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Bears quarterback Justin Fields looks to throw the ball during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on Sunday. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Now, should Justin Fields start against the Raiders next week?

Patrick Finley, Jason Lieser and Mark Potash talk about the Bears winning their must-win game, stump for Justin Fields starting against the Raiders and wonder why Matt Nagy still seems to be acting weird about this whole play-caller situation. Plus: Potsie’s game balls!

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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Bears coach Matt Nagy (right, with quarterback Justin Fields) said play calling is a team game. ‘Whatever happens, it goes through me. We’ve done it together.” | Nam Y. Huh/AP

The Bears’ head coach gave up play-calling to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor — and the offense responded in a 24-14 victory over the Lions. “I felt good out there as a head coach,” Nagy said.

There was no update on Akiem Hicks’ groin or David Montgomery’s knee after the Bears’ 24-14 victory over the Lions at Soldier Field, but Matt Nagy’s bruised ego should recover in time for next week’s game against the Raiders.

How difficult it must be for the Bears’ head coach to relinquish play-calling duties in his fourth season, and for the second time in the last two. Getting Nagy to address the issue directly the last seven days has been like a trip to the dentist’s office — for him and for us.

It was pretty clear from the Bears’ first two offensive plays against the Lions on Sunday that Nagy had ceded play calling responsibilities to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. The Bears used three tight ends on their first play from scrimmage — a clean nine-yard run up the middle by David Montgomery. And on the second play, Montgomery ran right behind tight end/blocking back J.P. Holtz for a four-yard gain and a first down. And the Bears’ offense was off and running.

But after the game, the subject was as painful as ever.

“Did you delegate play calling?” Nagy was asked.

“That goes back to what we talked about internally through the whole week — whatever I can do,” Nagy said. “Ultimately it goes through me. Everything we do, regardless of everything else — who’s calling this; who’s calling that — it goes through me.

“I thought our coaches did a great job today. I thought our coaches executed. Again, with all due respect — I understand the questions, but that’s what it is and that’s what it’s gonna be the rest of the year, is just knowing that whatever happens, it goes through me. And we’ve done it together.”

Nagy’s reticence to address the play calling subject is a little mystifying. Unlike the quarterback decision, there’s little to no value in being secretive about who your play caller is. As Nagy is finding out, it’s detrimental in the big picture — the exact distraction he’s trying to avoid.

Simply, it must just be a huge blow to his pride. He came here as a 21st-century offensive guru and prized protege of Andy Reid — a year after Sean McVay worked wonders for the Rams. To give up play calling must be torture. Even when relenting after being pressed on identifying the play caller in Sunday’s game, Nagy was indirect.

“In regards to the play calling, Bill did a great job,” Nagy said in his first acknowledgement that Lazor called the plays. “At the same time, it’s important that we understand that I felt good out there as a head coach. That’s real, you know?

“But we all get together — and we do that when I’m calling plays, too. I think that’s important for everybody to know. When we build a game plan … we do it together. Then in the end, I have a great opportunity to say, ‘Yes, I like this.’ Or, ‘No, I don’t’ as head coach, right? [I’m] in charge of all that.

“Whatever I need to do to try to be the best head coach for the Chicago Bears — whatever that is, I don’t care. I just want us to have the best opportunity to win.”

Actually, it sound like Nagy is having a tough time coming to that reality. When he gave up play calling to Lazor last year, he was much more direct and clear. Now, it’s a sore subject.

“I feel like Bill did a great job today,” Nagy said. “Our players did a great job. Our coaching staff did a great job. Everybody. And when you have that, it’s a good feeling. So we’ll continue to just keep talking. But with all due respect, it’s going to be the last time I talk about [the play-caller].”

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People sit on the street near the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue in the Austin neighborhood, where a person was fatally shot and two were injured, Friday morning, Oct. 1, 2021. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The suspects are members of two warring factions of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang who allegedly shot it out Friday morning in the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue, where more than 70 shell casings were found.

Five men linked to a deadly gang-related shootout Friday in Austin were released from custody after prosecutors declined to charge each of them with a pair of felonies, including first-degree murder, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

The brazen mid-morning gunfight, which left one shooter dead and two of the suspects wounded, stemmed from an internal dispute between two factions of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang, according to an internal police report and a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation.

The source said police sought to charge all five suspects with murder and aggravated battery. By Sunday morning, a Chicago police spokeswoman acknowledged the suspects had “been released without charges.”

In a statement later Sunday, Cristina Villareal, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, explained that prosecutors had “determined that the evidence was insufficient to meet our burden of proof to approve felony charges.” Police officials agreed with the decision, Villareal added.

While she wouldn’t specify what other evidence prosecutors needed to file charges, the police report acknowledged that victims of the shootout weren’t cooperating with investigators.

