As is the habit, I have spent Packer week holed-up in my own little Bears cave, staring in darkness at the moss covered walls and chanting the Bear mantra, “Bronko, Butkus, Sweetness, Sayers” over and over trying to 
channel past glory into the puzzlement that is the ’08 Bears. And the theme of this years Bears remains “Coulda.” We coulda been 11-3 (infamous NFC South blunders) right now. Or we coulda been 4-10 (Philly, Vikings, Lions, Saints games all one play away from snatching defeat from the jaws of victory).
So what are the Bears? And no Dennis Green quotes allowed. The Bears are a team devoid of reliable, much less big-play, receivers. They are a team a little too reliant on a stellar rookie running back. They are (STILL) way too predictable in offensive play calling and too chicken-poop in defensive play calling.
Are you as sick of the word ‘gap’ as I am when talking about our D? Filling 
gaps is a phrase that should be applied to discussions of Spackle, not a high-priced NFL defense. (Notice the eerie similarity in colors?)
I want to hear the terms attacking, unpredictable, 
swarming, and the like. Face it, this filling gap crap is not working. Bend-but-don’t-break is another Lovie-ism that should be banned not only from press conferences but from the defensive psyche of the team.
We need to send our defensive coaches to a retreat in Pennsylvania where they can learn some of the theories of defense from Philly and Pittsburgh. Blitz, from everywhere, in any situation, and CONTROL the game. Don’t wait for it to come to you.
That said, it is Packer week. It is also elimination week. Let’s assume the Falcons take it to Minnesota. I like Matt Ryan over Jackson and/or Frerotte anyday, any stadium. Plus “The Burner” will be running into a defense without “The Fat Williams.”
(Tell me that guy is 317 pounds like they list him!?!?!)
So assume that we’ve still got a playoff pulse Monday night. It’s gonna be flippin’ cold. Orton took out the Pack last year in similar conditions and teams, no matter what hemisphere their from, don’t like playing in cold unless it’s at home. Cold is like home cooking. It’s better prepared in your kitchen than someone else’s. Plus we’ve got motivation. No not the playoffs. Orton’s escalators! And hopefully, someday soon, the coaches will pull the plug on Booker/Davis and give Bennett/Rideaux a try. Can’t be worse than the bad routes and bad hands that just seem to be getting worse every week.
So I’m into the blue and orange Kool-aid yet again and I see not just a victory but a payback for the bitch-slapping we took a few weeks ago. Bears wipe out the Pack but the devastation isn’t reflected in the score (like usual). Beloved 31 Hated Nemesis from the North 17.
