LOAF of the week

So, I've been away for awhile.  Most of that time has been spent vomiting while thinking about the last couple of weeks.  Usually hope springs eternal here at Bears Playbook, but not right now.  Not much reason for optimism.  The only optimistic viewpoint is that the Bears will still get in at 9-7 if the Lions or Falcons lose two of three.  Detroit would be more likely, with games at Oakland, home vs San Diego and at Green Bay.  All of this is moot, of course, if the Bears can't get to 9-7 which, for the time being, looks like a pipe dream.  Anyway, thought I'd start with the slight glimmer of hope that still exists.

Now to the main point of this entry.  LOAF is a term that Rod Marinelli uses in evaluation of the defense after every game.  If you get stuck on a block, you get a loaf.  If any player gets to the ground and doesn't get back up immediately and make a play on the ball, he gets a loaf.  If you get passed by a teammate, you get a loaf.  You get the idea.  Well, this week's biggest loaf is the inventor of the term, Rod Marinelli himself.

For 57 minutes, the Bears dominated the Broncos.  Tim Teblow could do nothing.  He proved his ineptitude against a quality defense and the Bears, up by 2 scores, were finally going to get another win.  Then Rod loafed.  He got soft.  Instead of keeping the defense that Teblow couldn't beat, he went to a soft defense with safeties 25 yards deep.  The type of defense that Teblow has beat week after week after week.  Even our own inept Caleb Hanie can beat a prevent defense (remember how good HE looked in the NFC Championship game???).  Teblow does this every week.  He sucks against normal defensive looks and at the end of the game, when the opposition is trying to protect a lead, he marches right down the field against a soft defense and wins the game.  If the Bears keep their base defense in place, the Broncos go 4 and out with three minutes to play and the game is over.  See you back in Chicago.  Still in 5th place in the playoff race.  Teblow exposed as the turd he really is.  All of us feeling better about our prospects for the season.  Instead, we all have our heads in the toilet.  Which smells an awful lot like where Marinelli's head was when he went to that defense.