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Three Reasons To Finish Watching The White Sox’s Terrible, No Good, Downright Awful Season

By
Matt Enuco
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The White Sox have cause for celebration, kind of.
Duane Burleson/Getty Images North America via Zimbio

Before you flub a sardonic gasp and run to the message board while venom pools at the keyboard, realize that what I am about to tell you is cast through a lens of expected failure.  

Like everyone else, I knew this was a discarded season for the White Sox before the first pitch was thrown. But the hashtags on twitter and japes about proud failures have run amuck and become rallying cries for ill-begotten ends.

Yet, there were reasons to cheer this season, but they are dwindling with the summer skies. So, here are a few causes to celebrate the final two weeks of the season.

The Offense

The offense was offensive (see what I did there?) most of the season. Avisail Garcia and Jose Abreu have buoyed an anemic performance from a tattered lineup with myriad iterations. Abreu will reach a milestone this week that only two other major-league players have matched. He will collect 100 runs batted in while belting 25 or more home runs in each of his first four seasons – Joe DiMaggio and Albert Pujols are the only other players to match this feat.

Garcia has posted an unthinkable .333 batting average this season while cynics kept waiting for the inevitable decline that never came. Even after a brief stint on the D.L., Garcia returned and kept pace.

And while the majority of the lineup has been patched together with young players and rookies, believe it or not, the White Sox have had a better than average offensive season. They rank 13th in Major League Baseball with a collective .259 batting average, four points higher than the league average and three points higher than the Cubs – yes, white sox fans, you can gloat.

Joining Abreu and Garcia are Tim Anderson and Matt Davidson with strong performances. Anderson is batting .458 with two home runs and 13 runs scored in the last 13 games. He has posted nine multi-hit games over that span and boasts a .340 average the past 30 days.

Davidson, meanwhile, has blasted 25 home runs in his rookie campaign, good enough for second among American League rookies. Though, Rookie of the Year seems out of reach for Davidson since Aaron Judge is certain to run away with the award.

Starting Rotation

The rotation suffered an overabundance of setbacks throughout the season, none unexpected. Carlos Rodon began the season on the D.L., Jose Quintana forgot to pack his quality starts after the World Baseball Classic and Derek Holland was as expected, terrible.

With Chris Sale’s departure and the promise of Quintana’s parting, there was still hope for a solid starting crew. Rodon was supposed to continue his success while James Shields and Holland might regain their early-career touch. And with the wave of prospects forcing themselves into the big-league conversation, there was lavish optimism huddled around the pitching staff. Yet, here we are at the end of a season that was expected to be sour, but not quite this tart.

Miguel Gonzalez held down the rotation as the most consistent and durable starter in the rotation while Shields continued his plummet into major league obscurity. After Quintana was jettisoned the wheels started to come off. The White Sox early success in April rapidly eroded into an embarrassing finish at the bottom of the league.

The rotation could post the least amount of wins lost (9) and losses saved (11) in 2017. What this amounts to is the ghastly reality that the South Siders were hardly ever in a position to win when their starter exited and their offense never bailed them out. Compounding the pain, the White Sox are last in wins (34) for the starting rotation while posting the second highest total losses this season (69).

Most concerning is that after Gonzalez and Holland were freed, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito joined the carousel. And while they have had success the staff’s ERA is still 4.96 in Sept. with expanded rosters. And yes, I know Mike Pelfrey, Dylan Covey, Chris Volstad and David Holmberg are somewhere in that starting recipe.

Carson Fulmer imploded in his first start since being called up for good but has found a wellspring of success lately. His latest and most urgent test will be on Thursday when he faces the Houston Astros and Dallas Keuchel.

Engel in the Outfield

White Sox brass only protected three players from the Rule 5 draft last winter, Jacob May, Brad Goldberg and Adam Engel. May broke camp with the White Sox and learned a hasty lesson on big-league pitching. After May was sent down and a host of pesky injuries and trades, Engel joined the squad and stunned the world.

