Chicago Sports

The Chicago Bears offense isn’t Justin Fields’ offense

Heavy rain that pounded Soldier Field in Week 1 has been the most help Quarterback Justin Fields has had since he played at Ohio State. This “revamped” Chicago Bears offensive talent, without severe weather conditions, managed to eke out 10 points in their loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. The Bears’ passing game was abysmal. Fields attempted 11 passes. He finished with 70 yards passing. This offensive unit is not built for Fields.

An emphasis on running the ball was an expected feature of Luke Getsy’s offense before the season. The Bears did well utilizing the rushing game in the outside-zone running scheme against the Packers. Running back David Montgomery finished the game with 122 yards rushing. But the Bears had no passing attack that could engineer an efficient come-from-behind offense when the team got down big in the first half.

Justin Fields emphasizes his role in the offense

Jusin Fields appeared frustrated with the offense’s overall performance in his post-game press conference. Fields said that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy articulated to the offense that they planned to run it down the Packers’ throats. He mentioned multiple times that the offensive game plan was not under his control but by Getsy.

“My job isn’t to call the plays,” Fields said. “My job is to execute the play that’s given to me the best I can. So yeah.” He was later asked if he wanted to throw the ball more.

“Of course. I’m a competitor, you know. So yeah. Of course, my job is to run the play that’s given to me the best that I can,” Fields said. So I don’t control any of that.”

Fields was then asked how the Bears could get Mooney, who has four yards through two games this season, the ball more in their passing attack. Fields again answered that it was out of his authority as the franchise’s quarterback to decide what play is run but that Mooney could be more prominent in the offense at Getsy’s discretion.

“Call plays to get him the ball, but again that’s not our job,” Fields said. “Our job is to get a play called and run it to the best of our abilities.”

What passing game does Justin Fields have?

Justin Fields was obviously hinting that he wants to be featured more in the Bears offense. But the Bears’ new regime doesn’t want to put the ball in his hands to make a play. The Dallas Cowboys trusted backup quarterback Cooper Rush to throw the ball 20 more times than Fields in Week 2.

Fields was asked by a reporter what was wrong with the passing game. Fields said he wasn’t sure what was missing in the passing game. But one can wonder what passing game the reporter would be referring to after  11 attempts through the air.

His “number one” wide receiver has caught two passes this season. Mooney struggled to get separation in most of the game against the Packers. Fields featured tight end Cole Kmet has a stat sheet that reads all zeros except for his two targets on the year. Kmet dropped the only target he had against the Packers. (Wasn’t this supposed to be Kmet’s “breakthough” year three?)

Either the Bears’ new regime does not trust Fields, or they realize their talent around him is too inept at complimenting his abilities in the passing game this season. There’s no other explanation for an 11-attempt 70-yard passing attack in a game where the Bears offense trailed the Packers by double digits for three quarters.

The Bears’ offensive line can’t pass block, and their wide receivers can’t get separation in the routes Getsy has designed. This is the result of an offensive roster general manager Ryan Poles felt was acceptable to put on an NFL field this season. The national media has pointed out all offseason that the Bears didn’t set up Fields for success.

Fields openly admits he isn’t getting his way in the new Bears offense right now. Will Poles and new head coach Matt Eberflus listen, or are they making plans for the Bears’ future without Justin Fields?

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Sam Mustipher needs to be benched as soon as possible, before he gets Justin Fields hurt

Inexplicably the Bears are using a rotation at right guard of Lucas Patrick and Teven Jenkins while keeping Sam Mustipher at center.  The move seems to be designed to get Patrick thudded up and ready for game speed when he’s ready to return to his starting center position.

Meanwhile, Sam Mustipher continues to be a massive liability at the center spot, and it couldn’t be any more obvious in this play as Kenny Pickett tosses Mustipher aside like a beanbag in this rip move.

Patrick as well gets destroyed by his rusher in this clip, highlighting why the Bears are likely not getting their passing attack going when the pocket is getting destroyed in front of Justin Fields.  Certainly this type of play happens to everyone at one time or another, but it seems to happen to Mustipher more times than should be acceptable for a starting center.

The Bears need to hope that Patrick gets healthy soon so that they can keep Jenkins at right guard permanently or just keep him there anyway.  Jenkins has shown already that he’s going to be a junkyard dog at the right guard spot and moving him in and out only disrupts his play and the overall performance of the offensive line.

