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.