I won't beat around the bush: this blog's going to sting. The absolute last thing that Bears fans need to read right now is more evidence of the coaching staff's incompetence, but to quote the great American poet Mattew Nagy, that's just where we're at right now.
In the aftermath of maybe the most embarrassing loss of the season so far, Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron's role in the Bears' offensive dysfunction has been dissected every which way. It's not just that the coaching has been bad – the excuses given in press conference make everyone involved come across as deeply incompetent.
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The latest example of that will be especially tough to hear, only because it's about Chicago's favorite Local Guy, Cole Kmet. Kmet's in the middle of another strong season – and tracking closely to career highs in a lot of stats – but you wouldn't know it on account of, you know, him going entire games without getting the ball. ESPN's Courtney Cronin touched on the topic briefly in a recent article, and it's a tough read.
The Bears apparently forgot that Cole Kmet has been of the best tight ends in the NFL this year
But as Eberflus has noted previously, the Bears' offense is still struggling to get the ball to its best playmakers. Tight end Cole Kmet entered Week 9 having caught 27 of his 30 targets for 303 yards and three touchdowns, which generated a +19.5 receiving EPA (third most among tight ends), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He was not targeted against the Cardinals. A total of 19 targets were divided between wide receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. The two had a combined eight receptions for 69 yards.
He wasn't targeted! At all! Like he literally didn't get thrown the ball one single time; imagine how bored he got. He is, by some stats at least, the third-best tight in football, and Eberflus and Waldron thought the better idea would be to use him as a glorified offensive lineman. And do you want to know what's worse? He only had one target the week before! One of the best pass catching tight ends in football has only gotten one target in the last eight quarters of Bears football.
Anytime you can totally avoid the guy who's tied for the team lead in touchdown catches, second in receptions, and third in receiving yards for an entire game, you've just gotta do it. "Not using your best players" is the new Moneyball.