Bears: Is it over yet?

I watched the season finales of Californication and Dexter last week (I still want to do a Dexter review) and as much as I didn't want those shows to end, I want the Bears season to end soon. It is very apparent that this team is mostly moving backwards. I just want it to end before too much damage is done. Sunday's game was one of the most painful to watch. There were some good signs. The running game continues to improve which is an extremely good trend. The Bears were also able to contain Ray Rice after the initial bursts. I guess the player I've seen regress most is Cutler. Early on his passes were lightning quick and the interceptions were often half the receivers fault or a tip ball. But recently his passes have been short not on target or intercepted. I hope that off-season workouts with the receivers can improve that. Cutler's troubles are worrisome because this is the player that will most likely outlast the current coaches and GM. With all the speculation and talk about the safety of certain jobs, it is very apparent that everybody is focusing on the next season, which is the same I am doing. I can't wait to see what happens to Hank Moody and Dexter Morgan. As for the Bears, I'll watch with cautious pessimism.

Bears: Again

Well I really want to talk about the Dexter finale (which was much more interesting than the Bears game), but I'll stick to the Monday Morning (or in this case afternoon) Quarterbacking. Well I could probably rip the script from a few of my other posts: Bears down early, make a comeback, lose the lead, failed two minute drill, game. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but once again the Bears were a two minute drill away from at least a tie. I'll also clarify that this doesn't make the Bears a good team, but points to the fact that the parity exists and no team is unbeatable any game. This game was a little different, at least it had a little different feel. Maybe that's just want happens when the Bears and Packers meet for their biannual meeting that only means something to one of the teams.

• Running. I actually thought Forte and the run game looked decent this game Forte only got 51 yards, but averaged 4.3 a carry. It's been slightly under the radar, but the run game has gotten better even if underused.
• Penalties. Killer. Too many line penalties. 13 for 109 yards. Yikes.
• Challenge. One of the worst coaching decisions I've seen. Using two timeouts (one timeout and 1 challenge) and not effectively using either. If you were going to challenge, should've just thrown the flag to begin with and if you had a timeout to watch it you should have gotten it right. Although I thought the challenge could have gone either way.
• Defense. The Defense played well after a few lapses early on. There some definite bend not break moments, but for the most part the D played well.
• The Cutler Connection. Killer again. Turnovers and penalties killed the Bears. Those under throws were deadly. This is actually the 1st game where I clearly saw what practically everyone else has been saying about the weak receiving corp. If Cutler had more trust and more experienced receivers would he have 20+ interceptions, probably not. I still think its not a offseason priority. I think you allow the receivers to grow into that role.

Bulls

I've avoided talking about the Bulls so far this season. I wish I would have wrote something sooner because early on I was about to write a glowing review. How things change after the circus trip. To briefly summarize the season, the Bulls started out well with big victories against the Spurs and Cavs in Cleveland. Things were looking up before the road trip out west. The Bulls had a sputtering offense but a much improved defense. Ben Gordon gone = sputtering offense and better defense. The world made sense. Luol and Noah also looked to be much improved with Rose struggling early on.

The Circus trip even started out well with a victory over the Kings who had had a 4 game winning streak. Then, the Bulls played the Lakers, Blazers, and Nuggets and have never looked the same. I don't think anyone was surprised that they lost those 3. Without Tyrus, the Bulls were forced into a short lineup depthwise and heightwise. However ever since then, the early season strong defensive effort has disappeared. Kirk Hinrich missed games, which probably hurt the defensive effort. But recent blowout losses and a loss to the at the time 1-18 Nets, have me yearning for the Skiles days. At least in those days the team seemed to be more than the sum of their parts. There was a good effort every game. So I'll try and breakdown the ups and downs thus far.

• Ups. Taj Gibson looks like a veteran. He played 4 years in college and it shows. I don't remember the last time I saw a rookie as composed as he is. He plays with a lot of energy and under control. He also has a nice mid-range jumper. Derrick Rose has bounced back from a slow start with a bad ankle to look impressive in recent games. Noah and Deng look like they can be locks for a double double nearly every game. Deng has bulked up and is a stronger presence when battling for rebounds.
• Downs. Well, I'll be brief since there's a lot. I agree with Stacy King, they need to reduce the screen roll and let Rose navigate the floor free of other players. Also, we need a more complicated offense. If I were an opponent, they basically have to be ready for the high screen roll and thats about it. The high screen roll doesn't work when the do a hard show on Rose and Noah gets the ball 17 feet from the basket. Salmons needs to go harder to the hoop. I like it when he drives, but he often fades away from contact which he needs to go after to get some foul calls. James Johnson looks very raw. I hope someday he looks smoother. But it looks like he is forcing things on offense and lost on defense. Pargo looks like Ben Gordon lite and has been forced to play longer with Hinrich out. I think the plan was use him as a spark off the bench. While he has done that in some games, he seems more like a defense liability.
• The Worst. It seems that the team suffers from a lack of concentration and effort often. It seems that the other team just wants it more. I've already seen in the Nets game some of the players playing for themselves and attempting to make their own shot instead of find something through the offense. I saw Johnson, Deng, Salmons, and Noah all do this. Nothing speaks to this whole situation more than the Bulls final possession against the Nets. The Bulls were unable to inbound to Rose so Salmons got it. Salmons made a move and launched a 3 point shot with 7 seconds left when we were down 1 point. While its already bad that the Bulls couldn't get it to Rose, Salmons made it worse by throwing up the 3 with 7 seconds left. Down 1 point he could have tried to draw a foul or taken more time to find something. 7 seconds is a lot of time.

Bears: Better than 1-10

What can you say after a victory like that? Well we're better than the worst. Let's face it losing yesterday's game would have been a disaster and made this a disastrous season. Right now were at a disappointing season. The game overall reminded me of the last Bulls win (1-7 since the Sacramento win) against the very depleted Pistons (no Rip, Prince, Villanueva, and an hobbled Gordon). In the game, the Bulls were clearly the better team, but could not break free of the Pistons. Even when the Pistons came close you never really thought they would win it. I had the same feeling yesterday. Even when the Rams could have tied it at the end, I never really felt that they would.

