When Chris Harris intercepted Peyton Manning on the Colts first offensive series, the momentum for the Bears was off the charts. I thought Ron Turner’s offensive gameplan was too concentrated on running the ball out of the gate and not using the pass to loosen up the Colts 8-9 man fronts. In their most successful offensive games of the season, the offense started by going deep early and establishing the passing game early. Then it became easier to pound the ball. I felt that Turner played into the Colts hands with his gameplan. Too many 3 and outs (15 possessions, 48 plays, for the game, and average of 12 3 and outs and 3 drives of 4 plays.) The Bears offense should have attacked after the Manning INT. Instead, it was 3 and out, momentum leaving the Bears. All and all, a ridiculously poor game plan from the offense. This play to not lose mentality has got to go. Despite all this, the Bears are still only 5 points down midway though the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl.

2. The Bears played way too conservatively on defense too. Bears played as though they were trying not to lose the game. My friends at dabearsblog.com said it best. Where was the blitz? When the Bears blitzed, Peyton Manning looked rattled. It was certainly effective, but problem was that it was rarely used. The bend but not break philosophy also has to go. Another game plan that played into the hands of the Colts, particularly Peyton Manning. Giving n Manning an opportunity to establish rhythm was the WORST thing the Bears could have done and they did it. This game was an opportunity to attach Manning, make him uncomfortable, but that never happened, as the defense played scared. I felt the Bears defense watched too many Colts players catch balls in front of them and then didn’t make plays. The Bears defense not stopping the Colts on third down was equally important as the Bears offense’s failure to run more than three plays at a time. Despite all this, the Colts couldn’t score offensive TD’s and the Bears are still 5 points down midway though the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl.

3. Third down conversions on both sides of the ball were not in favor of the Bears. The Bears couldn’t stop the Colts on third down. The Colts were 8 of 18 on third down, while the Bears were 3 of 10. Enough said on this one.

4. Turnovers and poor tackling hurts the Bears. The Bears committed 5 turnovers and missed more tackles than a Pop Warner little league team. Five turnovers in the Super Bowl? You gotta be kidding me….

5. Rex Grossman needs much work, more improvement, and some competition. Rex couldn’t hold the wet ball. Rex couldn’t take a snap, despite the fact that he took about 99.5% of all the snaps this season. Rex threw two costly interceptions, one with the Bears down only 5 points with most of the 4th quarter remaining. Rex is too much of a gambler. He wants to make the big play, and is very impatient. If there is one person Grossman should take cues from, it’s the guy across the sideline from him, Peyton Manning. Grossman is immature. He is immature in how he plays the game. He is immature in how he handles the media. He is immature in what comes out of his mouth. He needs to grow up. Shut up and play. Rex is too talented to be as wildly inconsistent as he displayed this year.

My encouraging thoughts are:

1. Bears return 19 of 22 starters. Nineteen of 22 starters under contract. The lone 3 are Pro Bowl OG Reuben Brown, who has expressed a strong interest in coming back, an interest shared by Bears management, Pro Bowl LB Lance Briggs, who will most likely be “franchised” if a new contract is not worked out, and DT Ian Scott, who inherited the starting DT position when Pro Bowl DT Tommie Harris went down for the season with a torn left hamstring.

2. Mike Brown and Tommie Harris will be back from injuries. The jury is still out on how they will play after injury. Tommie Harris is still young and many notable players have come back from a torn hamstring and been effective again. (Ray Lewis being one of them). Mike Brown’s Lisfranc ligament tear on his right foot is the more concerning of the two injuries, as players who have historically injured that ligament have difficult time returning to a high level of play. Nonetheless, the two stalwarts of the Bears D should be back in time for training camp.

3. The NFC North Division should once again be weak — the Bears will still have the most talented team in the division. They will not be playing a last place schedule next season, but 6 games against division foes should ease that pain. Of course, the Green Bay Packers will be improved with the announcement of Brett Favre’s return, so if anything, show up for BOTH Packer games.

4. The Bears are $23.9 million under the 2007 Salary Cap — this is a good thing, as the Bears will have a short laundry list of needs going into next season.

