FOF 2k7: Winning in the Windy City - Chicago Bears 2000 & Beyond.

[Wonder Bear]

Tuesday, May 16th, 2000

Chicago legend returns home


Da Coach will look to get the Bears
to the playoffs for the first time since 1994.

Chicago, IL. -- In a stunning move, former Saints head coach Mike Ditka will return to the Windy City to coach the Chicago Bears, a team he led to their first and only Super Bowl title.

Ditka will sign a four-year contract worth $11 million, a slight decrease in what he was paid last year in New Orleans.

"The desire to coach is as strong as it's ever been with me," Ditka said in an announcement on the Chicago radio station The Score.

"The Bears are very dear to me and my family. We're very excited about this opportunity to return to where we have so many friends and loyalties."

Mark Hatley will remain as vice president of football operations, but Ditka will have final say on which players make his roster. However, draft choices, trades and signings will be decided in a two-person consensus format among Hatley and Ditka.

Ditka was fired immediately following a 3-13 effort in 1999 with the Saints, his third consecutive losing season. Ditka's tenure with the Saints was anything but admirable, winning just 15 games in three seasons. But that fact didn't deter the Bears' interest.

"Mike Ditka helped define what the Chicago Bears stand for -- integrity, hard work, determination, winning and championships," team owner Virginia McCasky said. "Who better to set our strategy and lead the Bears back to championship glory?"

The late decision to sign Ditka came as a bit of a surprise, but he already has two pieces of the coaching puzzle in place. Former Bears coach of one year Dick Jauron accepted an offer to stay on board as the team's defensive coordinator. Gary Crowton will remain as the team's offensive coordinator as well.

The Bears are bringing back some familiar faces, but 'Da Coach' made it clear there would be on the field results. "I'm not going to deny that there are some good pieces in place here already," said Ditka, "but you can bet your 'you know what' there's going to be a new attitude around here. You can count on that much to change."

[Wonder Bear]

Monday, August 7th, 2000

2000 Chicago Bears Scouting Report

Rookie linebacker Brian Urlacher
has fans already drawing comparisons
to Chicago legends Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary.

The Belief: First, addition by subtraction. Less than motivational coach D ick Jauron has been relegated to defensive coordinator duties after just one season, guiding the bears to 6 wins in 1999. Now a team in need of tough love is getting it from new coach and Chicago legend Mike Ditka. Ditka's no-nonsense win-now mentality will bring an instant spark to this group, despite his shortcomings (15 wins in three seasons) with the Saints.

The Reality: There's little doubt that the Bears will be a tougher team. Predictably, "Da Coach" ran a physical, no-nonsense camp, at one point sending his players through five straight days of two-a-day practices in full pads. "We want to be physical," said Ditka. "We want to run the ball on offense and trample the run on defense. The only way to prepare to do those things is in pads."

It is a classic formula, as old as team sports: Replace a soft coach with a tough one, and coaches come no tougher than Iron Mike Ditka. "Look, Dick did his best and we're not trying to diminish his efforts," Bears GM Mark Hatley said of Jauron, "but things have been less than impressive over the past few seasons, and we needed a change." Ditka's sudden availability made it a much easier decision to demote Jauron. Some around the country have complained that Jauron was not given a fair shake, but Bears players don't seem to mind. "Any time you get the opportunity to play for an NFL great, especially coach Ditka, you're going to get excited," veteran defensive tackle Jim Flanigan commented, "the talent differences in this league are small and when you throw in someone of the caliber of coach Ditka, you know you're going to get the most out of your team."

To shore up a defense that ranked no higher than 20th in every major defensive category in 1999, the Bears added at least three new starters. Phillip Daniels, a tremendous pass rusher with nine sacks last season will help the Bears in getting after the passer. Chicago also spent first day picks on MLB Brian Urlacher (New Mexico) and FS Mike Brown (Nebraska). Though the Bears did make some nice off season moves, this team looks like it'll have a little more bark than bite in 2000.

