Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers (BBC Red Button, Tuesday, 1.30am)
It wasn’t really a great shock that Jay Cutler was blasted out of the Chicago Bears’ loss to Houston last Monday. In last week’s preview we intimated that the Bears’ offensive line was still porous and Cutler led a passing attack that ranked 29th in the NFL. The only surprise is that he lasted so long.
The NFL Network aired an interesting piece on concussions this week – and cynics would say that highlighting the issue was only done to appear more sympathetic. For the NFL are facing 178 separate lawsuits from 3,870 former NFL players, including 28 Hall of Famers, claiming it concealed the long-term consequences of head injuries.
The NFL will claim that it has long made player safety a priority and that there was no intention to mislead or deliberately conceal the impact of repeated head trauma.
Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher this week appeared to back the league’s assumption of risk stance, meaning that participants agree to play the game.
Urlacher said: “Don’t want to get concussed? Don’t play. It’s your career, it’s your life. You have to make that decision on your own. Some guys have shut it down because of that. That’s the value of after football, I guess. If I got concussed a lot, I probably wouldn’t keep playing.”
He added: “Concussions will take care of themselves. It’s a big deal now to everyone because of all the older players coming back and saying they’re all messed up now. That’s definitely an issue, but I think the cut block seems to be a big issue as well.”
He appeared to be backed up by head coach Lovie Smith, who added: “Once you get more evidence that things have really happened and guys were really affected by this – and we’re not there – and I am definitely not there as a coach in charge of his football team.”
While inclined to agree with Urlacher – the blame culture that permeates this increasingly liberal society is increasingly hard to stomach – he is still inexplicably minimising the impact of concussions. They don’t “take care of themselves’”.
Rather than treating these people with the contempt they deserve, educate them.
So, rather than scouting around for the usual light-hearted Musical Interlude, I did some reading. After indulging in a little concussion education, I came across the following extract from Christopher Nowinski’s brilliant book Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis. It speaks for itself.
One of the really frightening things was the night following the 1994 NFC Championship game between San Francisco and Dallas. Troy Aikman played for Dallas; they beat San Francisco and Aikman got a concussion. I visited him in the hospital room, and he asked me if he’d played in the game. I told him he did. He asked me how I played. I said; ‘Well’. He then wanted to know if winning that game meant they were going to the Super Bowl. ‘Yes,’ I said. He asked when the Super Bowl would be played and where – I answered him, and he got really excited. His face brightened, and it was great.
Five minutes later, he asked me whether he’d played in the game that day, and if they’d won, and how he’d played, and whether that meant they were in the Super Bowl. I answered. Another ten minutes passed, and he asked me the same questions again. I thought for a while he was joking – but he wasn’t. This went on, so I finally wrote down the most commonly asked championship game night questions.
Lee Steinberg, Troy Aikman’s agent.
As for Urlacher’s statement, his fundamental point is correct: ‘You knew the risks, you took the money. Take the responsibility for your actions and deal with the consequences’.
Yet part of me wants Chicago to get absolutely annihilated on Monday night, purely for the insensitivity of some of the comments made, particularly from Urlacher.
I’d love to know what former Bear Jim McMahon thinks. So would he. The poster-boy quarterback of the Eighties, now 53, is suffering from early-stage dementia, the overwhelmingly likely result concussions. He frequently and quickly forgets whom he has spoken to.
Cutler received a blow to the head, missed practice on Thursday and seems certain to sit it out against the 49ers, who themselves could also rest quarterback Alex Smith – also the victim of a concussion last weekend.
Smith has recovered sufficiently, so is expected to play.
It is worth noting that the Bears’ 2011 season fell apart in game 10 because of a season-ending Cutler injury. The guess is that Cutler, who now has the added responsibility of a young family to support, will be held out.
The Bears’ defence is good but not great. Houston didn’t do much against them but could still afford to have an off night and win last week.
But Chicago were smart in the summer, bringing a proven NFL quarterback in Jason Campbell – known from his time in Oakland as Captain Checkdown (because he plays things safe) – to the Windy City as insurance for Cutler.
He didn’t get much change from a third-ranked Houston defence in the second half of Chicago’s 13-7 loss and things are not likely to be very much different against the 49ers.
It is expected that the 49ers – who have won nine of their last 10 at home to the Bears – will be able to cover a touchdown spread. I expect a double-digit victory in any event, so take the Niners to cover.
Suggestion:
San Francisco -7
And don’t forget to check out John Arnette’s view on the game at betdaqnfl.com.
Milham’s 2012 record:
Week 1: 7-5
Week 2: 7-6-1
Week 3: 5-8
Week 4: 10-3
Week 5: 4-9
Week 6: 6-8
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 7-9
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 6-8
Twitter: @simonmilham
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