The Chicago Bears have lost 6 of their last seven games, with the lone victory coming against Cleveland at home. That game shouldn’t even count, and not just because it was against the Browns. The Bears played like trash in that one too. Even though it’s hard to narrow it down, here’s a look at 5 reasons the Bears are sh*tty once again:
REASON 1: WEEKS 2 & 3 OF THE 2008 SEASON
In consecutive weeks last year, undisciplined and sloppy mistakes by only two individuals derailed the Bears’ entire season.
In Week 2 at Carolina, tight end Greg Olsen fumbled twice, losing both. The first was at the Carolina 27, ending a drive that would have put the Bears up by two scores. The second was at the Bears’ 26, setting up a TD that put the Panthers within striking distance, and eventually losing the game.
The following week at home vs. Tampa Bay, Charles Tillman committed a heinous unsportsman-like conduct penalty after the Bears defense had held Tampa Bay to a punt on their 3rd possession of overtime. Not only that, Tampa Bay was inside their own 10 yard line when Tillman decided to engage in fisticuffs. Tampa Bay, given new life in the extra period, drove right down into FG range and booted the game-winner.
The above synopses don’t scratch the surface of how Chicago drastically outplayed their opponents yet still lost those games. Had the Bears been disciplined enough to win these two, the rest of the season could have played out exactly as it did anyway, and Chicago would have won the division at 11-5 and gone to the playoffs. The final-game meltdown in Houston would have mattered none, in fact Chicago could have rested starters without being challenged for the division crown, and there would have been no temptation to trade away Kyle Orton and the bevy of draft picks for Jay Cutler. No seven red-zone picks that clearly have cost Chicago multiple games this season. No dismal future with gaping holes that can’t be filled because of 2 consecutive drafts without a first-day selection.
No one will call me neutral when it comes to my disdain of Jay Cutler, nor for my fondness for Orton, but even I understand that Bears management felt the need to jump at a QB of Cutler’s caliber when they had the chance. If for no other reason than to keep him off of the Minnesota Vikings, who right now would look pretty set for the next decade with Cutler and Adrian Peterson at the helm. But Cutler’s regression, combined with the hefty mortgage for his services, makes the trade second-guess-able, and it will be until Cutler bears fruit.
REASON 2: THE 2003 NFL DRAFT
I know what you’re saying – that’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it? Really, just how much impact does a draft six years ago have on this season’s debacle? The answer is: a lot.
Chicago went a dismal 4-12 in 2002, earning them the No. 4 overall pick in the 2003 draft. 2002 included an 8-game losing streak that stretched from September 15th to November 24th, and Bear fans across the nation deserved an impact rookie player in return for the pathetic performance.
GM Jerry Angelo started things off right in retrospect. That year, the favorite of NFL Draftniks at the #4 slot was Kentucky defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson, who Angelo wasn’t high on at such a pricey draft position. He would command big money, and seeing as Robertson is currently without an NFL home only 6 seasons later, Angelo was correct in not picking or paying him. He found a sucker to trade with in the New York Jets (a favor the Jets would repay Angelo for down the road, but I’ll get to that later), who sent Chicago their 2 first-round choices, the 14th and 22nd picks, for the right to draft Robertson at no. 4.
This was an excellent trade, and would be viewed as such if Angelo didn’t take Penn State DE Michael Haynes at 14 and Florida QB Rex Grossman at 22. We all certainly remember the rollercoaster Grossman took Chicago on during his tenure there – in fact, a QB who took his team to a Super Bowl in only his 3rd season can’t really be viewed as a bust. But Haynes was an inexcusable disaster. Haynes was cut from the Bears after their ’06 Super Bowl loss, and never dressed in another NFL uniform. He was signed to the practice squads of the Jets and Saints, but was cut from both before Week 2.
Perhaps if Angelo would have spent one or both of those two 1st-rounders (or his original 4th overall pick) on any of the following Pro-Bowlers he passed on, the Bears may still be reaping the benefits of a terrible 2002 season-this is why that draft still matters now:
DT Kevin Williams (Vikes)
OT Jordan Gross (Panthers)
CB Terrance Newman (Cowboys)
DE/LB Terrell Suggs (Ravens)
CB Marcus Trufant (Seattle)
RB Willis McGahee (Bills)
RB Larry Johnson (Chefs)
FS Troy Polamalu (Steelers)
CB Nnamdi Asomugha (Raiders)
WR Anquan Boldin (Cards)
DE Osi Umenyora (Giants)
LB E.J. Henderson (Vikes – hasn’t made the Pro Bowl yet, but will)
TE Jason Whitten (Cowboys)
CB Asante Samuel (Patriots)
I’ll let that squad of superstars sink in a while.
Ready? Okay.
REASON 3: CEDRIC BENSON
That’s right kids, the Bears are still reeling from the mess Benson left in his drunken-boat-captain wake. Not only did the Bears not need him as they already had Thomas Jones on the roster, they took him at that same cursed No. 4 spot, which the Bears had earned after another dismal season, only 2 seasons after their last top-5-draft-pick-earning craptastic year.
