Oh boy. Where do we begin? The Houston Texans are a young team that has gotten better each year by building from the inside out. They boast one of the best offenses in the NFL and are a couple of minor defensive tweaks away from being a nightmare to other teams. They came into the season with one goal; have a winning record.
That goal was out of reach prior to their tilt against the Bears. So, they altered it a little and decided there was no way in hell they were going out with a losing season. In other words, we had a team with nothing to lose, everything to gain, a growing fan base and a deadly offense that was coming in to the game with a very focused mind-set.
On the other side of the field .....
According to several published reports, the Bears players were using their cell phones and other portable devices to check scores. On the sidelines. During the game.
What? Were they worried about Minnesota covering the spread? Did they have Detroit to win? Did their rent checks depend on the over / under of the Chargers’ game? What possible use could this have served? And, more importantly, who is the brain dead moron who allowed it to happen?
Our very own Jamel has opined on numerous occasions about how the Bears seemed to lack heart and focus this season. Several bloggers up here - myself included early in the season - have pointed to this play or that as proof that he was wrong. Sadly, the Houston game not only proved he was right, but that there is a fundamental lack of concentration at the most rudimentary of levels.
Faced with a team that can’t even be bothered to pay attention to the game they were playing and a coaching staff that seems to concentrate on the game plan from the previous week, this was a team that was doomed from the outset. This was not “one step away” from the playoffs, this was damn lucky win more than 6.
With those thoughts in mind, let’s take a gander at Lovie’s post game remarks from NFL.com.
“When you’re 9-7, you’re close,” Smith said following the 31-24 loss to the Texans. “You don’t need an overhaul. You just need to add a few pieces to the puzzle, and that’s what we’ll do.”
My main concern here is that the players are working on a picture puzzle while the coaching staff is looking at crosswords and the GM’s office is wondering how to fit round pieces in square holes. No one is on the same page here.
“Kyle Orton did a lot of good things during the course of the season—not enough, just like the rest of our team for us to get to the playoffs—but I like the progress that Kyle Orton made throughout the year,” Smith said.
-AND-
“Running back-wise, we went into the season not knowing exactly what we had with it,” Smith said. “Matt Forte answered a lot of our questions and had an outstanding rookie year.”
Here are some facts that you may wish to consider. The Bears consistently started an injured Orton over a healthy Grossman. While that means that Rex is gone, it also means that throwing Orton under the bus after all he did this season is kind of low. As to the rest, the Bears offense ranked 26th at the end of the season. Granted that is better than 27th, which is where they finished last year, but this is not a juggernaut.
During the year we also saw a lot of defensive play calling that even baffled opponents’ cheerleaders. Clearly, since the players call their own plays, all the defensive players must be tossed under that bus to keep Orton warm.
(Lovie Smith) acknowledged that two of the defense’s top players did not perform up to expectations. Brian Urlacher had two interceptions and no sacks after registering five interceptions and five sacks in 2007, while Tommie Harris also failed to make the same impact that he has in the past.
“Brian at times played well this past year and other times he needed to pick it up a little bit,” Smith said. “At times, Tommie played very good football. The consistency wasn’t probably there as much as we would like, just like our entire football team.”
I have lots of issues with the coaching staff’s constant belittling of players while they only pay lip service to their own failings. But, that is a blog for another day.
When it comes to consistency, Corner/Nickel/Safety/Kick Returner, Danieal Manning, is not exactly the poster child. But it is not his fault. This is the NFL, not Abalene. He needs to be given a position, taught it diligently and then groomed for success. He is a tremendously gifted athlete who the Bears are wasting on experiment after experiment.
Devin Hester comes to mind in this regard as well. If he is to be the WR, then get him off Special Teams. Let him truly learn his position since the skills required for one are the opposite of the skills for the other. As a returner, he needs to go straight ahead and damn the torpedoes. As a WR, he needs to be facile and be able to get around the defense (which is all on top of him from the start of each play, unlike on returns).
The various and sundry calls for rolling heads has already begin and this will be an interesting off season for the Bears. But, for now, join our very own Tyrone Briggs in BREAKING DOWN THE SEASON.