Jeff Saturday has seen this sort of thing before. The six-time Pro Bowler played had a long career in the NFL filled with a ton of highs including a Super Bowl championship. He also experienced plenty of lows including a 2-14 season in 2011 with the Colts. He knows a thing or two about tense situations off the field and he has serious concerns about the Chicago Bears locker room.
It’d be one thing if the entire team were bad. Then things would be easier to accept. The problem is it isn’t. The Bears have the 7th ranked defense in points allowed 10th in total yards. They are one of the best in the NFL. Yet they have to be saddled with the 31st ranked offense in the league. One can only imagine the misery they’re experiencing. Not to mention the rage.
Saturday understands that feeling quite well.
He’s been in locker rooms like that before. Back in 2001, his Colts had the #2 offense in the NFL. Yet they went 6-10 that season. How is that possible? Well, the defense ranked 31st in the league. It gave up 486 points including 34 or more in seven games. That led to a lot of tension behind the scenes. Something the former center explained on ESPN’s Get Up is almost certainly happening in Chicago right now.
This is exactly what has started to play out. Eddie Jackson reportedly got vocal in the locker room after the loss to Minnesota last night. He didn’t outright say the offense was “scrubs” like Saturday did but it was evident in his words that he is running out of patience with what they’re doing on that side of the ball.
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“I mean, it’s tough. But we go out there every week knowing we’re going to accept this challenge to put this thing on our back…
…Like we don’t care what the offense do; we don’t care if they put no points on the board. All we know is if the opposing team don’t score, they don’t win. So for us, we want to continue to accept that challenge, week in, week out…
…And like I said, it’s a team sport. You can’t do it without the offense and the offense can’t do it without the defense, so we just go out there, like I said, hold each other accountable and continue to fight.”
Matt Nagy likely can’t save the Bears locker room this time
Nobody can say the Bears head coach lacks leadership. He has the ability to motivate guys. That much is clear. However, he’s a player’s coach. Those who have followed the NFL long enough know that player’s coaches tend to have their words fade out after a period of time. Particularly if the team starts losing. Last year after a four-game losing streak he was able to stop the bleeding just in time with a win over Detroit.
The schedule won’t be so kind to him this time with the Green Bay Packers looming out of the bye. A team he’s beaten once in four tries. Now he’s going to somehow do it with the worst offense in football? Not happening. Nagy has tried anything and everything. It’s not working and because of that, his words are going to ring hollow more and more as the weeks pass.
Exactly the same thing that happened to Marc Trestman.
It’s actually quite impressive the Bears locker room hasn’t imploded already. It’s been that bad for a month now. Even longer given how trash the offense was last season too. Saturday is right on the money. The defense has every right to be upset and won’t be able to hold back their frustrations forever. A confrontation feels inevitable.