10 Conclusions from NFL London 2011 – Bears Vs Bucs
‘THE Greatest show on turf’ rolled into Wembley Stadium on Sunday evening as London played host to its fifth NFL regular season match.
Chicago’s Bears triumphed 24-18 over Tampa Bay’s Buccaneers under the Wembley arch, and in front of a crowd of over 75,000 people. Londoners may only have had a week’s taste of the action, but victory put Chicago and Tampa Bay equal in the standings, both with records of 4-3, and the pair played out an interesting game which went right down to the final play.
What conclusions can we draw from the action we witnessed.....?
· #1 – Many people believe that the NFL has no place going to London, but whatever your opinion, there was a certain excitement around the league as the Bears and the Bucs headed abroad. They put on a fine show in the English capital too, with an intriguing game that had some last minute drama, and plenty of the skills which the casual fan may be drawn into the game because of.
As a piece of PR, Roger Goodell was a clear winner and the league did an excellent job of selling the game to a new audience.
· #2 – The Bears proved Sunday night on the Wembley grass that they still have a long way to go before they can reach the heights of last season. A campaign outside of the playoffs may still have to be on the agenda for Chi-Town unless they can cut out some basic errors and give their QB a better level of protection.
Chicago were outscored 13-10 in the second half of the game, and only a pick by D.J. More in the dying seconds of the game prevented them from the agony of a single point defeat.
· #3 – The Bucs will have been disappointed to lose what seemed like a game which was there for the taking. After beating the Saints last week, the team falls to 4-3 and loses a second home game (even if the reality of the venue was neutral.) Tampa now faces a bye week, and then head to New Orleans to see if they can surprise Drew Brees and company once again. They’ll be hoping that defeat in London didn’t totally knock the wind out of their sails.
· #4 – Several of the Bears team proved themselves in the face of adversity in Week 7, something which should not be forgotten throughout the rest of the season. A second win in a row for Jay Cutler was helped by nine passing first downs, 226 total passing yards, and the play of Matt Forte - the Bears top performer. The Running Back wasn’t about to let a long journey across the Atlantic slow him down, and he extended his league record for combined rushing and receiving to 1,089 yards in total. Forte is the first player to go over 1,000 yards through seven game since Priest Holmes and Tiki Barber in 2004.
· #5 – Of Cutler, perhaps his expletive-laden huddle last week assisted his performance as he threw for one touchdown and two interceptions. His rating, 60.2, was still way down on a career average of 84.3, but after suffering at the hands of the Lions and Packers defence, Cutler continued to perform when his side are favourites. With fourteen days to prepare for the next week, the Chicago QB held off his detractors for another week.
· #6 – Although the Bears were ahead on 1st downs, total yards, and time in possession, statistics will make this game look more one-sided than it was. Chicago was made to look exactly what they are, 27th in opposition passing yards, and in the second half it seemed as though they would be unable to do anything prevent a Tampa Bay comeback. The Bucs themselves were not great shakes on defence, but managing to stop Chicago in the first half and force a touchback, they gave themselves every chance to mount a comeback. Despite his interceptions, Josh Freeman looked to be tearing through the notoriously stingy Bears defence with great ease. As Bucs coach Raheem Morris said: “The problem with us is we’re too young. We’re foolish.”
As harsh as their coach’s comments seem, the Bucs did show naivety when it matter the most (in the fourth quarter), and they were eventually punished for leaving themselves with a little too much to do.
· #7 - Both teams go into their bye week in similar positions. Victory helped the Bears leapfrog the Bucs in their conference, and move in just behind the Lions in their own division. With Green Bay seemingly running away with the NFC North, Chicago was able to gain ground on the currently stumbling Detroit.
Defeat was not the end of the world either for Tampa, who now sits seventh and are second behind New Orleans in the NFC South. Atlanta looks like the only serious threat to their position in that division, but they could do with pulling away from the Falcons a little more before the two sides meet on January 1st.
· #8 – The game itself was perhaps a perfect example of the world of the NFL coming off the back of a summer which included a two-month lockout. Both sides fought hard to overcome errors and turnovers, and with no option of OTA’s or mini-camps during the off-season, it shows that even professional athletes can struggle to find their rhythm when dramatic changes are made to their yearly schedule. Tampa Bay particularly struggled to help Josh Freeman leading the QB to convert on only 4-14 3rd down opportunities and also lead to 29-52 passing statistics.
· #9 – Sunday was a bad day in general for the Bucs this side of the Atlantic. Before their team stepped out onto the Wembley pitch, the Glazer family, owners of Tampa Bay had witnessed their other sporting team, Manchester United, being thrashed 6-1 at home by their biggest rivals. Losing to the Bears in London put them 0-2 in regular season games this side of the Atlantic. Trips to the English capital have left the Bucs down by a combined score-line of 69-25.
· #10 – American Football may be a long way from the top of most British fans sporting interests, but those who stepped inside Wembley stadium on Sunday did their best to support the game and get behind one of the two teams.
This shows the large and recent global successes of the NFL.