2000 Chicago Bears Projected Lineup
Offense	Name	Current	Future	Exp.
QB	Jim Miller	A	A	7
RB	James Allen	A	G	3
FB	Ty Hallock	A	A	8
TE	Alonzo Mayes	A	G	3
FL	Marcus Robinson	A	G	4
SE	Bobbay Engram	G	G	5
LT	Blake Brockermeyer	VG	VG	6
LG	Todd Perry	G	G	8
C	Olin Kreutz	G	VG	3
RG	Chris Villarial	A	A	5
RT	James Williams	G	G	10
Defense	Name	Current	Future	Exp.
LDE	Phillip Daniels	G	G	5
LDT	Jim Flanigan	VG	VG	7
RDT	Brad Culpepper	G	G	9
RDE	Clyde Simmons	A	A	15
SLB	Rosevelt Colvin	A	VG	2
MLB	Brian Urlacher	A	G	R
WLB	Warrick Holdman	A	G	2
LCB	Walt Harris	G	G	5
RCB	R.W. McQuarters	A	G	3
SS	Tony Parrish	A	VG	3
FS	Mike Brown	A	VG	R

2000 Schedule & Prediction: (5-11)

Week 1: @GB
Week 2: DET
Week 3: @MN
Week 4: SEA
Week 5: BUF
Week 6: @AZ
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: SF
Week 9: MIA
Week 10: @NYG
Week 11: @ NYJ
Week 12: @ NE
Week 13: MN
Week 14: @STL
Week 15: TB
Week 16: @DET
Week 17: GB

[Wonder Bear]

Tuesday, August 8th, 2000

2000 NFL Season Preview


Steve McNair and the Titans are poised
for another run at the title after coming
up one yard short.

Coming off one of the most entertaining Super Bowls in recent memory, the 2000 NFL season looks to pack quite a punch. The Redskins spent a pretty penny on veteran talent, the Ravens and Priest Holmes are looking dangerous and reigning NFL MVP Kurt Warner will try and duplicate his magical 1999 campaign. With a number of teams looking for their shot at a Lombardi Trophy, here is how they'll finish in 2000.


How They'll Finish:

AFC East			NFC East
Jets	(10-6)		Redskins	(11-5)
Patriots	(9-7)		Cowboys	(9-7)
Bills	(8-8)		Eagles	(7-9)
Dolphins	(7-9)		Giants	(6-10)
AFC North			NFC North
Ravens	(10-6)		Packers	(11-5)
Steelers	(7-9)		Vikings	(8-8)
Bengals	(4-12)		Lions	(8-8)
Browns	(3-13)		Bears	(5-11)
AFC South			NFC South
Titans	(13-3)		Bucs	(12-4)
Jaguars	(11-5)		Panthers	(6-10)
Colts	(10-6)		Saints	(6-10)
Texans	(2-14)		Falcons	(4-12)
AFC West			NFC West
Raiders	(11-5)		Rams	(14-2)
Broncos	(7-9)		Seahawks	(8-8)
Chiefs	(7-9)		Cardinals	(6-10)
Chargers	(6-10)		49ers	(5-11)

Playoffs:

AFC Seeding			NFC Seeding
Titans	(13-3)		Rams	(14-2)
Raiders	(11-5)		Bucs	(12-4)
Ravens	(10-6)		Redskins	(11-5)
Jets	(10-6)		Packers	(11-5)
Jaguars	(11-5)		Cowboys	(9-7)
Colts	(10-6)		Vikings	(8-8)

Wild-Card Playoffs:
AFC
Ravens (3) beat Colts (6)
Jaguars (5) beat Jets (4)
NFC
Redskins (3) beat Vikings (6)
Packers (4) beat Cowboys (5)

Divisional Playoffs:
AFC
Titans (1) beat Jaguars (5)
Ravens (3) beat Raiders (2)
NFC
Rams (1) beat Packers (4)
Bucs (2) beat Redskins (3)

Conference Championships:
AFC
Titans (1) beat Ravens (2)
NFC
Bucs (2) beat Rams (1)

SUPER BOWL XXV
Titans 27, Bucs 17

Season Awards:
MVP: Steve McNair, Quaterback, Titans
Offensive POY: Marshall Faulk, Runningback, Rams
Defensive POY: Ray Lewis, Linebacker, Ravens
Offensive ROY: Peter Warrick, Receiver, Bengals
Defensive ROY: Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Defensive End, Packers

[cubboyroy1826]

5-11 for the Bears is blasphemy!!!

[DataKing]

Oh I am all over this! You had me at "Mike Ditka will return to the Windy City"

Looking forward to reading more.

[Coffee Warlord]

I expect 10 straight Super Bowls.

[Wonder Bear]

Injury bug takes its bite


1999's MVP will be out for
at least two months.

