Nov 4, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) hands off to running back Arian Foster (23) during the second half at Reliant Stadium. The Texans won 21-9. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

The Bears’ extended preseason is over.  It’s time to put the big boy pads on and invite a legit team to Soldier Field as the 7-1 Houston Texans come to Chicago to face the 7-1 Bears.  This is a game where strength goes against strength.  The Bears take the ball away more than any team in the league while the Texans give it away the least.  It’s fastball pitcher against fastball hitter.  Both defenses are ranked in the top 5 and the Sunday night forecast is calling for heavy rain, so this doesn’t set up for a shootout.

To help get some insight on the upcoming opponent, we reached out to Riley Cavanagh, editor for Toro Times to tackles our 5 Questions.   Here are my questions and Riley’s answers: (more…)

Guys I Like this Week

1. Aaron Rodgers @ Tampa Bay – What’s a good cure for sore feet for a QB?  How about facing a Tampa D that has allowed 9 plays of more than 40 yds or more through the air, 16 passing TDs and has only mustered 11 sacks.  Yeah, they are that bad and should be changing back to the old creamsicle uniforms for good.
2. Chad Ochocinco vs Baltimore – Ocho has been RED HOT and you gotta ride him.  The Balt D comes in ranked 19th against the pass and while I think they can contain Ced much better than the Bears did, I think they will manage about as well against Ocho as the Bears did or maybe worse.  Tweet, Tweet!!!
3. Julius Jones vs Detroit – The Edge is gone and Forsett isn’t ready to steal many carries and likely won’t be a factor at the goalline.  Seattle needs to keep Hasselbeck upright for the rest of the season, so expect a lot of Juice Jones to keep the Lions off balance.  Plus, we are talking about the Lions D, right?  Go with Juice!
4. Matt Schaub/Andre Johnson @ Indy - The Colts may be starting at least 1 and likely 2 rookies at their CB positions this week…that’s right…rookies…Schaub and AJ must be licking their chops.  Even if the starters play, they will be limited by injuries and, ”Houston, we could have takeoff!!!”  (more…)

Stone Tablet Locks – chisel these guys in stone as MUST PLAYS this week.

1. Minnesota DST @ St. Louis – The Lambs OFFENSIVE offense has scored an average of 6 points per game…does anything more need be said???
2. Donovan McNabb vs Tampa Bay – The Tampa DST is 3^rd worst in the league in allowing plays of 20+ yards.  I expect D-Mac to pick up where he left off and shred the Tampa secondary that has been terrible this year.
3. Andre Johnson @ Arizona – The Arizona DST is ranked 30^th against the pass and I expect this game to be a shoot-out of epic proportions.  AJ is generally a must-start, but a downright no brainer this week.

DeCon’s Blessing – given to SLEEPERS to sneak in to grab you some big points.

1. Chester Taylor @ St. Louis – Expect a lot of points in this game…by the Vikings and expect this laugher to be over by halftime, leaving plenty of garbage time for CT to do some damage.
2.  Julius Jones vs Jacksonville – The return of Hasselbeck likely won’t save the Seahawks season, but it should open up some lanes for JJ to exploit.  Believe it or not, JJ is actually a top-12 RB in PPR leagues and certainly worthy of a blessing this week.
3. Tim Hightower vs Houston – The Houston DST has allowed a league-high 8 rushing TDs this season.  As mentioned before, this game should be a shootout and with Houston’s aggressive defensive front, I expect Hightower to get plenty of chances in the passing game, as well as the rushing game.

Bent Over the Altar – you MUST SIT these players because no one wants to be bent over the altar.

1. Denver DST vs NE – The Denver DST is a top-3 scoring DST, but don’t be fooled as they have played subpar competition.  Expect the Evil One in the cut-off hoodie and #12 for the Pats to have a lot to say about bringing the Broncos DST back to earth.
2. Matt Ryan @ San Fran – I’m sorry, but until someone looks good against this defense (and not lucky, Mr. Favre) it is hard to think of anyone going into SF right now and doing any damage offensively…except of course on Nov 12, 2009 when a certain team we all know and love will go visit Coach Singletary and the boys…Matty gets put on ice in this game.
3. Ronnie Brown vs NY Jets – Miami is quietly leading the league in rushing, but with Henne at the helm, expect 8-9 Jets in the box on every play making Henne’s life miserable and wreaking havoc on both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

In Need of a Confession – Teams are ON A BYE and will be skipping services this week.

Bears – Cutler and Forte owners need to plug some holes, but at least the Bears can rest.

Packers – Rodgers and Jennings are about the only offensive players worth having on the Packers.  

Chargers – No Rivers, Gates, Sproles, LT or Vincent Jackson…man, this is a bad week for missing your studs… 

Saints – Brees, Colston, Bush, Pierre Thomas…geez…almost as bad as having the Chargers on a bye in the same week…oh wait, they are too….

How do you fill in the Pews this Week??? 

If David Garrard is still available, grab him or if you are really desperate, I actually like Derek Anderson this week as the Browns face the Bills…two equally hapless franchises. 

