Aforementioned Rickhaus update

There's Always 2010, Jay Cutler

Read as I give up on Cutler (for this year) and possibly on life, at the Sun-Times' FCP blog. That is all. -- Ricky

*
I'll let Rickhouse do the recap/traditional post thing (if he wants... that is, if he hated himself enough to watch that game), but there's a few things I need to get off my chest first...

I apologize if you found tonight's Bears game upsetting. If last week taught us anything: you shouldn't have realistic, tangible hope anymore. You can have cute, Cubs-influenced, little kid-esque "maybe they'll turn it around! anything can happen!" belief. But none of the real hope stuff. Not anymore. It's just a bad idea.


The only thing I can think to do is ask questions to myself and answer them. So, uh, let's do that.

7 State-Of-The-Bears Questions

1) Should we quit on the team and no longer watch them for the rest of the 2009 season? I say no. My opinion is "ride or die" until they are actually mathematically eliminated from the playoffs -- worry not, this will happen very soon.

There was a time when writing about this team with any semblance of emotion was a possibility, but I've experienced way too much letdown throughout this season to care anymore. I define "letdown" as up and down defensive performances, the offense declaring "do not resuscitate" when it enters the red zone, and Jay Cutler overthrows.

Speaking of...

2) Should we stop worrying about Jay Cutler? Yes. This year. But only because it's not worth it anymore. As I've outlined before, you're either with him or against him, right? It just makes too much sense -- factoring the money we've put into him and the talent he does have (I swear it exists...maybe.) -- to stop supporting him now.

It sucks, and it's frustrating, and it's hard, but he is the only option, the only choice. For a decent while. We can only go up from here. I keep telling myself this.

3) Should a head coach, assistant, or GM be fired? Yes -- and I was on the "no" bandwagon longer than most people were.

I'm indifferent to it being Lovie or Turner...or Angelo. I refuse to rake either coach through the coals for being "bad" at their respective jobs -- if we were to single out someone, Turner would probably make more sense. But no, that isn't fair. The talent is just too barren.

Still, at this point, someone has to go.

I know it's lazy to say something like "the Bears need to shake things up" or "the Bears need to start fresh," but I've watched this team. Every single play. Every single game. And it's what they need. Someone needs to make Jay Cutler at least play up to half of the potential he has (might have).

4) What did McNabb say to Cutler after the game? I can't say for sure, but I do know a few things...

a- It was the longest I've ever seen two players talk on the field after a game... especially factoring in facial proximity
b- It probably had a lot of swearing and framing Cutler in a "players vs. the world" mindset, meaning...
c- It was most likely painfully encouraging

I can't think of a more unfairly maligned quarterback (or athlete, really) in the last decade than Donovan McNabb. If he can hold together, maybe Jay can, too.

(This is the worst rationale for anything I have ever argued. They are wired completely differently, and my justification makes no sense. Let's just move on.)

5) Should we root for the Bears to tank games? The lazy answer for Cutler haters is "you forgot the Bears don't have a first round draft pick, so tanking won't matter!"

Hey, idiots, we didn't forget anything. And if you disagreed with the Cutler trade, does that mean you're ruing in the failure of this year's team? That's moronic. Last I checked, any casual Bears fan knows we mortgaged the team's entire future to get this guy. The stakes were declared, and we're all completely aware.

Yet... tanking would increase the Bears' quality of picks in the later rounds*. They still have a couple to work with.

I don't encourage rooting for tanking, but if you decide to go that route, I find it understandable.

* - these picks will be botched

6) Is Gaines Adams on the team? ... No.

7) Why is Lance Briggs so great? I don't know. He's always been great. He's runs sideline to sideline, tackles well, covers fine, and seems to always be in the mix (think Ray Lewis, but consistently making plays instead of woofing and then showing up a split second after the whistle and taking all the credit).

When Briggs almost left the team a little while back, I was terrified with the potential ramifications. When he re-signed, I felt the opposite of how I've felt after every Bears game this season. He is the absolute heart of the defense and is, without a shred of doubt, the best player on this team.

Today, I decided he is my favorite Bear of all-time. If you're going to play the Walter Payton card, that's completely valid... but man, I never saw him play. Sentimental value will always keep him in my Top 3 or Top 5, but Jesus, do you watch Lance Briggs on a game-to-game basis? Tonight he finished with 11 tackles (10 solo), 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 QB hit. Plus he crashed that car a couple years ago and got away with it. He's so great. I'm so sold on my choice that I want someone to talk me out of it. It seems impossible, but I will hear out arguments. Obviously all Bears QBs are DQ'd from the discussion...

I was going to e-mail Rickhouse and suggest only re-capping Lance Briggs' games for the rest of the year (as opposed to talking about whatever the Bears did in a presumably shit-ily played game). I believe this is a good idea. It would be 97% less upsetting. And hey, if other guys did good, we could mention them, too.

Tonight's post could have looked like this:

Title: Lance Briggs Plays Well
Body: Lance Briggs did his part against the Eagles. It was a great game. Here are his statistics... 11 tackles (10 solo), 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 QB hit

Honorable mention: Charles Tillman ... 7 tackles, 6 solo, and [I believe?] 2 forced fumbles, 14 Collinsworth pontifications

* * *

Notice how it doesn't include negativity, anger inducing game results, or any mention whatsoever of epic failures?

It might get mundane, it might get too "ignorance is bliss"-y... but it might just be for the best.