As far as the notion of Favre going to Minnesota, I say go right ahead.  Screw ‘em!  Bring it on!!!  I don’t want Viking fans crying when the Bears whoop em this upcoming season.

There is some supposed mystique about Brett Favre against the Bears.  That used to be true.  During the Dark Ages of Football or Jauron-sted years from 1993-2003 as I call them, Favre and the Packers owned the Bears, tallying a 19-3 mark over those 11 seasons.   YIKES!!!

Since Lovie Smith took over in 2004, the Bears are 6-2 against Favre-led Packer teams and one of those games was the “Rex Grossman’s New Years Eve Party” game where the Bears had nothing to play for en route to Super Bowl XLI.    So come on back Favre – Urlacher and the boys have a little somethin’ for ya!

BEAR DOWN!!!!

Up in the Metrodome, the Philadelphia Eagles ruined Adrian Peterson’s playoff debut as the Vikings fell 26-14.  Last season’s offensive rookie of the year did his part tallying both of the Vikings’ touchdowns.   The Eagles did just enough offensively, when a Donovan McNabb screen pass to Brian Westbrook turned into a backbreaking 71 yard touchdown with just under 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter.  Philadelphia also cashed in a Tarvaris Jackson interception for their other TD.

The next round features 4 games that are rematches from earlier this season.  On Saturday, the Ravens head to Tennessee to face the Titans and the Cardinals head east to Carolina.  Sunday’s action features the Eagles heading to the Meadowlands to face NFC East rival Giants while San Diego heads to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers.  I’ll have much more on the matchups later in the week as well as my picks for the Divisional Round.  Hopefully, you didn’t blow your mortgage payment on my picks from last weekend.
BEAR DOWN!!!

Similarly, when I went to bed on Thursday (Friday and Saturday too for that matter), I went to sleep believing that the Bears were actually going to make the playoffs thanks to a solid win over New Orleans.   It was all set up.  A Vikings loss here, a Giants win there and we’d be all set.  All of that changed on Sunday like the sudden change in the weather.  Everything went terribly, horribly, impossibly wrong.  Now, the Bears will be lucky to have a glimmer of playoff hope next time they take the field against Green Bay a week from now. 

Vikings beat the Cardinals- any time Arizona would like to stop anyone on the Vikings would be fine with me.  Bernard Berrian not only bit, but chewed off and spit out the hand that once fed him with an 82-yard punt return and another long TD reception from backup QB Tarvaris Jackson.  Arizona came out flat and never recovered.  They looked outmatched in all phases of the game and will certainly get destroyed in their first home playoff game since 1947.  Thanks for nothing Cards!

Dallas beats New York Giants – Dallas looks like the team that many people expected with a Sunday night victory over the NFC-leading New York Giants.  The Dallas D sacked Eli Manning 8 times and the Giants’ offense could never really get out of neutral.  Dallas still has two tough games remaining, but a loss to the Giants would have helped.

Tampa beat Atlanta.  Where has Tampa’s run defense gone?  Michael Turner went off for 150+ on the ground against the once-feared Bucs defense.  I was hoping that Tampa would ascend to the #1 wild card spot and run the table, doing the Beloved a favor along the way.  Tampa and Atlanta are now tied for second behind division-leading Carolina with matching 9-5 records.  Since they both have a tie-breaker against the Bears, they’ll both need to lose out for the Bears to have a shot at passing them.

And now, we pray as our “Four-Fodders,” Da Super Fans taught us:

There hasn’t been a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Chicago since Marty Booker did his first tour here and that was a long time ago.  It’s hard for any receiver to establish themselves in a town with so much quarterback controversy.  Joey Galloway would be probably be more of a household name if not for all the quarterback issues in Tampa Bay. 

But you know what?  The last time I checked, football is a team sport.  Receivers want to pad their stats and look good so they can get endorsement deals and be famous.  Not every receiver has that opportunity and more often than not, every receiver trying to be that guy ends up hurting the team.  Sometimes being a great receiver means making great blocks downfield so your running back can get longer runs.  Sometimes being a great receiver means breaking off your route and getting a four yard catch when your quarterback is in trouble.  Sometimes being a great receiver means catching the ball over the middle and taking the hit from the linebacker so your team can get a first down.