No matter which two teams were playing, the game’s following would have been fanatical, and meshed together with the experience was an exciting game which turned out to be perhaps the most evenly matched in the five-year history of the event. The deal agreed between Wembley and the NFL looks set to continue for another five years, and annually supported by around 75,000 people, it is an excellent opportunity for the game to continue its expansion.
What conclusions can we draw from the action we witnessed.....?
· #1 – Many people believe that the NFL has no place going to London, but whatever your opinion, there was a certain excitement around the league as the Bears and the Bucs headed abroad. They put on a fine show in the English capital too, with an intriguing game that had some last minute drama, and plenty of the skills which the casual fan may be drawn into the game because of.
As a piece of PR, Roger Goodell was a clear winner and the league did an excellent job of selling the game to a new audience.
· #2 – The Bears proved Sunday night on the Wembley grass that they still have a long way to go before they can reach the heights of last season. A campaign outside of the playoffs may still have to be on the agenda for Chi-Town unless they can cut out some basic errors and give their QB a better level of protection.
Chicago were outscored 13-10 in the second half of the game, and only a pick by D.J. More in the dying seconds of the game prevented them from the agony of a single point defeat.
· #3 – The Bucs will have been disappointed to lose what seemed like a game which was there for the taking. After beating the Saints last week, the team falls to 4-3 and loses a second home game (even if the reality of the venue was neutral.) Tampa now faces a bye week, and then head to New Orleans to see if they can surprise Drew Brees and company once again. They’ll be hoping that defeat in London didn’t totally knock the wind out of their sails.
· #4 – Several of the Bears team proved themselves in the face of adversity in Week 7, something which should not be forgotten throughout the rest of the season. A second win in a row for Jay Cutler was helped by nine passing first downs, 226 total passing yards, and the play of Matt Forte - the Bears top performer. The Running Back wasn’t about to let a long journey across the Atlantic slow him down, and he extended his league record for combined rushing and receiving to 1,089 yards in total. Forte is the first player to go over 1,000 yards through seven game since Priest Holmes and Tiki Barber in 2004.
· #5 – Of Cutler, perhaps his expletive-laden huddle last week assisted his performance as he threw for one touchdown and two interceptions. His rating, 60.2, was still way down on a career average of 84.3, but after suffering at the hands of the Lions and Packers defence, Cutler continued to perform when his side are favourites. With fourteen days to prepare for the next week, the Chicago QB held off his detractors for another week.
· #6 – Although the Bears were ahead on 1st downs, total yards, and time in possession, statistics will make this game look more one-sided than it was. Chicago was made to look exactly what they are, 27th in opposition passing yards, and in the second half it seemed as though they would be unable to do anything prevent a Tampa Bay comeback. The Bucs themselves were not great shakes on defence, but managing to stop Chicago in the first half and force a touchback, they gave themselves every chance to mount a comeback. Despite his interceptions, Josh Freeman looked to be tearing through the notoriously stingy Bears defence with great ease. As Bucs coach Raheem Morris said: “The problem with us is we’re too young. We’re foolish.”
As harsh as their coach’s comments seem, the Bucs did show naivety when it matter the most (in the fourth quarter), and they were eventually punished for leaving themselves with a little too much to do.
· #7 - Both teams go into their bye week in similar positions. Victory helped the Bears leapfrog the Bucs in their conference, and move in just behind the Lions in their own division. With Green Bay seemingly running away with the NFC North, Chicago was able to gain ground on the currently stumbling Detroit.
Defeat was not the end of the world either for Tampa, who now sits seventh and are second behind New Orleans in the NFC South. Atlanta looks like the only serious threat to their position in that division, but they could do with pulling away from the Falcons a little more before the two sides meet on January 1st.
· #8 – The game itself was perhaps a perfect example of the world of the NFL coming off the back of a summer which included a two-month lockout. Both sides fought hard to overcome errors and turnovers, and with no option of OTA’s or mini-camps during the off-season, it shows that even professional athletes can struggle to find their rhythm when dramatic changes are made to their yearly schedule. Tampa Bay particularly struggled to help Josh Freeman leading the QB to convert on only 4-14 3rd down opportunities and also lead to 29-52 passing statistics.
· #9 – Sunday was a bad day in general for the Bucs this side of the Atlantic. Before their team stepped out onto the Wembley pitch, the Glazer family, owners of Tampa Bay had witnessed their other sporting team, Manchester United, being thrashed 6-1 at home by their biggest rivals. Losing to the Bears in London put them 0-2 in regular season games this side of the Atlantic. Trips to the English capital have left the Bucs down by a combined score-line of 69-25.
· #10 – American Football may be a long way from the top of most British fans sporting interests, but those who stepped inside Wembley stadium on Sunday did their best to support the game and get behind one of the two teams.
This shows the large and recent global successes of the NFL.
No matter which two teams were playing, the game’s following would have been fanatical, and meshed together with the experience was an exciting game which turned out to be perhaps the most evenly matched in the five-year history of the event. The deal agreed between Wembley and the NFL looks set to continue for another five years, and annually supported by around 75,000 people, it is an excellent opportunity for the game to continue its expansion.