Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2016 15:08:48 GMT -6
Three games into 2016, it's time for Bears to start planning for 2017
Brad BiggsContact ReporterChicago Tribune
Whether they're ready to admit it or not, the Bears' season has taken a turn toward 2017.
They ought to be accustomed to it. John Fox's team started 0-3 last year and that is where it is again, in a hole it will not climb out of. The coach hired to oversee a quick turnaround is going to have to manage a project that will require more time than most hoped.
The Bears limped here with some key injuries on a short week, but that doesn't explain for being manhandled by the Cowboys 31-17 Sunday night at AT&T Stadium in another prime-time beatdown.
Only five teams since the merger in 1970 have reached the postseason after an 0-3 start, and one was the 1982 Bucs in an expanded 16-team playoff field after the players' strike. The last was the 1998 Bills. This team will be deep in personnel meetings before wild-card weekend.
Only those with delusions of grandeur forecasted this to be a 10-win team capable of making the playoffs. When the Bears lost their first three games a year ago, it was to the Packers, Cardinals and Seahawks, all playoff teams with outstanding quarterbacks. This is a different story.
Now, they stand with the Browns and Jaguars as the only 0-3 teams in the league with the 0-2 Saints hosting the Falcons on Monday night. A week after losing to Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz at Soldier Field, the defense made Cowboys fourth-round pick Dak Prescott look like Russell Wilson.
Prescott completed 19 of 24 passes for 248 yards and ran for 36 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown. Remember, the Bears lost the opener to Brock Osweiler of the Texans in what was his eighth NFL start. So they've yet to encounter seasoned passers.
What's most troubling is the defense didn't appear to rattle Wentz or Prescott. They hit Wentz a few times, but he was mighty poised and Prescott was hardly pressured. The Bears are not getting home with four rushers, and their pressure schemes are not working, a familiar theme from a year ago. First-round draft pick Leonard Floyd has yet to come off the edge consistently.
It was the Cowboys' first home victory in more than a year as they last won at AT&T Stadium in the 2015 opener against the Giants. That's what the Bears have become. Other teams solve their woes when they face the Bears.
What's troubling is this is the second straight season the Bears have started 0-3 and only the sixth time it has happened since 1970. That's noteworthy when you consider the number of mediocre seasons the franchise has endured during the Super Bowl era.
Brian Hoyer replaced Jay Cutler, who missed the game with a right thumb injury. Hoyer had difficulty getting the ball to Alshon Jeffery against the usually porous Cowboys defense. The offense looked off-kilter from the start as Hoyer missed a handoff to Jeremy Langford on the first play from scrimmage. Hoyer completed 30 of 48 passes for 317 yards and the Bears are now 5-11 in games missed by Cutler. Four of those wins are credited to Josh McCown.
They briefly found some life in the third quarter when Jacoby Glenn knocked the ball loose from Terrance Williams at the end of a 47-yard gain. The turnover turned into a touchdown as Hoyer threw a 2-yard pass to Zach Miller on fourth-and-goal to cut the deficit to 24-10. The Bears withstood a Cameron Meredith fumble in their own territory when Dan Bailey missed a 47-yard field goal, but a rally never materialized. Facing third-and-10 from the Cowboys' 42 late in the third quarter, the Bears tried a screen to Kevin White, but it went nowhere. Their most effective play for chunk yardage this season — a 50/50 ball to Jeffery — didn't happen Sunday night.
The Bears did score a touchdown in the second half for the first time this season and cornerback Tracy Porter deserves credit for a solid job tracking Dez Bryant most of the game. Bryant finished with three receptions for 40 yards, catching a 17-yard touchdown, the first TD pass of Prescott's career, in the fourth quarter.
But rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott rolled for 140 yards on 30 carries behind an offensive line that had its way with the Bears, who were missing nose tackle Eddie Goldman, sidelined with a high ankle sprain.
Fans have already started clamoring for a top-two pick in the draft, but it's hard to imagine the Bears are worse than the Browns or Jaguars. They should be better than a good bunch of other teams as well. Fox is going to try to win as many games as he can, but this season ultimately is going to be measured by the growth of younger players on the roster, ones who can take part in the slow rebuild.