From leaping grabs to diving swipes and everything in between, Engel followed through on his promise and skill.  Although he is batting below the Mendoza line (.185) his defensive value has been off the charts.

Engel has been worth 12 outs above replacement ranking sixth in Major League Baseball behind stiff competition. Byron Buxton and Ender Inciarte lead this category but Engel’s catch percentage is a mere two points shy of Buxton. If nothing else, Engel has played himself into the long-term conversation in centerfield.

And consider the following as well. Nicky Delmonico was unprotected from the Rule 5 draft and was one of the glossy narratives of an Ill-begotten season.

Bulls Hire Former Coach Doug Collins As New Member Of Front Office

By
Matt Peck
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The Bulls are bringing back a familiar face.

On Tuesday morning, the team’s Twitter account released an official statement welcoming former head coach Doug Collins back to the organization as a Senior Advisor to Vice President John Paxson.

Collins served as the head coach of the Bulls from 1986-89 while Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were clawing their way up the Eastern Conference. He was very popular in Chicago, but general manager Jerry Krause replaced him with his assistant Phil Jackson before the 1989-90 season. Jackson led Jordan and the Bulls to their six-title dynasty.

Since resigning from his coaching job with the Washington Wizards in 2013, Collins has enjoyed a successful broadcasting career analyzing NBA games. It was his second stint in broadcasting, which will now likely be put on hold while he joins the Bulls front office.

The team’s official statement says Collins will report to VP John Paxson, who wanted to hire Collins back as a coach for the Bulls in 2008. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf nixed that hire.

Reinsdorf on Collins coming back to the Bulls:

“Doug will be great in this capacity for our organization. The position of ‘senior advisor’ has proven to work well around the NBA in recent years, and I am confident the same will hold true with the Bulls. The fact that our relationship goes back more than 30 years certainly helps, but he is especially qualified to assist our leadership in rebuilding the Bulls.” – Jerry Reinsdorf

For a fanbase crying out for fresh faces in the front office, this probably isn’t a very exciting or encouraging hire. Collins is another old face from the glory days past of this tired franchise. It’s not surprising, however, considering how strongly Reinsdorf allows his longstanding loyalties dictate his organization’s list of employees. Perhaps fans should be encouraged. After all, Collins joining Paxson could be the first step towards finally removing Gar Forman from the general manager’s chair.

Here’s Collins’s statement on joining his old team:

“People who know me know the respect that I have for Jerry, Michael, and the Chicago Bulls organization. I am looking forward to getting started and helping everyone. To be able to stay involved in the NBA and work with John, Gar, Fred and their respective staffs, while not having to leave my family and continuing to live in one of the greatest cities in the world—the fit couldn’t be any better for me at this point in my life.” – Doug Collins

Welcome back to Chicago, Doug. Here’s hoping your sharp basketball mind can help steer the wandering clown car that’s currently driven by Paxson and Gar Forman.

How a League Trend Suckered the Bears Into Hiring John Fox

By
Erik Lambert
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hiring john fox

Hiring John Fox was a big mistake. In hindsight people should’ve seen that from the beginning. The warning signs were there. Here’s a guy who was fired despite going 12-4 the previous season in 2014. That doesn’t happen unless the team is genuinely convinced he’s not good enough. The fact that Denver won the Super Bowl the year after he left? That’s not a coincidence.

In fact Broncos VP John Elway alluded to the exact reason why Fox was dismissed. Those same problems referenced then have since appeared in a big way for Chicago.

“I think if there is one thing that you would like to have and you want to feel, at least in the last game you want to feel like you go out kicking and screaming. When you’re right there, and I think two years in a row it didn’t feel like we went out kicking and screaming because of the fact the way we played the last game.”

Elway added that he was “disappointed we didn’t have more fire” against the Colts.”

