For starters, I couldn't be happier for both the Seahawks and Jaguars. Both teams sweated out pretty tough victories, but in the end it was pretty clear that the better teams won. In both games, the winners dominated throughout the first half and for most of the third quarter, faltered and actually relinquished their leads and then fought back and took back what looked to be theirs from the get-go. The Steelers put up more of a fight than the Skins and Collins(who showed why he has been a carreer backup), but they fell short to the much more physical and multi-dimensional Jags. It just looked like the Jags wanted it more. Regarding Collins, what yesterday's game showed is that while he can make a lot of the throws over the middle of the field, he does not have enough arm strength to get the ball out on sideline routs. On any timing based routes outside the hash-marks, his recievers were well into their breaks when he was just releasing the ball, allowing the Seahawks' DB's to get all over the receivers or pick off the ball. Bad sideline throws often turn into six points the other way, and that game was no exception. If he starts next year for the Skins, or any team for that matter, look for defenses to force him into sideline throws. He just doesn't have enough zip in his arm.

All that being said, the reason I wrote this blog is to praise two of my favorite coaches in the league, Mike Holmgren and Jack Del Rio. Del Rio took an enormous risk in the pre-season and instead of just swapping Gerrard and Leftwich on the depth chart, he cut Leftwich and put all of his eggs in the Gerrard basket, which any competitive player would love to have his coach do. Cutting Leftwich was the ultimate vote of confidendce by Del Rio and it has paid off tremendously. The way Del-Rio is able to get as much as he does out of such an underwhelming roster is very admirable and under appreciated. They do have stud RB's, but the coached have done a great job all year long in how they have gotten a decent quarterback to play like a Pro-Bowler, and the same could be said about the receivers. Reggie Williams, Matt Jones, Earnest Wilford, Dennis Northcut and Mercedis Lewis don't exactly scare anybody, but they are big, physical guys that have come up with big plays all year long. The defense, even with the attention it has garnered the last few years, is still underrated. The linebackers are seldom heard of and most fans couldn't name two of them, let alone one. Again, the job Del Rio and his staff has done with their units is exceptional and can not go unnoticed.

The other winning coach, Mike Holmgren,(contrary to public opinion, and the opinion of Jerome Bettis for that matter) told the world that he planned on abandoning the run and would throw all day, and nobody, not even the hottest team in the NFC, has been able to really shut down his offense, evgen on a day where his quarterback played a lot worse than he is capable of. Holmgren is one of the most candid and secure coaches in all of sports, and doesn't bother hiding his emotions or sugarcoating his opinions, among other things. He also does something that I and fellow Chicagoans have come to believe as impossible, hold open practices, as reported by ESPN 1000 Bears' reporter Jeff Dickerson, my favorite Bears' reporter in Chicago. Holmgren actually came on ESPN Radio about two weeks ago and said flat out that his offense is and will continue to be very pass-heavy and made no bones about it. After listening to Lovie Smith pontificate, waffle, flip flop and cliche his way through his weekly press conferences, listening to Holmgren kinda opened my eyes as to what a good, honest guy Mike Holmgren is. I can't help but love the big fella.

This is no way intended to slight the other coaches who have brought their teams to the playoffs. Jeff Fisher, Tony Dungy and obviously Bill Belichik are all tremendous coaches and have done great jobs with their respective teams. From the remaining coaches, I would have to say that I have been least impressed by the jobs done by Mike Tomlin, Tom Coughlin and Joe Gibbs. When you consider all three coaches' personel and what they have had at their disposal, their accomplishments have not been too impressive. The Chargers have regressed a bit, but I think Norv turner has them playing good football and I expect them to at least take at least one playoff game, perhaps even more. Mike McCarthy has also done a good job in Green Bay, but the real praise should be given to the management and scouts who have brought in all of those good, young receivers and linemen who have made what they do on offense possible. Wade Phillips has a tremendously talented roster and I need to see how he does in the playoffs before I really formulate an opinion on him.

