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Not Ready To Be Good

| October 19th, 2009

I could spend the entire morning listing everything I disliked about the Bears’ mistake-laden performance in Atlanta last night. But really, is it worth it?  On a night when the defense held a terrific offense to twenty-one points, Cutler & Company buffooned their way around the field and threw away a chance at victory.

We can start in any number of places.  Interceptions?  Cutler’s ill-timed crossing route to Devin Hester on the opening drive tossed away an opportunity to seize the game from the Falcons.  Fumbles?  Matt Forte seems to have trouble penetrating the invisible force field that is the goalline without first placing the ball on the ground.  Penalties?  After playing a pretty damn good game at left tackle, Orlando Pace committed just about the worst false start penalty you’ll ever see on fourth-and-one as the game was expiring.

The New England Patriots have learned how to win, so much so that they can overcome early-season struggles by dropping 59 on the Tennessee Titans in a blizzard.  The Minnesota Vikings, while charmed, do the things that ultimately translate to victories and a two-game division lead before Halloween.  The Chicago Bears are not ready to be good yet.  They’re talented enough to be in every single game they play this year but they’re just not ready to deliver the kill shot.  With winnable games at Cincinnati and versus Cleveland coming up, they have a tremendous opportunity to fix the issues that are currently plaguing them.

Because the problems this club faces are not physical.  It’s not about talent.  It’s about not acting like fucking morons.  Not throwing the ball to the other team.  Not fumbling in the red zone.  Not jumping before the ball is snapped.  If Jerry Angelo and the folks at Halas Hall don’t have the coaching staff to get the best out of this roster, then maybe it’s time to get a different coaching staff.  Because the 2009 Chicago Bears are on-pace to equal the 2008 Chicago Bears’ most definitive stat: games they should have won.