• Give the D credit. The defense had a solid game yesterday only allowing 9 points and playing most of the game with the Rams having a short field. Jamar Williams was a monster with 18 tackles and the Bears were able to create pressure on Boller. On the other hand, the Rams have the lowest scoring offense in the NFL. It's nice to see a team with more problems than ours. There offense would have looked completely inept without Steven Jackson.
• We are a running Team? The difference yesterday was a conservative game plan with the 38 rushes and 18 passes. Forte had 24 carries and Bell had 11. The game plan looked similar to year's past: let the defense win the game and score just enough points on offense to squeak by. I think the emergence of Bell is good, because Forte seems to be running harder. Maybe a little competition from behind provided a little fire. What Forte seems to be missing this year is that little spurt from the crowd. What I mean is those plays where he would spurt through a gap and stumble a head for 3 to 5 more yards. This year he has looked more hesitant and running into a brick wall on most plays.
• Please no more wide receiver screen. Please. Another disappointment was not seeing Aromashodu do too when he received significant time. It would have been nice to see more of what he can do. All I remember is a dropped screen pass and a pass catch out of bounds. Also, I noticed a lot more writers wanting the Bears to test out young backups like Gaines Adams, Jarron Gilbert, and DJ Moore.
• Special Teams. The special teams played uncharacteristically bad allowing Amendola too many good returns. Punt returns were an adventure after Hester left. There was the timeout before a Maynard punt when there were too few men on the field. There was also the unsuccessful fake FG. To be clear though, I thought the fake was a good idea. Why not mix things up? It's not like the season is on the line anymore. I'm not sure of Olsen would have made it anyways, but it was good recognition by the defender.

Stargate Universe

Stargate Universe is the 3rd TV series based on the 1994 movie Stargate. I was a fan of the original show Stargate SG-1 because the story initial interested me, but it kind of lost me in the later episodes. For those of you who have never seen the movie or the original series, the movie's premise is that an archaeological dig in Egypt found an artifact which turns out to be a "stargate" a gateway to another world. A military team is sent through the gate and finds that the ancient rebelled against an alien being posing as the Egyptian god Ra.

The series SG-1 built upon that concept by introducing the possibilty of an infinite amount of gates to other worlds with other Goa'uld (the alien race posing as gods). A rivalry was set up between the Goa'uld and Earth. The show evolved to include other threats I also thought the show was too formulaic, one world one show. Everything seemed neatly cleaned up every episode. Additionally, the SG-1 and the whole operation seemed too idealistic. They would do things that were ethically the best without considering the inherent danger in the situation. I'm pretty sure earth should have been destroyed many, many times.

I started watching Stargate Universe just because it peaked my interest. I didn't watch Stargate Atlantis because I premiered when I was still turned off by many of the later plot lines. The premise of the show is that the Ancients, the builders of the stargate system, have a ship named "Destiny" to explore gates that had been deployed by another ship. In the first episode, Stargate personnel come under attack during an gate experiment. The personnel flee through the gate to "Destiny". Destiny at this point is millions of years old and millions of light years away from Earth. Much of the early show involved surviving on the ship. If your thinking of a comparison, its kind of a combination of Lost and Stargate.

The cast is an ensemble with many characters, but a group of regulars. Interesting developments include:

• A power struggle and distrust between Dr. Rush (Robert Carlyle) and Col. Young (Justin Louis),
• A power/personal dispute between Col. Young and Col. Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips)
• The social and psychological aspect of trying to survive.
• The opening of new sections of Destiny.
• The grumblings of the lower level crew who wonder about the decisions of leadership.

The Good.

• I'm fairly exciting about this show because it is a good concept and there is plenty of space for this show to grow. The communication stones, which link them to Earth, are a good idea and allow us to return to Earth as viewers so that we are reminded of more familiar settings. The amount of unknown passengers on Destiny also allow the writers to easily introduce new characters.
• I like that, at least early into the series, plot lines seem to be running through the season rather than only through episodes.
• Also it is nice to see significant conflict between the main characters which builds better natural drama in leiu of action in which drama is often forced.
• I especially like that this show seemed to better explore the darker side of human behavior and our weaknesses.
• I liked the idea that a disease is infecting everybody. The episode gave a weak out, but it is something that really bothered me about SG-1. You'd think that diseases from foreign planets would be a major problem. Just think about when Europeans came over to North America, the Native Americans mostly died of diseases.

Weaknesses.

• They seem to be falling into the trap of one planet, one episode a few times. There's nothing wrong with it, I just hope they don't get lazy and continue to do it.
• As I mentioned before, there seem to be a few weak outs so far. Don't get me wrong characters have been killed off, but it would be nicer to see things just magically get better.
• With many characters, it is easy to forget some and focus to strongly on others giving away the rest of the show. If the story is spread too thin, its hard to truly develop any of the characters.
• The show has lost the humor of the original SG-1 series. Eli (David Blue) is inserted for humor and balance, but it would be nice to see some humor from the other characters who generally seem depressed.
• The logistics seem to be mostly taken care of but... (1)Those clothes have got to be getting old, (2) why is there multiple rooms and life support facilities on an abandoned ship, (3) is there really a bathroom with toliet paper and stuff like toothbrushes and combs. I know that it is TV but some of the actors looked too well put together.

Overall, this is a step towards Stargate being a legitimate drama. The show has some depth and but has not really fully explored it thus far. The show seems to be what is on the surface, but is still in the development of characters and conflicts. However, the premise of the show gives the writers endless directions and conflicts to explore and has tremendous potential.

Bears: Not much to say

There's not much to say after a game like that. The game pretty much went as expected. I thought it could have been a lot worse. The Vikings just more pulled away rather than sprinted ahead like the Cardinal and Bengal games. I struggle to watch the game flipping to Cinderella Man during commercials. Maybe I'm just hoping that this one time former playoff contender can resurrect itself at some point, well not this season.

