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Even though the Bears have already clinched a playoff spot and the NFC North title, there is still a lot more at stake in the last two weeks of the season. The main goal is and will be getting the No.2 seed in the NFC behind Atlanta, who has all but clinched the top seed in the conference. The Falcons have a big game on Monday Night Football against the reigning champs Saints and with a win Atlanta can ensure that the road to Dallas will go through Georgia Dome this year.
The Bears face the New York Jets in a matchup of 10-4 teams but with slightly different playoff scenarios. The Bears are fighting for the playoff seed in their conference, while the Jets need a win to clinch a playoff berth for a second consecutive year. In a year where the Jets have been in the news for a whole lot of wrong reasons (just think Jenn Sterger, Ines Sainz and the tripping equipment guy) there was another issue this week.
Jets coach Rex Ryan was the reason for the distraction this time around, as there are reports claiming Ryan and his wife, Michelle, participated in some foot-fetish videos seen on the Internet. The videos show a woman displaying her feet to an off-screen cameraman who, in one particular video, sounds like Ryan. The two are having an intimate chat about her feet.
The Jets have dealt with distractions before; therefore one has to figure that this will not be a big deal this week. The bigger question is the health of their quarterback Mark Sanchez, who has been nursing a sore shoulder all week and has not thrown a touchdown pass in three games, all the while throwing four interceptions. Sanchez is expected to play on Sunday and from a Bears perspective that might not be the worst of deals. He has been Mr. Inconsistency over the last month and he gets to face one of the best defenses in the league on Sunday in Julius Peppers and the Bears. That is one of the reasons why I am optimistic about this game.
The biggest problem for the Bears will be containing the Jets defense, in particular the blitzing schemes that Rex Ryan like to use. The Jets defense comes early and often. Their motto is always to rather get beaten while applying pressure, rather than just sitting back and waiting things to develop. They are very aggressive and the Bears will have to find a way to use that aggressiveness against them. Quick, short passes should be used tomorrow to offset the Jets pass rush, as well as screens and draws. The Jets get their swagger from their defense and if that is taken away from them everything else becomes easier.
The Bears have an advantage at the quarterback position, since Cutler is simply playing better than Sanchez. At the same time I believe that the Jets running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene are better than our combo of Forte and Taylor. The Jets receivers are certainly better than the Bears receiving core, however, with Sanchez struggling as much as he has over the last couple of games, that becomes a mute point. Both defenses are very stout against the run and both have a great front four. The Jets corners Revis and Cromartie are widely regarded as the best CB duo in the league so I wouldn’t expect much from the receivers in this game.
That leads me to my key to the game: Special Teams. Both teams are getting great special team play, Jets from Brad Smith and Bears from Devin Hester. Smith returned a kickoff last week for a score and is among the league leaders in average return yards per kickoff, something the Bears MUST stop if they want to win tomorrow.
Devin Hester set the all time NFL record last Monday night in Minnesota, as he took another punt return to the endzone to set the new all time record at 14. Which ever team stops the other electrifying return man better will have a huge outcome in who wins the game.
The Jets are a good team but they are not great. Both teams were manhandled by New England in the last 3 weeks, and they both have glaring weaknesses. The team which exposes the others’ weakness better will end up winning the game. For my money I will take the Bears at home, simply because I believe that Sanchez will make more mistakes than Cutler and Bears special teams will out duel New York’s. It’s hard to imagine that this will be anything other than a defensive game, something both teams are very accustomed to.
PREDICTION: Bears 20 – Jets 14
Here we are officially kicking off a new weekly segment here at Chicago.com called “The Bulls Report,” which will cover any and all the news surrounding our favorite basketball team. The “Report” will summarize the week that was for the Bulls on and off the court, as well as lend some insight into the general situation of our Bulls and how they are faring thus far in the NBA. This feature will usually be a Monday staple but I decided to start it off this time with a pre-Christmas version.
Overall, things are very good with the team right now. The Bulls’ record is 18-9 and they have won two in a row following the surprising loss to Vinny Del Negro’s Los Angeles Clippers. The reason it was surprising is due to the Clippers’ overall record (8-22) and in particular their road woes (2-11) where they had won only once prior to their victory in Chicago. It’s pretty safe to say that the loss against the Clippers stings in particular since the Bulls had won seven in a row prior to that and now back to back games since.
