One new coach or player won't magically save Bears
Dec 13, 2016 20:32:35 GMT -6
MartianBearsFan likes this
Post by motm on Dec 13, 2016 20:32:35 GMT -6
When a team is in the throes of toxic disappointment — as the Bears are this season — remember one important thing: When many things must be fixed, one solution is rarely the answer.
Whether it's a management overhaul, a coaching change, a bright, shiny newly drafted quarterback — whatever is on the horizon for the Bears — it will take time to reverse the death spiral.
It's not that a relaunch can't work or a coach or a player can't make a difference, it's that such things seldom happen in a magical way.
Consider Joe Maddon and the Cubs. The manager was simply a final ingredient of a winning recipe. There is no messiah who can lead the Bears immediately out of their doldrums. Not with Aaron Rodgers still in Green Bay, the defense in Minnesota young and hungry and the surprising Lions getting more from Matthew Stafford than some thought possible.
Sadly, John Fox was thought to be the guy to get the job done not so long ago. Successful in previous jobs, he has seen his reputation diminished in Chicago. Losing will do that to you.
The Bears' terminal decline can be traced immediately back to failed drafts. But even with a high pick next year — the Bears currently sit in the No. 4 slot — one player isn't going to change things overnight.
A scout who recently broke down the Bears said they need a major upgrade at quarterback, cornerback, both offensive tackles and perhaps another pass rusher to play opposite Leonard Floyd.
In other words they need every position that is usually only filled with a premier draft pick. Everyone seems to think a quarterback will be selected early, but with the Browns, 49ers and Jaguars all ahead of the Bears and also in need at the position, it would take another kind of football miracle to get a guy at that position with the fourth pick.
Do the Bears have the stomach to put together a package and move up for a player? Unlikely, given the abundance of needs at other positions.
The scout said Matt Barkley is "just an average guy, nothing to get excited about.'' He said Barkley and Brian Hoyer are very similar players. Hoyer is better known around the league because of his travels but hasn't stuck anywhere as a starter, so Barkley might have more upside. Or not.
The Bears' strongest position, according to the scout, is the defensive line, where he includes outside linebackers Floyd, Pernell McPhee and Willie Young. Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman can play for anyone, providing Goldman can stay healthy. Floyd "has length and some wiggle. He's slippery and is around the ball a lot. You can see some natural ability.''
McPhee turns 28 on Saturday and has some knee problems. Young will turn 32 next September. If Texas A&M's Myles Garrett is still on the board when the Bears pick, he'd be perfect for them. Alabama's Jonathan Allen would be an awesome consolation prize.
The Bears secondary is well below average, according to the scout, in large part because Kyle Fuller has been something of a bust. If Fuller "were a bona fide starting cornerback you could trust, not even a Pro Bowl guy, just someone worthy of that pick," the Bears would be fine at cornerback. Safety is another matter, but it's seldom you see a safety as a top-five pick.
The scout called the offensive line "shaky."
"They have real problems with edge guys and could use upgrades on both sides,'' he said.
Without an elite quarterback on the roster, the thinking is that the Bears would need to fill four or five positions just to have a shot at 8-8 next year. And that would mean striking gold in free agency, something general manager Ryan Pace hasn't done much.
Then there is the real problem that comes with the Bears getting lucky in the draft and actually finding a quarterback they like: Who exactly is going to develop the guy?
When you are a team like the Bears, even the answers seem to raise more questions.
Link: www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-mulligan-bears-need-lots-of-help-spt-1214-20161213-column.html
Whether it's a management overhaul, a coaching change, a bright, shiny newly drafted quarterback — whatever is on the horizon for the Bears — it will take time to reverse the death spiral.
It's not that a relaunch can't work or a coach or a player can't make a difference, it's that such things seldom happen in a magical way.
Consider Joe Maddon and the Cubs. The manager was simply a final ingredient of a winning recipe. There is no messiah who can lead the Bears immediately out of their doldrums. Not with Aaron Rodgers still in Green Bay, the defense in Minnesota young and hungry and the surprising Lions getting more from Matthew Stafford than some thought possible.
Sadly, John Fox was thought to be the guy to get the job done not so long ago. Successful in previous jobs, he has seen his reputation diminished in Chicago. Losing will do that to you.
The Bears' terminal decline can be traced immediately back to failed drafts. But even with a high pick next year — the Bears currently sit in the No. 4 slot — one player isn't going to change things overnight.
A scout who recently broke down the Bears said they need a major upgrade at quarterback, cornerback, both offensive tackles and perhaps another pass rusher to play opposite Leonard Floyd.
In other words they need every position that is usually only filled with a premier draft pick. Everyone seems to think a quarterback will be selected early, but with the Browns, 49ers and Jaguars all ahead of the Bears and also in need at the position, it would take another kind of football miracle to get a guy at that position with the fourth pick.
Do the Bears have the stomach to put together a package and move up for a player? Unlikely, given the abundance of needs at other positions.
The scout said Matt Barkley is "just an average guy, nothing to get excited about.'' He said Barkley and Brian Hoyer are very similar players. Hoyer is better known around the league because of his travels but hasn't stuck anywhere as a starter, so Barkley might have more upside. Or not.
The Bears' strongest position, according to the scout, is the defensive line, where he includes outside linebackers Floyd, Pernell McPhee and Willie Young. Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman can play for anyone, providing Goldman can stay healthy. Floyd "has length and some wiggle. He's slippery and is around the ball a lot. You can see some natural ability.''
McPhee turns 28 on Saturday and has some knee problems. Young will turn 32 next September. If Texas A&M's Myles Garrett is still on the board when the Bears pick, he'd be perfect for them. Alabama's Jonathan Allen would be an awesome consolation prize.
The Bears secondary is well below average, according to the scout, in large part because Kyle Fuller has been something of a bust. If Fuller "were a bona fide starting cornerback you could trust, not even a Pro Bowl guy, just someone worthy of that pick," the Bears would be fine at cornerback. Safety is another matter, but it's seldom you see a safety as a top-five pick.
The scout called the offensive line "shaky."
"They have real problems with edge guys and could use upgrades on both sides,'' he said.
Without an elite quarterback on the roster, the thinking is that the Bears would need to fill four or five positions just to have a shot at 8-8 next year. And that would mean striking gold in free agency, something general manager Ryan Pace hasn't done much.
Then there is the real problem that comes with the Bears getting lucky in the draft and actually finding a quarterback they like: Who exactly is going to develop the guy?
When you are a team like the Bears, even the answers seem to raise more questions.
Link: www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-mulligan-bears-need-lots-of-help-spt-1214-20161213-column.html
