Of the 32 teams in the National Football League, there is not a big list that would lose to the Detroit Lions, especially Week 1 in front of their own pride. The Bears, whilst scraping out a desperation 19-14 win Sunday afternoon, avoided being added to that list.
If you have been anywhere near Chicago in the past 24 hours, you've most likely heard about the controversial call that overtook the NFL's Sunday spotlight within minutes of occuring. With just :24 left to play in the game, Lions' backup QB Shaun Hill nailed WR Calvin Johnson in the endzone for the apparent go-ahead score that would've put Detroit up 20-19 and just about wrapped up the game, barring a Windy City miracle. However, after video review, the officials determined it to be an incomplete pass, for Johnson failed to hold onto the ball after his right hand hit the ground.
Considering this one play seems to be the main and only attraction to discussing this regular season opener, I feel discussing this play before anything else is the logical thing to do.
Everyone except the NFL Officials' office seems intent on believing that this play should have resulted in a score--even Bears' fans are claiming that their team rightfully lost. And I too was convinced it was the wrong call until I saw it for close to the 15th time. But I later determined (and attempted to be entirely objective in the process) that the only reason most fans, as educated on the topic as they may be, believe it was a touchdown was because it looked like a touchdown. But as we've all heard before, things aren't always as they appear to be.
It appeared to be six points right up until Johnson's right hand reached for the ground. Catching the ball: check. Feet down in bounds: check. Maintaining complete possession of the ball throughout the entire catch: ...not check.
The most common reason I've been hearing as to why it is a touchdown is that Johnson caught the ball and got his feet down in the endzone. Although those are essential parts of making an NFL touchdown reception, that is not the total package of requirements. Johnson needed to maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire catch; this is something he failed to do. When watching the replay multiple times, it becomes more and more clear each time that, as Johnson's right hand hit the grass, the ball squeezes out. If you don't believe me, consult Rule 8, Section 1, Article 4 of the official NFL Rulebook for a detailed and thorough explanation.
And about a minute before Johnson's incomplete catch, when Forte made his 28-yard TD snab in the left corner of the endzone, the goal line official didn't call the play a touchdown until he clearly saw Forte roll back over to reveal that the ball was infact still within his grip, proving that he had maintained complete possession throughout the entire process of the catch.
As a last note to this play, I think it ridiculous that, in an effort to defend their belief on this play rightfully being a touchdown, some say that this was actually a fumble. Number one: it wasn't a fumble if the receiver never had complete control (in that case it's simply incomplete). And number two: the whole point of claiming it to be a fumble would be to say that Johnson fumbled after he scored the touchdown. If you didn't know, it's impossible and illogical to get a touchdown and fumble on the same play.
But now that we've covered the Johnson play, I'd like to take a moment to discuss the Bears and their performance in their 2010 regular season matinee.
To begin with the offense, I thought Jay Cutler had a great game, going 23-35 for 372 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT for a passer rating of 108.3. Besides the fumble, I thought the only other play that needs correcting was his interception, which he threw into triple coverage and got picked off by Lions' CB Aaron Berry after being tipped around. This play was simply a bad decision--an unfortunate reminder of many Cutler throws in his debut season in a Bears' uniform.
I also liked the play of the receivers, especially Devin Aromashodu and Johnny Knox, who caught 5 and 3 passes for 71 and 52 yards, respectively. Bears RB Chester Taylor also chipped in 44 yards coming out of the backfield.
But the most important offensive piece to this victory was RB Matt Forte. Although he only ran for 50 yards on 17 carries for an average of 2.9 YPC, he was sensational through the air, catching 7 passes for 151 yards and 2 TDs, including an 89-yard catch and run screen pass from Cutler. And to add to his day, it was the timing that struck me the most. With less than two minutes remaining in the first half and the Bears trailing 14-3, Forte bursted through the Detroit secondary to change the entire complexion of the game by not only closing the gap but also providing a huge momentum burst going into the locker room.
On the defensive side of the ball, there were many questions heading into the season. But overall I thought the defense performed exceptionally well. With Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Bears newbie Julius Peppers leading the way, Chicago managed 2 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 5 quarterback hits. And although allowing Lions tailback Jahvid Best two touchdowns on the ground, Chicago held Detroit to just 20 rushing yards on the day.
Despite the offense and defense providing somewhat lengthy highlight reels, there are still a few problems with what I saw from Chicago on Sunday. The offensive line allowed the Detroit D to get to Cutler 4 times, which is simply too many. Also, the offense and coaching staff need to produce where it counts; the Bears failed to get 1 yard on four plays to get the go ahead score. And finally, Chicago turned the ball over 4 times, which, even against lowly-Detroit, is a recipe for disaster. If you told me that the Bears would have 4 giveaways every game, I'd expect to see a 1-15 season. And, to add insult to injury, it seemed as though every Bears turnover came at the worst possible time.
Like the other 15 games that are showcased in Week 1, there are positive and negative things to take away. But what counts is the corrections that the Bears will make throughout this week and heading into Dallas for a Week 2 matchup with America's Team.
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