• Stopping the Run. For the most part the Bears stopped AP. He went for 85 yards on 25 carries for an average of 3.4 yards, 1 TD and 2 Fumbles. That's actually, the same average as Forte. On the other hand we traded that for Brett Favre going 32 of 48 for 392 yards and 3 TDs. But the main goal this week was to stop AP and it appears for the most part he was and that's gotta count for something right?
• 3rd Down. 3rd Down was a killer though. The Vikings converted 12 out of 18 3rd downs. It seemed whenever they needed it Favre always found one of his receivers to convert. For the most part the Bears played well on 1st and 2nd downs but had trouble on 3rd down.
• Offense. The offense seemed like a non-factor. In fact, I'm struggling to remember an offensive play in the 2nd half. The Bears went for -3 offensive yard in the 2nd half. Definitely a forgettable half.

Rerun

I wish I was talking about Rerun from What's Happening!!. I'm wondering if I should have been watching The Departed or Goodfellas, excellent Scorsese films that were on Sunday night. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Bears even in defeat. However I feel like I've seen this game before, just. Follow me if you will through Goodfellas and 4 of the Bears losses (GB, ATL, SF, PHI) this season. The Bears open poorly get beat on both sides of the ball. Henry gets a job at the Cab stand misses school and gets beat by his dad. The Bears put together a few long drives to get back in the game. Scorsese uses a couple long shots to introduce you to Henry's adult mob life, the most famous of which goes through the Copacabana. The Bears momentum fades and the Bears do what they can to stay alive. Cutler does his best Joe Pesci impression unleashing a tantrum as NBC goes to break. Henry gets sent to jail starts to deal drugs to get through it. The Bears' opponents take back the lead late. Henry starts seeing helicopters and gets arrest for dealing drugs. Cutler frantically leads the Bears on a 2 minute drill but flushes the Bears hopes down the drain when he gets intercepted. Henry frantically gets home to get the drugs he left before he was arrested but finds that Karen has flushed the drugs down the toilet. The Bears lose another close one and will now probably watch the post-season on tv like schmucks like everyone else. Henry enters the witness protection program and now lives like a schmuck like everyone else.

Cutler. This was actually the first game since Green Bay I thought Jay was off. In other high turnover games, I thought Cutler's interceptions were more a product of unfortunate circumstances and the reality of playing 3 TDs down. I felt Cutler kind of lost his edge. He wasn't forcing many balls, as a result many of the passes were Orton dump downs. He also missed on balls to open Olson, Hester, and Knox.

Red Zone. The key to this season is probably in the Red Zone. With better play in the red zone, the Bears, probably defeat the Falcons, Packers, Niners, and Eagles. Twice the Bears were in the red zone in the first half and only came out with a field goal.

Defense. I thought the defense played reasonably well. Its not the defense that wouldn't allow more than 20 points, but its also not the same defense that we saw against the Bengals and the Cards. You can tell the Bears miss that inside stabilizing force of Brown and Urlacher. I thought that Alex Brown and Marcus Harrison showed great recognition, complete blowing up a couple screen passes. Charles Tillman showed why he is the best at causing fumbles. I'm actually going to name it a Tillman any time a corner causes a fumble on a slant route just after the ball is caught. It also appears that Bowman can grow into his role. I think they just need to stop switching the DBs positions and start to develop some players in one role.

Turner. I've defended Turner in the past, because you can't always blame the coordinator for the miscues of the players. However, I thought there were a few instances were I would have called things differently. First of, after the success of the screen pass last week, why didn't he call a screen pass to Forte until 11 mins left in the 4th quarter. Second, that wide receiver screen has got to go, especially on long yardage situations. Third, a straight run play up the gut on 1st and 20?

At the end of the day... One of my favorite overused expressions in sports, but at the end of the day this loss likely ends whatever was left of the Bears season. So why play? To show improvement. I doesn't even matter in draft position because we don't have 1st or 2nd round picks. If I was Lovie, I'd say just go out and have fun. There's no pressure to make the playoffs because its so unlikely that it will happen. Just play free, get some hits, and score some TDs.

Improvement

So the narrative that began in the 2nd quarter and has continued in the 3rd quarter of the season is what is going to happen next year. I was mostly on board with that narrative after last week's lost to San Francisco. That is, until I saw that the Bears at 4-5 still have a chance at the playoffs with the Wild Card leaders only at 5-4. There are 5 teams between the Bears and a spot. I still think this team will not make it, but its something to think about.

I also think there were some encouraging signs from Thursday's game, of course anything would mostly be encouraging after the Cardinal's game. But I'll start with the bad.

• The Bad. Penalties and Turnovers absolute killed the Bears. Offensive mistakes lost a very winnable game. The Bears finished with 10 penalties for 75 yards along with 5 interceptions. Many of the holding, false start, and unsportsmanlike conduct are mental errors and should be fixable. I'm going to blame half (2.5) of the interceptions on Cutler. The interceptions at the goal line were dumb and the interception where the ref got in the way he probably should have seen. Hester falling on the turf and the DB knocking down Kellen Davis are ones I'm not going to blame him for.
• The Good. The defense after the Cardinals disaster played well only giving up 10 points and 216 yards. The D-line looked a lot better, I'm particularly remembering a Tommie Harris run stop behind the line and a number of times Alex Smith was under pressure.
• The Encouraging. Despite the turnover problems, the offense was still able to move the ball with 350 total yards. The offensive line seems to be giving Cutler a little more time and those screen plays to Forte have looked great. Might there be a link between those two? I've already said that the defense looked better last week and the special teams have been pretty solid, save for a couple awful looking returns.

Looking ahead this week's Sunday night game is looking pivotal if the Bears want to sneak into the playoffs. The Eagles along with the Packers (who we play in Week 14) are both ahead of us in the wild card. I know it's been looking gloomy but if somehow this team puts together a solid game (with both offense and defense playing decently) against the Eagles, we would be a step closer to NFL relevance.

Well that was horrible

Last week I said that this team was middling and that it would have to prove itself over the course of the next 4 weeks or so. Well I hope that wasn't our answer. Halfway through the season and we are right where we started, record-wise. Perception-wise we have been through a half season of football if you just compare the questions this team faced 9 weeks ago. Heck, just a few weeks ago the questions centered around getting Cutler more time to and Forte more space to run. Now the defense has collapsed against two opponents. I mean utterly collapsed. You can't get much worse than 0 defensive stops in the 1st half. There's just no way our offense can keep pace with that. There's a whole lot of negatives out there, so lets look at the silver lining.

