Urlacher Kicks The Bears While They’re Down

Injured Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher, long considered the leader of this Bears team, watched Sunday’s embarrassing loss to the Minnesota Vikings with Yahoo! Sports reporter Michael Silver. Of struggling quarterback Jay Cutler, Urlacher said: 

“Look, I love Jay, and I
understand he’s a great player who can take us a long way, and I still
have faith in him. But I hate the way our identity has changed. We used
to establish the run and wear teams down and try not to make mistakes,
and we’d rely on our defense to keep us in the game and make big plays
to put us in position to win. Kyle Orton might not be the flashiest
quarterback, but the guy is a winner, and that formula worked for us. I
hate to say it, but that’s the truth.”

Today, Urlacher was quick to clarify his controversial comments. From the Chicago Tribune: 

“I’m
not taking a shot at Jay. I’m not one bit taking a shot at Jay. He throws it better, right? And we haven’t tried to run
the ball as much. That’s true. But Kyle has won games. His formula works. So I’m not taking a shot at Jay or Kyle.”

He may not want to admit it, but no matter how you look at it, Urlacher is labeling Orton a winner and Cutler as a talented player who just can’t win. And, truth be told, this Bears team (one that allowed the Vikings
to amass 537 total yards Sunday) isn’t strong enough defensively to
fall back on their old formula of good defense, conservative offense. By making those comments, all Urlacher does is stir up controversy and kick his teammates while they’re down.

 

Chicago Cubs Offseason Check-Up

It’s late November, but when your football team is playing like the Bears are, it’s never too early to talk baseball. I teamed up with SimonOnSports to chat about expectations for the Chicago Cubs heading into 2010.

1. The 2009 season was a massive disappointment for Cubs fans. What
went wrong? Where must they improve to once again take home the
division?
The main issue with the Cubs is that they’ve put money into the wrong
people. The contracts given to guys like Alfonso Soriano and Carlos
Zambrano are way too long and way too lucrative. They have to find a
better balance if they hope to become successful again and moves like
giving John Grabow a two-year, $7.5 million extension this offseason
aren’t a good start.

2. The Ricketts family just purchased the Cubs from the Tribune
Company. What impact do you see this having on the team? Will they be
throwing around money this offseason?
The problem with the Cubs in the past few years hasn’t been a lack of
spending, but rather a misappropriation of funds. Unlike Sam Zell and
the Tribune Company, I think the Ricketts intend to help the team win,
not just become more profitable. I hope they follow through with their
professed desire to make the team better without sacrificing
fan-friendly aspects of the Cubs, like the integrity of Wrigley Field.

Click Here to Read More…

So Jason Whitlock Is Writing & Directing Commercials Now?

For a few months now, FoxSports columnist Jason Whitlock has been telling the world about a major problem in sports: “Pussy Galore.” If you ask Whitlock, Tiger Woods’ recent car accident was yet another reminder of PG’s power.

In an effort to get the word out about the power of PG, it seems Whitlock’s taken to writing and directing commercials now, too. The poor sap in this LovRub ad–just like Rick Pitino and Steve Phillips before him–clearly can’t focus on what’s important (football) when faced with the temptation of Pussy Galore.

Now That’s Em-Bear-assing

Check out these cringe-worthy stats from the Chicago Bears’ blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday afternoon. They’re so bad it’s almost laughable. 

Almost.

 

• In the second half of Sunday’s game, the Bears ran just 12 plays for TWO yards and ZERO first downs.

• The Bears ran just seven more PLAYS (38) on Sunday, than the Vikings had FIRST DOWNS (31).

• The Bears had just eight first downs on the day.

• Minnesota’s 31 first downs fall just short of the NFL record (39).

• Vikings QB Brett Favre finished with 392 yards passing–just ten short of his career hgh (402) also recorded against Chicago.

• The Vikings’ time of possession (40:55) more than doubled that of the Bears (19:05).

• The Vikings’ total yardage (537) was the most allowed by a Bears team since 1982 (a game in which they allowed the Rams 583 yards and yet somehow still won).

and the kicker…

• For the first time EVER in the long, storied history of the Chicago Bears, the team didn’t have ONE rushing first down on the day.

No Spain, No Gain on ChicagoNow Radio…

This morning I was a guest on WGN’s newest hit, ChicagoNow Radio. Had a great time chatting sports and more with host Bill Leff. For those who missed it, check out the podcasts!

Click Here for Part 1

Click Here for Part 2

In Honor Of Allen Iverson’s Retirement…

I’m a few days late (blame the Maui vaca) but I can’t miss this chance to post one of my favorite YouTube videos of all time.

On Wednesday, Allen Iverson announced his retirement from the NBA (we’ll see how long that lasts…) prompting ESPN to run some of his best game highlights and everyone’s favorite AI highlight–his “practice” press conference. I can no longer watch the original footage without thinking of this incredible mash-up…

Happy Thanksgiving from Maui!

Sitting at the Maui airport, belly full of wine and Thanksgiving dinner, waiting to head back to cold, rainy Chicago. Maui was incredible and my non-traditional Thanksgiving was full of surprises–like a school of dolphins, a whale and a massive sea turtle crashing my snorkeling trip at Black Rock today.

I hope your holiday was full of joy (like the Blackhawks’ circus trip so far) and maybe even a few surprises (like the Bears’ pending upset of the Vikings Sunday???). Just in case the cold, rainy Chicago weather has you down, here are some highlights from my trip to brighten your day. .
 

This Thanksgiving, I’m Thankful For Marian Hossa

Marian Hossa’s Blackhawks debut was nothing short of brilliant. “House” had two goals to help Chicago extend its winning streak to eight games with a 7-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks Wednesday night. With the win, the Hawks improve to 16-5-2 and are just two points behind the Sharks in the race for first place in the Western Conference.

Thank you, Marian. Thank you, Hawks. The turkey will taste just a little bit better tomorrow after a win like tonight’s! In case you missed it, check out all the highlights from the BIG win!

Sunday Night Stripdown: Devin Hester Gets Pantsed

The Chicago Bears dropped a tough one to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night and to make matters worse, wide receiver Devin Hester got pantsed. Late in the game, Hester stretched out trying to grab a low pass from Jay Cutler and Eagles CB Dimitri Patterson, trying to drag him down, grabbed on to the back of his pants.

The result? Great coverage and no coverage, all at the same time.

HT to Deadspin for the video…

The Tip-Off

T.G.I.F. and all that crap. Here are some tips for this weekend.

I’m off to Hawaii for a week, suckers!!! I’m hoping to gets some posts up here and there but I may be too busy hiking down volcanoes, sipping delicious lava flows on the beach and cliff diving into waterfalls. You understand.

For those of you stuck in the Chi…

WATCH: As everyone in Chicago (except Joakim Noah) knows…the circus is in town! Why not check it out? Experience the joy of teaching your kids–or someone else’s kids–to hate clowns. [Ringling Bros]

WONDER: Did Jay Mariotti start a scuffle at Underground last night after someone snapped his pic with a cell phone? [Deadspin}

FLAUNT: Wanna date 25 guys at once, hook up in hot tubs and spend the night with near-strangers–all while your friends and family are watching? If you said yes, head to Rockit tonight to try out for you chance to be the next Bachelorette. [Metromix]

TAUNT: Iraqi detainees are using the Favre-to-the-Vikings situation to mock the Wisconsin soldiers keeping watch over them. [WTMJ Wisconsin]