What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

 

December 30, 2020

The world of sports was completely shut down due the coronavirus pandemic.  Sports fans were watching reruns of old games and Netflix became a bigger part of our lives. While the surge of the virus seemed to be dying down, leagues were plotting how to restart their seasons. The first decision was that there would be no fans. Some owners were complaining they would lose money without gate receipts. This infuriates me because these teams are just a part of these multi- millionaire portfolios. The only revenue coming in would be from television. This year will be known for expanding the playoffs to get as many televised games as possible.

The NHL started the insanity by inviting 24 of 32 teams to two bubble sites in Canada. The four top teams would play each other for seeding positions while the others would play best of five then seven game series to face them. They were playing three games a night, or about 9 hours. The Blackhawks gave their fans something to cheer about but following their elimination the playoffs were hard to watch until the field was whittled down to eight.

The NBA had 22 out of 32 teams go to a bubble in Miami to finish an abbreviated season and the playoffs. They needn’t have bothered as followers knew all along that the LeBron Lakers would be crowned champions.

After much bickering, mostly about money, baseball owners imposed a 60 game schedule on the players. The playoffs would expand to 16 out of 32 teams. Despite strict protocols, there were many infections throughout the league. Teams infected had to postpone whole series and it was a struggle to reschedule.  Baseball also introduced you to the half-screen commercial and every inning having a sponsor. The post season did produce some exciting moments that kept me watching. However, the season ended on a sour note when Justin Turner of the Dodgers tested positive for COVID-19 and went on the field with no mask to join his teammates' celebration.

Football will expand to 14 teams making the playoffs. Their expansion is the only palatable one in professional sports. The NFL also had strict protocols yet infections spread throughout the league. With multiple games having to be rescheduled, there was at least one game on every day of the week. It has felt really strange to watch football on a Tuesday or Wednesday night.

As we flip the page to 2021 not much has changed. There are still no fans and infections and deaths are increasing daily. I suspect some athletes were disregarding the safety protocols. Here’s to hoping that they realize the stakes involved and we can enjoy watching future seasons without interruptions.  I’m also hoping a vaccine helps fans return.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Ah Ah Ah Ah Staying Alive

 

December 27, 2020

The Bears beat the worst team in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars, 41-17.  Although this game was lopsided, there were many problems that have cause for concern moving forward. The first half was disastrous. The Bears led only 13-10 at halftime. They did not look like a playoff contending team.

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky seems to have taken a step forward as of late.  He can thank his lucky stars that he has faced some of the worst defenses in football. He was 24-36 for 265 yards. He would not have had this many receptions if his receivers didn’t catch errant throws. He continues to struggle trying to hit on long passes when his receivers beat coverage. Allen Robinson (13 catches,
103 yards) continues to bail him out of trouble. Once again he threw an awful end zone interception. After scrambling away from the pass rush, he was picked off, throwing a pass into coverage. It’s been four years and he still hasn’t figured out throwing the ball out of bounds.

David Montgomery’s overall numbers looked pretty good. He ran 23 times for 95 yards. However, he still has many more runs that go for little or no gain. Take away his 26 yard run and his average yards per carry is 3 yards.  Undrafted Artavis Pierce got in the game late. He had two carries for 26 yards and a touchdown. These runs looked crisper than any Montgomery has run all year.

Of course you had bad play calling. After a pass interference and an off-sides penalty, the Bears had first and goal from six inches. They didn’t even try the traditional Montgomery up the middle for no gain. They called an outside run that lost four yards. On second down, they ran Montgomery for no gain and threw an incomplete pass, coming away with only a field goal. I don’t know who is calling plays. If it is Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor, why do they need Coach Matt Nagy?  Either way, it seems neither is familiar with a quarterback sneak.

The defense made Jaguar’s QB Mike Glennon look like Aaron Rodgers in the first half. They took over in the second half, limiting the Jaguars to eight total yards in the third quarter. This is the defense that has to show up if they want to have any chance to win in a possible playoff game. Sometimes the defense looks uninspired and players are in wrong formations. Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano’s job should be in jeopardy.

