Chicago Bears Week 13 Milk Carton

When a player or coach doesn’t really show up during a Bear’s game, they get put on the Milk Carton. As most of you know, people’s pictures used to be put at the back of milk cartons when they went missing. So the Milk Carton for the Bears is more about who went missing or played terribly during the game.

Damn.

This week, there is no contest for the Milk Carton. The apparent offensive genius Marc Trestman deserves the carton for being the main reason for the Bears loss. He deserves about 90% of the blame.

Everyone knows there is a difference between gutsy and stupid. But this Chicago Bears head coaching guru showed that there’s also a correlation between guts and greed, by sending in the field goal unit with two downs to go. But I’ll get back to that later. Let’s think about another turn of events. Josh McCown’s ill-advised shovel ends up in a Kyle Long fumble. Jon Bostic makes a stupid penalty. The Vikings are severely threatening. This is the first time the Bears appear to be throwing the game away. Luckily, Khalil Greene (who seems to be getting better each week) makes a nice interception and brings it back to midfield. So after the Bears potentially squandered the game the first time, the defense finally comes up with a big play.

Dec 1, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook (20) during the first quarter at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Forte, who was on fire, then gains 9 yards on first down to bring it to the Vikings 41. The clock is ticking away. Two more of those and the Bears win. The next play was a run up the middle that went for 0 yards. I understand that play call; run it right at them to pick up a yard. It usually works. What I question is the next play. On third and 1, the Bears tried another run up the middle. They failed to convert. Now I know the Vikings defense came up big and whatnot and that it’s not always easy to grind out a first down, but this guy is an offensive mastermind; why didn’t he call one of those outside pitches? Why couldn’t he send McCown on a play action roll out? One that puts a linebacker in a “pick your poison” situation of guarding the tight end or rushing the QB? What about a quarterback sneak? It seems like those work most of the time. But no, Trestman called a run-of-the-mill run play that didn’t succeed. On fourth and 1, I would have liked to see the Bears go for it. That decision wasn’t that bad, however. The punt worked out fine until the defense blew the fourth and 11.