After months on end of talking about how things were going to be different this time only to see *THAT* performance was absolutely gross. It’s giving toxic ex vibes.
It’s just one game, yes. But it was a no-good, very-bad, super-stinky performance by the Chicago Bears in Week 1. However, we march on because we’re Bears fans who have lived through much worse days.
I struggled to find silver linings from the Bears’ 38-20 loss to the Packers, but I found one. Last year, we saw the Bears’ offense get off to a sluggish start, make adjustments, and improve. Even a neutral party made note of this coaching staff’s ability to make changes where the last regime would’ve rather been stubborn. Having hard evidence of the ability and willingness to make adjustments is a good thing. But here’s the problem: I don’t want to wait until a mini-bye to make changes. In-game adjustments are as (if not more) important than in-season adjustments. This Bears thing can go off the rails quickly if things don’t get straightened out. And I don’t think Chicago’s football team can afford to wait until Week 6 to make the changes that are necessary to turn this thing around.
Here’s a thing that is sticking with me this morning: That game happened, but shouldn’t have. Games like yesterday aren’t supposed to happen in Year 2 of your regime (and Year 1 of your building-up process). We were supposed to leave those games in the rear-view mirror for good. It is inexcusable to have a game like the one we saw yesterday. Full stop.
Furthermore, I don’t want to hear anything more about the Matt Eberflus H.I.T.S. principle or Luke Getsy’s future head-coaching candidacy until further notice. The Bears did not Hustle, show Intensity, create Takeaways, or play Smart. And Getsy’s scheme and play-calling were unimaginative and uninspiring. In a way, it reminded me of Nathaniel Hackett’s Week 1 script for the Broncos against the Seahawks last year. I wonder if Getsy running a Packers-style script (establish the run early, work in play-action pass later) works against him because Green Bay knows how to counterpunch because they know what is coming. Or maybe Getsy’s stuff didn’t work on Sunday because he doesn’t have the horses up front to carry it out.
Moving forward, any game script that sees D.J. Moore get just two targets should be shredded, burned, and never to be used again.
Kyle Brandt came through with the must-see rant of the day before I could even start my morning coffee:
The Brandt blind-item is going to get a ton of attention (and it should):
“There is a player for the Chicago Bears, who I’m not going to mention. I don’t know what he’s doing out there, he certainly doesn’t look like he wants to be out there. He’s a name, he’s a guy you know. I’m not going to mention his name because I don’t have to. If you watched 5 seconds of this game, you know who I’m talking about. I don’t know what this player is doing, but I know he’s not trying. And I don’t know if he’s going to be out there much longer. An unbelievably disappointing day for the Chicago Bears.”
Here’s a place for a smooth transition:
Chase Claypool is listed at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds. Keisean Nixon is listed at 5-foot, 200 pounds.
Nixon blows up this play by fighting through Claypool's block and slams down Darnell Mooney.
I don’t want to do too much Chase Claypool revisionist history, but that is the kind of play you watch and leaves you wondering how a general manager justified trading a second-round pick to acquire that guy. I still don’t hate the process (despite the result). It’s just that when you dangle a premium pick for a player, you have to do a better job of identifying the right fit. And perhaps never trust trading with the Steelers ever again. Hang up the phone when they call next time. Maybe the Bears were better off just letting the Packers get Chase Claypool last year like Aaron Rodgers thought was going to happen.
Things I never want to see again: The tight end as a QB sneak. This looks like the Getsy version of Matt Nagy’s tight end shovel pass. It was fun the first time. And it is cool when it works. But there is nothing like taking the ball out of your best player’s hands on 3rd-and-short to give it to your lumbering tight end. Particularly when your best player is a quarterback whose rushing prowess is what he is known for at this stage of his career.
Let the record show that it wasn’t just the offense getting cooked in the coaching department:
Chicago has 2 outside CB who prefer to play press man. GB had really bad WRs available, who you can't scheme open as easily aganist press man as zone.
Caoaching malpractice. Last year I thought they were intentionally coaching to lose. Looks like the coaches are just bad.— Johnathan Wood (@Johnathan_Wood1) September 11, 2023
Matt Eberflus is a defensive-minded coach whose defense looks messy as heck 18 games into his head-coaching career. Giving up 31 offensive points to a Jordan Love-quarterbacked team without its top receiver is quite bad.
Oh, and don’t let me hear anything about public funding or tax breaks for a stadium. I don’t want to hear it. And neither do fans. After that game, the Bears should be giving us a kickback.
There’s so much to wrap your mind around with this game. The Athletic (Fishbain), Sun-Times (Finley), Tribune (Biggs), NBC Sports Chicago (Schrock), BearsWire (Barbieri), and CHGO (Kaduk) are among those with takeaways from the game that are worth sitting down and reading through to their end.
Also worth watching is this post-game video from The Bigs’ Herb Howard:
The Bears honored a bunch of their alumni at halftime of Sunday’s game, including Steve “Mongo” McMichael. We’re rooting for Mongo to get his time in the sun with enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2024 class. (Sun-Times)
When the Bears play as poorly as they did on Sunday, I reserve the right to turn off football and pretend it doesn’t exist until the next morning. The value of unplugging after a bad loss is one of my favorite things The Girlfriend taught me before her passing. With that being said, I’m glad I spent my time not watching Sunday Night Football. Because this was ugly:
Cowboys 40, Giants 0: Cowboys Steamroll the Giants in Season Opener
As The Athletic points out via OptaStats: No team has ever (1) lost 40-0 or worst, lost the sack battle 7-0 or worse, lost the turnover battle 3-0 (or worse), had a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, and thrown a pick-6 in the same season — and the Giants did it all in the same game. In other words, the Bears did *NOT* play the worst game of the day on Sunday. This doesn’t take away from how poorly the Bears played. But not being the literal worst is the closest I’ll come to finding a silver lining today.
I won a fantasy matchup this week by 1.05 points because the Cowboys defense scored 42.28 points last night. Couple that with my fantasy baseball win this week, yours truly is going on to the semifinal round. So it isn’t *ALL* bad in my neck of the woods.
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