This is more of a state of the site post rather than something topical. We'll return to current events tomorrow.
I was looking over my page views recently, and I noticed something interesting. My review of Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows has some 241 pageviews. That's more than ten times what I normally get on a good post, and beats the 153 pageviews I got on my most read work for Yahoo, the AMC Randhurst review. I assume that's more a reflection of the popularity of the film than it is anything I did, and it was probably helped by another reviewer who posted a comment, but it remains a minor feather in my cap.
Speaking of comments, it occurs to me that the problem with having some of the commentary here, some on Facebook, and the rest on Google+ is that no one ever ends up speaking to one another. It's pretty much just me replying to you. I suppose that's fine, but perhaps we'd be best served just putting our comments here so that everyone can play? Just a thought.
Overall, I've mostly managed to maintain the pattern of getting my WEP posts up fairly early in the day. Day two almost got me, as I didn't get the post up before we started playing Old Republic that night, but I managed to find a gap in our run while the other player was finishing off a Class Quest to finish the post and get it up before midnight. It was a close thing, though.
So far, the most viewed post in 2012 was my Chicago Bears post, which was a surprise. I guess there are more Bears fans than movie or Old Republic fans on my Facebook and Google+ feeds.
In other news, my patience was rewarded. I managed to get a coupon through Impulse that let me finally buy the much-maligned Sword of the Stars II for only $10. With luck, the constant patching has made the game actually playable, which was not the case when it first came out back in October. I suppose I deserved to be disappointed, as the last game that I was following with as much anticipation was Master of Orion III, and that didn't work out either. I don't know if it still works, but here's the link to the coupon if you want to give it a try.
So, we're most of a week in and things are rolling nicely. I thank you for your patronage, and here's hoping the other 51 weeks go as smoothly as the first one did!
Showing posts with label Bears. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bears. Show all posts
Friday, January 6, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
WEP '12, Day 4 - Chicago Bears 2011-12
With Michele Bachman having decided to quit...and Rick Perry deciding to stick around...it was tempting to talk about the results in Iowa, but I think I'll let that simmer a bit longer. Instead, let's look at the Chicago Bears' 2011-12 season.
After three seasons, we finally have a good read on how valuable Jay Cutler is to the Bears. He was valuable enough that losing him ruined the Bears' playoff hopes and cost Jerry Angelo his job. It turns out that having a crap backup quarterback is a fireable offense when your starting quarterback goes down and the guy you have in as the backup loses your season for you.
So what happened? Well, the Bears really had three seasons. In the beginning, they were a middle of the road team that went 2-3. They could beat the weaker teams on the schedule but struggled against tougher teams like New Orleans and Green Bay. Then came the golden age. Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz finally bowed to pressure to adjust his precious system to account for the fact that the Bear's offensive line couldn't handle the system as he designed. Then the Bears suddenly had a offense! They went 5-0 for the next stretch of games, putting them at 7-3 and near locks to make the playoffs as a Wildcard team.
Alas, it was not to be. As mentioned, Jay Cutler got hurt, and his replacement, Caleb Haney, went 0-4. Haney's replacement, Josh McCown, went 1-1. Thus ended the 2011 Bears with a perfectly mediocre 8-8 record. It also ended Mike Martz's time with the team, as he resigned over "philosophical differences" the same day that GM Jerry Angelo was fired. Word online has it that both Martz and Angelo were pushed out the door, with Martz choosing to "resign" while Angelo had to be fired.
So where does that leave us?
The defense was decent, but given its age, tended to wear down in games leading to high opponent scores when we couldn't hang onto the ball. That defense will be a year older come September, and Brian Urlacher got hurt in the last game of the season, so who knows if he'll be as good as he was this year?
The offense will depend on whomever's running it next season. Safe money is that the Bears will just promote Offensive Line Coach, and former Vikings Head Coach, Mike Tice to the position. If he gets the job he'll probably have a system that calls for quicker passes and more reliance on the run, which benefits the defense if you can play it that way.
