For November 8th the weather here in the Chicago area is surprisingly nice, if not down right spring like.  Today is the 2nd day in a row where we are getting mid-sixties and sunny.  Very nice.

Today would be a great day for a football game but, yet again, the Chicago Bears are sucking and sucking hard.  The score is 31 to 7 and the 3rd quarter just started. This almost has a Cincinnati feel to it as the Chicago defense is simply taking a beating

In the first half alone the Cardinals managed to score three touchdowns on a total of 320 yards.  Kurt Warner is looking outstanding and the Cardinals running game, which was the worst in the league coming into this game, has racked up 149 rushing yards thus far.

It’s sad. Ah well… On to other things.

I’m starting to think that little, random, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean pita restaurants are the secret  to outstanding meals.  Really.  The unassuming places, usually found in strip malls, are really satisfying.

While “branching out” today (creature of habit) I ended up at a place called Gourmet Pita & Pizza.  The hummus hit the spot and the beef shawarma had a succulence that I wouldn’t expect from a small, rather unknown, place.  Very enjoyable.

Let’s talk about Fort Hood for a second.

I’m going to say what very few are willing to say – Fort Hood was an act of terrorism, the first act of documented terrorism on U.S. soil since 9/11.

On the day of the attack President Obama said the following:

“We don’t know all the answers yet and I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts,”

And he is right, no one should jump to conclusions; however, once the facts are out President Obama doesn’t still does not want to vocalize the reality of the situation – Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the shooter, jumped up and yelled “Alah Hu Akhbar” before he opened fire.

Just because he wasn’t attached to a specific group doesn’t mean his actions were not terrorism. The fact that this man expressed a fanatic dedication to Islam is the differentiator here. He planned his actions, and did so in the name of religion.  Such actions should not be confused with a man that simply “snapped”.

How President Obama reacted to this situation is very important as I think it shows how he will react when other terrorist attacks take place – a wait and see, let us not offend someone, mentality.

On that happy thought, I’m going to go finish watching the Bears get their ass kicked by the Cardinals.

I enjoy a good game, and I would even go as far as to say I’m emotionally interested in when the Chicago Bears play. The reality I face; however, is that I am not a fan of football.

Really, I’m not.

I have no understanding of the different routes and plays the teams execute, I have no desire to sit next to Lake Michigan, in the middle of the winter, with the wind constantly blowing through my countless layers of protection only to find out that my testicles need to be treated for frost bite, but more importantly, I have no big desire to see any enjoyment in the whole rivalry aspect of the game.

To recap, I enjoy a game but and not a huge fan(atic).

Ok, that said and out of the way… what the hell happened to the Chicago Bears this past week?  Has the defensive line fallen so far since the super bowl?   Even with a franchise play on the team (Hello Cutler!)  the offensive cannot get things into gear, and the idea that the Chicago Bears will have a power running back is laughable at best.

My big fear about brining Jay Cutler into the mix was having Ron Turner keep the same mentality he did in the past.  Have a quarterback that can manage a game and run when the risk to pass was too high.  Yea, well, it seems like he had taken a play out of his old play book.  Really.

Turner, you have one of the best QBs in the league on your team – write the playbook to him.  If he is the captain, make him be the captain.  Don’t stick with short route passes and hope your power back will get you the rest of the way.

Pick –Ron Turner – Pick what you want your offense to be.  A solid, talent backed, passing game or a “hit or miss” running back being lead by a trouble line.

The defense has their share of the blame, too.  Don’t get me wrong, I did not forget about their c movie performance.

Up front, I will admit the defensive team has suffered a lot over the last two seasons. The biggest problem facing the defense squad is, well, Lovie Smith.  It’s clear that his ability to act as the Defensive Coordinator is the ultimate death wish for the season.

Let’s face it – the last two performances from the Chicago Bears have been less than post-season quality.  Sunday was a travesty and the year is only going to become harder.

Lovie and Ron need to get their act in gear, and soon, before the season sails.

I was shocked to see that Steve McNair was found dead today.

Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair and a woman were found shot to death Saturday inside a residence in Nashville, police said.

Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron confirmed that authorities were called to a condominium and found McNair and a woman shot to death inside. Aaron said police don’t yet know the circumstances of the shootings.

“I don’t have any answers for you now as to what’s happened, who’s responsible,” Aaron said.

While not a huge football fan, he was one hell of a QB that obviously caught my attention.  Sad to see this happen to him, let alone anyone.

UPDATE:

The woman found dead with McNair is Sahel Kazemi, his girlfriend.  Also, McNair was shot multiple times, Kazemi had a single gunshot wound to the head. A picture of her can be found here. Before you jump to the conclusion of murder/suicide, check what a Police spokesman said:

Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron told Tennessee reporters today that no suspect is in custody at this time.  Aaron ruled out the scenario of a murder-suicide.

Guessing more will come out, but don’t assume anything yet.

Obviously the Bears are not going to the Super Bowl this year, no one expected them to be, but one would have expected a better game from them today vs. Green Bay.

This is sad and I’m not even a big football fan!