ESPN

Could another famous mustache be patrolling the sidelines at Soldier Field next season?

An unnamed source told the NFL Network the Bears and Houston Texanswould excite Bill Cowher, the former Pittsburgh Steelerscoach and current CBS television analyst. Two sources close to Cowher told the NFL Network they believe he is more ready now than at any time since retiring after the 2006 season to return to coaching, but he will remain very selective about his next move.

Cowher has reportedly made it known he will not make a decision on a team until after the season out of respect for coaches, such as Lovie Smith, who are not out of a job yet, and Cowher's current employer, CBS.

Cowher, who went 149-90-1 in 15 seasons as the Steelers' coach and won a Super Bowl after the 2005 season, is expected to command as much as $10 million a year.

The report also said the Carolina Panthers likely will make a run at Cowher, who lives in Raleigh, N.C., if they fire John Fox.

CHICAGO -- Football is the ultimate team game. You win as an organization, you lose as an organization. Instead of simply blaming one person (Ron Turner) for the Bears being 20-22 since the Super Bowl, take a step back and look at the big picture: It's been a collective effort, from the front office down to the players. Nobody should be immune from criticism, because everybody played a part in this mess.

Here's a list of why the Bears have been a mediocre team going on three seasons:

After trading Thomas Jones to New York, the Bears handed the starting running back job to Cedric Benson (bust) in 2007.

Mark Anderson is promoted over Alex Brown in 2007 -- Anderson clearly couldn't handle the assignment.

Nathan Vasher got hurt versus Dallas in 2007 -- he never recovered.

Brian Urlacher dealt with major back issues in 2007, and missed almost all of 2009 with a dislocated wrist.

The Bears drafted Dan Bazuin (bust) in the second round in 2007.

The Bears drafted Michael Okwo (bust) in the third round in 2007.

The Bears drafted Garrett Wolfe (reach) in the third round in 2007.

The Bears have gotten NOTHING out of their top four selections in 2009: Jarron Gilbert, Juaquin Iglesias, Henry Melton and D.J. Moore.

2008 first round pick Chris Williams had a pre-existing back condition.

Tommie Harris stopped being Tommie Harris after receiving a contract extension following the 2007 season.

Defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek could never stay healthy.

The Bears signed Adam Archuleta in the 2007 offseason.

The Bears signed Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd in the 2008 offseason.

The Bears signed Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale, Josh Bullocks and Pisa Tinoisamoa (talented, but injured) in the 2009 offseason.

Kevin Jones never made it out of the 2009 preseason.

The Bears traded for Darwin Walker in 2007.

The Bears dealt Chris Harris to Carolina before the 2007 season.

The Bears traded a second round pick for Gaines Adams in 2009.

Craig Steltz took all the first-team reps at free safety this past offseason.

Marcus Harrison showed up to training camp overweight in 2009 -- he's never recovered.

The following talented assistant coaches were inexplicably fired: Ron Rivera, Don Johnson, Wade Wilson and Lloyd Lee.

Devin Hester lost all of his special teams magic.

Devin Hester became a "No. 1" wide receiver.

The Bears failed to apply the franchise tag to Bernard Berrian.

Tight end Desmond Clark, (1) lost his starting job without a competition, and (2) is being totally misused in the offense.

Matt Forte went from averaging 3.9 yards per carry as a rookie, to 3.3 as a sophomore.

Opponents have converted on 42.8 percent of third down conversions in 2009.

Corey Graham wasn't in the mix until mid-way through the 2009 season -- why?

Oh yeah, Jay Cutler has thrown a mind-numbing 18 interceptions.

Yep, it's taken a lot of work for the Bears to go 20-22 since the Super Bowl.

CHICAGO -- Although the Bears surrendered way too many yards on the ground to Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, the defense did force three turnovers and played a respectable second half.

"We had some little mistakes on those first two drives, but after that we settled down," Zack Bowman said. "We went out and got it corrected, and just went out and did our jobs."