In 1999 it was Trent Green's injury that thrust Kurt Warner into the national spotlight, this year it looks like it'll be the other way around. Just a year after Warner and 'The Greatest Show on Turf' torched the NFL with over 6,500 total yards and 55 offensive touchdowns, the quaterback has gone down with a serious knee injury. "Kurt is a leader on this team and an important part of our success," said running back Marshall Faulk, "but we also realize what kind of play we're going to get with Trent." Don't expect the injury to slow down St. Louis. Green is one of the most talented quaterbacks in the league, and arguably better than Warner according to some scouts.

Other Injury News:

- The Seattle backfield has been depleted, as both rookie Sean Alexander and veteran Ricky Waters are out with injuries. Alexander is out with a sprained knee and won't be at full strength for a few weeks. The Ricky Waters situation is far more uncertain, as his return is unknown. Waters has been dealing with vision problems throughout the preseason.

- Jets running back Curtis Martin suffered a hyperextended knee in his last preseason game, and is expected to return within 3-4 weeks.

[Wonder Bear]

Sunday, September 10th, 2000

Favre near-perfect in season opener


Brett Favre was stellar on Sunday at Lambeau.

Fans in Chicago will need to put the Super Bowl parade planning on hold for at least this week, as the Bears were dropped by the Packers 31-24 in Lambeau.

"Getting out there and throwing the ball around is great," said Favre following a 3 TD performance. "We've had success against the Bears over the years and it feels good to beat your rival week one." Favre now has a 14-3 record against the Bears in his career.

"Great players make great plays," Bears coach Mike Ditka said after the game, "and that's what Brett did today." Ditka went on to say that his team lacked discipline (5 penalties against) and determination on defense (365 total yards allowed).

Early on it looked as if the Bears, not the Packers, were one of the top teams in the NFC. Chicago quarterback Jim Miller hooked up with receiver Marcus Robinson on first a 9 then 10 yard touchdown to give the Bears a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Chicago extended its lead to three touchdowns when Miller hit Bobby Engram in the back of the endzone on the first play of the second quarter.

Just as things were looking to get out of hand, a mental breakdown by the Bears let the Packers into the game.

Following the Engram touchdown, Packer return man Bill Schroeder returned the kick 78 yards to bring the Packers within two scores. The kick return changed the entire complexity of the game, as the Packers would go on to score another three unanswered touchdowns, all passing scores on the arm of Favre. Chicago was unable to recover from the blow, putting together just one drive over 25 yards for the rest of the game.

Bears quaterback Jim Miller was disappointed with the loss, but saw some things he liked, "We really clicked offensively early on. If we're able to put things together over an entire game we'll be winning soon enough."

Chicago Bears	14	7	0	3	-	24
Green Bay Packers	0	21	7	3	-	31

Standout Performers

Player of the Game - QB Brett Favre, GB.

Passing:
GB - QB Brett Favre, 20/34, 269 yards, 3 TD, 113.5 rating.
CHI - QB Jim Miller, 20/40, 217 yards, 3 TD, INT, 80.9 rating.

Rushing:
GB - RB Ahman Green, 15 rushes for 75 yards, 5 ypc.
CHI - RB James Allen, 20 rushes for 67 yards, 3.35 ypc.

Receiving:
GB - WR Antonio Freeman, 8 catches for 148 yards, 2 TD.
CHI - WR Marcus Robinson, 13 catches for 166 yards, 2 TD.
CHI - WR Bobby Engram, 6 catches for 50 yards, TD.

Defense:
GB - CB Mike McKenzie, INT.
GB - S LeRoy Butler, 7 tackles.
CHI - OLB Warrick Holdman, 4 tackles, sack.
CHI - ILB Brian Urlacher, 5 tackles.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Monday, September 11th, 2000

League Results


Warren Sapp and company bested
Baltimore in a battle between two
of the league's toughest defenses
on Monday Night.

Players of the Week:
Offense: QB Trent Green, Rams - 18/28 321 yards, 4 TD, 138.5 rating.
Defense: LB Ken Norton Jr., 49ers - 12 tackles, 2 sacks.

