The Chicago Bears‘ offense keeps catching criticism from all angles. Experts everywhere insist it is the worst group in the NFL. The receivers are terrible, and the offensive line might be worse. Justin Fields is a dead man walking. Nobody says the group is ready to take the league by storm, but it’s hard to accept it’s really that bad. They still have a quality running back in David Montgomery, a 1,000-yard receiver in Darnell Mooney, and an ascending tight end in Cole Kmet. With improved coaching, maybe they can be decent in 2022.
Adam Hoge might be coming around to that possibility. The longtime Bears beat writer for CHGO isn’t known for brimming optimism. He always tends to keep his evaluations measured. That is what made his statement in a recent column so interesting. When discussing the team’s current state, he admitted that the offense was performing above his expectations. It hasn’t always been pretty. Improvements are still needed. Yet the progress is becoming more obvious by the day.
“Take it with a grain of salt if you want, but the offense seems to have turned a corner. Don’t get me wrong, the unit still has a long way to go, but we haven’t seen a bad day in over a week. That includes two practices last week, two practices this week, and a preseason game. Granted, the first-team offense still didn’t score against the Chiefs, but Fields held his own and the receivers came down with a couple impressive catches. Yes, the bar is low, but there has been some functional improvement in the last week.”
The Chicago Bears offense is still assembling pieces.
The preseason opener against Kansas City was difficult. Starting center Lucas Patrick and two of their top receivers in Byron Pringle and Velus Jones sat all out with injuries. Montgomery also didn’t play. Despite that, Fields played efficient football. He went 4-of-7 for 48 yards, including two dropped passes and two big 3rd down conversions. He also had a 10-yard scramble. They did drive into Chiefs territory twice but stalled just outside field goal range.
More than anything, it was the entire operation that was encouraging. The Chicago Bears’ offense appeared balanced. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy called a game that made sense. He knew how to string plays together, allowing Fields to make adjustments when needed. Nobody is foolish enough to think this is a finished product. Still, considering where things were a month ago, the progress is evident.
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Considering how common it was to see the defense dominate practices in training camp for the past decade, hearing this from someone like Hoge is encouraging.
This team needs the O-line solidified now. It sux the starting C is out. Rookie C just went on IR and they signed another backup. We’ll see if he can play maybe even tomorrow.
1st team offense has shown nothing of the sort but its early lets see how they look tomorrow!!!!
Isn’t Adam Hoge the “reporter” that asked Matt Nagy the question: “Are you wearing the visor or the ball cap, this Sunday Matt?”
Adam is not quite John Clayton is he?
When I was suggesting the Bears could make the playoffs THIS season, folks thought I was out of my mind. If a team with horrible coaching and schemes could eek out 6 wins last season, why can’t they do better than that with better coaching, an improved roster and a weaker schedule? I know what my eyes are seeing and coaching matters.