Bowman, who picked off Donovan McNabb in the second quarter, has intercepted a pass in three consecutive games. Fellow cornerback Charles Tillman forced three fumbles, two of which were recovered by the Bears. The veteran has 21 forced fumbles in this NFL career -- the most by any defensive back since Tillman entered the NFL in 2003.

Corey Graham replaced Danieal Manning at the nickel position, as Manning played exclusively at free safety Sunday night.

Just promoted from the practice squad, running back Kahlil Bell made the most of his opportunities, rushing for 81-yards on only four attempts -- Bell's first NFL carry went for 72-yards.

"It was one of our standard zone plays," Bell said. "The offensive line did a great job of blocking, and Jason McKie did a good job of digging the guy out of the hole. It doesn't take much to be a good running back if you have holes like that."

CHICAGO -- Forget about the five-interception debacle in San Francisco, this was Jay Cutler's shakiest game in a Chicago Bears uniform.

"I missed some throws early," Cutler said. "I missed Greg [Olsen] and Devin [Hester] on a slant and go. It can't happen. We only get down in the red zone a few times. We got to hit them."

The numbers don't tell the whole story. Cutler was all over the place with his accuracy, which led many to wonder if the quarterback was pressing -- a reasonable theory when you consider how routine the throws should be for a player with Cutler's talent and resume.

"I think it's fair to think that I missed the throw. I'm not going to hit 100 percent of them. It's a fact," Cutler said.

No one is perfect, but these were throws that Cutler should make 100 percent of the time. Pro Bowl quarterbacks hit Olsen and Hester for easy scores, and Cutler made the Pro Bowl in 2008.

Even Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, Cutler's biggest supporter, acknowledged how strange it was for Cutler to misfire on those routes.

"Yeah, exactly. He's going to make those throws (under normal circumstances)," Turner said. "He had a very good week (of practice)."

CHICAGO -- Inside the locker room, the Chicago Bears know exactly why they are a mediocre 4-6 team.

"The lack of consistency is becoming unsettling and disturbing," defensive end Adewale Ogunleye said. "We're finding ways to lose. Just pick every man on this roster, watch their film, and they're finding ways to help lose the game. Look at my film. I'm up some games, I'm down some games. That's the way it is with all 53 guys on this roster."

The Bears are very predictable; they show glimpses of being good, then without fail, shoot themselves in the foot. It's almost comical.

Just take a look at the final two offensive possessions. The Bears got the ball back after LeSean McCoy's touchdown run, and Orlando Pace is whistled a false start. Then the defense stops Philadelphia with roughly two minutes left to play, and Corey Graham is flagged for an illegal block in the back.

One step forward, two steps back: The story of the 2009 Chicago Bears.

"This stuff is getting old, fast," Ogunleye said.

Every Bears fan would agree with that assessment.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears list the following players as inactive for tonight's game versus Philadelphia: Desmond Clark, Kevin Payne, Juaquin Iglesias, D.J. Moore, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Lance Louis, Matt Toeaina and Jarron Gilbert.

NBC's Bob Costas joined "The Waddle & Silvy Show" to discuss the controversy created by the Bears refusing to NBC interview Jay Cutler, Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo in advance of Sunday night's game. Here is the transcript of Costas' remarks:

The way this usually happens is that a request for whatever interviews we'd like to put on the pregame show on Football Night in America goes through the PR department of the club. And then usually whoever is asked agrees, because it's a Sunday night, prime time thing.

In this case, I think the Bears calculated, and it's very understandable, that any reasonable questions that would be asked, that would be topical this week, can't have an especially positive spin on them. And I don't even think they’re running away from those questions. Those questions have been addressed and anything they say now is jus yak. So they might as well just let their play - at least they hope - let their play speak for them on Sunday. I think their response would have been the same had it been CBS, or FOX, or ESPN asking for the same interview, because the questions that have to be asked this week are fairly obvious.