The games today were great and hopeful tomorrow's will be even better, although i don't think they will be nearly as good. San Diego will beat up on the Titans and i expect the elder Kiffin to put together a good enough defensive gameplan to shut down Eli and force 2-3 INT's. It will be close until the fourth quarter, in which Eli decides he is too close to playing a decent, complete game and throws a pick six, and the game for that matter, into the waiting hands of Mr. Ronde Barber.

Let me preface my blog by saying that my opinion on running backs and the perspective i view them through is vastly different than how most others do. While most marvel at the impressive accomplishments of backs like Steven Jackson, Ladanian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson, and rightfully so, I marvel at the work done in the trenches by those tailback's offensive linemen, who I think decide the outcome o####ame more than any other player beside the one that takes the snaps. While Adrian Peterson is a phenominal player and his backup Chester Taylor is anything but, both run behind a line stacked with five unfathomingly large behemoths. Ladanian Tomlinson is an undisputably great tailback, but his linemen, while not as good as those in Minnesota, are nonetheless excellent. Granted, Steven Jackson has been running wild, when healthy,  behind a makeshift offensive line, he has a passing game that can prevents opponents from stacking the box. It sounds like i am trying my best to take away credit from running backs through any means possible, but i am merely trying to build up the point that rushing the football is, in my opinion, more dependant on other, external variables than any other task in football.

Also,. with all the attention Lewis and the Browns have drawn in recent weeks, the fact that Lewis's season has been very hit or miss(dare I say Grossmanesque), has been overlooked. Through Week 11, Lewis, who missed two games in that span, ran for over 100 yards just once and averaged over 4 YPC just twice. Also, four of his 9 touchdowns came in week 9 against St.Louis, when he ran for 37 yards on twenty carries, hardly a strong performance.  When you include his last four games his performance overall has been solid, but still not as good as one would think judging from the attention Lewis has generated.

With that established, the answer is yes and no. I am not surprised at what Lewis has done on his own. (Even back in Baltimore, when Jonathan Ogden was out with injury, Lewis's performance suffered and it was clear that Lewis was largely dependant on the performance of his enormous blocker. The same can be said for Edgerrin james, who suffered a massive letdown when he left Indianapolis and the fantasy that is playing alongside Peyton Manning.) Rather, what does surprise me is how quick the Browns' first draft pick, Joe Thomas, has risen to the upper echelon of offensive linemen, and how the passing game went from non-existent to often unstopable. Braylon Edwards is a top ten reciever, Kellen Winslow a top 5 tight end and Derek Anderson a very competent, if not above average quarterback. What I am trying to say is that while Lewis has put up some nice numbers this year, those numbers have less to do with him and more to do with the offense he plays on and the beasts, particularly Thomas, that he runs behind. Throw in the fact that his four triple digit yardage games came against Cincinatti, Houston, New York(AFC) and Buffalo, and his season is even less impressive.

To sum it up, i would say that I am surprised with how well the Browns have run the ball, not how well Lewis has run the ball. Running the ball is the ultimate team effort, and if one player misses his assignment, the run play can easily get blown up. So when analysts look at the Browns and attribute their success on the ground  to Jamal Lewis, i get upset. It's not Jamal that is getting it done, rather the most unerappreciated unit in the game, the fat, one ton brotherhood that its the Offensive Line.

Some call it parity, i just call it bad. Regardless of where you stand on the NFC and the cluster of mediocrity that is every team outside of Dallas and Green Bay, it is impossible to deny that the Wild Card race is a very tight one. With only one division still up for grabs, that being the South, teams are aware that their only chance is to get the Wild Card, and while the heat is definitely on, there is a startling small number of huge matchups left between the Wild card candidates, which are the following: The New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints. Again, while the top spot in the South is still open for the Saints, the Bucs have games left against the lowly Falcons, Niners and Panthers. As long as they take at least two of those games, which they will, they division will be theirs. So now that I have established the LEGITIMATE wild card possibilities, here is a team by team analysis of their ability and chances of getting a wild card spot.

