This is a response to a friend:
1. The Packers did not kick to Hester, but they did punt to him, which was idiotic. The Packers did not lose to the bears, but beat them. However, if you ignore the bad calls (which I don’t), the Packers had 341 yards in the first half, and as two national broadcasters said, should have been up 31-7 at half. Therefore, you can’t say not kicking to Hester cost them the game. The bad calls did. The Packers would still have won handily even with the bad calls if McCarthy doesn’t have a moronic gameplan in the second half, which local and national writers/broadcasters also said. I’ve always said not to kick to Hester since the bear offense goes nowhere, despite the improved field position the bears would get. In the Packer game, the bears got a FG on the fumbled punt. They got a “TD” after the interception. I don’t remember offhand how the other TD was scored in regulation, but I don’t believe it was due to field position based on kicking away from Hester. K.C. lost only because they kicked to him. Until the bear offense shows they can sustain a drive, it is much wiser to give up the field position than to kick to him.
2. You continue to talk about Favre’s interceptions. I keep maintaining that they are the result of not having good players around him, making him think he has to do too much, or a stupid gameplan that goes nowhere, making him again think he has to make things happen. This is what a competitor does. Most QBs just passively take the loss, and Favre will never do that. As I mentioned, you look at the last game and see 2 interceptions. I see 2 TDs that were stolen, and know he wouldn’t have thrown any interceptions if not for those horrible calls. By the way, for a 10-year period, the Packers had the best record in the NFL and I believe the best winning percentage of any team in the 4 major sports. You don’t achieve this without a tremendous competitor at QB. Would you rather have a shortstop that never makes an error because he refuses to dive for balls or attempt great throws, or a competitor who tries to make as many plays as possible? I’m not saying Favre shouldn’t do some of the things he does, but many of them do result in TDs instead of interceptions. Favre’s interceptions might look worse than those of some other QBs, but that’s because he makes a lot of great plays in those situations, while some do become interceptions.
3. Yes, the bear victory in the Super Bowl looked dominant. Why? Because N.E. ran on first downs early, letting the game get out of hand. I guarantee you it would not have been a dominant win if they threw quick short passes on first down. I agree with you that even without the bad calls, the bears win because N.E.’s gameplan was so idiotic. Let me repeat a perfect example from last year. Miami comes to Soldier Field with few wins, and the week after having lost at home to a not-so-good Packer team. The bears are 9-0 and have won every home game by 30 points. BEFORE THE GAME, I tell people that if Miami pressures Grossman, throws on first down, and doesn’t kick to Hester, they kill the bears. Everyone laughs at me, but what happens? Miami follows this gameplan and wins something like 31-13. Now, if Miami had come out running the ball and not pressuring Grossman, I believe the bears would have won by at least 3 TDs. In that scenario, I’m telling you the Dolphins would have won if they had a good gameplan, and you’re telling me I’m crazy since the bears dominated the game. The same holds for the bear-N.E. Super Bowl, and the first quarter proved my point. First series they do what I said and dropped two easy wide-open passes, the second one for a TD. They then ran and got killed.
5. Let me clarify my comments on the Charles Martin play. I said he should have been suspended longer. That having been said, what Dent did to Dickey was far more dangerous than the Martin play. Dent’s was about 10 seconds after the play was over, and the risk of injury was far more significant than the Martin play. I’m not even sure that was the play the Packers were talking about when they said the bears started this garbage and they would finish it next year. I think the bears did a number of things that were out of hand that game, and the Packers said two could play at that game. It’s like when Ken Stills hit Matt Suhey. All of Chicago went nuts. However, at the end of the half of the N.E. Super Bowl, Keith Van Horne ran at Fred Marion (I believe) and slammed him in the neck. Similar plays, except where the players were hit. This was a far more dangerous play than Stills’, and even the bear players said what Stills did could not have hurt anyone.