Monsters Of The Midwest

Bears fans are understandably upset after another loss.  It’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel with the Kansas City juggernaut up next.  Still, step up to the bar and let’s close off week two.

Every week I’m serving one Bearbon for the best thing I saw during the week.  One Scotch that burns the back of the throat but doesn’t stop you from loving it.  We’ll then raise a beer to a player, play, incident or whatever else I feel deserves it. Lastly, I’ll leave you with a song from the Jukebox.

It’s easy to look at the game on Sunday and find no positives at all.  Surprisingly, I saw some praise for Braxton Jones who, if you ignore the penalties, blocked well.  Darnell Wright also earned some praise as the one solid piece on the offensive line.  It was obvious that the best thing this week was Fields’ throw and Claypool’s attempt at redemption to make it a one score game in the 4^th.  It’s exactly what the Bears need to see much more.   

There were many candidates for a burning scotch this week.  A defense that seemingly only stopped the Bucs with the help of penalties.  Getsy’s continued incoherent play calling that some speculated saw the same screen pass called on 3 consecutive plays.   One of those plays led to the dagger touchdown and a Bucs soundbite stating they knew exactly the play that was coming.  It’s with a heavy heart that we drink a scotch that burns for QB1.  Fields had a really poor game ending with two interceptions on 55% passing and very worryingly some genuine deer in the headlights moments.  He hasn’t been helped by poor line play and horrid coaching but now he’s not helping himself. 

We gotta raise a beer.  It’s the rules.  Roschon Johnson looked the part as he has through preseason and 2 games that count.  He finished with 42 total yards on only 6 touches.  We drank to him before though.  Wright holding his own is a possibility.  I looked at the stats at the end of the game and was surprised to see one of the guys who is supposed to impress actually impress.  DJ Moore had 104 yards catching 6 of his 7 targets.  I’ve seen very little praise for his performance, so we’ll give it to him here and raise a Miller Lite with a cheesesteak for his Philly roots.   

KC hosts the Bears next week.  I fear it won’t be a pretty score, so I wanted to leave you with something good that came from KC.  Janelle Monae, Charlie “Bird” Parker and even Puddle of Mudd for a certain crowd would have qualified.  Around here though, the blues rule.  I leave you with the original recording of this song from a KC native. 

When I started this, I designed it to be optimistic about the Bears each week.  I never thought week one would be the test of that optimism. Stick around to see how it turns out.

Every week I’m serving one Bearbon for the best thing I saw during the week. One Scotch that burns the back of the throat but doesn’t stop you from loving it.  We’ll then raise a beer to a player, play, incident or whatever else I feel deserves it. Lastly, I’ll leave you with a song from the Jukebox

Early on Sunday, I thought Mooney would be a candidate for our Bearbon. He made a nice catch for 23 yards to start the response drive from the Packers’ first touchdown but ended up with just 4 catches for 53 yards. In a game with little to like, Roschon Johnson stood out.  He showed some fight and produced 20 yards rushing on 5 touches along with 35 yards on 6 catches. Most importantly he gave me the biggest smile of the day with an absolute trucking over a hapless Green Bay defender.  Happy to drink to him again as we did in preseason.

The candidates for that burning scotch were many but let’s stay specific on two.  Chase Claypool was called out, though not by name, by national media.  If you were on any of the socials, you may have seen the reel with his missed blocks and apparent disinterest.  I’ve been hopeful on Mapletron but hope is running out.  St. Brown was inactive for week one but we know he makes those blocks.  The blocks were there to be made only because Luke Getsy called another stinker.  During the game, I played the over under 2.5 screens over the next 5 plays and I almost hit it more than once. DJ Moore had just two targets and was inexcusably down 18 points, Getsy called a designed run for Fields.  Throw in the Kmet sneak that fooled no one and Getsy must shoulder much of the blame for a lousy game. I’m not raising a scotch for him. I’m raising it because of him.    

We’re raising a beer for every fan who had to sit through that game and still wore Bears gear on Monday. They’ve had to do it way too often. Watching the first real pressure of the game come with just 3 minutes left in the half and the continued inability to stop the run would be enough to end some fandoms. So we raise a glass to the hardcore, may they see better days.

I had the Bears winning 8 games this year. I have to bring that down after what I saw on Sunday. I’m down to seven. Thankfully, in the tradition of the blues, seven is a lucky number. Something we could use more around here. In this tradition, hit B23 for Roschon and this classic.