I’ve been talking to people for a while now how the receiver position in dying in the NFL.  The age of Jerry Rice and the unstoppable receivers of his time appears to be in the decline, if not almost dead.  There are only a handful of elite receivers left in the NFL and some of their egos are proving disasterous to their teams.  After Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Chad Johnson, there is a big drop off of talent.  Marvin Harrison used to be the best but he’s starting to look old.  There are a few young guys like Reggie Wayne and Braylon Edwards to carry the torch, but each passing year there are fewer big time receivers in the NFL.  So is it really the Bears fault?  Look around the NFL, there are a lot of good receivers, but the number of great ones is dropping off. 

The modern NFL is leaning towards offenses that feature a two-back system and have at least one huge tight end that can run just as fast as a receiver.  It’s actually the evolution of the tight end that’s killing the receiver.  Every team had that hard ass receiver that would go over the middle for six or eight catches a game, get killed by the linebacker, and the sick bastard loved it.  Now everyone wants to be on the cover of a video game and can’t afford to hurt their pretty face. 

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more things stay the same.  The game of football demands for someone to take the open space defenses usually create over the middle to catch the ball and move the offense.  Since receivers are no longer willing to do it, coaches have evolved ultra-tight ends that are big as houses but move like receivers.  Their bodies allow them to take on linebackers and their talent allows them to make plays for the end zone.  All over the country, coaches are finding these huge kids that are fast and good with their hands.  Up until a few years ago they were probably put at fullback, defensive end, or linebacker.  If he was drafted today, Mike Alstott probably would have been a tight end for Tampa Bay.  Meanwhile the prima dona receivers sit on the sideline and watch their job dimish to a minimal role. 

The evolution of the game has created faster linebackers and the old end around plays don’t have the effectiveness they used to.  More offenses are using running backs with good hands to slide to the sidelines and give a place for the quarterback to dump the ball.  Quarterbacks used to scramble around looking for receivers to break their route and make an amazing play.  Those highlights are reserved for runnings backs now as they swing along the sidelines making dashing cuts for the endzone. 

The dynamics of the game are changing and big play wide receivers are a dying breed.  There will always be a select few that will collect the big money and get on the magazine covers.  The sad part is their rarity will only drive up their value and force teams to dump money at a position they know will only have minimal impact.  What good does a big contract for Bernard Berrian have for Minnesota if Tarvaris Jackson can’t even get him the ball?  The Bears went with an approach that may become more common in the NFL.  A rotating core of slot receivers that block downfield and make key third down plays to keep the drive going.  The big plays are no reserved for running backs and tight ends, with receivers running a distant third. 

Anyway you look at it, Muhsin Muhammad is right.  Chicago is the place where receivers go to die, and so is every other city in the NFL. 

The Bears gave fans a glimpse into what this season could have been with a brief reminder of how dominant the Bears defense is on the field.  Nathan Vasher proved to be a key element to creating turnovers and lived up to both his nickname of the “Interceptor” and his long term contract.  If only he was on the field the past couple months, things may have turned out differently.  I was also extremely impressed by the play of rookie Matt Toeaina, who played well enough on Monday night to earn a chance at a roster spot next year. 

All that mixed together won’t be enough on Sunday.  The Packers have a potent offensive attack going into the playoffs and appear ready to make a run at a Super Bowl appearance if they can get past Dallas.  Ryan Grant has become a run threat and Brett Favre has shown all season he can throw the ball as many times as he needs to generate a win.  The Bears were able to get at Minnesota due to concentrating on shutting down the running game and making Tarvaris Jackson throw the ball under pressure.  No much luck here as the Packers will be able to do want they want on the field.  The emergence of deep threat receivers like Greg Jennings will be too much for the Bears safeties to handle. 