Sound familiar? After a close loss to Atlanta in week one, people expected the Bears to come out angry and pissed off the next week in Tampa Bay. Instead they were sluggish, sloppy and dumb from beginning to end. The Buccaneers crushed them 29-7. All the hallmarks of what Elway referenced were on display.

So how in the hell did the Bears get suckered into hiring him?

Hiring John Fox came about through two courses of events

Since 2000, a total of 11 of the 17 Super Bowls played were won by coaches running their second or third teams. Of course that number is somewhat skewed by Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin who claimed seven of those victories. Still, the league has had a run of the successful second chance coaches in the past couple decades.

That’s made even more remarkable by the fact that from 1966 to 1999, second chance coaches only won six Super Bowls. The rest went to coaches with their first teams. So in many ways the Bears were lured into the “experienced” coach end of the pool for two reasons. The first was a league trend of success in that direction and the other was having a young rookie GM.

“The move comes as little surprise after Rapoport was told that Chicago wanted to pair first-year general manager Ryan Pace with a veteran head coach. Fox undoubtedly received a strong review from friend and Saints coach Sean Payton, who worked for years with Pace in New Orleans.”

 

Experience means less than whether he’s right for the team

After the Marc Trestman debacle, the Bears clearly wanted a head coach with deep NFL roots. Trestman had not been in the league since 2008 and clearly was behind the times. Fox becoming available looked like a filet mignon after two years of burnt rump roast. Unfortunately the Bears didn’t have the cool heads needed to at least think about it for a couple days.

They basically got on the phone as fast as possible and handed him the job. Now here they are paying for it. Fox actually has a worse winning percentage right now than Trestman did. Drink that in for a second. The Bears aren’t going anywhere with this guy. He may have been good at one time. He’s not anymore.

A change is needed. If Pace makes that call, and there’s reason to think he will, then he has to make sure it’s the right one this time.

John Fox Etches Bears Tombstone, Says Glennon Starts vs. Pittsburgh

By
Erik Lambert
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john fox
(Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Bears quarterback Mike Glennon slaps the ground after he is sacked by Falcons defensive end Brooks Reed on their last offensive play of the game.

John Fox is now most definitely in his final year as Chicago Bears head coach. The man has taken leave of his senses, going the route of apparent good friend Jeff Fisher. How so? He refuses to see reality at the quarterback position. Like Fisher he’s sticking by the veteran because he doesn’t think the rookie is ready. Problem is said veteran is playing so poorly it really doesn’t seem to matter. So will Fox make a switch from Mike Glennon?

Of course not.

People should really not be surprised by this. This is the same Fox who kept Kyle Orton in for a 1-4 start in Denver despite clear evidence he could not run the offense. Only a series of miracle finishes fueled by Tebowmania saved that season. The Bears may or may not have their Tebow in Mitch Trubisky, but his stubborn refusal to find out is likely what will get him fired. Maybe even before this season ends.

Chicago is 0-2 already. It’s the third-straight time that has happened under Fox. Odds are that will stretch to at least 0-4 with the Steelers next Sunday and then the Packers at Lambeau in a short week. In fact there is a very realistic possibility the Bears could careen to 0-8 going into the bye. That is how poorly Glennon has played.

One can imagine somebody is getting fired if that happens, and Fox was already under a ton of pressure going into this season. His death warrant may have been signed by letting this farce continue.

NFL Scout Predicts Bears Could Start WR Rebuild with a Trade

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

Anybody who thinks it’s a secret by now has clearly lost touch with reality. The Chicago Bears wide receiver position is a mess. It’s like city right after an earthquaker or a carpet bombing. Still standing but utterly devastated. Since March the Bears have lost their three most productive targets at the position. Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal left via free agency. Cameron Meredith suffered a terrible knee injury.

On top of that Kevin White just had surgery to repair a fractured scapula. Markus Wheaton hasn’t returned from a broken finger. Even Kendall Wright left the Tampa game yesterday with an injury. That is a string of losses that goes beyond catastrophic straight to actually a little bit impressive. Bad luck like that is rare.

Nonetheless it’s obvious GM Ryan Pace has a real challenge on his hands. After Mike Glennon melted under that hot Florida sun, it’s clearer than ever that Mitch Trubisky is coming. He’s coming soon.

Bears wide receiver position may get jump-started by bold trade?

This puts Pace is a difficult position. No GM wants his prized QB draft pick to debut with scrubs at wide receiver. Sure maybe guys like Tanner Gentry and Tre McBride can turn into something but can anybody bank on that? If Wright and Wheaton miss next week, the starting wide outs for Chicago will be Gentry, Josh Bellamy and Deonte Thompson. All are former undrafted free agents. Not a high draft choice in sight.

With Jordan Howard nursing a shoulder injury, the Bears can’t rely on the run game either. Thus Pace, a man who saves his bold moves for the draft, may have to get a head start this year. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was asking scouts around the league about wide receivers in the 2018 college class. While most declared it’s too early to tell, one hinted that something else could happen soon.

“We’re going to get 80 to 90 juniors, maybe more. That’s the reality of it now. I haven’t got into the finished product yet. You’re calling me too early. The Bears? They’ve got guys hurt and they’re not good enough at wideout to start with. They’re pigeonholing themselves for the draft if they don’t trade for someone now or pick up a big-time free agent. My bet is they sign a free agent, maybe a big name, and draft one.”

The trade buzz has gone up and down for the past month. It’s not clear how close the Bears came to making any sort of move. There was buzz about them being interested in Allen Hurns but that was never corroborated by multiple sources. Nevertheless it’s more obvious than ever this is the only way short of waiting until next March that they get better at such a depleted position.

 A move depends on who’s available and what the cost is

Something to remember here. Chicago has seven picks in the 2018 draft including no third rounder and two fourth rounders. Given the state of the roster at present, giving away any picks may not sound prudent. However, if the talent and price get to the right levels a trade can often be a huge benefit even at such a cost.

Of course the question then becomes is there anybody out there worth monitoring? It’s still early in the season, but often the best thing to do is watch other teams that aren’t doing well. They tend to be the ones most willing to sell by the trade deadline. A few names to watch include:

  • Donte Moncrief (Indianapolis Colts)
  • Dontrelle Inman (Los Angeles Chargers)
  • Brandon Coleman (New Orleans Saints)

None of those names may stand out as stars but each brings some solid talent to the table. Definitely something to work with for Trubisky moving forward. That’s the best the Bears can hope for at this point.

These Quarterbacks Laugh At Idea of Limited Weapons Ruining Trubisky

By
Erik Lambert
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derek carr

“The Chicago Bears will ruin Mitch Trubisky if they play him now.” That’s a common quote that can be found regularly on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. Even as the team crumbles with the completely ineffective Mike Glennon, people scream that it’s a terrible idea. No good can possibly come from starting the rookie now. The primary argument?

He doesn’t have enough weapons.

Look there’s no question the Bears receiving corps has been devastated by injuries. Cameron Meredith and Kevin White are already done for the year. Markus Wheaton still hasn’t returned from a broken finger and Kendall Wright left the Tampa Bay game yesterday with an injury too. It’s just not a pretty sight. That’s hard to argue.

At the same time the argument that not having enough weapons will ruin his development? It’s old, it’s tiresome and above all it’s completely unfounded.

“Ruin Mitch Trubisky” movement’s stance is not based on facts

Sure there have been plenty of star quarterbacks throughout history who got off to great starts. Much of that was being surrounded by great talent. Dak Prescott, Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers immediate come to mind. However, for each one of them there are quite a few examples of stud QBs inheriting an absolute dumpster fire of an offense and, believe or not, powered through to become great anyway.

Don’t believe it? Here’s a short list of recognizable names and their totally forgettable top three receiving options they had their rookie seasons.

