How come Lovie Smith does not know how to challenge? Lovie Smith has been the head coach for five and a half seasons with the Bears, and still does not know how to throw a red flag. Most recently, when the Bears hosted the over-achieving Packers, Lovie spent a timeout to have his coordinators review a possible Greg Olsen catch. Unfortunately for the Bears, Lovie decided to throw the challenge flag right after the timeout was over, and risk losing another timeout to challenge the incomplete pass. In doing so, which was obvious to I think most fans watching the game (including Thom Brenhaman and Brian Billick, the two annoucers) that it was indeed an incomplete pass.
If I were the head coach, which won't happen in the near future, I would have thrown the red flag too. The difference would be that I would have thrown it right away. I can understand when coaches throw the challenge flag knowing full well that it will probably get denied, but in the small chance that it goes your way, it pays off well.
Although, when you have already spent a timeout, and then are willing to risk another within seconds, you're playing with some fire. For those who did not see the game, (whether it was out of pure disguest for watching our "B" football team, or you found something better to do, like watching a Paully Shore movie), you're lucky.
As a lifelong Bear fan, it drove me absolutely insane. As a head coach, along with your coordinaters in the box, you're expected to know the rules. When a player makes a catch but loses the ball before he hits the ground, it's an incomplete pass! I still can't figure out why the Bears coaching staff cannot figure this out. Two weeks ago, Johnny Know fumbled a ball on a kick-off return. Everyone who saw the fumble knew that it was a fumble, yet Lovie still decided to throw a red flag. Even a novice football fan knew that it was a ligitamate fumble, yet the flag was still thrown.
I think that Sunday's game might have been the final dagger for Lovie. If it isn't, we are going to have to go through a tough lame duck season of bad play-calling, bad challenges, and a gross mismanagement of player personnel. Bear Down!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Notre Dame refusing to go to a bowl game?
I have just recently read an article in the Chicago Tribune about how Notre Dame is essentially refusing to play in a bowl game. Since the departure of coach Charlie Wies, the players have had the choice of playing in a minor bowl game, or not playing at all. Apparently, playing in the Dec. 26 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit or the Jan. 6 GMAC Bowl in Mobile is not good enough for Notre Dame standards.
I am not a Notre Dame fan, but I do enjoy when they put up a good record. I also like watching players like Golden Tate and Jimmy Clausen. It makes it fun to root against them, even though I respect their program.
I did though have a problem with the players coming to an agreement that they are going to refuse to go to a bowl game. Who do these players think they are? They are not in a position to be denying a bowl game that they think they are too good for.
The Irish are 6-6, not a good record, but technically it allows them to be eligible for a bowl game. Which in my opinion is already a sham. Other than their win against Hawaii in the Hawaii bowl last year, they had not won a bowl game since 1994 in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame is an elite organization, they always will be, but they are hardly an elite team now.
I do hope that when they do find a new coach, he teaches his players not to be above the game. Knowing Notre Dame, I'm sure that's not going to happen.
I am not a Notre Dame fan, but I do enjoy when they put up a good record. I also like watching players like Golden Tate and Jimmy Clausen. It makes it fun to root against them, even though I respect their program.
I did though have a problem with the players coming to an agreement that they are going to refuse to go to a bowl game. Who do these players think they are? They are not in a position to be denying a bowl game that they think they are too good for.
The Irish are 6-6, not a good record, but technically it allows them to be eligible for a bowl game. Which in my opinion is already a sham. Other than their win against Hawaii in the Hawaii bowl last year, they had not won a bowl game since 1994 in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame is an elite organization, they always will be, but they are hardly an elite team now.
I do hope that when they do find a new coach, he teaches his players not to be above the game. Knowing Notre Dame, I'm sure that's not going to happen.
Monday, November 30, 2009
And the award for biggest idiot of 2009 is...
Keith Ballard, when he hit Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vocoun. That might not seem like such a big deal, because everyone gets hit in hockey. The main difference between this hit and others, is that Ballard plays for the Panthers too, and it was with his own stick! Check out the video.
On Monday night, the Panthers played against the Atlanta Thrashers on what I am sure was thought to have been a normal game. In a tie game Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk scored a go-ahead breakaway goal against Vocoun with Ballard trailing not too far behind Kovalchuk. In pure frustration after the goal was scored, Ballard whacked the goal post with his stick, a practice that is not exactly disciplined by the NHL, or any individual teams for that matter. In doing so, Ballard managed to clip the side of the head of his own goaltender, knocking him to the ground in obvious pain. Vocoun then left the game minutes later on a stretcher.
