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Just BEAR-ly Getting By
Through 3 quarters of the Bears season opener there was nothing I saw to suggest the Bears had any chance of winning their game against the Lions. The defense looked a step slow and unable to get pressure on Matt Stafford. Adrian Peterson and the Lions corps of running backs were gashing the defense. With less than 9 minutes to go in the game the Bears only mustered 6 points despite the fact they were averaging 5.3 yards per rush. QB Mitch Trubisky had issues with consistency & accuracy and you were getting the feeling this season is going to be a rerun of 2019.
It was in those last 9 minutes that the Bears finally got their act together. Trubisky threw 3 TDs in that span including a beautiful, pin-point pass to Anthony Miller for what would be the game winner. The Bears would dodge a final bullet when the Lions’ D’Andre Swift dropped the potential GW TD pass in the end zone.
This was about as ugly of a win as I have ever seen. The ‘vaunted’ Bears defense gave up 426 yards while the offense only converted 2 of their 11 3rd down attempts. Mitch’s pass completion percentage was struggling to stay above 50% until the 4th quarter. Despite their struggles, #ClubDub is back open for business:
Up next for the Bears is the lowly Giants and hopefully the Bears can get off to a much better start.
Keep It Classy
The NFL season officially kicked off this past Thursday between the Chiefs & Texans. During the pregame festivities both teams were represented in a show of unity. Here was the response of fans who were allowed into the stadium:
Fans openly booed when the players met on the field, not to kneel or protest during the national anthem but to show a sign of unity in the midst of the unrest that’s going on. Those people who booed during this demonstration proved that it was never about the anthem. It was never about the flag. It was making a statement of their own – not caring about social injustice. Former Bears LB and former Steelers CB Ryan Clark summed up exactly my reaction to it:
Way to keep it classy Kansas City…
All Hail Queen Naomi
Naomi Osaka cruised through the US Open only to fight back and overcome unranked Victoria Azarenka in the championship match. After dropping the first set and being down 2 breaks in the second set, Naomi charged back and eventually win the match 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. It marked the end of a remarkable 2-week run for Osaka that saw her capture her 2nd US Open title and 3rd major title in the last 3 years. What made it even more significant was that the 22-year-old used her platform to speak on social injustice. Each time she came out on the court she sported a face mask with the names of 7 people who were killed by police:
She also spoke about it after her trophy presentation:
Bravo Queen Naomi!! Bravo…
James Harden Is Not Elite
With the ouster of the Houston Rockets from this year’s playoffs at the hands of the L.A. Lakers it marks yet another year that James Harden has come up short in the playoffs where it matters most. It’s time for the James Harden apologists and sycophants to come to a hard dose of reality – James Harden is not elite.
Sure, he puts up incredible numbers. He’s going to the Hall of Fame and will be regarded as one of the most dynamic scorers in NBA history but despite all of the analytics people will use to make his case for being one of the greats the eye test does not, and never, lies. Each year in the playoffs since 2015, Harden has failed to put his team on his back and lead them:
Now the narrative is that Houston was never considered a true title contender(yes… Jeff Van Gundy actually said this during the Rockets’ Game 5 blowout loss to the Lakers). It’s just another of the long line of excuses for Harden’s lack of leadership. It’s always his teammates not being helpful or the coach not making adjustments or coaching to Harden’s talents(which is what the newly departed Mike D’Antoni did). People need to understand that the common denominator to HOU’s playoff woes lies with one person – the supposed franchise player.
If this were LeBron James he would get scolded. If it were the late, great Kobe Bryant he would get scolded. You can’t be the franchise player but try to abscond yourself from blame when things go south. It’s time to accept what is reality – James Harden is not a true franchise player. He’s a B+ player masquerading as one. He’s not elite.
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