Glimpse of Greatness

Jay Cutler and company pulled out their crystal ball Monday night to show us what could have been by stunning the mighty Minnesota Vikings 36-30 in overtime. The offense was balanced and effective and the defense played better than anyone could expect considering the plague of injuries in the secondary. It was by far the best game Bears fans have seen all season and it showed what a terrible waste of talent this season has been.



More on that later, for now here are a few observations on the game:

• Chris Williams was beyond impressive. Jared Allen hasn't exactly been on fire recently, but being held to no sacks and one QB hit after the way he embarrassed Orlando Pace is impressive. I did see Williams give up a sack on a LB blitz where Allen dropped into coverage, but can you blame him for focusing on Allen? With his performance, Williams single-handedly gave a glimmer hope for the not-to-distant future in Chicago.
• With both starting safeties inactive and Tillman being carted off the field in the third quarter, the secondary became a major liability in the second half. If Zack Bowman hadn't let two Brett Favre passes bounce off his hands, it would have been a much better day for the Chicago's pass defense.
• Speaking of near interceptions, Brett Favre's stats do not tell the truth of his performance. As I said, Favre deserved at least two interceptions as well as another fumble. What was ruled an incomplete shovel pass could have been called a fumble and, at the very least should have been intentional grounding. I guess that makes up for the missed Bowman facemask that would have negated Adrian Petersons overtime fumble.
• Brett Favre's worst move of the night came after the final whistle. According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN Favre said that he played "about as good a game as I can play." This statement proves Favre's selfish, me first attitude. No player, especially a 'mature', leader of a team should ever say something that shifts the blame entirely away from themselves. What Favre said infers that there is no room for improvement in his play and that he had no hand in the loss. That, my friends, is not a team player.
• Israel Idonije has been impressing me for weeks and he made a hug impact Monday. Idonije blocked an extra point (helping the game into overtime), hit Brett Favre to force a fumble, and collapsed the pocket leading to a sack in overtime.
• Devin Aromashodu had a huge night with 7 receptions for 150 yards including a 39 yard touchdown to win the game in overtime. You can't help asking why it took so long for him to see the field, especially since Cutler has been promoting him since training camp.
• While I was watching the first quarter, I mentioned that Antione Winfield is overrated. Just because he is the best player in the Vikings secondary doesn't mean he is a great player. Sure enough, Winfield was burned twice, including the above-mentioned Aromashodu TD.
• A strong showing by the defensive line helped cover up the weakened secondary. Marinelli's crew really stepped up in overtime. Here are the Vikings offensive snaps after regulation: incomplete pass, sack, sack, punt, rush for no gain, lost fumble.