Post by jamaisvu on Nov 21, 2016 10:49:24 GMT -6
The Good
How about that draft position, Bear Nation?!? Top five pick looks like a lock while still holding on to that number three pick no matter how much the team tried to screw that up in the first half yesterday. We can even move into the number two slot if this team keeps doing those shots of NyQuil in the locker room at halftime once the Niners come to Solider Field and Kaepernick repeats his 2012 debut against the Bears. Dare to dream that maybe our old friend Josh McCown can do some inspiring shower photos to get the Browns to win a few games at the end of the season and then...BOOM...Bears win The Draft.
(Okay, maybe draft position should be left out of in-season talk)
How about those imploding Packers?!? Gonna be nice to see them sit at home this January.
(Okay, that stung because I am tired of every time the Pack slump...the Bears slump worse)
How about that Bear Offens...no...I can't. As good of a start as that was...it was as an awful of a finish as, well, every other finish this season.
How about that Pat O'Donnell?!? Megapunt finally living up to that name yesterday. On six punts he averaged 48.2 yards and had a long of 67 yards on an incredibly windy field. He also had two punts inside the 20 yard line, which puts him at four for November. Maybe Kyle Long will not be the only hold over from the Phil Emery Abortio..um...I mean, Era.
(Christ on a cracker, did you just devote “The Good” to the freaking Punter?!?)
The Bad
“Geez, I don't know where to start.”
-Bears Head Coach Dick Jauron in 2002 on his 2-8 Bears team
You can say that again, Coach.
(and again, and again, and again, and again)
Remember the Bears Pass Rush? Apparently it did not make the flight out East. May have stayed home with Eddie Goldman. C.J. Wilson got the start at NT that nobody really wanted to see. Suddenly a Giants' offense that could not run the ball was able to run it right up the gut with more success than our last two NT would allow. Floyd started strong, but fizzled out quick with little help. Even Aikem Hicks was getting schooled by one of the better pass protecting OL in the league. And what the heck is going on with Willie Young? I can see the arm brace, but he is moving slower too. Once Floyd left on a stretcher...Willie Young spent the rest of the day being stonewalled and Eli walked off the field after sixty minutes too clean of a jersey as the streak of sacks stopped cold on a chilly Jersey afternoon.
Then there is the other side of the line. If you would have told me at the beginning of October that I would be typing these four words...I would have slapped the taste out your mouth, but here we are:
I miss Bobbie Massie.
It may have gone unnoticed by most, but Massie had his best game in a Bear uniform against the Vikes before the Bye. Could have been an anomaly, but there was Massie against the Bucs and another strong showing...until he left the game with a concussion.
(which means he has probably already forgotten how to play well)
Mike Adams was inconsistent in relief duty against the Bucs, but a full week of practice should have helped.
Nope.
Adams had problems finding a lot of push in the run game and was getting destroyed in pass pro by JPP and just about anyone the Giants threw in front of him. That Giants DL is a lot better this season, but Adams did not look like he belonged on a NFL field for most of the afternoon. Then Eric Kush is forced in on the other side and the offense just died. Howard had no more holes and the sacks started to pile on Cutler quick.
After a slow start, Eli Manning picked apart the Bear secondary. However, that secondary was looking at one point to be Sherrick McManis, Demonte Hurst, Bryce Callahan, Adrian Amos and Deon Bush. The corners being a trio of UDFAs and the safeties a couple of late round picks. Honestly, they are all playing far above their pay grade...which still is not good enough to pit against any QB named Manning. The depth back there is decent, but no real playmakers in the lot. Spring should hopefully bring some serious invested into a very neglected part of this defense.
Then there is the weakness in Jordan Howard's armor. One catch out of eight targets with a few drops in there making the Bears Rookie of the Year look mortal again. Langford had a few catches, so maybe he will not become completely useless quite yet.
All in all...sure looks like a 2-8 team.
The Ugly
With the news coming out that Zach Miller has a broken foot...the Bears are now looking at 14 players on Injured Reserve. Just as we were talking about how much healthier this team was coming out of the Bye...eight days later the Bears lost another six starters, two for the season. And while the worst fears are over...you have to think Leonard Floyd is not going to be rushed back to a two win team.
I never like to play the Injury Card, but this is getting ridiculous. John Fox and the Bears made a point to overhaul the Strength & Conditioning staff during the offseason in hopes to clean up the significant amount of injuries from the 2015 season. And just like everything John Fox has overhauled that does not start with D and end in Fence...it has gotten much worse. Six games left and if the Bears cannot win at least half of them...firing John Fox has to be a serious discussion. If that does turn out to be the case, the 2017 offseason is going to be the most pivotal months of Ryan Pace's young career. He will have to find a coach that can teach a team that has not had a winning season in half a decade how to pull itself out of the NFL Gutter and groom the next Franchise Quarterback. He may be the youngest GM in the League, but by next summer...he may look like the oldest.
