Gail Freund, Bears Superfan
It's obvious more areas still need to be addressed to be a strong contender. It was good to see the team could put all those points on the board with the replacement players. All the penalties certainly aren't helping.

The last year in Platteville, Ted Washington gave my friend a pair of his gloves. There was so much stick-um on them it was hard to pry anything off of them. Maybe this is something the team needs to look into.

Off the subject of the game, I just read this article on "The Guy Page" of the Sunday Trib:

www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/q/chi-0930_gy_briggs_r_dsep30,0,4229151.story

chicagotribune.com
QUALITIES OF LIFE: THE GUY PAGE
PARTY NEEDS INSTANT REPLAY
View of athletes goes dim
Chris McNamara

September 30, 2007

It's a dramatic scene as members of the Chicago Bears enter North Side nightclub Enclave, and a buzz crackles through the clubbers who've paid as much as $50 to party with the players at this fundraiser, held last weekend.

It helps that the pro athletes are backlit by a spotlight from a camcorder, illuminated by flashing cameras and brightened by what appear to be stars stitched into rookie Greg Olsen's pants.

But the players -- rolling in late, of course -- immediately head to a downstairs bar (entry blocked by a security guard) and retreat to a VIP area (entry blocked by a velvet rope and another security guard).

Now, I'd figured that since the ads claimed that members of the Bears, Bulls and Cubs would "host" this event, they'd actually be hospitable.

But maybe I'm naive.

"We're here to be around the players," beams Chicago's Martha Tovar, while the players are nowhere to be seen.

Bulls guard Chris Duhon is the exception; he actually hangs around the club like a real human being.

Of course, the athletes' jerseys are here. Tovar sports an orange Devin Hester shirt. Her sisters Maria and Lupe Cortez each don blue Brian Urlacher models.

We'd scheduled a brief interview with "host" Lance Briggs to discuss this fundraising event, but as midnight approached the linebacker had yet to deliver. The publicist said he is a perfectionist, which is a peculiar explanation for flaking on a two-minute interview.

Now, I'd think that a player who recently offended his fans by threatening to skip the season rather than receive $7.2 million as part of a contract he signed, a player who recently crashed his Lamborghini on the Edens, then ditched the vehicle, then lied about it to authorities, a player who is part of a struggling team getting badgered by fans and the media, would take advantage of an opportunity for good press.

But maybe I'm naive.

Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

The story reminded that last season Junior's Sports Lounge advertised that you should come out on Monday nights and watch football with Lance Briggs and his teammates. My friends did just that. And it was exactly like above...Lance was escorted in by bodyguard to a private room where he stayed the entire night. No one was allowed near Lance. They didn't notice any "teammates" either.

Maybe the promo for his events should be: send your donation, but don't attend because I can't be bothered. (except his charity is probably getting a portion of the drink sales, too).

There are some exceptions where players like Peanut, Roberto Garza and Ruben Brown do actually mingle at their events, and probably more....but how nice that Chris Duhon visited with the general public.

So, another week to get it together before heading to Green Bay.

GO BEARS!!