It’s hard to believe that a team that lost six in a row has a good chance to make the playoffs. The Bears control their own destiny. A win next week over the Packers would clinch a spot. This becomes a possibility if the Packers have already clinched the number one seed and they rest their starters. An even more likely way is Arizona losing to the L.A. Rams. Problem is this current streak could cloud their vision regarding the changes that need to make.

 

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

 December 21, 2020

The Bears kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a scintillating 33-27 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears sealed the win on the last play of the game. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins’ Hail Mary pass was tipped by Eddie Jackson to Sherrick McManis for an interception. If this pass is completed, the Bears lose. This was the only time that Coach Matt Nagy’s offense deserves more credit for the victory than the defense. It doesn’t get much better than under achiever Robert Quinn, getting his second sack of the season.

David Montgomery had the best game of his career. He had 146 yards on 32 carries and punched in two touchdowns. He had very few carries for short yardage, side stepping closed lanes instead of bowling into the Vikings’ defensive line. The Bears totaled 199 yards on the ground, way more than any other game during Nagy’s tenure. The running game lent itself to great play action passes for QB Mitch Trubisky. He was 15/21 passing for 202 yards. His only mistake was an interception in the end zone on the Bears’ second to the last possession. He also looked good on roll-outs, which I’ve wondered why the Bears haven’t employed more often. His first touchdown was on a roll-out pass to Darnell Mooney, who continues to shine in his rookie season. After four consecutive games together, the offensive line is opening running lanes and providing great pass protection. Allen Robinson had only four receptions but totaled 83 yards. And Cairo Santos is making people forget about Robbie Gould. He converted of 4 FG’s and has now made 20 in a row.

The defense surrendered 27 points, however, they did have their moments. On the Vikings’ first play, the Bears had the first of 4 sacks, pinning the Vikings deep in their zone. This set up a short field leading to the Bears first touchdown. They stopped the Vikings twice on fourth and one. One of which was at the Vikings 38 yard line, leading to a touchdown. They continued to keep teams out of the end zone making them settle for field goals. They contained Vikings star running back
Dalvin Cook, early but he came alive and rushed for 132 yards on 24 carries. The
problems occurred as the Vikings converted a field goal on their last possession of the first half and scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half. This cut the Bears lead to three points. The Bears kicked a field goal for a six point lead with a little less than one minute left in the game. The Vikings were out of time-outs, but Cousins was able to complete 4 passes for 40 yards before the final play.

The only negative is the Bears need an Arizona Cardinals loss to tie for last seed in the playoffs. They also have the tall task of beating Green Bay in the season finale. If they finish 8-8 Nagy comes back. If Trubisky continues to play well, he may save GM Ryan Pace’s job. This could be a problem as they may be forced to sign Trubisky, who is a free agent. By the way, it would be nice if Pace would lock up Robinson with a long term contract before he too becomes a free agent. 

Is the Bears Victory a Good Thing?

 December 14, 2020

The Houston Texans came to Soldier Field as slight favorites to beat the Bears. While it is not hard to believe the Bears won, it’s how they did it that was jaw dropping. The Bears crushed the Texans 36-7. Both the offense and defense may have played perhaps their most complete game. The Bears have faced many teams with defensive deficiencies, but with the exception of a bad Detroit Lions team and the hapless Atlanta Falcons, the offense has been non-existent. The defense has to remain consistent.

The much maligned offensive line was the best it has been all year. On the Bears first play, they opened up a hole you could drive a Mack truck through. The result was an 80 yard touchdown run by David Montgomery.  I can’t recall any other time the Bears had an 80 yard rushing touchdown. The pass protection kept Mitch Trubisky upright, allowing him to put up huge
numbers. He completed 24 of 33 passes for 267 yards. He had three touchdown passes and zero turnovers. All world wide receiver Allen Robinson had nine receptions, some acrobatic, for 123 yards. And though I hate to temper any enthusiasm, David Montgomery in his other 10 carries gained only 33 yards.  On the other hand, he is a very good receiver out of the backfield.

