LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- By signing an agreement to purchase the 326-acre Arlington Park property, Bears chairman George McCaskey and his family’s ownership group can look toward the future of their franchise with pride and hope.
But McCaskey also needs to first acknowledge the ugly present. Where exactly are the Bears going?
The Bears appear to be a directionless team in 2021. They aren’t on a playoff path as McCaskey had hoped, they aren't well-positioned to develop prized rookie quarterback Justin Fields and they don't own a first-round draft pick in 2022 as a reward for potentially bottoming out this season.
The Bears have a general manager in Ryan Pace who was retained for a seventh season on the job despite not producing a single playoff victory in his tenure and who's responsible for poor salary cap management, which has left clear voids on the depth chart. They have a head coach in Matt Nagy who is under fire again in his fourth season and who seems prepared to prioritize the present over the development of the young quarterback who represents the franchise’s future.
McCaskey enabled this all to happen, a season that could become increasingly more lost with each passing week. He believed in Pace and Nagy to lead the Bears to a playoff run this season despite clear evidence that it wouldn’t happen while also failing to acknowledge the circumstances of possibly drafting and developing a quarterback like Fields.
Buy everything you need for a great pregame tailgate party here
Pace and Nagy have backed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton as their starter because they believe he offers the Bears their best chance to win -- and in their cases, stay employed by the organization. They also recognize that playing Fields with a poor supporting cast around him could result in more performances like the debacle Sunday in Cleveland – a 26-6 loss that featured Chicago gaining 47 total yards of offense and one net passing yard.
The Bears aren’t set up for success this season, nor are their current leaders showcasing they can bring out the best in Fields' bright future.
The Bears appear to be the rudderless team that McCaskey could have – and should have – predicted they'd be in 2021.
4-down territory
1.) Out of gas
Of the 77 points the Bears have surrendered this season, 54 of those have come in the second half.
That's a reflection of their inability to sustain drives offensively and the toll that takes on their defense. The Bears’ offense hasn't stayed on the field long enough to give the defense its proper rest. That was certainly the case last Sunday in Cleveland, as the Browns possessed the football nearly double the time it was owned by the Bears – 39:34 to 20:26.
Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai and members of his unit denied that fatigue was a factor while also avoiding pointing fingers at the struggling offense.
“We're prepared for a 60-plus minute game and that won't change,” Desai said. “You look at the clock, you're guaranteed 60 minutes in a game. And we're prepared for that, and that's what our mentality is going to be. So our conditioning, everything we've worked on through the offseason, everything we've preached to these guys is to be prepared to play 60 minutes of football and that's how you prepare for that.”
2.) Silver Lining’s Playbook
The Bears can’t take back their abysmal offensive performance against the Browns, but they can learn from it.
After returning to Halas Hall this week, the Bears’ coaching staff acknowledged its poor protection concepts that led to rookie quarterback Justin Fields getting sacked nine times by the Browns.
"Obviously, we have mechanisms to help the protection,” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. “Whether it be to throw the ball faster, to move the pocket more, to help on the edges, to turn the line and help more guys, to use tight ends more in protection. All of the different answers that we have, and they’re all in the offense. It’s easy to say, I would go back and do things differently."
3.) Building blocks
Veteran tackle Germain Ifedi feels the Bears’ poor offensive performance is fixable and in particular that their veteran-laden line can improve.
Ifedi felt that belief strengthen Tuesday morning, when the Bears held a lighter workout at Halas Hall and nearly the entire offense showed up 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
“We know the guys in that room,” Ifedi said. “It’s easy to say, it’s cliché, but sometimes you look around the room and you know there are guys, they’re probably going to check out, that’s probably how it’s going to be, it’s going to go downhill.
“I see a bunch of guys who want to get better.”
4.) Going Goff
The Bears are set to face a familiar foe in a new uniform as Lions quarterback Jared Goff comes to Soldier Field.
Goff will be facing the Bears for the fourth straight year Sunday – the first three were as a member of the Rams – and Chicago has held him in check. Goff has completed 56.8% of his passes for 573 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions against the Bears, who know him well.
“Definitely a decisive guy,” Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said of Goff. “When it comes to being able to read defenses, he knows where he wants to go with the ball. That can be a good thing and a bad thing for him as well. We definitely know that he has his tendencies of turning the ball over. Definitely for us, we want to be able to take advantage of that and just kind of limit his big plays as best as we can and turn the ball over.”
Quote to note
“You got to shake it off. You got to shake it off. As frustrating as it may be, things not going your way, you got to shake it off. This being my 10th year, I’ve had experiences where something doesn’t feel right. It was frustrating, it was tough, but those games keep coming. If you get caught up in it, you’ll get run over again.”
-- Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks on moving past a bad loss
Injury report
QB Andy Dalton (left knee) -- Dalton is at least practicing this week, but his status for Sunday could be a game-time decision.
QB Justin Fields (right hand/thumb) -- The Bears were fortunate that Fields avoided a more serious injury given that he was was sacked nine times in their loss to the Browns on Sunday.
OLB Khalil Mack (foot) -- Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai was “proud” that Mack returned for the second half last Sunday after he suffered his foot injury. Though his status for this Sunday is in question, Mack always seems to find his way onto the field.
S Tashaun Gipson (hamstring) -- It seems as if this could be a multi-week injury for Gipson, who tweaked his hamstring on Sept. 22 in preparation ahead of playing the Browns.
NT Eddie Goldman (knee) -- Goldman practiced in full Thursday for the first time in this regular season, a major step toward taking the field for the first time since 2019. He opted out of playing in the 2020 season.
Emma’s pick (3-0): Bears 27, Lions 16
There can be measuring stick games at the bottom too. So let's see how bad the Bears aren't against the lowly Lions. It's a bounce-back win for Chicago before going up against the gauntlet.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.