This sums up how i feel about it..

[bear trap]

Looks like John Fox places personality over production

 

Email

 

Facebook

Twitter

 

 

Steve Rosenbloom

THE ROSENBLOG

Recent Columns

 

1 of 91

JOHN J. KIM / CHICAGO TRIBUNE

 

Bears tight end Martellus Bennett

9:57 am, March 17, 2016

It doesn’t matter whether you’re productive. It only matters whether John Fox thinks you’re all football, all the time, and nothing but football and don’t even think about writing a book or even reading one.

 

That’s the message of the Bears reportedly trading their best tight end to the Patriots along with a sixth-round draft pick in exchange for a fourth-rounder.

 

I suppose Fox feels better, even if his team looks worse.

 

The Bennett trade mirrors the Brandon Marshall deal last year in which a productive player was packaged with a lower draft choice for a higher pick.

 

Marshall was a distraction to the entire organization, seemingly from ownership on down, an embarrassment that Ryan Pace was forced to trade. Marshall wouldn’t have been a Fox guy, anyway. Not even close. Not from the first syllable of telling Robbie Gould to shut up.

 

Bennett did not foment the same kind of internal anger, but he didn’t have to go that far. Bennett just had to miss voluntary team activities while demanding more money to redden the backside of the footbally Fox.

 

By the time Bennett threw a hissyfit in November about losing red-zone targets, Fox seemingly was done with the player. The end was nigh because the attitude was pretty much the opposite of what Fox wants. What Fox demands.

 

Old-time-hockey. Eddie Shore. Toe Blake. John Fox.

 

But here’s thing: Fox hasn’t won. He has his footbally ways and his footbally mindset, but being all footbally hasn’t produced a championship.

 

And here he is, forcing the team to dump a talented player for which there is no reliable replacement.

 

Zach Miller is a nice player. Sometimes he’s great. When he’s healthy. That has been a big when.

 

Rob Housler is another Bears tight end. Did you know that? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

 

Point is, if the Bears have a 6-7 tight end who can catch and block at high levels, then they’ve done an excellent job of hiding him.

 

Last season, the Bears thought they had replacements for Marshall’s production, but Alshon Jeffery was named First Team All-Soft Tissue Injury and I believe top draft pick Kevin White got suffered an injury hearing Roger Goodell call his name.

 

Raise your hand if you can see Fox’s team losing Miller to another injury this season the way they lost Jeffery for half of last season and then not having an answer for where one of Jay Cutler’s favorite outlets used to be.

 

Fox has defined himself as a coach who’s limited in several areas. Clock management comes to mind. This case appears to confirm that Fox can manage diverse personalities on the 53-man roster as long as nobody has a personality.

 

Bennett’s new boss, Bill Belichick, has managed Rob Gronkowski. That’s some kind of personality. Belichick could not manage Aaron Hernandez, but then, no one outside of the penal system could.

 

By placing more importance on personality than performance, Fox has forced his general manager to make the Bears less talented.

 

Pace has done well to get something for players that everyone knew he had to dump, but he, too, is a culprit in making the Bears worse.

 

This move is all Fox, however, and in forcing his roster to become less talented, Fox has ramped up the pressure on himself and sped up the expectations of winning a title.

 

The Bears aren’t talented enough to throw away productive players, but Fox has forced his organization to do it, so he’s wearing it.

 

Fox wants things his way. That’s what a coach does, even a coach who has never won while wanting it his way. Now it’s on Fox to show he can outcoach the handicap he has placed on his roster.

[scs787]

I quit reading after the opening line about writing/reading a book.

[jason]

Poorly written and argued article.

 

1. If Fox stayed in Denver last year, they still would have won.

2. There is no way the Bears do not draft a TE this year (in case Miller goes down).

3. Maybe the Bears weren't hiding Bennett? Maybe he was running poor routes? This has been hinted at before.

 

I'm not 100% in favor of getting rid of Bennett, Marshall, or Forte, but at least the first two had sufficient enough personality clashes that keeping them was difficult.

[AZ54]

I quit reading after the opening line about writing/reading a book.

 

 

LOL. I quit reading after I see ROSENBLOG. He's a worthless writer who does nothing but pick the easy targets to write about and then just runs on and on about it like a little kid. I'm pretty sure a week ago he wrote something complimenting Pace for seeing the same team we see and making the right changes. Which is it?