The move of having Jenkins rotate is a very unorthodox move that looks like an early failure of leadership and coaching from Matt Eberflus.  The Bears need power on the interior and they need to ensure Fields has a clean pocket to throw from.  Sam Mustipher doesn’t afford that and Jenkins does and it’s time for the Bears to do everything possible to get Sam Mustipher off the field.

It’s more than obvious to anyone with even the most untrained eye, that Sam Mustipher is a liability.  The Bears need to give Justin Fields the best chance to succeed and they’re not doing so.  Teven Jenkins should be starting every snap from now on to at least solidify one position on the interior of the offensive line.

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Jerry Narron has seen enough of Miguel Cairo to know this: “He’s going to be a hot commodity.”

As a managerial candidate when jobs become open, that is.

The White Sox are 13-6 since Cairo took over as acting manager, and Narron, who managed five seasons in the majors with Texas and Cincinnati between 2001 and 2007, and now sits close to Cairo on the Sox coaching staff, is impressed by what he’s seen of Cairo in action.

“He’s done a fantastic job from Day 1 when he told everyone what he expected from everybody,” Narron told the Sun-Times. “He has communicated extremely well, he has a lot of energy in the dugout during games and he’s come in with a very, very positive attitude and message. These guys bought into it.”

When Narron made eye contact with La Russa in the visitors dugout in Oakland last Sunday after not seeing him for a couple of weeks, his smile stretched from ear to ear.

“We’re a family and our first concern is health on everybody,” Narron said. “Our main concern is Tony getting well and living a long, productive life. More than winning and losing, as much as we want to win. Everyone here is concerned about his health.”

La Russa turns 78 on the second to last day of the season. Whether he returns before then remains to be seen as he awaits clearance from cardiologists.

“[Managing] is an extremely tough grind. I’m just thankful they caught what was going on [with his pacemaker] early enough that he has a chance to get some things straight, and whatever happens, happens,” Narron said.

The uncertainty of La Russa’s status with 15 games to go heading into a crucial three-game home series with the AL Central leading Guardians doesn’t matter to the coaching staff, Narron said.

“Nobody is concerned about that,” Narron said. “We come out day to day, and until we’re told different, Miggy is the manager. We know we need to win every day and nobody is distracted at all by any of this. They’ve played well.”

The Sox upping their home run output with 31 under Cairo’s watch and new shortstop Elvis Andrus’ performance have helped tremendously, Narron said.

Cairo lets the coaches do their thing but he asks more questions and for more input from coaches than La Russa would during games. He said he “would love” to manage.

“I love the adrenaline, I love the challenge,” Cairo, 48, said.

As coach Shelley Duncan noted, Cairo had no time to prepare for an unexpected assignment but handled it seamlessly.

“It hasn’t been some huge, drastic change,” Duncan said.

“It’s not like he’s a different voice or different face, he’s been here and involved with everyone.

“It’s hard to say we’re playing well because of Miguel when this is a players-centric sport, and these guys understand where we are in the season. These guys decided to come together and really bring it. Miguel created the atmosphere that allows it to happen, he’s not stifling them or getting in their way. That’s been good for everyone.”

Duncan, whose father Dave was La Russa’s pitching coach with three teams including the Sox in the 1980s, has known La Russa longer than anyone.

So what happens if La Russa would come back?

“I don’t know,” Duncan said. “Interesting for everyone. We have a lot of pros in there. Leadership [among players] is stepping up, it’s fun to watch that. I expect them to, no matter what happens, to keep being pro about things and going out and playing with this energy. And as a staff we keep that same enthusiasm.

“Really, it’s a delicate situation because people can look too deep into it and pull out things that maybe don’t exist. But the bottom line is Miguel got thrust into a situation that’s really difficult and he’s doing a great job. It’s hard. It’s really hard, so I respect him tremendously.”

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GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Bears’ call for quarterback Justin Fields to line up in the shotgun for a dive into the end zone on a crucial play late in their loss to the Packers on Sunday was bizarre. But it almost worked.

The Packers stopped Fields short on his fourth-down run from the 1-yard line, and Bears coach Matt Eberflus challenged the ruling. After extensive replay review, there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the call and give Fields the touchdown.

Running back David Montgomery, who was in the scrum as Fields tried to push across the goal line, thought the officials got it wrong. He also thought the call was, at least in part, a product of playing in Green Bay.

“I [saw] a touchdown,” Montgomery said. “I was right next to the ball. But, I mean, I wouldn’t expect anything less — we’re not in Soldier Field. Home-field advantage. Next time we’ve just gotta be sure that we put it in, no question marks.”

Fields also believed he got in, but added, “You have to face the facts,” once the call is final.

