Chicago Bears Done in by Dallas Cowboys: A Mostly Unbiased View
Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett (83) is upended against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half of their game at Soldier Field. The Cowboys won 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
It can be hard being a fan of an NFL team. The rollercoaster ride from week to week can be exhausting. One week your team looks like they could take on anybody, but just a week later they could be taken apart by a team that you don’t think they should have any trouble defeating. It’s never as good or bad as it seems, and certain problems will persist throughout a season while others can be worked through. That’s why we here at BGO have decided to bring you “Bear and Balanced: A Mostly Unbiased View of your Chicago Bears”. I can find the silver lining to any cloud, but also find areas of concern in the most convincing victory. Each week I’ll try to bring you the facts from the game from an unbiased standpoint to help you, the fans, get a better feel for where the season is going.
As this abysmal season drags on, I find myself becoming more and more numb to the plight of my beloved Chicago Bears. Should I be happy that they showed they were capable of competing with the Dallas Cowboys, or angry that they couldn’t muster anything until the game was well out of hand? Does it matter? Does this Chicago Bears team deserve any emotional response from me, be it good or bad? These are the questions that plague my mind on a daily basis, as fans of other teams casually poke fun at the team I’ve loved all my life. This article, however, is not about emotions, but rather the removal of said emotions to provide you guys with a logical perspective in a game that all too often gets blown out of proportion. With that in mind, let’s get down to business.
Christian Jones has impressed me recently. Last week I spent most of my time going over individual performances, but Jones slipped through the cracks. He’s not playing at an All-Pro level or even in consideration for rookie of the year, but I think he’s done exceptionally well for an incredibly raw undrafted free agent who’s been forced into action well before he’s ready. Jones hasn’t been perfect. There have been more mistakes than I care to count, but there have also been a handful of eye-opening plays in every game I’ve seen him play this season. If he can take a large step forward in his development by next season, The Chicago Bears may have struck gold here. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he win the starting strong side linebacker gig next year.
The special teams unit has been by far and away the worst phase for the Chicago Bears this season. How is that a bright spot? Because it’s easily fixed. Fire Joe DeCamillis, focus on improving it in the offseason, and we could see a very quick turnaround next season. You might think that special teams doesn’t play that large a role during the course of a game, but you’d be wrong. Just look at this Cowboys matchup. The game seemed out of reach fairly early on, but the Bears came back and were within two scores by the end. Two blocked kicks and a handful of penalties might have been all that kept the Chicago Bears from pulling off this upset. I miss Dave Toub…
Be sure to hit the page break for the rest of my thoughts.