The Clippers are not as bad as their record would indicate and they have a perennial superstar All-Star in Blake Griffin. The team that is so often ripped for getting their draft picks screwed up (think Michael Olowokandi) got this one very much right. Griffin is a beast, physically and skill-wise. Coming off of a micro fracture surgery on his knee, the 2nd year Oklahoma forward has every possible shot in his repertoire along with the nasty streak unseen in the NBA since the days of Alonzo Mourning. His goal is to dunk it on you every chance he gets and thus far this year he has been a human highlight show, he alone is worth the price of admission. Seriously, he is.
The missed free throw by Derrick Rose at the end of that game is something that will not happen to him again as he has been phenomenal in the early part of the season. The Bulls played without Joakim Noah and missed his presence against Griffin, as veteran Kurt Thomas couldn’t provide the spark that Tom Thibodeau was hoping to get from him. Sure it is only one game and every team will have its hiccups once in a while but the Bulls could have had a 10-game win streak if not for that loss.
The Clippers loss was followed by an absolute annihilation of the 76ers and a close but gutsy victory against the Wizard in Washington. The Philly game was over early on as the Bulls shot over 60% from the field for the game won it in an embarrassing fashion by 45 points. Philadelphia never really got going and the game was over by halftime, something coach Thibodeau must have loved following that Clippers loss. In Washington, Carlos Boozer had 30 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists to carry the Bulls to their 9th win in the last 10 games. Derrick Rose added his usual line of 20 or more points and 5 or more assists and the Bulls tightened their defense in the fourth quarter allowing only 10 points. In short, Bulls are beating the teams that they are supposed to beat aside from the Clippers loss, of course.
Schedule-wise the Bulls are in the middle of a very favorable stretch in the next couple of weeks. The tough game on the slate is the Christmas Day game against the Knicks and Amar’e Stoudamire but the next seven after that all very winnable. The schedule for the next 8 games is like this: @New York, @ Detroit, Milwaukee, New Jersey, Cleveland, Toronto, @ New Jersey and @ Philadelphia. The Bulls have a better record than all of these teams and a 6-2 or even a 7-1 record during is to be expected.
Playing without Noah for 2 more months, the Bulls need to stay focused and beat the teams they are expected to beat. Tough games are coming soon and the Bulls need to capitalize on this weaker part of the schedule, especially since Noah is not coming back anytime soon. Maintaining the high level of play is going to be challenging and if they can do that until Noah gets back, it would make life a lot easier come March and April. In my opinion, the division should and will be won by the Bulls. The more games they win now the easier the road will be later.
“The Report” will be back next week and here is to hoping that we have another successful week to look back on. Until then keep supporting our Bulls and Merry Christmas to all.
And so after a month-long hiatus we are back here at Chicago.com with our weekly Bears coverage and boy does it feel great to that again. Not only because I get to write on my favorite team – Chicago Bears, but because by the time I preview the Bears next week we might be talking about NFC North Division winners Chicago Bears. The reason for that is simple – Green Bay lost a heartbreaker to the Patriots and our Bears have 1 ½ game lead on the Packers prior to tonight’s game against the Vikings.
The biggest story of the game is the weather. It’s been in the news over the past week and it all started with the collapse of the roof in the Metrodome.
For a whole week there has been speculation about where the game would be played and even after a location was found as nearby as the University of Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium there were still issues. The field was deemed as unplayable due to snow and the frigid conditions early on but those issues were taken care of since. The players from both teams are still questioning the quality of the pitch but it’s a little too late for that now. The Bears’ players didn’t complain about that a week ago when they were taken to the woodshed by Tom Brady and the Patriots. Conditions will be the same for both teams and the sooner Bears players come to that conclusion the better they will be prepared for the game.
The second biggest question going into the game is how to correct the mistakes that were made against the Patriots. The Bears couldn’t throw the ball, couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t stop the pass, couldn’t stop the run and even had special team lapses unseen before all in one game. It was a fail of epic proportions and one that they had a week to correct.
The truth is that they will be facing a rookie quarterback in Joe Webb, who will look to right the Viking ship after injuries to Brett Favre and Tarvaris Jackson. The Bears have caught many breaks this year and none appear to be bigger than this one. With a chance to clinch the division they will face a rookie quarterback on a team that is looking for off-season rest already.
Adrian Peterson. That’s the key to the game. If the Bears are able to stop Peterson and make the Vikings one-dimensional and put it in the hands of a rookie quarterback, who is making his first NFL start against one of the best front fours in the game. Peterson is struggling with a thigh injury and in the first meeting against the Bears mustered up just 51 yards on the ground. The Vikings have nothing to play for and it’s not in their indoor stadium, even more of a reason for the Bears to be pumped up for this game.