New York Giants: The Giants don't scare anybody and odds are they won't do any damage even if they reach the playoffs, but they do find themselves at 9-4, with games left against the Redskins, Bills and Patriots. The Patriots game will be a loss, book it. The Bills game could be tough, but as long the Giants beat the Redskins, who are now without Jason Campbell and Sean Taylor, they will get the top spot. No team outside of Minnesota can get to ten wins, so if they get that W in their upcoming game versus Washington, which will be played at the Meadowlands, they are guaranteed a playoff spot. Take it to the bank, the Giants are a lock. Verdict: IN

Washington Redskins: This Skins are only one game behind the Vikings, but they don't stand a chance. The death of Taylor hurt as much on the field as it does off, and the loss of Campbell sealed their fate. With games against the Giants, Vikings and Cowboys, in that order, the Redskins would be fortunate to finish .500. Just a question, is it possible to remove someone from the hall of fame? If it is, Joe Gibbs has wore out his welcome in Canton. Verdict: OUT

Minnesota Vikings: While this team has only started garnering attention in recent weeks, I have been a believer for quite a while. Personally, I think this team has a legitimate shot against either Green Bay or Dallas, and on a good day, even against some of the better teams in the AFC. Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor make up the best running back tandem, ever. Both would be above average starters, and with the weekly progression of Tarvaris Jackson and his improving receiving core, the holes will only get bigger for the two of them. Looking at their three remaining games, I don't think a valid case could be made as to how they would lose even one of them. They already smoked the Bears back in Soldier Field, and Peterson should once again make fools out of Adam Archuletta and Danieal Manning. The Skins are as full of holes as the Bears are, and Vikings will steamroll them in their second straight home game. Their season finale, against Denver, shouldn't be too tough either, given Denver's horrendous rush defense. This team will be the second Wild Card team. Verdict: IN

Detroit Lions: Jon Kitna's 10 win prediction and Roy Williams's trash talks have once again proved worthless. The Lions are done. They have the Chargers and Packers left on their schedule, and unless the Packers rest their starters, those will amount to two losses. Both games are also on the road, increasing the improbability of Detroit victories. Could they salvage a win against the Chiefs in week 16? Perhaps, but the Lions run of futility is still going strong. Verdict: OUT.

Arizona Cardinals: Given the fact that I have the Vikings winning at least two of their three remaining games, the Cardinals will have to win out to even have a chance. The good news is that with games left against the Falcons, Rams and Saints, their remaining schedule is among the easiest in the league. The bad news is that the Cardinals are simply not that good of a team. Their defense is dinged up and so are their receivers. I don't see them winning out, just because they are the Cardinals and the Cardinals simply don’t win out. That being said, they might end up at .500, not a bad start for Wisenhunt and his young Cardinals. Verdict: OUT

New Orleans Saints: Not to gloat, but I saw this coming before the season even started(same goes for the Niners, this year's version of the '06 Dolphins). As crazy as it sounds, I think that losing Bush for the season is not all that bad. If the Saints let their runners run and let their receivers receive, like they did last night, they have a better chance of winning than when they have Bush doing his hybrid thing. Hopefully Sean Payton will see that and do what I proposed a while ago, convert him into a wide receiver and bring in a real running back to split time with their other legit tailback, “the Deuce(Is there a better name in all of football, of course aside from Craphonso Thorpe).” Anyhow, the Saints are in a similar position as the Cardinals in terms of catching the Vikings. The Saints have three tough games left, a home game against the Cardinals, another home game against the Eagles and then a road date in Chicago, a matchup of the two most disappointing teams in all of football. Can they win out? If everything goes right, but we are talking about the Saints here. The Saints will end up 8-8, a game or two behind the Vikings.
Verdict: OUT

So there you go. The Wild Card teams will be the Giants and the Vikings.

