#Bears coach Matt Nagy on pulling QB Mitch Trubisky: “It was all based off, he wasn’t feeling right. His hip was hurting him.”

Our story from an interesting night: https://t.co/ghvkuX3YcE

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 18, 2019

Two weeks ago, Matt Nagy pulled the plug on his offense. He realized the quarterback wasn’t capable and went to a simpler, easier-to-execute version. It worked. Kind of. Last night, Nagy broke. He couldn’t watch it anymore. And he pulled the plug on Trubisky. This will now be the story for the next six days. And we all knew it was coming.

We come to November,

we come to the cold.

And still we remember,

predictions too bold.

We all put our trust

in a fella called Mitch

But the QB’s a bust,

And the O’s in a ditch.

Yet Sunday proposes

a chance to get square.

Where Heston played Moses,

And Caan played a Bear.

December’s before us

With games left to play

The league won’t ignore us

if we win in L.A.

L.A. Story (1991) – My favorite L.A. film

Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?

I always like the Chicago Bears.

And I have nothing else to do on Sunday night. Do you?

Rama Lama Ding Dong (Rams Facts)

• The Rams offense is broken. Literally. Center Brian Allen is out for the year. Right tackle Rob Havenstein is out multiple weeks. Brandin Cooks is still not recovered from brain injury and should really be put on the shelf for the duration of 2019, if not longer. They won’t have time to protect the quarterback. They won’t have a threat deep down the field. This is a run the ball/short passing offense now. (And it’s struggling in those two departments as well.)
• Very few times this season will the Bears not have a significant disadvantage at the quarterback position. This is one of those weeks because statistically (and visually) Jared Goff just isn’t playing very well. But at least Sean McVay will still be utilizing the entirety of his playbook. Matt Nagy will not.
• These two defenses are basically the same. They:
  • Pressure the quarterback at almost identical rates (26-25 Rams in the sack count)
  • Hold opposing QBs to sub-90 rating.
  • Yield roughly identical numbers in yards per game, yards per completion and completion percentage.
  • Defend the run game at clips of (a) Rams – 3.3/90.8 and (b) Bears – 3.7/94.

Tweet of the Week (from last week)

There are good cheese puns and bad cheese puns. Between them, there’s a gruyerea.

— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) November 7, 2019

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Mitch Trubisky’s last four performances are some of the strangest by a Bears quarterback in recent memory. Since hitting what I believe was his rock bottom against the Saints, he has strung together a series of bizarre decisions, errant throws, poor mechanics and occasional, yet all-too-infrequent, thrilling moments. Trubisky is no longer an enigma. He’s no longer difficult to evaluate. He’s a backup quarterback.

Other thoughts, based on observations and conversations…

• The boys at the Tribune did a nice job breaking down this entire Trubisky saga in tireless detail. I’d be very surprised if Dave Ragone is on this coaching staff in 2020. And he shouldn’t be.
• For those wondering why the Bears aren’t turning to Chase Daniel, it’s simple: they are hoping (and praying) something clicks in Trubisky and he turns this thing around. They’re no longer relying on that to occur but they know it’s the best possible outcome for the organization this season as the playoffs drift further and further from reality.
• From a well-placed source within the organization: Matt Nagy has grown increasingly frustrated with Trubisky’s inability to process and execute the game plan. That game plan was significantly dialed back for Detroit and will continue to be down the stretch.
• Is Trubisky playing hurt? He has to be. Otherwise there’s no explanation for his passing up countless first downs on the ground. Both the Eagles and Lions sold out to stop the run/rush the passer, leaving their corners on an island and acres of space in the middle of the field. When Trubisky has had opportunities to exploit that space with his legs, he’s passed. It makes no sense. Unless he’s hurt.
• The same folks blaming the offensive line in Chicago out of the left side of their mouths are praising Deshaun Watson’s improvisational skills out of the right side of their mouths. If you watch Houston play, you’ll realize something: they have no offensive line. Watson, and the MVP front-runner Russell Wilson, extend drives and make plays with their athleticism. Trubisky does not. And that’s why he was drafted. The Bears never expected him to sit in the pocket like Eli Manning or Joe Flacco. They expected him to move and create. They expected football instincts. They expected excitement. They’re getting none.

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I drive a 2005 Chevy Cavalier.

It was my grandfather’s car. He’s dead now.

Last year, my first year with the car, I took it to Jiffy Lube for inspection. The horn didn’t work. I knew the horn didn’t work but I honestly didn’t know the horn working was a prerequisite to pass inspection. I brought the car to a local mechanic in Queens, a guy I drink with, and he explained that fixing the horn would cost more than the car was worth. He wanted to try something else.

He then proceeded to beat the shit out of the steering wheel. I mean, he was throwing jabs like Marvin Hagler. Sure enough, the horn let out a whimper. It wasn’t much but it was enough. I drove it back to Jiffy and whimpered into the parking lot. The attendant heard that sad excuse for a honk and that was enough. Passed.