At that point, the fact was that the game was over. Instead of cutting the Packers’ lead to 24-17 with 8:07 remaining, the Bears remained down two touchdowns and the Packers got the ball back. Aaron Rodgers led them 89 yards, draining 5:39 in clock, for a field goal and won 27-10.

The play call itself, by offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, was maddening and reminiscent of the overthinking that got former head coach Matt Nagy in trouble. Getsy won’t address it until he speaks to the media Thursday.

Montgomery, who rushed for 122 yards at an average of 8.1 per carry, didn’t object to Fields getting the ball in that spot instead of him.

“I just wanted to score,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t care how we got in. And I feel like we scored.”

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Darnell Mooney hasn’t done much for the Chicago Bears this season

Darnell Mooney’s name hasn’t been said much on Chicago Bears broadcasts this season. The third-year wide receiver wanted to get his respect as the Bears’ number one receiver this season. The problem for Mooney, he has four total receiving yards this season.

Mooney had -4 yards receiving in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. That’s an abysmal night for an NFL’s number one wide receiver in 2022. A casual fan might think Mooney had an off night against the Packers. Maybe, but Mooney caught one pass in Week 1 for eight yards. Mooney has two catches for four yards through two games this season.

Mooney’s numbers are indicative of the Chicago Bears’ design on offense

Mooney’s numbers were low, but it wasn’t like the Bears had many attempts passing in Week 2. Quarterback Justin Fields threw the ball 11 times against the Packers. Mooney was only targeted twice. He was targeted three times against the San Francisco 49ers.

Mooney’s numbers stand in contrast to the 2021 season. Mooney led the Bears in receiving with 1,055 yards. He was targeted 140 times last season. Mooney is currently on pace to have 43 targets this season. That largely seems like that’s the design on the offense.

Some of Mooney’s routes are odd if you watch the tape. The Bears’ opening drive of the third quarter had Mooney cross inside before reverse. The action was slow, and Mooney, who ran a route shallow of the first down, didn’t create enough separation to get open before Fields was pressured.

On the next play, a third down, we see Mooney help left tackle Braxton Jones block before he takes off to the left on another route shallow of the first down. Notice how many skilled players protect the pass on this play against a four-man pass rush.

Week 1 might not be an anomaly for the Chicago Bears

Week 1’s numbers appeared to be a little skewed because people thought they watched a modern NFL offense needing to overcome a heavy rainstorm. Nope. The offense is designed to run the ball and not to put the ball into the hands of their wide receivers. The running game was the only positive offense the Bears had against the Packers.

The Bears need to find a way to scheme a passing offense this year. While the Bears attempted to come back on the heels of running back David Montgomery, the run game chewed up the clock and gave the Bears fewer chances to come back from being down 17 points.

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GREEN BAY, Wis. –Takeaways from the Bears’ loss Sunday night at Lambeau Field:

Flags

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was proud of the Bears’ discipline in the season opener, but that seemed to disappear against the Packers. It took the Bears about 18 minutes to post more penalty yards than the three flags for 24 yards they had in the opener.The Bears finished with seven penalties for 50 yards.

‘Mega-punt’

Playing in the rivalry game on the other sideline after eight years with the Bears, Packers punter Pat O’Donnell made his only punt of the first half count booting one 72 yards. The Packers snapped the ball at their own 28 and O’Donnell punted it to the opposite end zone for a touchback. O’Donnell left the Bears for the Packers via free agency in March, and the Bears drafted Trenton Gill in Round 7.

PAT is good

In a driving rainstorm last week, Bears kicker Cairo Santos missed his last two extra-point attempts–one wide left and the other wide right. Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower pledged his support to the veteran kicker during the week and, Sunday night, Santos made a PAT in the first quarter and a 44-yard field goal in the third.

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Kostas Antetokounmpo, the brother of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, is signing a training camp deal with the Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are set to bring an Antetokounmpo to training camp.

Kostas Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of former NBA MVP and Champion, Giannis, will compete for a two-way contract with the Windy City franchise.

Malcolm Hill, who held a two-way contract with the Bulls last season, and Carlik Jones, who played for the Bulls at the Summer League in Las Vegas, are among the other players expected to compete for a two-way contract.

Kostas, a 6-foot-10-inch power forward, appeared in 15 games with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. He has played in 22 career NBA games, including a stint with the Dallas Mavericks, and owns career averages of 1 point and 1 rebound.

He spent the summer playing for Greece alongside his brothers, Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, during the EuroBasket tournament, where he averaged 5.8 points on 69.2 percent shooting from the field.

