After surprising coordinator, Bears’ Jordan Howard nears rec

Hope he breaks it. More than that, I hope he can do more for the Bears than set the franchise rookie rushing record in a 3-13 or 4-12 season.

ding ding. there is so much BS being thrown out here, it's unbelievable. There were more than enough indications. If you remember, fans were screaming about starting Howard for a few games before Langford got hurt and Fox finally had to try it. While these guys are pros and paid to see stuff, they are too close sometimes and sometimes they just do not see things. When you have a few million eyes on something, even stupid people are going to see stuff that might slip through the cracks. It's the law of averages.

Right now people are saying that there is something wrong with the Fox magic (not everyone, but enough). I think Fox will only last another year. However, my biggest fear is the Lovie syndrome. You could still see the ineptitude, but he improved enough a couple of times to fool people he was turning the corner. It is VERY possible the same thing will happen next year and that Fox will even get renewed. Then he will have to be let go later at even greater expense. It may not play out that way, but boy... I am starting to see the building blocks of that coming together.

Lot's of coaches are very hesitant to play rookie running backs in this league, something about pass protection or something or other. It's why Paul Perkins is still behind Jennings here in NY and wasn't the first back used when he went down. As for Howard, he's a good running back...I don't think any of us ever disputed that. We just questioned whether he is an elite back...which I think is still fair to do.

Congrats there MSU. LOL  You hit on two of my major points.

1) Following a 3-13 season what's the bar for 2017?  Biggsy predicts no better than 8-8 and that's only if we can add more talent, stay much healthier, AND come up with a solution for a QB we can trust to win some games.  Not a very high bar is it and only a 50% chance of hitting it?

On what planet under what color sky does that become a logical reason for maintaining status quo in the coaching ranks?  If it's logic we seek to use then money not true progress is winning here as it often does and all those promises from early 2015 become as hollow as a dried up old gourd with nothing left but the seeds of dissension......mine mostly.

2) Belli or Butkus made a point about Fox being a transitional HC and I'm left wondering, a transition to what?  IMHO that's the kind of thing you do when you fire a guy like Fox and ask his DC Fangio to take over in 2017 for the remainder of his contract and maybe extend him for more years if he does well.

That's a transitional HC not one you hire on a 4 year guaranteed deal or my understanding and definitions of transitions must need updating.  The guy is 62 years old and like some older players he's in an obvious career decline now not an upswing.  If it takes him two more years to reach the playoffs then he's 64 so where are we going with him and who takes over a transition who won't change everything unless it's a guy already being groomed to do it?

Had Gase not left that may have made some sense but that all went out the window when he left.  So however I turn this picture to view it it only comes out wrong.  There in no long term strategic benefit to keeping John Fox yet that appears to be exactly what will happen.  Not wanting to payoff yet another HC before his deal is up is the ONLY logical answer I can come up with.