Derek Carr

  • Andre Holmes
  • James Jones
  • Mychal Rivera

Alex Smith

  • Brandon Lloyd
  • Arnaz Battle
  • Johnnie Morton

Drew Bledsoe

  • Ben Coates
  • Michael Timpson
  • Vincent Brisby

Phil Simms

  • Earnest Gray
  • Gary Shirk
  • Johnny Perkins

Terry Bradshaw

  • Ron Shanklin
  • Dave Smith
  • Dennis Hughes

Here’s what people forget. Great quarterbacks find a way to become great. It doesn’t matter how things start. Resiliency is hardwired into their DNA. They all believe if they just continue to work hard that eventually there will be a payoff. All of these men proved that to be true. Carr ended up getting Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Bradshaw got John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. Hell, Simms never had a Pro Bowl receiver once in his career and he still managed to win a Super Bowl MVP.

The point is a top quarterback, if that’s what Trubisky truly is, will find a way. If he’s the real deal then the odds are he’ll be around with the Bears for a decade or longer. That gives the organization more than enough time to build a proper stockpile of weapons.

Everything Terrible About Mike Glennon Is Summed Up on This Play

By
Erik Lambert
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mike glennon experiment

The Mike Glennon experiment is over. The wrong chemicals were mixed and the explosion destroyed the laboratory. If ever there was a team and a defense he could have success against, it would’ve been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’d been with them for four seasons, knew their schemes and personnel. It should’ve been a slam dunk. Instead he looked like, well, a backup quarterback playing with the big boys.

Sure he may have been the best option available in free agency, but the fact is that’s not saying much. The free agent crop of QBs is almost always terrible. Glennon was 5-13 as a starter. Nothing about his game stood out. In hindsight it’s rather laughable the Bears thought they could do any good with him in charge.

If ever people needed a play to clarify what makes him an average quarterback, it was this one late in the first quarter.

Mike Glennon experiment ended on a case blindness

The play is a simple three-step drop. Glennon is given two options on the play. Tight end Adam Shaheen goes into the flat while tight end Dion Sims runs a quick out. Glennon takes the snap and is staring directly at Shaheen based on the camera angle. The rookie tight end is quite literally wide open. If Glennon throws it to him with any sort of accuracy it’s at least a gain of 8-10 yards.

Instead the quarterback demonstrates his awful field vision and poor decision-making by forcing the ball to Sims who is surrounded by three Buccaneers defenders. The ball would’ve had to be pinpoint accurate in that situation. This is Glennon though, so the results were predictable.

That was a 14-point swing. Tampa Bay went down the field to score and from there the flood gates opened. John Fox quickly came to his quarterbacks’ defense afterwards, saying it was a team loss. Sure, but it all started because of a mind-numbingly bad throw by said quarterback.

This play should’ve been an absolute freebie. Dowell Loggains drew it up perfectly. Shaheen could’ve set them up first and goal. Instead Glennon went to who he’s more comfortable with rather than, you know, who was open. That is the mark of a quarterback who doesn’t belong on the field.

Fox insists no changes will be made for the Pittsburgh game next week. Whatever. That’s his choice. The ship is on fire and burning down around him. If he wishes to go down with it, fair enough.

A List of Head Coach Ideas Who Can End the John Fox Nightmare

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

The John Fox nightmare is ongoing for the Chicago Bears. He was hailed as a savior of the franchise, though in hindsight it’s difficult to see why. Shouldn’t people have realized this guy doesn’t know how to get the most from his teams based on the fact that Gary Kubiak won a Super Bowl with the same team Fox had failed to the year after he left?

That can’t be a coincidence. Maybe at one time Fox was a good coach. He’s not anymore. Sure he can still motivate players pretty well but his game and roster management has become slow-motion torture. For the second-straight year his team was blown out in Tampa Bay. The combined score of those two games was 65-17.

Mike Glennon, his pet project, the guy who would protect the football threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Still Fox had a chance to keep people on his side by doing the right thing. Something he should’ve done at the start of the year. Put Mitch Trubisky in. He didn’t, and when asked after the game whether he’d do it next week, his answer was utterly deflating.

