2014

Outside of Pat O’Donnell, who I think is one heck of a punter, there is a possibility this draft does not produce a single long-term starter at any of the 22 positions. That would be a nightmare scenario for the Bears. There is also, however, a chance it produces three. If Fuller, Ferguson and Sutton are not productive components on the defense moving forward, GM Ryan Pace is truly starting from scratch with this rebuild.

2013

Just…wow. Kyle Long was the steal of the 2013 draft. Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel, Chance Warmack and Jonathan Cooper were offensive linemen taking in the top ten of this draft and Long is better than all of them by a significant margin. The Bears have gotten zero production from the remainder of the selections.

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Three Thoughts

• Jared Allen seemed to make significant progress at a new position this summer but looked overwhelmed in his first three real games. (This once again reiterates the point that preseason football is utterly meaningless.) Per various beats, Allen was nowhere to be found in the locker room after the Bears loss to the Seahawks. He clearly didn’t want to finish his career playing the wrong position.
• Short-term this moves allows Lamarr Houston back onto the field. And Houston fits this defense.
• Long-term the Bears need to be putting players on the field in 2015 who they believe will be part of the organization in 2016 and beyond. If the Cowboys or anybody else is interested in Matt Forte, and the Bears don’t plan to re-sign Forte, the deal should get done.

HOGE NAILS THREE POINTS

Sat down to write a column Monday morning and after a Google search realized Adam Hoge (WGN) already wrote it. He makes three suggestions to John Fox and all three are 100% correct.

1. Start David Fales against the Raiders.

2. Stop the nonsense and just have Pat O’Donnell boom kickoffs out of the back of the end zone.

3. Give Jeremy Langford more carries.

Quick thought on each.

• Wrote the column on why Bears should have started David Fales last week. Jimmy Clausen is horrible and everyone on earth knows that. (Did you see how Pete Carroll approached him Sunday? They were daring him to throw passes!) 2015 is in the books. Every decision should be geared towards 2016 and beyond.
• Teams are going to move the ball on the Bears all season so they’re not afraid to return kickoffs from inside the end zone. There’s no different to them between starting on the 13 or 20 yard lines. Bears can’t cover kicks currently and they shouldn’t have to. They have a protective measure on the roster. They should use him.
• Bears need to make a decision immediately whether Matt Forte is part of their future. If he’s not, he shouldn’t be on this team. I’d take Hoge’s point a step further. I think Langford should be receiving a bulk of the carries.

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There is very little drama to writing about yesterday’s performance by the Chicago Bears. It was a simple game to dissect. Let’s get right to it.

• Jimmy Clausen is dreadful. And with word across the internet yesterday suggesting Jay Cutler tore his hamstring and may miss up to six weeks, the Bears can’t rationalize putting Clausen under center for the next month while actually claiming they are trying to win games. Clausen overthrew open receivers deep, threw balls to the feet of guys running basic crossing routes and just generally looked like he was completely incapable of executing the most basic of game plans. If David Fales is breathing he should start against Oakland next week.
• There is no point in commenting on anything else offensively. It is impossible to execute as an offense when you’re quarterback is non-professional.

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Chicago Bears Schedule

FrontRowTickets.com has been a great sponsor of the game previews this season. I encourage all our readers to give the above image a click and check out what they have to offer. (I’m imagine prices will be quite reasonable by the time the weather changes.)

THE GAME POEM

In a caffeinated city, darkened by the nimbus of perpetual rainfall

An umbrella is raised.

                      Quietly. Sadly.

As if by a man apologetic for wanting to remain unsoiled by the coming drizzle.

A NOT-SO-QUICK THOUGHT

There is a growing movement of individuals wishing for the Bears to “tank” the season to increase their draft position. This is a flimsy position. Here’s why:

• The only position tank-worthy is the sure thing quarterback. And people don’t realize how rare those are. How many QBs in the league essentially guarantee their team will be in the playoffs/a playoff contender? 4-5? And outside of Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning, how many of those do you think were top 10 draft picks? Roethlisberger wasn’t. Brady and Rodgers weren’t. Do you believe Drew Brees or Joe Flacco or Russell Wilson is one of those guys? None of them in the top ten. (Eli Manning and Phil Rivers have proven they don’t put their team in the postseason every year.)
• Is there a guaranteed elite quarterback in this draft? The two consensus first rounders are Cal’s Jared Goff and Michigan State’s Connor Cook. Are either organization changers? (And for me, Robert Nkemdiche is the second coming of Suh.)
• The Bears don’t have to tank. They’re not any good. They can go out there and fight like hell every week and still not win more than 5 games. (Especially if Jimmy Clausen remains involved.)

