Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2016 15:04:11 GMT -6
John Fox dismissive of all in effort to instill toughness in Bears
David Haugh; Contact ReporterChicago Tribune
A pillar at left tackle for the Panthers, retired Pro Bowl player Jordan Gross only missed nine games in 11 NFL seasons.
Eight of those seasons came under coach John Fox, who routinely tweaked ailing Panthers players missing practice by referring to their "owies,'' the way he does with the Bears. The way Fox did with the Broncos.
"He'd use that term with us and I enjoyed it,'' Gross said Wednesday in a phone interview. "He'd ask, are you hurt or are you injured? That's what Foxy challenged us with as players … to know the difference and if you're good enough to go, you're good enough to go.''
And if you're not?
"If somebody was injured, he'd never ask you to do something to jeopardize yourself but if you were hurt or had an 'owie' — as he likes to say — then you should be on the field,'' Gross said. "It's the right message to send. You have to challenge players to push themselves because sometimes they're not internally motivated enough to do that.''
The Bears practiced Wednesday at Halas Hall without 17 players out with varying degrees of injury. They have the deepest infirmary in the league. Their high attrition rate threatens the season even before it begins Sept. 11, when the banged-up Bears could take the field without their top pass-rusher, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, and pass-protector, right guard Kyle Long.
Cornerback Kyle Fuller also remains iffy for Week 1 after arthroscopic knee surgery. Tight end Zach Miller and wide receiver Eddie Royal are recovering from concussions. Hamstring issues hamper rookie first-rounder Leonard Floyd, linebacker Danny Trevathan, nickel back Bryce Callahan and tight end Tony Moeaki, among others.
Fox looks healthy but always sounds like he has a headache. That makes his demeanor officially listed somewhere between questionable and doubtful.
Previewing Bears vs. Chiefs
The Tribune's Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer preview the Bears' Saturday preseason game vs. the Chiefs at Soldier Field.
He consistently talks down to reporters — and fans, by extension — so often they really should hold his post-practice news conferences at a pulpit. The latest condescending moment came Tuesday when Fox scoffed when asked if Long, whom the Tribune reported was dealing with a labrum issue, would be ready for the season-opener.
"It doesn't really matter what I think,'' Fox said. "There are medical people involved and when he's cleared, he'll play.''
Ever evasive, football coaches would rather reveal their favorite romantic comedy than information on an injury. But Fox can do better. Coyness gains him no competitive advantage, as he thinks, especially in preseason.
It does matter what the head coach thinks about the status of a Pro Bowl starter. It's not about being nice to the media as much as being professional and speaking about a team's best player on behalf of the organization. Say you're hopeful but need more time to evaluate Long's condition. Say you're not sure yet. Say anything without sounding like a combative grump. At some point in the difficult months ahead, and possibly years, Fox could need the fan base he neglects with every dismissive response.
Instead, Fox defiantly acts like a coach entitled to the benefit of the doubt in Chicago, a football city where he has yet to earn it. He has won nothing here, and his second Bears team hardly looks capable of improving on last year's 6-10 record. How far away are the Bears from a 10-6 season that got Lovie Smith fired? Fox brought an NFL track record but so far, other than hire an elite coaching staff, has provided little evidence to suggest he will get the Bears back on track to the playoffs.
The high number of missed practices this preseason raises legitimate questions about the wisdom of the Bears' commitment to sports science, especially given the volume of soft-tissue injuries. The rhetoric from Fox, particularly when he invokes the term "owie" that could be interpreted as pejorative, leaves the impression that some Bears simply need to toughen up — which might be part of Fox's grand plan if history is any indicator.
"When I was with him, he always said the two qualities he wanted in players were smart and tough — he didn't say athletic,'' Gross said. "He was in his second year as head coach and really adamant about establishing a physical presence.''
One thought: Fox recognizes the Bears lack so much talent that they will struggle to establish an identity offensively or defensively. As an alternative, he hopes to field a team identity of mental toughness, a trait developed by fighting through nagging injuries and finding ways to persevere. Everything starts with a mindset that perhaps an old-school coach like Fox aims to establish in an NFL era increasingly harder to see a carryover effect from practice because of the league's collective bargaining agreement.
"Guys in the pros now didn't go through two-a-days in college or high school and players have so many rights to protect themselves, health wise, which is a good thing but as a head coach you have an agenda,'' Gross said. "You want to instill an identity on a team. The nature of the CBA and training camp schedule makes that pretty tough to do.''
