The Bears are Broken, and it wasn’t the Hail Mary that Broke them
It wasn’t the Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders that broke the Chicago Bears. They were broken weeks before that, and the person responsible isn’t Matt Eberflus or Shane Waldron. It’s Ryan Poles.
Walking away from their listless beating at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, one thing was clear. The root of the Bears’ problems in 2024 isn’t scheme design or late-game clock management, although those two plot points have magnified the issue, instead of covering it up.
Player-Execution Problem
Chicago has a player-execution problem. When an NFL team has a player-execution problem, the responsibility falls on the person in charge of roster construction, which in this case, is the Bears’ general manager.
Interim Head Coach Thomas Brown
Before Sunday, NFL media members — from national pundits to local beat reporters — expected to see what many call the “interim head coach bump” in Thomas Brown’s debut at the helm.
Simply put, when a coaching change happens midseason, bringing in someone new at HC often energizes a roster and leads to improved performance. It’s a breath of fresh air backed by statistics.
Going back to 2014, interim head coaches were 16-5 against the spread in their first NFL game before Brown made his head coaching debut against the 49ers.
The Bears’ Performance
That interim head coaching bump never materialized, despite a good week of practice where Brown rallied the Bears around the idea of becoming a “violent” football team over the last six weeks of the regular season.
“We got our [butts] kicked today, and there’s no way around it,” Caleb Williams said after the game. “I think at one point going into the half, they had 240-something and we had nine or four total yards. So that’s regardless of how we feel, regardless of all of that, we got it handed to us.”
Up and down Chicago’s roster and coaching staff, whether it was Williams, Brown or safety Kevin Byard III, that was the summation of their efforts Sunday.
Responsibility Falls on Ryan Poles
Chicago was outgained 319-to-4 in total yards going into halftime against San Francisco. The 49ers also had 14 first downs to the Bears’ one. San Francisco tight end George Kittle had more receiving yards (138) in the first half than Williams had passing yards all game (134).
If not for Williams finding Rome Odunze for a pair of second-half TD passes, the score would’ve been even more abysmal than it already was, but falling flat out of the gates has been a repetitive storyline for Chicago all season long.
Conclusion
The onus for Chicago’s shortcomings now falls squarely on Poles as GM. I understand that some out there will point toward the talent Poles has added in trades, free agency, and the draft to rebuke his responsibility in getting the Bears to this point. But let me ask you, reader of this column. Outside of quarterback and wide receiver, what position groups on this team do you have unwavering confidence in?
The offensive line is as adept at protecting Williams in the pocket as Plankton is at stealing the Krabby Patty secret formula. The Bears have given up 56 sacks in 2024, the most in the NFL. The defensive line must have found Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility the way they’ve disappeared over the last seven weeks. After registering 18 sacks in their first six games, Chicago has 13 in seven contests since.
FAQs
Q: What is the root of the Bears’ problems in 2024?
A: It’s not scheme design or late-game clock management, but rather a player-execution problem.
Q: Who is responsible for the Bears’ shortcomings?
A: Ryan Poles, the Bears’ general manager.
Q: Can the Bears turn things around?
A: It will be an uphill battle, but with a new coach and some key players stepping up, it’s possible.
Q: Who is the leader of the Bears?
A: Jaylon Johnson, a 2023 second-team All-Pro selection, is the current leader of the team.
