Another Ugly Game - Same Thing Every Week

[adam]

So wow, a lot to unpack already this year. So starting from the top, this team could easily be 0-3-1 right now and that is how it feels. In 4 weeks, there have been so few bright spots, it is incredible that this team is so how 2-2. I can't tell if there are halftime adjustments or the other team's get conservative and allow the Bears to run the ball more AND the also play more conservative and score less - or the defense is actually playing better in the second half. The entire offense is hot mess.

In every passing week, it just seems more and more like either Fields is not the guy, or the team doesn't trust him and are not planning for him to be the long-term solution at QB after this year. Both can be true. 

That is 4 straight starts with 10 or fewer completions. I just don't think more reps are going to fix this. Every snap feels like he was just tossed into the game without a clue. Every part of his game has gotten worse, even his scrambling. I get that the O-Line is bad, but they are not the sole reason why he is struggling and not improving.

It is 4 games now, it at least seems like Getsy is not a good play caller. Where is the "scheming guys open?" There is always a risk with taking coaches from teams with great QBs (look at DEN). It is also easy to run when the defense is giving you that when you are down. This game had some of the worst play calls I have seen and we just had Nagy. Getsy is way too predictable (already) and there is zero innovation in what he is doing. The Giants were literally had a free runner on every play and the Bears rarely, if ever, capitalized on it. 

Flus is ok, but man, he coaches to not lose (even when losing), and how many times do the Bears need to get beat on the play action bootleg before they address it?  Jones had a better rushing day than any other player on the field with 6-68 yards and 2 TDs. Then Tyrod comes in and gets 30 more before getting concussed. Jones only had 8 completions and Gordon still looked bad out there in coverage. 

Poles drafted Gordon with his first pick. He has been the worst DB in the league using ANY metric, any. He could've taken George Pickens, a WR, who had 6 receptions for 102 yards today with 2 different QBs. To compensate, he drafted the oldest rookie who contributed to the loss today with a muffed punt with no one within 10 yards of him. 2 out of his top 3 picks are not looking good. Jones has been out 3 weeks and is still not part of the offense. So we drafted a "special" teamer with the 3rd round pick? Great. 

This regime is going to get a free pass on this year because of Fields, but they shouldn't. We just got beat by a team with a new Coach, GM, AND Daniel Jones at QB! This would've looked like rock bottom if they came into the game at 0-2-1. However, if they play like this every week, they will not win a single game in the Division and may eek out 2-3 wins against other teams if they are lucky. 

Not counting Week 1, the defense has allowed 20+ pts 3 times.  In those 3 games the offense did not have a passing TD (12 straight quarters w/o a passing TD) and scored more than 13 once. 

 

If the Bears are going to play like this, they need to consider the fire sale by the deadline. Any vet over 28 consider moving, even Roquan and Monty. They aren't going to win much with them, so they might as well reset with some decent draft capital and start over. 

 

Are we in football purgatory or what? What did we do to deserve this misery?

[Alaskan Grizzly]

I think we need to remember we weren’t expecting anything from this team and somehow, someway we’re still holding at 2-2.  I get there’s a lot to critique but I also think we need to put it all in perspective.

 Personally I think a lot of what ills the team is what you said about Getsy and his unimaginative play calling. Early on the team was finally calling play-action and making minimal progress.   A few pass catches were what appeared to allowing Justin that comfort level we’ve been looking for.  Then for whatever reason when they call the run into what appears to be a constant knot of guys at the line.  What happened to the outside zone blocking we kept hearing about and what seemed to be working before?  I mean shit, we’re only a week removed from Khalil Herbert running for 157 yards.  NY doesn’t have a top 10 defense (before today they were ranked 27th - USA Today) so I’m not sure why we didn’t see what worked last week repeated today.  Add in that the defense (especially the front seven) shat the bed then all things being what they are, we came simply say Justin is the lynchpin for all that ills the team. 
 

Meanwhile, Bailey Zappe (who? #3 QB for NE) just threw for a TD against the vaunted GB defense in GB making the score 17-14 NE.  This after the Aaron “a-hole” Rodgers threw a pick-six earlier in the game.  ‘Any given Sunday’. 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I wish we were 0 and 4 to be honest.  Those worthless wins only hurt what this team needs and that is talent. We need to figure if Fields is our guy and if not, then having the highest pick gives us a fighting chance 

[adam]

5 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

I wish we were 0 and 4 to be honest.  Those worthless wins only hurt what this team needs and that is talent. We need to figure if Fields is our guy and if not, then having the highest pick gives us a fighting chance 

Yep, I agree.