[Stinger226]

Looks like John Fox places personality over production

 

Email

 

Facebook

Twitter

 

 

Steve Rosenbloom

THE ROSENBLOG

Recent Columns

 

1 of 91

JOHN J. KIM / CHICAGO TRIBUNE

 

Bears tight end Martellus Bennett

9:57 am, March 17, 2016

It doesn’t matter whether you’re productive. It only matters whether John Fox thinks you’re all football, all the time, and nothing but football and don’t even think about writing a book or even reading one.

 

That’s the message of the Bears reportedly trading their best tight end to the Patriots along with a sixth-round draft pick in exchange for a fourth-rounder.

 

I suppose Fox feels better, even if his team looks worse.

 

The Bennett trade mirrors the Brandon Marshall deal last year in which a productive player was packaged with a lower draft choice for a higher pick.

 

Marshall was a distraction to the entire organization, seemingly from ownership on down, an embarrassment that Ryan Pace was forced to trade. Marshall wouldn’t have been a Fox guy, anyway. Not even close. Not from the first syllable of telling Robbie Gould to shut up.

 

Bennett did not foment the same kind of internal anger, but he didn’t have to go that far. Bennett just had to miss voluntary team activities while demanding more money to redden the backside of the footbally Fox.

 

By the time Bennett threw a hissyfit in November about losing red-zone targets, Fox seemingly was done with the player. The end was nigh because the attitude was pretty much the opposite of what Fox wants. What Fox demands.

 

Old-time-hockey. Eddie Shore. Toe Blake. John Fox.

 

But here’s thing: Fox hasn’t won. He has his footbally ways and his footbally mindset, but being all footbally hasn’t produced a championship.

 

And here he is, forcing the team to dump a talented player for which there is no reliable replacement.

 

Zach Miller is a nice player. Sometimes he’s great. When he’s healthy. That has been a big when.

 

Rob Housler is another Bears tight end. Did you know that? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

 

Point is, if the Bears have a 6-7 tight end who can catch and block at high levels, then they’ve done an excellent job of hiding him.

 

Last season, the Bears thought they had replacements for Marshall’s production, but Alshon Jeffery was named First Team All-Soft Tissue Injury and I believe top draft pick Kevin White got suffered an injury hearing Roger Goodell call his name.

 

Raise your hand if you can see Fox’s team losing Miller to another injury this season the way they lost Jeffery for half of last season and then not having an answer for where one of Jay Cutler’s favorite outlets used to be.

 

Fox has defined himself as a coach who’s limited in several areas. Clock management comes to mind. This case appears to confirm that Fox can manage diverse personalities on the 53-man roster as long as nobody has a personality.

 

Bennett’s new boss, Bill Belichick, has managed Rob Gronkowski. That’s some kind of personality. Belichick could not manage Aaron Hernandez, but then, no one outside of the penal system could.

 

By placing more importance on personality than performance, Fox has forced his general manager to make the Bears less talented.

 

Pace has done well to get something for players that everyone knew he had to dump, but he, too, is a culprit in making the Bears worse.

 

This move is all Fox, however, and in forcing his roster to become less talented, Fox has ramped up the pressure on himself and sped up the expectations of winning a title.

 

The Bears aren’t talented enough to throw away productive players, but Fox has forced his organization to do it, so he’s wearing it.

 

Fox wants things his way. That’s what a coach does, even a coach who has never won while wanting it his way. Now it’s on Fox to show he can outcoach the handicap he has placed on his roster.

Let me see we didnt win anything with the great Brandon Marshall, or how did we do last year with Marvelous Bennett? The fact is we need to change the culture of this time, we simply have not been very good. Let me see, one SB appearance since the 1985 team. Im all in on trying something different and I think we have a GM and a coach that can get us there. Everything isnt perfect but Im willing to wait a few years and see how this turns out. OR I can bitch like you and pretend Im a huge Bear fan that doesnt see the valve in what is going on now.

[bear trap]

Let me see we didnt win anything with the great Brandon Marshall, or how did we do last year with Marvelous Bennett? The fact is we need to change the culture of this time, we simply have not been very good. Let me see, one SB appearance since the 1985 team. Im all in on trying something different and I think we have a GM and a coach that can get us there. Everything isnt perfect but Im willing to wait a few years and see how this turns out. OR I can bitch like you and pretend Im a huge Bear fan that doesnt see the valve in what is going on now.

Yeah you better bet your ass I'm bitching! But some of us aren't gonna PRETEND that losing a pro bowl receiver and a probowl tight end for a fourth and fifth rd draft pick makes the team better... only morons would say that...BTW how did that terrible teammate marshall do for N.Y. last year? Here's a tip... being a fan doesn't mean you have to agree with all the dumb moves your team makes and it doesn't mean you're pretending to be a fan either...

[jason]

It's possible, if not probable, you are both right.

