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Pastimes : Chicago Bears Fan Club -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Probity who wrote (133)	1/2/2000 5:23:00 PM
From: Tech Master	Respond to of 7519

Bucs 20 Bears 6 Warren Sapp clapped his hands and pounded his chest as he saluted the Tampa Bay fans, players traded hugs and high-fives and Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer wore a grin almost as big as the field. Even the weather cooperated on Tampa Bay's big day. Mike Alstott rushed for a touchdown, Jacquez Green caught 10 passes for 113 yards and Tampa Bay's defense abused Chicago quarterback Cade McNown all afternoon as the Buccaneers beat the Bears 20-6 on Sunday to win their first NFC Central title since 1981. Tampa Bay, in the postseason for only the fifth time, earned a first-round bye with the victory. It's also the first time the Buccaneers finished with 11 victories. With two minutes to go, a smiling Glazer joined his players on the sidelines. He donned an NFC Central champion hat and then congratulated his players. Tampa Bay is 0-17 in games when the temperature at kickoff is below 40 degrees, and there was talk all week about whether the Bucs' division hopes would be done in by their cold-weather curse. Six of the losses have come at Soldier Field, and the initial forecast for Sunday was for a high in the low 30s. But with the kickoff temperature an unseasonably balmy 54 degrees, the Buccaneers needed sunscreen, not snowsuits. The warm weather must have thrown them off as they got off to a sluggish start, managing just three first downs and 58 yards of total offense in the first quarter. But once Shaun King found his rhythm with Green and let Alstott and Warrick Dunn loose, the Bucs cruised. Alstott finished with 64 yards rushing on 22 carries, and also caught four passes for 19 yards. Dunn rushed for 80 yards on 16 carries. King finished 18-of-24 for 178 yards, including a six-yard pass to tight end Dave Moore. Tampa Bay did get a little help from the Bears, who couldn't get anything going and finished with just 257 yards of total offense. McNown finished 20-of-42 for 196 yards, but he was sacked twice and intercepted once. Both of Tampa's first-half scores came courtesy of McNown miscues. With about seven minutes left in the second quarter, McNown rolled out to his right and looked as if he was going to run, tucking the ball under his arm. But he saw Bobby Engram and passed instead ? big mistake. Donnie Abraham stepped in front of Engram and plucked the ball out of the air at the Chicago 27-yard line. He sprinted into the end zone, only to have a 15-yard clipping penalty bring the ball back to the Bears 29. The Bucs got to the Chicago 4, but King was sacked on third down for a 3-yard loss and Tampa Bay got only Martin Gramatica's 25-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. On Chicago's next drive, McNown was taking his arm back to throw when end Marcus Jones hit him and the ball popped free. The officials ruled it a fumble, and Steve White recovered it at the Chicago 14. Four plays later, Alstott ran around right end for the 1-yard score, putting Tampa Bay ahead 10-0 with 21 seconds left in the half. The Bears finally got on the board with Jaret Holmes' 39-yard field goal that cut Tampa Bay's lead to 13-3 with 2:15 left in the third. But Tampa Bay responded another Gramatica field goal, and King found Moore halfway through the fourth for an insurance score. From NFL.com

To: Probity who wrote (133)	2/4/2000 6:05:00 AM
From: Tech Master	Respond to of 7519

Payton chosen NFL Player of the Century NEW YORK (Jan. 25, 2000) Former Chicago Bears running back and NFL all-time rushing leader Walter Payton has been voted NFL Player of the Century by fans in a poll conducted on nfl.com. Payton played for the Bears from 1975-87 and rushed for an NFL record 16,726 yards. He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility. NFL Player of the Century voting took place on NFL.com. Since Dec. 1, more than 600,000 votes were cast. Payton also holds the NFL career records for rushing yards in a game with 275 vs. Minnesota on November 20, 1977, combined yards with 21,803, and combined attempts (most touches) with 4,368. At the time of his retirement, Payton's 110 rushing touchdowns were the most all time (currently third) and his 125 total touchdowns ranked second (currently fifth). "I thought Walter Payton was the greatest football player who ever lived," said FOX NFL analyst John Madden. "He did it better than anyone. And he had more fun - and that combination is a treasure." Payton was born in Columbia, Mississippi on July 25, 1954 and attended Jackson State. He died on Nov. 1, 1999. "In the eyes of many, he was the greatest football player of all time," said Commissioner Paul Tagliabue at Payton's memorial service at Soldier Field in Chicago this past November. "He was a warrior on the field. But he also was in many ways what we don't expect a superstar to be open, accessible, genuine, down to earth, a unifier and a binder, never divisive."