Super Bowl Portfolio (1984-95)

All Photos by Tony Mangia

'A lifelong fan of the Bears (except Jay Cutler)' disses quarterback from beyond the grave

A lifelong Chicago Bears fan didn't let a little thing like death keep her from throwing some serious shade at the team's current quarterback Jay Cutler.

From her grave, the late Elizabeth Porter Bowman made it known that she was not a huge fan of 32-year-old Cutler, and even mentioned him in her obituary.

According to the 78 year-old woman's obituary published in the Chicago Tribune, Bowman was surrounded by her children when died in Northbrook, Illinois on January 9. 

Peak Bears fandom is mentioning hatred for Jay Cutler in your obituary pic.twitter.com/qehMbb6We2

— Manoolander (@ManuclearBomb) January 28, 2016

"Betsy was an elementary school teacher and later a tutor, but her passion and focus was being a dedicated and involved mother and grandmother," read her obituary. 

"She was a woman of loyalty, integrity, opinion, curiosity and intelligence.

"A lifelong fan of the Cubs, Blackhawks and Bears (except Jay Cutler)."

The oft-maligned Cutler — who has been playing for the Bears since 2009 and lives in Chicago with his wife, Kristin Cavallari, and their three children — has heard the boos before.

But, as far as we know, not from the great beyond.

Cutler was the only athlete mentioned in the obit, but it's not clear why Bowman held such a grudge against the quarterback. 

The Bears or Cutler have not commented about Bowman's final words. 

Super Bowl balls will be kept under lock and key in the hours before game: Report

The NFL will keep Super Bowl balls under "added security" ahead of the game as the Deflategate investigation continues to dominate the headlines.

There will be 108 balls used in Arizona between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots on Sunday — 54 for each team and five times more than any other game. Both teams will practice with the designated set and break them in on Friday, but the NFL will take them into their custody afterwards before they are inspected by officials three hours before kick off.

During a press conference on Thursday, vice president of officiating Dean Blandino insisted that the heightened security wasn't a result of Deflategate but was normal protocol for the Super Bowl. 

"There will be some added security just because of the environment we're in for this game,"said Blandino.

 "The thing with the Super Bowl is during the first half, we rotate footballs in as much as possible, because then those balls are used for charity and NFL auction."

On Sunday, three hours before kickoff, the game balls will be delivered to the officials' locker room, where they will be inspected. Then the balls will be returned to an independently-chosen equipment manager, Tony Medlin of the Chicago Bears, who will bring them to the field and give them to ball attendants.

Asked whether officials will test balls mid-game, as they did on Jan. 18 after receiving a complaint, Blandino said there were no such plans. "If a situation comes up, we'll adjust, but we're just going to go through the normal protocol," he said.

Blandino also hinted at the possibility of a league-wide review into pre-game football preparations during the off season. 

"They're not logged and that's certainly something that could be a thought," he added. "They're tested, they make sure that they're in that acceptable range and then they basically mark the football to say this is an acceptable football in that proper specification."

Aaron Rodgers blames back strain from standing around during Bears blowout: Report

Bears fans might be spitting out their coffee this morning after finding out Aaron Rodgers strained his back due to "standing around" so much during the second half of Sunday's 55-14 rout of Chicago.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback attributed his tight "blowout back" to to idling on the sideline during on his Milwaukee radio show Tuesday.

Rodgers threw six first-half touchdowns in the first half, tying the NFL record for most scoring passes in a half, before pulling himself from the game.

"My low back was actually hurting, said Rodgers. "I think I attributed that to standing around the entire time as the second half went on, not [from] anything that happened on the field…The guys took really good care of me on the field. I barely got touched all game, but my back actually got a little tight on the sideline…I forgot what a strain that can be to stand there and watch."

Rodgers had a shot at tying the league record for touchdowns in a game, but the Packers settled for a field goal on his final series before giving way to backup Matt Flynn.