Bonus Picks: The Giants, who will end up with the sixth seed, will get ousted in the first round by the Seahawks. The Vikings will squeak by the Bucs. The Vikings will lose to Dallas, but it will be a helluva game.

After only two weeks of regular season football, it may appear, at least on the surface, too early for any fans to hit the panic button. But after looking into the numbers of the last two seasons, there certainly is a reason to panic if you are a fan of any of the 0-2 teams in the National Football League.

-The 2005 Season

At the end of week two, the standings looked as follows:
Seven teams stood at 2-0. Of the seven teams, all but one made the playoffs, that being Kansas City.
Eighteen at 1-1: Of those, one third made the playoffs.
The real thing to look at is the following. Seven teams found themselves at 0-2, and NONE of them ended up in the postseason.

-Lets take a look at how things worked out after two in 2006:
Eleven stood at 2-0: Seven of those teams reached the playoffs.
Ten stood at 1-1: Only four made the playoffs.
Eleven at 0-2: Just one made the playoffs.

Now here is what the totals, going in to week3, from both season combined looked like.
Thirteen out of the eighteen 2-0 squads reached. Thats a 72% chance for teams at 2-0.
Ten out of the twenty-eight 1-1's reached the playoffs. Thats a 36% chance.
Only one of the eighteen 0-2's reached the playoffs. Those teams reached at a measly 5.5% clip.

The numbers regarding the 2-0 and 1-1 teams aren't all that surprising. What i found interesting is the rediculously low clip at which 0-2 teams ended up reaching the playoffs in '05 and '06. I dont think these numbers are aberrations and i fully expect for only tiny percentage of the 0-2 teams thus far in the 2007 season.

A message to the Dolphins, Bills, Jets, Chiefs, Raiders, Giants, Eagles, Falcons, Saints and Rams: Maybe one, or perhaps two of you will reach the playoffs, let the battle begin.

Most ex-players will tell you that Week one in the NFL is a crapshoot. The play is sloppy, players are rusty and not much can be learned from any of the games. Week two, not much better an indicator than week1 but better nonetheless, is a decent measuring stick of a team's strength and weaknesses. So here we go.

Chicago Bears: Unless the Bears bring in a QB or Rex miraculously turns things around, the team will only go as far as the running game, defense and special teams can take it. The defense has been devastating, holding the game's two best runningbacks, LT and LJ, under 100 yards collectively. The special teams has already produced a TD and blocked two kicks and Cedric Benson has shed some light on the running game, producing a 100 yard game in just his third start.

Green Bay Packers: Coach McCarthy will force his defense to win games, and it has done so thus far. Brett Fave has been pretty good thus far and the Packers are off to a hot start at 2-0. Their running game however has been non-productive and will need to step it up if they wish to win inter-division games against Chicago and Minnesota, who have superb run defenses.

Detroit Lions: Jon Kitna's ten win prediction, so far so good. It looks like the Lions offense is for real. Still, the Lions have faced two very poor pass defenses so far and will also have to pick up their game in the running department. They will also have to step up on defense. The Raiders and Vikings should not combine for 38 points against anybody.

Minnesota Vikings: WIthout a doubt, the defense has been the rock for this team. After already producing three TD's, it looks like Minnesota's success will be dependant mainly on their defense. Adrian Peterson will be relied on heavily in just his rookie season and has been solid so far. If the defense holds up and Adrian Peterson continues producing, the Vikes will be a tough team to play.

Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo looks like a real find for the Cowboys. Why the Boy's didnt turn to him earlier is anybody's guess. The two headed beast of Barber and Jones have continued where they left off, with Barber racking up the TD's and Jones doing the damage between the 20's. TO has been getting a healthy amount of passes thrown his way and the offense has rolled. The defense however, has been brutal. They have been carved up by two very mediocre offenses for over 50 points and will not have the luxury of doing so when they finally face a top defense, as they will have to do next Sunday against Chicago. Even when Newman returns, foot injuries are tough to overcome and opposing QB's will still tee off on Anthony Henry.

