Are we really that bad?

NE knows how to game plan. Last night they decided not ti blitz Brock but rather to throw 7-8 people in coverage and make him fit throws into tight windows. He wasn't able to for the most part. NE also got lucky with fumble recovery. McDaniels also knows the limitations his QB has and they built the OFF game plan around running the ball, option runs and letting the rookie do what he does best.

Right now the Beats OL can't block so where are the moving pocket, the bootlegs, the screen passes? When you team is going to have challenges, you scheme and gameplan around them. You identify strengthes and adapt. Fox shows no ability to do that.

As far as talent? You can't mess with the OL right before the season starts (again by the way) and expect good results. Hopefully Hoyer will start to benefit from a better OL. Jeffery, Miller, Langford, Howard, Royal--all these guys should be able to conribute. Even White--for crying out loud use him like NO used Davy Henderson, send him deep every single play.

Its the DEF, where the lack of ball-hawking playmakers worries me. where are the turnovers? Where? How come Fangio didn't blizt Wentz to death last weekend. That kind of is "Playing Against a Rookie QB 101."

I believe (but thats because I have an extreme case of Deranged Anti-Fox Syndrome) its the coaching that at this point isn't capable of addressing issues the Bears have.

EDIT: Am I the only one who enjoyed the two pass interference calls Bennett drew in the endzone? Yeah, Bears didn't need that at all. After all being good submissive players trumps talent everytime.  Nice call there Fox. Oh and by the way, could some teach Paulsen to block? I'll take even falling down in front of the pass rusher.

This is just me spewing off at the mouth (and possibly other orifices). I think Fox is the kind of guy that has his way of doing things and is not very flexible. He has a way that works most of the time. A template if you will. Instill toughness, bring in great assistants (he did that with Gase, but like many previous coaches, gave up competence in favor of continuity for Cutler when it came time to replace him) and get the players revved up with his work ethic and mindset while having the assistants coach up the new players.

The problem is that when the plan hits a snag, he does not know what to do IMO. He has a template and it works and he follows it. When it doesn't work, the wheels fall off as he does not adjust well. He has already deviated from his template IMO when he went for a subpar OC in favor of keeping Cutler in his comfort zone. Others have done the same (Tice, anyone?) with the same results. Bring in the best guys period. If they are good, they will get the players into their system. Gase did it. It happened during the year. It does not have to me a multi-year offensive philosophy ramp up. The good guys get it in quick and effectively.

Just my two cents. The real issues happen when you have people not performing in management (coaching). They develop friendships. They have been in battle trying to put a winning team together and it is tough to be objective about your partner in the trenches. In effect, you end up to something akin to the fox (no pun intended) watching the hen house. It remains to be seen how big Paces balls really are if we have a truly crappy season and if can pull the trigger on some tough decisions. Same with Fox and Loggains if it goes in that direction. You get the right management in place, and the rest will follow.

Honestly though, while many bad decisions have been made, the team direction is in the right direction. People are talking like we are dysfunctional, and I don't think that is the case. I question our offensive leadership and the ability of Fox to truly come up with an action plan that deviates from his template.

I am maybe the lone ranger here, but I also think there is a halo effect around Cutler in the offense. In a bad way. I do not think he inspires and motivates players like the best QBs and I think this has been a persistent issue with our offense under Jay being able to get out of it's own way. That is my personal opinion and I understand not universally agreed upon. Only another good QB with a different attitude/mindset/demeanor will prove that right or wrong, but I do not think that Hoyer is a decent QB. He was horrible in Houston. I would love him to prove me wrong.

Belichick is the best coach and GM in the NFL... and other than Papa Bear Halas, I think he's arguably the best in the entire history of the NFL.  Unfortunately, we don't have one of those Belichick guys :-)