Sept. 30, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Fireman Ed gets the fans going before the game between the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
I’m back on the Bears bandwagon this week, yet my stomach is still hurting from all that Kool-Aid I drank in the offseason. So far this season, I expected the opposite to happen. The Bears should have won their home opener and then lost to the 49ers on the road. Regardless, the Bears are still 1-1 as I predicted before the season began. It was nice to see the linebackers playing better on Sunday night being able to contain a mobile quarterback unlike in week 1. I’m saddened this week with Peanut Tillman being put on season ending IR. At the same time I’m ecstatic to see Kyle Fuller play like a pro bowler against the 49ers. Chris Conte has shown that he has something to prove with some athletic interceptions in the first two weeks of the season. Let us hope he didn’t injure himself so bad that he can’t play Monday night. Back to back prime time games. How nice is that? I know Brandon Marshall is looking forward to the spotlight again this upcoming Monday. Well, I’m just glad Bears Nation is in a better mood this week. This week’s edition of Talking Smack is with Craig Hoffman from The Jet Press.
Before we start this week’s edition of talking smack, I wanted to cover two things. Number one, The Jets were robbed on Sunday. That whole timeout thing was ridiculous. Stupid refs are ruining the game. Unless the Jets didn’t score that touchdown, then the refs would have been awesome. But would the refs have still awarded the timeout? Ugh… I hate Green Bay. Number two, can you tell our readers a little something about yourself?
Sep 7, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) is tackled by Oakland Raiders safety Charles Woodson (24) at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
"My name is Craig Hoffman and I write for The Jet Press. This is my 2nd season writing there and I do the Quick Hits column that is due immediately after the game. I also do The Good, The Bad & The Ugly the next day. I have been a Jet fan my whole life. My father took me to the final game the team played at Shea Stadium in 1983 (a loss to the Steelers). I am the opposite of most Jet fans you will meet as I am optimistic and realistic instead of fatalistic. I think the Jets will make the playoffs this year on the strength of the growth of Geno Smith & a top flight front 7 on defense. Like most, the secondary scares me to death but if anyone can hide it it’s Rex Ryan. As for the Packer game the Jets got gut punched on 3 different plays that would have altered the outcome of the game. The 1st play inside of the 2 min warning in the 1st half Geno Smith had a wide open Zach Sudfeld inside the Packer 10. Left guard Brian Winters whiffed on his block and Smith was hit as he threw causing a pop up throw that Sudfeld didn’t fight for leading to an interception. The Packers scored and 28-9 became 21-16. To make matters worse Smith was hit low and it could/should have been penalized. The 2nd play was the David Harris interception nullified by a 12 men penalty. It would have given the Jets a 1st down on the Packer 25 down 7. The 3rd play was the “timeout”. Brutal, brutal play. That being said the Jets needed to be able to stem the tide and hold an 18 point lead. The running game failed to generate yardage and the passing game fizzled without Decker. With a loss Week 1 to the Buffalo Bills at home followed by a huge come from behind win in San Francisco it seems like the Bears have more personalities than Brandon Marshall. Which Bears team shows up to Met Life Stadium on Monday night?"
Sep 14, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) catches a touchdown pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter at Levi
I think you are going to see a focused Bears team who is learning to gel as a unit. The week 1 loss to Buffalo was ridiculous. The defense couldn’t stop the run, mostly due to horrible linebacker play. The linebackers stepped up against the 49ers and the defense as a whole played much better than in week 1. Also the offensive line has been playing great keeping Jay Cutler upright. The more time Cutler has to throw, the more dangerous Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery can be. How do you expect the Jets questionable secondary to contain those guys?
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