Philadelphia Eagles: Pending the outcome of Monday Nighter.

Washington Redskins: See Philly.

New York Giants: This team is pretty bad. ON the bright side, Eli Manning has finall started to look like a Manning. Still, the defense blows and they wont be able to do anything in the running game if Jacobs isnt healthy. Tiki anybody?

San Fransisco: Wins are wins. Style points dont count for #### in the NFL. Alex Smith and the offense hasnt looked good but Frank Gore and the defense has done just enough to scrape out two tight victories. I doubted the Niners in the pre-season and they havent lloked that good, but if they continue to scrape their way to victories they will get my respect.

Seattle: Even after losing to the Cards, they still are th team to beat in the West. Hasselback is the best QB in the West and the same could be said for the defense. Shaun Alexander looked good today but overall the play was kinda sloppy. The Seahawks gave away the game on the botched handoff and will need to cut down on stupid mistakes. With the next four games against the Bengals, Niners, Steelers and Saints, the Hawks could be in big trouble if they dont win at least two of those games.

Arizona: They have hung tight in their two division games thus far and have a split to show for it. The bright spots have been the defense, the running game and the offensive line, all weak spots last season. Ken Wisenhunt has been doing his thing on the sidelines and the Cardinals have been gritty and competitive so far, things which we havent seen from Arizona in recent years.

St. Louis: Entering only the third week of the season, the Rams are already in must-win mode going against the Buccaneers. The offensive line, fresh off the loss of Orlando Pace to the IR, gave up SIX sacks today and didnt give Bulger the protection that he needed to get the Rams a W. The fact is that the defense isnt that good and if the offensive line doesnt step it up, my choice for the surprise team in the NFC will be out of the NFC West race in a blink of an eye.

New Orleans: Who saw this coming? ME ME ME. Their recieving corpse is lackluster and so is their defense. When the Buccaneers are shredding up your secondary, you know you're in trouble. The truth is that the Saints are better than what they have shown and cant be counted out just yet. However, with some tough games coming up against the Titans, Panthers and Seahawks, the Saints could be in some serious trouble if they dont right the ship real soon. The good news is that their division looks to be the worst in the NFC, so they cant really be counted all season long.

Carolina: The Panthers are in the best situation of the four teams in the South. They face the Falcons, Bucs, Saints and Cardinals, in order, and will be able to take a firm grasp of the division if they take ate least three of those four, which they should be able to do. Steve Smith is still the best reciever in the world and their defense still is potentiall, key word potientally, a dominant unit.

Falcons: Not much to say for this team. Who's decision was it to get rid of Matt Schaub. Looks like they let the real deal get away. Anyhow, the team cant run, pass, defend the run or defend the pass. The Falcons are the worst team in the lague and looking at their schedule, dont have many games which can be called winnable.

Buccaneers: Even after a solid win against the division rival Saints, the Bucs are still a bottom feeder in the NFC. With three of the next four games against the Colts, Titans and Panthers, the Bucs will struggle to be any better than 1-4 by the time week six rolls around.

Biggest Surprise: We have a tie.
1) Coming into the season, the North was being thrown around as the worst division in the conference. With arguably the two best defenses, belonging to the Bears and Vikings(and the Packers have a pretty good one as well) residing in the North, the division may shape up to be the strongest.

2) What has happened to the Saints. Reggie Bush, Deuce and Drew Brees were supposed to bring back memories of the greatest show on turf. So far they have looked like the Saints of old and have taken a very big step back after coming close to winning the NFC Championship just last year.

