The Chicago Bears are in a major rut, who is to blame?
Do we blame the Chicago Bears general manager who traded up for the lesser talented quarterback? Do we blame the offensive genius that gave up playcalling (for now) to see his offense work better without him?
Do we blame the Chicago Bears defense, who seem to drastically play worse without Akeim Hick regardless of having one of the NFL’s most dominant pass rushers? The ultimate team sport seems to be up the creek without a paddle and no promise in view.
In my opinion, the Chicago Bears missed when they missed on Mitch Trubisky. Many will blame Ryan Pace, who deserves 100% of the blame for drafting Trubisky over Deshaun Watson. However, not all is lost.
While many hope that the Chicago Bears lose enough to gain a top draft pick, that might not be the answer. Ryan Pace might not have a job after the season ends, but that is not the answer. What if John Fox was right. Some might have forgotten, but John Fox said he was the one who built the 2018 12-4 record.
Honestly, he might be right. What changed from 2017 to 2018? The offense was still in the middle of the pact, but the defense took major steps toward what was almost a historical year. I am not saying that John Fox built that defense, but he was there to help Ryan Pace build it.
John Fox also wanted either Jamal Adams (who has been one of the league’s elite safeties) or Deshaun Watson if they were to draft a quarterback. It sounds like the old Bears barroom hosts got it wrong when they wanted to “fire Fox.”
Instead of gaining the fan base and Chicago media attention negatively, they could have preached patience while the rebuild was underway. Instead, the Chicago Bears did everything the opposite of John Fox that they could.
They found an offensive-minded head coach, drafted an inexperienced quarterback, and traded away a bell-cow running back that single-handedly won them games that previous season. The issue in Chicago isn’t that the team lacks the want to win. The issue is that they want to win now and are willing to rush the process to set themselves backward.
Hopefully, this next generation of Chicago Bears players and staff (if this one is fired) can tell us fans what it really is. If a rebuild is coming, be honest, and open about it. Let the fans know the team is going to suck for a while. Grab the correct pieces. Rushing the process never amounts to any good. Dak Prescott is not the answer. Get players that fit the scheme, don’t reach, start trends, and don’t follow them. That is how you win.