Lori

BUFFALO BILLS (2-2) at CHICAGO BEARS (4-0) SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2006 – 1:00 PM EDT SOLDIER FIELD, CHICAGO, IL CBS / CBS HD: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket: Channel 709 / Channel 723 (HD) RADIO: Buffalo Bills Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: John Murphy COLOR ANALYST: Mark Kelso SIDELINE REPORTER: Paul Peck Chicago Bears Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: Jeff Joniak COLOR ANALYST: Tom Thayer SIDELINE REPORTER: Zach Zaidman Sirius Sunday Drive: Channel 130 (Buffalo feed) / Channel 119 (Chicago feed) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: Bears lead, 5-4. Buffalo is 0-4 in Chicago, 0-3 since the Bears moved from Wrigley Field to Soldier Field in 1971. PLAYOFF RECORD: none LAST MEETING: September 29, 2002 – Bills 33, Bears 27 (OT) Drew Bledsoe had one of his best games in a Bills uniform, throwing for 328 yards and four touchdowns, including the 28-yard game-winning catch-and-run by Travis Henry in overtime. With the score, Henry atoned for a first-quarter fumble returned 62 yards for a touchdown by Bears safety Mike Brown. The Buffalo defense, gashed for 449 rushing yards in their first three games, held Bears RB Anthony Thomas to 48 yards on 23 carries. The throw to Henry was Bledsoe’s fourth career overtime touchdown pass, breaking the NFL record he had previously shared with Terry Bradshaw. LAST TIME IN CHICAGO: December 7, 1997 – Bears 20, Bills 3 Only 39,784 fans showed up at Soldier Field to watch the 2-11 Bears take on the 6-7 Bills. The Buffalo offense was definitely offensive on this day; they managed a mere 55 rushing yards, Todd Collins was a dreadful 13-32 for 138 yards and was sacked five times, and only a 43-yard Steve Christie field goal as time ran out in the first half averted the shutout. For the Bears, Erik Kramer tossed touchdown passes to Ryan Wetnight and Ricky Proehl, and Jeff Jaeger added two field goals to cap the scoring. The loss officially put an end to Buffalo’s playoff hopes. They finished the season (and the first Marv Levy era) 6-10, while Chicago split their final two games to end up 4-12. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BEARS OVERVIEW (2006 RANKINGS) OFFENSE (#8 total yardage, #21 rushing, #5 passing, #4 scoring): A team historically plagued by mediocre quarterbacking -- their career passing-yardage and touchdown records are still held by Hall of Famer Sid Luckman, who retired in 1950 -- may have finally found their franchise signal-caller. With eight touchdown passes in his first four games, reigning NFC Offensive Player-of-the-Month Rex Grossman is well on his way to becoming only the second Bears QB in the last forty years to hit the 20-touchdown mark… and might even have a shot at becoming the first 4,000-yard passer in team history. (Answer to the obvious trivia question: Erik Kramer set the team single-season record with 29 TD passes in 1995.) Brian Griese was signed to back up Grossman, although some Bears fans seemed to think that based on preseason results, Griese should be starting. (One assumes they’ve since changed their minds.) Kyle Orton is the #3 QB. Unbelievable stat of the week, courtesy of the Bears’ press release: “WR Muhsin Muhammad has an active streak of producing a first down on 52 consecutive third-down receptions, including two in each of the first three games this year.” Two more successful conversions against Seattle extended the streak to 54 and counting. ‘Moose’ is on pace for a 96-catch, 1,296-yard season, which could be enough to earn him another Pro Bowl bid. Third-year speedster Bernard Berrian is developing into a consistent deep threat opposite Muhammad; Berrian leads the league with four receptions of 40+ yards and a 21.1 yards-per-catch average. Rashied Davis, the #3 WR, pushed Berrian for playing time in the preseason and caught the winning touchdown pass against Minnesota. Mark Bradley and Justin Gage round out the receiving corps, although Bradley was inactive against Seattle with an ankle injury and may not play again this week. Even the tight ends are getting into the act; Desmond Clark and John Gilmore totaled 3 touchdown receptions against the Lions. Clark has been hampered by a sprained foot and missed practice Wednesday, though; his status for Sunday bears watching. One of the keys to the passing game’s success has been the performance of the offensive line: despite facing two of last year’s top ten sacking defenses, including a Seattle squad that led the league in 2005, Grossman has only been taken down three times in the first month of the season. The front five is anchored by perennial Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz, the only Bears lineman to start all sixteen games last season. Ruben Brown and Roberto Garza flank Kreutz at guard, with John Tait (left) and Fred Miller (right) manning the tackle spots. The Bears used the #4 pick in the 2005 draft on RB Cedric Benson (Texas), and seem inclined to give him every chance to win the starting job… but Thomas Jones shows no signs of cooperating with that plan, consistently outperforming Benson on the field. (Factoid: last season, Jones joined the legendary Walter Payton as the only Bears RBs to surpass 1,300 rushing yards in a season.) Neither back is off to a great start this year, though; as a whole, the team is averaging a mediocre three yards/carry. Backup Adrian Peterson can break the occasional twenty-yard run and is a decent receiver out of the backfield, but hasn’t had many opportunities this season. Jason McKie is a typical block-first FB who will probably also catch a swing pass or two on Sunday. DEFENSE (#4 total yardage, #7 rushing, #7 passing, #1 scoring): The new Monsters of the Midway have allowed fewer than ten points in nine of their last ten regular-season home games. (The exception: Cincinnati, aided by 5 Kyle Orton interceptions, gave the Bears their only home loss of 2005 by a 24-7 score.) The current eight-game streak is the longest in the league since the Green Bay Packers teams of 1934-36 held twelve consecutive foes to single digits. Last February, second-year DT Tommie Harris made the first of what will probably be many visits to Hawaii; he’s currently tied for the league lead with 5.0 sacks. NT Ian Scott and reserves Tank Johnson and Alfonso Boone combine with Harris to give the Bears one of the nastiest tackle rotations in the league. Left end Adewale Ogunleye finished with ten sacks last season, the first Bears DE to hit double digits since Richard Dent did so in 1993. (As of Wednesday he’s listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, but is expected to play Sunday.) On the other side, Mike Gandy will see plenty of Alex Brown. Fifth-round pick Mark Anderson (Alabama) is already making his presence felt; his 3.5 sacks lead all rookies. Reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year Brian Urlacher and fellow Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs both have speed to burn, and share the team lead in tackles. Strong-side ‘backer Hunter Hillenmeyer rounds out a quality starting trio, with Brendon Ayanbadejo in reserve. Cornerback Nathan Vasher leads a secondary that has yet to give up a passing touchdown this season. Vasher is a playmaker, leading the team with eight interceptions last year and scoring three return touchdowns in his two-year career. Charles Tillman is the other starting CB. Free agent pickup Ricky Manning, Jr. (Panthers), the nickel back, picked off a pair of passes against Seattle. (Situation to keep an eye on: there are rumors a suspension might be forthcoming, following Manning’s recent no-contest plea to an offseason assault charge.) Second-round pick Danieal Manning (Abilene Christian) moved into the lineup at FS against Minnesota, replacing last year’s starter, Chris Harris. Mike Brown, the longtime starter at SS, holds the franchise record with six return touchdowns (four interceptions, two on fumble recoveries). SPECIAL TEAMS: Solid all around. Robbie Gould is tied for the league scoring lead, and has yet to miss a kick this season (13/13 FGs, 11/11 XP). Veteran Brad Maynard’s 40.9-yard net punting average is good for fourth in the league, and he’s landed 6 of 15 kicks inside the 20. Another 2006 second-rounder, Devin Hester, has already made a significant impact on punt returns: his 10.2-yard average includes an 84-yard touchdown against Green Bay in the season opener. Rashied Davis handles kickoff-return duties, averaging a respectable 25.6 yards per attempt. The kickoff-coverage unit is one of the best in the league, allowing opposing teams a mere 20.0 yards per return. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OUTLOOK: The Bills have to work the traditional ball-control/defense gameplan for this game; they can’t let Chicago get off to a fast start and give their great D a chance to tee off on Losman. That may well be easier said than done, though – Grossman has thrown a first-quarter touchdown pass in three of their first four games. The Bears are looking for their first 5-0 start since the 1986 squad began the season with six straight wins. The young Bills are exceeding expectations so far this year, but coming out of Soldier Field with a win over one of the current Super Bowl favorites might be too much to ask. Go Bills, anyway. Links: NFL.com: injury report / Bears depth chart / Bears team stats / Bills depth chart / Bills team stats Ourlads.com: Bills depth chart / Bears depth chart Official team website: ChicagoBears.com DaBearz.com

Nice win. Just caught Barry Melrose breaking down the game on Sportscenter. Gave props where due, but finished with "the Sabres have the absolute worst uniforms in all of hockey." (Then again, this was said by a man wearing a lavender pinstripe suitcoat... )

Whooping cough ?!?!? Jeez. Add my get-well-soon to the list...

Awww, you guys ruined the Tropical Depressions' big party? Good. Bleep 'em, anyway.

Bennett's first NFL game was against Denver, the defending AFC champions. First play he was in for, John Elway walks up to the line, sees Bennett gearing up to blitz, and IMMEDIATELY calls timeout. (Didn't help. On the play right after the timeout, Bennett pressured Elway into an incompletion.) Later that year, Biscuit put up what still has to be one of the most amazing defensive stat lines ever -- 16 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles against Randall Cunningham and the Eagles. (Unfortunately, the offense didn't show that week, and the Bills lost...) You're right, it is kind of odd that more of us - myself included - don't remember him as a stereotypical "big hitter" along the lines of Chris Spielman or Ray Lewis. But intimidating? Ooh my, yes.

P.S.: Nantz and Simms for this game.

Probably not 15k this season, since it's been a full 18 months since their last Super Bowl. But lemme tell ya, section 109 was Brutal-with-a-capital-B the year after their first one, and the endzone was even worse. Thought I'd fallen down a rabbit hole and ended up in Foxborough.

you should have learned the first time and left her home 793559[/snapback] Did you miss the part where he said they were HER season tickets?

Coach, maybe. GM, abso-friggin-lutely not. Remember when we asked the Packers fans to comment on Sherman? They may have disagreed about his coaching ability, but were fairly unanimous in bashing his craptastic player-personnel record...

That was Sherman's last draft as GM. And Carroll joins fellow first-day picks Joey Thomas, Donnell Washington, and B.J. Sander (the punter Sherman traded up into the third round to get) on the unemployment line.

Just a few thoughts... DeLuca: We'll have to agree to disagree WRT Brees. I'll just reiterate the point Simon was trying to make, that the Chargers were ready to dump him (to the point of spending a high #1 on Manning/Rivers) before he finally 'got it'. I'm not going to quote your entire post, but if your main point was that Simon would have a better show flying solo, I'm with you on that one. I liked the Simon&Brinson pairing because JB was solid in the sports HS didn't care about (such as hoops), and vice-versa. That same dynamic doesn't exist between White and Simon, one of the increasingly-rare sportstalkers who learned the craft before Rome and his ilk turned the genre into an insult-fest. And S&B didn't feel the need for the obligatory Point/Counterpoint action, either... which is why I join Dan Gross in continuing to lament the demise of Empire/NSA. On a happier note, I hear Roby has signed on for a weekly show. (Wednesday mornings, I think?) Now that was some good interplay; I still remember him and Howard yelling at each other on a Sharpshooters segment about whether or not to re-sign Miro Satan, with an amused Jim Kelley letting them go at it... I 90, you make a valid point regarding the guest-list. Trouble is, Jauron and Levy are already on 97 Rock, and I can't see very many players willing to set their alarms that early unless there's some decent $$$ involved. Dunno what kind of jack Entercom is willing to spend. It's different with the Sabres, since GR does hold their rights: both Ruff and Regier are regulars in the AM. (You probably already knew that...)

