Change (A Formula We Believe In)

This is definitely not what I envisioned, I normally have a pretty good gauge on my Chicago Bears but this year has  gone completely the other way on me.  Ive been beating down mentally and I have had some time to think to myself about exactly what went wrong with this team.  What a disappointment for everyone players, coaches and fans alike, it seems like a century ago when we were 3-1 coming off a bye fighting for the division.  And I have come to the conclusion that it is time for an overhaul of the entire coaching staff.

 

 

       You just cannot put this on Angelo, he made the moves in the offseason necessary to give the Bears a fighting chance.  Angelo goes out gets the franchise quarterback that this team has sorely needed for decades, he makes moves to add depth to the O Line and linebacking core and he also does a pretty good job in the draft even without having a pick in the first 2 rounds.  No it was the coaching staff that has let this team go down in flames.  Yes there has been a fair amount of injuries that has undoubtedly held this team back, but every team has those same problems and you have to be able to find a way to plug through them and it just hasn't happened.

 

        When you look at the progression of this team over the season, they have gotten progressively worse, how does something like that happen.  In my opinion its about the adjustments or lack there of that this coaching staff has refused to make.  In every sport you have to be able to make adjustments on the fly and those adjustments are what separates the good teams from the bad.  A perfect example of these poor adjustments is our defense on 3rd Down, this is something I have been screaming about for the last 2 years.  I even felt soo strongly about it that I went to the Expo this year and voiced to Bob Babich and Lovie Smith that I felt that a change needed to be made, but what do I know.  I mean seriously don't you just love it when its 3rd and 5 and our corners are not only are playing 10 yards off but are backpedaling as well after the snap, yea that makes a whole lot of sense.  And this has been a continuing problem for over 30 games now.

    Another problem this year has been the lack of adjustments with play calling on offense.  Did I seriously hear Chris Collinsworth say that Turner and Lovie told him that they will run the ball even if its NOT successful.  That kind of archaic and stubborn thinking is what is dooming this franchise.  This is not 1965 anymore, you're not "thrilling the nation with your T formation" anymore more like Boring the nation.  No, you call the plays according to the what the defense shows you on the field.  There is absolutely no creativity whatsoever with these guys.  Is it really that hard to maybe run a 4 man spread put Forte in the backfield do some no huddle and catch a team off guard.  If you did do something like that maybe by forcing a team to go Nickel or Dime that might open up some things for Forte, at least try it.  Why do they insist on doing the same plays that have been unsuccessful week in and week out for the last 10 weeks.

     So this is my solution, goodbye Lovie, goodbye Turner.  This is not the veteran team that needs coaches that are going to pat them on the back and make excuses for them.  This is not a team that needs a coach that is going to give that stoic look on the sidelines after the 4th holding penalty in 5 minutes.  This is a young team that needs a coach that is going to challenge them, show anger and ask for accountability when they don't make the plays expected of them, plain and simple.  

       As far as personnel on defense, the biggest need in my opinion has to be at Safety, the coaches really screwed this one up with this turnstile that they have created at this position from Graham, to Manning, to Payne, to Afalava, back to Manning, to Vasher, back to Afalava.  There just has been absolutely no consistency and when you don't have that how do you expect to get results.  So what you do is you MUST go out and get someone to fill one of those voids and let the others compete for the other position.  With Urlacher coming back, hopefully healthy, there isn't much to be done with the Linebackers. 

       As far as how the D Line has fared, they have improved from last year but have been somewhat inconsistent.  Ogunleye is probably out the door and I'm not really sure what their plan is for Anderson, I cant imagine him costing too much considering his decline since his rookie year but if they have to let him go so be it.  And as much as Ive heard people complain about the Gaines Adams move I don't mind it, lets give Marinelli a chance in the offseason to get him right, hes still very young and has proven in the past that he can be a force.  DT has got to be the biggest concern on the line and Angelo has gotta get tricky to improve this area.  I'm not quite sure what to expect from Gilbert considering we havent seen him all season, maybe now is a good time to take a look at him.  I know that management is high on Harrison but I think that if there was someone in FA that can make an impact that wasn't too costly that is the route I would take.  I know you are going to cringe but I believe Tommie will be back next season.  If anything they need to hire a personal motivator for this guy, cause in the past to weeks after getting kicked out of the game hes actually been playing like he has a pair.

           Offensively my dream solution is going out and hiring Mike Holmgren or my second option Mike Shanahan (preferably Holmgren) followed shortly by signing the recently disgruntled Bronco Brandon Marshall once he takes off for the Free Agent market.  I know I have been a big proponent of our current WRs and I still am but if we did indeed bring in Holmgren and his West Coast Offense that would mean more 4 WR sets and with Hester, Bennett and Knox that could make for one of the deadliest passing attacks in football.  And its time we catch up to the 21st century and PASS to set up the RUN.  Matt Forte is not Walter Payton hes not going to put this team on his back like Peterson did for the Vikings last year.  And my O Line has Pace on the Bench and putting Williams at LT, where he belongs, and putting Omiyale at RT his natural position, I like what I have seen from Beekman his job better still be there for him next year.

          Granted this is ALL hypothetical but lets think about it for a second.  Just look at Brett Favres whole career.  Look at the coaches they surrounded him with like Head Coach Mike Holmgren and assistants like Andy Reid, Steve Marriuci and Jon Gruden.  The only way we are going to get the most out of the cornerstone of this franchise in Jay Cutler is if we surround him with the coaches that can do exactly that.  This is not a polished QB that we have this is a QB that is still very raw and has all the tools to be great.  But he needs coaches that are going to get on him, challenge him, and drill in his head the things that they have worked on with him all season long.  No more back patting.

          I can recall on NFL Network a sitdown they had with the Holmgren coaching tree and they would talk about how hard it was to coach Farve and reel him in from that gunslinger mentality, not completely eliminate but tone it down.  They would talk about the frustration that Holmgren had at times with him but these were coaches that demanded accountability and were not afraid to show their displeasure when he wouldn't execute what they had practiced on with him.  And in that sitdown they showed footage of Brett and his coaches on the sidelines doing exactly that, having arguments, disagreements, and working on correcting them and making in game ADJUSTMENTS.  We have gotta find a way to corral this Wild Stallion and turn him into a Thoroughbred and all it takes is some good coaching and from what I have seen this year we are lacking in that area.

         From what I understand the Bears have a lot of room under the cap, I don't know the exact numbers, but whoever is making the moves needs to finish the job that was started the day we traded for Cutler, this cant be a half ass job or we are just going to be the same 8-8 team or worse that we are this year.  Go out get that Coach that will get the most out his players, get that Safety, get Brandon Marshall do what it takes to win a Championship.  The Giants won the Super Bowl two years ago, last year they didn't and in the offseason I think they set a record in moves at least it seemed like it, so if they can attempt to get major improvement why not the Bears.  I don't want to see us take another step back next year like we have every year since our Super Bowl appearance and to do that these things need to happen.

 

BEAR DOWN.