Half Full or Half Empty

October 31, 2017

The Bears finished the first half 3-5 and flashed some positives and negatives. With the tough part of the schedule behind them and Glennon being replaced by Trubisky, there is a reason to be optimistic. I didn’t think they would beat the Saints, but for a few miscues there was a chance.

Although this was not the best game for the defense they came up big with some key turnovers.  The Saints only gained a little more than 100 yards rushing. Drew Brees, who usually goes over, had a little less than 300 yards passing with no touchdowns. The big gains came on screen passes. However, the defense had some blunders. On the first drive Bryce Callahan missed a sideline tackle allowing the Saints a gain of over 50 yards deep into Bears territory. This should have been a ten yard gain. Then as a fan you would hope they could hold the Saints to a field goal. The Saints bring their field goal kicking team on for a chip shot field goal. Kyle Fuller lines up a ½ yard offside. Saints take penalty and score a touchdown. In a nutshell, the dumbness hurts the team. There will be more to follow. The other defensive mistake was a 50 yard completion to Ted Ginn. Fuller or Jackson did not turn their heads to find a pass that could have been intercepted.

Trubisky will get better. He is still raw but showed some good instincts on a 46 yard run. His passing numbers would look a lot better if his beautiful touchdown pass to Zach Miller, wasn't inexplicably overruled as incomplete. Once again his receivers couldn’t find separation making his job more difficult.

Despite the blips on the radar the Bears had a chance to pull the upset. Tarik Cohen leaps a la Walter Payton into the end zone for a touchdown. The only difference is there was never a doubt as to whether Payton was in for the score. It is now a five point game.  Remember when I previously mentioned dumb. Third and one inside Saints zone.  Dowell Loggains and/or John Fox dial up a pass play. Not only is this a bad call, but so was the selection. Trubisky had to roll out to the short side and complete a touch pass throwing across his body. On fourth down, Jordan Howard right?  No, another incomplete pass. Lame duck coach John Fox said some mumbo-jumbo about 50-50 chance. If someone knows what he meant let me know?

The Bears get the ball back again after a great stop by the defense using 2 timeouts. Dumb coach Fox burned one challenge on a play that had no way of being reversed. Even with no timeouts they still have plenty of time as they march into Saints territory. Once again the play selection is questionable. Instead of long passes, take what the Saints are giving you underneath. When you get closer with less time, then take your shot.

The Defense and the continued growth of Trubisky fills my cup. Having no receivers and bad coaches drain my cup. The Bears will not score enough to win close games as evidenced by their last game with only 12 points.  Lastly, most teams need to reach the opponents 35 yard line for a field goal chance, 30 yard line for most kickers is automatic. For Connor Barth, you have to reach the 25 yard line to give him an even chance. He is 7 of 11 with most being chip shots, a result of the Bears not putting it in the end zone. Another killer in close games.

The easy schedule makes my cup ½ full. The Packers without Aaron Rodgers at home is winnable. It looks like they win a home game against the Lions. They play Cincinnati, the win-less Browns and Forty-Niners. That’s 8-8. Most likely the Bears will screw up somewhere but I’m upgrading my prediction to 7-9.

By the way, if your not watching the World Series you are missing a classic. I will cover this later as well as the stench coming out of the United Center.