Ryan Grant may have a 100+ yard game or Favre may just throw the ball all over the field.  It depends upon conditions at Soldier Field tomorrow and it looks like conditions will be pretty bad.  It could be as cold as 18 degrees with high speed winds whipping off the lake.  The Bears may be forced to attack teh run and see if Favre can battle a defense and mother nature. 

Bears Offense v. Packers Defense

Think the Bears have a chance to get a touchdown on the Packers defense?  I’ll have some of what you’re drinking.  The Packers went on their playoff run in the beginning of the season because of how their defense kept the offense in the game.  Now that the offense has become so explosive, people have a tendency to forget this defense is playing like the Bears defense of last year.  Weather conditions could force the Bears to establish a ground game.  That’s like playing Where’s Waldo for another 15 minutes after you couldn’t find him for 2 hours.  It’s pretty much gone and it’s not going to magically appear. 

I really have no idea what the Bears may accomplish offensively, other than to hope Kyle Orton has some magic stored up in that chin beard.  I doubt Adrian Peterson will get over 40 yards rushing and the Packers will likely be prepared for the screen pass.  Perhaps Garrett Wolfe can surprise us with some of his blazing speed, but that’s just wishful thinking.  Moose Muhammed will be lucky to get any closer to his milestone of 10,000 receiving yards.  He is less than 100 yards away, but has to find a way to get the ball from Kyle Orton to him, which could be a big challenge for the veteran. 

Moral of the story is, this could be ugly and boring.

Special Teams

This is starting to get old.  Yes, the Bears have the best special teams in the NFL thanks to Devin Hester.  No, the Packers will probably not kick to them since the Bears offense can do anything even when they get the ball at the 40 yard line.  Snoozefest.

Despite living in the State of Minnesota he must have some good judgment.

Should the Bears start Kyle Orton or Brian Griese?

My Response: Do not question the ability of the mighty chin beard!! Seriously though, the Bears offense is a mess. The only amusing thing about Monday’s game will be the announcers trying to deal with two Adrian Peterson’s who both play running back. Moose Muhammed needs 125 receiving yards to reach 10,000 for his career.

What are the Vikings playoff chances?

My Response: Don’t tempt me with notions of your team choking on Monday night. I can’t take anymore disappointment for this season. I would say the Vikings have already paved their way to the playoffs. It would require a giant meltdown and I don’t think Arizona or New Orleans is ready for a playoff push. Both are close but need to do a little more work in the season. I think the early season surge by Detroit was a fluke and they have returned to being the Detroit Sucks Lions. However, the Vikings playoff travels will end in either Green Bay or Dallas.

Who has bigger issues at quarterback, Vikings or Bears?

My Response: Tarvaris Jackson is to NFL quarterbacks what Cedric Benson is to NFL running backs. No matter how many times you tell yourself they are the real thing, it’s just not going to happen. Jackson can run the offense, but in Minnesota that involves handing off to Peterson and then handing off to Chester Taylor. I think the Bears have enough talent at other positions that when they come back healthy next year they can still win with Grossman. I don’t see the ability to become a big-time quarterback in Jackson that I see in Grossman. I think Vikings fans are going to be disappointed by him down the line.

What elements make the Vikings beatable?

My Response: Devin Hester is one of the most exciting players in the game and could make this game worth watching. However, I don’t think any team is going to kick to him the remainder of the season, making this game even more boring. If a bad punt finds it’s way into Hester’s hands than watch out. As for confusing Jackson, the Bears have been confusing themselves more than anyone else on the field so it’s not a big worry. However, facing off against the Packers or Cowboys in the playoffs could be a problems with the different packages they will throw at the Vikings offense. They could easily overwhelm Jackson and take control of the game.

Does anyone fear the Bears defense anymore?

My Response: The Bears couldn’t stop the run if they played Notre Dame in the EagleMan Car Insurance Bowl. The defensive roster is so thin from injuries they have to play guys who have never played in the NFL and probably never will again.

Thanks again to Dan Zinski for his insight and be sure to visit his blog at The Viking Age.