CHRONICLE-TRIBUNE, MARION, IND. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010 B3 Chicago takes four-game winning streak to Detroit Bears know they have more work to do this week BY ANDREW SELIGMAN The Associated Press LAKE FOREST, Ill. Olin Kreutz realizes the good vibes could all get tossed aside if the Chicago Bears falter this week, so the veteran center wasn't exactly uncorking champagne bottles after their biggest win in a long while. Nor were his teammates. The Bears realize they still have some work to do no matter: how impressive Sunday's 31-26 win over Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles was.
"We're nowhere near where we want to be," Kreutz said. "We need to keep fighting and get better. By no means are we satisfied." It would be hard for the Bears (8-3) to play better than they did against the Eagles. They delivered their best all-around performance in recent memory while beating one of the NFC's top teams. They've won four straight, lead Green Bay by a game in the NFC North and are winning over doubters, but a loss at Detroit this week would be a major letdown particularly after a performance like this.
For all the talk about Philadelphia's speed, the Bears looked like the fastest team on the field, whether it was the defense getting to Vick or the offense and special teams running past the Eagles. "Truly, all three phases, we have a lot of speed and a lot of ability," defensive end Israel Idonije said. Although Vick passed for 333 yards, the Bears sacked him four times, prevented big plays and made enough of their own to come away with the win. Chris Harris intercepted a pass in the end zone with the Bears up by a point late in the first half, leading to a touchdown that. made it 21-13 at the break.
It was a good day for the offense, too, with Jay Cutler tying a career-high with four TD passes while throwing for 247 yards and Forte running for 117. Six plays went for 28 yards or more, including a 61-yard run by Forte that set up the first touchdown. And when the defense wasn't putting the offense in good position, the special teams were. Daniel Manning returned three kickoffs for 88 yards, including a 44-yarder. Devin Hester broke off a 46-yard kickoff return and ran back three in all for 78 yards.
There are still doubts about the offensive line, not to mention Cutler's penchant for mistakes, but there's no debating the Bears are in a good spot. "We've continued to progress," tight end Greg Olsen said. "That can't do anything but help your confidence, especially with some young guys getting in the fire now with a real tense streak of games here, almost like a long playoff run. It's exciting and I think guys are looking forward to this process going throughout the rest of the regular season. And with the teams that we have coming in at home and three division games on the road, I think it's going to be a fun final five games." There are difficult home games remaining against New England and the New York Jets, and the road has some potential bumps, starting with Detroit.
Sure, the Lions are last in the NFC North at 2-9, but the Bears barely beat them in the opener. A rules technicality wiped out what looked like a late go-ahead touchdown catch by Calvin Johnson, preserving a 19-14 win. Chicago also visits Minnesota on Dec. 20 and finishes at Green Bay two weeks later in a game that could determine the division championship and whether the Bears get homefield advantage in the playoffs. Garrett cool, calm following first loss as interim coach First time leader will face more challenging situations BY JAIME ARON The Associated Press IRVING, Texas Jason Garrett treated his first loss as interim coach of the Dallas Cowboys only slightly differently than he did his two wins.
"When we won, it was, 'These things are going to bite us," quarterback Jon Kitna said. "When we lost, 'These things bit us." As a first-time head coach, Garrett will face various situations for the first time on a weekly basis, if not daily. The situation of responding to defeat was a big one or, at least, could have been. Bill Parcells, for instance, had a tendency to be tougher on the Cowboys after a win and easier after a loss, figuring they would beat themselves up enough over it. Garrett, however, wasn't too giddy after the wins.
So he also wasn't too grumpy after the loss. "You try to take as much emotion out of the victory or the defeat as you can," Garrett said. "You say, 'OK, guys, this is what Look at the tape, let's see what happened on this particular play or this sequence of plays or this series whatever the case may be and you just use it as a teaching tool." It also helped that he had three days to get over it. The Cowboys lost to the New Orleans Saints on Thursday, falling behind by 17 points twice in the first half. They were ahead with less than 6 minutes left, fell behind again, then barely missed a potential tying field in the final half-minute.
The loss dropped Dallas to 3-8, guaranteeing a .500 finish at best. It also prevented Garrett from a 3-0 start that would've helped his case to persuade team owner Jerry Jones to remove the interim label over the offseason. Receiver Roy Williams said Garrett doesn't consider this season in two halves: 1-7 under Wade Phillips and 2-1 since he was promoted from offensive coordinator. Big East gets bigger, adds TCU for 2012 season Conference title may guarantee spot in bigmoney games BY STEPHEN HAWKINS The Associated Press FORT WORTH, Texas TCU is getting out of future debates about whether the Horned Frogs deserve to be in a BCS game. They are joining a league with automatic access.
The Frogs won't have to be a BCS buster when they move to the Big East Conference, starting with the 2012 season. Win their new league and they will be guaranteed a spot in one of the big-money games. In the latest restructuring of the college football landscape, TCU's board of trustees unanimously approved an invitation Monday to join the Big East in football and all other sports. The move from the Mountain West Conference becomes official July 1, 2012. TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte said gaining automatic-qualifying status "was Purdue player with meningitis released WEST LAFAYETTE (AP) in critical condition with the Purdue women's basket- inflammation of membranes ball player Drey Mingo has around the brain and spine been released from a hospi- that can be fatal.
tal after five days of treat- Her illness prompted the ment for bacterial meningi- Boilermakers to cancel a tis. holiday tournament trip to Purdue says Mingo left Mexico. They are scheduled the hospital Sunday and will to play a home game against continue receiving care from Maryland on Thursday. several sources, including Mingo is a junior from Atthe school's athletics train- lanta who is averaging 17.3 ing and medical staff. She points and 7.3 rebounds this was admitted on Tuesday season.
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It's not like he came in from outer space. He was here with Garrett's half-season audition continues Sunday in Indianapolis. "I don't really think about the word Garrett said. "I think about doing the job as best I can each and every day. That's what we try to emphasize to our coaches and players." Garrett has his talking points down, primarily the notion of stacking good days until kickoff of the next game.
His repetition might not liven up news conferences, but it has brought three solid weeks out of the Cowboys. His consistent message also may bode well for the next challenge: getting his team to bounce back from a loss, especially one that all but guarantees they won't be going to the playoffs. "I think there's always a tangible goal," Garrett said. "For different people it's probably different things. When you're playing and coaching on a football team, you want to put your best foot forward all the time.
You want to take great pride in what you do. Really, in anything you do on the practice field, in the meeting room and certainly on game day. That's what we try to do, and at the end of it hopefully you've become a better football team. If there's some rewards at the end of the season, that's fine, but we're trying to put our best foot forward each and every day." Garrett also said running back Marion Barber has a strained calf and is day-today. If he can't play Sunday, Felix Jones who already has become the primary runner likely would start and third-stringer Tashard Choice would move up in the rotation.
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