Walt Harris

The assumption is that something other than their own excellence was responsible for making the Philadelphia Eagles look like a playoff team Sunday. The question is, did Cade McNown's debut as starting quarterback slow up the Bears just enough to stumble...

You could hardly blame them. It's pouring rain. Their team hadn't shown the ability to move the ball without turning it over, much less score. From the opposing sideline, Mike Ditka, for crying out loud, was glowering at his team to close it out. None of...

On any given Sunday, three fumbles, six sacks of your quarterback and one mixed-up punter stands a good chance of losing a road game in the NFL. On this given Sunday, however, one fumble, a couple of key drops, two missed field goals and a penchant for...

Yes, those were your Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday. Essentially the same guys in the same uniforms you saw taking a knee at the two-minute warnings and running their tailbacks off left guard on third-and-11. The same franchise that has drummed...

Based on the most significant playing time of his fledgling pro career, Cade McNown's rookie season will be nothing if not suspenseful. And the Bears are sure to follow. Youthful 3-yard touchdown run. Two rookie interceptions. Dramatic 20-yard touchdown...

They were not specifically trying to save their coach's job. Nor were they trying to prove anyone wrong, shut anyone up or lay anyone out. They were certainly not attempting to move down in the draft order, but they did not particularly care if they...

They come wrapped in different packages each week. Dressed up or dressed down depending on the locale or the stakes involved. They are a big disappointment or a bigger disappointment or, worse yet, as it was Sunday in the Bears' 26-20 loss to Green Bay,...

You were scared for them at first. Seriously frightened that for the first time in the annals of organized sport, a team might actually be ground into the artificial turf and disappear. Minnesota's offense operated as if running its pregame walkthrough,...

A zombie-like Bears team reacted with neither anger nor disgust nor any real emotion at all to the events that had transpired before them Sunday night. They were, in fact, numb. Worn from an effort that was not good enough. Drained, no doubt, by their...

Almost good enough never felt worse, primarily because it keeps looking better. If the Bears almost beat Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay the first three weeks of the season, then they really almost beat the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, performing...

They are the Charlie Browns of the National Football League. Each game the ball is jerked out from under them. Each week they come back for more. And every time the Bears depart politely into the night--the sooner to get beat up again. On this Sunday,...

Perhaps it is a measure of how bad last season was, how demoralizing four lethargic, emotionless exhibition losses were, that a 24-23 loss to a Super Bowl contender such as the Jacksonville Jaguars seemed vaguely like a win. The Bears rushed for 132...