Chicago Bears 2016-2017 Season

[Illiniaaron]

I figured the Bears would be a pretty bad team this year, but did not think it would be this bad. Just look down the schedule and try to see where wins will come from. At Dallas? Loss. Home against Detroit? Loss. @Indy, home against Jacksonville(maybe), at GB, home against Minny, it doesn't look like many wins will be forthcoming. Not that it matters a ton, since the offense was bad with him, but rumor is this morning that Cutler is out for a "significant" period of time with ligament damage to his thumb, so get ready for a steady diet of Hoyer in the coming weeks. Add that to all the other injuries from last night, and a team with poor depth saw their depth become even weaker.
What I don't understand is why this is a surprise to anyone. They did seemingly improve the depth of the defense with some free agent signings, especially at linebacker, but largely ignored the secondary again with the exception of some late draft picks. On offense, while I understand the reasoning behind letting Forte walk, you obviously are worse at running back without him. To me letting Bennett go for nothing is unforgiveable. I also understand why they cut Marshall loose last year. But he is putting up huge numbers with the Jets. Both number one picks under this new regime are very suspect. White is not a burner at all. Leonard is only a situational player. Once again, like last year they totally re-do the offensive line a week before the season starts. I'm not sure I see where the plan is.

 

[Shane Walsh]

Last night was very depressing, and I did not even watch it all. We were in the game for the first half, and then we weren't. Then things really got bad. Oh well. I guess we need a few years to rebuild, hopefully this front office is capable.

 

[homesickalien]

2 prime time games in a row and it's looking like 2 embarrassments. This is really frustrating as I was really looking forward to this year being another step back to respectability. Complete rebuild that's going to take at least another 2-3 years at minimum.

 

[the national]

This is a sad showing thus far, on both sides of the ball. The onsides kick looked good before the penalty. Such a wasted season ahead.

 

[FiveStar]

Jordan Howard get out of bounds and don't lose 20 seconds at the end of the game?

 

[champaignchris]

I'm so glad there was a Cubs game on at the same time last night's debacle was going on. I just clicked over a couple times, saw maybe five plays, and looked up the stats in the middle of the second quarter.

I'm pretty sure this team won't lose every game, but it's awful tough to point at any single game on the schedule and say that's going to be a win.

 

[KBLEE]

2 prime time games in a row and it's looking like 2 embarrassments. This is really frustrating as I was really looking forward to this year being another step back to respectability. Complete rebuild that's going to take at least another 2-3 years at minimum.

It's very difficult to make any judgments when a team is missing 7-8 starters. Heck - they started 4 rookies in the secondary alone last night. Only when / if they ever get healthy can anyone make a real assessment.

 

[Ramrod2010]

I'm so glad there was a Cubs game on at the same time last night's debacle was going on. I just clicked over a couple times, saw maybe five plays, and looked up the stats in the middle of the second quarter.

I'm pretty sure this team won't lose every game, but it's awful tough to point at any single game on the schedule and say that's going to be a win.

I agree to an extent regarding the bolded. I would say they could luck into 6 wins this year (one of the Detroit games, Colts, Jags, Bucs, Titans, and 49ers). That being said, I look at all those games and think they are nothing better than toss-ups at this point.

I wasn't expecting a winning season, but I didn't prepare myself for a possible 3-13 season either.

 

[Illiniaaron]

The only thing to hope for is to see improvement from the first half of the season to the second half, and also to watch some of the young players develop. I'm not advocating that Fox is or should even be on the hot seat, but even if they go 0-16 he will be back imo.

 

[champaignchris]

I'm far more concerned about Pace than I am Fox.

Fox and Fangio haven't suddenly forgotten how to coach.

There were obviously a lot of holes there when Pace took over, but it didn't take anyone all that sophisticated in football to see that the o-line and secondary looked real bad heading into the pre season. Obviously injuries haven't helped the situation since then.

More in the grand scheme of things, I don't really see what the long-term plan is for this football team's perssonel. What type of players are they trying to bring in? What are they trying to be good at? In short, what is the vision and identity for this football team? The Patriots, the Steelers, the Packers... We all know what those teams are trying to be. What are the Bears trying to be?

The Cubs rebuild is a good case in point. Theo and crew came in with a very clearly stated vision of what they were going to try to do. (To the point of audacity at times, such as when they basically told everyone they were buying free agent pitchers with inflated ERAs compared to their FIP and then flipping them for prospects at the deadline after their ERAs reverted.) They stuck to the plan, mercilessly at times, and executed it flawlessly. And now they have a really good team.

