Bears Raise Ticket Prices to Attend the Circus that is Chicago Bears Football

The Chicago Bears announced today ticket prices for 2010 and believe it or not there are price increases for this coming season. Yes the same team that took a massive PR hit during their coaches' search and the same team that generally came unprepared for each week is asking you, the fan, to pay more to come watch this team play. Now I get the argument and generally agree that if you have a product where you can raise prices and not see a difference in demand then go ahead and raise prices, but with the NFL it's a different story. But Bears fans or any NFL fan for that matter can't protest the price hikes and that is because of the stupid blackout rule the NFL has. If a team doesn't sell out it's home games then those games won't be shown on TV in that market. So the NFL is basically holding the fan hostage by saying you have to pay these outrageous ticket prices or you don't get to watch this product.

Compare this horrid fan relations with what the Chicago Cubs did where they offered tickets early to fans if they were willing to pay a 20% increase. If they weren't then they could wait until the general release day and get tickets for normal price. Now that makes complete 100% sense to me, if you have the resources available to you to pay more for something you want then by all means go for it. The Cubs played this like geniuses, because they know they have a product many people want and found a way to maximize revenue. And if you as a fan don't like it, you don't have to buy a ticket and you're still able to watch the game from your home.

The Bears dropped the ball with this one, and just another reason why this organization needs to be blown up and start over.

Mike Martz to the Bears

When it was reported that Mike Martz is becoming the new offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, 2 things went through my mind, 1. This PR disaster is finally over and 2. The worst month in sports just got a little more worse this year. When the Bears announced that Ron Turner and numerous other offensive coaches were being shown the door 27 days ago, the logical thought would be the Bears have a plan in place and will hire new assistants shortly. Not quite. Offensive coaches were paraded in and out of Halas Hall and no one was being hired, and one coach even picked Oakland over Chicago. Besides the PR hit the Bears took in making this move, it's also a move that just doesn't make sense on a number of levels.

The first and most glaring is that Martz' system doesn't fit the personnel the Bears have now. Martz' system is pass oriented and that's fine from the outside but he likes to keep the TE in to block and send the RB out on passing routes. Greg Olsen can't block, there's just no getting around that which means that Jay Cutler will undoubtedly be running for his life next season to avoid being sacked. The system also relies heavily on timing and running correct routes, something these young receivers haven't learned yet, which could make this transition even more difficult to get down. The last strategic reason is one that'll have to be seen when the season starts, but Mike Tice's blocking scheme may be different than what is needed for Martz' system to be successful.

Mike Martz is one of Lovie Smith's friends and this hire is likely one Smith wanted to make 27 days ago but had to convince Jerry Angelo and Cutler that it was the right one. Smith is taking a huge gamble on this hire because if he doesn't get this right, next year he'll likely be fired as will all the other coaches and front office personnel. This staff now has 4 coaches who are or were a head coach at one point in the NFL, if they can put their coaching egos aside, the brains are clearly there for the team to be successful. If it doesn't work out, I beg the Bears to have a better plan that doesn't result in losing coaches to black hole that is Oakland.

Chicago Sports Tidbits

We'll start with the sports that are in season and move on down:

• I'm fully supporting the Chicago Blackhawks nowadays, but this goaltending situation is starting to worry me. That coupled with the difficulty of the Western Conference doesn't seem like a promising mix heading into the playoffs. I like to think that Huet or Niemi will figure it out and the defensemen will continue their incredible shot blocking to make the goaltending as much of a non-issue as possible. The offense puts me at ease and I hope this is just a bump in the road it what is turning into a promising season for the Blackhawks as they continue to recapture the love of Chicago.

• The Chicago Bulls are once again turning it on as the season progresses. I'm one of the few people out there who are thinking (delusionally or not) that the Bulls have a decent chance at landing Lebron (Akron Hammer) James and DWade together if the cap issues work out. But I also think that doesn't happen if the Bulls struggle the rest of this season. Derrick Rose is turning into a scorer and the energy that Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas are bringing really help. Truth be told, this team is only going to go as far as their shooting takes them and lately they've been shooting the ball a lot better.

