(670 The Score) Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy reeeeealllly wanted Tyson Bagent to succeed in his second NFL start, that much is clear. Too bad the foundation of the defensive head coach's precious systemic acronym was nowhere to be found in the Bears' 30-13 loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
Shoddy tackling doomed the Bears in their first matchup against a decent-enough quarterback for as long as we can reasonably remember, with Chicago allowing Justin Herbert to roll up 298 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 31 of his 40 passes.
And Bagent isn't good, no matter how hard way too many people want to try to make it so — and not just the gibbering mass of now over-amplified superfans, latent or otherwise.
That first-play bomb to Darnell Mooney was to make some kind of point, as was the reverse designed to use Bagent as a wide receiver in the end zone, the one on which Khalil Mack ran with him step for step to take him out. It's like Getsy couldn't wait to show how smart he is, now that he doesn't have to design an offense around a unique talent.
A game's worth of tape showed even one of the NFL's worst pass defenses what to do, with the Chargers jumping routes and demanding throws with proper velocity into the middle of the field. Only two Bagent passes were actually intercepted, some others nearly so.
Bagent's passer efficiency rating ended up at a dismal 62, but even that didn't stop the national narrative that began nine hours before kickoff.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter quoted an unidentified Bears player who called Bagent "the next Brock Purdy," and the thread continued through the NBC broadcast no matter what was actually happening on the field in front of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth, with the latter actually saying, "They're going to have Justin Fields study this guy," interceptions and receiver-endangering lollipops be damned.
Let's be clear: This information comes from the team. When Schefter tweets this stuff and the national booth opines similarly, it isn't a coincidence. It's curious at the least and something far more than that at worst.
And the irony is that the horrible Bears defense is what not only eventually made it not matter but created the headwinds that had to be avoided. Herbert, Austin Ekeler and Donald Parham Jr. got all comfortable knowing they could run over, through and past every bit of Hustle, Intensity and whatever the hell else.
It isn't Tyson Bagent's fault that he has become the latest, dumbest lightning rod in this city's long and stupid quarterbacking history, but all of it has never been louder or sillier.
The movie script ended last week, with this kid making a start and winning it, but it just couldn't be. Not anymore.
And certainly not with this team and these coaches, who would rather get fired showing what they can't do than what they could.
Dan Bernstein is the co-host of the Bernstein & Holmes Show on middays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on 670 The Score. You can follow him on Twitter @Dan_Bernstein.