• O-line looked decent. The offense line actually looked okay giving Jay a reasonable amount of time to pass. I don't know how much of that was due to Arizona being up by 20 points or what, but in the pass we couldn't even defend against a 4 man rush.
• The D played better in the 2nd half. Again, I don't know how much that had to do with the offense Arizona was running, but they couldn't stop anything in the first half. For that mini-comeback stretch, our D actually look like it should.

I'd say the most depressing thing about the past few weeks, the thing that's affected this team's fans the most, is the entertainment value of these games. This game and the Cincinnati game were horrible to watch for obvious reasons and the Browns game was equally as boring as it was frustrating. At least the 1st quarter of the season featured some action and exciting finishes.

Review: Dexter

I've been looking to add a review post each week, but up to now have been unable to (thanks Veto Session). For my first review, I'll look at Dexter which I only recently started watching. Dexter is probably, other than 30 Rock, the show I most look forward to. For those of you who have never seen Dexter, Dexter is a serial killer who works for Miami Metro and kills killers who have gotten away. The series in its 4th season I believe. This season is premised by the question: Can Dexter continue his ways while being married with kids? To assist in this question this year's serial killer counterpart is the Trinity Killer, who has successfully killed without being caught for 30 years. The standard spoiler alert applies.

• Who? Since I started watching, the main question I have is who is going to find out who Dexter really is? So far everyone who has learned his identity is dead. But he has stuck to the code and never killed a non-killer who has learned his identity. My theory is that this season will be different. I think Deb will find out who Dexter is. She already is investigating Harry's (Dexter's father) former informants (and lovers which include Dexter's real mom). She knows that somebody took Lundy's stuff after he was killed. She is also starting to deteriorate after Lundy's death. I don't know what Dexter will do if she finds out, but the Trinity killer reenacts his family's deaths and I wonder if the same theme will play in Dexter.
• The Code. Another theme throughout the series is how closely Dexter follows Harry's Code. Everytime Dexter has deviated from the code he has learned to regret it. But he we are again, Harry is warning Dexter about juggling his family, his job, and his obsession, but Dexter thinks he can control all three. It will be interesting to see if Dexter or Harry is right.
• Secrets. I read in a review somewhere that Dexter is really not about killing, but about secrets. I buy that Dexter is about keeping secrets and how to hide a dark side. Harry has said about the Code, that it will keep him alive. Dexter isn't killing as some morality play. He is killing in order to control his urges and following the code to insure that he can survive. Part of that survival is keeping his secret.
• Why I Enjoy. The storyline is the backbone of what makes this series enjoyable. It presses on in each episode and makes you look forward to the next episode and the conclusion of the season. Overall, it makes me wonder how all of these side plots will converge in the conclusion. Another interesting aspect throughout the series has been the duality in Dexter between his public persona and his blood hungry inner self. The show relates that relationship to how everyone puts on a different face in public, because Dexter puts on a show for everyone else. Only his victims know Dexter for what he really is. I think they are touching on that a bit this year with Dexter's problems with Rita and how she feels he is being disingenuous. I also like how the show makes you understand Dexter. Part of the reason the show did not seem attractive to me at first was that I didn't think that I could feel sympathy and watch a serial killer. I felt it would be a dark CSI. Dexter in the show is really guy with normal problems that are complicated with an obsession to kill.
• Negatives. I few things irritate me about the show. The music, while usually great sometimes gets in the way, especially when they play Dexter's theme. I've just heard that song too many times. The Trinity Killer. Did Lundy really never notice that the Trinity Killer always kills mothers and fathers with two kids? I made the connection that it was a family of four 2 or 3 episodes before Dexter? Was that really a big revelation? I am also always a bit aggravated that things always work out for Dexter. They don't always at first, but they do in the end. At the end of the 2nd season, Doakes found out who Dexter was and Dexter had a problem, he couldn't kill Doakes because it didn't fit with the Code. But he got lucky and Lila did it for him and Doakes was framed as the Bay City butcher. Also, Dexter left blood at the scene where George King was killed, but they never found it. He also has found a reason to kill everyone who has found out.

Overall, Dexter is a great show. For a while I believed that you watch comedies on TV and dramas on the big screen, but Dexter has changed my thoughts on that. It is a series that you'll watch and talk about the next day.

Middling

This week's Bears review is going to be about the bottom line, because reading reviews and hearing comments you would have thought we lost the game. Bottom line: The Bears won the game and are now 4-3. Was it a spectacular dominating performance? No, but remember this is a team that plays to the competition. Was it a win? Yes. Does the NFL judge based on the quality of a win? No. I was planning on doing some kind of quarter review after Week 4 or after Week 9, but this seems like a good point seeing as how the doubters are rampant and the teams only get tougher (Cards, Niners, Eagles, Vikes). So I'll say it was a win. Did we struggle in the Red Zone? Yes. Did the Defense play well after looking like they were going through a scrimmage last week? Yes. Do I wish we played better? Yes. Did we win? Yes. Part of being a good team is beating the teams you are supposed to beat and the Bears took care of business. All the rest, well that's to prove for next week.