So the end of a good season cut short with a Super Bowl loss….lets finish the job next year for the bandwagon for Glendale, AZ begins today. Next up, the NFL Combine in Indianapolis (of all places) and the 2007 NFL Draft, where the Bears will have the 31st pick of the draft.

Super Bowl XLI Predictions

The Super Bowl brings the good, the bad, and the ugly in predictions from almost everybody who is somebody on the planet. From athletes, to the media, and celebrities, everyone is an expert when it comes to their Super Bowl picks. In an attempt to consolidate as many Super Bowl predictions as I could find and hear this week, the following lists are the “expert” opinions on who wins Super Bowl XLI on Sunday:

NFL Players, Coaches, Analysts Picks:

• ESPN Analysts

  Len Pasquarelli – Colts 27-23

  John Clayton – Colts 27-17

  Chris Mortensen – Colts 27-20

  Gene Wojciechowski – Bears 27-26

  Gary Horton – Colts 31-24

  Jeremy Green – Bears 26-23

  Bill Simmons – Bears 33-30

  Jemele Hill – Bears 34-31

  Scoop Jackson – Bears 31-28

  Ron Jaworski – Colts 31-21

  Sal Paolantonio – Colts 31-20

  Eric Allen – Bears 21-17

  Mike Golic – Colts 31-23

  Greg Garber – Colts 30-21

  KC Joyner – Bears 31-27

  John Banks, Deputy Editor – Colts 31-14

  Peter Lawrence-Riddell – Colts 28-17

  Joe Wojciechowski – Colts 27-20

  Chris Berman – Colts 30-20

  Joe Theismann – Colts

  Merril Hoge – Colts

  HBO’s Inside the NFL Team

  Bob Costas – Colts

  Cris Carter – Colts

  Dan Marino – Colts

  Cris Collinsworth – Bears

  ESPN’s Around the Horn Team

  Tim Cowlishaw – Bears

  Tony Reali – Colts

  Jay Mariotti – Bears

  Woody Paige – Colts

  Jackie MacMullen – Colts

  Kevin Blackistone – Colts

  ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption Team

  Michael Wilbon – Bears

  Tony Kornheiser – Colts

  Other ESPN Personalities

  Jim Rome – Colts 24-17

  Andrew Siciliano – Bears

  Ray Ratto – Colts 31-16

  Fox’s The Best Damn Sports Show Period

  Chris Rose – Colts

  Rodney Peete – Bears

  Leann Tweeden – Colts

  Rob Dibble – Bears

  John Salley – Colts

  Chicago Tribune Reporters

  Terry Bannon – Colts 27-23

  Mike Downey – Bears 28-26

  Brian Hamilton – Colts 27-23

  Ed Sherman – Colts 31-20

  Bob Foltman – Colts 24-21

  John Mullin – Bears 21-20

  Rick Morrissey – Bears 28-17

  Fred Mitchell – Bears 27-23

  Dan McGrath – Colts 30-21

  Melissa Issacson – Bears 28-24

  David Haugh – Bears 31-28

  Don Pierson – Colts 30-24

  Skip Myslinski – Colts 34-21

  Paul Sullivan – Bears 30-27

  Lew Freedman – Bears 27-21

  Mark Gonzales – Colts 31-27

  Teddy Greenstein – Bears 27-23

  Philip Hersh – Bears 30-27

  Ed Hinton – Bears 24-9

  Michael Hirsley – Bears 28-21

  KC Johnson – Bears 28-14

  Barry Temkin – Bears 31-27

  Dave Van Dyck – Bears 23-20

  Actors/Celebrities/Athletes/Politicians

  David Letterman – Colts 34-27

  Tom Dreesen – Bears 30-27

  Craig Ferguson – Colts

  Morgan Freeman – Colts

  William H. Macy – Colts

  Dennis Farina – Bears 23-17

  Joe Mantegna – Bears 31-21

  Gary Sinise – Bears 24-21

  Dennis Franz – Bears 24-13

  Bernie Mac – Bears 33-31

  Ashton Kutcher – Bears 24-20

  Paul Newman – Bears 21-20

  Dwayne Wade – Bears 28-24

  Sylvester Stallone – Colts 38-30

  Jack Nicklaus – Colts 34-24

  Arnold Palmer – Colts 31-24

  Serena Williams – Colts 17-13

  Sen. John McCain – Colts by 6

  Sen. John Kerry – Colts 34-27

  Al Franken – Bears 21-20

  Bill O’Reilly – Colts 31-10

  Larry King – Colts 21-7

  Charlie Sheen – Colts 37-33

  Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR – Colts 31-28

  William Shatner – Colts 24-17

  Haley Joel Osment – Colts 31-24

  Mickey Rooney – Bears 24-14