Atlanta (0-1) 19 @ Carolina (1-0) 27
Buffalo (0-1) 6 at New England 26
Chicago (0-1) 24 at Green Bay 31
Cincinnati (0-1) 3 at Kansas City 17
Denver (0-1) 10 at St. Louis (1-0) 35
Indianapolis (0-1) 14 at NYG (1-0) 26
Miami (1-0) 23 at Pittsburgh (0-1) 14
Minnesota (0-1) 3 at Washington (1-0) 27
New Orleans (1-0) 30 at Cleveland (0-1) 13
NYJ (0-1) 14 at Tennessee (1-0) 38
Philadelphia (1-0) 34 at Houston (0-1) 10
San Diego (1-0) 28 at Oakland (0-1) 6
San Francisco (1-0) 20 at Arizona (0-1) 14
Seattle (0-1) 16 at Detroit (1-0) 38

Dallas (1-0) 31 at Jacksonville (0-1) 27
Baltimore (0-1) 14 at Tampa Bay (1-0) 26

[Izulde]

Wow you weren't kidding about the Rams not slowing down.

Warner out? No problem! Green goes and wins OPotW.

[Wonder Bear]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Wow you weren't kidding about the Rams not slowing down.

Warner out? No problem! Green goes and wins OPotW.

Tell me about it. Not sure if I see them slowing down at all truth be told.

BTW, I appreciate all the feedback! Thanks.

[Wonder Bear]

Bears fall prey to Lions


Chicagoans were able to see the Bears squander a lead
for the second week in a row. This time on a national stage.

The atmosphere at Soldier Field on Sunday Night could not have been more electrifying. 'Palm Sunday', as some in Chicago were referring to it (Da Coach's return) , could not have come sooner. With every Bears fan young and old on their feet, the home team surely wanted to put on a show for their city.

The celebration was in vein, however, as the Bears practically gave away a game in which they had so much to gain.

For the second straight week the Chicago Bears blew an early lead to a division rival, this time to the Detroit Lions. The setting was all too familiar, as Jim Miller tossed three early touchdown passes to receiver Marcus Robinson as Chicago jumped out to a 21-3 lead.

Again, the Bears were unable to hold a substantial lead.

With just under eight minutes left in the first half, the Lions were pinned at their own 15, trailing eighteen points. As the offense had sputtered for the majority of the first quarter and a half, things were looking dim for the Lions. Case completed his first three passes on the drive and capped it off with a 2 yard touchdown pass to David Sloan. Case completed 6 of 8 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown on the drive. Detroit would add a field goal before half making it 21-13.

In the second half the Bears offense would continue to sputter just as it had in Green Bay seven days earlier. Quarterback Jim Miller, who was on fire in the first half, ran into a determined Lions secondary. Miller completed just 5 of 13 passes in the second half, greatly contributing to the downfall of the Bears. "We've been calling way too many passes," remarked surprisingly calm Mike Ditka. "We're close. I'm not going to blow anything out of proportion here. Gary [Crowton] and I will need to get on the same page." One has to wonder if a commitment to the run is all the Bears need to solve their troubles on the ground. James Allen, the team rushing leader, has barely been able to gain 3.5 ypc this year. Less than stellar to say the least.

Despite the offensive woes, Chicago was able to cling to a 24-16 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Lions struck two minutes into the fourth on a touchdown run by James Stewart, tying the game at 24. A failed two point conversion attempt by Detroit kept things tied at 24.

Stoney Case and the Lions offense were given another chance in a matter of minutes, as the Detroit defense forced its third consecutive three and out.

The Bears, who just a week earlier were dominated in the air by the Packers, were unable to put a stop to the Detroit passing attack. Two quick strikes of 26 and 31 yards to Johnnie Morton secured the Lions their first lead of the day. Detroit would not look back, as a disappointed Soldier Field would see their beloved Bears fall 29-24.

vs.

Detroit Lions	3	10	3	13	-	29
Chicago Bears	14	7	3	0	-	24

Team Statistics	DET	CHI
Record	2-0	0-2
First Downs	23	21
- by Rushing	5	8
- by Passing	13	12
- by Penalty	5	1
Total Net Yards	333	334
- Offensive Plays	65	62
- Yards per Play	5.12	5.39
Net Rushing Yards	83	100
- Rushing Attempts	26	26
- Yards per Rush	3.19	3.85
Net Passing Yards	250	234
- Att./Comp./Intrcpt	36 - 23 - 1	35 - 19 - 0
- Gross Passing Yards	265	239
- Sacks/Yards Lost	3/15	1/5
- Yards per Pass Play	6.41	6.50
Fumbles/Lost	0/0	2/1
3rd Down Conversions	7/14	8/14
- Avg. YtG on 3rd Down	6.6	9.3
4th Down Conversions	0/0	1/1
Penalties/Yards	7/50	15/113
Punt Returns/Yards	1/14	0/0
Kick Returns/Yards	3/81	5/106
Interception Ret./Yards	0/0	1/4
2pt Conversions	1/0	0/0
Red Zone Visits	2	3
- Red Zone TDs/FGs	2/0	2/1
Avg. Drive Start	OWN 35	OWN 29
Time of Possession	31:25	28:35

