[CBFF] Realfootball365 : Bears' success seems more "Madden" than reality

[Steve Behrens]

http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/articles/2006/10/chicago-bears-madden111006.html

   Bears' success seems more "Madden" than reality
By *Paul Eide* on October 11, 2006 02:13 AM
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Is it time to start taking Bears victories for granted? Is the offense so
prolific that the new standard has been set, erasing previous seasons of
offensive weakness from the collective unconscious? Because it sure seems
like the entire offense underwent a full-frontal lobotomy during the
offseason. The confidence that Rex
Grossman<http://realfootball365.stats.com/fb/playerstats.asp?id=6358&team=3>has
displayed has rubbed off on his teammates, as Bears receivers are
making
great plays on imperfectly thrown balls.

One example from Sunday's 40-7 victory over the Buffalo
Bills<http://bills.realfootball365.com/>was Rashied
Davis <http://realfootball365.stats.com/fb/playerstats.asp?id=7445&team=3>'
15-yard touchdown reception on a third-and-goal midway through the second
quarter. With Grossman backpedaling from oncoming defenders, he threw the
ball into double coverage, seemingly exhibiting the decision making that
earned him a career 67.4 passer rating entering this season. The result,
however, was vintage 2006 Rex
Grossman<http://realfootball365.stats.com/fb/playerstats.asp?id=6358&team=3>,
as the 5-foot-9 Davis somehow came down with the ball for the score.

It was the kind of play that if it happened while you were playing "Madden"
with your friends, you'd throw down your controller and say, "That would
never happen in real life!"

Grossman summed it up perfectly.

''Basically, we found a way to make it work when I didn't do the right
thing. Any time you can get a touchdown when you are doing something wrong,
you know you're living right.''

That play is the perfect metaphor for the success the entire Bears team has
experienced during the first five games. The defense has been its usual,
taken for granted, amazing self, giving up just over seven points a game.
But is it time to regard the Bears' offense with the same nonchalant
expectation of invariable dominance?

The Bears are leading the NFL, averaging 31.2 points per game and outscoring
opponents 156-36 through five games. By comparison, it took them nine games
to hit the 156 plateau in 2005 and they are currently averaging nearly twice
as many points per game as they did last year (16.2).

All of this on-field success has many football fans asking the same thing;
is it possible that the Bears can run the table and finish 2006 undefeated?
It's been 20 years since Bears fans could even wonder about such a
remarkable achievement, with 1986 the last time the team won its first five
games, but the Bears' schedule for the remainder of the season lends itself
to this improbable thought.

The Bears' next 11 opponents have a combined record of 20 wins and 33 losses
in 2006. Matchups with winless teams like the Lions (0-5) and Bucs (0-4),
and struggling teams like the Cardinals (1-4) and Packers (1-4) down the
stretch certainly pour fuel on the undefeated fire; but with the season
roughly only a third of the way over, it seems a bit premature to draw
comparisons to the 1972 Miami Dolphins<http://dolphins.realfootball365.com/>.

The Bears also have matchups with some very good teams down the stretch that
could easily end the hopes of the first perfect season in over 30 years.
Week 10 marks the beginning of a three-game road trip where the Bears will
play the Giants (2-2), Jets (2-3) and Patriots (4-1). New England is the
only team with a winning record at this juncture of the season, but don't
underestimate how difficult it is to win on the road in the NFL.

Two weeks after the Bears play the Patriots, they travel to St. Louis to
face the surprising Rams (4-1), further compounding hopes of finishing
undefeated. It would be an unprecedented feat to win four road games in five
weeks against such stiff competition, but if the Bears are 9-0 heading into
Week 10, the pressure to win may cause them to falter if nothing else will.

Either way, Bears fans have to love what they're seeing so far in '06. And
the best part is, they don't have to play a full season of "Madden" to see
their most improbable dreams come to reality.