Band-Aids on Bullet Holes
(Published on nwitimes.com) (October 16, 2016)
An optimist once coined the phrase "Rock bottom is a trampoline" in an effort to put a positive spin on life's doldrums.
In the case of the Bears though, rock bottom may as well be a garden apartment whose floor was excavated, unearthing a bottomless tunnel. At night. During a power failure.
Good luck finding a bright spot.
Any hope devotees harbored about the Bears improving their fortunes dissipated when the team lost at home to the atrocious Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday. The Bears then doubled down on their dreadful vibes Thursday when their arch-nemesis, the Green Bay Packers, pummeled them 26-10, dropping the Bears to an unsightly 1-6 record.
Being a Bears fan hasn't exactly been peaches and cream for the past three decades or so, but this year's installment is threatening to be a special kind of awful. The Bears have been many things over the years (few of those descriptions land on the positive side of the ledger) but "Worst Team in Football" is rarely one of them.
The last time the Bears had the No. 1 overall pick was 1947, when they drafted halfback Bob Fenimore out of Oklahoma State University. Sadly, there don't appear to be any Bob Fenimores in next year's draft, but barring a stunning change of fortune, the Bears are primed to find the next best thing: A franchise quarterback. Or a franchise anything, really.
Quality players wreaking havoc while wearing navy blue and orange would be a nice change of pace considering the Bears have mastered the art of playing subpar football without reaping benefits from their shoddy skills.
Year after year the Bears aren't talented enough to win a championship and aren't terrible enough to earn a top-flight pick. The last time the Bears had a selection in the top three was 1972, when they chose immortal offensive tackle Lionel Antoine out of Southern Illinois University.
In some respects, it's impressive the Bears have avoided bottoming out for that length of time. With that said, their streak, combined with a dollar, won't get me a candy bar in most convenience stores, so how remarkable is it really? It's depressing to watch Matt Barkley, Ka'Deem Carey and Connor Barth stumble about the gridiron with no candy bar to ease the pain.
As exhausting as this season has been though, it's a reality check the franchise fiercely needs. For too long, the Bears have been putting Brian Hoyer Band-Aids on Jay Cutler bullet holes.
With Cutler and Hoyer having graciously taken themselves out of the fray with injuries, the franchise has been forced to accept its "restocking the roster without retooling the talent" strategy is massively flawed.
The Bears can't pretend they are a quality left guard away from the playoffs when their 2016 winning percentage can be mistaken for a boozehound's blood alcohol content.
The only solution to the countless ailments plaguing this team is an infusion of young, proficient players and an exodus of pretty much everyone on the roster. That process should begin next season when the Bears land the first, second or third pick in the draft.
I wonder if Fenimore's great-great-grandson is draft eligible?
An optimist once coined the phrase "Rock bottom is a trampoline" in an effort to put a positive spin on life's doldrums.
In the case of the Bears though, rock bottom may as well be a garden apartment whose floor was excavated, unearthing a bottomless tunnel. At night. During a power failure.
Good luck finding a bright spot.
Any hope devotees harbored about the Bears improving their fortunes dissipated when the team lost at home to the atrocious Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday. The Bears then doubled down on their dreadful vibes Thursday when their arch-nemesis, the Green Bay Packers, pummeled them 26-10, dropping the Bears to an unsightly 1-6 record.
Being a Bears fan hasn't exactly been peaches and cream for the past three decades or so, but this year's installment is threatening to be a special kind of awful. The Bears have been many things over the years (few of those descriptions land on the positive side of the ledger) but "Worst Team in Football" is rarely one of them.
The last time the Bears had the No. 1 overall pick was 1947, when they drafted halfback Bob Fenimore out of Oklahoma State University. Sadly, there don't appear to be any Bob Fenimores in next year's draft, but barring a stunning change of fortune, the Bears are primed to find the next best thing: A franchise quarterback. Or a franchise anything, really.
Quality players wreaking havoc while wearing navy blue and orange would be a nice change of pace considering the Bears have mastered the art of playing subpar football without reaping benefits from their shoddy skills.
Year after year the Bears aren't talented enough to win a championship and aren't terrible enough to earn a top-flight pick. The last time the Bears had a selection in the top three was 1972, when they chose immortal offensive tackle Lionel Antoine out of Southern Illinois University.
In some respects, it's impressive the Bears have avoided bottoming out for that length of time. With that said, their streak, combined with a dollar, won't get me a candy bar in most convenience stores, so how remarkable is it really? It's depressing to watch Matt Barkley, Ka'Deem Carey and Connor Barth stumble about the gridiron with no candy bar to ease the pain.
As exhausting as this season has been though, it's a reality check the franchise fiercely needs. For too long, the Bears have been putting Brian Hoyer Band-Aids on Jay Cutler bullet holes.
With Cutler and Hoyer having graciously taken themselves out of the fray with injuries, the franchise has been forced to accept its "restocking the roster without retooling the talent" strategy is massively flawed.
The Bears can't pretend they are a quality left guard away from the playoffs when their 2016 winning percentage can be mistaken for a boozehound's blood alcohol content.
The only solution to the countless ailments plaguing this team is an infusion of young, proficient players and an exodus of pretty much everyone on the roster. That process should begin next season when the Bears land the first, second or third pick in the draft.
I wonder if Fenimore's great-great-grandson is draft eligible?