The Bears' Season Is Over

The Chicago Bears have lost three straight games following starting quarterback, Jay Cutler, suffering what appears to be a season-ending thumb injury. To have a chance at a playoff birth, the team has to win all three of its remaining games and one of those games is against the undefeated Green Bay Packers. This season is all but lost.

Over the past several years, the Bears have proven to be completely inept from the top down. Bad contracts have been given out, terrible drafts have been made, and seemingly simply tasks have been made to look incredibly difficult (i.e. having someone actually call in a trade during the draft instead of allowing time to expire). Last night's loss to the Denver Broncos proved this even more.

Late in the game runningback, Marion Barber, went out of bounds which kept the clock from running and essentially gave time back to Denver. You learn in high school or maybe even middle school, to stay in bounds in that situation. At the same time, the coaching staff has to make sure that their players know what to do and they failed their duty.

Also, the Bears' defense didn't know what it was doing. There were times when the players on the field attempted to play two different coverages, not knowing which one they were supposed to be doing. All of this led to blowing a 10 point lead and losing 13-10 in overtime.

The team's injuries to Matt Forte and Jay Cutler over the past few weeks have made the Bears show their true colors. They have no depth, the don't have a number two quarterback worthy of seeing the field, the receivers are bad, the offensive line is bad, they lack talent, and they lack coaching. It is time to start over.

It is looking more and more likely the team will finish with a losing record of 7-9. Maybe ownership fill finally unload general manager, Jerry Angelo, head coach, Lovie Smith, and the rest of both of their staffs. This is not a team built to win long-term or a team prepared to win a super bowl. Over the past few years, they have looked just good enough to pass the eye-test for most people, but the Bears were really just fooling everyone. "Begin again."

The "Suck For Luck" Campaign

There is a current fan phenomenon for those out there supporting winless NFL teams and those close behind. It is called “Suck for Luck.” Andrew Luck is currently the starting quarterback at Stanford and is considered to be the closest thing to a sure draft pick. Barring injury, Luck will surely be the number one overall pick in next April’s NFL draft. Fans are rooting for their teams to “suck”, so they will lose enough games to garner that coveted pick. Many are against this idea, but I am all for it.

I, too root for my team to “suck.” I have placed my allegiance with the Chicago Bears (mostly because I am from the Chicago suburbs), but I want them to lose every game they play unless they are in the playoffs. Personally, I have felt for years that the current coaching and front office staff are incapable of winning a Superbowl. 

Just yesterday, I suffered a let down when Tampa Bay quarterback, Josh Freeman, threw another interception to the Bears defense late in the game. The Bears dominated Tampa for three quarters, but I was given a glimmer of hope when a potential fourth quarter comeback was launched. With less than two minutes left in the game, Freeman started slinging the ball around to receivers all over the field. Then, fear set in as I could see a pass miss the intended receiver and head towards a defenders hand. The pass was intercepted, the game was over, and the Bears won.

My thinking is that the more the Bears lose, the closer head coach, Lovie Smith, and general manager, Jerry Angelo, come to searching help wanted posts. NFL job security is directly related to victories (or lack of). For several years, the Bears have fluctuated from being bad to surprisingly good, but have remained dysfunctional throughout. They have won just enough for everyone to keep their jobs.

Hopefully, this ends after this season, so I can go back to cheering for Bear’s touchdowns instead of booing them. Until then, I will remain stagnant in the crazed state of disappointment and confusion I am guaranteed to be in on gamedays.