I’ve decided to flip-flop things a bit this week. Normally I just pick the Milk Carton and put the Game Ball up for a vote, but I feel like there were so many worthy nominees for the Milk Carton after the miserable performances turned in early before the Bears roared back to steal the 23-22 victory over the Carolina Panthers. So let’s get to the nominees to see who will grace the Milk Carton.
Oct 22, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice before the game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE
Mike Tice
After a strong early showing, I sort of felt like Matt Forte disappeared but I can’t really blame it on Forte. Especially consider that Forte had a career game against the Panthers just last season. Where were the running plays? This was a tight game throughout. Look deeper into the stat sheet and notice Michael Bush, the high priced compliment to Forte, only got 3 carries. That all falls on offensive coordinator Mike Tice.
Oct 28, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Brandon LaFell (11) makes a catch against Chicago Bears free safety Chris Conte (47) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE
Chris Conte
Conte played his worst game of the season vs the Panthers. As the free safety, he’s directly accountable for Brandon LaFell’s 62 yard pass reception. Conte appeared to get flat footed and allowed LaFell to split the seam. Besides that, Conte had a costly personal foul penalty and could have been dinged with another but the flag was picked up.
Sep 9, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Matt Spaeth (89) during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field. The Bears won 41-21. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE
Matt Spaeth
Spaeth has been missing for much of the season, so it’s hard to single him out this week, but a costly drop on a critical third down puts him in the spotlight. If you’re only called upon to catch a ball once every couple of weeks, you’ve got to come through.
Oct 1, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Chicago Bears center Roberto Garza (63) on the sidelines during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE
Roberto Garza
I can’t even single out any offensive lineman in this poor performance. Sure, they finally pulled it together to give Jay some clean pockets late, their first half was putrid. Cutler appeared to be surrounded on many of the six sacks that they gave up. Roberto Garza represents the unit since he’s a captain. When he took over for Olin Kreutz, he inherited the responsibility to pull this unit together. Instead of rallying the troops, Garza has taken to committing false start penalties. How does the center false start? How does that happen?
Vote in our poll for who deserves to grace the Week 8 Milk Carton: