Plenty of Blame to Go Around in Bears Loss

In the final minutes of the Bears loss to Denver on Sunday, the Fox crews set their cameras on Marion Barber. His costly errors meant that he was going to be in spotlight, and the commentators harped on how his mistakes prevented the Bears from winning.

Saying that the loss is all Barber's fault is just as ridiculous as saying the win was solely because of Tim Tebow. There are too many people on the field for any victory or defeat to belong to one man.

It wasn't Marion Barber's fault that Caleb Hanie was sacked four times, giving up 29 yards.

It wasn't Marion Barber's fault that Johnny Knox missed on two catches, and Devin Hester on another one.

It wasn't Marion Barber's fault that Tebow caught on fire in the fourth quarter, putting together a drive in the last five minutes with seven completions in a row, putting the Broncos in striking distance of the win.

It wasn't Marion Barber's fault that Broncos kicker Matt Prater made an unthinkable 59-yard field goal, followed up by implausible 51-yarder.

It wasn't Marion Barber's fault that Lance Louis was flagged for two false start penalties, giving up 10 yards. In fact, the Bears gave up 69 yards in penalties, and not one of those is on Barber.

It wasn't Marion Barber's fault that Julius Peppers and Henry Melton were held on every defensive play, but few flags were thrown.

Without Barber's 108 yards and a touchdown, it's unlikely that the Bears would have been winning in the first place. His mistakes played a big part in the loss, but it's wrong to ever place the blame of a loss on one man.

There are 53 men on the roster; 45 dress for the game. Every one of enjoy the glory in victory. They shoulder the blame in loss, as well.

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