  Tony Sirico – Colts 21-14

  Pat Robertson – Colts 17-14

  Jerry Falwell – Colts by 14

  Duane “Dog” Chapman – Bears 35-28

  John Wooden – Colts

  Bobby Thomson – Colts 24-17

  Ralph Branca – Colts 41-24

  Jennie Finch – Colts 34-27

  Danica Patrick – Bears 31-27

  Molly Sims – Colts 31-24

  Kendra Wilkinson (Hugh Hefner’s girlfriend) – Colts 27-13

  Dick Vitale – Colts 28-21

  Tony Parker – Colts 25-20

  Phil Jackson – Bears 20-15

  Bob Cousy – Colts 37-12

  Leroy Nieman – Colts 24-10

  Ed Asner – Bears 27-24

  Elisabeth Shue – Colts 35-21

  Dionne Warwick – Colts 28-21

  Wayne Newton – Bears 21-7

  Dick Van Patten – Colts 31-21

  Connie Stevens – Bears 32-23

  Jack Valenti – Colts 28-27

  Tobin Bell – Colts 31-6

  Robert Loggia – Colts 35-29

  Buzz Aldrin – Colts 28-17

  Chuck Yeager – Colts 21-14

  Sen. Richard Lugar – Colts

  Richard M. Daley – Bears

  Mike Eruzione – Colts 31-21

  Michael Phelps – Colts 28-17

  Jermain Taylor – Colts 30-24

  Jeremy Wariner – Bears 27-10

  Kerri Walsh – Colts 27-18

  Ian MacShane – Bears 38-35

  William Sanderson – Colts 31-17

  Leah Remini – Colts 34-23

  Jesse L. Martin – Colts 31-24

  James Denton – Colts 26-16

  Jim Caviezel – Colts 31-20

  John Amos – Bears 24-17

  Marisol Nichols – Bears 24-20

  Stephen Root – Colts 27-21

  Robert Iler, Jr. – Bears 28-24

  Dawn Wells – Colts 24-14

  Barry Williams – Colts 27-17

  Florence Henderson – Colts 24-14

  Adam West – Colts 28-24

  Sam Hornish – Colts 41-14

  Matt Kenseth – Colts 34-17

  Jeff Burton – Colts 28-24

  Susan Anton – Colts 31-24

  L. Scott Turow – Bears 24-20

  Vince Neil – Colts 31-24

  Joan Jett – Colts 28-14

  Carrot Top – Colts 31-17

  Penn & Teller – Colts 28-17

  James Blake – Colts 27-17

  Reggie Miller – Colts

  Steve Kerr – Bears

  LeBron James – Colts

  Andy Roddick – Colts

  Bill Bellamy – Bears

  Anna Kournikova – Bears

  Enrique Iglesias – Bears

  Stewart Cink – Colts

  John Daly – Colts

  Davis Love III – Colts

  Brad Faxon – Colts

  Charles Howell III – Colts

  David Toms – Colts

  Justin Leonard – Colts

  Jeff Sluman – Bears

  Aaron Baddeley – Colts

  Fred Couples – Colts

  Camilo Villegas – Bears

  Tom Glavine – Colts

  David Wright – Bears

  John Maine – Colts

  Jose Reyes – Colts

  Vernon Wells – Colts

  NBC Staff – 3 of 5 pick the Colts

  USA Today – 5 of 6 pick the Colts

Zach Thomas, LB, Dolphins – Bears

Roy Williams, S, Cowboys – Bears

Drew Brees, QB, Saings – Colts

Sean Payton, Head Coach, Saints – Colts

Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals – Colts

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seahawks – Bears

TJ Houshmanzadeh, WR, Bengals – Bears

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars – Colts by 14

Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins – Colts

Joe Montana – Colts

Mike Ditka – Bears 28-24

Jack Del Rio, Head Coach, Jaguars – Colts

Curtis Martin, RB, Jets – Colts

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers – Colts

Steve Mariucci – Colts

Michael Strahan, DE, Giants – Colts

Jarrett Payton, RB, Titans – Bears

Troy Aikman – Colts

Michael Irvin – Colts

Media

Oh My, Oh My, Miami

Friday in Miami, what a spectacle. The NFL has been in town, in force, for two weeks now, bringing their biggest event, Super Bowl XLI with them. This is the first time since 1999 that the Super Bowl has graced Miami and you would think that the town had never seen the likes of the NFL, ever. The Super Bowl is a celebration of the NFL season, a reason to have ginormous, decadent, over-the-top parties with intoxicated, scantily clad women chased by men with a libido of a teenage boy, and oh, by the way, a championship game that rivals no other. Everyone who’s everyone is here in Miami, at least celebrity-wise. You can’t go a stone’s throw away from the Atlantic Ocean without hitting some sort of party event by the plethora of NFL corporate sponsors.

