Dec 18, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) runs against Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings (26) during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The Seattle Seahawks return to Soldier Field for what seems like their annual trip to Chicago.  Pete Carroll’s bunch are winners of two of their last three games against the Bears, which makes Sunday’s game a lot more difficult than you’d think a game should be against a team which is 1-5 on the road.

The Bears limp into this contest with their offensive line and wide receiving corps depleted.  That doesn’t bode well for Jay Cutler and the offense.  Neither does the fact that the Seahawks soon-to-be-suspended cornerbacks will be playing while they wait for their appeal.

To help us prepare for this critical conference battle, we solicited the help of Keith Meyers, the editor of 12th Man Rising, our FanSided Seahawks counterpart.  Here are my questions and Keith’s answers.  Be sure to head over the 12th Man to see my answers to Keith’s questions.   (more…)

On the final play of the game, Russel Wilson heaved up a prayer that was seemingly intercepted by Green Bay Packer defender M.D. Jennings.  Seahawks receiver Golden Tate appeared to get an arm on the ball and wrestle it from Jennings after the interception and a touchdown was ruled.  Check out the game highlights, including the controversial last play here.

In case the replacement refs want to call this a simultaneous catch, here’s the rule right from the NFL Rule Book, Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 5:

There was clearly confusion on the part of the refs, as evidenced by this snapshot, where one ref is waving his arms signaling dead ball and another signaling touchdown.

Even after the call of the field was blown, they got a chance to redeem themselves and review the scoring play and the ruling was upheld.  The stadium erupted, Pete Carroll fist pumped and the teams left the field.  Uh, the refs forgot that by rule, an extra point must be attempted.  Teams had to be pulled back onto the field for the try.  All that was missing was the Stanford band on the field.  Mass chaos, confusion.

Again, let me say that the Packers lost and that makes this Bears fan happy.  But at the expense of the integrity of the game?  That’s a tough one to swallow.  If this doesn’t get the NFL back to the negotiating table, nothing will.

Earlier in the week, I took a stab at what I thought was the ideal path for the Bears to get to Dallas.  Step 1 has been completed with the Seahawks’ upset win.  Now the hard part.  I mean the really, really hard part for Bears fans.  We should be rooting for the Packers to beat the Eagles on Sunday.

Those may have been the hardest words I’ve ever had to type, but it could all be worth it.  If the Packers can pull off the win in Philly, the Seahawks come to Soldier Field.   Even though the Bears lost to Seattle earlier this year, they scare me a hell of a lot less than the Eagles.

For one thing, he Seahawks don’t get to bring their 12th man on the road and they’re not the same away from Qwest.  Second, I like the Bears in a revenge game.  Lovie will have the troops revved up to avenge a tough early-season loss.  Third, the Wild Card win at home was the Seahawks’ Super Bowl.  They proved their point, overcoming a double digit point spread and the jeers of the football world as the “worst playoff team ever” to pull the upset.

Enjoy the matchup on Sunday.

Go Pack but most importantly…

BEAR DOWN!!!

No matter how the Bears are playing, it’s our job as fans to critique everything they do.  Whether it be the poor play of the offensive line or the size of the shirt that Jay Cutler is wearing on the sidelines.  That’s just the way fans are.  Cheer them on when they’re good and point out every mistake they make when they’re bad.  Each week, you can take a ride with me and find out what’s Drivin’ Deez Nuts.

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The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. But the word “insane” is not how we should describe our “Mad Scientist”. The mind of the Mad Scientist teeters between “two” hemispheres: the frenzied side of muddled thoughts, fragmented logic and cavernous blind spots, and the lucid side of seasoned wisdom, ever-shifting imagination, and occasional strokes of strategic brilliance. It’s the occasional strokes of brilliance that make you want to trust the Mad Scientist. It’s these occasional strokes that make you look elsewhere to understand why the team isn’t having success.

But, the problem with being “Mad” is that Scientist Martz doesn’t KNOW that he’s Mad.

Mike Martz lost this game. We’re 6 games into the season. Mental mistakes, receiver mis-reads, and a mis-aligned strategy are now, as of this moment, ALL his fault. It is the Offensive Coordinator’s job to make sure his offense has a game plan they can execute and then prepare his team to execute that game plan. It is his job to ADAPT to a defensive scheme of ALL blitzes on X and 10.  It is his job to realize that teams are going to attack and attack (especially on the edge) and he has to build a game plan to use that against them.

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The Seahawks come to Soldier Field, but they have struggled on the road.  Experts around the interwebs can’t think of a way that the Bears can lose this game.  Well, let’s see what our Madden 11 Simulator thinks.

It seems like the Bears and the Seahawks square off just about every year.  Last season, the Bears made the trek to the Emerald City and brought home a come-from-behind victory.  This year new head coach Pete Carroll brings his band of merry men to Soldier Field.  It starts off well enough in Jay Cutler’s return to action as Robbie Gould gets the Bears on the board with a 41-yard field goal.  The Seahawks bounce back with a short Matt Hasslebeck TD pass to give Seattle a 7-3 first quarter lead.

Matt Forte picks up where he left off in Carolina, busting off a 36-yard TD run to give the Bears a 10-7 lead:

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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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Sims became expendable for the Seahawks as they continue to clean house.   He signed his 4th round tender last week in an effort to speed up his trade and the Lions stepped up with the second selection of the 5th round.

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