Every week I’m serving one Bearbon for the best thing I saw during the week, preferably smooth with a nice finish.  One Scotch that burns the back of the throat but doesn’t stop you from loving it.  We’ll then raise a beer to a player, play, incident or whatever else I feel deserves it. Lastly, I’ll leave you with a song from the Jukebox.

I was hoping to serve a Bearbon in honor of Justin Fields and the 1’s on offense this week.  No such luck.  They looked flat but it may be the result of facing a quality defense. There were flashes like Justin’s run for 13 yards followed by Moore’s catch and run for 40 yards.  Ngakoue making a tackle on a run play contrary to every criticism we’ve seen about him deserves consideration. Last week, I said Special Bagent 17 had earned a chance. This week we drink Bearbon to him making the team.  

The scotch burning my throat for the second week in a row is injuries but before that let’s talk Tyrique Stevenson.  Last week, he had a poor penalty and missed the pass break-up on a TD.  This week, his physicality cost him again with a bad penalty.  Stevenson must rein it in before teams take advantage of him for easy penalties and I’m not even one of those who object to the constant talking.  The brutal tackling on the Bill’s 3^rd TD is also worth mentioning here.  Kramer along with two expected contributors, Sewell and Foreman went down with injury.  Add to those the Jenkins injury and the Bears have a limp going into week 1.  The next two weeks have to bring some good news on this front if the Green Bay game is going to be competitive.  Meanwhile, we drink a 12-year-old Lagavulin to their health.

I want to raise a beer, and possibly a forkful of haggis, to Robert (Robbie) Burns.  He had a great catch on the Bears’ second TD then threw in a nod to Sweetness history for the 2-point conversion. Along with his kick return, he looked good during his limited opportunity. I like to see the young guys put good stuff on film.

Burns’ 8-point scoring outburst sent all kinds of endorphins through this long-suffering fantasy owner.  Over the next few days, many of us will hold our drafts.  Good luck to you on all your leagues and a reminder that the guys at Juice Time podcast had their 2023 fantasy extravaganza on their episode this week.  Hit the FF button on the jukebox for my favorite cover of this song

We started something last week but for new readers, after every Bears game I’m serving One Bearbon for the best thing I saw during the week, preferably smooth with a nice finish.  One Scotch that burns the back of the throat but doesn’t stop you from loving it.  We’ll then raise a beer to a player, play, incident or whatever else I feel deserved it.  Lastly, I’ll leave you with a song from the Jukebox.

This week’s Bearbon is obvious but let me give you some other contenders.  Go back and watch every time Rodgers up in GB or Brady stepped on the field.  The first thing they did was start a chat with the zebras.  What do you know there was Fields doing the exact same thing to start the first Bears drive. It’s not a big thing but it’s something he wasn’t doing before.  Herbert’s housecall on a simple screen was definitely in the running.  In the end, the Fields to Moore TD for hopefully the first of many takes the week.  You’ll hear how Justin had nothing to do with it and how that’s a bad thing.  Fields had no run attempts at all but used his elusiveness to make plays that, unlike last year, were rewarded by his teammates making major plays.  That’s the biggest lesson of the week. 

Th first drive from the Titans brought back some bad memories from last season. A 32 yard completion and several backfield and QB runs exposed an inability to stop the run and a propensity to give up big plays.  Down near the goal line, there was the hint of a backbone but not enough to stop the score.  I always hear about preseason having no schemes and defenses being exposed but the upgrade on talent should have been enough to at least look better.  I know it’s a pessimistic view but it’s only the first game and hopefully just some growing pains.  We’ll see over the next month but for now this is the scotch burning my throat.

As we get to know some of the new faces for the Bears, let’s raise a beer for two rookies.  None of them had a breakout or anything but Stevenson did not look out of place in coverage and made 7 tackles.  Roschon Johnson ended the day with 44 yards on 12 carries along with 3 catches.  Johnson double clutched a catch but he also turned a potential loss into a small gain.  All in all the rooks showed they’re working towards being contributors.   

Roschon Johnson goes beast mode on way to 24-yard run (chicagobears.com)

Coming into this season, fans and the front office were looking to find a reason to believe in Velus Jones.  Out comes Jones in the 1^st to let a punt bounce in front of him only to muff it and give the ball away much too cheaply.  Contrast this to other guys on the bubble, Vildor was making tackles and defending in the 4^th while 5^th string Trevis Gipson had a sack several QB hurries and hits in winning player of the game on the broadcast.  Camp and preseason for these players is about winning your spot and making the team.  So hit G99 on the jukebox to play some Eminem that cued correctly would have sounded great during the 2 TD’s as well.