As the owies add up on the Bears, the process can be painful to watch too.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com
David Haugh; Contact ReporterChicago Tribune
A pillar at left tackle for the Panthers, retired Pro Bowl player Jordan Gross only missed nine games in 11 NFL seasons.
Eight of those seasons came under coach John Fox, who routinely tweaked ailing Panthers players missing practice by referring to their "owies,'' the way he does with the Bears. The way Fox did with the Broncos.
"He'd use that term with us and I enjoyed it,'' Gross said Wednesday in a phone interview. "He'd ask, are you hurt or are you injured? That's what Foxy challenged us with as players … to know the difference and if you're good enough to go, you're good enough to go.''
And if you're not?
"If somebody was injured, he'd never ask you to do something to jeopardize yourself but if you were hurt or had an 'owie' — as he likes to say — then you should be on the field,'' Gross said. "It's the right message to send. You have to challenge players to push themselves because sometimes they're not internally motivated enough to do that.''
The Bears practiced Wednesday at Halas Hall without 17 players out with varying degrees of injury. They have the deepest infirmary in the league. Their high attrition rate threatens the season even before it begins Sept. 11, when the banged-up Bears could take the field without their top pass-rusher, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, and pass-protector, right guard Kyle Long.
Cornerback Kyle Fuller also remains iffy for Week 1 after arthroscopic knee surgery. Tight end Zach Miller and wide receiver Eddie Royal are recovering from concussions. Hamstring issues hamper rookie first-rounder Leonard Floyd, linebacker Danny Trevathan, nickel back Bryce Callahan and tight end Tony Moeaki, among others.
Fox looks healthy but always sounds like he has a headache. That makes his demeanor officially listed somewhere between questionable and doubtful.
Previewing Bears vs. Chiefs
The Tribune's Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer preview the Bears' Saturday preseason game vs. the Chiefs at Soldier Field.
He consistently talks down to reporters — and fans, by extension — so often they really should hold his post-practice news conferences at a pulpit. The latest condescending moment came Tuesday when Fox scoffed when asked if Long, whom the Tribune reported was dealing with a labrum issue, would be ready for the season-opener.
"It doesn't really matter what I think,'' Fox said. "There are medical people involved and when he's cleared, he'll play.''
Ever evasive, football coaches would rather reveal their favorite romantic comedy than information on an injury. But Fox can do better. Coyness gains him no competitive advantage, as he thinks, especially in preseason.
It does matter what the head coach thinks about the status of a Pro Bowl starter. It's not about being nice to the media as much as being professional and speaking about a team's best player on behalf of the organization. Say you're hopeful but need more time to evaluate Long's condition. Say you're not sure yet. Say anything without sounding like a combative grump. At some point in the difficult months ahead, and possibly years, Fox could need the fan base he neglects with every dismissive response.
Instead, Fox defiantly acts like a coach entitled to the benefit of the doubt in Chicago, a football city where he has yet to earn it. He has won nothing here, and his second Bears team hardly looks capable of improving on last year's 6-10 record. How far away are the Bears from a 10-6 season that got Lovie Smith fired? Fox brought an NFL track record but so far, other than hire an elite coaching staff, has provided little evidence to suggest he will get the Bears back on track to the playoffs.
The high number of missed practices this preseason raises legitimate questions about the wisdom of the Bears' commitment to sports science, especially given the volume of soft-tissue injuries. The rhetoric from Fox, particularly when he invokes the term "owie" that could be interpreted as pejorative, leaves the impression that some Bears simply need to toughen up — which might be part of Fox's grand plan if history is any indicator.
"When I was with him, he always said the two qualities he wanted in players were smart and tough — he didn't say athletic,'' Gross said. "He was in his second year as head coach and really adamant about establishing a physical presence.''
One thought: Fox recognizes the Bears lack so much talent that they will struggle to establish an identity offensively or defensively. As an alternative, he hopes to field a team identity of mental toughness, a trait developed by fighting through nagging injuries and finding ways to persevere. Everything starts with a mindset that perhaps an old-school coach like Fox aims to establish in an NFL era increasingly harder to see a carryover effect from practice because of the league's collective bargaining agreement.
"Guys in the pros now didn't go through two-a-days in college or high school and players have so many rights to protect themselves, health wise, which is a good thing but as a head coach you have an agenda,'' Gross said. "You want to instill an identity on a team. The nature of the CBA and training camp schedule makes that pretty tough to do.''
As the owies add up on the Bears, the process can be painful to watch too.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com