Think part of it is the timeslot itself -- lot harder to book guests for 7am than for an afernoon drive or evening slot, especially in a field conditioned by evening gametimes and late-night deadlines. And I think you're correct about the difference in production; while I was okay with Jimmy B's work on Empire, I absolutely detested his morning-show act. The "Bambi" junk never would've flown in the 3-6 slot. Seems like I recall hearing, back in the NSA days, that Simon couldn't wait to get off the morning shift. Now he's back there, and has to deal with both Smerlas and ChuckieD on a weekly basis? He has my sympathy... Now, as to Drew Brees: anyone remember the fourteenth start of his career? Right here at the Ralph. He absolutely reeked that day, and ended up getting benched for Freddie's buddy Flutie...

Simon had a great response for that at a symposium I attended a couple of years ago. He asked everyone in the room to raise their hand if they had an opinion on the upcoming presidential election. (Of course, most of us did.) He then asked how many of us had ever held an elected office. Silence. Obviously, Smerlas knows more about the finer points of playing nosetackle than a couple of guys with broadcasting degrees, but I agree the "you know nothing unless you've actually played" line of thought is BS.

Thanks for stopping by, Bob. But you're slipping; you forgot the obligatory Fan590 spam, eh?

OK, that was somewhat amusing. And after listening to the rebuttal on EEI... "Remember that show we did about hating New England? Count me in."

"None of the above" counts as "Other", right? Just checking. Okay, seriously. Mike+Mike aren't too bad. Cowherd is unlistenable; Mondays, when GR preempts his show for Brad's 'Extra Point', are my favorite listening day of the week. Wish I got a chance to listen to Patrick more often, but I'm not in the car very often when he's on (and I'm too lazy to keep ferrying the Sirius gear back and forth)... This thread reminds me, I still have to go check out this morning's Smerlas /Simon lovefest. Didn't leave work until it was over, so all I caught was Howard plugging the Audio Vault version of "the lunacy of Fred Smerlas". Sounded like fun...

Ah, yes. The infamous Brown/Gilbride conflict that ended up with Ruben staying home for the last game of the 2003 season. (At the time, how many of us envied him for having the opportunity to take a swipe at Killdrive?) Here's a pretty good read from Ed Kilgore, circa March 2004: Say what you will about Brown, but how many left guards have the Bills gone through trying (and failing) to adequately replace him?

Oh, no. If that's true, the concession stands will run out of beer before halftime...

Really? Hadn't heard that.

Remember, he played nosetackle. Too many shots to the helmet...

Smerlas. Probably on the Pats' sideline. As for the Clintons: eh, whatever... but expect to stand in line at the gate even longer than usual.

Since they cover the Lions, too, think I'm going to ask WGR to try to get this guy on as a guest the week of the game. Play a couple of clips from that meltdown and hilarity shall, no doubt, ensue... Teddy freakin' Ruxpin. Hysterical.

Ooh, that reminds me -- I don't get the Buffalo FOX affiliate, so if anyone can get me a copy of this game? DVD or tape, doesn't matter, much appreciated. (I'll be needing the Green Bay game, as well...)

Wanna howl with laughter? Listen to this talk-radio host (and unabashed Michigan State fanboy) lose his mind on the air: Mike Valenti, WXYT He spends most of the first 45 minutes ranting, to the point where his co-host finally snaps and goes off on HIM. Sports talk radio at its finest.