• The Basics. Wins against the Steelers, Seahawks, Lions, and Browns. Losses to the Packers, Falcons, and Bengals. So I'll say 1 quality win and 1 utter defeat. Losses to the Packers and Falcons were by about a touchdown. Against the Packers, Steelers, Seahawks and Falcons the Bears have shown they can play to the competition, whether that be up or down.
• The Passing. In my view, this has the potential to be a very good offense, maybe this year, maybe next year but there is potential. Cutler has thrown 11 TDs and 11 INTs for an average of around 240 yards per game and a passer rating of 80.8. Not to impressive, but with more protection I think he could start to pick apart defenses. The receivers as I have said many times are better than advertised, thanks in part to Cutler. While Knox, Devin, Earl, Olsen, and Dez have made some spectacular catches, Jay made it possible. With the time he has to throw, he has been as good as I thought. If Kyle Orton was back there would he do the same, no. Don't get me wrong I like Kyle and always thought he was miscast here due to his rookie year, but he has had much more time this year than in past years. Does Kyle make some of those crucial 3rd Downs or make a quality pass while getting blown up? I think not.
• The Running. I saved the O-line part mostly for here, because this is the biggest hole in the team thus far. The O-line has struggle with rushing and passing. Forte did break free for 90 yards and 2 TDs, but still too many times he has looked like Anthony Thomas running into the offensive line at the line of scrimmage. It doesn't get much better when they provide pass protection either. If Jay had more time, just think of how dynamic the passing game could be (I'm aware I titled this section Running.) The fact remains that the Bears have been a running team traditionally and I believe you must have a strong running game to be a good team. How else are you going to put teams away with a lead?
• The D. Fairly decent. The strongest position is Linebacker which is also the most injured. Hunter provided some stability this week and Lance Briggs is the MVP of the D if not the team. The line has provided some pressure, but not as much as necessary. The also need to try and stop the runner at the point of attack. The secondary is young, but I think it has some potential. Danieal Manning had a good game against the Browns. Bowman I think has played decent. He's gotten burned a few times, but generally keeps things in front of him.
• Special Teams. Special Teams is generally pretty solid with a couple glaring missteps (Mannely's audible and Maynard's punts this week). Gould, Maynard, Hester, Manning, Knox, and company are usually pretty good.
• Solid. The linebacking and receiving corps, special teams, and the quarterback have been solid. Also, in general the 2nd halves of games have been better as well.
• Needs some polish. When my junior coach cut me from the basketball team, he told me along with the others that we need some more polish. So the following areas need some polish: O-line, D-line, the running backs, and the secondary. 1st halves and red zone scoring also need to improve.

Overall, its not time to panic we have a team that has shown thus far that it can stay in games against some of the best teams. Whether or not that continues is another story. The word to describe this team: Middling. A team that can look great some halves and look like the Browns in others. If the Bears can perform more consistently, they have a chance. And not like the Bulls have a chance. Because lets face it, it will probably be the Celtics v. Lakers. In the NFL, with parity the way it is, a key injury here, a nice run of wins there can make a season and produce a title.

Horrible

That's a game where you want to hit the reset button. Just failures in nearly every aspect of the game. If your looking for positive takeaways, Lance Briggs seemed to play decent, special teams while not doing anything special, did not do anything horrible, and Earl Bennett had a couple nice catches. This game was hard to watch, harder to digest. Let's just move on to Week 8. Here's a little humor to get past this one. http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/jay-cutler-superstar/2009/10/chicago-bears-as-simpsons-characters.html

Is that who we thought they were? and we let them off the hook?

The quote obviously refers to Dennis Green's famous rant after the Devin Hester induced miracle win in Arizona a few seasons ago. Is this who the Bears are, a team that can stay with the good teams, but cannot shake off mediocrity? and didn't we just let Atlanta off the hook? We can compete against the good teams, GB, Pit, Atl, but can we win consistently? Last night, was the first game all three phases shot themselves in the foot at some point. And even with all those mistakes we still had an opportunity to tie at the end. Are we a team that is mediocre and cannot take advantage of opportunities or are we a team that will punish teams like Atlanta that give us chances.

The whole night was summed up by Zach Bowman's interception. Yes, he intercepted it! Can we take advantage? No don't fumble! Did we recover? We lost 15 yards but at least we still have the ball. Wait, wouldn't that have been the same as a punt? Overall a frustrating game to watch.

• On Cutler. Cutler started out shaky with 2 interceptions, but finished strong with a line of 27 of 43 for 300 yards, 2 TDs and 2 Ints. We was more than willing to take a shot both with the ball and after he released the ball. He even tucked and ran for 30 yds, evading one defender in the process. I think he should probably do that more often.
• On receivers. Again, I think we have to say the best offensive phase of the game was the receivers. How many amazing catches did Clark, Devin, and Olsen make? I saw a few dropped passes, but nothing like what Michael Jenkins did and we've seen that before.
• On pressure. Way too much pressure on Cutler with a 4 man rush. I guess thats what happens when your QB is your top rusher with 34 yards.
• On the goalline. Why couldn't we just sneak it in on the 1? Why did we do play action followed by two fumbles to Forte. Instead of jumping around, pitching or using play action just trust Olin Kreutz and push ahead.
• On edge. Maybe this is just my feelings during the game, but I felt like I wasn't hoping for a fantastic play from the Bears, I was hoping they just wouldn't screw up. How many times did we let the ball slip through our hands? I just felt that after a while they were just hoping to make the catch and not fumble.
• On paper. the Bears won the game Total Yards 373 to 253. Rushing Yards 83 to 68. Passing Yards 290 to 185. Time of possession 33:54 to 26:06. First downs 21 to 16.

Random thoughts arounds the league.

• Vikings. Please someone beat the Vikings. 6-0? Just make the field goal.
• Patriots. Running up the score?
• Buf v. NYJ What an ugly, exciting game.
• Oak v. Phi What happened? The upset no one saw or cares about.
• KC v. Was, Stl v. Jac Are these games necessary?

Today's headline

I'll probably be late on today's post so I'll offer up today's headline for a major newspaper:

OBAMA WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, NASA BOMBS THE MOON

Special Bears Team

So I'm late this week with this week's review, sorry. So the question is can special teams win a game? Probably not by itself, although in the passed with an anemic offense we just might have. But Sunday's game was a special game for special teams. There's a nice article in the Sun-Times today about Dave Toub. If you look at the box score, we were out gained 398-276, we lost time of possession 36:30 to 23:30, and we were out thrown 308-125. But if your starting field position is the Lions 46 and Lions is their own 18, well you don't need much offense. With the 1st Quarter done the Bears stand 3-1 with me hoping this team eventually find two good halves in a row.

• Again. 21-21 at halftime. Not exactly as planned. The offense and the defense seemed to alternately struggle throughout the 1st half. But the Bears once again weathered the storm and came out strong in the 2nd half. It was nice to know the outcome of the game before the closing minutes.
  