Fields is not the guy. Just look at the Pats/Packers game. Bailey Zappe, 3rd String Rookie, 4th Round pick out of Western Kentucky was thrown into the game after Hoyer got hurt. He is currently 9-13, 93 yds, and a TD with 11 mins left. He has more TDs than Justin Fields has in the last 3 games. Zappe is also outplaying Rodgers who is 10-19, with a Pick-6.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

18 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

We need to figure if Fields is our guy and if not, then having the highest pick gives us a fighting chance 

And do what with it?  Draft another 1st Round QB? How many times do we need to do that before we ‘find our guy’?  Justin is one of the most talented QBs we’ve had on this team in a long time.  If he doesn't immediately pick apart an opposing defense (like a 4th round QB does with a 6x Super Bowl future HOF coach mind you) we’re ready to shit the season and “tank”.  If anything this team needs to continue to play the best they can and find their weaknesses (both on offense and defense) and make those positions better. 
 

Justin has a defensive minded HC with a former QB coach calling plays for him.  I’m still hesitant in placing it all at Fields’ feet.  

[ASHKUM BEAR]

1 minute ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

And do what with it?  Draft another 1st Round QB? How many times do we need to do that before we ‘find our guy’?  Justin is one of the most talented QBs we’ve had on this team in a long time.  If he doesn't immediately pick apart an opposing defense (like a 4th round QB does with a 6x Super Bowl future HOF coach mind you) we’re ready to shit the season and “tank”.  If anything this team needs to continue to play the best they can and find their weaknesses (both on offense and defense) and make those positions better. 
 

Justin has a defensive minded HC with a former QB coach calling plays for him.  I’m still hesitant in placing it all at Fields’ feet.  

I am not giving up on Fields yet, but if Poles, Flus, and Getsy don't want him, I have no control over that. If we have a top  pick then QB will be considered.  You draft best player and it may be qb. 

If Fields show some hope, then we may trade down or take a stud DT or WR. 

[BearFan PHX]

So I cant disagree with what we have all seen, but I would like to put it into perspective.

Things are changing, and the team is growing. If we need to be a 70 out of 100 to win, we used to be a 20, and now we are a 50. The wins we have were somewhat lucky, yes, but we were there to fall into them, and that is growth.

Today Fields had better tempo and was getting through his reads faster. It didnt end up in completions, but it was growth. Yes, I have serious questions about him too, and we may well be drafting a QB in the first round, but Fields is not out of time yet, and if he keeps progressing, he may be a very different player at the end of this season.

We all see the intangibles, the first downs he gets running etc, and on the long pass today you see his downfield accuracy. He has the tools, but he isnt seeing it all yet. Maybe he never will. But maybe he will.

In the meanwhile, the team is playing harder now than they have in years. The defense and the offensive line are building an identity. They are not as consistent as we'd like to see, but the effect of the new culture is clearly evident.

I think what we can say here, is what we said before we got excited that the Bears might show up early this season. The Bears dont have the roster yet to reliably beat the decent teams. We could have beaten the Giants today, but it wouldn't have made us a good team. We arent.

But we are building the foundation of something here. Im not ready to throw any of our coaches under the bus, including Getsy and his play calling. Theyre trying to make a gourmet meal with leftovers. I think we can forgive them for not having the full playbook open at this point.

So yeah, we are going to win 5 - 8 games this year. This is what we thought going in to this season. The fact that we are disappointed is almost proof of the growth we've had. We looked like the light was going to come on - there was hope. That hope comes from the increase in quality weve seen. We are frustrated that they cant take that next ztep and become winners. But we didnt even used to be just a step away.

Put another way - if you could add 3 more good players at whatever position you choose, would you think this team was a 9 win team? If so, you see how far weve come too.

Now to the meat of it - youd say "well one of them would have to be a QB" and that's also what we knew going into this season - that this was Justin Field's chance to grow, and either ascend to the long term guy, or be finished here. And we are still on that. And Im going to agree, it isnt looking very good for Justin.

But he has the rest of this season to learn how to see the field, and you gotta admit, the rest of the team around him is starting to show some areas of strength.

Bottom line: Were on the right path. We have the right coaches. Thanks to Pace, this is year zero, not one. And Justin Fields is under the microscope and has not yet taken the reigns. If doesn't, then the Poles era really begins.

[adam]

3 minutes ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

And do what with it?  Draft another 1st Round QB? How many times do we need to do that before we ‘find our guy’?  Justin is one of the most talented QBs we’ve had on this team in a long time.  If he doesn't immediately pick apart an opposing defense (like a 4th round QB does with a 6x Super Bowl future HOF coach mind you) we’re ready to shit the season and “tank”.  If anything this team needs to continue to play the best they can and find their weaknesses (both on offense and defense) and make those positions better. 
 