After being humbled in the past two weeks, the Bears’ defense returned with a vengeance. They held the Texans to 263 total yards. They recorded seven sacks. Khalil Mack had his best game since the 2018 season. He had a sack that produced a safety, caused one fumble, recovered another and also batted down a pass.

At this point the loss to the Lions is critical. The Bears are tied with the Minnesota Vikings at 6-7, one game out of the playoffs. There’s a possibility they beat the Vikings next week and a probability of beating the Jacksonville Jaguars the following week. The Bears would be 8-7. However, the Packers are next. Unless the Packers are locked in a playoff position and rest their starters, the Bears have no chance. Finishing 9-7, probably puts you in the watered down playoffs. The only thing 8-8 does is lower your draft position where there are no good quarterbacks left to choose from. It also increases the possibility of Coach Matt Nagy getting another year.

You Can Kiss the Playoffs Good-Bye

 December 7, 2020

The Bears played the lowly Detroit Lions in what was a must win to keep their playoff aspirations alive. The Bears were upset by the Lions, losing their sixth straight game 34-30. In the first meeting, if a Lions receiver hadn’t dropped an end zone pass as time expired, the Lions would have swept the season series. It’s amazing how a team can hit new lows week after week. The only positive is, this should cost Coach Matt Nagy his job. I’m hoping GM Ryan Pace is not far behind.

Mitch Trubisky continued to play well against Detroit. This is not saying much considering most teams score at least 30 points against this injury riddled defense. He completed 26 passes for 296 yards. Detroit QB Mathew Stafford completed 27 passes for 400 yards. I also saw Mitch throw a couple balls away when there was no one to throw to. Gee, it only took him three years to learn this. Mobile Mitch had only one run play called and he gained only 3 yards. Mitch is not very mobile in the pocket, as he hasn’t learned to step up to avoid pass rushers. This was especially evident when he fumbled late to cost the Bears the win. It wasn’t some blind side hit. He saw the pass rusher and didn’t step up and fumbled. When deep in your territory, your main task is not to turn the ball over.

Nagy’s fingerprints are all over this loss. Passing on second and third down were not the right calls. The proper calls were to run the ball and make Detroit use their timeouts. If you don’t get a first down, you punt and give them a longer field. He said after the game he was being aggressive. Passing deep your zone when trying to use up the clock is just plain stupid as you also risk an interception. The way the defense played it may not have mattered. For the second game in a row, the defense was atrocious. The only thing that stopped Stafford was Stafford. He completed a number of passes on third down with seven yards or more needed for a first down. Aside from two sacks, Stafford had all the time in the world to throw. The Bears also had blown coverages which led to deep connections. Maybe defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano could have made some adjustments as Detroit was having no problems getting big chunks of yardage. On Detroit’s final drive it might have made sense to call a timeout to slow things down. Detroit went 96 yards with the Bears never putting them in a third down situation.

So Nagy should be gone and you only have to look at this last off-season to see that Pace has to go as well. He signed Eddie Jackson for five years and big money for his ball hawking ability. He has zero interceptions and is a bad tackler. Pace signed Ted Ginn Jr. who’s only success has been as a kick returner, something the Bears don’t need. With rookie receiver Darnell Mooney having a breakout season, Ginn couldn’t crack the receiver rotation. The Bears tried him as a punt returner with disastrous results and he is no longer with the team. Pace signed over the hill tight end Jimmy Graham.  He had some touchdowns early but has worn down and is not able to separate from defenders. Rookie tight end Cole Kmet is now getting more playing time than Graham. Pace also signed outside linebacker Robert Quinn. This sack specialist has one and has made no impact in any games. Currently, Pace is dicking around Allen Robinson, the Bears best offensive player. He should be signed pronto before he gets disgruntled. There should be no need to put a franchise tag on him.