Bearly Relevant: Week Six, where we examine our allegiances

Sunday, I face the ultimate football test: the Bears, forever my favorite team in sports, go up against Michael Turner, the brightest star on my star-crossed fantasy football team. As I explained yesterday, Turner is biggest reason I lead our league in points in a post-Tom Brady world. He has been a beast this year, leading the NFL in rushing with 543 yards and tied for the league lead in touchdowns with six in five games. I’ve rooted for him his entire career (from Waukegan, starred at NIU, wasted much of “running back prime” backing up one of the five best backs ever), and was dead set on taking him in my fantasy draft. I thought he would be really good, and he is. Nothing beats that. You could say Turner is one of my favorite football players in a sport where my fandom isn’t particularly liberated.


So what’s a humble fantasy expert blogger and diehard Bears fan to do in this situation? In my mind, the answer is clear: hope the Bears win 45-42, with Turner scoring six touchdowns.

I’m sure some people will disagree with that philosophy. They’ll say “the fantasy team comes second!” and hope for a Bears shutout. Well to those people I say this: go to hell.

Of course the Bears come first. They come first in nearly every aspect of my life. If faced with the choice of watching a Bears game or doing something else, the Bears win pretty much every time. NFL football is just too precious a commodity to skip. We wait all year for the Bears, and a season can be finished in a month and a half. These games are important.

But you know what else is important? My fantasy team. I think it’s time we give fantasy football its due: very, very few things in the entire world are more fun. The whole concept is just awesome. Researching players is the ultimate summer time-killer. Drafting the team is totally sweet. During the season it gives people something to root for when the Bears are finished (finished as in the game is over or they are mathematically eliminated). And there is money involved. I used to bet on individual football games; I do not anymore. It’s too stressful, there are too many little plays/referee judgment calls that determine games. Gambling on individual football games is not fun. You can disagree, but you are wrong. That shit took years off my life. But throwing 50 bones down for a fantasy league? Heck yes I’m in.


The point here is this: it’s cool to root for your favorite team and fantasy team. Every time Turner scores a touchdown on Sunday, I’ll do a little fist pump. I still want the Bears to win- even more so now that the playoffs seem like a reachable destination- but I also want Turner to score. If the Bears lose and Turner gets in the endzone three times: bad day, no doubt about it. But I don’t understand the point of not rooting for the best of both worlds. On Sunday it’s go Bears, go Burner Turner. It’s that simple.  

The spread

Bears -3

Around the web

Big Daddy Drew: "In case you missed it, Lovie Smith made easily the dumbest challenge I’ve ever seen, or ever will see, in last week’s game against the Lions. The challenge occurred when Marty Booker made an excellent one-handed grab down the sideline. The pass was ruled incomplete. But pass interference was also called on the play, so the Bears would have gotten the yardage regardless of the ruling. Yet Smith STILL threw a challenge flag, risking the loss of a timeout and forfeiting one of his challenges had he needed one later in the game.

Now, the Bears didn’t end up needing an extra challenge, and they beat the Lions handily. But still, that is one of the dumbest fucking things I have ever seen. “Oooh! Oooh! Let me challenge this call for posterity, so Marty Booker will be happy!” What an idiot."

King: "Surprising Stat of the Week: Bears are averaging 27 points a game over the last three weeks. Kyle Orton plays better here than Matt Ryan. Bears put salve on Cubs-related Chitown wounds."

SI FanNation Sez:

The Fans are split!

ESPN’s experts agree

The Bears, 4 v. 3 (at time of print)

Key to the game: Rattling Matt Ryan

I’ve change my tune on Matt Ryan. If you read this site during draft time, I argued Ryan had bust written all over him. They said his best attribute was intangibles. Intangibles! That made me laugh. But if faced with the choice of starting a team with Ryan or, say, some one tools-y like JaMarcus Russell, I’d go with Ryan. The dude was really impressed me so far.

So it’s time for that to stop. On Sunday, Matt Ryan must die. Hit him every time he drops back to pass. Confuse him with coverages. And if Ryan ever even thinks about scrambling up field, lay some heavy lumber. If the Bears can do that, this game shouldn’t be too big of a problem.

Matchup Bears should win

Tommie Harris vs. Harvey Dahl

Matchup Bears should lose

John Abraham vs. John St. Clair

Sweet 90’s alt rock song that may or may not remind you of Marty Carter

Bush- Machinehead

The Bears win if

God convinces Tommie Harris to break Ryan in two.

The Bears lose if

Turner runs wild.

Mock my previous predictions

Bearly Relevant: read them all

In the end

Bears 20, Falcons 17