Justin has a defensive minded HC with a former QB coach calling plays for him.  I’m still hesitant in placing it all at Fields’ feet.  

It is never all on one player, but there are worse O-Lines, worse WR corps, etc, etc, and guys still look competent. Fields is super athletic, smart, etc, but how many games does a guy need to even show that he is at least a serviceable QB? He has had 2x games in his career where he has thrown for over 225 yards. He has passed for 2 TDs in a game once. At some point, it is on him.

[AZ54]

I'm not nearly as down after watching this game.  I'm not that high either rather I just see this as the 6-8 win team I was expecting.  One with some ups and some downs.  I'm not sure I'd even want this team sitting at 3-1 and all the media noise that comes with it because they really aren't ready for that.  However I really wanted to see Fields and the offense on that last drive opportunity.  Keep fighting as the underdog, keep working, and if we get a better draft pick so be it.   

There are just different players making mistakes on different plays.  Sometimes on the same play.  One example in the running game:   Both Herbert and Ebner too often stretched plays to the outside instead of taking the designed cutback inside.  Those cut backs were open.  One of those led to a holding call on Kmet who had a great seal block on the edge.  Kmet's fault or RB?  

Lucas Patrick continues to look like the backup he was in GB.  He has good plays and then plays where he just gets blown up.  I'm not sure what Fields is supposed to do with Patrick in his lap.  Our edges are still too inconsistent now that players have film on our OTs.  Nobody in the protection figured out the dual LB blitz.  That's on Getsy.   

Pettis dropped a perfect pass from Fields that would have been a 1st down.  He's never been a contested pass type of receiver and that's why he's at best a backup.  For his part Fields is still thinking too much even when he's outside the pocket.  

I could go on about those things but among the positives I saw were some good adjustments from the defense in the 2nd half.  Again, this staff can help the players to adapt which IMO bodes well for the future.  When these young players like Brisker get more experience those adjustments will happen quicker on the field. Mooney picked up 4 rec for 94yds so the monkey is off his back.  

Eddie Jackson had a pretty good day and Roquan made some good plays, mostly in the 2nd half as did Brisker and Morrow.  Specials teams coverage was good.  Our new kicker went 4-4, not bad for one day of practice.  

[AZ54]

2 hours ago, adam said:

Yep, I agree.

Fields is not the guy. Just look at the Pats/Packers game. Bailey Zappe, 3rd String Rookie, 4th Round pick out of Western Kentucky was thrown into the game after Hoyer got hurt. He is currently 9-13, 93 yds, and a TD with 11 mins left. He has more TDs than Justin Fields has in the last 3 games. Zappe is also outplaying Rodgers who is 10-19, with a Pick-6.

I remember the Gardner Minshew hysteria too. 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

3 hours ago, adam said:

It is never all on one player, but there are worse O-Lines, worse WR corps, etc, etc, and guys still look competent. Fields is super athletic, smart, etc, but how many games does a guy need to even show that he is at least a serviceable QB? He has had 2x games in his career where he has thrown for over 225 yards. He has passed for 2 TDs in a game once. At some point, it is on him.

There is no wide out core worse than this one. But your points remain. 

[Mongo3451]

If anyone remembers, this is who we were predicted to be.  It's ok for the next 13 weeks.  If Justin is not quicker delivering the ball by then, we'll be drafting accordingly.  And we are in position to do so.  This year is base level.  Next year, the first floor gets built...

 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

4 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

If anyone remembers, this is who we were predicted to be.  It's ok for the next 13 weeks.  If Justin is not quicker delivering the ball by then, we'll be drafting accordingly.  And we are in position to do so.  This year is base level.  Next year, the first floor gets built...

 

Exactly. 

[ChileBear]

36 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

If anyone remembers, this is who we were predicted to be.  It's ok for the next 13 weeks.  If Justin is not quicker delivering the ball by then, we'll be drafting accordingly.  And we are in position to do so.  This year is base level.  Next year, the first floor gets built...

 

True, but it's a bitch to watch.

[BearFan PHX]

7 hours ago, AZ54 said:

I'm not nearly as down after watching this game.  I'm not that high either rather I just see this as the 6-8 win team I was expecting.  One with some ups and some downs.  I'm not sure I'd even want this team sitting at 3-1 and all the media noise that comes with it because they really aren't ready for that.  However I really wanted to see Fields and the offense on that last drive opportunity.  Keep fighting as the underdog, keep working, and if we get a better draft pick so be it.   

