John Fox says 2016 is top-5 worst he’s experienced with injuries in 27 seasons

The Chicago Bears went into the Meadowlands this weekend a significant underdog to the New York Giants, and for good reason. They have suffered an unimaginable amount of injuries to starters before and during the season, and things just aren’t clicking offensively as was seen last week versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In the first half on Sunday, the Bears were able to jump out with a lead over New York, but failed execution and more injuries caused the Bears to continue their slide in 2016, ultimately losing 22-16 and dropping their record to 2-8.

After the game, head coach John Fox spoke to the media.

Opening Statement:

“Just to update on injuries: Zach Miller- right foot; did not return; Cre’Von LeBlanc – concussion protocol; Josh Sitton – right ankle; did not return; Leonard Floyd – right now, neck; he’s at the hospital getting further evaluations, so we’ll keep you posted. In some of his movement, things looked good, encouraging, but he’s going through the necessary steps, so like I said, we’ll keep you updated. Then, Christian Jones – back; he did return. Any questions?”

Q: Do you anticipate [Leonard] Floyd being able to travel with the team, or will he stay here?

A: I don’t know that at this time. He’s still at the hospital like I said.

Q: Your sense of how he (Floyd) was handling it when you were out there, and what was going through your mind as it was unfolding?

A: It appeared it was on a tackle. I don’t know, but I’m sure they’re evaluating him for a concussion as well, but anytime they bring the cart out and board out, they’ve got some neck concerns. He seemed to have pretty good movement skills at that point, but until they do different scans and whatnot at the hospital, it’s hard for me to say. When that occurs, whether he makes it back on the team flight or not, or he stays here in New Jersey, like I said, I’ll keep you updated.

Q: How would you sum up this week?

A: It’s a loss. It’s either a win or a loss, albeit very disappointing. We did have some injuries, we had some guys step in and they did okay, just not quite well enough, but a loss.

Q: What about the challenging conditions today? Especially the placekicking seemed to be an issue.

A: I mean, both teams had to deal with it, so it’s equal. The wind was kind of a crosswind and a little bit of a favor on our bench from left to right. All in all, I think more of a crosswind probably affects snaps, affects kicks, affects passes – so anybody that has the ball, it does affect it.

Q: I know you don’t like using injuries as an excuse, but is it hard to just wrap your mind around the sheer number of them, not only today, but this season?

A: Well, you get down the depth chart, so-to-speak. This is a resilient group. They’re working hard and preparing hard. They were prepared good enough to win the game, we just came up a little short.

Q: Is this as much attrition as you’ve dealt with?

A: It’s up there. Like I said, I’ve been doing it a little bit, so it’s hard to remember 27 years ago, but this is up in the top five for sure.

Q: John, Zach [Miller]’s reaction seemed like he knew right away.

A: Yea, he has a similar injury that he had on his other foot, so I think he kind of knew right away from experience.

Q: What did you feel was the difference? Because at first, you took the lead early and you had the lead, so what was the difference after that?

A: You know, I think to come out in the second half, we did have the lead, but it didn’t last very long. They made it down the field. They had an explosion play on a scramble by Eli [Manning]. Then, we didn’t execute our coverage very well, so they were on the board pretty quick. All in all, it’s an NFL game: two teams competing, that typically comes down to a low score, or one-score game. There are usually three or four plays that make the difference.

Q: Pernell McPhee was pretty outspoken before the game. Were you okay with that, and how do you think he backed it up in defeat?

A: You know, Pernell’s a passionate guy. I don’t really follow much of the media as far as what’s said and what’s not said, but whatever it was, I’m sure it was probably aggressive and positive.

Q: To clarify with Zach [Miller], by ‘similar’, you mean another break in his foot?

A: Yes.

Q: For Leonard [Floyd], just to clarify, by ‘movement skills’, does that mean he could move his extremities okay?

A: It appeared that way on the field. I’m not a doctor. He’s getting tests way more sophisticated than I know about.