Injury depleted Bulls been here before

The Bulls look to finish off the Milwaukee Bucks tonight at the United Center while missing 4/5 starters. The Bulls are even a third of the way through the season and already the core group that was supposed to lead this team to the promised land has missed double-digit number of games. Derrick Rose is out for the year with a torn meniscus, Jimmy Butler has been battling turf toe, Ironman Luol Deng messed up his Achilles, and Joakim  Noah has leg bruises. Yes, you read that correctly, leg bruises. The Bulls are a physical team that relies on it physical and mental toughness to win games.

The Bulls find themselves in a familiar place aned earlier in the season than usual, but everyone in that locker room believes that the team has enough to win. I am one of those that believe that the Bulls can compete in the playoffs with a little help from the other shitty teams in the East. The offensive improvement of Taj Gibson, the solid play of Deng and Boozer, the improvement of the bench play, and the defensive play of the team as a whole is enough get to the Eastern Conference championship at least. The team has a lot of upside, and I'm optimistic that this year, like the years before, the Bulls will be better than mediocre. Thibodeau doesnt understand the concept of tanking, and Forman has already said that he isn't breaking up this core, so please get used to this squad while everyone strives to get healthy.

Hopefully they beat the weak ass Bucks tonight, the weak ass Knicks later, and the Bucks again this weekend. 

Weekend Takeaways:

Starting this week, I'll post my takeaways from the past couple of days in addition to the weekly show. So first and foremost we start with my beloved Bears. 

WEEK 12: 

The Run defense struggled again this week, with a maligned defense that is missing 5 starters, as Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson ran for 211 yards on 35 carries. They got off to a strong start, stacking 8 men in the box and relying on Free Safety Craig Steltz to prevent Peterson from reaching the second level. Steltz did a solid job of filling in for the injured Major Wright, but the it seems like no safety tandem that has taken the field this year for Bears is working. On the Vikings first three 3rd down attempts the Bears sacked QB Christian Ponder, with two of them credited to Julius Peppers. The presence of Stephen Paea and newly acquired DT Jay Ratliff made a huge impact in the first half. The defense fell apart late, and allowed Peterson to run for 134 of his 211 yards in the second half. Matt Cassel tacked on 243 passing yards and the Vikings won the game, then lost the game and won it again. The issue with this Bears D is that too often the replacement starters find themselves out of position when in the Cover 2 shell. It's about gap control, and zone discipline. The middle of the field is wide open for teams looking to throw against rookie linebacker Jon Bostic and Khaseeem Green. This is particularly why the Bears have struggled against teams with an above average TE. When it comes to stopping the run the D is getting handled at the line of scrimmage and pushed out of their gaps, and because of it they find themselves at the bottom of the defensive rankings. 

The offense looked sharp in the second half, and Alshon Jeffrey absolutely dominated. Mccown was solid as usual but the team struggled on 3rd downs again going 2-11. The offense committed less penalties which was encouraging, but this Mccown led team continues to struggle in the red zone, going 0-1 for the game. One redzone appearance.... Forte had a strong day, rushing for 120 yards as he continues a strong 2013 campaign. The offense managed only 20 points and thats mostly attributed to their inability to get within the opponents 20. Mccown just hasn'r been great late in games. Say what you want about Jay Cutler, he is clutch in the 4th quarter. He has completed 68% of his passes for 587 yards, 6 touchdowns and a 106.9 passer rating in the final frame. The Bears hope to have him back next Monday against the 7-5 Cowboys. 

I have nothing to say about the Special Teams play of the Chicago Bears. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't do it for my teammates like I did for my wife this morning. It's hard to swallow. We're in a playoff hunt. I love my teammates just like I love my wife and my baby. I just didn't do it today. It's on me." -Robbie Gould. 

Finally got the interview posted since I couldnt broadcast it live. It isnt great, but its my first interview. Enjoy and stay posted for more broadcasts.

Welcome!

What's goin on folks, Big J in The Morning is taking on a new format: Podcasts. While I highly encourage everyone to listen to me, Monday mornings at 8am, I'm starting a new blog to accommodate those who do not have the willpower to get out of bed at that time. I also woke up with a sore throat this morning so I couldn't broadcast this weeks show. This blog also allows me a little more flexibility, as I'll post podcasts from throughout the week, and not just from every Monday morning. There's no rigid schedule in place, so visit often to see the latest updates. Tomorrow my highly anticipated interview with Valerie Cutrone from last week will be posted so check in tomorrow to hear it on demand.