This year’s inspection was going to be more difficult. I brought the car in on October 3rd. The horn hadn’t made a sound since July 4th. I was fully prepared to bribe the Jiffy Lube guys to get me over the line. For a 2005 Chevy Cavalier with 199,600 miles on it, the car is in damn good shape. Except the horn.

Brought the car in – which you can see above – and had $100 in cash in my pocket. Bribery money. Derek, the inspector, opened the driver side door. Sat in my seat. Put his hand on the steering wheel. And…

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMP!

It had not made a noise in months. It has not made a noise since. But for that one moment, the horn sounded as if Gabriel was blowing it himself. I don’t believe in God or angels or souls or the afterlife or really much at all. But in that moment, I believe my dead grandfather wanted that car to stay on the road.

Yesterday, at Soldier Field, the Bears passed inspection. They kept the car on the road.

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“Lion”

by J. Hughes

As a child, I was lost at the zoo,

and found myself looking into the sad eyes of an old, lady lion.

I was not afraid of the lion, but of being lost. Of being somewhere unknown.

She seemed to know that fear, the lion.

As if she had once been somewhere she didn’t belong, somewhere she didn’t know.

Her eyes had once been filled with those same tears that now filled mine.

Maybe she was still there.

Maybe that’s why her eyes remained sad.

Prediction

David Montgomery takes the pressure of Mitch Trubisky for a week and the Bears finally get back in the win column. (This is the only way the Bears win. Trubisky isn’t beating anyone.)

Chicago Bears 24, Detroit Lions 18

Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?

I always like the Chicago Bears.

And now that the whole of their fan base has seemingly given up on them, you can see them winning.

Three Things About the Lions

• Detroit allows north of 135 yards per game on the ground, as last year’s mid-season acquisition of Snacks Harrison has turned into a bit of a dud for Matt Patricia and the boys. With the Bears desperate to get back into the win column, I’d be surprised if David Montgomery doesn’t find himself carrying the ball 20+ times Sunday.
• From my buddy and frequent podcast guest Dave Birkett of the Free-Press:

The Lions, by any metric, have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They rank 31st in total defense, 30th against the pass, 27th in points allowed and 27th against the run. Their takeaway luck has dried up; on Sunday, they didn’t force a punt for the first three quarters.

I don’t know what the answer is to fixing the Lions’ defensive woes, and I doubt it can be now, with no means to acquire effective talent until the spring. They need more pass rush, they need to tackle better, they need their best safety (or two) back on the field, and they need to play with the urgency they showed early in Sunday’s fourth quarter…Part of me thinks we were duped by their strong defensive play down the stretch last season.

• The Lions, by just about every statistical analysis, are one of the most dynamic and diverse passing attacks in the league. (Stafford may be having his best season.) With their talent outside and at the TE position, it all comes down to the Bears pass rush this week. If it plays the way it has the last few weeks the Lions are going to move the ball through the air with ease. This is the week Khalil Mack breaks out. (It better be.)

Tweet of the Week

“Uh, yea hi. Look, we’re gonna need a reprint on the Lions 2020 calendars.” pic.twitter.com/9g7aCDyq2K

— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) November 5, 2019

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I had a conversation with my friend, referred to in these parts as [REDACTED].

I had specific questions. He gave me great answers.

These are transposed as best I could. (He has approved their publication.)

How does Matt Nagy keep this season from completely imploding?

He wins. He has to win some games, no matter what he’s getting from the quarterback. I can’t describe for you what it’s like in a losing building. Every day is just sad, man. I was with [REDACTED TEAM] and I remember the owner’s personal secretary telling me she cried herself to sleep the night before because we blew a game late. I felt awful. 

They’ve got a good team. But losing wears down even the really good players. Everybody stops believing the effort is worth it.

Is Mitch Trubisky in the NFL five years from now?

I told you before the draft how much I liked Trubisky. And I wasn’t alone. And I haven’t seen a lot of his tape this season. But our pro personnel people say he’s playing scared. And when the problems go that deep mentally, it’s usually not something players recover from. Most of the times it happens to DBs or linemen and it’s pretty anonymous. When it happens to a quarterback, man, that’s hard.

One of my scouts told me everything needs to be perfect around Trubisky for him to produce. That’s not a winning strategy.

Everybody in Chicago speaks highly of him. So he’s a guy I can see settling into a backup role for years and being an asset to that room. He’s just not a front line NFL starter. So yea I think he’ll linger in the league.

What were your expectations for the Bears in 2019? What are they for 2020?

What have I always told you? We have no idea. 

But I don’t understand how they’re running that offense and getting zero from the tight ends. And I’m not sure they have the right athleticism on their o-line to run it either. But I’ll be very surprised if they don’t sign a high profile veteran quarterback in the off-season. And if they sign the right one, they’ll be right back in the mix. Because supposedly the defense isn’t playing very well and they are still one of the five or six best in the game.