Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers must be breathing a sigh of relief. After getting knocked around but good Sunday by the Minnesota Vikings, facing the Bears at Lambeau next week will be a welcome break. In case you haven't heard, the Bears can't pressure anybody.
Carol Slezak: The Bulls will miss Kirk Hinrich. But just how much will they miss him? Hinrich, who tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb during Friday's game, will undergo surgery on Tuesday at Rush University Medical Center. He will miss up to three months.
Bears quarterback Rex Grossman has been through a lot since coming to Chicago. He's overcome serious injuries. He's been jeered, and he's been benched. He's endured sniping by his own teammates. He's been psychoanalyzed by a bunch of armchair shrinks, from fans to writers to TV and radio talkers. He's carried the baggage of first-round-pick expectations, and it only has become heavier over the years.
There are must-win games, and there are those you must win to avoid embarrassment. For the Bears, the game today against the Detroit Lions falls into both categories. They need to win to make sure they stay atop the NFC North. And they need to win because, let's face it, losing to the Lions would be humiliating.
There were some truths in the remarks Aramis Ramirez made the other day.
They're reeling on Wall Street and we're feeling it on Main Street, but the country's financial crisis has yet to significantly affect the city's major sports franchises.