 

The Bears likely needed a culture shift in the organization. Hence, it's good to get rid of malcontents.

 

On the other hand, getting rid of probowl players for middle round draft picks isn't a great trade off. Sure, it's better than the nothing they would have gotten eventually at the end of the respective contracts, but it's essentially the lesser of two evils, not an actual great option.

['TD']

It's possible, if not probable, you are both right.

 

The Bears likely needed a culture shift in the organization. Hence, it's good to get rid of malcontents.

 

On the other hand, getting rid of probowl players for middle round draft picks isn't a great trade off. Sure, it's better than the nothing they would have gotten eventually at the end of the respective contracts, but it's essentially the lesser of two evils, not an actual great option.

 

I think they could have got more value if they had played it better. If they put off an image of we are rebuilding and players are avaiable and kept the drama in house, then they would have got better value on both.

 

Ownership let it be known early that they were discontent with Marshall, and it was shown in how they handled Bennett at the end of the year that he could be had cheap.

 

 

[bradjock]

Yeah you better bet your ass I'm bitching! But some of us aren't gonna PRETEND that losing a pro bowl receiver and a probowl tight end for a fourth and fifth rd draft pick makes the team better... only morons would say that...BTW how did that terrible teammate marshall do for N.Y. last year? Here's a tip... being a fan doesn't mean you have to agree with all the dumb moves your team makes and it doesn't mean you're pretending to be a fan either...

 

How about this angle: Brad Biggs speculated that part of the reason for Cutler's red zone interceptions were Martellus running the wrong routes. That's why they took him out of red zone packages. Which is why Bennett threw a fit and had to leave practice. Then there's Martellus missing a block in the Denver game that caused Robbie's field goal to be blocked.

 

Martellus was a good player on a really bad team. When he was out at the end of the season, I felt like we really should have missed him. But it really didn't seem to matter. We were 4 & 7 with him and 2 & 3 without him.

 

Finally, what Rosenbloom's column ignores is this: If Martellus pulls that crap on Bellichick's team, what do you think happens? No way Bellichick tolerates that crap. Bellichick would do the EXACT same thing Fox did.

 

I really think this is a case of us thinking a player is better than he actually is.

['TD']

How about this angle: Brad Biggs speculated that part of the reason for Cutler's red zone interceptions were Martellus running the wrong routes. That's why they took him out of red zone packages. Which is why Bennett threw a fit and had to leave practice. Then there's Martellus missing a block in the Denver game that caused Robbie's field goal to be blocked.

 

Martellus was a good player on a really bad team. When he was out at the end of the season, I felt like we really should have missed him. But it really didn't seem to matter. We were 4 & 7 with him and 2 & 3 without him.

 

Finally, what Rosenbloom's column ignores is this: If Martellus pulls that crap on Bellichick's team, what do you think happens? No way Bellichick tolerates that crap. Bellichick would do the EXACT same thing Fox did.

 

I really think this is a case of us thinking a player is better than he actually is.

Have you seen the Booze Cruise stuff with Gronk? They let him do his own thing, which they would with him too. They care about what happens on the field.

 

The blaming him for Cutler's INT's thing is ridiculous.It's been a common problem of his prior to Bennett joining the team and will continue to be. They limited Cutler last year because of the fact he is Cutler and not because of Bennett. I really hate that he is getting a smear campaign as he leaves. He fought through injuries that would sideline other players while producing for the team.

[jason]

Have you seen the Booze Cruise stuff with Gronk? They let him do his own thing, which they would with him too. They care about what happens on the field.

 

The blaming him for Cutler's INT's thing is ridiculous.It's been a common problem of his prior to Bennett joining the team and will continue to be. They limited Cutler last year because of the fact he is Cutler and not because of Bennett. I really hate that he is getting a smear campaign as he leaves. He fought through injuries that would sideline other players while producing for the team.

 

Disagree here with the INTs. There have been multiple games and INTs analyzed in great detail, and it appears that more INTs happen when MB is in, and passes are thrown his way. Miller comes in and magically, for the most part, those issues disappear.

[scs787]

I hate getting into these types of arguments because the fact of the matter is I have absolutely no clue what goes on behind the scenes or how these guys act off the field. It's one of those things we are blind to as fans but speculate about nevertheless, and when you speculate there will always be people with different views and thus arguments like this occur.

 

What does seem clear is that he wasn't going to be resigning next year. So would you rather have him for a year and let him walk or get a young cost controlled player for the future?

['TD']

What's your sample size of the two?

['TD']

He had 2 ints and 11 tds in the redzone last year.