Rushing Statistics

Detroit Att Yards Avg LG 10+ TD James Stewart 18 55 3.06 8 0 1 Mario Bates 8 28 3.50 8 0 0

Chicago Att Yards Avg LG 10+ TD James Allen 20 79 3.95 10 2 0 Glyn Milburn 4 18 4.50 6 0 0 Marlon Barnes 1 4 4.00 4 0 0 Ty Hallock 1 -1 -1.00 -1 0 0

Passing Statistics

Detroit Att Comp Yards Sk/Yd TD LG Int Rate Stoney Case 36 23 265 3/15 2 31 1 92.9

Chicago Att Comp Yards Sk/Yd TD LG Int Rate Jim Miller 35 19 239 1/5 3 43 0 104.3

Receiving Statistics

Detroit Catch Targ Yards Avg YAC LG TD WR Johnnie Morton 7 12 120 17.14 29 31 1 RB James Stewart 5 7 31 6.20 12 14 0 WR Herman Moore 4 8 76 19.00 4 30 0 TE David Sloan 4 5 32 8.00 0 19 1 RB Mario Bates 1 1 -1 -1.00 0 -1 0 WR Germane Crowell 1 2 0 0.00 0 0 0 FB Cory Schlesinger 1 1 7 7.00 0 7 0

Chicago Catch Targ Yards Avg YAC LG TD WR Marcus Robinson 8 18 98 12.25 0 43 3 WR Bobby Engram 5 9 64 12.80 5 19 0 WR Marty Booker 4 5 61 15.25 2 31 0 TE Alonzo Mayes 2 2 16 8.00 0 16 0 WR Eddie Kennison 0

Defensive Statistics

Detroit Tack Asst Sack RPlay PPlay ILB Stephen Boyd 5 2 0.0 24 36 DT Luther Elliss 5 0 0.0 22 30 CB Bryant Westbrook 5 0 0.0 19 28 DE Tracy Scroggins 4 0 0.0 18 26 DT Travis Kirschke 3 0 1.0 17 19 OLB Scott Kowalkowski 3 4 0.0 19 22 DE Allen Aldridge 3 1 0.0 21 24 S Ron Rice 3 0 0.0 11 11 OLB Chris Claiborne 2 2 0.0 23 29 S Corwin Brown 2 1 0.0 14 25 S Kurt Schultz 2 1 0.0 24 31 CB Jeremy Lincoln 2 0 0.0 15 21 DT James Jones 1 0 0.0 11 20 ILB Clint Kriewaldt 1 0 0.0 5 7 WR Johnnie Morton 1 0 --- --- --- OLB Kevin O'Neill 1 0 0.0 4 7 S Kywin Supernaw 1 0 0.0 1 8 CB Darnell Walker 0 1 0.0 9 15

Chicago Tack Asst Sack RPlay PPlay OLB Rosevelt Colvin 6 0 0.0 19 30 OLB Sean Harris 5 1 0.5 8 17 DE Clyde Simmons 5 1 0.5 19 28 DT Brad Culpepper 4 1 1.0 19 23 ILB Brian Urlacher 4 2 0.0 21 35 DT Mike Wells 4 1 0.0 12 21 CB Jerry Azumah 4 0 0.0 9 10 OLB Warrick Holdman 3 2 0.0 17 22 CB Walt Harris 2 2 0.0 17 29 S Mike Brown 2 0 0.0 24 36 CB Thomas Smith 2 0 0.0 11 16 DE Bryan Robinson 1 0 1.0 11 17 DT Robert Newkirk 1 2 0.0 22 34 DE Phillip Daniels 1 1 0.0 22 33 S Shawn Wooden 1 1 0.0 4 6 S Chris Hudson 1 0 0.0 1 3 S Tony Parrish 1 0 0.0 23 33 CB R.W. McQuarters 0 1 0.0 16 23

[cubboyroy1826]

Very nice work keep it up.