The Bear Front/ChiCitySports Quarantine Re-Watch No. 1: Browns at Bears 2001

[zack54attack]

To pass some time, we decided to do a Quarantine re-watch of Classic Chicago Bears games. I'll post a thread for at least 1 game a week, possibly 2 depending on how fast we get through them. You can discuss the game in here with others. In addition, the Bear Front Podcast will do a recap episode for every game featured on here.

First up:

2001: Cleveland Browns & Chicago Bears, Nov. 4. (The Mike Brown Game Part 2)








Logos via SportsLogos.net
Stats via Pro Football Reference

PASSING
Shane "Light" Matthews

​

ATT	COMP	YDS	CP %	YDS/ATT	TD	INT	LONG	SACK	RATE
30	50	357	60.0	7.14	2	3	34	5	70.2

RUSHING
Anthony "A-Train" Thomas

​

ATTEMPTS	YARDS	YDS PER ATT	LONG	TD
31	96	3.0	11	1

RECEIVING
Dez White

​

RECEPTIONS	YARDS	YDS PER REC	LONG	TD
7	92	13.1	32	0

​

 

[zack54attack]

LINK TO FULL GAME:

Spoiler

 

[zack54attack]

Blake Brockermyer. All-time Bears name.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

Corrine Wood for governor!

 

[Beast15]

A-TRAIN, 31 for 96 yds.... Against the Browns??? Against the F'ing Browns???? Good ending though..

 

[TheMarshallPlan]

Corrine Wood for governor!

Gretchen Whitmer for governor.

She’s a total cougar. I could care less about her politics.

 

[MDB111™]

I couldn't care less.
It's couldn't
You are literally saying you could care less which is Special person.

 

[A.C. Milan]

 

[Leomaz]

Blake Brockermyer. All-time Bears name.

Mike Stonebreaker?

 

[Penny Traitor]

I actually watched this game in Cleveland at a freaking Hooters restaurant of all places. I instinctively lept to my feet on that pick six with a hearty "YEAH!".

The rest of that Hooters was dead silent for like five seconds until I heard "FUCK YOU!" and dude throws one of those shitty wings at me. Then the whole place is just booing poor Vu like I had just beaten the Browns myself.

I have not been back to Cleveland since.

 

[botfly10]

MIKE BROWN HAS DONE IT AGAIN

 

[What?!?!]

I couldn't care less.
It's couldn't
You are literally saying you could care less which is Special person.

It’s really next level retardation, unreal how many shitheads can’t comprehend the difference

 

[mecha]

things that stick out:
- Bears start the game with 2 turnovers in the first 2 minutes (the lol)
-as an aside, in the current NFL there would have been 5 commercial breaks in that span of time
-"AOL keyword"
-Nextel
-Bruce Arians
-Anthony Thomas got like 1000 touches
-Ted Washington and Keith Traylor
-Mike Brown does it again
-Packers defeat 'division rival' Buccaneers
-last year for divisions with 6 teams (what a fuck format)

I miss 2001. it was when I graduated high school and went to college. how in shit was this nearly 20 years ago already?

 

[zack54attack]

I actually watched this game in Cleveland at a freaking Hooters restaurant of all places. I instinctively lept to my feet on that pick six with a hearty "YEAH!".

The rest of that Hooters was dead silent for like five seconds until I heard "FUCK YOU!" and dude throws one of those shitty wings at me. Then the whole place is just booing poor Vu like I had just beaten the Browns myself.

I have not been back to Cleveland since.

curious. What was the talent like at a Cleveland Hooters on a Sunday afternoon? Lol

 

[didshereallysaythat]

Was at this game. So glad we stayed till the end. 50 percent left after turned it over on downs with like 5 minutes left down 21-7. Remember hugging random strangers walking out of the stadium. Everyone chanting 6-1!

 

[Penny Traitor]

What was the talent like at a Cleveland Hooters on a Sunday afternoon?

I have only been to one other Hooters, so I may not be the best judge. That said, the waitstaff at both reminded me a lot of the time I walked into a strip club at 11am on a Tuesday.

 

[zack54attack]

Was at this game. So glad we stayed till the end. 50 percent left after turned it over on downs with like 5 minutes left down 21-7. Remember hugging random strangers walking out of the stadium. Everyone chanting 6-1!

Great game to be at!

 

[Harbaugh2WaddleTD]

https://www.spreaker.com/user/10865949/the-bear-front-58-midway-rewind-bears-vs

Here is the podcast!

Some stuff that didn't make it in due to us going over time and Zack having to jump off:

@Stephen_Roto and @zack54attack Thoughts on the below?

What Aged the Best:
-The Bears uniforms during this time. Black shoes, numbers on the sleeve rather than the shoulder, a more true navy blue look, just beautiful. They should go back to these. Did some digging, and in 2002 the Bears went to the current darker shade of blue and ditched the black shoe look in 2014-ish.

-Old Soldier Field at Night. Night games in the old Soldier Field have aged incredibly well. The way the lights were set up and the amount of them(lack of them?) did great things for TV viewing and is a much better experience than the new Soldier Field over-lit look.

-John Shoops offensive concepts. I hinted at this early in the pod but while Shoop is universally panned by Bears fans(yeah he threw a lot of bubble/tunnel screens...what would you rather have him do with Shane Matthews?) he went on to coach in the pro and college ranks for nearly another 20 years after this game. He hadn't(and maybe never did) master the art of playcalling but the concepts he used were ahead of his time with the Bears and I liked his willingness to go 4 Wide at times and at other times go double TE and I-Form and run power if he felt it was the right choice. Perhaps another current Chicago coach could take some cues here......

What Aged the Worst:
-Most everything Phil Simms said. He had a real hard time adjusting to what Arians and Shoop was doing and his shock at seeing so many 4WR/Shotgun sets is really dated.

-James Allen's reaction to his Hailmary Catch. He barely reacted as you would think someone would when they catch a game tying Hail Mary with no time left. Maybe he got the wind knocked out of him on the dive...but the celebration...was....lacking