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Minnesota, who looked like they had no interest in playing aginst the Bears last week, beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-14. This might be one of the most shocking wins this season. The Bears have now clinched a 1st round buy.
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It was a little surprising to see the Vikings play so well with rookie Joe Webb quarterbacking. Maybe now the sports media's love-fest with Michael Vick will cool off a little.
This thread made me wonder how these teams were projected to finish in the preseason picks. It's always fun to see how close the preseason predictions were.
The 2010 preseason consensus was that Minnesota was the 2nd best team in the NFC North behind Green Bay, and was a solid pick to make the playoffs this year if Brett Favre stayed healthy. Recall they barely lost in the NFC Championship game last January to the eventual Super Bowl winning Saints. The Philadelphia Eagles were picked by most people to be a middle-of-the-road team after they unloaded Donovan McNabb and were planning on going with Kevin Kolb as their #1 quarterback. Few people projected them as a playoff team, and nobody saw Michael Vick emerging as one of the best quarterbacks this season.
Incidentally, most predictions had the Bears finishing with a losing record and out of the playoff picture. Some picks had the Bears at the bottom of the NFL and Lovie being fired.
Here is one representative preseason projection from Peter King of Sports Illustrated.
Among the picks he had wrong- he had teams like San Diego, Miami, Carolina, Dallas, and Seattle as some of his playoff picks, and he listed New England and Atlanta, the NFL's 2 best teams, as "on the bubble".
He also had the playoff-bound Bears and the KC Chiefs among his worst teams-
Here is one of many writers that said Lovie Smith would be one of the first coaching casualties this season-
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Hard to believe that is the same team that laid down for the Bears last week... wow???We all want Bradley to win. If our methods and visions for that are different, then so be it. Don't ever attempt to tell me I am not a fan!???Comment
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Originally posted by Da Coach View Post
I thought exactly the same thing...and were Vick playing in just about any other media market besides Boston, NY, or Philly, he wouldn't get half the notice...
Hey -- I like Michael Vick, and fully understand a lot of animal lovers hate the guy and will never forgive him...
BUT I am one who isn't such an animal lover to say that what Vick did, although illegal, isn't anywhere near as immoral as what's going on just about anywhere else.
BUT-- I have to think he basically fumbled away any remaining chance he had for the MVP last night that many writers (mostly east coast guys) had already previously handed to him..
BTW -- I admit I am biased...but I think there's two guys in Chicago who should get
serious consideration for MVP....Devin Hester and Jay Cutler...
Can you imagine where the Bears would be if we still had Rex Grossman and were without a kick returner?
Da Bears would probably be 4-11 or worse -- as seven of the Bears' wins are by less than a single score.
Yup..one local writer called the Bears "putrid"..and "mediocre"Originally posted by Da Coach View Post
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Perhaps they didn't lay down and the Bears actually had something to do with it....Originally posted by Braveman View Post
I still laugh...the Bears get blasted for facing the 3rd string QB but that same QB goes out and beats the Eagles.
Hmmmmmmm............Comment
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Who da thunk it
I f someone bet me 8 weeks ago that the Bears-Packers game would basically be a meaningless game for Da Bears...I would have agreed it was likely---but I would have guessed Da Bears would be outside looking in---not the other way around---and to now have a first round bye
Thank you Minnesota
Bradley football--undefeated again this yearComment
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This was the most shocking game of the season IMO.Originally posted by bigjimmy View Post
Philly just didn't look sharp, and they looked lethargic on offense.
Gotta' play a full 60 minutes! We've been harpin' on the Braves to play a full 40 minutes for the past 2 season.Comment
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Since someone else started a football thread...
check out that there are growing
"Jim Harbaugh to the 49er's" rumors, and even
"Jim Harbaugh to the Michigan Wolverines" rumors steamrolling...
Some Michigan fans say it's a done deal...unless they're outbid by the NinersComment
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Thank you tornado! I was thinking the same thing myself. There are so many players in the NFL that have committed felonies, misdemeanors, rapes and robberies that don't even get 5% of the coverage that this guy got for killing a few dogs, even as disgusting as that was. I just think in this day and age where more and more people "elevate" animals to the status of humans (or at least it seems that way), it's no surprise that when someone commits a crime against an animal they seem to have to pay a bigger price than when someone commits a crime against a human. I think people seem to be skewing the importance of animal rights so much these days that it's no surprise that the media has "convicted" Vick on a much tougher level than those players that seem to be in a habit of repeatedly committing crimes against humanity.Originally posted by tornado View Post
Something doesn't seem right here.Comment
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Bravesfan -- I have always been a "law and order" guy and do not like seeing anyone commit crimes or even inappropriate behavior...
But I am repeatedly astounded by the degree the press highlights and denigrates an athlete (or any celebrity) for cruelty to animals or even the silly, almost juvenile act of texting a crude message to a woman...
Note how they tore Tiger Woods apart when he broke NO LAW, and how the media is ripping into Brett Favre for just doing what teenagers do all the time.
And yet other stars in and out of sports hire their own personal doctors to deliver illegal intravenous drugs in their homes, rappers shoot and kill each other practically every day and when they're not they're "rapping" and assaulting women and doing drugs, and politicians break every moral law in the books...and this stuff seems to be accepted as just part of the Hollywood and Washington life style!
BTW -- did anyone feel the earthquake this morning that was centered just north of Indianapolis?
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Agreed completely tornado! And regarding Woods and Favre, I think the fact that they wrecked, or may have wrecked their marriages and families is a punishment much harsher than anything the media might come up with.Originally posted by tornado View Post
Now if Vick had to pay for his crimes with jail time and community service, then all of these other "celebrites" and rappers who assault women and shoot people (and note I'm not even talking about murder here, just shooting at someone) deserve five to ten times more jail time than Vick got. But apparently in this society abusing animals and making racial comments (as disgusting as that is, though again not lawbreaking here) is far more taboo than shooting at someone or driving under the influence of crack! As degrading as their behavior was, there are some in society and many in the media that wanted Mel Gibson and Michael Richards stripped of any future opportunity for work. I mean what do people want, to have those two be confined to house arrest the rest of their lives???! In the meantime, Vick rightfully serves his time and yet people like Tucker Carlson want him executed! I mean is something not out of whack here?
Sorry about the rant, but this is a hot button issue for me, and something more important to me than how well our Braves are playing even though it's fun to debate that the rest of the time.
As far as the earthquake is concerned, I did not feel anything up north of Chicago here, but there have been some reports from around here. I have felt other earthquakes before though like the one near Elgin last winter.Comment
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Now two more women who work for the team (Jets) have come out of the woodwork and are claiming harassment by Brett Favre...Originally posted by Bravesfan View Post
this is so eerily similar to the Tiger Woods thing...
Watch for even more to make this claim, who just want the free publicity and a chance to make a big payday..
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Team contracted massage therapists? What the hey?
Since when do pro teams hire contract-for-services personal massage therapists for their players? Sounds a little fishy to me.
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