[If the team were 6-3 or 7-2 would it have granted permission?] No doubt about it. There's no hard feelings on my part. I interviewed Jay Cutler earlier this year. I’ve seen him a couple of times. This is the third Bears game we’ve done. I have a cordial relationship with him. I don know him that well. Everybody thinks Lovie Smith is a terrific guy. No problem. There will be a time down the road when they feel more comfortable doing it. It's their prerogative. They made a decision I think we all understand. I just don't think it’s that big of a deal.

There's an argument to that effect, that says look, it's your obligation, if you’re a front-and-center person it's your obligation, at least in these prime time showcases. You may not be able to do it every regional telecast every Sunday afternoon 16 times a season, but in the prime time telecast or a postseason game for the network that -- as you say -- is paying hundreds of millions of dollars that you should sit down and do it. That's generally the understanding. But there is no contractual obligation for them to do it. So all we can try to do is persuade. I’m sure this won't be an ongoing thing. People can draw their own conclusions about what is says about the Bears or the people involved, but I can tell you very honestly, it's not a big deal to me.

There's an argument on either side. Look, it's not the most pleasant time to have to do an interview given the team's troubles, but you should do it simply because not doing it creates the kind of conversation we’re having now, creates the kind of stuff in the Chicago papers we've seen. It’s the less bitter pill just to go ahead and do the interview. Plus you can look at it as your obligation to the station carrying Sunday Night Football.

On the other hand, you can say look, it's all been said, there nothing more we can say. We know we've been bad. We know we have to play better. We prefer to let our play speak for us on Sunday night. I understand both arguments.

By JEFF DICKERSON

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears' coverage units will again be put to the test this weekend, as Dave Toub's unit must contain Philadelphia speedster DeSean Jackson, who has returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown earlier this season.

"Any time he touches the ball, we got our hands full because he can take it the distance at any time," Toub said. "The big thing with him is that his first step is unbelievable. He can create separation initially, he can make you miss early, I mean really quick. His top end speed is nothing that we've faced this year so far. We got our hands full."

"He reminds me of Devin [Hester]," Toub said. "Just the way he plays, he's got really good hands, good ball reader. His first step is just like Devin's, and he's got that top end speed. He's dangerous."

After Philadephia placed Ellis Hobbs on injured reserve, the Eagles are expected to use rookie Jeremy Maclin on kickoff returns. The Bears were very high on Maclin coming out of Missouri, and strongly considered taking the receiver in the first round, until the Bears dealt the pick to Denver as part of the package for Jay Cutler.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Maybe the Bears have stumbled upon the key to playing sound defense on Sunday night.

"Keep it simple," Charles Tillman said Thursday. "That's the new formula. Keep it simple, stupid. That's what someone told me, 'Keep it simple, stupid'.


Sounds like good advice.

Maybe the key is for the defense to avoid over thinking things against Donovan McNabb. After all, despite the accolades thrown at the Eagles star this week, the Bears have beaten the Chicago native in their last two meetings -- McNabb won the first three head-to-head battles.

We should also point out McNabb has performed better statistically against the Bears when playing in front of Philadelphia fans, as opposed to when he's at Soldier Field. That might not sound like much, but at this point, the Bears will take any positive news they can get.

"I think he's good, man," Tillman said of McNabb. "I think the release of the ball and everything is good. It will be a good test for us."

Just remember to keep it simple, stupid.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Lance Briggs understands why coach Lovie Smith is on the hot seat.

"This is what's going to happen," Briggs said. "In this game, everyone is trying to figure everything out. You're going to have to point fingers somewhere, and the fingers always go to the head coach and the quarterback. But this is a team sport, and it falls on us all."

Point taken, but Briggs was later pressed on whether the Bears' inconsistent play should be directed toward the coaching staff. After all, if a team is unprepared or lacks discipline, isn't that the responsibility of those in charge?

"At the end of the day, it all falls back on the players," Briggs said. "People can talk about what scheme, or the way we're being coached, or play calls, but ultimately it falls back on the players. Coaches can't go out there and play for us. Fans can't go out there and play for us. There are no calls that are meant to not be successful."

Admirable words, but you can't fire all 53 players. Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini already tried that, and it didn't work.