Paul Bixby , Bears Super Fan

It sure is getting difficult to watch these games. I feel like the fire has gone out of this team. How do teams like Tampa Bay and Detroit get into the position of being able to win the game in the final seconds? The Bears stole two games away from teams that wanted it more. A slightly better throw from Kitna at the end results in a Lions Victory and a different coin flip results in a Buccaneers win.

Have we been sold a bill of goods? Has the plucky band of heroes from September been replaced by a bunch of war-weary veterans sick of all the fighting? I can't wait for the playoffs so the games can matter again and I can stop watching these guys rack up the loafs.

I'd love to see the Bears stick it to Green Bay for He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's last game. But they're not gonna. It's going to be another episode of Chicago's new favorite game show, "How will we almost throw a game away?" It would be especially nice to beat the -ack- Packers and keep them out of the playoffs for good. I don't think I could bear the "Cinderella" storyline or "General's last ride for glory" storyline about He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.

I'm sick of this pussyfootin' around though. I want these guys to play every game like they need every game to survive, because in three weeks, they will. It's real easy to trick yourself into coasting only to be unable to accelerate when it's needed.