Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2017 1:43:52 GMT -6
Lots of IFs gang. It's a very tough schedule for a bottom feeder and like it or not that's what we are.
Last season I heard two conflicting issues as reasons for a 3-13 season. One was injuries and the other was a lack to talent. I think the injury issues has been at least somewhat undone by the fact that many who ended up on the IR were not or would not have been major contributors anyway. So that would leave a lack of talent and inexperience as the primary reasons.
I'm not convinced we're over the injury thing at all yet. Several key starters are still on the mend and may not be available until late in the preseason if then. Long and McPhee may well have to play at less than 100%, who knows when Trevathan will be ready, and will White and Goldman finally kick their injury issues and play 16 games. The depth behind these guys isn't strong yet and still may not be post draft. This is one area where the IFs come in.
As for the lack of talent component so far I don't see a whole lot of improvement based on FA. We're left with a ton of question marks and claims we've improved but how many of those we signed are all that much better than who they're intended to replace? Age and injury are also factors with some of them so I don't see how we can count on improvement until we see it.
As I see it we're adding a lot of new starters. That usually means an extended ramp up period as they get more accustomed to playing together and getting that done quickly and effectively is one thing Fox has failed in ever since he arrived. So again how do we know we can count on that to change? To be honest I don't expect that it will. It's always been one of Fox's weaknesses.
Look at those first 8 games. It's brutal for a team with a new QB and players like White, Meredith and others expected to step into starting or key rotation positions and perform at a high level game one. If we haven't been able to do it these past two years what makes us think this year will be any different? I can easily see a 2-6 start at best and one win or no wins isn't out of the question either.
I can't help but repeating what I've been saying. Even with the addition of some new talent and fewer key injuries this team still needs good coaching and good schemes to win and at least on offense we've lacked that once Gase left. The offense was improving under Gase. Even Cutler was improving under Gase. Now both are gone and we're left with those who left us with a very poor offense last year.
John Fox is not an offensive master mind and Dowell Loggains schemes, game plans, and play calling were ineffective. We averaged just 17 points per game and no team will win many games with that type of scoring any longer. So again, what's changed? If you're still searching for a new starting QB and #1 WR and your best hopes are based on someone else's #2 whose played little for two years and an UDFA and a former #1 draft pick whose yet to show he even deserves to start let alone be counted on to step into a #1 role thinking the offense will improve much is pretty optimistic especially under the present coaching.
All in all a third losing season which still leaves Fox as the second losingest HC in Bears history should pave the way for his departure and for Ryan Pace to rehire the position with someone better prepared to get the team out of it's rut but then we may have to sit though the growing pains that can come from that one more time. From where I sit none of this looks very good. Not now or for the very near future.
Last season I heard two conflicting issues as reasons for a 3-13 season. One was injuries and the other was a lack to talent. I think the injury issues has been at least somewhat undone by the fact that many who ended up on the IR were not or would not have been major contributors anyway. So that would leave a lack of talent and inexperience as the primary reasons.
I'm not convinced we're over the injury thing at all yet. Several key starters are still on the mend and may not be available until late in the preseason if then. Long and McPhee may well have to play at less than 100%, who knows when Trevathan will be ready, and will White and Goldman finally kick their injury issues and play 16 games. The depth behind these guys isn't strong yet and still may not be post draft. This is one area where the IFs come in.
As for the lack of talent component so far I don't see a whole lot of improvement based on FA. We're left with a ton of question marks and claims we've improved but how many of those we signed are all that much better than who they're intended to replace? Age and injury are also factors with some of them so I don't see how we can count on improvement until we see it.
As I see it we're adding a lot of new starters. That usually means an extended ramp up period as they get more accustomed to playing together and getting that done quickly and effectively is one thing Fox has failed in ever since he arrived. So again how do we know we can count on that to change? To be honest I don't expect that it will. It's always been one of Fox's weaknesses.
Look at those first 8 games. It's brutal for a team with a new QB and players like White, Meredith and others expected to step into starting or key rotation positions and perform at a high level game one. If we haven't been able to do it these past two years what makes us think this year will be any different? I can easily see a 2-6 start at best and one win or no wins isn't out of the question either.
I can't help but repeating what I've been saying. Even with the addition of some new talent and fewer key injuries this team still needs good coaching and good schemes to win and at least on offense we've lacked that once Gase left. The offense was improving under Gase. Even Cutler was improving under Gase. Now both are gone and we're left with those who left us with a very poor offense last year.
John Fox is not an offensive master mind and Dowell Loggains schemes, game plans, and play calling were ineffective. We averaged just 17 points per game and no team will win many games with that type of scoring any longer. So again, what's changed? If you're still searching for a new starting QB and #1 WR and your best hopes are based on someone else's #2 whose played little for two years and an UDFA and a former #1 draft pick whose yet to show he even deserves to start let alone be counted on to step into a #1 role thinking the offense will improve much is pretty optimistic especially under the present coaching.
All in all a third losing season which still leaves Fox as the second losingest HC in Bears history should pave the way for his departure and for Ryan Pace to rehire the position with someone better prepared to get the team out of it's rut but then we may have to sit though the growing pains that can come from that one more time. From where I sit none of this looks very good. Not now or for the very near future.