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Here is the latest installment of Football Friday for On Her Game in which I
struggled to come up with a title for public consumption. My first thought was,
"Bears Lose in Washington, Republican Style," but that felt a little
too partisan for a forum such as this one. So I cleaned it up as best I could
to be, "Defenses on the Field in Washington about as “Effective” as
Congress." The picture also accurately describes my current feelings
toward the Bears and our elected officials as I am pretty sure she is saying,
oh my!
Regardless of which side of the political aisle one resides, I
believe we can all come together to say that the recent shutdown was not an effective
decision especially for those directly affected by it. “A new national poll conducted
after the end of the partial government shutdown indicates that approval rating
for Congress remains near an all-time low.”
The defensive units from both the Washington Redskins and my
Chicago Bears seemed to be taking a page out of Congress’s book in an effort to
be as ineffective as possible with the Redskins eking out a win in the shootout
45-41. I find myself trying to understand how a team that looked so solid and
exciting just a few short weeks ago, can be called nothing short of an enigma.
When was the last time that one would say the DEFENSIVE side of the ball is the
liability for the Bears?
I recognize and concede that things change quickly in the NFL; it
is the nature of a 17 week (16 games) regular season schedule. Football is also
an extremely physical sport, which brings about injuries that can quickly
become season ending or at least take a chunk out of a player’s season. For
instance, both Lance Briggs and Jay Cutler have been declared out four to six
weeks each with a fracture in his shoulder and a torn groin (ouch, even as a
woman, I say OUCH) respectively. The Bears D has already been decimated by
injuries, especially to the front four, providing an explanation to the anemic
(or perhaps non-existent) run-defense.
As Michael Wright of ESPN.com states, “…as the
Redskins, led by quarterback Robert
Griffin III, shredded the Bears for 499 yards, including 209 on the
ground.”
I would call that defensive play non-existent, especially since
establishing a solid run-game opens up the whole field by being forced to
respect the play action. While I was happy to see my man Peppers was found contributing
seven tackles, or as Michael Wright said in a separate article, “showed up
on the stat sheet.”
There are just individual weeks, such as this one, that can
quickly morph into seasons in which it is hard to be
a Bears fan. Just when the offense seems to be getting their smear together,
putting up 41 points in a game, due in large part to an exceptional performance
by back-up Josh McCown who ended the day with a passer rating of 119.6. Not to
mention Devin Hester contributed by lighting the Redskins up for a punt return
for a touchdown, tying Deion Sanders’ NFL record for return touchdowns. Since
when is 41 points not enough for the Bears to win a game?
Brandon Meriweather could be called the John Boehner (Speaker of
the House) of the Washington Redskins as he was suspended yesterday for two
games following two personal foul penalities including a helmet to helmet hit
on Alshon Jeffery and then heaving himself at Brandon Marshall. Many say Boehner
among others is hurting the image of the GOP while Meriweather hurt his team
with costly penalties and now a starting safety.
Right around the time that the Federal Budget comes up for review
again, it will be playoff time in the NFL. The goal would be to see the Bears
make a deep run into the playoffs, as well as a healthier display of bipartisan
efforts by our elected governmental officials.
Here’s hoping.
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