• The White Sox decided it wasn't a good idea to bring back Jim Thome in a part-time DH capacity, and I have to say I disagree. With a rotation of Mark Buerhle, Jake Peavy, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Freddy Garcia, the time to go for it all is right now and the Sox arguably are a left handed power bat away from being a legitimate World Series threat. A DH rotation of Mark Kotsay, Omar Vizquel, Andruw Jones, and Carlos Quentin scares me, make a splash and go for it all, ownership has to remember that Sox fans come to the ballpark to support a winner, spend the money and you'll be rewarded later. My suggestion is Johnny Damon for the DH role and keep Vizquel, Kotsay, and Jones on the bench and rotate Damon, Rios, Quentin, and Pierre in the OF and at DH. Just my thoughts.

• When the Bears season ended, Lovie Smith's seat was uncomfortably hot, he saved his job and in the process fired numerous offensive coaches. That was about a month ago, now if you're going to make such a drastic change, don't you think it would be smart to have a plan in place? Clearly the Bears weren't thinking because they can't convince any coach to come to Chicago for what could be only one season. When the Raiders are a better option than the Bears, you have to realize that a mistake was made in not firing Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo. No one wants to come into what is a likely dead end scenario. It's getting to the point where keeping Smith and Angelo should be reconsidered and just blow this whole thing up and start again with Leslie Frazier or Bill Cowher at the helm.

If I were a Cub fan I would probably write something about them, but I'm not so get over it.

Reaction to Bears Win on MNF

A lot is going to be made out of the Bears victory tonight against the Minnesota Vikings, and I think this game did show a lot in all aspects of the Bears.

#1: Lovie Smith needs to go. I know the Bears just beat a very good Vikings team, but the defense that Lovie Smith has taken complete control of allowed 30 points in the second half and that is completely unacceptable. I've read some thoughts that Lovie should have used his timeouts once the Vikings got into the Red Zone on their last drive in regulation but I don't think that is a big deal. If you're hanging your hat on defense as a head coach and even calling the plays for the defense then there is no reason why your unit should be giving up 30 points in 30 minutes of football.

#2: Critics need to lay off of Jay Cutler. 30 points should have been plenty to earn a victory in regulation and yet Cutler had to be called upon to win the game. People are going to bitch about Cutler laughing on the sidelines after throwing the interception, but you know what, he obviously got over that throw and was ready to go back out there. A team full of 53 guys is bound to have some sort of camaraderie where jokes will be told and people will be laughing, it happens so there's no reason to get on Cutler for laughing. He's shown flashes of brilliance all season long and if he gets the protection he got tonight, he's going to be the quarterback most Bear fans thought they were getting when he was acquired.

#3: Chris Williams is the left tackle of the future. Williams was making his second career start at left tackle and his reward? Having to keep Jared Allen off of Jay Cutler. He did a tremendous job and really left a positive impact on the mind of many Bear fans heading into this offseason. If he keeps playing like this, the remodel that has to be done on the offensive line got a lot easier.

#4: Devin Aromashodu is something special. I'm not going to say that Aromashodu is a future #1 receiver but he can definitely be a reliable #2 in the future for this team. Cutler clearly loves throwing to him and trusts him more than the other receivers on this team. Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox behind DA gives the offense a lot of weapons and will hopefully allow a new coaching staff to move Hester back to Punt and Kickoff returns where he is truly the most dangerous.

This Bears win definitely had a lot of positives, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, we all saw where that led us this season. A lot of changes are still needed but there are definitely a few pieces in place.

Is Firing Vinny Del Negro and Lovie Smith Really the Answer?

With the Blackhawks being the only team in Chicago with a realistic chance of winning a championship this year, a lot of frustration has been directed at the jobs of Vinny Del Negro of the Bulls and Lovie Smith of the Bears. They do deserve most of the criticism that is being thrown at them, both with somewhat talented teams that so far have underachieved to this point. But Chicago is a city that likes to blame the coach first instead of taking a deeper look into the problem and discover who is more deserving of the blame. Well let's take a look at that now for both the Bulls and the Bears:

Bear fans have had a lot of time this season to figure out who to blame for this dismal season, and for the most part it is being shared equally amongst the coaches and Jerry Angelo, the General Manager. Some fans will point to Jay Cutler being a source of the problem but I'm sorry, you don't go from being a quarterback throwing for 4,000 yards to a guy leading the league in interceptions unless there is a significant problem with the coaching staff. That being said, Cutler also doesn't have the time nor the weapons necessary to make plays and that falls on the general manager. In this instance you can't fire one without firing the other, both Smith and Angelo have failed to get this team back to the Super Bowl and have fallen so far from that level that change is definitely needed. The need for change is even greater with coaches like, Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan out there who are proven winners and can get this historic franchise back on its feet. If ownership wants to go cheap and hire another promising assistant then at least make sure you bring in an offensive coordinator like Charlie Weis who can help develop Jay Cutler and build a dynamic offense that many Bear fans imagined with the acquisition of Cutler.