The Bears didn't believe they'd be worse off than they were at the beginning of last season. They just might be.
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs
Brad BiggsContact ReporterChicago Tribune
Whether they're ready to admit it or not, the Bears' season has taken a turn toward 2017.
They ought to be accustomed to it. John Fox's team started 0-3 last year and that is where it is again, in a hole it will not climb out of. The coach hired to oversee a quick turnaround is going to have to manage a project that will require more time than most hoped.
The Bears limped here with some key injuries on a short week, but that doesn't explain for being manhandled by the Cowboys 31-17 Sunday night at AT&T Stadium in another prime-time beatdown.
Only five teams since the merger in 1970 have reached the postseason after an 0-3 start, and one was the 1982 Bucs in an expanded 16-team playoff field after the players' strike. The last was the 1998 Bills. This team will be deep in personnel meetings before wild-card weekend.
Only those with delusions of grandeur forecasted this to be a 10-win team capable of making the playoffs. When the Bears lost their first three games a year ago, it was to the Packers, Cardinals and Seahawks, all playoff teams with outstanding quarterbacks. This is a different story.
Now, they stand with the Browns and Jaguars as the only 0-3 teams in the league with the 0-2 Saints hosting the Falcons on Monday night. A week after losing to Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz at Soldier Field, the defense made Cowboys fourth-round pick Dak Prescott look like Russell Wilson.
Prescott completed 19 of 24 passes for 248 yards and ran for 36 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown. Remember, the Bears lost the opener to Brock Osweiler of the Texans in what was his eighth NFL start. So they've yet to encounter seasoned passers.
What's most troubling is the defense didn't appear to rattle Wentz or Prescott. They hit Wentz a few times, but he was mighty poised and Prescott was hardly pressured. The Bears are not getting home with four rushers, and their pressure schemes are not working, a familiar theme from a year ago. First-round draft pick Leonard Floyd has yet to come off the edge consistently.
It was the Cowboys' first home victory in more than a year as they last won at AT&T Stadium in the 2015 opener against the Giants. That's what the Bears have become. Other teams solve their woes when they face the Bears.
What's troubling is this is the second straight season the Bears have started 0-3 and only the sixth time it has happened since 1970. That's noteworthy when you consider the number of mediocre seasons the franchise has endured during the Super Bowl era.
Brian Hoyer replaced Jay Cutler, who missed the game with a right thumb injury. Hoyer had difficulty getting the ball to Alshon Jeffery against the usually porous Cowboys defense. The offense looked off-kilter from the start as Hoyer missed a handoff to Jeremy Langford on the first play from scrimmage. Hoyer completed 30 of 48 passes for 317 yards and the Bears are now 5-11 in games missed by Cutler. Four of those wins are credited to Josh McCown.
They briefly found some life in the third quarter when Jacoby Glenn knocked the ball loose from Terrance Williams at the end of a 47-yard gain. The turnover turned into a touchdown as Hoyer threw a 2-yard pass to Zach Miller on fourth-and-goal to cut the deficit to 24-10. The Bears withstood a Cameron Meredith fumble in their own territory when Dan Bailey missed a 47-yard field goal, but a rally never materialized. Facing third-and-10 from the Cowboys' 42 late in the third quarter, the Bears tried a screen to Kevin White, but it went nowhere. Their most effective play for chunk yardage this season — a 50/50 ball to Jeffery — didn't happen Sunday night.
The Bears did score a touchdown in the second half for the first time this season and cornerback Tracy Porter deserves credit for a solid job tracking Dez Bryant most of the game. Bryant finished with three receptions for 40 yards, catching a 17-yard touchdown, the first TD pass of Prescott's career, in the fourth quarter.
But rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott rolled for 140 yards on 30 carries behind an offensive line that had its way with the Bears, who were missing nose tackle Eddie Goldman, sidelined with a high ankle sprain.
Fans have already started clamoring for a top-two pick in the draft, but it's hard to imagine the Bears are worse than the Browns or Jaguars. They should be better than a good bunch of other teams as well. Fox is going to try to win as many games as he can, but this season ultimately is going to be measured by the growth of younger players on the roster, ones who can take part in the slow rebuild.
The Bears didn't believe they'd be worse off than they were at the beginning of last season. They just might be.
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs