Bears/Packers Running Diary - 1st Half

Running Diary for Chicago at Green Bay 10/07/07

7:08pm – Don’t ask me why I decided to this for this game of all games but I have. With my Bears seemingly circling the drain and the Packers making a case for the right to call themselves the team to beat in the NFC, you’d think I’d stay away from this game. I don’t have one of those gut feelings that says that I think the Bears will win this game or anything like that, but I do think that this will be a bit more competitive than each team’s records would indicate. Green Bay’s run game in non-existent which means all the Bears need to do is contain the Packer passing game and they should be alright. Easier said than done I know, but with the way the Bears have been rushing the passer, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Kickoff is just minutes away, so I’m gonna step away and pray that I don’t end up regretting this.

7:16 – I don’t care what anybody says, the Bears’ away uniforms are the best unis in football. They also always bring back memories of Super Bowl XX because those were the unis they wore when they pasted the Patriots 46-10.

7:18 – Why did NBC replace Pink with Faith Hill this year? They didn’t replace the song that they used or anything. I think Pink’s image also falls in line better with football. Faith Hill is a little too soft around the edges to be connected to football for my taste. Not to mention I think Pink is way hotter than Faith Hill.

7:20 – I would like say to something in regard to Madden and the Brett Favre…..did he just call my coach “Lovie Bear?”….anyway. Madden is going to say “Brett Favre” so many times that by the end of the night it’s not even going to sound like a real word anymore.

7:23 – My friends overseas, thank your lucky stars that you are in fact overseas, because you don’t have to put up with the torturous “Our Country” commercials all night like we unfortunate Americans do.

7:25 – Brett Favre’s wife is pretty cute. That’s nice work Brett.

1st Quarter

7:26 – Bears are kicking off, Green Bay starts with the ball. WE’RE COMING TO GET YA BRETT!!!

7:27 – I know I’ve gone on record as saying that I am going to back off of Favre and his consecutive starts record, but I still cringe every time that someone mentions it.

7:29 – I hate that down and distance graphic that NBC is using this year. It looks like a mutant piece of candy corn or something.

7:30 – So much for the “non-existent” running game. Deshaun Wynn has had two impressive runs and already has the Packers in the red zone….and takes it in from 2 yards out. I’m thinking that I AM going to regret this. Nothing about the Bears this year says that they are a come from behind kind of team. 7-0 Green Bay.

7:33 – I absolutely HATE these Coors Light commercials with the regular joe’s asking the coaches questions. My least favorite being the one that is airing now with Denny Green where they take advantage of his “They are who we thought they were” comments.

7:34 – Green Bay stays away from Hester on their kickoff….this IS going to be a long night.

7:36 – Anybody else watching that new “Bionic Woman” show on NBC? I’ve caught the first two episodes and I liked what I’ve seen so far.

7:39 – Christ! I look away for a second and the Bears are punting already? Well, at least Maynard pinned them back deep, let’s see if the Bear defense snaps out of it on this second series. They have Briggs, Archuleta and Tillman back tonight so the defense should look quite a bit better than it did last week.

7:40 – Does anybody else think that “Beowulf” could be the coolest looking movie EVER? The technology that they used is the same they used to make The Polar Express a couple of years ago and it looks like they’ve improved upon it since then.

7:47 – Bears may have gotten themselves a break here. Tillman forced a fumble on Jacoby Jones and Ricky Manning recovered it. Green Bay is challenging though. With the way things have been going for the Bears this year, Green Bay will win the challenge. Chicago caught just about all the breaks last year and hasn’t been able to get many this year thus far.

7:50 – Awesome, Bears win the challenge and keep the ball. Now let’s make it count boys!!

7:53 – Nope. Three and out again. The game has all the makings of one where the Bears play bend but don’t break for three quarter but fall apart in the 4th quarter because they have been on the field for forty minutes.

7:54 – Oh god, our first Virginia McCaskey sighting: SOMEONE CUT MADDEN’S MIC!!

7:57 – 1:30 to go in the 1st quarter and Green Bay is winning the first down battle 8-0….FUMBLE!! Bear ball!! Tillman strips it again and Archuleta scoops it up this time. We gotta make something happen now guys, this isn’t going to keep happening.

7:59 – 189-12 is the total yards score with 1:00 to go in the first quarter. Three guesses as to who is winning and the first two don’t count.

Bears go three and out again, then proceed to ask for a measurement when they were a yard and a half short on 4th down. Madden and Michaels think that Lovie is stalling to give the defense time to breathe. I’m gonna have to agree.

8:05 – 1st quarter in the books, it’s been damn ugly and Green Bay has the ball….again. Packers 7-0.

2nd Quarter

8:07 – Lovie is 3-0 at Lambeau with the Bears. I hate when they show stats like that. You always see stats like that go against the people they show them for.

8:11 – How about Kris Brown, the kicker for the Texans? Three fifty-plus yard field goals to help the Texans beat Miami including a 57-yarder to win it.

8:13 – Eighteen minutes in and the Bears finally get their first 1st down of the game. Great job guys.

8:15 –The Bears are chipping away at the Packer defense now, they moved the ball 57 yards on six plays and are just outside the red zone. Hopefully this will be a rhythm that the Bears can maintain.

8:17 – I swear I don’t get how Ron Turner (Bear O-Coordinator), on 3rd and 6 he calls a dive over lest guard when the Bears have been doing well with the short passing game on this drive. Bears catch a break though. The Packers lined up over the center on the FG and get flagged for Illegal Formation. So the Bears get a fresh set of downs at the 13 yard line.

8:20 – Bears capitalize on the miscue and Benson has probably his best looking run of the year (which isn’t saying much) and scores from ten yards out. Tied 7-7

8:27 – A message to every team in the NFL: if ever you have something that isn’t working i.e., the Packer running game…..just play the Bears. Playing my team seems to cure all that is ailing other teams. Vernand Morency and Deshaun Wynn are going to household names by the end of the night tonight if the Bears keep this up.

8:32 – Beautiful throw from Favre to Jennings results in a Green Bay touchdown and Madden’s man-crush on Favre comes pouring out. I gotta admit though, for someone who looked old and kind of out of it at times last year, Favre looks like he’s having the time of his life this year. Packers 14-7.

8:34 – COWARDS!! Green Bay is squibbing it away from Hester. Can’t say I blame them, I just want that football ego to kick in and have Green Bay to kick it to him anyway. But it’s kicks like that, that are the reason the Hester is getting reps on offense these days.

8:36 – Loving the post-whistle squabbling going on between the teams. You get a real feel for the rivalry when they go at it with each other like that.

8:42 – Seriously, this Beowulf movie looks insane. I want to go see it simply just to look at it.

8:53 – Thanks to one delay after another we have finally just run our first play in about ten minutes. Then Green Bay goes for about 30 yards on 3rd and 6 and are now in field goal range with :16 to go in the half.

8:57 – After a 37 yard Mason Crosby FG, Green Bay goes into the locker room with a 17-7 lead. Frankly I think the Bears are lucky it’s not worse because the Packers were driving both times that they coughed it up. Gonna try to sneak the episode of Family Guy I Tivoed during halftime, see ya in the 2nd half. Packers 17-7