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The Bears could call it a special victory Sunday, even if defeat and Detroit have become synonyms in recent years. Everyone from the special teams, to the defense, to quarterback Jay Cutler, to running back Matt Forte and even the coaching staff had big parts in a 48-24 victory at Soldier Field over the Lions. ôTo get to 3-1 takes a lot, especially after starting out with a loss,ö coach Lovie Smith ...

The BearsÆ offense is coming together piece by piece. ItÆs just that the pieces arenÆt fitting together in the order many thought they would. ôI know it is going to take some time and I knew it wasnÆt going to be the first week, and itÆs hard to make everything gel the way you want it to in the first few weeks,ö offensive coordinator Ron Turner said Wednesday at Halas Hall. ôItÆs ...

If one person is more responsible for the Bears owning a 2-1 record, itÆs obviously quarterback Jay Cutler for engineering two fourth-quarter rallies. If youÆre looking for one other name, try Lovie Smithùthe same Bears coach who gets blasted all the time for "not being emotional enough" or for being too silentáon the sidelines. SmithÆs impact since taking over the defensive scheme calling this year has been apparent and his modus operandi ...

The Bard would have loved the past week in the NFL. True to Hamlet, it was a case of "to thine own self be true" throughout the league. Of course Chad Ochocinco would stage his Lambeau Leap by purchasing tickets for friendly Bengals fans in order to have a place to land. Why should he do any type of end zone celebration that wasn't rehearsed, planned or staged in some way? He never ...

The Bard would have loved the past week in the NFL. True to Hamlet, it was a case of "to thine own self be true" throughout the league. Of course Chad Ochocinco would stage his Lambeau Leap by purchasing tickets for friendly Bengals fans in order to have a place to land. Why should he do any type of end zone celebration that wasn't rehearsed, planned or staged in some way? He never ...

The Chicago Bears have stepped into the 21st century with a quarterback who can actually pass and the makings of a receiver corps to complement him. Now it's time for the franchise to step into the 21st century and get a home field playing surface that complements their playing style. To some this may sound like blasphemy, but the Bears need to go to a Field Turf playing surface. Sunday's game was a ...

For the first time since 1995, the Pittsburgh Steelers come to Chicago and encounter a Bears team lacking their greatest weapon, big play middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. How can the Bears compensate for losing a middle linebacker who has the size of a defensive end and speed of a safety? It's up to Hunter Hillenmeyer to replace him, but they would like to see their offense pick up some of ...

It's reality check time for some heading into Week Two. This picks column needs one, that's for sure, after going 5-11 last week against the spread. The New Orleans Saints are certain to get a reality check after last week when they beat up on the closest thing to a CFL team that the NFL has to offer. The Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo (Does anyone else think he staged that coyote taking ...

The Bears believe we’ll see a different Hunter Hillenmeyer now as Brian Urlacher’s replacement than the one who held the job when their perennial Pro Bowl middle linebacker suffered a series of injuries in 2004. With Urlacher out for the season due to a dislocated wrist, Hillenmeyer is being counted on to man the middle. The Bears went 0-7 in 2004 without Urlacher.  “We feel that Hunter has the best grasp of ...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Bears’ defense Sunday night overcame Jay Cutler’s three first half interceptions, a stupid fourth quarter mistake by long snapper Patrick Mannelly, and the loss of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher due to a dislocated wrist. What it couldn’t do in the end was exactly what it was supposed to do—stop the Green Bay Packers in the clutch. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers hadn’t completed a pass longer than 14 ...