WADDLE'S WORLD: State of the Bears in question
By TOM WADDLE -- Shaw Suburban Media
It’s been almost a week and that drubbing in Cincinnati still is haunting me. Honestly, I’m shocked and more than a little concerned.
Yeah, I know, I was the guy last week telling all the “Chicken Littles” to simmer down, but the nature of that beating Sunday set off my internal football “uh-oh” alarm.
Look, over the course of a 16-game season, every team is going to lay an egg. A game in which nothing goes right, everything goes wrong and you’re more inclined to burn the film than watch it on Monday.
Really, what’s to be learned from sitting through a three-hour horror flick that you starred in?
What’s most disturbing about the abomination in Cincinnati is that it was on the heels of a mistake-filled loss in the Georgia Dome a week earlier.
I was convinced that the Bears would regroup after the Falcons loss and deliver a big performance against the Bengals. What we saw was one of the worst Bears losses in more than a decade.
They didn’t block anyone, they didn’t tackle anyone, they didn’t cover anyone and the mental mistakes were too numerous to list. The disappointment has left me with a sour stomach and a lot to think about. Here’s just a sample of what’s bouncing around my brain.
How do you fix this offense?
You start by changing the philosophy. It's great to get off the bus running, but this group seems incapable of getting off the bus, period! Yes, I’m on record saying this team won’t make it to the postseason without a running game, but I’ve seen enough to know this issue won't be solved any time soon.
Don’t stay dedicated to a power running game when you can’t move anyone off the ball. Do what you do best – throw it! Early and often.
Jay Cutler and his better-than-expected receivers are the strength of this offense, so let them do their thing. Mix in screens and draws to keep defenses off balance, and while you’re at it, do it in no-huddle fashion.
I also would shuffle the deck on the offensive line. Left tackle Orlando Pace is a future Hall of Famer, but here and now, he’s a liability. Switch Chris Williams to left tackle, move Frank Omiyale to right tackle and plug Josh Beekman in at left guard. Radical? Yes, but it’s not working as is.
What’s up with defensive tackle Tommie Harris?
Lovie Smith gets a failing grade for a bad game plan and a lack of preparation, but he gets high marks for how he’s handling Harris.
It seems Tommie practices when Tommie wants to practice. He shows up for treatment when he wants to show up for treatment. Tommie does what Tommie wants to do. Not anymore.
You can tolerate the diva behavior of a superstar as long as he performs like a superstar. Harris isn’t a superstar any longer. Maybe he does have a chronic knee problem. Maybe he has grown too big for his britches. Maybe it’s both. Either way its unacceptable and Lovie did the right thing sitting Harris last week.
Is Smith on the hot seat?
No. For financial reasons alone, the seat isn't remotely warm. After this season, Smith has two years and $11 million left on his contract. There’s a better chance I return to the playing field than the McCaskey's eating that contract. Not to mention the cost of hiring one of the marquee candidates who are available.
Should Smith be on the hot seat?
Get back to me in January. If the Bears end the season 8-8 or worse, you can make a very good case for needing a new voice in that locker room. The 2006 Super Bowl appearance should only buy you so much time. Three years of mediocrity is pushing that limit.
As for this weekend, thank goodness it’s the Browns visiting the lakefront. I won’t waste your time detailing the prediction. Let me just point out that the Browns have the league's 31st-ranked offense and the 32nd-ranked defense. They score 10 points a game and allow 26. The Bears will win this game convincingly, but questions will remain. We’ll get to those next week.
Waddle's prediction: Bears 27, Browns 10.
• Tom Waddle appears from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday on the “Waddle & Silvy Show” on WMVP AM-1000. He writes a weekly column on the Bears for the Daily Chronicle.
Comments