Without going too in-depth in my analysis of each of the NFC's teams, here are my quick, consise thoughts on what each team will do in the upcoming 07 season. The order the teams are listed in have nothing to do with how i think each division will shape up.

NFC North
Chicago Bears- The defense is good enough to get a bye in the NFC on it's own. Even a decent offensive performance from last year's highest scoring team(NFC) should at least get them home field advantage.

Green Bay Packers- Brett Favre's last hoorah. From what i have heard from up north in Green Bay, the end of the Favre era couldnt get here any quicker. An imporoving defense and semi-decent offense will make them the tallest of the other three NFC North midgets.

Minnesota Vikings- A goop defensive team with no offense whatsoever. Chester Taylor and Adrian peterson are good, but even the best struggle when defenses consistently pack eight men in the box. Its up to Tarvaris Jackson, but he isnt up to the task.

Detroit Lions- Jon Kitna says a minimum of ten wins are in store for the Lions.... I say 7 or eight maximum. Last time a Lion ran his mouth(Roy Williams on the Bears) there was a massacre in Soldier Field. The offense will have it's highs, but the team overall will have many, many lows.

NFC West
Seattle Seahawks- A strong team. If Alexander comes back strong and Hasselback can make it through another season full of nagging injuries, this team will take the division, which from what i have heard, has already been handed to....

San Fransisco 49'ers- The new hot sh%$ in the NFC. Everybody is ready to annoint them, but if they go out and play like they did against the Bears in the only pre-season game that means anything, which i think they will, another 8-8 or 9-7 season is in store for San Fran. By the way, Nate Clements, their big-time signing this offseason, was destroyed by Bernard Berrian.

St. Louis- What an offense. Too bad the defense is among the worst in the league. The offense will thrill but the defense will thouroughly dissapoint. The offense will keep them in games, but i see some high scoring losses for the Rams. Still, a playoff birth is a reasonable expectation for this offensive beast.

Arizona Cardinals- New Coaching Staff, Revamped Offensive Line, same old story, at least for one more season. Leinart will perform well but the offensive line will hold the running game back. I expect the line to imporve a bit, but if it doesnt, Leinart will have a season to forget. The defense also has a long way to go.

NFC South
New Orleans Saints- I cant stand the Saints and am a bit biased, but i will admit that the Saints are a good team. Good, but not great, as many seem to think. They were thoroughly thumped in the NFC Championship game last season and the recievers as a whole are extremely young. The defense, the secondary in particular, will have to improve greatly if they want to get home field in the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers- This team will be a thorn in the Saints side all season long. They have an easier schedule than the Saints but have what i believe to be a more complete team. Oh yeah, that Steve Smith guy is pretty good too. I think there is a very good chance that the Panthers take the division crown back this year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Quantity over Quality. That seems to be the theme when it comes to their group of QB's. Honestly, they have a bunch of trash at their position. Jeff Garcia had a good 1/2 season for the Eagles last year, but the Bucs are a different team. Cadillac, even with his immense talent, will have another poor season.Tteams will stack up against the run and force them to pass, and that will absolutely work.

Atlanta Falcons- Quite frankly, even a falcons team WITH Michael Vick doesnt scare me that much. What has been forgotten throughout this whole dogfighting mess is that he hasnt been too good as of late. Joey Harrington, one of the many failed draft picks of Matt Millen, will show all Atlantians why he wasnt even good enough to start in Detroit. Atlanta is perhaps the worst team in the NFC.

NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles- Look no further for the comeback player of the year. Donovan McNabb, when healthy, is the best QB in the NFC. I would rather have him than Bulger, Romo, Hasselback or even
Drew Brees. The Eagles will take back the East crown and McNabb will make a Pro Bowler out of Reggie Brown. The defense is also one of the most underrated year in and year out.

