After a soul-crushing loss for the Chicago Bears last Sunday at Soldier Field, to the depleted Detroit Lions of all teams, there’s no real preamble from me for this week’s Bears Mailbag. Simply put, that loss was inexcusable.
A few extra thoughts on Lions-Bears:
1. Want to know what an elite QB looks like? Matthew Stafford came into Soldier Field without his #1 WR or playmaking RB and DEMOLISHED a healthy Bears defense with an barrage of ridiculous throws. Will the Bears ever find one like him?
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 7, 2020
It’s Week 14. There’s one quarter of the season remaining for the disappointing, 5-7 Bears. And Deshaun Watson comes to town this weekend. Lovely! Let the death-march continue.
With that, let’s reach into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
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Bears Mailbag
If the Bears finish 8-8 or 9-7 (unlikely, but still), and their offense continues to look improved, I wouldn't be surprised if the Bears opted for one more year.
There are a lot of teams looking for new regimes in a crazy world. How many candidates out there are really better?
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 8, 2020
The next VP or President of Football Operations absolutely needs to be a "football" person. A few names I'd love to see the Bears call:
John Schneider
Amy Trask
John Dorsey
Eliot Wolf— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 8, 2020
I agree it took Nagy too long to adapt to Trubisky, but smart QBs who succeed from the pocket could've operated the offense. (Think Stafford, Alex Smith, Carr, Fitzpatrick, etc.)
I thought Nick Foles would be better than he was, and that's my miss.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 9, 2020
It's hard to say the Bears 'missed' on Matt Nagy, but no, it won't scare them away. Besides, I firmly believe, in today's NFL, offensive coaches who can design or call a good passing offense are a better bet to succeed.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 8, 2020
Kmet has upped his involvement significantly in recent weeks — and he finally got the ball a bit more on Sunday against Detroit.
Lamar Miller had a disappointing debut against Minnesota. The Bears must feel their schematic shift since then fits Monty and CP84 better.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 9, 2020
I have more studying to do this offseason on the QB prospects. But from what I can tell, Round 2 is fine for both Kyle Trask and Mac Jones. Both seem to be cerebral and accurate, but lacking special arm talent. At this point, I'd be OK with either one, but more to come.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 9, 2020
Couple things here: It's unlikely Trubisky even wants to return at this point. Also, the Bears have tailored significantly to him the last two games. The results are better, but he is still plagued by certain issues.
He'll have an opportunity elsewhere, likely as a backup.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 8, 2020
If they hit on the QB, I'd budget about two years, minimum.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 9, 2020
I think Joe Brady is a great option. Brian Daboll is growing on me, though I do have questions about his previous stints in Cleveland and New York.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 8, 2020
I need to see more over the final four games — but the early returns are encouraging from Mustipher and Bars.
Keep in mind Bars is playing RG and Ifedi is playing RT, so assuming Leno/Massie/Ifedi are gone, the Bears will need two new tackles, unless they think Bars can slide.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 9, 2020
If the Bears finish 8-8 or 9-7, and the offense continues to look improved, I would not be surprised if the Bears opted for one more year. The hope would be the Bears leverage some of these post-bye lessons learned next year.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 8, 2020
Cuts? Buster Skrine and Jimmy Graham are obvious candidates.
I'd keep an eye on trades, though. The Bears could look to trade Kyle Fuller, Akiem Hicks, and Khalil Mack. They might also attempt a tag-and-trade of Allen Robinson.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 8, 2020
And have fans calling for my head on Twitter after Year 1? No thanks!
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) December 8, 2020
