Imrem: Bears so very fortunate to dodge a big mess
The Bears dodged a spitball Sunday in Soldier Field.
Some might exaggerate and call it a bullet. Others might over-exaggerate and call it an intercontinental missile.
But the opponents were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and they do little more than fire spitballs and rubber bands at opponents.
At its most confrontational, this was a pillow fight between two teams, two head coaches and two quarterbacks that deserve each other.
The Bears didn't so much come from behind to win 21-13 as they let the Bucs retreat from ahead to lose 13-21.
Quarterback Jay Cutler said when asked whether it matters how the Bears won, "It's important the next day. In the moment, after the game, a win is a win. We'll see (the day after) why we didn't win the way we want to win."
As much grief as Cutler and Bears coach Marc Trestman take for their inadequacies, it was difficult to believe they could and would lose to Tampa even despite trailing 10-0 at halftime.
"We were challenged offensively (at intermission)," Cutler said. "Offensively, Marc challenged us. The players, we challenged each other. Verbally we questioned guys, made sure everyone is in there for the right reasons."
My goodness, is that what it has come to for the Bears against a hapless team like the Buccaneers?
The best thing that can be said about this outcome was that the Bears avoided being splattered with embarrassment by their former coach, Lovie Smith, and former quarterback, Josh McCown.
Just imagine the conversation around town if Tampa won: "Why can't the Bears ever have a coach like Smith and a quarterback like McCown?"
Never mind that the Bears had both, but the due date on Smith's tenure here expired two years ago and McCown isn't anyone's long-term answer at quarterback.
Bears general manager Phil Emery didn't err in firing Smith and declining to re-sign McCown instead of Cutler.
The gaffes - at least to this point and likely points on the horizon - were replacing Smith with Trestman and guaranteeing Cutler $54 million over three seasons.
If the Bucs won this game, that spitball heaved by Smith and McCown would have pierced the Bears' heart like, well, OK, maybe like a spitball disguised as a nuclear warhead.
Not to worry. Tampa Bay was prone to error more than the Bears have been this season, which is saying something.
McCown contributed 3 turnovers to the Bucs' total of 4, in the process turning over a victory to the Bears as well.
The Bears scored all their points during a 7½-minute stretch of the third quarter. The final two touchdown drives consisted of a combined 5 plays, 28 yards and 1:42.
McCown's performance indicated that he learned well from Cutler last season - at least mistake-wise - by throwing 2 interceptions and losing a fumble.
Seriously, isn't Cutler supposed to be the human turnover machine? Of course, he is all of that, the Titan of Turnovers, if you will.
Yet the Bucs' defense didn't force Cutler into a single interception and his one lost fumble only matched McCown.
"(Our) defense won this game," Cutler said.
You know, just as opposing defenses routinely beat the Bucs into a 2-9 record. Tampa has scored 17 points or fewer in eight of their 11 games.
So the Bears' defense can't boast about this victory any more than can the offense that compiled only 12 first downs to Tampa's 17 and 204 total yards to Tampa's 367.
"It never got into a game that was a chess match," Cutler said of Trestman's offense against Smith's defense.
No, this was more like a spitball/rubber band/pillow fight between mischievous kids.
mimrem@dailyherald.com