Are You Ready for Some Football

[asleepathewheel]

Stronger across the board?

Hardly.

These teams are pretty even, with areas going to each.

Manning is vastly superior to Grossman
Hester is vastly superior to Colts kick coverage
Vinatieri is Vinatieri
Urlacher is Urlacher

Stronger across the board is just utter bull****, from fans of either side.

I guess it makes sense that Bears fans would be as deluded as Cubs fans, since they are largely the same. (obligatory shot taken by a baseball cardinals fan )

[SlowwHand]

And yet highly accurate.

[-Jrabbit]

d/p

[-Jrabbit]

Weather could be a big factor...

[rah]

I'm a cubs fan also.

I think the Colts have a slight edge just based on QBs.
I think the 7 points is on the high side.
I'm a firm believer in "on any given sunday"
Go bears.

Based on info from STUB HUB, they've sold almost three times as many tickets in the Chicago area than in Indy. (not surprising due to population and wealth) SO maybe it won't be a totally neutral site.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I think the 7 points is on the high side.

Vegas wants equal number of bets on both sides. More rabid Bears fans willing to bet on their team so the number is higher for the Colts.

[reismark]

Well, that didn't take long...

Favre will be back

Once again, he makes the right decision, IMO. Given the state of the NFC North, the Pack should be back in the playoffs next season and contending for the title the year after that... and there's no way they'd do either without him.

I actually think this ends the questions for a couple of seasons now, given Green Bay's progress - assuming of course that they can sustain it.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

I think the 7 points is on the high side.

Vegas wants equal number of bets on both sides. More rabid Bears fans willing to bet on their team so the number is higher for the Colts.

Umm, no, you have that backwards.

Colts -7 vs Bears = if both teams are 50/50, then bet on Bears as you're getting 7 points.

If they thought most people would bet on the Bears, then it would be Bears -7 Colts

No, what they're assuming is most of the bettors are in NYC and whatnot, don't care for either team, but either:
1. Know who Peyton Manning is, that's enough for them.
2. Think Vinny is destined to win this on a last second FG (and thus will bet on the Bears +7).
3. Watch ESPN regularly, and thus think it's Peyton versus Rex.

Of course us chicagoans are happy to take the points Gives us more to whine about now,and lets us be more smug if we win.

Oh, and not all Bears fans (or even much more than half, I'd say...) are cubs fans...

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by reismark
Well, that didn't take long...

Favre will be back

Once again, he makes the right decision, IMO. Given the state of the NFC North, the Pack should be back in the playoffs next season and contending for the title the year after that... and there's no way they'd do either without him.

I actually think this ends the questions for a couple of seasons now, given Green Bay's progress - assuming of course that they can sustain it.

Woot, Vasher, Brown, and Tillman must be thrilled

And we'll have a guaranteed nationally TV game at the end of next year, Bears vs Packers, and this time we can give him a proper sendoff [Bears 31 Packer 14, you heard it here first]

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
Stronger across the board?

Hardly.

These teams are pretty even, with areas going to each.

Manning is vastly superior to Grossman
Hester is vastly superior to Colts kick coverage
Vinatieri is Vinatieri
Urlacher is Urlacher

Stronger across the board is just utter bull****, from fans of either side.

I guess it makes sense that Bears fans would be as deluded as Cubs fans, since they are largely the same. (obligatory shot taken by a baseball cardinals fan )

Except we have a kicker who's just as good, and Urlacher is not the only player on the team who will be in the backfield introducing Peyton to the Miami turf

[Imran Siddiqui]

Wait a sec... you aren't seriously arguing that Gould is equivalent to Vinateri in pressure situations are you?

[Donegeal]

Why not? Gould has made EVERY KICK when in game winning situations... (of course that number is 1 )

[Sava]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel


These teams are pretty even, with areas going to each.

Not according to the numbers or the personnel matchups.

The Colts have Peyton Manning. That's pretty much it. He's their bread and butter. The Bears OTOH are very balanced.

It would be a mistake to compare Grossman to Manning. The correct comparison to make is the matchup of the Bears offense vs the Colts defense and the Colts offense vs the Bears defense. Manning and Grossman aren't going to be passing against each other. Why compare them? Anyone who makes such a comparison is missing the point. If the Bears execute, they will bend but not break and allow Manning a lot of completions, but no big plays. Think back to the Baltimore game. The Colts could get 5 field goals. But with the Bears talent on special teams, Chicago figures to own the field position battle which puts their offense in a better position against Indy's defense. And that matchup favors the Bears much more (especially with the Bears running game vs Indy's run defense) than the matchup of Indy's offense vs the Bears defense.

Also, look at the possibility of turnovers. The Bears are the top takeaway team in the league. Grossman hasn't thrown an interception in the playoffs. Manning has thrown 6.


I'm sorry, but to say these teams are even is incorrect. The Bears have the advantage. It's just a question of execution. We'll see if they do that on Sunday.

Go Bears

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Wait a sec... you aren't seriously arguing that Gould is equivalent to Vinateri in pressure situations are you?

We don't know, for sure, that he's equal in pressure situations... but:
1. It's fairly likely this will be a 7+ point blowout, one direction or the other. Either Good Rex = big bears win, or Bad Rex = big bears loss, is more than 50% of a chance IMO.
2. Gould has been VERY accurate this season, only missing a few kicks.
3. Maynard is a REALLY GOOD holder. This sounds odd to say, but e.g. Romo... and Maynard is really good, I don't think I've ever seen him botch a hold, and he's saved a few bad snaps over the years.
I think the long snappers are roughly equal, if I recall the Colts have a pretty decent one, but the Bears do as well...

Thus I don't think the Colts have the K edge that Vinny often gives them. Sure, if it's 4th and 3, on the 40, with :02 on the clock, down by 2, I'd probably rather have Vinny... but only by a little bit, and only because Gould hasn't proven himself to be clutch year in and year out. This year, he's been as clutch as the Bears have needed him to be, only missing a few irrelevant kicks late in the season (and in pretty adverse wind situations). This is in Miami, where wind conditions aren't going to be an issue

Besides, didn't Gould kick about as well percentagewise as Vinny this year, and not in a dome? You can't compare a dome kicker's stats to an outside kicker's stats, the dome kicker SHOULD win every time.

[asleepathewheel]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Sava


Not according to the numbers or the personnel matchups.

The Colts have Peyton Manning. That's pretty much it. [QUOTE]





Colts 28-17