• Punt Return. Devin Hester returned 1 for 24 yards and Earl Bennett filled in nicely to return 4 for 63 yards for an average of 15.8. But Bennett benefited from some extra practice this week. From the Herald, In Bennett's case, it makes one wonder whether Toub sensed Hester would get hurt Sunday. Toub had Bennett do some return work in practice this week. The Lions had a hard time getting the return man down.
• Kick Return. Speaking of return men how bout Johnny Knox's 102 yard return TD. It seemed like that return took the wind out of the Lions sails. While the Bears are good enough to survive a sucker punch and a uneven half the Lions can't, although the showed promise. Anyway I guess the return was a counter, "It was a counter," Knox said. "Set up one way and bounce the other. Coach (Dave) Toub said this was going to be a good return for us coming in from halftime." Also, he did drop the ball before the endzone according to reviews.
• Punts. I'm often most impressed by the most easily overlooked aspect of the game and this week it was definitely Brad Maynard. Maynard, who does most of his work as people are headed to the bathroom or kitchen, hit 4 punts inside the 20 including one on 2 yard line and one on the 6 yard line. I can't even do that in Madden.
• Kicker. Well of course we have to talk about the kicker. Robbie hit 2 FGs including his career long of 52. He finally got that 50 yard barrier monkey off his back.
• Lance Briggs. Another Pro Bowl quality game for Lance with 9 tackles.
• Forte. Finally a running game, but without those 2 long runs, 10 carries for 23 yards? I know you can't "leave those out", but it would be nice to see runs of 5-9 yards more regularly.
• Cutler's hits. Officially the Lions had 2 sacks, but it seemed like Cutler got knocked around, mostly due to his own doing. His first spectacular TD as evidence. Also, Cutler seemed to be okay getting whacked while he was waiting a for a receiver to get open. Just something I'm a bit concerned about.
  
• Progress. 21-21 at halftime, a disappointment. A last minute win, a very question laced bye week. A blowout 48-24, progress.

Around the League

• Saints crash Jets flight. Well it had to happen eventually. I guess I'm just surprised it was against the Saints and without any passing TDs (Thanks Drew Brees). But maybe the Saints are for real (Wins over Det, Phi, Buf previously)
• Will someone please stop the Vikings? Will someone please stop the Vikings? Not this week with a trip to St. Louis.
• Titans? Not even going to talk about them this week. Jacksonville? Really?
  

Friday Reviews

This summer I've managed to catch a lot of shows that I normally don't watch so I thought I'd post about TV shows. Here's a list of shows I'm watching...

• Shows in regular rotation: Daily Show, Colbert Report, PTI/Around the Horn/Sportscenter (why did they move to LA?), Chicago Tribune Live, The Soup
• Shows this past summer: Weeds, Warehouse 13, Psych, Eureka, Royal Pains
• Shows to watch: Breaking Bad, Californication, US of Tara, 30 Rock, The Simpsons
• Shows that are intruging: Community, Caprica, Stargate Universe, The Next Iron Chef
• Shows I should be watching: Mad Men, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, Dexter

I'll try to review these shows in the upcoming weeks.

What kind of team are the Bears going to be?

The main question coming out of Sunday's victory in Seattle is what kind of team are the Bears? Are they the kind of team that plays up to and down to the competition? Are they a team that will dominate teams once they can put together two good halves? Are they a team that is 4 gimme field goals away from 0-3? To me it looks like they will be a team that plays to the competition, although we should be closer to an answer next week versus the Lions. It's clear that this team can win close games, but it would be nice to dominate once.

• 3rd down. One of the biggest problems in the first half and most of the game was the Bend, but not break defense. Too many times the Bears let the Seahawks off the hook on 3rd downs and 3rd down and long. The Julius Jones TD comes to mind. However, the Bears did stop them when it counted. Just look at Olindo Mare's line 4-6 FGs. 6 FG attempts?
• Receivers. I said this last week, but it seems clear that Bears management was correct in the face of widespread calls for a free agent wideout. Devin Hester picked up a few passes off the turf and caught the game winning TD. Earl Bennett somehow hung on to a Cutler fastball that was somehow threaded through 2 defenders.
• Running game. This is another question. Are the Bears going to be a running team? Sunday should have been a breakout party, but we will have to wait until next week to see. There was some improvement in the 2nd half, but 85 yards is disappointing versus a team that is giving up an average of 139 yards a game. The Lions are giving up 111 yards a game going into next week. The running game needs to get going for the Bears to become higher tier team. I don't know if we can rely on a 4th quarter drive every game.
• Cutler. Or maybe we can. The main difference with Cutler is the confidence he gives even to the fans. Last year, if we had the ball in the same situation as the 1st 3 weeks, with a chance to win, I would have felt the impending doom. I call it Cubs syndrome. With Cutler, I felt confident we would convert a 3rd down, complete a pass, or somehow make a play.
• Linebackers. Good thing LB was our deepest position. It has shown on the field with Lance Briggs playing Pro Bowl solid defense, Nick Roach running all over the place and pushing Julius Jones to end the Seahawks last possession.
• Kickers. At some point the opponent's kicker will convert those kicks. Next up Jason Hanson.
• Daily Herald. There was a good quote by Mike Imrem in the Herald. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=324644

"It's a road game," Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said. "It's hard to go on the road and beat somebody."
Hard? Heck, for the Bears it was like they were trying to pass a kidney stone before they finally squeezed out a 25-19 victory at Qwest Field

Thoughts on the rest

• Reports of the demise of the Patriots were exaggerated. Many TV analysts picked the Atlanta over the Patriots. Although its clear the Patriots are not the same team that went without a loss, they still are very highly rated team.
• Jets again. Well the Jets beat another team that was highly touted before the season started. They've made me a believer.
• The other side of the coin. What happened to the Titans? I was strongly on the Jeff Fisher bandwagon before the 0-3 start. They've lost some to close games to Pittsburgh 10-13, Houston 31-34, and now the Jets 17-24. I'll be more concerned if they lose to Jacksonville, but it doesn't get any easier with Indy and New England on the schedule after that.
• 86 yards total offense. Really Tampa? 86 yards?

Ludacris and Glenn Beck?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/weekinreview/20segal.html

Lovie's Fav Five?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-24-haugh-sep24,0,1718620.column

Sydney?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092300448.html?hpid=artslot

Bears steel one

Let's face it as good of a win as this was it wouldn't have happened without two Reed FG misses. On the other hand, getting a W and staying with the defending champions is a lot better than 0-2.

