By The Beachwood Visiting Team Affairs Desk

“The philosophical way to look at what happened at Soldier Field yesterday is that the Eagles were playing the third installment of four games in 18 days, they were riding a three-game winning streak, all big, emotional clashes, and they were due for a stumble,” Les Bowen writes for the Philadelphia Daily News.
“Philosophers were in short supply in the visitors’ locker room, though. The Eagles were an angry team, a tone set by their coach. A red-faced Andy Reid met reporters after his team’s 31-26 loss to the Chicago Bears, and he wasn’t ruddy just from the breeze wafting through the windy city. Players said Reid was unusually terse in his postgame remarks to them.
“‘He’s mad, we’re all mad. That was a game we didn’t play well at all,’ said tight end Brent Celek, whose 30-yard touchdown catch in traffic set the final score, with a minute and 48 seconds left. ‘We feel like we really killed ourselves in this game.'”

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Posted on November 29, 2010

By Jim Coffman

Give it up for the Bears.
I said, “Give it up for the Bears!”
Seriously . . . right now . . . give it up.
Tough to know where to start breaking down this awesome 31-26 victory over the Eagles and previously undefeated (this season in games he has started and finished) and unintercepted (since 2006) Michael Vick. I suppose it has to be four touchdown passes and no interceptions. Really, it was four touchdown passes and only one even almost interception. And that was on a pass to a tight end (Greg Olsen) who we knew would do what needed doing when a touchdown was up for grabs. It was four scoring strikes and at least a dozen more laser beams that hit Bear receivers in their hands and exactly in stride . . . four touchdown tosses and about 20 passes that were thrown where they would either be completed or would fall harmlessly to the turf or out of bounds.
And it was four touchdown passes despite four sacks, despite breakdowns in protection that would have thrown lesser quarterbacks completely off their game.

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Posted on November 29, 2010

By Mike Luce

We know enough about journalism and sportswriting to realize that Thanksgiving week typically results in a “let’s mention all the things we are thankful for” story. (Even MMA writers got in on the act this year.) If you have read the College Football Report before, you can guess at most of what would appear on our list. And we will spare you a cynical treatment by not producing a list of everything that makes for juicy copy: dumb coaching decisions, odd mascot stories, Lane Kiffin and Rich Rodriguez, massive conspiracy stories, the start of Layoff Season, and the ongoing saga of one Cameron Newton. (Wait, what did we say about lists?)
Thus, in lieu of the usual Turkey Day column, we will focus on what we’re most thankful for: Football. See below, dear reader, for our overview of all the Top 5 action this holiday weekend including our picks in parentheses.

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Posted on November 26, 2010

By Emory Hunt

Pressure from the Bears’ front four is key, but it’s the secondary who will win the game.

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Posted on November 25, 2010

By Dan O’Shea

I know you’ve been waiting all season for this, the special time of year when we all gather around the table like one big happy family, solemnly join hands, and together trash the worst fantasy football players of the season.
That’s right, it’s time for the Pope’s Nose Awards. I could explain the name, but to save time (my own, not yours) I’d rather have you follow the link to last year’s awards, and add another hit to the website to please the Beachwood powers-that-be.
This season, like every season, featured plenty of great performances, and plenty of guys have exceeded expectations all year long. But, we’re not here to praise, we’re here to bury. There also were no shortage of disappointing performances, but the biggest bombs at each position this season have been fairly obvious:

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Posted on November 24, 2010

Blue: I’m not as funny as my co-author of this column.
I’m not as witty.
Come to think of it, I’m not even as tall as he is.
But, week after week I’m correct on my calls more often than he is.
If you were to take his predictions as the basis of your calls to Uncle Rocko (for entertainment purposes only, including gambling), you’d be going to Carl for some witty excuses to tell the wife why the toy pile under the Christmas tree or Chanukah bush is looking a little thin this year.
This isn’t to say that this year’s version of the Chicago Bears is something beautiful to look upon in marvel, but it’s better than a leg lamp as your main holiday decoration, which Mr. Mohrbacher proudly displays in his front window.

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Posted on November 24, 2010

By Mike Luce

The revival of the Bear defense this year certainly owes plenty to the signing of Julius Peppers, although I thought some of Jerry Angelo’s ravings about the defensive end this past week were clearly over the top, and self-serving. After all he signed the guy. If Peppers plays well, Jerry looks good.
Despite the fact that Peppers hadn’t piled up the sacks until grabbing three on Thursday night against the Dolphins, it doesn’t take microscopic analysis to figure out that the highest paid player in the league often does great things even when he isn’t tackling the quarterback. He is a heck of a talent who is doing as much as any athlete could to justify the $20 million portion of his contract due to him this year.

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Posted on November 22, 2010

By Mike Luce

The weekend before Thanksgiving rarely features any compelling matchups in college football. Some teams try to take a break from conference play to schedule lesser opponents – such as Alabama (#10 AP, #11 BCS), who squared off on Thursday night against Georgia State. Others will be idle, including the top three in this week’s BCS poll – Oregon, Auburn and TCU.
This is probably a good idea, with the Thanksgiving break (amazingly enough) coming up next week. College students looking forward to a week off and a quick trip back home for some of Mom’s home-cooked Tofurkey shouldn’t be asked to focus on anything too important. (We are talking about Generation Y here, folks. God knows what passes for tradition with these kids. Maybe they will grow up with fond memories of the holiday Skype get-together and reading Justin Bieber’s Thanksgiving Twitter feed on their iPads.)
Finally, there are teams like Boise State who have smartly realized this weekend is an ideal time to grab some spotlight. The Broncos (9-0 overall, 5-0 in conference, #3 AP, #4 BCS) welcome WAC opponent Fresno State to the Smurf Turf on Friday night.
And while few of us may think of Friday as an ideal time for gridiron action, Chris Peterson and (the Electric Blue) Company will get national exposure on ESPN2.
While Fresno State is no pushover on the road this year (3-1 away), few in the WAC can matchup against the firepower of Boise’s offense while also penetrating what has developed into a stifling defense.
And yes, then there are the true gimmicks as those of us in the Chicagoland area have witnessed unfold throughout the week. But first, allow us to comment briefly on the white elephant in the room.

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Posted on November 19, 2010

By ponced6

Up next, the Philadelphia Eagles. We got something for you too.

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Posted on November 19, 2010

By The Beachwood Vs. Affairs Desk

Compare and contrast.
Quinn: Accidental Governor.
Quade: Accidental Manager.
Quinn: Lame backup to Blago.
Quade: Lame substitute for Ryno.
Quinn: Winner of garbage-time election.
Quade: Winner in garbage-time games.
Quinn: Inexplicably eager to spend next four years taking blame for larger institutional problems which will most likely go unaddressed for decades after he’s gone.
Quade: Ditto.

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Posted on November 19, 2010