Here’s the thing about team sports: We should really remember to put more emphasis on the team aspect. Because, sure, we see the Chicago Bears as a collective unit. One band, one sound. But that’s an oversimplification, especially when we’re talking about 53-man rosters and what not.
So, no, I’m not surprised that – in the wake of reports that the team is set to part ways with Kyle Fuller and Akiem Hicks – that players are “pissed” about how things are going:
As Ryan Pace scrambles with the Bears' roster, the locker room is distraught. The culture Ted Phillips touted is beginning to break, with key players on the way out and teammates "pissed." https://t.co/t9WDAKmRXK
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) March 19, 2021
.@LaurenceWHolmes said on 670 The Score that he got a text from someone in the know about the Chicago Bears locker room.
Text said “man the amount of bad business going on at Halas hall is sickening. Locker room is lost. It’s literally over before it started. It's 100% over."
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) March 19, 2021
They should be upset. Feeling some type of way means that you care enough to have a strong reaction. Apathy is bad. Emotion is good. I could stop the post here, but won’t.
These guys have been together (not to mention successful) long enough to be mad about not getting another chance to run it back with this defense. This is simply a natural reaction to a football reality. Cuts like this happen every year around the league. So it’s not like this is a Bears-specific problem that good and popular players are leaving due to cap issues. It’s just that it’s only now when the Bears are feeling the impact. Let’s face it, there was no crying over spilled milk over cuts in past years because there wasn’t anything worth growing attached to between 2013-17. But the Bears’ 2018 changed everything. And now, here we are, preparing ourselves for the reality of saying goodbye to players we like who played well for our favorite team.
Which brings me to this: Ted Phillips and George McCaskey raving about the culture feels so wrong right now. Not because they were wrong about how strong the player culture was. But because upper management had to know cap casualties were coming.
Chicago’s culture was put to the test in each of the last two seasons. And it was truly pushed to the brink in 2020 after an extended losing streak followed a strong start. But the Bears persevered. And in doing so, found themselves citing the foundation and culture. However, citing culture when its leaders won’t be here to back it up doesn’t make sense.
Once Fuller and Hicks leave, maintaining that culture will be challenging. Not impossible. But it won’t be easy. Not just because they are good players, but also because they are team leaders. There’s a reason the reaction to reports of their pending departures played out as it did. On the surface, it really seems as if Matt Nagy has his work cut out for him right now. And if players are “pissed” to where there’s a chance he could lose the locker room before the first team meeting of 2021, that’s a problem he’ll need to smooth over because of GM Ryan Pace. Oh, to be a fly on the wall the next time those two meet.
But also … it’s March 19. The Bears can make transactions that can change moods. Those same “pissed” players could be happy if things change. Especially if the moves improve the offense to a point where the defense doesn’t have to carry the entire load. Let’s be honest with each other. The best way to help that group in the days, weeks, and months ahead is by adding offensive firepower. Especially if the team is truly planning around working with Andy Dalton as QB1.
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