The Bears have long had one of the premiere Special Teams units in the league. Most of that credit goes to Dave Taub, who's probably the best Special Teams coach around. Taub declined the Bears' offer of a long term contract, though, since the success of former Special Teams Coach John Harbaugh in Baltimore shows that you can go from Special Teams to Head Coach with success. It'll be a dark day for the Bears if Taub gets a Head Coaching gig elsewhere, but it's hard to root against the success of a coach who clearly deserves to go to the next level.
As far as long term, the Bears upper management have already hamstrung their GM search by declaring that the new GM should be "in tune with Lovie's philosophies." and making it clear that Lovie Smith will be the head coach of the Bears in 2012. Hard to see some of the high power GM candidates out there being thrilled about a job where they can't bring in their own head coach.
So, my guess is that Lovie has ascended to to the top of the Bears organization, and that we'll get a weak hand puppet GM to do the busy work of the job while Lovie picks the players. And hell, that might even work out in the Bears' favor, because the Angelo-Smith war that divided Bears management into competing factions in the last few seasons certainly wasn't working.
Overall then, it was a disappointing season. My father predicted that the Bears would go 7-9 this year. I thought they'd do much better than that, as they were coming off a trip to the NFC Conference Game last year. Turns out that I was right...until Cutler got hurt. Then he was right.
I'm not overly optimistic about the Bears' chances in 2012, but this IS the Not For Long league. Just look at the '49s quick return to relevance once they got Jim Harbaugh in as Head Coach, or at the rise of Tim Tebow. Weird things happen in the NFL...a resurgent Bears in the playoffs next season wouldn't be the weirdest by a long shot.
After three seasons, we finally have a good read on how valuable Jay Cutler is to the Bears. He was valuable enough that losing him ruined the Bears' playoff hopes and cost Jerry Angelo his job. It turns out that having a crap backup quarterback is a fireable offense when your starting quarterback goes down and the guy you have in as the backup loses your season for you.
So what happened? Well, the Bears really had three seasons. In the beginning, they were a middle of the road team that went 2-3. They could beat the weaker teams on the schedule but struggled against tougher teams like New Orleans and Green Bay. Then came the golden age. Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz finally bowed to pressure to adjust his precious system to account for the fact that the Bear's offensive line couldn't handle the system as he designed. Then the Bears suddenly had a offense! They went 5-0 for the next stretch of games, putting them at 7-3 and near locks to make the playoffs as a Wildcard team.
Alas, it was not to be. As mentioned, Jay Cutler got hurt, and his replacement, Caleb Haney, went 0-4. Haney's replacement, Josh McCown, went 1-1. Thus ended the 2011 Bears with a perfectly mediocre 8-8 record. It also ended Mike Martz's time with the team, as he resigned over "philosophical differences" the same day that GM Jerry Angelo was fired. Word online has it that both Martz and Angelo were pushed out the door, with Martz choosing to "resign" while Angelo had to be fired.
So where does that leave us?
The defense was decent, but given its age, tended to wear down in games leading to high opponent scores when we couldn't hang onto the ball. That defense will be a year older come September, and Brian Urlacher got hurt in the last game of the season, so who knows if he'll be as good as he was this year?
The offense will depend on whomever's running it next season. Safe money is that the Bears will just promote Offensive Line Coach, and former Vikings Head Coach, Mike Tice to the position. If he gets the job he'll probably have a system that calls for quicker passes and more reliance on the run, which benefits the defense if you can play it that way.
The Bears have long had one of the premiere Special Teams units in the league. Most of that credit goes to Dave Taub, who's probably the best Special Teams coach around. Taub declined the Bears' offer of a long term contract, though, since the success of former Special Teams Coach John Harbaugh in Baltimore shows that you can go from Special Teams to Head Coach with success. It'll be a dark day for the Bears if Taub gets a Head Coaching gig elsewhere, but it's hard to root against the success of a coach who clearly deserves to go to the next level.