So this begs the question. Why are the Bears keeping this guy around? He’s 9-25 now as head coach. If he won’t play the rookie that’s expected to turn this team around, what possible purpose is he serving to the franchise?

None. That’s why everything points to him getting canned. Maybe not during the season, but it’s coming by January. It’s a matter of figuring out who the man will be to replace him. If the Bears fans are looking for a short list, here it is.

LIKELY ENDERS OF THE JOHN FOX NIGHTMARE

Offensive guy:  Josh McDaniels

Benefits:

  • Top notch play caller
  • Excellent at making in-game adjustments
  • Gets the most out of any QB he’s coaching

He was the big name back in January, having won his second Super Bowl in three years as offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. Josh McDaniels was and remains lauded as one of the best offensive minds in the game. Tom Brady was always a clutch quarterback, but he didn’t really become an elite one until McDaniels took over the offense in the mid-2000s.

That relationship has set all sorts of records. Of course people remain skeptical of McDaniels after his massive failure as a head coach with the Denver Broncos. He went 11-17 during his time there. Players afterwards said that despite his obvious intelligence McDaniels wasn’t ready for the job. His motivational and communication skills were poor.

A common issue with a young coach. McDaniels was 33 when the Broncos hired him. He’s 41 now and word is has matured quite a bit since being fired in 2010. Just imagine what he might be able to do with a precise passer the caliber of Mitch Trubisky.

Defensive guy:  Teryl Austin

Benefits:

  • Consistently elevates his players beyond expectations
  • Has had success everywhere he’s coached
  • Quality tactician with ability to adjust

Matthew Stafford gets all the credit for these 4th quarter comebacks he continues to lead almost every week. The truth is none of that happens without the Lions defense shutting down an opponent in the second half. Much of the credit for that should but never does going to defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.

He might be the most underrated assistant coach in the NFL. From 2014 to 2016 his unit ranked top 13 in points allowed twice and made the playoffs twice. Before his arrival three years ago, the Lions had not fielded a top three NFL defense since 1983. A span of 31 years. Seems the guy knows what he’s doing.

Not only that but history shows success seems to follow him. He was secondary coach of the Baltimore Ravens in 2012 when they won the Super Bowl. He was also defensive backs coach for the Seahawks and Cardinals in 2005 and 2008 respectively when they made their first-ever Super Bowl runs.

Former Bears guy:  Dave Toub

Benefits:

  • Knows Chicago and the expectations
  • Creative strategist who has consistent success
  • Understands how to manage an entire roster

It’s clearer by the day that Fox just doesn’t understand Chicago. His methods have only served to create animosity with the fans and media, making the situation worse. Perhaps it might be better for the organization to bring somebody in who does understand the city. Someone who actually had success while they were here, no less.

Dave Toub was and still is the best special teams coach in professional football. His units consistently rank in the top 10 every year. Nobody has been able to match his ability to get the most from his players or his knack for creative scheming. That knowledge of adjusting to a constantly fluid roster is something head coaches deal with every year.

He’s learned from the likes of Lovie Smith and Andy Reid, two highly respected men who brought a mix of offensive and defensive knowledge to the table. Toub has patiently waited his turn. It would be rather fitting to bring him back and fix this mess.

College guy:  Chris Petersen

Benefits:

  • Has won everywhere he’s been
  • Understands how to build on both sides of the ball
  • Extensively experienced but still fairly young

When top college coaches come up in conversation it’s always the same names:  Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, Jimbo Fisher and Dabo Sweeney. One mane who is not mentioned nearly enough is Chris Petersen. Outside of the SEC-ACC bubble, he has quietly cultivated a massive resume of success dating back over a decade.

He arrived on the head coaching field in grand fashion when he helped Boise State engineer arguably the greatest upset in CFB history, knocking off Oklahoma 43-42 in the Fiesta Bowl. It was and remain one of the best football games ever played.

