Observations from a trip to Chicago

by broncospriestess on Oct 13, 2009 6:14 PM MDT Comment 28 comments

I was in Chicago all last week. After the Broncos' great win on Sunday and with this being Chargers week, I don't know if anyone will be interested in revisiting the Bears-Broncos connection, but I thought that someone out there might be interested in my observations.

I couldn't find a jazz station I liked on my rental car's radio. I know there has to be a good one in Chicago, so I must have just hit commercials at the wrong time as I worked the buttons. Same thing with classic rock. Looking for a third best alternative, I ended up with their (evidently) biggest sports talk station. Tired of button pushing, I stayed with it all week. Here's what I heard:

Even though the Bears had a bye, and it sounded like their baseball team (Cubs?) was contending for a playoff spot, football callers outnumbered baseball callers by at least 5-1.
A lot of the callers felt that the Bears had made a full-fledged transition into a passing team. And they all seemed to be fine with that. They seemed to feel that their running personality of the past came from not being able to pass, not from a conscious decision to build a team in a certain way.
There seems to be a consensus that the Bears will contend for the Super Bowl. A lot of the callers complained that they were getting very little respect from the national media.
They didn't mention this on the radio, but as a side note that may be semi-related, I now know why they call Chicago the Windy City!

I'm not sure I agree with them, but that's the way the fans in Chicago were feeling last week. What do you think?

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

0 recs | Comment 28 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Read More: Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears

Comments

I think their beaches are dirty

they have alot of great food,people in Chicago are passionate about sports,like to drink and don’t yet know what they have with Jay Cutler.As long as he’s winning and people are sucking up to him things are good but let’s see what happens when things are bad.Remember how he’d have Brandon Marshall do his show whenever the Broncos lost?He’d only host it when we won.
I could go on but" YOU KNOW" how he is.

by Broncolorado on Oct 13, 2009 7:02 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

They might be right about being contenders...

…If Jay Cutler continues to limit mistakes, taking what the defense gives him. That is to say so long as he continues to play like Kyle Orton.

After the debacle against Green Bay, the Bears have posted wins against decent teams and they beat a weaker team handily.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to predict the Bears to make a playoff push.

by Velveeta on Oct 13, 2009 7:12 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Priestess, next time you’re in town — there is no good jazz on the radio. But: Velvet Lounge. Fred Anderson. Velvet Lounge. Indiana and Cermak. Wonderful.

As for the sports talk, this is the first time in my memory that people here paid more attention to football than baseball. Going pass-wacky may not be a good way to win games, but it sure gets fans into the team.

by Chibronx on Oct 13, 2009 7:16 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the tip

And your interesting thought about pass wackiness drawing in fans.

"People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society." - Vince Lombardi

by broncospriestess on Oct 13, 2009 7:43 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

If jay cutler keeps pulling stunts like he did flying into the endzone,

then he won’t be around very long to chuck the ball down the field. Can’t wait until they face the Vikes twice. Oh yeahh.

by bfree2bronc on Oct 13, 2009 7:36 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

They don't call it the Windy city for nothin

There’s a very good reason the Bears are and must remain a running team I doubt JC factored that into the picture but there will be at least 4 games that will be brutal on the passing stats.

"as in football so in life"

by asinsoin on Oct 13, 2009 7:48 PM MDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

a thought on Cutler

I read Cutler’s comment on DEN to M. Silver @ Yahoo…..“DEN is playing well, their defense is carrying them, I’m happy for them”…or something to that effect….it was totally a back-handed compliment and I think it speaks to his “ego” issue. Based on his performance against DEN in preseason and in first game….I think he really wants to prove that McD should have told him, “you are untradeable, we will never do that”. I think he is out to prove that trading him was a mistake….this will equal too much pressure. I expect him to continue his habit of folding when the pressure is high….not b/c he is not a stud, but he puts it all on himself and has little help there in CHI. For ATL this week, I expect the positive DEN press and a shootout with Ryan to result in a myriad of Cutler mistakes…we’ll see though. Maybe he is a new QB and has changed…….of course, he is now the “heart”, forget the “face”, of CHI…..good luck CHI town

by BideshiBronco on Oct 13, 2009 8:45 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I now know why they call Chicago the Windy City!

Either
1) The Fans there are Blowhards.
Or
2) Michigan sucks!

"You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left." – Yogi Berra
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing." -- George Bernard Shaw
Breaking jaws or the NFL in Oakland who cares? Fall on your pirate’s sword - Ponderosa

by KaptainKirk on Oct 13, 2009 10:59 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

haha nice

Bringing Bronco love from 1,112 miles away

by kentuckybronco on Oct 14, 2009 7:18 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh. You should know

Chicago is the House of “Blues.”

by KaptainKirk on Oct 13, 2009 11:01 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Cutler for Mayor

Most of the fans here still think Cutler is heaven sent. The same fans also continue to slander Kyle Orton. I recently posted similar pro-KO pieces both to MHR and the Bear’s Windy City Gridiron site. From Denver fans I got plaudits for my insight and perspective. Here in Chicago I am castigated for my ignorance and naivete.

I also notice that both in Chicago and Denver the Cutler cultists never mention the 2 first round picks the Bears gave Denver. In fact, the new religion locally appears to be “First Round Draft Choices, we don’t need no stinkin’ First Round Draft Choices”.

