The Breakfast Blend...the best part of waking up

By Willie Mullen

Monday's Reaction to Sunday's NFL Action

Here's my take on yesterday's games:

• The Bears were officially eliminated from the playoffs with their 21-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers.  Since losing Super Bowl XLI, Lovie Smith has put together a 21-24 record with exactly zero playoff appearances and, barring a miracle, that record should get worse over the next three weeks.  Lovie and his coaching staff (particularly offensive coordinator Ron Turner) have shown no ability to best utilize the talents of a quarterback like Jay Cutler.  Sure Cutler has made some bone-head throws this season but he has been put in a position in which few quarterbacks would succeed.  The play-calling is comical, the offensive line is pathetic and Cutler has completely regressed with the Bears.  But wait, there's more.
• Jay Cutler aside, the Bears continue to play undisciplined football.  Yesterday they committed 13 penalties for 109 yards and a few of those penalties negated big plays.  Blown assignments and wrong personnel on the field have also plagued this years team.  Not to mention Lovie Smith has absolutely no idea when to challenge a ruling and how to manage timeouts and the game clock.  Still not there.
• GM Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith and the Bears really, really struggle in assessing talent.  Coming into the season, they felt good about the safety position and balked at signing over-the-hill veterans like Darren Sharper or Brian Dawkins, both of whom are big play-makers on resurgent, playoff-bound defenses.  They have tried to mix-and-match Al Afalava, Kevin Payne, Daniel Manning, Craig Steltz, Nathan Vasher and Josh Bullocks all season with no success.  The team continued to start LT Orlando Pace despite the fact that he looked more like a stadium-entrance turnstile than a future Hall-of-Famer.  Angelo traded the Bears second round pick (their only selection in the first 64 picks) for Gaines Adams, an offseason project that leaves the team without a first or second round pick in what should be one of the deepest drafts in recent memory.  Maybe it makes sense because Angelo only drafts "busts" in the early part of the draft.  And on a team desperately in need of help at the wide receiver position, it took until Week 14 for WR Devin Aromashodu to make his first extended appearance on the field.  Aromashodu, the player Jay Cutler singled out in training camp because the two had developed great chemistry, responded with eight catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.  Sure could have used a big wideout like Aromashodu all season long.
• Fire them all.  Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith, Ron Turner, everyone.  Except special teams coach Dave Toub.  He can stay.  But everyone else has to go.  This franchise is headed in a dangerous direction and needs a major shakeup.  Hopefully it happens before Jay Cutler gets ruined beyond repair.  Hopefully.
• Aside from the Bears, Week 14 looked like this:
• From Thursday night: In their two wins this season, the Cleveland Browns have scored a total of 19 points and completed eight passes
• Charles Woodson continued his push towards Defensive Player of the Year
• The Saints survived again, this time against a scrappy Atlanta Falcons team missing their star quarterback and running back
• Indianapolis dominated the visiting Broncos early but Denver made things interesting in the second half.  But just as when Denver cut the lead to five in the fourth quarter, Peyton Manning led a 14 play, 80-yard touchdown drive that consumed more than seven minutes to put the Broncos away for good.  Can you say MVP?
• Are we sure Fred Jackson is the #2 running back in Buffalo?
• In case the NFL didn't get the message, the Vikings loudly reinforced their position as an elite team in a dominating 30-10 win over the Bengals.  Shame on me for picking against the men in purple.
• New England had to have the win but definitely did not look like Super Bowl contenders yesterday in defeating the Carolina Panthers.  Two Carolina players said Randy Moss shut it down.  Trouble in Beantown.
• Kellen Clemens played well in place of the injured Mark Sanchez.  The Jets have quitely won three straight and are still in playoff contention
• No team helped themselves yesterday more than the Miami Dolphins  With the win, the Dolpins are in the driver's seat for the sixth spot in the AFC playoffs.  Considering the Fins are 6-0 in December under coach Tony Sparano, my money's on them to hold on to the final spot.
• It was a huge fantasy day for the Baltimore Ravens and they kept pace with the Dolphins.  It's hard to believe 54 players were selected ahead of Ray Rice in the 2008 draft.
• Mathematically the Texans are still alive in the playoff race but they need a lot of help.  Matt Schaub threw for 336 yards in the first half.
• The 2009 fantasy season will be remembered as the Year of Chris Johnson.  And from the look of things, we may be saying the same thing about the 2010-2015 fantasy seasons' as well.
• How about the Redskins offense since the arrival of Sherm Lewis?  The team is averaging 29 points per game over their last three contests.
• Philip Rivers is now 17-0 in the month of December.  Tony Romo is now 5-10 in the month of December.  Hate to see anyone leave on a stretcher, especially a player like DeMarcus Ware.  Luckily for the 'Boys...
• The Eagles and Giants put on a show to end Sunday's festivities.  Philly prevailed and pretty much locked-up a playoff birth.  It's hard to believe 48 players were selected ahead of the Eagles remarkable play-maker DeSean Jackson.  The only thing Jackson cannot do is make Andy Reid look cool.
• The Cowboys control the sixth spot in the NFC playoffs with the Giants breathing down their necks.  Both teams have tough games remaining so it should be a great race.