['TD']

What does seem clear is that he wasn't going to be resigning next year. So would you rather have him for a year and let him walk or get a young cost controlled player for the future?

 

No, its basically a 5th round pick with what the Bears gave back. He could have been resigned if they weren't so anal with him. 5th round picks rarely turn out and have little value.

 

[AZ54]

One thing is clear we will not have a TE who can play as well as Bennett this year. As someone who has openly stated I wanted him back this year, if not signed to a new contract, I'm not convinced the team won't be equally as good without him. We've all pointed out some of the inconsistencies in Bennett's play, or at least what we think are inconsistencies because we don't know who was wrong when a pass is thrown towards him and he never turns around to see the ball leading to an INT. Missed blocks here and there. Those were surrounded by good plays breaking tackles for first downs.

 

Taking some time to reflect on Bennett's tenure with the Bears one thing comes to mind: In his 2 years as HC, Trestman only punished one player, or even coach in case of Kromer, and that was Bennett. I don't think his hiatus from almost a week of training camp was just because of one fight with Kyle Fuller. There were plenty of other scuffles and other disciplinary issues to deal with that were ignored. So I wonder what else was going on that was so bad it led Trestman to take such drastic action, the only disciplinary action I can remember him taking, with one of his star players in Bennett? We know how he bent over backward to ignore stuff Briggs did.

 

New coach and GM come in and a year later we're trading a good player in his prime for next to nothing in terms of what we (fans) perceive his value to be. Doing that when the draft in this position is weak.

 

Also interesting is that I don't recall any big effort being attempted to recruit another FA TE outside of Miller. That door isn't closed as there are some FA available but nothing special. Team is more or less content losing Bennett and maybe adding mid-Rd rookie?

[Stinger226]

Yeah you better bet your ass I'm bitching! But some of us aren't gonna PRETEND that losing a pro bowl receiver and a pro bowl tight end for a fourth and fifth rd draft pick makes the team better... only morons would say that...BTW how did that terrible teammate marshall do for N.Y. last year? Here's a tip... being a fan doesn't mean you have to agree with all the dumb moves your team makes and it doesn't mean you're pretending to be a fan either...

I would prefer to have them here, because I am not in the locker room and have to deal with the crab that those put forth. Unfortunately everything is just not that simple, your a good player so lets kiss your ass and keep you. Sitting in my seat, I dont get to see everything that occurs behind close doors and I do not agree with everything any regime does as far as the Bears go. I am a plumber and am working on a large job with 16 men there. Work should be a more pleasant experience than having to work with an asshole that keeps drama in the air all the time. There is one that always keeps tension in the forefront, and just because he is a good worker and smart as his job doesn't mean his attitude affect everybody working there. Maybe you are fortunate to not have to experience that in your job but I prefer a better attitude when having to spend so much time with some asshole. The plumber I am talking about just got sent away last monday and work is more enjoyable.

[madlithuanian]

Seriously. There was no re-signing him. This is real world. Not Madden.

 

 

 

 

No, its basically a 5th round pick with what the Bears gave back. He could have been resigned if they weren't so anal with him. 5th round picks rarely turn out and have little value.

 

['TD']

Seriously. There was no re-signing him. This is real world. Not Madden.

I think if they kept Marshall that Bennett would have never complained about a new deal, and Jeffery would have been signed at a below market deal(as Marshall always did).

 

For all the talk of Marshall being a locker room cancer, those two seem to be pretty darn good friends with him. They were even training at his facility last offseason.

 

However, money does talk. If they gave him the going rate for a TE and some security, then I think he would have re-signed. I think him asking for one last year was just being pissed about Marshall, along with why Jeffery won't sign a deal.

 

They were friends with Marshall. Trained with him. Saw how hard he worked and his passion during the game, then he was shipped out of town for nothing. That doesn't give players much faith that the organization will do right by them.

[Connorbear]

I think if they kept Marshall that Bennett would have never complained about a new deal, and Jeffery would have been signed at a below market deal(as Marshall always did).

 

For all the talk of Marshall being a locker room cancer, those two seem to be pretty darn good friends with him. They were even training at his facility last offseason.

 

However, money does talk. If they gave him the going rate for a TE and some security, then I think he would have re-signed. I think him asking for one last year was just being pissed about Marshall, along with why Jeffery won't sign a deal.

 

They were friends with Marshall. Trained with him. Saw how hard he worked and his passion during the game, then he was shipped out of town for nothing. That doesn't give players much faith that the organization will do right by them.

 

After the 50-minute impromptu press conference Marshall gave after the Ray Rice situation broke, there was no way he was staying with the organization.