New York Giants- Not as bad as advertised. I expect a decent season from the Giants. Eli Manning, in his quest to make a (good)name for himself, will step up and improve on his not-so-bad numbers of last year. However, his supporting cast, i.e the defense and running game, will weigh down the Giants and keep them out of the Playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys- Tony Romo is perhaps one of the most undeservedly heralded quarterback in the league this side of Matt Schaub. He played well last year but rarely do undiscovered QB's emerge out of the shadows and light the world on fire. The Cowboys are a good team and will be competitive in each and every game, but they dont have enough firepower, on defense or offense, to beat the Eagles out for the top spot in the strongest division in the NFC.

Washington Redskins- Does any other team in the league have so many unheard of players? When i think of the Skins', the only big name players that come to mind are Portis, Taylor and Moss. Their offense is very old-school and somewhat out-dated. The defense doesnt exactly strike fear in an opponent either. Book it, another season at the cellar of the East.

With the recent hold-outs of star players like Lance Briggs, Asaunte Samuel, Larry Johnson, and mini-holdouts of Marc Bulger and Michael Strahan, i could not help but wonder if holding out is really so wrong with set of rules in place in the NFL. The NFL is unique in the sense that contracts are not guaranteed. Players are only assured of the guaranteed part of their contracts and can be cut at any time of their employment with any given team. THat in and of itself is strange. The NBA has a salary cap like football does, yet teams dont have a right to rip up contracts. They can cut a player but they still have to pay the remainder of the contract or they can buy out the remainder of the contract but they can not just cut a player like NFL teams do. If i am not mistaken, there are rarely cases of hold-outs in the NBA. Not only are superstars holding out in the NFL, even unproven rookies are!


One of the main contributing factors in these players' holdouts is the dreaded franchise tag. WIth free agency in place, managers were given the choice to hold onto one player for a season at a time at the average price of the five best players at a given position. At the surface this sounds like a fair trade off. Free agency for the franchise tag. But with the ability of general managers to cut the cord on a player whenever they deem fit, should players be subject to the wrath of the franchise tag?


In order for this nonsense to be stopped i think the NFL's general managers and the players' union need to agree to kiss the franchise tag goodbye in exchange for guaranteeing contracts. Owners may be against this because of the dangers of the NFL and the potential injury that can cut a player's career short, but i think that with the give and take that would take place with the removeal of the tag and guaranteeing of contracts, players would be more willing to sign medium length contracts(3-5 years) as opposed to signing longer contracts(5-8 years).

When you look back to to the Bears 13-3 season a couple years back, they were a lucky team. Every thing went their way, and they didnt always force their hand and make the mstakes they needed. The defense was good, but the way things happened were just unbelievable. The Bears got every break they needed all season.

However, this year's Chicago Bears went ahead and MADE the breaks that they needed, when they needed them. The two close games this season versus Minnesota and Arizona were won by the Bears, not lost by the other team. In the Minnesota game, the Bears D-Line busted through on a run play and knocked the ball loose during an exchange between Chester Taylor and Brad Johnson, and proceeded to march down the field and score a TD to win the game.

Against Arizona, Mark Anderson finally cashed in against on offensive line that was supposed to be softer than marshmallows. They knocked it out and gt a TD, and it is not a case of the Bears getting lucky and having Mike Brown in the right place at the right time. During Lovie Smith's practices, he makes evrybody swarm towards tackles, pick up any loose ball, and run for scores after the fumble. Lovie Smith's technique paid off on the next possession as well. Edgerrin James, a man that has not fumbled in a year had the ball ripped away by game MVP Brian Urlacher, the sole reason they won the game. And the Devin Hester pun return was not lucky at all. Everybody picked up the blocks that they were supposed to, and it resulted in a touchdown.

More on Urlacher though. On the Cardinals last drive down the field, Urlacher made two huge tackles on Edge to keep the Cards from getting a first down, which would have sealed the game, because not even the new choke artist, Neil Rackers, would mess up a thirty yard field goal. At the end of the day, the better team usually wins, and this game was no exception.