This play is up on the same scale as when Gus Ferotte of the Washington Redskins celebrated a touchdown by slamming his own head into the wall and injuring himself. That bonehead play essentially ended his career that had some promise.
I have wondered for a long time how incidents like these have not happened more often. When I see a football player score a touchdown, then follow it by doing a back flip, I cannot believe that their head coaches do not tell them it is a bad idea. Or when a hockey player scores a goal and celebrates by jumping into the corner board a la Alexander Ovechkin. I would think that there are less risky ways to celebrate. Maybe I'm just old skool.
The only thing that we can hope for now is that Tomas Voucoun is healthy and that he has a quick return to the ice. And that Ballard finds a better way to let out his frustration.
On Monday night, the Panthers played against the Atlanta Thrashers on what I am sure was thought to have been a normal game. In a tie game Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk scored a go-ahead breakaway goal against Vocoun with Ballard trailing not too far behind Kovalchuk. In pure frustration after the goal was scored, Ballard whacked the goal post with his stick, a practice that is not exactly disciplined by the NHL, or any individual teams for that matter. In doing so, Ballard managed to clip the side of the head of his own goaltender, knocking him to the ground in obvious pain. Vocoun then left the game minutes later on a stretcher.
This play is up on the same scale as when Gus Ferotte of the Washington Redskins celebrated a touchdown by slamming his own head into the wall and injuring himself. That bonehead play essentially ended his career that had some promise.
I have wondered for a long time how incidents like these have not happened more often. When I see a football player score a touchdown, then follow it by doing a back flip, I cannot believe that their head coaches do not tell them it is a bad idea. Or when a hockey player scores a goal and celebrates by jumping into the corner board a la Alexander Ovechkin. I would think that there are less risky ways to celebrate. Maybe I'm just old skool.
The only thing that we can hope for now is that Tomas Voucoun is healthy and that he has a quick return to the ice. And that Ballard finds a better way to let out his frustration.
Urlacher's comments just adds to the disarray of the Bears clubhouse
Brian Urlacher said to Yahoo! Sports reporter Michael Silver that "But I hate the way our identity has changed. We used to establish the run and wear teams down and try not to make mistakes, and we'd rely on our defense to keep us in the game and make big plays to put us in position to win. Kyle Orton might not be the flashiest quarterback, but the guy is a winner, and that formula worked for us. I hate to say it, but that's the truth."
Ulracher is correct, the Bears used to be able to run and wear teams down. He is also correct in saying that the defense used to keep them in the game. Unfortunately, neither of those are the case now, and it has nothing to do with Jay Cutler being our quarterback. Matt Forte does not seem to be the same player he was last year, whether it is him not running hard enough through the holes, or whether the offensive line is not creating them. Both statements have their legitimate arguments. And, I do not think I have to say anything about the defense.
Later on in the interview Urlacher also commented on Forte saying, "You know why that doesn't work? We don't make anyone [expletive] miss,'' As you know from the previous paragraph, I think he may have a point, but calling out individual players on your own team to the media shows some unprofessional ism. Calling out your team is one thing, calling out individual players makes it sound like you are putting sole blame on them.
Instead of calling out the offense, maybe Brian, you should look at your side of the ball. The Bears' D has given up 45 points to Cincinnati, 41 points to Arizona, and recently 36 points to Minnesota where Brett Farve threw for 392 yards.
Anyway we look at it though, the Bears' are in for a rough rest of the year, and maybe a few more after. Well, at least we have the Blackhawks.
Ulracher is correct, the Bears used to be able to run and wear teams down. He is also correct in saying that the defense used to keep them in the game. Unfortunately, neither of those are the case now, and it has nothing to do with Jay Cutler being our quarterback. Matt Forte does not seem to be the same player he was last year, whether it is him not running hard enough through the holes, or whether the offensive line is not creating them. Both statements have their legitimate arguments. And, I do not think I have to say anything about the defense.
Later on in the interview Urlacher also commented on Forte saying, "You know why that doesn't work? We don't make anyone [expletive] miss,'' As you know from the previous paragraph, I think he may have a point, but calling out individual players on your own team to the media shows some unprofessional ism. Calling out your team is one thing, calling out individual players makes it sound like you are putting sole blame on them.
Instead of calling out the offense, maybe Brian, you should look at your side of the ball. The Bears' D has given up 45 points to Cincinnati, 41 points to Arizona, and recently 36 points to Minnesota where Brett Farve threw for 392 yards.
Anyway we look at it though, the Bears' are in for a rough rest of the year, and maybe a few more after. Well, at least we have the Blackhawks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)