As far as long term, the Bears upper management have already hamstrung their GM search by declaring that the new GM should be "in tune with Lovie's philosophies." and making it clear that Lovie Smith will be the head coach of the Bears in 2012. Hard to see some of the high power GM candidates out there being thrilled about a job where they can't bring in their own head coach.
So, my guess is that Lovie has ascended to to the top of the Bears organization, and that we'll get a weak hand puppet GM to do the busy work of the job while Lovie picks the players. And hell, that might even work out in the Bears' favor, because the Angelo-Smith war that divided Bears management into competing factions in the last few seasons certainly wasn't working.
Overall then, it was a disappointing season. My father predicted that the Bears would go 7-9 this year. I thought they'd do much better than that, as they were coming off a trip to the NFC Conference Game last year. Turns out that I was right...until Cutler got hurt. Then he was right.
I'm not overly optimistic about the Bears' chances in 2012, but this IS the Not For Long league. Just look at the '49s quick return to relevance once they got Jim Harbaugh in as Head Coach, or at the rise of Tim Tebow. Weird things happen in the NFL...a resurgent Bears in the playoffs next season wouldn't be the weirdest by a long shot.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Write Everyday Project #20, The Bears...are Mediocre
So here we are. Three and three with wins over the 3-3 Falcons, 1-5 Panthers, and 1-5 Vikings. We also have losses to the 4-2 Saints, 6-0 Packers, and 5-1 Lions. If you're a team who can beat average to bad teams but lose to the good ones, that's pretty much the definition of mediocre, don't you think?
Despite banter to the contrary, I have my doubts that we'll be able to beat the 4-2 Buccaneers in London next week. It seems more likely that the long flight and short week and a game against a decent team will prove our doom.
Indeed, if we calculate based on W/L, we can predict the rest of the Bears schedule...
Buccaneers 4-2
Eagles 2-4
Lions 5-1
Chargers 4-2
Raiders 4-2
Chiefs 2-3
Broncos 1-4
Seahawks 2-3
Packers 6-0
Vikings 1-5
So, that would be wins against the Eagles, Chiefs, Broncos, Seahawks, and Vikings, with losses to the Bucs, Lions, Chargers, Raiders, and Packers. That gives us a perfectly mediocre 8-8 season.
Which is the worst possible outcome. If the Bears were going to be truly wretched, I could stop watching and start looking forward to high draft picks in June. On the other hand, if they were dominant and good, I could look forward to watching them win. But middle of the road means you want to watch since maybe they can turn it around like they did last season, but in my heart of hearts I have very little hope.
So I'll watch, and I'll gripe, and, if I'm right in the end, I'll say "I told you so."
Despite banter to the contrary, I have my doubts that we'll be able to beat the 4-2 Buccaneers in London next week. It seems more likely that the long flight and short week and a game against a decent team will prove our doom.
Indeed, if we calculate based on W/L, we can predict the rest of the Bears schedule...
Buccaneers 4-2
Eagles 2-4
Lions 5-1
Chargers 4-2
Raiders 4-2
Chiefs 2-3
Broncos 1-4
Seahawks 2-3
Packers 6-0
Vikings 1-5
So, that would be wins against the Eagles, Chiefs, Broncos, Seahawks, and Vikings, with losses to the Bucs, Lions, Chargers, Raiders, and Packers. That gives us a perfectly mediocre 8-8 season.
Which is the worst possible outcome. If the Bears were going to be truly wretched, I could stop watching and start looking forward to high draft picks in June. On the other hand, if they were dominant and good, I could look forward to watching them win. But middle of the road means you want to watch since maybe they can turn it around like they did last season, but in my heart of hearts I have very little hope.
So I'll watch, and I'll gripe, and, if I'm right in the end, I'll say "I told you so."