In case you’re wondering, Playboy is having a Super Bowl party at the American Airlines Arena on Saturday night. For a tidy sum of $5,000, you can purchase a ticket to eat gourmet food by Chicago’s very own Levy Restaurant Group with over 30 wonderfuly friendly and sexy Playboy Playmates and models. Not to leave anyone out, but Penthouse is also having a Super Bowl party in Miami, their Goin’ Deep Party on Saturday. Party with 28 Penthouse Pets until 5am. Shaquille O’Neal had his “Sexy 60″ party last night at the Versace Mansion. Even Tony Siragusa is sponsoring a Super bowl Cheerleader party. I gotta go find this guy!

Other notable parties include Leather & Laces party with Carmen Electra, Jenny McCarthy and others. How about a two day, two site party Bauer’s Pure Rush Super Bowl party on Thursday and Friday night. The Maxim is tonight at an undisclosed location in Miami. There is a Prince concert tonight, A Jimmy Buffett concert tomorrow night, and Billy Joel is rumored to be sliding into a local haberdashery and doing an impromptu piano bar tickling session on a local Steinway piano.

Everywhere you walk, there are beautiful women, lots of food and drink, sports shows, media members, ordinary football fans, cars, celebrities, all drinking the Kool-Aid of the Super Bowl life. There is beach, surf, fun, and sun. A $100,000 Pepsi Can for a giveaway, plus two tickets to the Super Bowl for life (or 60 years, which ever comes first.) And then, there are the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears. It amazes me how these two team can be right in the middle of all this temptation and stay out of trouble. It takes intense focus and commitment to a higher team goal and a overpowering realization of what exactly is at stake.

Both these teams possess that focus and commitment, taking the lead of their perspective head coaches. This has to be the most harmonious, lovefest of a Super Bowl between two opponents in the history of the NFL. Both coaches are virtually best friends. Both teams had nothing but good things to say about each other. Lots of handshaking, backslapping, smiling, laughing and cajoling with intermingling players from both team. It’s hard to hate anyone with the Indianapolis Colts, I try, but I can’t bring myself around to it. They are likeable guys, no TO’s, no Bill Romanowski’s in this crowd. They are both teams with midwestern values, coached by two respectable, low-key men.

If I were Lovie Smith, I would be pulling all the motivational stops out, playing every disrespect card I can play to whip my team into a frenzy. The Bears are underdogs in every way possible, and they seem to be relishing that role, as if they know something that virtually everyone else is missing. If I were Lovie, I would take the team on a midnight field trip to the Miami Convention Center and walk each player, individually, right by the Vince Lombardi Trophy, letting them know that they are “this” far away from bringing that baby home to Chicago. I would let the team know that they only people who believe in them are the 53 men in the locker room, the coaches and staff, and the 4th phase of their game, the Chicago fans, Folks, the pressures is off the Bears now. They weren’t even the consensus pick to be in the Super Bowl, and now, definitely not the consensus pick to win the Super Bowl. Lose is what everyone EXPECTS from the Bears. The Bears can come out loose and free, enjoy every moment, and play as though this is the last game of their lives.