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Made some overreacting mistakes to the first week of the season, especially in the Rams/Redskins game. Still can’t believe the Rams team that played the Redskins Sunday was the same that beat Seattle to open the year. Lines can be found here.

BALTIMORE -3 OVER CINCINNATI

Here’s the logic: I don’t believe the Ravens are an 0-3 team. And I think they (much like the Seahawks) will be refreshed by playing their first home game and deliver a big effort.  Ravens 30, Bengals 24.

Chicago at Seattle: TOTAL POINTS OVER 43.5

The Bears are going to have trouble scoring points with Jimmy Clausen starting at quarterback but I don’t think that means they’ll be shutout by a defense that has struggled mightily coming out of the 2015 gates. And the Seahawks would be disappointed finishing this game with less than 28 points. I say the game goes over. Seahawks 31, Bears 20

Tennessee Titans Total Points Over 21 vs. Indy

I have been unabashed in my hatred of the way Colts GM Ryan Grigson has built this roster around Andrew Luck. In lieu of offensive linemen or defenders, Grigson has stockpiled aged skill players the team doesn’t need. Luck will probably throw another pick or two and Marcus Mariota should be able to gauge the Colts for large chunks of yardage on the ground. Colts 34, Titans 30.

Season Record: 2-3-1 (-$140)

David Fales may be shit. He may be no closer to a starting NFL quarterback than Caleb Hanie or Jonathan Quinn or Henry Burris or, hell, Henry Rollins for that matter. A look at the image above reveals three words that ask a million questions: “No stats available.” Fales is an unknown. But an unknown is better than a known when that known is…

Jimmy Clausen is shit. Everyone knows this. And the Bears, according to multiple reports across Chicago, will be starting the ex-Notre Dame signal caller for as long as Jay Cutler is unable to take to the field. It’s a mistake. And another example of the Bears taking a short-sighted view of the 2015 season instead of playing the long game.

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Had some sound issues with my phone line on the below pod. Some of Adam Jahns’ beliefs:

• Jimmy Clausen was terrible in Bourbonnais and looked similar on the field this week. Nobody should be surprised by his struggles.
• The same goes for Kyle Fuller. He was torched by just about every Bears receiver all summer and was thoroughly embarrassed by TY Hilton during the co-practice with the Colts. Jahns reports an ornery player at his locker long after the game, delivering a series of one word answers and deflections. He believes Fuller is at “a crossroads” and I agree.
• I asked how the locker room after Sunday compared to the 2014 locker rooms after blowout losses. His response was disconcerting. (I was hoping to hear about an angry room. It just sounded sullen.)
• Bears biggest problem in the pass rush is their overwhelming failure to win one-on-one matchups. Their rush is not being schemed out. It’s being talented out.
• Kyle Long is the only offensive lineman on the Bears without a penalty, per Jahns.
• Jahns gives David Fales a good chance to start should Cutler miss any time.

After the jump, listen to the entire interview.

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We wanted to see improvement. We wanted to have hope. No improvement. Hope gone. Season over? Reactions…

• Up until the interception, Jay Cutler may have been playing his best game as a Chicago Bear. He had remarkable awareness in the pocket, made smart decisions and didn’t throw a single inaccurate pass. He also seemed to thrive with the read option concepts Adam Gase installed. Then a poor throw is compounded with the ridiculous decision to try and make a tackle. Now he’s got a “hamstring” injury. Those who hate Jay Cutler can hate him all day long but they should recognize this team this will be non-competitive without him.
• But wasn’t this Jay Cutler’s Bears career in a nutshell: flashes of brilliance, terribly pick-six, injury.
• Jimmy Clausen’s performance reminded me an awful lot of Shane Matthews in the 2001 playoffs. Jim Miller throws a pick. Gets injured trying to make a tackle. Matthews forgets how to play football.
• Clausen’s appearance also brought out the worst in Adam Gase. His play-calling once the backup entered the game fell off a cliff. Abandoning the run, stretch runs when only inches are needed…etc. John Fox has to step in during these sequences.
• Bears may have nothing in David Fales. They KNOW they have nothing in Clausen. Start Fales if Cutler can’t go.
• Kyle Fuller. Not good.

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