Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2016 9:20:49 GMT -6
It's time for John Fox to tap into his inner Bill Belichick
David Haugh David Haugh Contact Reporter Chicago Tribune
In Minnesota, they marvel over Vikings coach Mike Zimmer after he helped newly acquired quarterback Sam Bradford adapt quickly enough to beat the Packers.
In Philadelphia, they praise Eagles first-year coach Doug Pederson for putting unbeaten rookie quarterback Carson Wentz in position to succeed with only eight days to prepare for his first NFL start.
In New England, they debate renaming the Lombardi Trophy for Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who steered his team to its first three victories behind two different backup quarterbacks.
Even in Dallas, where the Bears play Sunday night at AT&T Stadium, they grudgingly give Cowboys coach Jason Garrett respect for the accelerated emergence of quarterback Dak Prescott, a fourth-round draft pick.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, we wait for coach John Fox to deliver on the promise of coaching the Bears to respectability.
With Jay Cutler out with a thumb injury and backup Brian Hoyer pressed into his first start since his four-interception playoff disaster for the Texans last season, the Bears need Fox to prove the strength of this team lies in the coaching staff, as he likes to project. In other words, there is no time like the present for Fox to tap into his inner Belichick. It's not too much to ask, not for a coach billed as a quick-turnaround artist making nearly $5 million a season whose second season has yet to encourage anyone.
A Fox mantra extols the virtues of understating and overproducing, but so far in Year 2 the Bears haven't produced anything close to progress — and that is not overstating it.
The injury to Cutler hits the Bears no harder than the injuries to starting quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater, Jimmy Garoppolo or Tony Romo hurt their respective teams. Yes, the Vikings, Patriots and Cowboys boast better rosters than the Bears, but they also avoided major dropoffs, in large part, due to coaching. So figure it out, Foxy, or risk another nationally televised embarrassment.
The low point of the Marc Trestman error came in Week 10 of 2014 during a 55-14 Packers flattening of the Bears on "Sunday Night Football," a game that convinced Chairman George McCaskey how necessary change was. Nobody suggests yet that the McCaskeys eventually will come to a similar conclusion if the Bears suffer their second prime-time disgrace in seven days — not with Fox owed about $10 million for two more seasons after this one. But it would be understandable if another bad loss Sunday leaves Virginia McCaskey feeling ticked off again.
It's hard to compare sports, but when a coach makes Joe Maddon money in Chicago, human nature says you expect more. You expect more distinguishable traits from the Bears 21 months into Fox's tenure, no matter the quarterback or roster turnover. You expect competitiveness the Bears lacked against the Eagles, consistency in the offensive approach nowhere to be found under new coordinator Dowell Loggains and even a tighter connection between Fox and a football city he has shown little interest in making.
The Bears thought they hired a special coach in January 2015, but the longer they struggle, the fairer it will be to wonder. Another long season will cause many to consider what Broncos general manager John Elway knew when he cut ties with Fox after 46 victories in four years, and what role the coach's "disorganized practices" and "lack of discipline" referenced in an ESPN Magazine story earlier this month played.
The Broncos have won 17 of 21 games and ridden in a Super Bowl parade since Fox left. If the losses start to pile up for the Bears, you will begin hearing a lot about Fox's career record without Peyton Manning — which is currently 87-91.
At what point will we start to think Fox doesn't reveal much at news conferences about the problems facing the Bears because he lacks solutions?
In Denver, Fox deserved credit for unearthing hidden gems such as linebacker Brandon Marshall, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and linebacker Danny Trevathan, now a Bear. But too few examples exist of Bears players developing into core pieces.
Look at cornerback Kyle Fuller and running back Jeremy Langford, two potential building blocks whose games have been slow to solidify under Fox. Pressure mounts weekly on general manager Ryan Pace's first-round draft choices wide receiver Kevin White and pass rusher Leonard Floyd, who need to make it more obvious why they were top-10 picks. Fox's handling of Kyle Long's move from right guard to right tackle demonstrated indecisiveness. Fox replaced master play-caller Adam Gase with Loggains, the kind of nod to Cutler everyone thought the franchise had stopped making.
As a head coach, Fox is more into delegating than innovating, solid more than spectacular, and someone who looks better when compared to his Bears predecessor than his NFL peers. Injuries have limited the Bears, but that is the reality of every head coach. Insiders describe an atmosphere at Halas Hall where nobody wields more clout than Fox, who will wake up Sunday four quarters away from another winless September.
No Cutler for the Bears means a recommitment to running the ball — only five teams in the league have done it less. It means devising a game plan emphasizing short throws, moving pockets and play-action passes that play to Hoyer's strengths. Defensively, it means being readier for Prescott than the Bears were for Wentz, whose no-huddle drives caught them off guard.
It means the Bears shocking the football world for a change.
And it means Fox outcoaching the guy on the opposite sideline for the first time this season, something Chicago has every right to expect.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com
David Haugh David Haugh Contact Reporter Chicago Tribune
In Minnesota, they marvel over Vikings coach Mike Zimmer after he helped newly acquired quarterback Sam Bradford adapt quickly enough to beat the Packers.
In Philadelphia, they praise Eagles first-year coach Doug Pederson for putting unbeaten rookie quarterback Carson Wentz in position to succeed with only eight days to prepare for his first NFL start.
In New England, they debate renaming the Lombardi Trophy for Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who steered his team to its first three victories behind two different backup quarterbacks.
Even in Dallas, where the Bears play Sunday night at AT&T Stadium, they grudgingly give Cowboys coach Jason Garrett respect for the accelerated emergence of quarterback Dak Prescott, a fourth-round draft pick.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, we wait for coach John Fox to deliver on the promise of coaching the Bears to respectability.
With Jay Cutler out with a thumb injury and backup Brian Hoyer pressed into his first start since his four-interception playoff disaster for the Texans last season, the Bears need Fox to prove the strength of this team lies in the coaching staff, as he likes to project. In other words, there is no time like the present for Fox to tap into his inner Belichick. It's not too much to ask, not for a coach billed as a quick-turnaround artist making nearly $5 million a season whose second season has yet to encourage anyone.
A Fox mantra extols the virtues of understating and overproducing, but so far in Year 2 the Bears haven't produced anything close to progress — and that is not overstating it.
The injury to Cutler hits the Bears no harder than the injuries to starting quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater, Jimmy Garoppolo or Tony Romo hurt their respective teams. Yes, the Vikings, Patriots and Cowboys boast better rosters than the Bears, but they also avoided major dropoffs, in large part, due to coaching. So figure it out, Foxy, or risk another nationally televised embarrassment.
The low point of the Marc Trestman error came in Week 10 of 2014 during a 55-14 Packers flattening of the Bears on "Sunday Night Football," a game that convinced Chairman George McCaskey how necessary change was. Nobody suggests yet that the McCaskeys eventually will come to a similar conclusion if the Bears suffer their second prime-time disgrace in seven days — not with Fox owed about $10 million for two more seasons after this one. But it would be understandable if another bad loss Sunday leaves Virginia McCaskey feeling ticked off again.
It's hard to compare sports, but when a coach makes Joe Maddon money in Chicago, human nature says you expect more. You expect more distinguishable traits from the Bears 21 months into Fox's tenure, no matter the quarterback or roster turnover. You expect competitiveness the Bears lacked against the Eagles, consistency in the offensive approach nowhere to be found under new coordinator Dowell Loggains and even a tighter connection between Fox and a football city he has shown little interest in making.
The Bears thought they hired a special coach in January 2015, but the longer they struggle, the fairer it will be to wonder. Another long season will cause many to consider what Broncos general manager John Elway knew when he cut ties with Fox after 46 victories in four years, and what role the coach's "disorganized practices" and "lack of discipline" referenced in an ESPN Magazine story earlier this month played.
The Broncos have won 17 of 21 games and ridden in a Super Bowl parade since Fox left. If the losses start to pile up for the Bears, you will begin hearing a lot about Fox's career record without Peyton Manning — which is currently 87-91.
At what point will we start to think Fox doesn't reveal much at news conferences about the problems facing the Bears because he lacks solutions?
In Denver, Fox deserved credit for unearthing hidden gems such as linebacker Brandon Marshall, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and linebacker Danny Trevathan, now a Bear. But too few examples exist of Bears players developing into core pieces.
Look at cornerback Kyle Fuller and running back Jeremy Langford, two potential building blocks whose games have been slow to solidify under Fox. Pressure mounts weekly on general manager Ryan Pace's first-round draft choices wide receiver Kevin White and pass rusher Leonard Floyd, who need to make it more obvious why they were top-10 picks. Fox's handling of Kyle Long's move from right guard to right tackle demonstrated indecisiveness. Fox replaced master play-caller Adam Gase with Loggains, the kind of nod to Cutler everyone thought the franchise had stopped making.
As a head coach, Fox is more into delegating than innovating, solid more than spectacular, and someone who looks better when compared to his Bears predecessor than his NFL peers. Injuries have limited the Bears, but that is the reality of every head coach. Insiders describe an atmosphere at Halas Hall where nobody wields more clout than Fox, who will wake up Sunday four quarters away from another winless September.
No Cutler for the Bears means a recommitment to running the ball — only five teams in the league have done it less. It means devising a game plan emphasizing short throws, moving pockets and play-action passes that play to Hoyer's strengths. Defensively, it means being readier for Prescott than the Bears were for Wentz, whose no-huddle drives caught them off guard.
It means the Bears shocking the football world for a change.
And it means Fox outcoaching the guy on the opposite sideline for the first time this season, something Chicago has every right to expect.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com