His older brother, Giannis, is a six-time All-Star, two-time most valuable player, NBA Finals MVP. He also led the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2020-21 championship.

Should he earn the two-way spot with the Bulls, he will likely spend the majority of his time with the G League’s Windy City Bulls.

The Bulls begin training camp by the end of September.

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Kostas Antetokounmpo, the brother of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, is signing a training camp deal with the Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are set to bring an Antetokounmpo to training camp.

Kostas Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of former NBA MVP and Champion, Giannis, will compete for a two-way contract with the Windy City franchise.

Malcolm Hill, who held a two-way contract with the Bulls last season, and Carlik Jones, who played for the Bulls at the Summer League in Las Vegas, are among the other players expected to compete for a two-way contract.

Kostas, a 6-foot-10-inch power forward, appeared in 15 games with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. He has played in 22 career NBA games, including a stint with the Dallas Mavericks, and owns career averages of 1 point and 1 rebound.

He spent the summer playing for Greece alongside his brothers, Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, during the EuroBasket tournament, where he averaged 5.8 points on 69.2 percent shooting from the field.

His older brother, Giannis, is a six-time All-Star, two-time most valuable player, NBA Finals MVP. He also led the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2020-21 championship.

Should he earn the two-way spot with the Bulls, he will likely spend the majority of his time with the G League’s Windy City Bulls.

The Bulls begin training camp by the end of September.

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Patrick Finley and Jason Lieser debate what Aaron Rodgers’ continued dominance of the Bears — and Justin Fields’ struggles — mean for the rivalry and the Bears’ season.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify, and Stitcher.

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Is there an emerging pattern about the 2022 Chicago Bears two games into the season?

The Chicago Bears went up to Green Bay for their week 2 game against the Packers and lost another game to their NFC rival.  This game never felt close, the Packers pulled away with three unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter to head into the locker room leading 24-7 and the Bears barely mustered a comeback.

Sure it was 24-10 at one point with the Bears 1st and goal late in the fourth quarter, but the Packers truly dominated from wire to wire.  Even with the Justin Fields touchdown that may have been missed, you can’t come away from this game with much confidence about the Bears moving forward.

The Chicago Bears seemed to be the team that is near the bottom of the league in talent in this game and it showed up in a big way.  Here are some of the key failures in this game that showed the Bears:

Where was the run defense?

The Chicago Bears were gashed in the run game early on as the Packers imposed their will on a very weak defensive tackle rotation.  Angelo Blackson made a couple of plays, but the overall scope of the run defense was atrocious.  The Bears gave up 191 yards on 31 carries to Green Bay’s runningbacks.  That’s a whopping 6.1 yards per carry.

The Packers just obliterated the Bears front seven in the run game, against a very poor defensive front that could be a sign of things to come as the season gets established.  Angelo Blackson was brought in to be a backup behind Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols and Akiem Hicks, now he finds himself in a starting role. Justin was plan B after the failed signing of Larry Ogonjobi.

Jones Nicholas Morrow and Matt Adams aren’t truly starting caliber players at the linebacker spots who would likely be starting for any other team in the NFL.  In Chicago, they are key starters in a run defense that could have shown that it will be the weak link for the rest of the season.  

Where is the passing game?

Justin Fields had 11 attempts in the passing game and never really was allowed to threaten the Packers with his arm.  It was the opposite of a Matt Nagy game, where Luke Getsy never seemed to allow Fields to get into a rhythm in the passing game as he didn’t even call pass plays.

The last time Getsy was a play caller was in college, and he was known as having a very low usage of the pass in his play calling.  Getsy’s run-heavy approach in the college game may be a precursor for things to come in Chicago.  The worst of what Getsy was in college as a run-first play caller has shown up in a big way over the first two games of the Bears’ schedule.  Will it be a concern moving forward?  Getsy’s history says it could be a problem and it will interesting to see how the passing game develops moving forward.

Kyler Gordon was toast

Kyler Gordon was attacked in the passing game all night and looked completely lost.  That’s expected when you’re a brand new rookie playing in your first key game against a Hall of Fame caliber QB that knows how to exploit new players.  The attack on Gordon was go glaring that teams are completely ignoring Jaylon Johnson on the other side.

Gordon bit on double moves and was out of position on multiple plays.  He’ll have to learn from his mistakes today and get better as the season goes on.  The biggest concern about Gordon though may be his lack of recovery speed.  If he gets beat on the initial move, he doesn’t have much ability to recover and make a play once he’s out of position.

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