Epitaph for John Fox

January 1, 2018

Na Na Na Na,  Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey good bye. After another bad loss which included 10 penalties for over 100 yards, John Fox was finally axed. Even for a lame organization like the Bears, this was a no-brainer. In three seasons under Fox the Bears underachieved. In his first two seasons he had trouble with clock management, play calling, multiple mishaps etc. The moves he made this year ensure his place in the Museum of Stupidity.

Challenging plays was never a strong suit, but Fox reached new heights when he challenged that Benny Cunnningham stayed in bounds. He won the challenge not noticing there was a fumble in the end zone that turned the ball over. My next favorite is not giving his team a chance of winning by not letting San Francisco score in the closing minutes of the game. The explanation is as laughable as it is sad. “I thought we would block the field goal attempt” which was with less yardage than an extra point. There were also numerous instances of fourth downs with a yard or less to go and he sends the punting on the field. He once sent the punting team in on third down and his team had delay of game penalty on an extra point.  I’m not quite sure that he can teach them to avoid penalties, however he should have made them a point of interest during the season to decrease the amount.

This is a team with few assets thanks to GM Ryan Pace. Remember his big free agent signing Mike Glennon proclaimed this was his year. Well that lasted all of four games. He went into the season letting Alshon Jeffries go, having Cam Meredith and the always injured Kevin Smith as his receivers. Both being lost to injuries, the backup corps was the worst in the league. Aside from Aikeem Hicks and Danny Trevathan his other free agents haven’t panned out. To save his job he drafted what is supposed to be a franchise quarterback. If that doesn’t pan out he too will be shown the exit door at Halas Hall.

Can this team get better? Not in the near future as there are too many holes and uncertainties. One thing paramount is to stay healthy. This has become a big problem the last few seasons. On the defensive side in the secondary, only Eddie Jackson is sure to come back.  Kyle Fuller, who had a great year and Prine Amukamara are free agents. They need a linebacker or two and an outside pass rusher as well.

The offense was in a state of confusion most of the year. With the minimal talent they were able to win a couple of games with a punt fake and halfback option. However, after those victories Coordinator Dowell Loggains would script the first 15-20 plays and get lost the rest of the game. The play calling became predictable and easy to defend. Injuries ravaged the offensive lie. With three starters out the strength of running the ball went south. They have to draft more depth to not only run the ball but protect the most important player, Mitch Trubisky. By the way, getting him someone to throw to would be a good idea.

There are many candidates for a new coach. The only thing I know is he must be the best choice in developing Trubisky and will be better than Fox. The problem is if they don't improve the talent no coach will be able to win with the current roster.