In a tradition that dates back to 2011, back when I was the low man on the TribCo depth chart, my family celebrates Thanksgiving on Wednesday when the Bears play on Thursday. The concept was born with the idea of avoiding Bears-related conflicts and so I could have a tasty meal and a good time with friends and family. FOMO is real when you’re in a cubicle while your friends are snapping your plate pics.
And yet, the 2021 Bears still found a way to bring the mayhem to today. I’m not even mad. It’s impressive.
• One tweet perfectly summarizes the last 24 hours in the land of Da Bears:
Man, the #Bears fumbled this whole Matt Nagy situation today.
— Jarrett Payton (@paytonsun) November 23, 2021
• Yesterday was … A DAY. And it was one in which the people who run Chicago’s football team absolutely, positively, and undoubtedly fumbled. It was a public relations fiasco from a franchise old enough to know better, but apparently not smart enough to care. The Bears’ higher-ups really let their coach, his staff, and their players fend for themselves as a report about Matt Nagy’s imminent firing was lingering around the public sphere two days before a game. And what’s worse is that, if you try and line up timelines, the report of Bears ownership discussing matters with Nagy came out before Bears ownership actually was able to discuss matters with Nagy. That can’t happen. The publicly embarrassing moments have been happening less during the Ryan Pace-Matt Nagy era, but this blow up feels like it’s straight from the Marc Trestman era. another embarrassing moment
• Take some time to get a full scope of the calamity at Halas Hall. Kevin Fishbain (The Athletic), Colleen Kane (Tribune), Chris Emma (670 The Score), Dan Wiederer (Tribune), provide a good lay of the land with their pieces from the Bears’ home base.
• These tweets really drive home the dysfunctional day that was:
Today’s Halas Hall tension and confusion is only the start of a tumultuous stretch in a regular season that still has 47 days.
Vibe across many circles: the Bears really stepped in it today, starting at the very top and may not truly realize how much poop is on their shoes.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) November 24, 2021
One source described the Bears brass’s handling of today as “remarkably clumsy,” noting that an organization’s professionalism in moments like these is judged at least somewhat leaguewide by other coaches, execs, etc.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) November 24, 2021
Just a complete mess of a day at Halas Hall today for the #Bears. Good lord.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) November 24, 2021
Just my take but this Nagy situation feels too far gone. At this point, why not just pull the plug & get on with it?
I can’t even imagine how distracted & overall disastrous this team is going to look on Thursday at this point. Which is saying something because it’s been bad.
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) November 24, 2021
Today ranks with the day Aaron Kromer cried at a press conference among the weirdest days I can remember being a Bears fan
— Jeremy Layton (@JeremyLayt0n) November 24, 2021
• It is beyond troubling that a franchise stuck to “business as usual” in the face of all that noise yesterday. Part of me can understand the concept of not wanting to respond publicly to every rumor because you fear having to put the toothpaste back in the tube. But when the sink is overflowing, toilet is stopped up, and bathtub won’t drain, maybe that would make for a good time to address your overwhelming bathroom problems.
• LOL: The Bears still have a game to play tomorrow.
• Last we saw the Lions, it was the Bears’ tight ends doing a ton of dirty work to spring the running game. More of this, please:
• If my fantasy opponent this week is reading this (Hi, Myles!) it would behoove you to bench David Montgomery, who is averaging just 4.38 yards per carry against the Lions in five games. Just sayin’…
• Hopefully, Myles is done reading this, because in two road games against the Lions, Montgomery has put up 139 rushing yards on 29 carries. That comes out to a crisp 4.79 yards per carry.
• It might not matter that the Lions are in worse shape record-wise than the Bears. But it’s still worth pointing out:
The Bears are bad. The Lions are worse. At least one of them will start a backup QB, and perhaps both.
Ahead of another awful helping of Lions football on Thanksgiving, Dan Campbell offers a defense for keeping the game in Detroit https://t.co/IXqKJcSNrt pic.twitter.com/R9K0JsyRRV
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) November 24, 2021
• Detroit’s football team is too bad, and has been too bad for too long, to have a coach say this:
And then he Yogi Berra’d us.
“It’s a 60% chance of it being 50-50.”
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) November 23, 2021
• And yet:
Bears look like Lions’ best shot at a win this year https://t.co/JiYfEunEEX pic.twitter.com/6GixLkTGgg
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 23, 2021
• The Everson Griffen situation has been a troubling one to follow, but I’m glad the Vikings were proactive here:
Statement from the #Vikings pic.twitter.com/9jARTVVCor
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 24, 2021
• The Bulls’ center is a 6-5, 210-pound small forward. Confused? Don’t be. Our friends at BN Bulls explain everything:
Thriving in a role created by injuries, Derrick Jones Jr. has been one of the unsung heroes in the Bulls’ early-season success. https://t.co/YQL3uvLuJl
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 24, 2021
• I’d be more bummed about the Cardinals getting Steven Matz if it wasn’t for the Mets absolutely soiling themselves publicly, providing content for all of us to laugh at:
The Mets Are BIG MAD About the Cardinals Signing Steven Matz – https://t.co/LJfLAm7JBT pic.twitter.com/YLcBChkjbk
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) November 24, 2021
• And I thought the Bears were having some defensive issues:
You sure? https://t.co/207wcsPprB pic.twitter.com/cn3OsBfpDX
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) November 24, 2021