Petersen was only getting started. After going 92-13 at Boise State, he was hired to take over the Washington Huskies program in 2014. In the the three seasons since he’s gone 27-14 and got them to the College Football Playoff last year. In that span he’s produced a lot of quality NFL talent for the draft including Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters.

Wild card:  Rob Chudzinski

Benefits:

  • Offensive specialist in both college and the NFL
  • Gets the most from his QBs
  • A massive chip on his shoulder

Now this is a name most people have forgotten by now. That’s not surprising. Chudzinski at one point was the hottest name on the NFL coaching circuit. He’d helped Miami to a national championship in the early 2000s. Then he made Derek Anderson a Pro Bowler with the Browns. Upon taking over in Carolina he helped Cam Newton shatter every rookie record. By 2013 he was the big name. Cleveland called him home to be their head coach and he answered.

After just one year he was fired. A move that was utterly perplexing to both the media and players alike who’d felt he was turning things around despite a difficult 4-12 record.

“Yes, this was a shocker, the Browns’ 4-12 record notwithstanding. The move incurred the ire of fans, numerous NFL coaches and executives (one NFC general manager called it “a shame for the NFL”) alike. Browns players, especially, were quick to vent their frustration, with more than a half-dozen of them expressing their dismay over Chudzinski’s firing and what it told them about the state of the long-struggling franchise.”

Since then Chudzinski took over the Colts offense in Indianapolis. Last year Andrew Luck had the most efficient season of his NFL career. Chudzinski deserves another chance.

This Stat Sums Up How Godawful John Fox Is as Bears Coach

By
Erik Lambert
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bears coach john fox
TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 27: Jead coach John Fox of the Chicago Bears watches from the sidelines against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium on December 27, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Cliff McBride/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** John Fox

Listen it’s understandable to excuse Chicago Bears coach John Fox for his first two years. The guy inherited a team that was clearly rebuilding. However, as everybody knows the expectations rise in the third year. It’s by this time a roster should start to show signs of progress in the win column. In other words if people saw more of what happened last year, then it would be a big problem.

Well here the Bears are. They lose 29-0 in Tampa Bay, getting blown out for the second-straight season by a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2008. Sure the Buccaneers are good, but they’re not mighty. Chicago just got done taking the NFC champion Falcons to the limit. This should not be happening. Well it is, and perhaps nothing sums up the Fox era in Chicago better than this stat courtesy of Dan Wiederer of Chicago Tribune.

That number increased to nine games and slipped slightly to 122 points. The story of most seasons in the NFL are how they start. It’s really hard to have any success if you can’t start well. Fox has failed to keep his teams smart, disciplined or healthy. That’s a trifecta of failure.

Bears coach John Fox has a reputation for this

It’s been a subject for the past couple years. Was Fox a product of inheriting talented teams at the right time or is he that good of a coach? Those Panthers and Broncos squads he took over already had future superstars on them. Such was not the case with the Bears. They were the first literal rebuild from the ground up he’s faced. Their utter lack of progress is telling.

Their discipline is erratic at best. They make so many dumb mistakes and the persistent feature of the past three years has been constant injuries. Much of this is due to the fact that Fox is 62-years old. No one is saying he’s lacking energy. Multiple accounts of him off the field counter that argument. Then again his attention to detail has slipped considerably from year to year.

Here’s a stat for you. In 2015 the Bears had 99 team penalties. Not bad. Last year they had 110 penalties. Getting worse. Through two games of 2017, they have 16. That puts them on pace for 128 this year. That’s about as bad as it gets.

His greatest blunder was playing out the Glennon charade

If ever there was a moment in Fox’s tenure where he had a chance to change the script on his likely future it was at the end of August. Rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky had clearly outplayed veteran Mike Glennon in the preseason. All signs pointed to him not only being ready, but just flat out better than. Instead Fox stuck to the original plan.

He insisted Glennon gave the team the best chance to win. Turns out not so much.