They have become very proud and haughty here and as the Priestess says, convinced of future success. It will be interesting to see how they will react to a JayC meltdown that so many of you promise may be in the offing. Interestingly, there was radio talk of a trade for Terrell Owens. I would pay for the video feed to catch the collision of those two super-sized egos.

by Bearonco on Oct 14, 2009 8:06 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Ha... well given how Angelo has drafted over the years

I think they are actually correct in not wanting 1st round pix. ;)

cough cough Cade McNown, Rashaam Salaam, Curtis Enis (lol), David Terrell

by tunga77 on Oct 14, 2009 12:24 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

You Gotta Know What to Do With Them

Just because Angelo is a duffus who often doesn’t know what to do with a high pick doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable. The two number one picks from the Bears have turned into Robert Ayers and Alphonso Smith for the Broncos, so I guess we’ll have to see how they pan out in the long run before judging the value of those picks. The Bears have scored on a few number ones in the past, like Ditka, Butkus, Sayers and Payton. Can’t say that Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher and Greg Olsen are worhtless either.

by Bearonco on Oct 14, 2009 7:31 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sometimes it is knowing what to do with them, other times it's just blind dumb luck

What you pointed out is exactly how I felt when we first got the trade done. Sure, it’s great that we got two #1’s, but at the same time, the 1st rounders can be a complete crap shoot… the draft as a whole can be a crap shoot. The draft IMO is such an inexact science (except for a few teams like Indy or Pittsburg) that almost as often a team can bust on a 1st rounder (see: Ryan Leaf, Rashaan Salaam, Kijana Carter, Akili Smith), other teams can strike gold in the latter rounds (see: Tom Brady, Jerry Rice, TD, Shannon Sharpe).

As for my comment… it was mostly a poke-fun-at-bears-fans comment, but at the same time I am married to a Bears fan and have a bunch of Bears fans friends and that is actually how they view the value of those two #1’s. That even if they had the picks, they might never have panned out given Angelo’s track record. Angelo’s not going anywhere anytime soon, so yea, he’s a dufus, but he’s still in charge and who knows, he just might have picked up another Cade McNown if he had that #1 this year.

Also, the Broncos themselves have had their share of 1st round busts (Jarvis Moss, George Foster, Ashley Lelie) in recent history, so I can’t say I necessarily blame my Bears’ friends for feelin that way. I was never really thrilled about the Cutler trade for the same reason… but it is what it is. I’ll be happy if those picks net us 1 consistent pro-bowler and 1 fairly good player. Only time will tell…

by tunga77 on Oct 15, 2009 8:36 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wasn’t TD like a 5th or 6th rounder before his ST debut?

by RaRaDonk89 on Oct 15, 2009 9:27 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

6th rounder, 196th overall

It’s a huge source of pride for me that our team has found so many diamonds in the rough over the years:
Meck, TD, Rod, Shannon, Tommy Nalen, and I’m sure many others…

by tunga77 on Oct 16, 2009 11:00 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

BTW, I just read your two posts on both sites...

And I’m sorry but your post over at WCG is not just pro-KO, but very anti-Cutler and somewhat condescending to Bears fans. Did you really expect any different reactions than what you received? You basically went to WCG and ripped on their QB, while posted positive and rosey things here on ours. Of course, you are going to get good reviews here and bad over there. As someone once said here, the word “fan” is short for “fanatic”, so when you try to stir things up at WCG, its not too surprising that you raise the ire of their members.

by tunga77 on Oct 15, 2009 9:07 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

You, sir, are absolutely correct...

your post over at WCG is not just pro-KO, but very anti-Cutler and somewhat condescending to Bears fans

Thank you for noticing that as well. Bearonco stated on WCG that he thinks Kyle Orton is a better QB than Jay Cutler. Be honest – if the Broncos had traded JC for KO straight-up, would the angry mobs in Denver have burned Mile High/Invesco to the ground?

There are many reasons why Jay Cutler was picked #12 while Kyle Orton was passed on by every NFL GM an average of three times. There are many reasons why, ultimately, the ‘fair’ compensation for Jay Cutler was Kyle Orton, 2 first-rounders and a third-rounder, minus a fifth-rounder. Bearonco must see things that the cellective 32 front-offices of the NFL cannot fathom.

And the fact that Bearonco never visited WCG again to answer the VALID critiques and criticisms of his condescending post only further the perception that he was a sniper, stopping in to fire some shots from afar, never to be seen again.

Bearonco didn’t use any statistics whatsoever to back up his premise, only stating his affection for Mr Kyle Orton. I, for one, posted a comparison of their career completions of 20+ and 40+ yards (JC has the edge, handily), and their mobility. Kyle Orton is on pace to be sacked 130% more this season than JC was last season behind the same line.

I’m not looking to revisit this whole debate, only to point out that there were many cogent responses to Bearonco that he never deigned to acknowledge.

Good luck to Kyle Orton and the Broncos. I hope they meet the Bears in the Super Bowl – can you imagine the storylines for that?

But there’s no need to classify every trade as win-lose. It looks like both ballclubs improved from the trade, both in the short- and long-term.

by Sweetness Lives On on Oct 16, 2009 8:41 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yea, lets not start up more Cutler vs Orton stuff, plz. ;)

But I totally agree with the sentiment that perhaps it was a win-win for both parties. I’ve been hoping for a Bears/Broncos SB for years!

by tunga77 on Oct 16, 2009 11:15 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

If they do meet in the Super Bowl...

…please, no throwback uniforms!!!!!!!!!!!

Blue, orange, and white v. white, blue, and orange.

by Sweetness Lives On on Oct 16, 2009 11:44 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

dibs!

our blue and orange are much cooler than yours anyways. =P

by tunga77 on Oct 16, 2009 12:53 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I call BS on you, Bearonco

Here in Chicago I am castigated for my ignorance and naivete.

You posted a condescending and arrogant diatribe on WCG, and then never visited back to answer even the most civil and cogent of responses. And then you claim that you’re a victim?

Grow up! I realize that you must be at least 50-55 years old (based on your remembrance of the 1963 title game), so maybe it’s time to stop acting like a petulant little child?

by Sweetness Lives On on Oct 16, 2009 8:44 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs