Sunday, February 12, 2023

Slumping Bulls

 

February 10, 2023

The Bulls were only one of two teams that stood pat following the trade deadline. Arturas Karniovas, V.P. of Basketball Operations was quoted as saying the Bulls have a good team with a lot of good players and can make a run in the playoffs. He must be
 watching a different Bulls team than me.

This team has several flaws that to be corrected for the Bulls to competitive. In this day you need to have 3-point shot makers. The Bulls get beat in this category by not having a consistent shot maker and their failure in stopping teams who always have more accurate 3-point shooters. They have no true point guard who can bring the ball up court and add a little offense. This is where the injury to Lonzo Bell hurts. He would make this a much better team. However, the Bulls had to shut him down. Who knows when he’ll be back and will regain the form he had prior to his injury.

Zach LaVine became the face of the team. Being a team leader, the Bulls offered him a max contract. The big contract makes it unlikely for a team to pursue him via trade. If he is having a poor shooting night and commits turnovers, he is detrimental to the team. Think of all the guards who are better. This will take some time before you get to LaVine.

Teams have caught on to DeMar DeRozan and he keeps shooting against double and triple teams. His shooting percentage is down. I don’t know why the Bulls let him bring the ball up court. He is a terrible ball handler and gets the ball taken away from him. DeRozan continues to put up points though many times he’s putting up a lot of shots. I can’t believe the Bulls didn’t explore a trade for him.

Karnisovas indicated the Bulls will try to retain Nikola Vucevic, who is having his best stretch as a Bull. He finally is taking advantage of his size. In the low post he has been outstanding. The problem is he is in love with an inconsistent 3-point shot.

The three are all good players. However, you need a superstar who can take over games to compete for championships. The other two starters, Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Wiiliams are the future of the Bulls. Both are very young in only their second year (Williams was out most of last year).

Friday, January 13, 2023

Bears Obituary

 

January 12, 2023


On their final play, the Bears took a knee and mercifully ended their season.  The loss to the Minnesota Vikings extended their consecutive losses to 10, a Bears record.  The Bears set another team record in futility, losing 14 games. Not one player made the Pro Bowl indicating the deficiency in talent. Meanwhile, they traded away Roquan Smith who was third in the league tackles and made the Pro Bowl. The Baltimore Ravens were all too glad to sign him a 5-year contract, something the Bears wouldn’t do for their best defensive player. With so many holes, there is no quick fix for this team. 

The only reason to watch the Bears was the growth of Justin Fields. He became the third quarterback in history to rush for over 1,000 yards. He was able to make some electric runs after alluding to pressure. He was the catalyst for a four game run of over 30 points. It is hard to judge him as a passer as he had constant pressure and receivers who couldn’t get open. He did show some flashes, as in the only game when he wasn’t sacked, he threw for 250 yards.

Despite all the losing, tight end Cole Kmet had a breakout season and should get even better. There are only a couple of other players that should return. Wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool will be back as will linemen Cody Whitehair and Braxton Jones. Khalil Herbert should be the feature back however, they seem to be in love with David Montgomery. Montgomery usually has a couple of nice carries but most of his runs are of the three yards or less category. When is anybody going to recognize he is not a third and one running back. 

Montgomery is an excellent receiver out of the backfield, however, the offensive coordinator rarely calls this play. That brings to the crux of the problem. Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsey made a plethora of questionable calls. He rarely called play action or roll-outs, Fields' strengths. He also called running plays when down two scores at the end of games. Against the Packers, they were down one and he’s calling passes. That potential comeback ended with an interception.

One of the most disheartening things was the defense was the worst I can remember. The basic skill of tackling is a foreign concept. All year long opposing quarterbacks had all the time in the world to complete passes as there was zero pass rush. Defense was supposed to be Coach Matt Eberflus’ specialty and the Bears were just brutal. The blame can be shared with the roster put together by General Manager Ryan Poles.

Poles had a decent draft in Safety Jaquan Brisker and Corner/Nickel back Kyler Gordon. Fifth round pick Braxton Jones played every snap on the offensive line, Jaylon Johnson and Eddie Jackson should be returning at cornerbacks. Undrafted rookie middle linebacker Jack Sanborn will also be back. Every other move made by Poles was a failure. There is not one defensive lineman that should be back. Poles kicked off mistakes in his hiring of Eberflus, a defensive coach. Former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has led the New York Giants to the playoffs. And, with the worst offense in football it would have been nice to sign some playmakers. Fields can’t do it all by himself. 

This is a critical year for Poles and the Bears. They have 115 million in salary cap money and the number one overall pick. Chances are the Bears will not sign a bona-fide number one receiver and will continue to sign second tier players. The Bears need so many players they should try to trade down for a couple of picks. I have zero confidence that Poles is the right choice as GM. There are too many flaws to see the Bears as playoff contenders in the near future.       

 


 

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Is There Reason to Believe This Year Will Be Better Than The Last

 

January 5, 2023



 

The Bears hit an all-time low, losing to the Detroit Lions 41-10. I can talk ad nauseam about the myriad of problems with the Bears. My expectations weren’t high, but I never envisioned they would wind up with only three wins. New GM Ryan Poles, who is supposed to have an eye for talent, missed on every move. Signing players no one else wanted does not bode well for success. The defense was bad all-year, overcoming a rejuvenated offense, to lose games. Bad coaching decisions also led to their downfall.  Poles has plenty of cap salary to sign an A-1 bona fide receiver, but I expect the Bears to not spend the money it takes to make this kind of acquisition. The Bears own the second overall pick and plan to turn this into multiple picks.


2022 is one the worst years for Chicago sports. None of the teams were competitive and none have a chance of winning in the near future. The two Chicago baseball teams have combined for only two championships over the past 100 years. The Bulls are struggling with Lonzo Ball being injured. Before going down last year the Bull had one of the top records in the NBA. Ball was the catalyst of both the offense and defense. There is no timetable for his return and knows one can predict if he can regain his form. Without Ball, the Bulls have had their ups and downs with some big wins and some catastrophic losses. There are no championships with the current construction of the roster. Despite all this, I still love watching.


Last year, in their rebuild that’s not a rebuild, the Cubs held auditions for players who could be on the 2023 roster. There was something happening on the north side. The Cubs went 41-30, with third lowest ERA and have added a couple of players to hopefully become competitive in the Central Division, most notably shortstop Dansby Swanson. They added Yankee starter Jameson Taillon to join all the young arms who will be competing for spots next year. You have to have faith in Jed Hoyer. He shouldn’t be done, as the Cubs need some power. I wouldn’t count on Cody Bellinger.  It might not happen this year but the Cubs will be better and you never know.

Perhaps the most disappointing team is the White Sox. After they made the
playoffs, there were World Series aspirations; they ended with an 81-81 season, missing the playoffs by a wide margin. There were some major injuries to play through. There was also a lack of power. The best thing that happened was the former manager had to step down due to health reasons. New manager, Pedro Grifol will make the Sox come out ready to play not just going through the motions. He should have them work on base running and defense. The fact he is not LaRussa, translates into five wins minimum.


Many of you may have forgotten Chicago has a hockey team and with good reason. The Blackhawks have not reached the playoffs since 2017. They played last year in the shadow of the cover up of a sexual misconduct charge. This year after trading two of their top offensive players they are the worst team in hockey. This was the start of tanking for the number one pick. They are the only team who can tank trying to win every game. They need a lot more than just the number one pick in the draft.
   

 

   

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Monstrosities of the Midway

 December 7, 2022


I have been on hiatus as writing about the Bears’ flaws has become very difficult. The games give me a sense of déjà vu. Quarterback Justin Fields has rejuvenated the Bears’ offense, putting up multiple points that fans have not seen in years. The porous defense gives up more, with opponents averaging 34.6 points in the five previous games.  The Bears get the ball at the end with the game in reach, but can’t get over the hump. Throw in a few special teams mistakes and that’s how you lose six straight games.

Opposing quarterbacks are having no problem throwing against the Bears. There is no pass rush and they have all day to find open receivers. Even injured Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, put up 28 points. The Bears went their third straight game without a sack and had no quarterback hits. It would be hard for any team, no matter how good an offense, to overcome this defense.

The only reason to watch the Bears is Justin Fields. He is a prolific runner with blazing speed. Against the Packers he avoided getting sacked. With protection he completed 20-25 passes for 254 yards. In the closing minutes he was intercepted twice. On the first, much of the blame should go to wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. The second was inconsequential as it came with the Bears trailing by nine with under a minute left. Offensive coach Luke Getsy gets a lot of credit for Fields' growth. Now if only he can stop making questionable play calls. More play-action, roll-outs and less David Montgomery.  

The Bears won’t win another game this year. With the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills next up, things will get ugly. The Bears are miles away from being mediocre, let alone good. The Bears have close to $123 million in salary cap space. Some of this should be spent in free-agency on a bona-fide number one receiver. You may like the Bears to revamp the offensive line but there are more pressing needs on defense. The most pressing need is improving the front four. Getting a good pass rush makes other players' jobs easier. It will be very interesting to see what GM Ryan Poles will do with the number two or three overall pick.


Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Worse Than I Thought

 November 15, 2022

The Detroit Lions are supposed to be the antidote for struggling teams. They have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. With the Bears offense clicking, I thought the Bears would win this game. The Bears scored 30 points, yet lost the game 31-30. The Lions have won two road games since December 2020, both against the Bears. This loss was a total team effort. They committed nine penalties for 86 yards, many on crucial plays, one negating an interception. Even the usually consistent kicker, Cairo Santos, missed
an extra point. He also had a kick-off go out of bounds, plus a five yard penalty, giving the Lions the ball at their 45 yard line. One positive is they now stand to have the third pick in the draft.

Once again Justin Fields was spectacular and is worth watching. He led the team with 147 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns. On the first, he broke tackles and barreled into the end zone. The second one he eluded defenders and used his blazing speed for a 67 yard touchdown. The only problem is, a lot of these runs are predicated by breakdowns in pass protection and receivers not getting open.

The Bears are a predominately running team and lead the league in rushing yardage. That being said, Fields only got off passes 20 times completing 12 for 167 yards. These are pedestrian numbers however, when he gets time and moves in the pocket, he is pretty good. Being a young QB, he is going to make mistakes. An ill-advised pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

Fields has started to form a connection with tight end Cole Kmet. He had the most targets and four receptions for74 yards including two touchdowns. It was also nice to see Khalil Herbert get more carries than David Montgomery. Montgomery will have a new home next year. Darnell Mooney also had four catches. It would be nice to add a couple of play making receivers.

The defense again was awful. The pass rush was non-existent making it easy for Lions QB Jarred Goff. They made Goff look like Peyton Manning in his prime. Goff completed 19 of 36 passes for 236 yards with no interceptions and, for the second game in a row, the Bears had no turnovers. It didn’t matter what the distance was as they converted tons of third downs. Bear penalties also contributed to extending Lions scoring drives. Jack Sanborn, who started the year on the taxi squad led the Bears with 12 tackles and their only two sacks. With the exception of Sanborn, Jaylon Johnson, Eddie Jackson and rookies Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon no other defensive players could start on other teams. 

I feel sorry for head coach Matt Eberflus. It’s hard to win games with the talent deficient roster put together by GM Ryan Poles. I’ve criticized Poles for not doing anything to improve the offense. I don’t think he envisioned Fields to be this good. He’s gutted the defense and replaced starters with second tier players. When the season started the four highest salaries were dumped and he didn’t use the savings in free-agency. The Roquan Smith situation became a fiasco. They said they weren’t going to be able to agree on the terms of a new contract. For the Bears, it all comes down to money which Poles should know is why he got the job. He has so much work to do, so I think the Bears will suck for a couple more years by which time fans will be calling for his ouster.