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Write Everyday Project #15, Chicago Sports and Labor Problems
Is it just me or do the Chicago teams suffer disproportionately from labor problems in their respective sports? Look at the history:
1986 NFL Strike - The '85 Bears had won the Superbowl in a rout and everyone expected a dynasty to compare with the Steelers and Raiders of the '70s. Instead, the Bears were one and done. Why? Part of it was certainly the departure of defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and the subsequent weakening of the Bear's defense. Another was the sudden rise of the New York Giants and the "Big Blue Machine" in 1986. But perhaps the nail in the coffin was the 1987 NFL Strike, and the Bears' handling of it. The Bears embraced the idea of replacement players with company man Mike Ditka saying "These are my players now!" Many Bears players from the '87 team have said this "betrayal" hurt team morale, and the Bears haven't won a Superbowl since.
1994 NHL Lockout - The Blackhawks won their division in both 1991 and 1993. Guess what happened next? The Hawks wouldn't sniff the division crown, or go deep into the playoffs, until 2009 when they won it all.
1994 MLB Strike - On August 12, 1994, the White Sox were leading the American League Central with a record of 67-46. That, however, was the last day of the season, because the '94 strike wiped out the rest of it, including the playoffs. It wouldn't be until 2000 that the Sox would win the division again, and not until 2005 that they would win the World Series.
2011 NFL Lockout - This one is somewhat fuzzier, but given the Bears's record before the lockout was 11-5 and included a trip to the NFC Championship where they lost to the eventual Superbowl winners. This season, they're 2-3 and sliding fast. One of the things that's hurting the 2011 Bears is a barrage of injuries to crucial players.... injuries that might not of occurred had there been a full off season and training camp that got canceled because of the lockout!
2011 NBA Lockout - And so now the NBA is locked out. Bulls players are scattering to play across Europe, and the young core of the Bulls can't talk to coaches to learn the system or practice together. Maybe they'll put it together in the end, but I can't help but feel pessimistic about the season...if there even IS a season.
In short, Chicago keeps getting screwed whenever there's labor troubles in sports, and this year seems no different.
1986 NFL Strike - The '85 Bears had won the Superbowl in a rout and everyone expected a dynasty to compare with the Steelers and Raiders of the '70s. Instead, the Bears were one and done. Why? Part of it was certainly the departure of defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and the subsequent weakening of the Bear's defense. Another was the sudden rise of the New York Giants and the "Big Blue Machine" in 1986. But perhaps the nail in the coffin was the 1987 NFL Strike, and the Bears' handling of it. The Bears embraced the idea of replacement players with company man Mike Ditka saying "These are my players now!" Many Bears players from the '87 team have said this "betrayal" hurt team morale, and the Bears haven't won a Superbowl since.
1994 NHL Lockout - The Blackhawks won their division in both 1991 and 1993. Guess what happened next? The Hawks wouldn't sniff the division crown, or go deep into the playoffs, until 2009 when they won it all.
1994 MLB Strike - On August 12, 1994, the White Sox were leading the American League Central with a record of 67-46. That, however, was the last day of the season, because the '94 strike wiped out the rest of it, including the playoffs. It wouldn't be until 2000 that the Sox would win the division again, and not until 2005 that they would win the World Series.
2011 NFL Lockout - This one is somewhat fuzzier, but given the Bears's record before the lockout was 11-5 and included a trip to the NFC Championship where they lost to the eventual Superbowl winners. This season, they're 2-3 and sliding fast. One of the things that's hurting the 2011 Bears is a barrage of injuries to crucial players.... injuries that might not of occurred had there been a full off season and training camp that got canceled because of the lockout!
2011 NBA Lockout - And so now the NBA is locked out. Bulls players are scattering to play across Europe, and the young core of the Bulls can't talk to coaches to learn the system or practice together. Maybe they'll put it together in the end, but I can't help but feel pessimistic about the season...if there even IS a season.
In short, Chicago keeps getting screwed whenever there's labor troubles in sports, and this year seems no different.
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