Bears Fri Dec 17 2010

Footballic Ramblings: Frosty's Revenge

By Brian Lauvray

After earlier forecasts were suggesting gametime temperatures hovering just above 0-degrees Fahrenheit, the notion of temps being in the teens is downright pleasant. Still, let's take a moment to ponder the worthlessness and weakness of man in the face of elemental fury. Seventeen inches of snow collapsed the Metrodome and its repair is now on permanent hiatus until the snow melts or conditions are deemed safe for workers to continue repairs. And now TCF Bank Stadium is being prepped and removed (albeit at a snow's snail's pace) of the drifts and drifts of accumulated snow that is officially a gajillion pounds of the white.

Volunteers are being paid $10.00/hour and working on rotating four-hour shifts to shovel and push the snow out of every orifice the 50,000 seat stadium has. It's an emergency evacuation of snow that had a perfectly fine itinerary for slowly melting and evaporating over the course of the next 5-6 months, thank you very much. Players on both sides are concerned about the safety of the field and the hardness of the Field Turf that's been freezing and, literally!, chilling out for the past month or so. Although, I personally find it ironic and, y'know, futile for Bears players to ever whine about the field conditions of any stadium considering the MCL-murdering sod at Soldier Field, I get it. Players don't want injuries at the end of the season, particularly if you're a Bears player and you've likely got playoff games to be focused on.

When The Vikings Have the Ball

The scarecrow-ish (hanging out in the field, utterly tackle-able, not scaring crows) corpse of Brett Favre will very likely not be playing. But with Tarvaris Jackson out of the picture and some crash-test dummy third-stringer potentially lining up behind center, don't be surprised if Ol' Numero Quatro answers the war bugle and is decapitated on the battlefield. Meanwhile, the bruising galaxy destroyer/running back, Adrian Peterson, who was oh-so-reined in by Chicago's nasty run defense last time will face more rough sledding this time around.

If All Day does get loose and starts looking like his All-Pro battering ram self, things shall get interesting, you sons of Chicago.

When the Bears Have the Ball

Minnesota's defense bailed on this sinking ship of a season some time before the iceberg even scraped the prow of the once proud S.S. Vikings; still, the Vikes defense has the talent to make things difficult for the Bears. Jared Allen got at Cutler-Bot 5000 once in their first tilt last month. But the Bears offense has been (me being nice and ignoring the game against the New England Magnums) clicking along recently and Cutler should be able to move the ball vertically against the Vikings "meh" secondary. If Matt Forte and Chester Taylor get loose? All the better.

Game's on Monday night, so head out into that cold, dark night and remember you're alive, you Bears fans, you.

Bears Aren't On Til Monday Night, What Else Is ON?

Divisional rival, Green Bay, packs up and heads north and east to the home of the butchering New England Patriots on Sunday night. Not making the journey is one Aaron Rodgers, which makes Green Bay's likelihood for making the playoffs slim pickings.

Jets-Steelers in the late-afternoon slot has some prospects for entertaining "hit you harder" style football. The early games on Sunday are abysmal, save for Philadelphia Eagles flying into New York for a collision with the Giants.

As always check the listings at the most awesome: 506 for updated changes in TV skeds.