The Chicago Bears are in a tough spot. Not only have they lost consecutive games to NFC heavyweights, their latest loss was a 38-3 laugher in Tampa that was over before the first quarter ended. And they’re now scrambling for answers.
Thread: Some thoughts after the Bears got railroaded in Tampa.
1. While the outcome wasn't the least bit surprising, this is the second game in 2021 where the Bears' offense hasn't looked like it belongs on the same field as its opponent.
The reality is, that's just fireable.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 25, 2021
What’s sad is the Bears are just 3-4 and still very much in the thick of the NFC playoff picture — however, their schedule remains difficult with their next three games against San Francisco, Pittsburgh (MNF), and Baltimore.
Head coach Matt Nagy is positive for COVID-19 and away from Halas Hall, the Bears have several others still on the reserve/COVID list, Khalil Mack might not play on Sunday (and could go on IR), and rookie QB Justin Fields’ progress seems to be fleeting at best.
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It’s looking rough for the NFL’s charter franchise right now.
The hope is they can take advantage of a vulnerable 49ers team at Soldier Field this Sunday. If they can, they improve to 4-4 and have improved prospects for the rest of the year.
If they can’t…
With that, let’s reach into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
Bears Mailbag
If you were put in charge of football operations for the bears today right now. You have full control of the team and you can do what you want. What are your first 5 moves? Not necessarily what they should do but what would you do?
— Miles Nowak (@AgentMole88) October 26, 2021
This is an interesting question. The Bears’ head of football operations is Ryan Pace, but he is also the general manager. They do not have a separation of duties like, say, the Denver Broncos. They have a President of Football Operations, and they have a GM. For the sake of mapping to the Bears’ situation, I’ll assume I have replaced Ryan Pace in this situation. So the hierarchy is George McCaskey -> Ted Phillips -> Me -> Matt Nagy.
Since I’m taking over midseason, I would NOT fire Matt Nagy right now. There’s no point. Fans are hyperbolic thinking that firing Nagy would “send a message” or “get Justin Fields away from him.” Do fans think Fields is in better hands with the rest of that staff without Nagy?
So, I’d be looking towards the rest of Fields’ rookie contract. Nothing is more important than Justin Fields and his development over the next four years.
Are the Bears competing in 2021? For a playoff spot, possibly. For a Super Bowl, not a chance. Not with a rookie.
With the number of roster and salary cap decisions Chicago has to make in the offseason, it’s tough to say 2022 is a championship contention season, either. Not without a first-round pick.
So I’d start to build my assets as much as I can. I’d contact every team still in the playoff race about assets who could help them this year.
Allen Robinson. Khalil Mack. Akiem Hicks. Danny Trevathan. Eddie Jackson. Alec Ogletreee. Mario Edwards Jr. David Montgomery (seriously). Andy Dalton. Nick Foles. Damien Williams. Marquise Goodwin. You name it.
They’re all available.
The Bears need draft capital. They need to restock with players who will be here and available to help in 2023 — the first realistic season of Fields’ window to compete. That’ll be the third year on his rookie deal.
If I can’t get to five trades, the next thing I look at is try to convince McCaskey/Phillips to create a new position to separate between Football Ops President and GM. It’s just better for the organization.
Lastly, I start my shortlist of head coaching candidates if I need to fire Nagy at season’s end. Brian Daboll and Kellen Moore are my front runners. I’ll certainly interview Sean Desai, Joe Brady and possibly Nathaniel Hackett for the job as well.
Was Nagys offense actually that good in 2018, or was it just new and caught everyone off guard? Since then it hasn't produced anything and even players don't seem to care for it
— Hank Pym (@BearJewNerd) October 26, 2021
I think it was. The creativity was evident. The scheming of receivers open was evident. They also had solidly fitting personnel (Trey Burton, Taylor Gabriel) for some of their key roles in the offense.
The Bears genuinely thought Mitch Trubisky was ready to go to the offense’s “202” version in 2019, and it was evident on opening night that he wasn’t — the horrific 10-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.
The Bears eventually simplified the scheme to an extent, but it was too late. And the scheme was simplified to such an extent that it was easy to defend.
Remember, the Shanahan/Kubiak concepts, while they exist in the playbook, are not staple to Nagy’s offense and scheme. They were recreating their playbook (to an extent) on the fly. It’s difficult, but they had some success in 2020.
I think what’s most disappointing is how they’ve fallen off a cliff in 2021. The scheme has not evolved enough and they’re just so much worse at game planning and having contingencies/adjustments ready.
It’s been difficult to watch.
Though it appears Pace might have more survival capability than Nagy, I still think they should be tied together.
I think Nagy's presence/scouting has influenced and improved Pace's drafting/player acquisition the last four years.
I'm concerned how Pace will do without him.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 27, 2021
I'd like to see if/how Jenkins and Borom play. They also have several decisions to make on the OL contract-wise. I'd imagine this for the OL:
Borom-Whitehair-Daniels-Bars-Jenkins
(Or, they could flip Jenkins/Borom.)
For the second-rounder, I'd look WR or CB.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 27, 2021
Absolutely. They're a middle of the pack team right now that clearly can't compete with the truly elite in the NFL, but can beat the teams they should, with the occasional surprise. That's what they have been.
(FWIW, the Bengals and Raiders won't stay where they are.)
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 27, 2021
Your previous question got cut off.
I think the Bears are closer to competing than rebuilding. They also have a lot of roster decisions to make next year that could impact that. (Expiring contracts, cap moves to make, etc.)
But the reality is their future depends on Fields.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 27, 2021
Unless things change in the final 10 games, he'll be around for the rest of the season. They aren't changing playbooks in the middle of the year.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 27, 2021
That would be my preference. His instincts are excellent and he's around the ball a lot. He deserves to play.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 26, 2021
The roster isn't as complete as it needs to be, and the coaching is letting it down.
The Bears need significant help at:
OL
WR
CB— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 27, 2021
They're not as good as they were made out to be, but they are not being utilized properly, either.
Robinson seems unable to separate.
Goodwin is not useful on curls — let the dude run on flood concepts.
It's aggravating.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 27, 2021
It really depends on Justin Fields.
If he grows and looks like a QB to be hopeful about, then they will probably keep them.
If he continues to look like he did against CLE/GB/TB, then not a chance.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 26, 2021
If they buy, they should focus on WR/OL/CB. But I doubt that will happen.
If they lose badly to San Francisco, I think it kickstarts a bit of a sale.
Watch A-Rob, Hicks, Trevathan, possibly Mack, etc.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 27, 2021
No. While Aiyuk is talented, the Bears are better off getting a WR whose contract/time they'll control in the draft. They can't afford to spend draft picks on players they won't control for a while.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 26, 2021
Bears fans need to stop thinking the McCaskeys don't care. Of course they care. Of course they're embarrassed. But a mid-season change isn't going to fix anything.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) October 26, 2021