I don't see a similar clear vision from the Bears' front office.

 

[FiveStar]

You are not in a good place as an organization when the cubs are used as a successful counter example. :tsk:

 

[jrichisamazing]

I'm far more concerned about Pace than I am Fox.

Fox and Fangio haven't suddenly forgotten how to coach.

There were obviously a lot of holes there when Pace took over, but it didn't take anyone all that sophisticated in football to see that the o-line and secondary looked real bad heading into the pre season. Obviously injuries haven't helped the situation since then.

More in the grand scheme of things, I don't really see what the long-term plan is for this football team's perssonel. What type of players are they trying to bring in? What are they trying to be good at? In short, what is the vision and identity for this football team? The Patriots, the Steelers, the Packers... We all know what those teams are trying to be. What are the Bears trying to be?

The Cubs rebuild is a good case in point. Theo and crew came in with a very clearly stated vision of what they were going to try to do. (To the point of audacity at times, such as when they basically told everyone they were buying free agent pitchers with inflated ERAs compared to their FIP and then flipping them for prospects at the deadline after their ERAs reverted.) They stuck to the plan, mercilessly at times, and executed it flawlessly. And now they have a really good team.

I don't see a similar clear vision from the Bears' front office.

Pace hasn't even been here for 2 years. You can't rebuild a team in 2 years. Especially, a team that basically needed every defensive position replaced when he was hired. Plus, the Bears' terrible drafting the past 5 years pretty much left the cupboard bare. You know what the Cubs record was in year 2 of Epstein's ownership? 66-96. Let's give Pace at least 4 years before we blame him.

 

[FiveStar]

Pace hasn't even been here for 2 years. You can't rebuild a team in 2 years. Especially, a team that basically needed every defensive position replaced when he was hired. Plus, the Bears' terrible drafting the past 5 years pretty much left the cupboard bare. You know what the Cubs record was in year 2 of Epstein's ownership? 66-96. Let's give Pace at least 4 years before we blame him.

Professional football teams have been turned around in one year (eagles). With free agency, drafting and cutting you can turn over enough players to go from worst to first. There's only a handful of players left from the pre-pace/fox era. One of the first things they did was clean house. This roster is overwhelmingly their guys, and they make a point to say they have history with a player they bring in from their past. This is already overwhelmingly their team and it's flopping. If you're not successful in year one there should be growth in year two. There is no growth, there is shrinking.

 

[champaignchris]

I understand that it's too early to be judging Pace off of record. Especially with the injuries they've had. It's too easy to say everyone has injuries. Next game, the Bears are looking at missing at least 9 of their 22 projected starters from the beginning of the season. Nobody looks good when that happens.

My questioning is more long-term than that:

No one with even the potential to be Cutler's successor is on the roster. Why go two years without an attempt to bring in someone young?

Who on the O-Line has the potential to be a long-term solution? Kyle Long is already 28. Whitehair and Grasu are the new regime's only o-line draft picks on the roster, and Grasu is hurt again with legitimate durability concerns. The Cardinals didn't think enough of Bobbie Massie to franchise him and the Packers straight up released Sitton (who is 30), and these are the regime's only two big o line free agent signings.

There isn't a fullback on the roster and the handling of the TE position has been questionable at best. If you're going to sell Martellus Bennett for draft picks, why not go whole sale tank and sell off as many veterans as you can for more draft picks?

Where are the pass rushers?

Who from the last two drafts are impact players? I know it's tough to judge when 3 of your top 4 draftees from 2015 are out with injury and the fourth missed the entirety of last season.

 

[IlliniFaninHoosierLand]

Bears get their first win of the season 17-14 over the Lions. First home win since Week 4 last season vs. Oakland. First win over the Lions since the final game of the 2012 season, which was Lovie Smith's final game as Bears head coach.

Nice that they won't be winless when I see them play next week in Indy.

 

[FiveStar]

Detroit came in averaging 27 a game. Defense held them to 2 field goals. Yeah, that defense that's been destroyed by first year starters and rookies. Unpredictable.

 

[champaignchris]

Night and day, today's game versus the first three.

Played a stout defense and didn't make the dumb mistakes. Let's hope this starts a trend.

 

[FiveStar]

Night and day, today's game versus the first three.