Jim McMahon, former players sue NFL for 'illegally' supplying drugs: Report

Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon and seven other ex-NFL players claim the NFL illegally gave them narcotics and other painkillers that led to addiction and long-term medical complications in a bombshell lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

This comes on the heels of the league agreeing to pay $765 million last year to players who claimed in a class-action lawsuit that the NFL concealed the dangers of concussions. A federal judge rejected that deal in January and the case is still pending.

Tuesday's suit, filed in San Francisco federal court, says the league obtained and administered the drugs without prescriptions in order to get injured players back on the field. Some players say they received large amounts of painkillers for free during their NFL careers and were addicted to the pills when they retired.

"Rather than allowing players the opportunity to rest and heal, the NFL has illegally and unethically substituted pain medications for proper health care to keep the money rolling in," the lawsuit says.

Photo: Tony Mangia

 McMahon, along with two other members of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears are also plaintiffs in the suit. Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent claims he became hooked on painkillers during the course of his career.

"After his playing career ended, he was no longer able to obtain painkillers for free from the NFL and was forced to purchase over-the-counter painkillers to satisfy his 'cravings,'" the suit says.

Offensive lineman Keith Van Horne, meanwhile, claims the Bears' trainer continually ordered the painkiller Percodan under his name even when he didn't need the medication.

McMahon, meanwhile, became addicted to painkillers, downing more than 100 Percocet pills per month, the lawsuit says. Team doctors and trainers didn't get prescriptions for the medication, keep records or explain side effects.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Steven Silverman, seeks class-action status for any former player who received painkillers and other drugs without prescription, independent diagnosis, or warning about side effects or the dangers from mixing with other drugs.

The lawyers are seeking class-action status and say more than 400 plaintiffs have signed on.

Chicago fans' beers froze solid during Bears-Cowboys game (PHOTOS)

Fans who braved the bitterly cold weather to attend Monday night’s football game between the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys had more to content with than just the frigid conditions when their beer started to freeze.

Chicago has a well-earned reputation for brutally cold winters, but Monday night's game at Soldier Field set a new record as temperatures plunged and the Windy City experienced its coldest December night in 18 years.

Players as well as spectators had to suffer the bone-chilling conditions, but while pitch side they used heaters to thaw out their Gatorade buckets, fans in the stands weren’t so lucky as their drinks slowly turned into Slurpees®.

Several beer drinkers posted photos on social media sites of their frozen hops and barley, including one person whose drink had so completely turned to ice that they could turn their cup upside down and not spill any.

Bears fans could at least enjoy the final result, a convincing 45-28 win which puts them back in the playoff race.

The official game-time temperature on Monday was a frigid eight degrees and wind chill conditions made it feel -9℉, but it still doesn’t come close to the coldest days ever in Chicago.

Next time, switch to whiskey.

Fans, players cleared from Ravens-Bears game due to severe weather (GIF)

The Baltimore Ravens' game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field has been temporarily suspended in the first quarter due to lightning in the area.

As a precautionary measure, stadium officials cleared the the stands with fans exiting in an orderly fashion. Stadium officials have indicated that the soonest the game might resume is 2:25 p.m. ET, and even that estimation appears overly optimistic considering the severe weather.

There are now extremely heavy winds, steady rain and ominous dark clouds surrounding the stadium. Wind is blowing trash all over the field and stands.

The area is under a tornado watch, according to The Weather Channel and local meteorologists. Both teams have headed inside to the locker room.

The Ravens lead 10-0 behind a touchdown run from Ray Rice and a field goal by Justin Tucker.

Jay Cutler's wife lashes out over Twitter selfie after Bears QB is hurt

In between tweeting about hair extensions and an upcoming fashion show, Kristin Cavallari went on the defensive after her husband Jay Cutler was injured on Sunday. And got into a Twitter war with a user because of her fashion posts.

