December 30, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter of an NFL game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants are next up in our Reader’s Mock Draft as we have nearly reached the pick for our Chicago Bears.   There are still plenty of good players available, so it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

The Giants ended up with a winning 9-7 record, but after starting the season 6-2, missing the playoffs is now how the Super Bowl XLVI champs wanted their 2012 campaign to go.  (more…)

Rex Grossman is starting again for the Redskins. His first outing with them didn't go so well.

If you think we have problems in Chicago, try being a Washington Redskins fan.  Your team isn’t winning, you’ve suspended Albert Haynesworth and now you’re bring Sexy Rexy back.  ESPN reports that Donovan McNabb is going to be benched this week and ex-Bear Rex Grossman will be the starting QB for the Redskins against the Dallas Cowboys.  Rex is their quarterback.  But Sexy isn’t going to a Super Bowl this year, as the Redskins are already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.  This moves seems to be an audition for Rex, who has potential to be the Redskins starter next year (to the amazement of all). 

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Lovie being Lovie.

Lovie Smith is my new sworn enemy.  I’m a guy who normally believes that you make your own luck but Lovie is a jinx.  He said after the Redskins game that the Bears “weren’t lucky.”  I think he needs to look in the mirror to see who has the bad luck.  Each week, just when I think that it can’t be worse than the week before, Lovie’s Bears find their way into the record books on the wrong side of the page.  For those of you who have blocked out most of Lovie’s tenure with the Bears, let me refresh your memory.

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Cutler hopes to move forward this week against Seattle and forget the sackfest he experienced in New York.

Jay Cutler has played 20 games for the Chicago Bears and in that span we have seen just how good and just how bad he can be.  His concussed outing against the New York Giants in Week 4 was a reminder that he still has maturing to do.  Though his poor performance was partially the O-line’s fault, he often held the ball too long and didn’t see all of his open receivers.  However, throughout his career he has shown resilience after a disappointing effort.  Also, people sometimes forget that he has only played three full seasons in the NFL and just turned 27 this year.  Some of the greats struggled early on and when you compare the stats, Cutler still has a shot at a long and successful NFL career.

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That’s the problem with Mad Scientists. When you first meet one, you think “Oh, he’s just quirky!” or “Sure, he’s playing with flammable substances and toying with the laws of nature, but really he’s just harmless!” And then you realize that all this time, he’s been ingesting his own concoctions of chemically-imbalanced, delirium-inducing kool-aid, all the while thinking that these liquids will “expand his mind” or “open new channels“ or “transmogrify his transcendence into the transcendental”! And THIS, boys and girls, is the moment when Dr. Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde.

The question that I struggled with this morning after the Sack-fest in the Meadowlands is:  Did Martz over-indulge with the kool-aid and start believing that JC is indestructible? Or, did Martz’s zany offense finally cause Jay Cutler’s head to explode? Or, did Igor (otherwise known as Mike Tice) fill his Frankenstein line with “Abby Normal” brains?  My fear was that the answer was all of the above; what I found, however, surprised me and will surprise you too.

In reviewing the first half playcalling, I really expected to find that Mad Martz was at fault for calling too many pass plays early, or for calling 7-step drops against obvious blitz packages, or for not trying to protect his quarterback by calling quicker pass plays. What I found was that Martz actually used a balanced attack plan. The issue was with the players, including most of all Jay Cutler. They failed to execute, and JC paid the price.

1) Penalties (WTF #1)

• First play of the game, Bears use multi-shift progression to try and throw off defense, instead throws off our Left Tackle. Omiyale false start puts us in 1st and 15.
• Fourth Series, Bears in decent shape at 2nd and 6 after okay Chester Taylor run.  They again use multi-shift progression and Omiyale false starts, moving them back to 2nd and long.
• Sixth Series in first half, Forte gets around end on first down for nice 8 yard pickup. Second and two, Bears in a tight I formation, and Olsen jumps… back to 2nd and long.
• The offense looked tight, acted tight, and struggled early, but not necessarily because they were outmatched. The Giants defensive scheme had something to do with that…

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It’s a slow start for the Bears, with only a pair of Robbie Gould field goals accounting for all of their first quarter scoring and giving the Bears an early 6-0 lead.