Glennon now has four times as many turnovers as he has touchdown passes. So that whole thing about him protecting the football and managing the game? Guess we get to call Fox a liar. At least with Trubisky such mistakes are understandable. He’s a rookie who hasn’t seen NFL coverages. Glennon is 28 and was drafted in 2013.

If Fox thinks that man is better suited to lead the Bears offense, then he has lost touch with reality. It’s time for a change, not just at quarterback but at head coach as well.

Chicago Bears 2017 Week 2: Here’s What We Learned

By
Dhruv Koul
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(Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Bears quarterback Mike Glennon (8) loses a fumble in the second quarter.

What an unmitigated disaster.

A week after showing plenty of promise in a surprisingly close yet equally demoralizing loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Chicago Bears completely failed to show up against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that had its Week 1 matchup cancelled due to Hurricane Irma.

Penalties. Turnovers. Injuries. More penalties. More turnovers. More injuries.

The Bears were unprepared for anything and everything that the Bucs threw at them. No pass rush, untimely penalties on multiple third downs to extend drives, unimaginative play-calling, you name it. It was an unacceptable performance for a Bears team that has so much up in the air.

Mike Glennon essentially destroyed any little worth he had to the team by imploding in a first half laugher. A horrific decision led to a crushing interception on their first drive. A strip-sack a short time later led to more Bucs points. And then Glennon completed the trifecta by getting undercut on an out-route, leading to a pick-six that slammed the door on Week 2.

The entire point of Mike Glennon has been to manage the game, limit turnovers, and give the Bears’ defense a chance to win the game. Instead, Glennon played Bucs double-agent in a first half performance that conjured memories of Chicago’s 36-10 disaster at Raymond James Stadium last year. By showing qualities that coach John Fox essentially assured us don’t exist, what the hell is the point of playing the immobile, untalented quarterback?

If any game was a cry for Mitch Trubisky, it was this one. When it was 17-0, I argued that the ensuing Bucs pass rush would eat Glennon alive, and that there was no better time for Trubisky to make his debut.

Of course, Glennon trotted back out there and delivered a pick-six that crushed any logic to play Trubisky this week. And at the time of this writing, the Bears were down 29-0, midway through the fourth quarter. Twenty-nine to zero.

If Trubisky isn’t starting at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers next week, Soldier Field had better be empty other than opposing fans. It’s indefensible for this coaching staff to sell anybody with a brain that Glennon is still the right choice to start. For those saying “Trubisky should take this year to learn on the sidelines,” what in the hell is he learning watching this garbage?

The answer: Not a damn thing.

I love Dowell Loggains, but it’s time to find a new way to get Tarik Cohen the ball until the switch is made at quarterback. The book is out – Glennon can’t throw deep. Or throw at all, really. So, every reasonable defensive coordinator will stack the box and dare the Bears to throw the ball. Again, Glennon can’t. So, the offense will suffer as a result.

The proof? The Bears ran for 14 yards in the first half on 16 carries. At the end of the third quarter, they had 16 carries for 20 yards total. Those are not typos. Amazing.

The defense did not play a great game, especially with some terrible penalties on what should have been third down stops. Those extended drives and allowed the Bucs to get additional points when they shouldn’t have. Couple that with the turnovers, and the defense was gassed. I don’t blame them. And after getting their first turnover of the season down 26-0, I didn’t see very many celebrations or smiles on the sideline. Rightfully so, I suppose, but this defense deserves much better from its counterpart units. They are not the reason the Bears lost this game. Not even close.

Chicago has plenty to work on before their Week 3 game against the Steelers. And I mean plenty. The season can essentially be written off with their 0-2 start with upcoming games against Pittsburgh and Green Bay. Their next realistic shot at a win will come in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings.

One thing is for sure, this team is only as good as its quarterback and its head coach. And neither of them are good. I don’t know when the right time is to make a change at head coach, but there certainly is one to make a change at quarterback. Next week. At this point, it’s Trubisky or bust for this season.

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