Chicago Bears: 6 Observations heading into Week 13 vs the Lions
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Matt Nagy is starting to lose the locker room and star players are not inspired
The hard truth is that Matt Nagy is no longer the guy to inspire his players to play hard through the tough moments when things are going wrong for them. The brutal truth is that Matt Nagy is not only not that guy anymore, but he has also become the main drag that is sabotaging their efforts and talents. George McCaskey and Ryan Pace, I ask you why is he still the Bears’ head coach.
Over three weeks ago I wrote about how there was a revolt brewing among the players on offense against Matt Nagy as their play-caller. Proof positive of this was given to us by Anthony Miller in an interview on Friday, December 4th. He was asked what needs to happen for the offense to click on Sunday? Miller said…
"“I think the plays that we practice and execute in practice need to be called when we get to the game on Sunday.” He added this, “We know we can execute them, we just, everybody just needs the chance to ball out.”"
These comments should send some big waves rolling through Halas Hall.
Championships are won with players who give their whole minds, bodies, and hearts to winning. This is why it is so hard to repeat as Super Bowl winners. When you combine the mental exhaustion with the brutal beatings players take in an extended NFL season, you rarely end up with repeat winners.
Walter Payton was the best of this type of extraordinary player. He was the rare bird who was a 10/10 in talent and effort, as well. Akiem Hicks, Khalil Mack, Kyle Fuller and Allen Robinson are all top talents who have proven, to me at least, they give 100 percent of themselves on the field. These are the types of players that win teams championships.
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David Montgomery, Darnell Mooney and Jaylon Johnson are in the process of proving they are also talented players who give their all on the field of play. Very likely, there are other Bears players who fit this description but these are the ones I am certain are both talented and give full effort. It has to be acknowledged that this season of the pandemic has made it problematic to make these kinds of all-encompassing judgments on players’ efforts.
For example, you can see on tape that at times Allen Robinson does not go all out to block. I personally give him a pass on this because the Bears front office is forcing him to live through his nightmare scenario. In his last season with the Jaguars, Allen Robinson, like this season, played without a contract in place for the following year.
Tragically, in his last game for the Jaguars, he tore up the ACL in his left knee which required surgery and a long rehab. We all know freak injuries are a way of life in the NFL. It is also easy to get your legs and arms tangled up while guys fight off your blocks. So I believe when Allen Robinson gets his new contract you will once again see him going all out on his blocking as well as his receiving.
The main point of this is that the Chicago Bears would be very foolish to not keep Allen Robinson and Akiem Hicks on this team after this season regardless of whether they retool, rebuild, or whatever. Many believe one or both of these players will not be with the Chicago Bears in 2021. I say, these types of extraordinary players are rare and should be treated as the team’s most precious resources.