After a Lawrence Tynes FG to cut the Bears lead in half, another Robbie Gould FG gets the margin back to 6 points.  Eli Manning gets knocked out of the game following a Tommie Harris sack. Even the Madden simulated Tommie Harris is motivated after last week’s benching.  Bears close the first half with a 20-yard Jay Cutler to Devin Hester pass helps the Bears open up a 16-3 lead heading into the halftime locker room:

Sorry about the funky camera angle. Trust me, it’s Cutler to Hester for the score.

More highlights and the full stats and box score after the jump.

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Giants DE Mathias Kiwanuka is OUT for the Sunday night game with a bulging disc.  With Osi Umenyiora listed as questionable with a foot injury, the Giants defensive line definitely limps into this contest.  Jay Cutler thanks you in advance.

Also out for the Giants are center Shaun O’Hara with an Achilles and tackle Will Beatty with a foot.  Maybe that will help the Bears’ D-line get to Eli.  Linebacker Keith Bullock is doubtful as well.  Those are the most likely to miss.

Defensive tackle Rocky Bernard is questionable with a back.  The probables are WR  Mario Manningham coming off a concussion, linebackers Chase Blackburn has a knee  and Phillip Dillard has a hammy and kick returner Darius Reynaud is ill.

As for the Bears, the news is much better.  The hamstring bug will keep left tackle Chris Williams and safety Major Wright out but that’s about the extent of any substantial injuries.  Roberto Garza returned to practice on a limited basis, but  all indications are that he will suit up.

BEAR DOWN!!!

Through the month of October, my usual BEAR DOWN signoff will be in pink to raise awareness for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Andrew Illnicki from GMenHQ took time to return the favor.  Here’s my Q’s and his A’s:

1. Lovie Smith is no stranger to the hot seat.  Should he make room for Tom Coughlin?  Has Coughlin lost control of his team?  Is he done in NY?

Has Coughlin lost his team?

Not just yet.  Let’s not blow this out of proportion — a lack of execution and some tipped passes won’t be costing him his job in my mind.   I know that there has been a lot of speculation in the mainstream media this week that Coughlin should be on the hot seat after a blowout on the road with the Colts and another sloppy loss to the Titans where the Giants had 11 penalties and 3 turnovers, which is the antithesis of what he preaches.  But it’s former players like Tiki Barber with the help of Jerome Bettis for SI that have thrust Coughlin’s name into the limelight as the reason why the team has fallen apart, that his message is no longer heard, that the players have soured on him, there is a locker room crisis with no leadership, etc.  But hearing from the players, that’s not the case.  Truthfully, I could tell you the exact same thing occurred in 2007 after the first few games, the year they won the Superbowl.   Let’s listen to reason and Michael Strahan here  – Coughlin hasn’t all of a sudden forgotten how to coach.

2. The Giants have the reputation of being a running team yet they’re only ranked 14th in rushing, averaging 115 yards per game.  Meanwhile the Bears defense is ranked #1 against the run.  Do you think the Giants will be able to run against the Bears?

Yes the Giants have struggled running the ball compared to what they did a few years ago.  I look at offensive line first though.  That was their major strength when they led the NFL in rushing.  Injuries/surguries during the offseason, an early lack of cohesion, and some setbacks at TE with Kevin Boss going out week 1 are more to blame for the less than stellar numbers than Ahmad Bradshaw is.  As for the Bears, I’m not yet convinced that they can’t be run on.  I think the Giants are going to come out and try to pound the rock Sunday night, for sure.  I think you’re going to see a fired up Brandon Jacobs for the first time in a while take some carries up the middle to try and soften your LB’s.  He showed us a glimpse last week.  But the Giants are also going to move through the air too and take some chances deep downfield.  Eli Manning has clearly tried to shoulder some of that burden over the last 2 years to try and balance the team out.

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