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Dan Peters
Sports Editor
Oak Park
Journal
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©
Oak Park Journal photo
Bears
Stumble & Fumble...But still manage
to Rumble in the Valley of The Sun
by Dan Peters
The Chicago Bears headed into Monday Nights game against the Cardinals
as one of only two remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL.
Only the Arizona Cardinals stood in their way to becoming 6-0 for the
first time since 1986. For three quarters last night, The Cardinals,
not the Bears looked like the team that had aspirations on Miami in
February of next year.
Monday's game was plain horrendous on all facets for the league leading
Bears. Grossman was inconsistent, his offensive line was purely
"Offensive" and the defense had more holes than a piece of Swiss
cheese.
But it seams a great football team can find a way to win even the most
ugly of football games.
If you went to bed early last night, You missed one of the most
impressive comebacks in Bear's history...and the Bears offense had
little to do with it. Defense and special teams stepped up the
intensity and made key plays and rallied the Bears from a 20-0
half-time deficit to stun not only the Cardinals, but the national
viewing audience as well beating the Cards 24-23.
The Bears entered Monday night's game having just five turnovers all
season and averaging an NFL-best 31.2 points per game. The
Chicago offense produced just 168 total yards and nine-first downs and
possessed the ball for only 20:17.
"We know we made a lot of mistakes," Smith said. "We'll correct those.
But we're going to enjoy this one because they don't come around very
often like that."
The Bears overcame six turnovers by quarterback Rex Grossman, who threw
a career-high four interceptions and lost two fumbles while registering
a hideous 10.7 passer rating. In the first half, the Cardinals
converted four Grossman turnovers into 13 points in building a 20-0
half-time lead.
"I tried to force a couple balls in there," Grossman said. "They just
did a great job of game-planning us and forcing me into things that I
didn't want to do."
"I've never played so bad and won a game like that," Grossman said.
"I've never seen anything like it. That was unbelievable. I don't
know how to put it into words, how good our defense is and how
big of plays they made. They could have done it by themselves tonight.
It was just meant to be. We were supposed to win that game. For some
reason, everything went our way when it needed to."
Brian Urlacher,
Big, Bold, and Gifted.
© Oak Park Journal photo
``He's a good quarterback,'' Urlacher said. ``He's young, we tried to
throw a lot of stuff at him. He took care of the football, didn't have
any interceptions. But we made the plays when we had to.''
Rookie defensive end Mark Anderson sparked the comeback,
forcing rookie quarterback Matt Leinart to fumble on a blindside sack.
Mike Brown scooped up the loose ball and returned it 3 yards for a TD,
drawing the Bears to within 23-10 with :02 remaining in the third
quarter. The comeback was on... Brown later left the
game with a sprained foot and did not return.
The defense delivered again as Brian Urlacher swiped the ball away from
running back Edgerrin James. Charles Tillman returned the fumble 40
yards for a TD, closing the score to 23-17 with 5:00 left
in the final period. Urlacher played like a possessed man, refusing to
let the Bears lose. Forcing the key turnover, the reigning NFL
Defensive Player of the Year registered a game-high 19 tackles,
two pass breakups and three hits on the quarterback.
"He's a special football player," Smith said. "In times like that, you
need your best players to step up, and Brian did that."
"He showed why he's a superstar," Grossman said. "He's an unbelievable
player and really that defense just picked it up and won the game for
us."
Rookie punt returner Devin Hester then produced the play of the night
and perhaps the season, returning a punt 83 yards for a touchdown to
put the Bears ahead 24-23 with 2:58 to play.
Leinart drove the Cardinals to the Bears 22 yard line, but Pro Bowl
Neil Rackers missed a chip 40-yard field goal that was said to be
deflected off Hunter Hillenmeyer's fingertips and sailed wide left
with :47 left....GAME OVER
"They moved it down there, but you still have to kick it," said coach
Lovie Smith. "Sometimes when you're a team of destiny, things like that
happen."
The Bears streamed into their locker room after Monday night's
remarkable win, hooting and hollering so loud that Grossman had to
raise his voice to be heard during his post-game press conference in an
adjacent room.
"It's meant to be," guard Ruben Brown shouted as he left the field.
"It's meant to be."
"That's a good team," linebacker Lance Briggs said of the Cardinals.
"But the bottom line is that it's a 60-minute game. You don't ever give
up."
It was a vast departure from the scene inside the locker room at
half-time, where Brown and center Olin Kreutz were among a handful of
veteran players who joined coaches in addressing the team.
"I'm still a little lightheaded from all of the excitement inside,"
Smith said. "When you're a good football team you have to go through
some games like that. Down the way we were on the road, normally you
don't come out with those types of results. But we have a lot of
character in that locker room. We got together at half-time and just
said, "Were not going to go out like that. Were a lot better football
team."
Leinart, in his second NFL start, ran the offense with precision and
poise at the start, becoming the first rookie to throw a pair of
first-quarter TD passes in his first two starts. This time, he did it
without Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald, sidelined with a hamstring
injury, against a Chicago defense that had allowed two touchdowns all
season.
Accustomed to the bright lights that came with three national
championship game appearances at USC, Leinart was anything but
intimidated. He was 5-for-5 on a 12-play, 77-yard touchdown drive on
Arizona's opening drive.
Arizona coach Dennis Green was seething after the loss. Judging by his
comments, he clearly didn't believe the Bears lived up to the hype - or
deserved to win.
"The Bears are who we thought they were!'' he said, yelling at the top
of his lungs and pounding on the podium at his postgame press
conference. ``Now, if you want to crown them, then crown (them)! But
they are who they thought they were! And we let them off the hook!''
With the win, the Bears improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1986
and increased their lead atop the NFC North to two and a half games
over the Minnesota Vikings (3-2).
The Bears will get a deserved week off and some help for some of their
injured players to regroup for the San Francisco 49er's at Soldier
Field on October 29th
© Oak Park Journal photo
© Oak Park Journal photo
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