Played a stout defense and didn't make the dumb mistakes. Let's hope this starts a trend.

Offense still inconsistent.

 

[Lord Snow]

Offense still inconsistent.

And it will remain so until we get the offensive line shored up. The patch job of linemen other teams didnt want, a rookie at center and our 1 lineman that has actually been good. They played better today for sure. We started to look like a football team. If our defense gets fully healthy they could actually be really good.

 

[FiveStar]

And it will remain so until we get the offensive line shored up. The patch job of linemen other teams didnt want, a rookie at center and our 1 lineman that has actually been good. They played better today for sure. We started to look like a football team. If our defense gets fully healthy they could actually be really good.

I understand why. Just saying it was much more of a defensive turn around. At some point we have to put up 3-4 touchdowns right?

 

[champaignchris]

I understand why. Just saying it was much more of a defensive turn around. At some point we have to put up 3-4 touchdowns right?

Meh. The Bears had 400 yards in offense, a 300 yard passer, a 100 yard receiver and a 100 yard rusher. They had 6 more minutes in time of possession and didn't turn the ball over. The fg kicker missed a makeable kick and they went for it instead of having the kicker attempt another makeable kick (I agreed with the decision, but thought the play call was bad).

Decent special teams and we're talking about a 23-7 butt stomping. Baby steps at this point. I'll take them however they can get them.

 

[Illiniaaron]

Kudos to the defense for taking two steps forward this week. Much credit goes to the linebackers and the much-maligned secondary. Those two units controlled the game. I thought the d-line was average at best. They did a good job stopping the run but didn't put much pressure on Stafford. The offense looked much better but is still not scoring much. I thought Hoyer played very well and put quite a few passes into some tight windows. And Howard looks like the real deal (I know its early).

 

[FiveStar]

Kevin White on IR. Fractured fibula and high ankle sprain. :faint:

 

[Illiniaaron]

Kevin White on IR. Fractured fibula and high ankle sprain. :faint:

The Bears' poor first round drafting/bad luck with those picks continues. If you look back since 2007, it's amazing how little production the Bears have gotten from their No. 1 picks. The only two good ones were Greg Olsen, who they traded away so he could rack up a zillion receiving yards for the Panthers, and Kyle Long. Three of those years they had no first round picks. The major reason they have only made the playoffs once since the last Super Bowl year imo.

 

[champaignchris]

The Bears' poor first round drafting/bad luck with those picks continues. If you look back since 2007, it's amazing how little production the Bears have gotten from their No. 1 picks. The only two good ones were Greg Olsen, who they traded away so he could rack up a zillion receiving yards for the Panthers, and Kyle Long. Three of those years they had no first round picks. The major reason they have only made the playoffs once since the last Super Bowl year imo.

I think you could go farther back than that.

Since 2004 when the Bears took Tommie Harris:

2005: Cedric Benson. Eventually had a nice career, but not for the Bears. They released him and got no compensation.

2006: Traded out of the first round and took Danieal Manning and Dusty Dvoracek with the picks they got. Yuck. Nick Mangold was taken three picks later... I suppose they already had Olin Kreutz, but still...

2007: Greg Olsen. Unlike Benson, they were at least able to get some draft picks for him before he became an All Pro elsewhere.

2008: Chris Williams. Ugh.

2009 & 2010: Traded their first and second round draft picks for Cutler and that Tampa Bay DE who played about 8 games anonymously and then died in the off season. We can debate the merits of Cutler forever (I personally think he gets a bad rap), but I don't think there's any debate that the end result - only making one NFC title game - was disappointing.

2011: Gabe Carimi. Ugh ugh. I think he made the third straight OL first round pick by the Bears who was injured before ever getting to the Bears. Him, Williams and Columbo (2002). Correct me if I'm wrong. That seems like a bad trend.

2012: Shea McClellin. Seemingly picked more to keep him away from the Packers than to actually use him. He didn't fit the defensive scheme employed at the time. And they shuffled him to three different defensive positions before giving up. I doubt he was ever going to be good, but the Bears definitely didn't put him in any kind of position to succeed.

2013: Kyle Long. Pro Bowl stud.

2014: Kyle Fuller. It's still a little early, but things are looking more bust than hit at this point.

2015: Kevin White. Looks like he's going to play 4 games in his first two years.

2016: Leonard Floyd. Optimistic. Worst case scenario seems to be a Shea McClellin in the proper position and defensive scheme.