The stage is set. Tomorrow is the last day, the last dress rehersal for Sunday’s big show and the players, coaches, and staff can’t wait. For everyone else, I hope the game is a half as good as all the parties I wish we could attend……

Chicago Bears Get To Work Today

With all the expanded media coverage the last two weeks, it was easy to forget that there was a football game to prepare for today. The Chicago Bears began their serious preparation for Super Bowl XLI. The Bears were in pads, helmets and shorts today and reports said that practice went very well. Ron Turner, the Bears offensive coordinator stated that the Bears offense worked on their first and second down play packages today, which is the Bears routine for Wednesday throughout the season.

According to Rich Eisen from the NFL Network, reports have it that the Bears looked relaxed, yet ready to go, ready to play this game. I agree, as the Bears seem to be using the “Play Angry” motto plus the underdog role to forge an us against the world bond. I feel good that this plays into the Bears hands perfectly. I am excited to see the Bears come out and prove to the world not only do they belong in the Super Bowl, but they can compete and are more than capable of winning this game.

The more time I spend breaking down the analysis, the picks by the experts, the comments, the more the keys to this game become simpler and simpler. Right now, Super Bowl XLI comes down the Peyton Manning vs. The Bears. It will obviously be more than that, but from the media perspective and slant, it is all about the X-Factor and aura of Peyton Manning vs. the underdog, bonding closer and tighter as every day goes by Chicago Bears football team. The Bears have no Peyton Mannings on their roster. Brian Urlacher is as close as it gets and he’s a middle linebacker.

As each day goes by, the Bears sit and stew, are asked the same questions about being second fiddle to the Colts, listen to how it’s finally Peyton Manning’s year, how it is his time and that he is the chosen one. Peyton Manning, the friendly, likable guy in the boy next door commercials, it’s his coronation, his time to rise and beat the demons that have held him back. All about how the Bears are the better team defensively, special teams and are quite competent offensively, but yet have no chance to win because of the ‘Peyton Manning effect”. I think the pressure is squarely on the broad shoulders of Peyton Manning and the Bears will enter Dolphin Stadium on Sunday night loose, but quietly motivated, letting all the perceived disrespect stew into their performance on the field of play. Many a statement has been made that the QB position is where half the Super Bowl MVP’s come from and that this is Peyton Manning’s right to claim, his coronation. Lets see what the experts say on Monday morning….

Back to the “expert” picks. Clearly in the experts eyes, the Bears are underdogs in every way possible for this game. The most hardened and experienced of analysts just can’t bring themselves to pick the Bears. You name it, you will be hard pressed to find an analyst worth his salt picking the Bears to beat the Colts. This is what I’ve seen so far this week:

Gil Brandt – NFL.com Analyst - Colts 27, Bears 17.
Dr. Z – CNNSI.com – Colts 34, Bears 24
Experts at CBS Sportsline - 4 of 6 pick the Colts to win the Super Bowl
Vinnie Iyer – SportingNews.com – Colts 34, Bears 24
ESPN Scouts Inc. Pick – Colts 28, Bears 24
ESPN Analyst Mark Schlereth’s pick – Colts (no score)
ESPN Analyst Chris Mortensen’s pick - Colts by 4 points
ESPN Around the Horn’s Woody Paige – Colts (“here’s no way in hell or Miami that Chicago can beat Indianapolis.”)

NFL Network Picks from today:
- Rich Eisen – shocking that the Bears are as big an underdog, Bears looked relaxed and appear to be a team ready to play this game, no pick.
- Terrell Davis – everybody is picking the Colts, so the pressure is on the Colts, Bears getting extra motivation from being underdog, no pick.
- Trent Dilfer – Bears look ready to work, no pick.
- Steve Mariucci – Bears have the best team, but picking the Colts because of one player, Peyton Manning
- Drew Brees, NO – Colts
- Carson Palmer, CIN – Colts
- Sean Payton, coach, NO – Colts
- Hines Ward, PIT – Bears
- Matt Hasselbeck, SEA – no pick
- Holly Robinson Peete – Colts
- Zach Thomas, MIA – Bears
- Roy Williams, DAL – Bears
- Brian Baldinger, analyst – Bears
- Donovan McNabb, PHI – Bears (and he’s a Cubs fan too!)