The shoe designer showed her concern for Cutler, as she responded to Twitter followers who attempted to accuse her of being more worried about her hair than the injury. She had posted a makeup-free selfie of herself in a Bears cap tweeting: "Go Bears #nofilter #nomakeup #dontcare."

Apparently some Bears fans took it the wrong way.

"I tweeted that BEFORE he got hurt. Blocked RT @Mangsta: Husband gets seriously hurt. @KristinCav tweets about not having hair extensions," she tweeted.

I tweeted that BEFORE he got hurt. Blocked RT @Mangsta: Husband gets seriously hurt. @KristinCav tweets about not having hair extensions.
— Kristin Cavallari (@KristinCav) October 20, 2013

"I know it seems like I only respond to haters but they drive me crazy when they have NO clue what they are talking about," she added.

I know it seems like I only respond to haters but they drive me crazy when they have NO clue what they are talking about
— Kristin Cavallari (@KristinCav) October 20, 2013

The former reality star was clearly upset after witnessing the Chicago quarterback's groin injury during his game against the Redskins and went after a hater with the full fury of her thumbs.

Cutler was tackled by Washington Redskins defensive lineman Chris Baker and was soon replaced by backup quarterback Josh McCown. After struggling to make it to the locker room, Cutler underwent X-rays and is set to have an MRI scan on Monday.

Cavallari — who has a one-year-old son Camden, with Cutler — is set to be at the Akira fashion show in Chicago, as her shoe collection will be shown on the runway, but her husband's injury will no doubt dog the catwalk.

Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari's 'secret' wedding photos

The wedding was shrouded in secrecy — and the application for their June 7 marriage license was public— but it wasn't until Saturday that Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and reality TV person Kristin Cavallari really felt like a married couple, as they exchanged vows in front of family and friends.

The couple — whose wedding bands were a glittering diamond ring for her and a manly black one for him — threw an intimate wedding for their family and friends at the Woodmont Christian Church in Nashville, Tennessee and now here is the proof.

The couple married in Nashville said to be where Jay went to college at Vanderbilt University.

Kristin and Jay followed their church ceremony with a reception at Houston Station on Saturday, celebrating with 150 guests. 

The couple, who broke up in the past, are now in the red zone to bliss.

"I want my marriage to work and last — and family comes first," said Cavallari.

She is looking forward to the "security" of marriage.

"I like having that extra sense of security that you're with your buddy for the rest of your life," she explained. "You know they're not going anywhere."

Health and happiness to them both.

Brandon Marshall says NFL players use Viagra to get edge on field

Brandon Marshall knows the lengths NFL players will go to get an edge on the field but on Wednesday —  after the Chicago Bears wide receiver was asked about the rash of Adderall-related suspensions in the league this season — he said he's heard plenty of rumors about which supplements some players take to boost their performances during game time.  Some of which are of the little blue variety.

"I don't know too much about Aderall," Marshall told reporters yesterday.  "I know guys, it is such a competitive league, guys try anything just to get an edge.  I'm fortunate enough to be blessed with size and some smarts to give me an edge.  I've heard of some guys, they'll do whatever they can do to get an edge.  I've heard of some crazy stories .  I've heard (of) guys using like Viagra, seriously.  Because the blood is supposedly thin, some crazy stuff.  So, you know, it's kind of scary with some of these chemicals that are in some of these things, so you have to be careful."

Marshall managed to keep a somewhat straight face while using the double entendre of his "blessed with size" remark, but did not say if using the little blue pill came with a stiff penalty from the NFL.

Experts aren't so sure about the effects of Viagra (sildenafil citrate) on athletic performance on the football field or even if the results could be proven otherwise. The only thing they can confirm is that pro athletes are always looking for an advantage against their opponents.

A 2008 study — funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency — tested several members of a Marywood University lacrosse team and concluded that the drug increased blood flow to certain parts of the body but found insufficient evidence that it worked on muscles used on the gridiron.

Hmmm... taking Viagra to increase performance on the field.  Let's ask the real experts — the players' wives and girlfriends.