JP's Postgame Presser - Bears vs. Saints

Posted 10:15 PM Decemebr 16, 2014 by Jarrett Payton

Can someone please tell me this nightmare is almost over? This year will be the first losing season for our Bears since 2009. The Bears were mathematically out of the playoffs after the loss to the Cowboys and the calls from the fan base grew louder for change. How much more can ownership take before they have to clean up this mess that we’ve been watching all season?

People have been talking about how this team hasn’t shown up all year and that’s true, but it’s starting to rub off on the fans. The Bears announced there were 10,749 unused tickets for Monday’s game. With one home game left against the Lions, that number could climb. Is it fair to the fans that spend their hard earned money for the product on the field right now? I don’t think it’s right and it’s definitely not fair.

Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.

“Jay Cutler might be a great person on and off the field, but he is an average QB.”Jay Cutler is the starting QB of my favorite football team and I’ve come to accept it. What baffles me is the Bears backing the Brinks truck up to Jay’s house and thinking he would change. That’s like being cheated on 3 times in the relationship, you catch them the 4th and they tell you, “I promise I won’t do it again.” Yeah right! Jay Cutler might be a great person on and off the field, but he is an average QB. Everyone talks about how he has all the skills and the upside, but guess what…stop it! This is his 9th year in the NFL! He’s not a rookie! He is who he is! He is a QB with a laser arm, but undisciplined.

I’m still trying to figure out how the Bears can have all the talent on the offensive side of the ball and can’t seem to put it together. It became increasingly evident that you will not reach your full potential as an offense if you don’t have an identity. Finding a balance is hard when there is nothing to balance. Marc Trestman is ultimately going to have to take the blame because he is the guy calling the plays. What worked last year, opposing defenses took that away and Trestman never adjusted. The offense finished 2-of-12 on 3rd down and 0-of-2 on fourth down. Jay was sacked 7 times last night. When you don’t/can’t take shots down the field you become a lateral offense filled with WR bubble screens and check downs. Being one dimensional puts a lot of pressure on an offense to extend drives and the Bears were incapable of that this year.

“Teams are using the Bears as a ‘bounce back’ game.”Moving on. This Bears defense has been atrocious. Granted, Mel Tucker should get a lot of the blame, but I can’t blame him for the personnel that were on the field. That blame has to be directed at Phil Emery. Opposing offense are foaming at the mouth to face the Bears. Teams are using the Bears as a “bounce back” game. Oh don’t worry if you had a bad offensive outing this week, next on the schedule is…the Chicago Bears. It never used to be like that. The Bears were always the team you didn’t want to face. They played tough, hard nose defense that would force turnovers and hit you in the mouth. You can’t say that anymore. What’s it going to take to get back to that you ask? Change. Defense wins championships still in the NFL. Phil Emery was so focused on building an offensive juggernaut that he neglected the defensive side of the ball.

“No one’s job should be safe…no one.”With this nightmare 12 days from being over, it’s hard not to think about what moves the Bears brass will make in the offseason. I do know one thing for sure and that no one’s job should be safe…no one. Not the coaching staff, not the general manager and not the QB. The problems are too far gone to be fixed. I wonder what Papa Bear and Sweetness are saying to each other from their skybox in heaven. I know this isn’t what they worked so hard to build. Growing up in this city, Bears fans have always been so proud to say “BearDown.” Now they don’t want to be seen so they are putting bags over their faces to shield themselves from the reality of this season. This Bears organization needs to be trending towards greatness, pushing the shopping cart, not bagging the groceries just taking what’s coming their way. #Beardown