Other expert picks:
- Jimmy Johnson, Fox NFL Analyst on WSCR Chicago Sports Radio – Colts
- Boomer Esiason, NFL.com Analyst on WSCR Chicago Sports Radio – Colts
- Emmitt Smith on WSCR Chicago Sports Radio – Colts
- Al Harris, Packer’s CB on WSCR Chicago Sports Radio – Colts
- Chad Johnson, CIN WR on WSCR Chicago Sports Radio – Colts

Bears can’t even get a break in video games. The Madden ‘07 forecast from ESPN – Colts 38, Bears 27

ESPN Cold Pizza’s Skip Bayless’ Pick – Bears

No wonder Adawale Ogunleye looks like he is over the media sessions, interviews and all the Super Bowl fluff. If you were listening for two straight weeks about how much the Colts were better than you, i’m sure you would have the same expression on your face…..

Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts Do Media Day At The Super Bowl

Today was Super Bowl XLI Media Day and I found it to be quite an amusing and fun day. The day began with the Chicago Bears taking the interview podiums first (12 podiums lined end zone to end zone on one sideline of the playing field in Dolphins Stadium) for one hour followed by the Indianapolis Colts.

When the day began, the media mavens rushed down the aisles of the stadium towards the players on the field like shoppers rushing the Wal-Mart at 5am the day after Thanksgiving

The Indianapolis Colts were 10 minutes late to today’s media session, keeping up a trend which the media finds quite disturbing. The big name players got the podiums (names such as Rex Grossman, Brian Urlacher, Bernard Berrian, and Muhsin Muhammad for the Bears, Peyton Manning, Adam Vinatieri, Marvin Harrison, and Reggie Wayne). The topics were varied.

Some of the highlights of today’s media session:

- Bernard Berrian was asked what kind of syrup he liked on his pancakes (he likes maple)
- An unnamed Bears player was asked his preference, Levitra or Viagra.
- Peyton Manning admits he was pulling for the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game (obvious, as he is from New Orleans)
- Reggie Wayne being asked what it was like to receive a pass from Peyton Manning.
- Adam Vinatieri asked if he is related to Evel Knievel by Steve Mariucci from the NFL Network (he is) and asked to say hi to NFL fans in Japan.
- Tank Johnson asked about 100 questions on his pending gun charges and murder of his bodyguard.
- American Idol rejects (hired by Jimmy Kimmel) trying to get Bears and Colts players to sing.

All and all, it was a good day. Seemed like the Bears embraced media day while the Colts endured it. Deion Sanders from the NFL Network stated that he thought the Bears were exciting and provacative in their sessions (no mention of what the Colts did for Deion).

Another note on routine and adaptability: Plenty has been made on the Bears showing up to Miami early Sunday and the Colts choosing to come later on Monday. The Colts wanted to maintain as much routine as possible, which is a fine goal, BUT THIS IS THE SUPER BOWL, the biggest stange in the world. There is absolutely NOTHING routine about the Super Bowl, where everything is super sized and done to the max, so sticking to as much routine as possible throughout this circus environment may prove to be an exercise in futility. Routine is good for preparation, but too much stock can be put into routine. My belief is not that the team who sticks closest to their weekly routine has the edge, but rather the team that is most adaptable and adapts to the demands of the bright lights the quickest has the advantage. Right now, I feel the Bears have been that more adaptable team, giving them my edge in the chess match known as the Super Bowl…..

Sports Maven’s Top 5 Needs for White Sox in 2007

This weekend was the 15th Annual SoxFest Fan Convention at the Palmer House Hyatt in downtown Chicago. The timing was mixed for Chicago White Sox fans, as it just so happens that the convention fell on the weekend prior to Super Bowl XLI, and the Chicago Bears just happen to be playing in that Super Bowl for the first time in 21 years. Chicago Cubs fans know how that goes with the last two seasons of Bears playoff home games coinciding with the Cubs Convention, but fortunately, the week is slow for Super Bowl news.

