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Culture Shock

DA BLOG Further “Em-Bear-assment” Causes Bears to Start Early Hibernation

Well, where do I start? No seriously, I have been sitting here for five minutes trying to think of a clever way to make light of the Bears’ situation, but it’s simple. This football team, for lack of a better term, “sucks”. After the performance against Green Bay, it is evident that this team has some serious issues. Here’s the breakdown.

Defense:

Add the 2014 Chicago Bears to the all-exclusive club, “Defenses Who Gave Up 50 Points in Consecutive Games”; joining the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons as the only football teams in NFL history to accomplish this level of mediocrity.

Aaron Rodgers threw for six touchdowns in the first half. The NFL record is seven for a single game! Don’t believe for a second that the Bears’ defense played better in the second half. Even in a bitter-rivalry, Mike McCarthy somehow felt kind of “bad” for Chicago, as he let off the gas, and sat Aaron Rodgers shortly into the third quarter. If Rodgers wanted to, he probably could have thrown six more and obliterate the current record.

The defensive performance was lacking in every way possible. There were blown assignments, missed defensive calls, and the unit as a whole played with lack of heart. That’s just to name a few, but this was an embarrassing performance for a franchise that has prided itself on defense. It wasn’t that long ago when Bears fans would be outraged if they saw a Bears’ defense give up 21 points in a single game. Since Marc Trestman has become head coach, the defense has given up 30.4 points per game. The year Lovie Smith was fired, his defense only gave up 17.3 PPG.

Offense:

Now here’s a brainteaser. How does a lineup of Martellus Bennett, Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall continue to struggle week in and week out? The answer: Jay Cutler. More and more he has to be making the Bears regret signing him to that massive deal in the offseason. If you go back to last season during the stretch of games where this offense was “dominant” it was with now Tampa Bay quarterback Josh McCown. Who, by the way, isn’t playing too bad for Lovie Smith this season. Cutler has and will always hurt the offense more than he helps it. Yes, at times he does look “brilliant” and “elite” but more often than not he plays an average game cluttered with turnovers, including numerous interceptions and costly fumbles in the pocket.

With the season all but lost, Chicago should do an experiment. Bench Cutler and let Jimmy Clausen play. It may sound absurd, but let me explain. Jimmy Clausen was the top quarterback in the country coming out of high school. He played three years at Notre Dame and was a second round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2010. In his rookie year, Clausen played 13 games for a team who finished with the worst record in football. With the number one pick of the 2011 draft, the Panthers selected Cam Newton and so Clausen’s days starting were immediately over as a Panther.

Why not play Clausen? Either way the season is all but over and by playing him the Bears can find out if the problem is Cutler or not. Jimmy Clausen has the pedigree, he could develop into a decent quarterback, but the only way to find out is by giving him a chance to prove himself. Maybe the former Fighting Irish quarterback can bring some luck to the Bears offense?

Coaching:

Oh, Captain, My Captain! That seems to be the reoccurring theme from all of the players after the loss. Giving nothing but praise for Marc Trestman. Brandon Marshall during a radio show on ESPN 1000 called him “our guy”. All of these bids of confidence are a result from the number of questions players are receiving on whether they think he should be relieved of his duties. Of course players won’t tell the media directly if they dislike their coach, but one has to wonder how many players on the team have lost faith in Marc Trestman.

What is disturbing is the fact that Marc Trestman’s persistence that no change is necessary. That the Bears need to just continue to put in effort and will eventually work their way out of this slump. That simply doesn’t cut it, somewhere the Bears need to make a change because this team is headed in the wrong direction.

Now, for the moment you’ve been waiting for. I have come up with a theory on why Marc Trestman as of right now won’t win a championship in the city of Chicago. Inspired by the current month of “Movember”, otherwise known as “No Shave November” I give you, the Facial Hair Theory!

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Every head coach to win a championship in Chicago sported iconic facial hair at one time or another. For Super Bowl XX, the Bears had Mike Ditka with his trademark moustache. For the Chicago Bulls Dynasty, Phil Jackson had a dynasty of a mustache. Currently, the Blackhawks have Joel Quenneville and his mustache winning two championships and aiming for a third. So come on Marc, grow that `stache back!

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Yikes! Maybe Not! I’m not sure what is more hideous: Trestman’s mustache or the performance of his football team.

Oh yeah, there’s a game Sunday. The Bears host the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears have yet to win at home this season. My guess is that doesn’t change this week. With the Bears putting little effort on the field, I guess it’s acceptable to put little effort into this week’s pick.

My Pick

Vikings 51 (Why not) – Bears 10 (Garbage-Time Points)

Follow Will on Twitter @DeWittYourself

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