Bears fans are feeling the lowest they have this whole season now sitting at 2-4 after a disgusting Thursday night loss just 5 days after a different heartbreaking loss on a failed comeback attempt. While there’s no doubt these games not only could have been won by Chicago, they should have been won by Chicago. In the past decade or so, this has been the same story of missed opportunities, coming up just short, and heartbreak. However, ever since Lovie Smith was fired, these painful moments for fans have mostly come at the fault of the coaching staff whether it be a bad gameplan, bad play calling, poor preparation, or just a lack of adjustments. This year has felt different, of the 3 losses we’ve had decided by one possession, there are clear mistakes made by the players, things that shouldn’t be a concern. So while the 2-4 record is a horrific sight to see, the team may actually be on the right path thanks to this young coaching staff.
First, the guy at the helm has shown he’s the man for the job with all the right mentality and processes. Matt Eberflus has, in my opinion, consistently made the right in game decisions and has helped his team adjust on both sides of the ball. Sometimes, these adjustments have happened later than I’d like, but progress is progress. Especially for a first time head coach, Eberflus has routinely looked calm, collected, and in control of the team. The Bears have been more disciplined in years past on both sides of the ball and have looked extremely well conditioned. Eberflus’s HITS principle is all we heard about in the offseason and while it hasn’t paid off yet in wins, it has in terms of player effort which is always a good thing to see.
Eberflus has shown he is putting the team first as head coach and in doing so, Alan Williams is the defensive play caller and has done a fantastic job. The Chicago Bears defense looks to be having its best season since the glory of 2018. Eddie Jackson is off to a hot start with 3 interceptions in 6 games and a large part of that has to go to Williams putting him in that free safety position to be a ball hawk and make plays all over the field. This unit has looked sharp and strong, only allowing 2 second half touchdowns all season, and I wouldn’t blame them for the one that just happened on Thursday. Williams also has, more often than not this season, dialed up the blitz at perfect times forcing sacks, pressures, and incompletions to get off the field. He clearly is a smart guy who knows how to adjust portrayed by that second half success. He is the perfect compliment to Eberflus to make this defense elite. Imagine what he’ll be able to do with a bit more talent on the roster in the coming years.
Finally, my most controversial opinion: Luke Getsy is not only a good offensive coordinator, he is the RIGHT offensive coordinator to make Justin Fields succeed. Looking at box scores and the point totals I know many people disagree and may think I’m crazy. Watching the game is a completely different story. He definitely needs to work on some 3rd down or redzone decision making, but this is his first time calling plays. Besides that, the offense has looked promising and more disciplined. They’ve really faltered just due to how bad the players really are. This Thursday is the best example of why he is not only better than he seems, but actually a huge positive for the Bears offense. We scored 7 points, that is bad. BUT, Luke Getsy made some great decisions to get us down inside the 5 yard line twice early in the game. The first time ended in an interception, but Getsy can’t control that. His play call left Kmet coming open in the middle and Equanimeous St. Brown open in the flat. The second goalline trip that ended with nothing saw Fields miss a WIDE open Ryan Griffin and then two plays later come up inches short on 4th down. He maybe didn’t do the right thing on that 4th down but he earned a TD with that first call. Once again before halftime the Bears were driving, Justin Fields took a deep shot to Darnell Mooney that didn’t connect, but Getsy schemed Dante Pettis wide open underneath for a first down and the drive would have continued into field goal range. Getsy was making the right decisions and the players just weren’t delivering whether it be the offensive line, Justin Fields, or the receivers.
The mistakes we’ve seen have been by the players way more often than the coaches and that’s a good thing with all the resources the Chicago Bears have heading towards the future. We will hopefully see better decision making from Fields, less drops and bobbles from the receiving corps, and no more muffs from Velus Jones Jr. on punt returns. Then the staff will shine and prove they were the right choice last offseason and will produce success in Chicago.