As for the Bulls, it is easy to blame Del Negro for the poor job the Bulls have done to this point of the season, especially after that thrilling playoff series with the Boston Celtics last season. With that in mind, Bulls fans should realize that Del Negro has been playing a very short bench with injuries to Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich who has recently returned. A lot of fans are worried that if the team continues to struggle then none of the big free agents of next year's class will want to come to Chicago. The truth is, if one of those big name players like LeBron or Wade want to come to Chicago, you can guarantee that the front office won't let the coaching situation be the reason they don't come to play for the Bulls. Bulls fans need to give Del Negro more of an opportunity to prove himself as a coach with a healthy team. It's amazing what one or two superstar players can do for a coach's job security, look at Doc Rivers in Boston before they got Garnett and Allen, do you think all of sudden he became this great coach? Not a chance, he got incredible talent to work with and it made his job much easier. Del Negro has a team that is still relatively young and inexperienced without much size, many coaches would struggle in that scenario and add in the number of injuries this team has faced, not many coaches would survive. But give Del Negro a shot, his teams have shown flashes stemming from last year's playoff series to different points this season.

Both teams are in similar circumstances but both should be handled differently. It's frustrating for both teams, but a lot can change in a couple years if things are handled correctly. Just look at the Blackhawks, the reason for hope in Chicago sports.

Cutler vs. Orton, What Team got the Better Deal?

Today I called Tom a “supORTON” (Supporter of Kyle Orton, thanks to Waddle and Silvy on ESPN 1000 for that nickname) because he believes that Orton can do anything that Jay Cutler can do and to defend himself he asked me what team had the better record. That got me thinking, would the Bears be undefeated with Kyle Orton still the signal caller in the Windy City? Simple answer is no, because I don’t think Orton has the ability to make the throws late in the fourth quarter that Cutler made against Pittsburgh and Seattle. Do I think that Cutler would be undefeated if he was still with the Broncos? Yes, I do because the offensive weapons in Denver coupled with the offensive mind of Josh McDaniels are just great. But I still think this trade will go down as a great one for both teams. Whether or not Orton is the long-term answer at quarterback for Denver is debatable but with the amount of draft picks the Broncos got and the ability of McDaniels to coach Orton is reason enough to say this deal has worked out for the Broncos already.

Orton was a quarterback in Chicago that didn’t have a pool of talent that matched his skill set. Orton is a quarterback who needs receivers that can catch a short to middle distance pass and then use his strength to break it for a touchdown (look to Brandon Marshall a couple of weeks ago for proof). He didn’t have that in Chicago, he instead had guys who were fast, who needed the ball thrown deep and with accuracy down the field for them to be successful. Receivers like Devin Hester and Mushin Muhammad while in Chicago were not guys who could catch a ball and then use his strength to break tackles and make a big play. He now has the ability to throw the ball to Marshall and Eddie Royal and let them go get the ball and then make a play, Cutler was able to do that but he’s a guy the Bears can stretch the field with now.

Out of Vanderbilt, Cutler was constantly compared to Brett Favre as having the same gunslinger mentality and a strong and accurate arm to match. Now in Chicago, Cutler will be asked to show off the arm at times and throw the ball deep for speedsters like Hester and Johnny Knox. He’s also going to be asked to be the leader for this offense, something I don’t recall seeing with Orton while in Chicago. Cutler has the characteristics of a leader, he’s got that cockiness to him that can rub people the wrong way but it’s something that to me shows that he belongs on the field with the best of the NFL (I compare it to A.J. Pierzynski of the White Sox). He certainly needs to learn how to channel that cockiness so he doesn’t appear to be a spoiled baby and so far I think he’s been able to show great maturity in handling the excessive expectations that have been put on him since coming to the Bears.

Overall, this has proved to be a great trade for both teams six weeks into the NFL season and long-term it should be looked upon as a trade that benefited both teams.