Bears' playoff possibilities are slim
The Chicago Bears will take on the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday at Soldier Field, and with a week off coach John Fox will have this team ready to play.
Someone asked him earlier in the week about Jay Cutler and if he will be returning next year. I think every game is like a tryout for Cutler, but really the QB is the least of the Bears' problems right now.
When the Bears decide to make the playoffs a real priority, most of these guys playing right now will be gone from this team. Getting to the promised land is going to take some time, and I seriously doubt the playoffs are on the horizon for this year.
I hope they show me otherwise, but that 37-34 loss to the Detroit Lions was a big swing and 2-4 looks a heck of a lot worse than 3-3.
I think the Bears will win this week because it's not the Minnesota Vikings of years gone by. They might have a star running back in Adrian Peterson, but I don't think that will be enough.
Unacceptable death:
I love the game of football, but the seventh high school football player to die this year has made me stop and think.
Andre Smith, 17, from Bogan High School, died after he suffered a blow to his head during the last play of a game.
I have always thought you can't be afraid of what might happen, but it's easy for me to say because I don't have kids. I can't imagine the worry parents must experience watching their children play football, and I wonder why these kids can't just play flag or touch.
But as time goes on, I realize if my wife and I did have kids, I would have preferred them to play a different sport. I wouldn't forbid him to play football, but I'd hope he'd prefer golf, baseball or basketball. They are competitive sports, but much safer.
When I was at Senn High school in 1971, a young man named Marco Cervantes died 12 days after suffering a head injury during a high school football game. Marco was a popular guy and the school mourned his death. Many thought of it as a freak accident, but I am starting to wonder.
Too many kids have died. The game isn't going away and hopefully the coaching and equipment will get better, but as you get older you realize that maybe there are alternatives.
I wouldn't stop anyone from playing the game, but with a trend toward more injuries, you have to think twice. I know there is danger in any sport, but a death is just so sad and unacceptable.
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