LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- The doors closed on the team meeting room inside Halas Hall on Wednesday morning. Before the Bears took the practice field, the players on the 3-3 football team aired out their frustrations.
Coach Matt Nagy had expressed the need for leaders to step up after the Bears' ugly loss to the Saints on Sunday. Several of those key leaders called for a players-only meeting to discuss their present state and where this season could go. They intended to be "transparent and genuine," cornerback Prince Amukamara said Tuesday, a day before the meeting.
So, how was it?
"Some things were addressed that we needed to get on the table," tackle Bobby Massie said. "It's kind of players only.
"We just needed to have a fireside chat to get to the bottom of things."
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky declined to discuss the details -- like many of his other teammates.
"We're going to keep that in-house," Trubisky said. "Players-only for a reason."
Nagy offered his support for the players-only meeting. Since taking over as coach in January 2018, Nagy has empowered his players to carry the culture he helped create. The Bears have a social justice committee, a group composed of Trubisky, Chase Daniel, Danny Trevathan, Akiem Hicks and Trey Burton. In late September, that group joined Bears chairman George McCaskey in a discussion about the team's controversial 1936 throwback uniforms, which were initially worn during a time when the NFL was segregated.
While the Bears don't have designated captains -- Nagy chooses to alternate those each game -- players on the social justice committee are recognized as key voices on the team. That was again the case during the players-only meeting, which according to center Cody Whitehair was started with several of those team leaders speaking out and included other players speaking up.
The contents of this meeting are remaining in that room, with players declining to discuss the specifics. But it was a positive experience, they said.
"We got to stick together and not let this bring us apart," Whitehair said. "We're still in the same situation we were last year. We just got to stay focused and continue to grind.
"Guys were able to state their opinion. The main thing was we have to stick together and we're all in this together."
The Bears entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations after winning the NFC North crown in 2018, a season they also started 3-3 before reeling off victories in nine of their last 10 regular-season games.
Now, there's a different vibe inside Halas Hall. With success comes greater expectations, and the Bears have failed to meet that standard. Following the most lopsided loss of Nagy's coaching tenure -- the Saints led by as many as 26 in their 36-25 win -- there are questions as to whether the team's culture is still strong.
The Bears' offense is among the worst in football, with its 4.4 yards per play ranking 30th in the NFL, just ahead of the Jets and Dolphins. As the offense has failed to sustain drives, the defense has been forced to do extra work. In the loss Sunday, Chicago possessed the football for only 22:34.
Despite the struggles on offense -- and for Trubisky in particular -- the Bears maintain they're still united between their scuffling offense and uneven defense.
"If it would have been offense versus defense, I think that would have happened a long time ago," Amukamara said. "But I think this team is not just offense over here, defense over here, special teams over here. I think we all mesh."
Amukamara has heard the voice of soft-spoken star edge rusher Khalil Mack more recently. Nagy noticed running back Tarik Cohen and receiver Allen Robinson are being more vocal with their leadership. There have been steps forward, but the change they seek can't be accomplished by talk.
While the Bears came away from their meeting with positive feelings, they'll only be judged by their record.
The Bears are being tested by their own inconsistencies, failing to meet the standards they once embraced. Can 3-3 be just the beginning, as it was last season? Is this team still united as one? Will this meeting be a rallying point?
After shutting the doors for players only, the Bears can only hope their discussions lead to victories.
"This team has great character," Whitehair said. "Great people in the room that are willing to put in the work to get this thing right. That's what we're trying to do."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