Benson quickly got to work on his 36-day training camp contract holdout, after which he immediately split the locker room by pretty much acting like a total assh*le. Actually, assh*le doesn’t really adequately describe Benson’s behavior, but I’ll let other Bears fans give you their colorful opinions of Cedric Benson if you’ve been swayed by his resurgence in Cincinnati, and you mistakenly believe that his release from Chicago was foolish.
But, you might say, they got rid of him! How is he still affecting the team? Besides, the 2005 draft was quite possibly the worst draft in the history of the institution – there were nothing but busts in the entire thing – and on that point, you’ll get no argument from me. Cedric Benson wasn’t even the biggest bust of that draft. That honor would probably go to top pick Alex Smith, or perhaps the lovable and cuddly Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones.
Well, remember how I said earlier that the Jets would have their revenge for getting tricked into trading up for DeWayne Robertson? Well, here’s why – the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets happily took Thomas Jones off of Chicago’s hands for a 2nd round pick. Turned out to be a steal, as TJ was an All-Pro selection the following season, and this year ranks in the top 5 in every rushing category there is, along with leading the league in carries.
Thomas Jones: Apparently too much beast for Chicago
But Jones was a locker room favorite in Chicago, and for that reason, he had to go. Benson was taking up too much salary-cap space to be the source of controversy, so despite only producing marginal results at that point in his career (as well as taking himself out of the ’06 Super Bowl like a pussy), Benson won the job, and Jones had to be jettisoned. On top of losing a great talent and the spiritual leader of the offense, the Bears used the 2nd-round selection they got for Jones on defensive end Dan Bazuin out of Central Michigan.
The natural response to that fact, which would be “Who the f*ck is Dan Bazuin?” is the exact reason that Benson is a reason the Bears are garbage now.
Here’s Dan Bazuin. Don’t recognize him? Me either.
Think I’m finished? I’m just getting warmed up.
REASON 4: REPLACING MIKE BROWN WITH JOSH BULLOCKS AND AL AFALAVA
I don’t mean to directly disparage Al Afalava. For a guy who was drafted 190th overall out of Oregon State and was pushed into the starting lineup because no one else would even take the job, he’s done fairly well. But the he had some enormous, if often-injured, shoes to fill.
I won’t even disparage Angelo for moving on from Mike Brown, a guy who will never pay for a meal in Chicago for the rest of his life. Mike Brown was so good at his position that his annual injury would kill all momentum for the Bears defense. He was too good to lose during the season, so the Bears had to lose him altogether, and not have to count on his presence to be the factor that it always was.
But he played an enormous role in the defensive success of Angelo’s tenure, and his position was far too crucial in Lovie Smith’s Tampa-2 scheme not to fill with a competent replacement. The only free-agent the Bears tried to cover their asses with was Josh Bullocks, who has seen almost no time at all in the few games he’s actually been given a jersey and pads for. They didn’t address the gaping hole via the draft until they took Afalava with the 16th pick of the 6th round, and if Angelo honestly thought he was drafting Afalava to start this year, then he needs to be fired on that basis alone. Perhaps Afalava can grow into the starter that the Bears need him to be, but his rookie status as the quarterback of this defense is a huge factor in the Bears’ sh*tiness now.
REASON 5: MATT FORTE WAS NEVER REALLY VERY GOOD
I hate to say it, but Matt Forte’s reputation as a decent running back in the NFL has stood largely on one highlight, and that would be a highly-viewed 50-yard TD run on opening night in Indianapolis last season. He outran Bob Sanders on the play, which was all the reason anyone needed to hype the kid as the next great Chicago tailback.
The truth is that Forte had all of three 100+ yard games in 2008, and didn’t break 4 yards per carry for the season. Yep, I myself argued for his rookie of the year candidacy, given that he was responsible for more of his team’s total offensive production than any other player in the league. But the fact that Chicago’s passing game largely revolved around an average tailback was an indictment of the Bears’ pass-catchers, not a complement to Forte.
Forte can be a good runner if given ideal conditions, and that means big holes in front of him and a passing game that is actually a threat. Take one or both of those elements away and he becomes not only average, but spark-less. He should be moved to H-Back, as he is still a good blocker and receiver, but shouldn’t be relied on to carry the Bears run game by himself.
That 50-yard TD on opening night was a signal to Bears fans that the days of watching the sleepy Cedric Benson plod around and fall down in the open field were over. Benson was so bad that even a middling rookie looked like the next coming of Neal Anderson by comparison. But Forte has turned out to be exactly what you would think when you watch his highlights from Tulane – the next Anthony Thomas. Solid rookie year, and it’s all downhill from there. Unfortunately for the Bears and their fans, the Bears will likely start him as their “featured back” as long as Lovie Smith is around. Now would be the time to spend another high draft pick on a running back, like they did with Cedric Benson, but Angelo will likely be too in love with his own draft pick to challenge him, also like he did with Cedric Benson.
In conclusion, f*ck you, Jay Cutler. Here’s another really stupid looking picture of you, of which there are many.
Email: nick.thomas@flyingpigskin.com