Jay Cutler has to get back to the Jay Cutler from a couple weeks ago and forget completely about last week’s game against the Patriots. The Bears will hopefully simplify the game plan, run the football and excel at special teams, something that was a major letdown last week. The weather will play a role, it will be snowing and it’s going to be extremely cold. The most complaints have been about the frozen field and the dangers it could pose to the players. I have a feeling that the field will not be any worse than last week at Soldier Field and that field certainly didn’t bother Tom Brady and the Patriots.
I believe that this game will be closer than some experts have predicted. The Bears will play better tonight but so will the Vikings. This is the last “home” game for Minnesota and they will want to go out with a bang. The key will be stopping Adrian Peterson and making Joe Webb beat you. I have a feeling that Devin Hester will have a big special play tonight, especially since he looked really good last week in the snowstorm. In a close and very unpredictable game my prediction is that the Bears come out victorious and clinch the NFC North with two weeks remaining.
PREDICTION: Bears 24 – Vikings 20
Here’s a couple of quick facts, that you probably don’t know, that all point to a career in health care being a smart place to stake your future for the coming decade:
Already one of the largest industries in 2008 and 2009, the healthcare industry provides over 14 million jobs. If you want to know why healthcare reform was such a big deal in congress this past summer, this is why.
Find a list of the 20 fastest growing jobs and you’ll see that ten or more are likely health care related. More specifically, the healthcare industry is going to generate over 3 million new jobs in the next ten years. This is more than any other industry and it’s mostly due to the baby boomers growing old and entering the elderly population.
Despite what you may think about the healthcare industry, most of the jobs in this field only require 4 years of college education. Most of the people working in the healthcare industry aren’t doctors. Most are technicians, assistants, administrators, and nurses.
Depending on the specialty, a physician needs an average of 4.5 staff to support him or her and there are more physicians entering the healthcare industry than ever before. There is an endless amount of opportunities in this ever-expanding field.
Where to Start?
The first step to entering this industry is to determine your specialty and find a school or university that trains in that specialty. Online or for-profit schools typically offer a wide array of healthcare related specialties like training as a pharmacy technician, but you’ll need to ensure that you attend a reputable institution that will help you find a job when you get out of school. Sanford Brown is a good example of a school like this, but there are others that have good reputations with employers and provide assistance to students in need.
People with a love of country living buy homes with the USDA loan. You may also be surprised to find that some Chicago-area homes also qualify for the USDA’s unique program.
Generally, USDA loans alleviate financial stress with its various perks and focus on rural homeownership for low-to-middle income families because they offer a no money down home financing option. Let’s look closer.
USDA Loan Benefits
Advancing the development of rural communities, the USDA’s Housing and Community Facilities Programs guarantees two types of home loans for families and farmers: the Guaranteed and Direct Housing Loan.
Private section lenders assume no risk in approving these loans insured through HCFP. Why? If a borrower defaults, HCFP pays the lender the remaining balance. Therefore, more families attain their dreams of living in rural areas because lenders willingly help them to reap the benefits of the mortgage program.
One gigantic advantage of USDA loans is a person can borrow up to 100% of the appraised value of the single-family home or farmland. The 100% financing gets rid of the down payment requirement. Closing costs and the guarantee fee roll over into the monthly payments, so there are virtually no upfront costs.
Guaranteed and Direct Housing, or Section 502, loans are typically used to help low-income persons obtain homes in rural areas. The funds can be puts towards the construction, repair or renovation of a new home. Homebuyers can also use some of the loan money to help with moving costs.
Guaranteed loans are on a 30-year payment plan. Lenders set the interest rates. However, because of government backing of the loan and the general state of the economy, lenders offer home buyers lower rates; not to mention, house prices are at a record low. Lenders also use a buyer’s debt-to-income ratio to determine rates and repayment ability.
Direct Housing loans last 33 years for buyers who meet income standards and 38 years for buyers with income below the required limits. The loan repayment plan is 30 years for manufactured homes. Unlike the Guaranteed loan, the HCFP establishes interest rates for Direct Housing loans. They base rates on the government’s budget but also provide a subsidy to home buyers as incentive.
How to Apply and USDA Loan Eligibility
Buyers need to work their credit up to acceptable standards and demonstrate the ability to make payments for the long haul. Families applying for the Direct Housing loan must have an extremely low income. Income limits are not as strict on the Guaranteed loan.
The USDA has about 800 offices nationwide with staff ready and willing to help interested home buyers. Potential buyers can fill out application or receive advice and feedback from their local USDA offices.