There are just different players making mistakes on different plays.  Sometimes on the same play.  One example in the running game:   Both Herbert and Ebner too often stretched plays to the outside instead of taking the designed cutback inside.  Those cut backs were open.  One of those led to a holding call on Kmet who had a great seal block on the edge.  Kmet's fault or RB?  

Lucas Patrick continues to look like the backup he was in GB.  He has good plays and then plays where he just gets blown up.  I'm not sure what Fields is supposed to do with Patrick in his lap.  Our edges are still too inconsistent now that players have film on our OTs.  Nobody in the protection figured out the dual LB blitz.  That's on Getsy.   

Pettis dropped a perfect pass from Fields that would have been a 1st down.  He's never been a contested pass type of receiver and that's why he's at best a backup.  For his part Fields is still thinking too much even when he's outside the pocket.  

I could go on about those things but among the positives I saw were some good adjustments from the defense in the 2nd half.  Again, this staff can help the players to adapt which IMO bodes well for the future.  When these young players like Brisker get more experience those adjustments will happen quicker on the field. Mooney picked up 4 rec for 94yds so the monkey is off his back.  

Eddie Jackson had a pretty good day and Roquan made some good plays, mostly in the 2nd half as did Brisker and Morrow.  Specials teams coverage was good.  Our new kicker went 4-4, not bad for one day of practice.  

I completely agree. 8-9 and a base to build next year off of with a full draft including a first rounder, and a ton of cap space.

[Stinger226]

I predicted 9 wins   and have to step back to  7-8. This was a game we had a chance to win and  made to many mistakes. 

We are not going  to be able to  stop the run all yr but Barkley I expected but we could have played better against the Jones runs.  There was no gap integrity

The Oline can run block but are terrible at pass blocking. This affects the play of  Fields and why  our play calling is bad . They try to stay away from putting Fields in bad situations.

We need Monty back more for his pass blocking than running. The poor blocking of  Herbert and Ebner affected our offensive production. With Whitehair going out our OL got exposed. Patrick is average and below average at pass blocking. Mustifer was terrible. We need to just go with Patrick at OC and accept the few fumbles that may happen.

Fields actually looked better but with bad pass protection, it is going to stay inconsistent. 

The play calling was questionable . Is that because they know we cant pass block? I think we need to take him out of the pocket more even thou they had pressure off the end, get  him in a run  or pass situation

Young players make mistakes and this is a process that will look bad in many situations. . As people say to keep it in perspective, i need to do that. 

[adam]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

I predicted 9 wins   and have to step back to  7-8. This was a game we had a chance to win and  made to many mistakes. 

We are not going  to be able to  stop the run all yr but Barkley I expected but we could have played better against the Jones runs.  There was no gap integrity

The Oline can run block but are terrible at pass blocking. This affects the play of  Fields and why  our play calling is bad . They try to stay away from putting Fields in bad situations.

We need Monty back more for his pass blocking than running. The poor blocking of  Herbert and Ebner affected our offensive production. With Whitehair going out our OL got exposed. Patrick is average and below average at pass blocking. Mustifer was terrible. We need to just go with Patrick at OC and accept the few fumbles that may happen.

Fields actually looked better but with bad pass protection, it is going to stay inconsistent. 

The play calling was questionable . Is that because they know we cant pass block? I think we need to take him out of the pocket more even thou they had pressure off the end, get  him in a run  or pass situation

Young players make mistakes and this is a process that will look bad in many situations. . As people say to keep it in perspective, i need to do that. 

The entire offseason there was a theme preached with HITS, and I think we expected a little more consistency, but not in that way. How many times did the backside defender bite on a Jones play action? Why though, that defender never contributed to the tackle when Barkley actually ran? It took them 2 quarters to figure that out and by then they had 2 easy TDs. 

Our O-Line cannot handle the blitz. On two of them, there were 2 free runners on one side and 2 OLinemen looking for work on the other side. That has to be fixed. They have to move some of the protection to account for those guys. Mustipher allowed half of all pressures. We really need Patrick at OC and Jenkins permanently at RG. Now with Whitehair possibly out some time, it may be Patrick-Mustipher-Jenkins which is still weak with Mustipher in there. 

About the play calling, has there been any quick slants or quick in routes? Also, why are we not running into the massive gap on the right side on those rollouts. Fake the roll out, hand it off, but then have the RB go counter into the gigantic hole. Cutback!

Kmet's disappearance is mind boggling. Everyone said he looked great in the offseason and he is a ghost, and he is either holding or blocking terrible. 