 

Peace

[scs787]

No, its basically a 5th round pick with what the Bears gave back. He could have been resigned if they weren't so anal with him. 5th round picks rarely turn out and have little value.

 

Again, I don't know what goes on around the practice fields and all that, but when words like him being malcontent and stand offish get thrown out there, it sounds to me that he wouldn't wanna sign back here. I suppose they could have franchised him if they really wanted to though.

[madlithuanian]

We can't do revisionist history.

 

I won't argue against fantastical talk...because changing history could result in anything. If we only kept Wilbur Marshall, etc...

 

I simply have no problem with letting Marshall and Bennett go. I get it. Forte, I'm a little more saddened by. But, I also get that.

 

Until this regime proves they can't do it, I'll let them attempt what they feel is correct. Right now, I've seen no grievous errors. There are elements we can disagree with. But until this upcoming season plays out, none of us know.

 

 

 

I think if they kept Marshall that Bennett would have never complained about a new deal, and Jeffery would have been signed at a below market deal(as Marshall always did).

 

For all the talk of Marshall being a locker room cancer, those two seem to be pretty darn good friends with him. They were even training at his facility last offseason.

 

However, money does talk. If they gave him the going rate for a TE and some security, then I think he would have re-signed. I think him asking for one last year was just being pissed about Marshall, along with why Jeffery won't sign a deal.

 

They were friends with Marshall. Trained with him. Saw how hard he worked and his passion during the game, then he was shipped out of town for nothing. That doesn't give players much faith that the organization will do right by them.

 

[Stinger226]

I think if they kept Marshall that Bennett would have never complained about a new deal, and Jeffery would have been signed at a below market deal(as Marshall always did).

 

For all the talk of Marshall being a locker room cancer, those two seem to be pretty darn good friends with him. They were even training at his facility last offseason.

 

However, money does talk. If they gave him the going rate for a TE and some security, then I think he would have re-signed. I think him asking for one last year was just being pissed about Marshall, along with why Jeffery won't sign a deal.

 

They were friends with Marshall. Trained with him. Saw how hard he worked and his passion during the game, then he was shipped out of town for nothing. That doesn't give players much faith that the organization will do right by them.

They didnt keep Marshall so your premise does not apply. The problem with the team over the last few years is numerous but under Trestman he wasn't a leader. Our leader in the locker room was Marshall, unless this is an insane asylum probably not a good idea. If we still had leaders in the locker room like Urlacher or Krentz, none of this shit would have happened. You need team leaders or a Coach that commands the ship ,not egocentric players. The result of this is a losing team. We now have a coach that controls the chemistry of the team. That is a good thing, and not a bad thing because we dont like all of his decisions. In 2 or 3 years when we get good again, Marshall and Bennett would have been gone anyways, so we might as well have a youth injection and move forward.

[madlithuanian]

Damn you!

 

Using logic!

 

They didnt keep Marshall so your premise does not apply. The problem with the team over the last few years is numerous but under Trestman he wasn't a leader. Our leader in the locker room was Marshall, unless this is an insane asylum probably not a good idea. If we still had leaders in the locker room like Urlacher or Krentz, none of this shit would have happened. You need team leaders or a Coach that commands the ship ,not egocentric players. The result of this is a losing team. We now have a coach that controls the chemistry of the team. That is a good thing, and not a bad thing because we dont like all of his decisions. In 2 or 3 years when we get good again, Marshall and Bennett would have been gone anyways, so we might as well have a youth injection and move forward.

 

[jason]

They didnt keep Marshall so your premise does not apply. The problem with the team over the last few years is numerous but under Trestman he wasn't a leader. Our leader in the locker room was Marshall, unless this is an insane asylum probably not a good idea. If we still had leaders in the locker room like Urlacher or Krentz, none of this shit would have happened. You need team leaders or a Coach that commands the ship ,not egocentric players. The result of this is a losing team. We now have a coach that controls the chemistry of the team. That is a good thing, and not a bad thing because we dont like all of his decisions. In 2 or 3 years when we get good again, Marshall and Bennett would have been gone anyways, so we might as well have a youth injection and move forward.

 

Two quick thoughts just to play devil's advocate:

 

1) Just because a coach controls chemistry doesn't mean there will be success. There was somewhat poor chemistry on the 85 Bears, where the D and O fought, and Buddy Ryan outright despised having Ditka involved in any way. But as we all know, that team won. Conversely, a guy like John Shoop could have had all the chemistry and control he wanted, and there was no way his offense was going to be successful, mostly because he was a moron.

 

2) So in 2 to 3 years Marshall and Bennett are going to be washed up? I think I'd take that bet.