Julius Jones and Chester Taylor, mentioned above might still be available in your leagues and could be good fill-ins this week, along with Sammy Morris whose production will increase since Fragile Fred is out for about 4 weeks with an ankle. 

Look towards Mike Sims-Walker, who was a hot add this week, but he may still be available.  Another WR I like is Percy Harvin as I believe the Vikes will roll up a big number on the Lambs.

Visanthe Shaincoe and Brent Celek should be solid contributors this week at the TE position and could be available.

Can I get an “Amen?”

The DeCon has spoken…so let it be written, so let it be done…

I’ll hear your fantasy football confessions at beargoggles.decon@gmail.com.  

If you think the arrow is pointing up for the Bears’ offense, the once-heralded defense is another story.  Long gone is the defense that carried the Bears to Super Bowl XLI.   The defense that ranked 5th overall in the NFL in 2006 has been in steady decline in the two seasons since.  The team that ranked 3rd in scoring defense in 2006, slid down to 16th the last two seasons.  In fact, last year the team’s average PPG was 21.8 compared to 21.9 this season.  That’s a far cry from the 15.9 PPG in the Super Bowl season of 2006.  Many will point to schemes and coaching.  I’ll dedicate a separate post just to address those issues.  In the meantime, let’s break it down: (more…)

This game was a microcosm of the entire season.  The Bears came out fired up and scored early, but were unable to protect the lead, letting up 21 unanswered points as they failed to protect their lead and failed to finish the ballgame.  Does that sound like a common theme?  See Caroline, Tampa and Atlanta games in case there is any confusion about not finishing.

The Bears felt the loss of Mike Brown, as the Texans exploited the Bears’ secondary throughout the game.   Andre

Andre Johnson dominated the Bears in Houston's 31-24 victory

Johnson went into the locker room with over 100 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.  At the half.   Any time the defense wants to stop him, please feel free.  He is wearing shirt #80.

Despite all the missteps, the Bears managed to hold the Texans to a short field goal early in the fourth quarter to keep it a 7 point game.  After a questionable no-call on what appeared to be pass interference on Brandon Lloyd, Brad Maynard boomed yet another punt inside the 20, down to the 11 yard line.  And here is where the season effectively ended, my friends.  When it mattered most, the once-vaunted Bears defense let Houston march 89 yards in over six minutes, capped off by a 2-yard Steve Slaton touchdown.  Bears down 2 scores and the season is on life support.

The Bears were able to run an effective 2-minute offense with a Kyle Orton QB-sneak bringing the Bears back to within one score.  Now it was up to Robbie Gould to kick an onside kick for the Bears to have a chance.  He hit the equivalent of a Derek Lee ground ball to the shortstop that Chicago native Kevin Walter easily covered.  And despite all of that, the Bears still had one last gasp.  Hold the Texans to a 3 and out and maybe, just maybe, you get a miraculous punt return or a Hail Mary.  Instead, Tommie Harris, who made over $10 million in bonuses this year, jumped offsides to give Houston a 1st and 5.  Five yards and a couple of kneel-downs later and the season went up in smoke.

I’ll have a lot more to discuss as I get a chance to digest the season.   Throughout the next week, I’ll take a closer look at the offense, defense, special teams and coaching as we head into the offseason.

BEAR DOWN!!!

After all that the Bears have been through the last couple of weeks, needing consecutive OT wins and getting some help along the way, you might think a win over the Houston Texans would be a foregone conclusion.  That is not the case, my friends.   This is not the Texans team of old; Houston is definitely a team on the rise.  While they are not in the playoff hunt, they can tie a franchise best 8 wins for the second straight season.  They boast a solid 5-2 home record this season, with the losses coming at the hands of Indianapolis and Baltimore, both Wild Card representatives in the AFC heading into the final week of the season.

The Texans offense ranks 3rd in the league, averaging over 377 yards per game.  They feature a rookie runner of their own in Steve Slaton, who comes into Week 17 with a Texans’ record 1190 yards and a 4.8 yards per carry average.   They add a dimension to their offense that the Bears are not very familiar with: a passing game.  Andre Johnson is an absolute beast with 105 catches and a league-leading 1427 yards, while Kevin Walter leads the team with 8 TD catches.  Matt Schaub has done a good job holding on to the ball recently, only committing 3 turnovers since his return from injury.

On the other side of the ball, the Texans rank 25th against the run, so hopefully Ron Turner has a steady diet of Matt Forte in the offensive game plan this week.  Mario Williams is clearly the pass rusher to watch, leading the Texans in sacks, while linebacker DeMeco Ryans leads the team with 102 tackles.   The Texan defense has been a bit streaky this year, holding the Titans to 13 points in a victory two weeks ago, while letting up 27 points in their loss last week to the lowly Raiders.

The Texans head in Sunday’s contest as a 2.5 point favorite.  The Houston Chronicle picks the Bears to pull off the upset and come out of Reliant Stadium with a 24-20 victory.  If they are to do that, the Bears will slow down Andre Johnson, feature a steady dose of Matt Forte and the Special Teams will continue to be special.  Fasten your seat belts Bears fans, it should be an interesting Week 17!

BEAR DOWN!!!