There is no way this current team wins more than 5 games. Look at the schedule, they won't win any games in the division. WAS is the only game they may be favored in after the MIN loss next week. So they will go into that game 2-3 on TNF. After that potential win, they will have losses to NE, DAL, MIA, DET, ATL, NYJ, GB, PHI, BUF, DET, and MIN. I figure they can easily lose 11 straight to end the season at 3-14. That is definitely possible if you watched any of the other games. Figure they get lucky and win 2 of them. That is 5-12. Either way, is that a success? To me, anything less than 7 wins with a 2-1 start and playing NYG is a huge failure. If they only win 5 games, Fields is obviously not the guy (again). You also have to question everyone, are they really any better than the last regime if you can only win 5 games with the schedule they have.

The only bright spot is 5-12 will be a top 5 pick this year. HOU is the only team without a win, so 5 wins should lock in a top 5 pick.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

They must have planned on taking these bumps because you would think having Reiff and Schofield on the field would give the line at least an edge in experience and that could help Fields now.  If Fields can keep taking baby steps and not lose ot completely, maybe the line and him will finally gel and perform well.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

2 hours ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

They must have planned on taking these bumps because you would think having Reiff and Schofield on the field would give the line at least an edge in experience and that could help Fields now.  If Fields can keep taking baby steps and not lose ot completely, maybe the line and him will finally gel and perform well.

They definitely planned on taking bumps (or at least I hope that is the case). If they mis-evaluated the talent this bad, than that doesn't say much.  Now the question is - how off were they on Fields and have they literally given him so little that they set himself up for failure. To me that was the fine line they were balancing and it was why I never liked the move to prioritize defense early in the draft, over offensive playmaker. 

I felt like on paper - the playmakers at wideout and TE were legit awful and if you combine it with a not very good oline - you put a QB in a really bad place. It is one thing if you have time to throw and digest for sub-par weapons to get open - but when you ask them to get open with a weak oline where they literally have to beat their DB's regularly out of the gate on 1:1's - yeah not going to work.  

Now in Poles defense - I don't think he saw the explosion on the WR market coming. I think he figured he was going to replace Arob with a free agent (or even Cooper who I think they were waiting to get cut; the problem I kept saying at the time was - why not just lock him in for next 2 years at controlled cost, even if slightly high, because the draft pick traded was so low and you created certainty in the equation (and there is value in it).  

When the wideout FA market went haywire - it also than depleted the pool of wideouts that would be available with the Bears picks.  Which meant they basically had Pickens (who is a 1st round talent - but had some other red flags) but none of there other guys available (whomever they might be).  Maybe Velus Jones gets healthy and integrated and shows something - but reality is - higher probability he closer to a special teams guy vs. a potential pro bowl, to above average wideout (which is what Pickens upside is).  

Maybe I am wrong - and we are about to see some semblance of progress on offensive side of the ball. We'll see the younger linemen continue to make strides, get back the 2 headed monster in Montgomery / Herber, and have Fields start to get more comfortable...all while at some point they get a few more wideouts back (even if they aren't good)...in particular having Pringle and Velus Jones healthy at least gives them some guys with speed.  But man - it isn't pretty on offense.  

[Alaskan Grizzly]

3 hours ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

They must have planned on taking these bumps because you would think having Reiff and Schofield on the field would give the line at least an edge in experience and that could help Fields now. 

I was thinking this exact thing after seeing Whitehair go out .   Surely Schofield would be a good plug and play option at least in the Guard spot?  Patrick is clearly struggling at Guard.  And Reiff, a former 1st round pick, must just be a depth player at the point. 

[AZ54]

5 hours ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

I was thinking this exact thing after seeing Whitehair go out .   Surely Schofield would be a good plug and play option at least in the Guard spot?  Patrick is clearly struggling at Guard.  And Reiff, a former 1st round pick, must just be a depth player at the point. 

I'm pretty sure they did and the plan was if the rookies were talented enough they were going to play and learn on the job.  It's a much better way to know what you have before going into an offseason with all that cap space but it does hinder Fields' progress.  

[BearFan PHX]

2 hours ago, AZ54 said:

I'm pretty sure they did and the plan was if the rookies were talented enough they were going to play and learn on the job.  It's a much better way to know what you have before going into an offseason with all that cap space but it does hinder Fields' progress.  

exactly. year zero.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

More “ugly” news with Whitehair “out for some time” with apparent knee injury.  

 

[adam]

They really need to take another look at Schofield or Reiff with Patrick at OC. It can't be worse than Mustipher at OC.

Mustipher has been part of the problem since last year, yet two regimes keep running him out there as the OC. You need a competent Center for a young QB, and he ain't one of them.

[Bill]

Thru first three weeks.  https://twitter.com/adamjahns/status/1577049041766125574/photo/1

 

Things don't add up