Like the Daft Punk song, the Chicago Bears should run the fullback dive play from last game's loss One More Time.
Ran by backup center Doug Kramer Jr., the young lineman botched the handoff and fumbled the ball before he could dive into the endzone. A Washington Commanders defender recovered the fumble and ran it back to the end zone, but thankfully the refs said he was down.
See the play for yourself:
The Chicago Bears with the ball on the 1 yard line in the 4th quarter for the go ahead score try to recreate the refrigerator Perry and fumble it away as the Commanders take over pic.twitter.com/zHwfDfHxiR
— Ace Football Analytics (@js_ace_football) October 27, 2024
Huge mistake. That doesn't mean the Bears should erase this play from the playbook. It's too good to get rid of.
The play paid homage to the 1985 Bears. During their Super Bowl run, they would line up defensive tackle William Perry at fullback and hand him the ball near the goal line. A fan favorite, Perry was affectionately nicknamed The Refrigerator, or The Fridge for short. In Super Bowl XX, Perry scored a goal-line touchdown. Perry's legend was solidified and the Bears were Super Bowl champions.
Fast forward to 2024, and the play didn't work out the same. There's nothing wrong with paying homage to the past and running a play that's iconic to your franchises history. Handing the ball to a lineman at the goal line is the definition of Bears football. It's like the Philly Special to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 1985 Bears only ran the ball with Perry when they were up by a large score. It was a way for the Bears to reward Perry for his contributions to the defensive line and for the team to celebrate victory. You don't run the ball with a lineman in the fourth quarter of a close game. This is a lesson learned.
The Bears also need to find a defensive lineman to carry the ball. Did you see that messed-up handoff? It's insanity. Doug Kramer Jr. should never touch the ball again. He was born and raised in Illinois and played football at Illinois University, so he seems like a solid heir apparent to Perry's throne, but he should practice his handoffs for a bit instead.
In 1985, the original play went to Perry, a defensive tackle. It should stay that way in 2024. Give the ball to Gervon Dexter Sr. next time.
In all honesty, handing the ball to a lineman in the fourth quarter of a close game took guts from head coach Matt Eberflus. You are playing for your first playoff berth as a head coach and that's the call?
If it worked he'd be a legend. It didn't, and now he's on the hotseat again.