The big news out of SoxFest was GM Kenny Williams inadvertent torching of P Mark Buehrle’s chances of being with the White Sox past the ‘07 season. The White Sox made plenty of news this off-season by trading P Freddie Garcia to the Philadelphia Phillies for P Gavin Floyd and P Gio Gonzalez, a move I liked, by the way. I felt the more sketchy move was trading P Brandon McCarthy to the Texas Rangers for P John Danks and P Nick Masset. I felt McCarthy was the young pitcher that Williams was using to build his strategy of post-title rebuilding to stave off the hyper inflation of pitcher salaries. This is a HUGE roll of the dice with the payoff being very marginal, at best.

Regardless, if the White Sox are to have a chance to get back to the post-season and compete for a World Series title, I predict 5 key needs/things will have to happen. They are:

1. Bullpen needs to be way more solid. Last year’s bullpen was a bit of a mess, especially in left handed relief. The White Sox had a hard time bridging the gap to closer Bobby Jenks. LHP Matt Thornton was a terrific surprise for the White Sox, but P Neal Cotts (since traded to the Chicago Cubs) was a disaster. The White Sox bullpen is now filled with power arms from both sides with the addition of RHP David Aardsma (from the Cubs trade), LHP Andrew Sisco, and late season pick up RHP Mike MacDougal. Add LHP Boone Logan into that mix and there are a lot of power arms that can really bring it. If this group can somehow find the consistency that was non-existent last season, this will put the White Sox worlds ahead of where they were last season.

2. Fill the hole in CF — CF Brian Anderson was a major disappointment last season. He will be the first to admit that. That being said, there is no way the White Sox can go into the 2007 season with that same kind of hole in their lineup. Anderson actually caused two holes, as his hitting in the 8/9 spot was virtually an automatic out in a strong White Sox lineup and caused power hitting 2B Tadahito Iguchi to have to hit in the #2 spot, which he is able, but would be much better suited to hit lower in the order. I’m very encouraged by the signing of OF Darrin Erstad and the developement of OF’s Jerry Owens and Josh Fields. Brian Anderson has a fight on his hands this season. He could very well end up from the starting CF in Chicago to starting CF in Charlotte.

3. Buehrle needs to come back in form, need strong seasons from the #4/#5 starters – P Mark Buehrle needs to rebound from a career worst 12-13 4.99 ERA season to be the typical Mark Buehrle we are used to seeing. P Javier Vasquez finished the season on a strong note, but was essentially a 5 inning pitcher for most of the season. The since departed P Freddy Garcia had an up and down season, but finished very strong. (although his fastball lost some life this past season) The struggles of the starting rotation only highlighted the difficulties in the bullpen, as they were forced to pitch more in bad/ineffective/short outings by starters Buehrle/Garcia/Vasquez. The bottom of the rotation is now new, with Vasquez holding down the #4 spot in the rotation, and the #5 that could be Gavin Floyd or Charlie Haeger. Either way, the bottom of the order plus Buehrle need to step it up bigtime for the White Sox to compete.

4. Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko need to keep up with the big bats – otherwise, the White Sox have no chance. Any significant drop in one or two of the Big 3 will spell doom for the White Sox. The White Sox have an almost perfect balanced lineup, power hitters and avg./contact hitters, hitters with speed, and fairly good lefty/righty balance. The Big 3 keeps producing, the White Sox are in the race. If not, will be a long, grinder season that won’t be pretty.

5. Develop a replacement for LF Scott Podsednik – I am not a big Scott Podsednik fan. I thought in 2005, he did what he needed to to ignite the White Sox and in the playoffs he was huge, but 2006 really showed that he and Anderson were the weak links in an otherwise formidible White Sox lineup. Now, Scottie Pods starts out 2007 behind the 8-ball with groin surgery. The White Sox need an effective leadoff hitter badly and Scottie Pods is not the answer…..another season like ‘06 and the White Sox find more trouble.

The White Sox lived off of the 2005 World Series last season, but things change quickly. The intoxication of the first World Series victory in 88 years is nearly worn off and the construction on the Dan Ryan expressway is a year over schedule, so the White Sox have some work to do to get even close to last year’s attendance record. Do all 5 above, the White Sox are in the playoffs. Anything less, the AL Central is too strong and the White Sox will find themselves on the outside looking in.