“They are who we thought they were,” Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Allen once said. “And we let them off the hook!”
Most Bears fans only need to have that first line recited to recognize just exactly what that’s from. If they’re anything like me, a sheepish grin slides across their faces when the rest of the memory plays in their heads.
Those lines above are from Allen’s historic post-game rant following the Bear’s memorable 24-23 comeback win on Monday Night Football. This was done by a do-it-all defense and special teams, which were highlighted by two defensive touchdowns and then-rookie Devin Hester’s game winning 83-yard punt return for a touchdown.
I can even remember my seventh-grade self sneaking out of bed to watch Neil Rackers miss the potential game-winning field goal with less than a minute to go.
Those were the days, let me tell you.
Not only were the Bears winning, but they were fun to watch.
The Bears of old were dominant and were a product that made fans proud to shout, “Bear down!”
Ugh. Look at me. “The Bears of old.” Like 2006 was really that long ago.
But when you compare them to this team, 2006 really was an eternity ago.
Those memories can be held on to, but as much as we want it to stay the same, the team changes.
Gone are the treacherous defense and special teams, which would always find ways to bail out a Bears offense that oftentimes seemed confused and lackluster.
However, the Bears in the present, as we know, have tried a new tactic; building a destructive, earth-scorching offense.
Head Coach Marc Trestman is an offensive genius. Think Albert Einstein, only a football version instead of a theoretical physicist.
Now, I like Trestman. He’s a great guy and has taken the Bears offense further than Lovie Smith ever could.
But man is he soft, and this season is getting ugly fast.
While constructing this blitzkrieg offense, the team seemingly forgot that a defense is also a necessity.
And also, although having a super powered offense is really cool, having one that can’t score points defeats the purpose on having one.
Quarterback Jay Cutler has been “eh” all year, and fails to understand the basic concept of ball security. Not very good for a man being paid $126 million.
While Cutler isn’t solely responsible for the offensive woes, a lot of the blame can be placed on Trestman himself, who’s been consistent at getting outcoached.
Bad coaching, inconsistent quarterback play, a wet-paper defense and special teams that aren’t very, well, special, all led to a bad team.
The Bears season philosophy was this: score more than your horrendous defense can give up.
As far as we’ve seen, it’s hard to be an offensive team when your offense is moot.
It’s hard to believe this offense can’t produce, even with the best running back in the NFC in Matt Forte and the best wide receiver duo in the NFL in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.
Watching these Bears is plain sad, and it irks me that General Manager Phil Emery can be content with this clown act taking the field on Sundays.
Sure, Trestman can turn it around, but this is a project that will take a significant amount of time.
More time than Trestman may have.
The years of the “Monsters of the Midway” defense are gone, but, man how I wish they were back.