Notes on the game:

• Bears running game: Non-existent. 44 yards? Forte: 13 carries for 29 yards? I'll give them a pass this week against a strong Steelers D, but we need to see the run at some point this season. Aren't the Bears a running team?
• Stopping the run: For the second straight week the Bears have held tough against the run. GB: 76 yards, Pit 105 yards. The Steelers started to run the ball well near the end of the game, but the Bears D stuffed them on a number of plays.
• Lovie's calls: A big difference on D, at least to me, is the play calling. Since Lovie took over the play calling the Bears seem a lot more effective on defense balancing coverage with selective blitzing.
• 1st quarter: The 1st quarter was awful. It look as though the Steelers were going to rollover the Bears on both sides of the ball. Luckily, I left the TV on and was surprised.
• 2 FG missed: I don't know if we can rely on 2 missed field goals every week.
• 3rd Down: Another difference this year with Cutler seems to be the offense's ability to pick up the 1st down on 3rd down. 7 for 14 yesterday is not bad. It always seemed like the offense was able to convert a crucial 3rd down.
• Special teams: Robbie Gould was solid as usual, but some of the coverage on punts needs to be improved. Maybe I'm just spoiled with good coverage, but it seemed that the punt returner got free a couple times. Although nice fumble to end the game.
• Faith in Management: It seems that Bears were justified in having faith in their wide receiving corp despite widespread criticism. So far I think Hester, Knox, Olson, Davis and Bennett have looked very good.
• Hanging around: It ain't too bad to hang around the defending Superbowl champs for the whole game.
• Week 3 preview: Bears @ Sea (1-1). Bears 21-10. Bears finally get a running game semi-going with Forte running for 80 yds and a TD. The Bears D for the most part shuts down Seattle bending a little at times.

Around the NFL

• Jest to Jets: Shutting down two of the best offenses two weeks in a row (Hou 24-7, NE 16-9). Headlines today even have national reporters doubting the Brady's ability after coming back from injury. The Jets have not allowed a offensive TD yet against Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Andre Johnson.
• 49ers: 2-0 victories against two division rivals (Ari 20-16 and Sea 23-10) have the Niners in a strong spot to start the season. The question is how will the do outside the division. Next week is Minnesota.
• Cedric Benson looked good for the Bengals. A week after 76 yards on 21 carries and a TD against Denver, he has a monster game (141 yards on 29 carries) against the same Packers defense that the Bears struggled against (86 rushing yards). A comparison in for the first two weeks looks like this: Forte: 84 yards rushing, 33 yards receiving and no TDs Benson: 217 yards rushing, 32 yards receiving and 1 TD.

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking

Bears v. Packers game notes:

• Green Bay should be a contending team this year.
• With the Steelers next week the Bears can easily start out 0-2, but the season will be far from over.
  
• Tales of the second coming of Rex Grossman are greatly exaggerated. The Bears offensive while non-existent in the first half began to click in the second half. Remember the offense looked very shaky against the Bills in the preseason opener, but looked impressive versus the Giants in the next week. Although it was Rexy when you throw an interception to end the game.
  
• The Bears Defense with the exception of the Jennings TD looked very impressive versus one of the better offenses in the NFC. The big losses in this game were the injuries.
• Linebacker is where the Bears have the greatest depth. While nobody can replace an Urlacher, Hillenmeyer, Roach, and Williams are quality replacements.
  
• Pat Mannelly makes mistakes once every decade.
• 4 Sacks and one safety is not bad day for a D.
  
• Brad Maynard averaged nearly 50 yards in 4 punts.
• Devin Hester (4 catches for 90 yards and a TD) and Earl Bennett (7 catches fo 66 yards) both established themselves as respectible receivers.
• It did hurt to lose one that was that close, to a division rival, to the Packers, when we didn't play our best
  

MJ mania

So Jordan gets inducted into the Hall tomorrow, but if you haven't looked yet there's a lot of coverage going on.

Comcast is going to run 23 hours of MJ (even if some of it looks like it will be repeated or incorporated into its normal schedule).

I've mentioned it before but Bulls.com along with Sam Smith have commemorating the event with articles about Jordan and the team for each year he played and includes interviews with former teams and Bulls personnel.

Also, the Bulls have a ton of video (some of it taken from old NBA VHS tapes with the classic Frontline style narration) of Jordan. Look under team highlights.

Also the Tribune has almost a mini-book posted online.

I would strongly encourage you to check these out. It brings back a lot of memories.

Random Thought of the Day

Why is it that when it comes to rules especially NFL rules everyone seems to be a constitutional scholar? You ask to name a famous Supreme Court case they will draw a blank. You ask them about the tuck rule and they cite Patriots v. Raiders. Everyone knows that replays have clear, controvertible evidence or that the reciever must have both feet inbounds with complete control of the ball. However it may still be counted as a catch if the receiver is pushed out. Just an observation.

Time Capsule missing... http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=318467

A must see... http://www.nba.com/bulls/video/2009/04/14/nba_jordan_20090407_top10.nba/index.html

Another cool video
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-talk-budweiser-chicago-adsep03,0,6015861.story

Muhammad Ali Irish? I didn't know. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=318119

To exercise more you should drink more...http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-talk-drinking-and-exercisesep01,0,5057050.column Well not really but it is interesting.

But recession can be good for our health according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal. http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=recession-just-what-the-doctor-orde-09-09-01

Here's a little footage of the Cracker concert I was at on Saturday. They were pretty good, although I wish I heard a few more of my favorites.

A post to make you hungry

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/dining/chi-090826-chicago-burgers-pictures,0,3869240.photogallery

Bulls.com is running a series of recollections and stories about Jordan running up to his induction. I've read the first few.