Wednesday, November 9, 2022

The Growth of Justin Fields

 

November 8, 2022


 

The Bears lost to the Miami Dolphins 35-32 last Sunday at Soldier Field. Disregard the won and lost record. Fields has started to put things together and it seems we have found the quarterback of the future. In all my years of watching the Bears I’ve never been so excited about a Bears quarterback. I can’t remember the last time the Bears scored four touchdowns two weeks in row. 

Fields is the primary reason the Bears‘ offense is on a roll. He ran the ball 15 times for a record 178 yards. The only downside is the Bears called a quarterback run only about 8 times. Fields picked up a majority of his yards on scrambles.  Fields showed off his elusiveness and speed which was fun to watch. His passing numbers weren’t great as Fields was 17-28 for 123 yards.

 Fields’ results are the fault of receivers who can’t get open or catch passes. Just imagine how good he could be if he had some help. The Bears had a couple of chances in the closing minutes to tie the game or take the lead. They would have been in field goal range if the ref doesn’t blow a pass interference call. The game ended when Bear receiver Equanimeous St. Brown dropped a pass right in his hands which, if caught, gives the Bears a first down. This game was also a coming out party for tight end Cole Kmet. He had five catches, two for touchdowns. He also ran the ball once for eight yards and picked up a first down on a direct snap.

 The defense is a joke. Miami scored on four out of five possessions to start the game. The only time they didn’t score was on a missed field goal. There was no pressure on Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and he had all the time world to hit wide receivers Tyrek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Most every quarterback can look good with no pressure, and good offenses will run up multiple points. The only positive is that rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn replacing Roquan Smith had seven tackles.

The Bears defense is so bad that they can’t win a game when scoring 30 points per game. This is okay this year however, they need to fix their talent deviancies heading into next year. In the meantime watching Fields continue to grow should be exciting.  

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Back to Earth

 October 31, 2022


The Bear defense gave up 42 points yesterday. The first thing the Bears did to address this problem was trade their best defensive player, Roquan Smith. I have the sneaking feeling the Bears didn’t want to pay him.  This is just the latest of many bad moves by first time GM Ryan Poles. The Bears gave up touchdowns on the Dallas Cowboys first four possessions. However, the Bears were able to score enough to tighten up the game but ultimately got blown away 49-29

If you’re looking for a silver lining it is the improvement of QB Justin Fields. He had his best quarterback rating of 120.0. He was 17-23 for 151 yards. He also gained 60 yards on eight carries. Down 28-7, Fields engineered two touchdown drives. With a Cairo Santos field goal in between, the Bears were within five points. The Cowboys increased their lead to 12. The Bears tried to come back when David Montgomery fumbled. Fields' only mistake was not touching down Micah Parsons who got up and rumbled 36 yards into the end zone. This is not the first the Bears failed to play until they heard the whistle. Down 20 points the Bears went to their ground game. This was a big mistake as the offense was having a good game and you need to pass the ball when you are trailing by a lot.

The defense was atrocious as Dallas pounded them on the ground and in the air. They applied no pressure on Dallas QB Dak Prescott who went 21-27 for 250 yards. Running back Tony Pollard gained 131 yards averaging 9.4 yards per carry. This led to easy third down conversions A big part of the problems is this is the worst tackling team I’ve ever seen.. The defense hasn’t been very good and yesterday was their worst performance of the year.

The Bears have played five of eight road games. The return for two games against Miami and Detroit. They aren’t any good but neither are the Bears. I still can’t get my head around the Roquan Smith trade. Poles is all in on his plans to build this team from the ground up.  So he better be on target with free-agent signings and in the draft.