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/jordanhof_2009.html

Curry Pizza in Seoul

Interesting article...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18angier.html?_r=1&em

Another step in creating super humans...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/health/research/14sleep.html?hpw

Harry Potter

So I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince a while back, but haven't reviewed it yet. Overall, I was pleased. I am actually interested how the whole series will appear after all the movies are shot. One of the main themes, throughout this movie was love as Harry and crew seem to be increasingly noticing the opposite sex. A corresponding ingredient was the emphasis on potions. There seemed to be a little too much weight on these to points. I think it was supposed to show how the kids are growing. There are plenty of slightly awkward moments between them which provides some humor. I also thought there were an awful lot of abandoned or empty corridors or storage rooms in Hogwarts. Instead, the movie probably should have focused more on the main story of Voldemort and Harry, not to say that it is lacking in this department. On the other hand, the movie fully establishes that the kids are getting older and the times are more serious. You can see that in the conflicted Malfoy, whereas before he merely appeared to be a small bully or annoyance.

I have to say this is the most confused I have been about a Harry Potter movie until the end. I had the most questions about the characters and where the plot was headed. The movie answered all of my questions, but not until the very end. Speaking of the end, without giving anything away, this is probably the best ending of the series so far and definitely leaves you wondering about the conclusion of the series. While the last couple movies definitely left the me wondering what comes next, this ending is more enticing.

Controlling the Climate... A little scary
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/science/11tier.html?hpw

Storm over Des Moines

The Kite Runner

So last weekend I saw the Kite Runner on TV on Demand. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. (Although I wondered why the kite strings wouldn't just tangle up, but I don't know much about kite flying.) The movie and story combines the timeline of the present and past very well. You could see how the young Amir grows to be the older Amir. The story is about redemption for Amir for something he did (and didn't do) over twenty years earlier. You can see the deep seated guilt the older Amir has for the events that happened before he fled the country with his father. You can see that he still carried it even though he was young at the time. As Rahim Khan says this is Amir's chance to become good again. The story mostly centers on Amir and his friend Hassan, who along with his father is Amir's family servants. Hassan is "the best kite runner in Kabul" because he always know where the kite will land after it is cut. He is also fiercely loyal to Amir and defends him at every turn. Hassan is also a different race from Amir which causes conflict among other boys, beside the fact that his servant is also his best friend.

The changes in time also allow you to see the contrast between life before and after the Soviet invasion. Kabul late in the film seems dead and dangerous as opposed the Kabul earlier in the film with its streets full of people. Similarly, Amir and his father, who appear quite wealthy in Kabul, later appear to be struggling to making it when they are shown in the US.

The film also gives you a peak at the cultural norms. Family, respect, and perception seem to be very important to many of the main characters. The perception aspect seem especially strong at the end of the film.

The Kite Runner has a great story and plot. The movie is rich with situations that allow characters to grow, symbolic importance, and redemption.

Seinfeld reunion, kind of. Too bad I've never had HBO otherwise I might have been a fan.
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/07/tca_seinfeld_reunion_on_curb_y.html

I've been watching the Ascent of Money on PBS for the past week and have found it very interesting. You can view all 4 hour episodes here http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ascentofmoney/. The host uses money to explain our current crisis along with other historical events. While I think he might put too much emphasis on the role of money, it is a very interesting history of money and how finance and financial products have evolved. By describing the origins of today's finance system (bonds, stocks, insurance, derivatives), you get a better understanding of the economic history and how it relates to the present. I would definitely recommend watching.

Computers are taking over and there starting with Wall Street...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/business/24trading.html?_r=1&hp
But Shaq can't
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/07/shaq_denied_entrance_by_the_wh.html?wprss=dcsportsbog“

The Hangover

So I doubt I'll have time to post this often, but I'll try and keep it up. Anyway, I saw The Hangover this week and although its been out a while I thought I'd share my thoughts.

The Hangover was one of the funniest movies I've seen in theaters since Wedding Crashers. (On the other hand, I don't see many comedies in theaters.) All three leads, Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers), Ed Helms (The Daily Show, The Office), and Zach Galifiankis (Out Cold, various, and in this Fiona Apple video ) were all terrific. There were many funny situations and exchanges. Among my favorite was Carlos the Baby, Ed Helms missing a tooth (which I heard is actually true and incorporated into the movie), and when the valet pulls up in a police cruiser which they arrived in last night. A one of my favorite exchange goes something like this

Alan: I can't lose anyone else not after my Grandpa died.

Phil: I'm sorry, when did he die?

Alan: World War II

Phil: Fighting?

Alan: No, Vermont...Skiing in Vermont.

Zach Galifiankis was probably my favorite. He plays the loner/odd/slightly creepy/fiance's brother very well, if not over the top. Many of his lines are gems. The movie also sports a couple actors in bit parts from Old School. (One of them is the director and the other is the wedding band)

Anyway, if you looking for a smart comedy, a movie with a lot of depth, or a dramedy this probably isn't the right film for you. If you're looking for a movie with a lot of cheap laughs, immature humor, and a slight mystery this movie is probably what your looking for. A great film to unwind to.

If I only had a few million to spare...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-bargain-mansions-27-jul27,0,3574823.story

Didn't I say computers were taking over?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/science/26robot.html?hpw

The Password is food

Lunch?
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/evanston/news/1675651,pioneer-press-chuck-072309-s1.article

Maybe not...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/la-fi-hot-dog23-2009jul23,0,792015.story

Well tweet the location...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/business/smallbusiness/23twitter.html?em

Lou Dobbs....Hulk...Smash
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/la-et-onthemedia22-2009jul22,0,5102780.column

Cutler a newspaper column saver?
http://dailyherald.com/story/?id=308480

Springfield never gets this bad
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/when-legislators-attack/?hp
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/12/19/chaos-in-south-korean-parliament-as-politicians-brawl-plus-the-top-10-political-punch-ups-115875-20981066/

Y! Sports all-time non Super Bowl lineup
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AuT8HXxpr6xb5i56O8syyf45nYcB?slug=jc-nonsuperbowlteam072209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I thought I was losing my hearing...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072002984.html?hpid=sec-world

Slowly reving the engine

After a long absence, I'm thinking of restarting the blog. Here are a few interesting stories:

ESPN aims to take over the world starting with Chicago http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/business/media/20espn.html?hpw

A Darwinian vision of Japan's cellphones
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/technology/20cell.html?hpw

A subprime mortgage company by any other name...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/business/20modify.html?hp

Boozer?
http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/2291
http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_090720.html