But the report also framed the state’s attorney’s office’s decision to decline charges in a different light: “Mutual combatants was cited as the reason for the rejection.” Mutual combat is a legal term used to define a fight or struggle that two parties willingly engage in.

Last week, Cook County prosecutors came under fire after reportedly making a similar argument after a teenager was stabbed to death during a fight in suburban Schaumburg. The family of the victim, 18-year-old Manuel Porties Jr., later told WGN that prosecutors specifically said they weren’t charging the 17-year-old suspect with murder because the fatal fight amounted to mutual combat.

Meanwhile, as the city grapples with a spate of rolling shootouts that have erupted over the past week, the law enforcement source raised concerns that the rejection could encourage more brash violence. Much like those shootouts, the narrative of Saturday’s gun battle in Austin was reminiscent of an action movie scene.

“It’s just like the Wild West,” the source said of the exchange of gunfire in the violence-plagued neighborhood on the West Side.

Over 70 shell casings, a torched car and a SWAT situation

About 10:30 a.m., two Dodge Chargers driven by members of the Body Snatchers faction of the Four Corner Hustlers drove to the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue and exchanged words with members of the gang’s Jack Boys set, according to the source and the police report.

After circling the block and coming back, at least three individuals jumped out of the Chargers and began to shoot into a brick house using handguns equipped with “switches” that made the weapons fully automatic, noted the source and report. Members of the Jack Boys who were inside the home then began firing back.

Two of the Body Snatchers were left wounded, including an unidentified 32-year-old man who was later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the report and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. A 29-year-old man aligned with the Jack Boys was also struck.

While the source confirmed over 70 shell casings were found outside the home, that likely doesn’t reflect the number of shots that were fired from inside.

The gunfight, which was caught on a police POD camera, came to a halt when a police cruiser pulled up to the block, according to the report and the source. The Body Snatchers then fled in the Chargers, leaving their fatally wounded accomplice behind.

One of the cars was later “found engulfed in flames nearby,” the report states. The other was used to drop off the non-fatal gunshot victim at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where it was later spotted by local police.

During a brief chase, the 20-year-old driver crashed and he was taken into custody, according to the source and the report. An AK-47 assault rifle was found in the car, though police don’t believe it was used in the shooting.

Both Chargers were likely stolen, according to the source, who said one car had a “dealer plate” and the other had no license plates at all.

Those affiliated with the Jack Boys, meanwhile, refused to leave the home on Mason, causing a standoff that required a SWAT team to respond, the source said.

Police looked to charge three Jack Boys who were eventually taken into custody, including the man who was shot, the source said. Investigators also sought charges against two members of the Body Snatchers — the driver who crashed the Charger and the 20-year-old man he took to West Suburban.

The Sun-Times isn’t naming the suspects because they haven’t been charged with any crime.

Detectives wanted to charge the Body Snatchers affiliates with the killing of their slain accomplice under Illinois’ controversial felony murder rule, which allows a defendant to be convicted of first-degree murder if they commit certain felonies that ultimately lead to another person’s death.

The rule was recently curtailed in the sweeping criminal justice reform bill signed in February by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, but attorneys on Sunday agreed the gang members could still potentially be charged under the revised language.

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Bears receiver Darnell Mooney catches a pass Sunday. | David Banks/AP

Justin Fields might be the best thing to ever happen to Darnell Mooney.

Rookie quarterback Justin Fields might be the best thing to happen to receiver Darnell Mooney.

With Fields at the helm Sunday, Mooney posted 125 receiving yards, 32 more than his previous career high. His 135 all-purpose yards — Mooney also had a 10-yard run — were the most of his career. His 64-yard catch in the first quarter was the longest of his career, too.

”Me and Mooney, we stay almost every day after practice to throw at least a few extra routes,” Fields said after the Bears’ 24-14 victory. ”So me and him are pretty much always on the same page. He had a great day. He balled out.”

Mooney said practice during the Bears’ trying week was ”amazing to be a part of.” That included the extra work he got in with Fields.

”Just getting some reps in,” he said. ”Being more defined in the reps, locking in and not being so tight. And just having fun.”

Mooney was averaging 7.7 yards per catch entering the game but averaged 25 on Sunday. The Bears’ blocking gave him time to go deep. After giving up nine sacks against the Browns — the second-most in franchise history — the Bears allowed only one.

”They played their butts off,” coach Matt Nagy said.

Hicks hurt

Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks injured his groin on the Lions’ first play and was taken to the locker room shortly thereafter. The Bears ruled Hicks, who landed awkwardly while trying to make a tackle, out at the start of the second half.

”It’s tough when you lose a soldier and a vocal leader like Akiem,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith said. ”But it’s the next-man-up mentality, and I know he’s going to do everything in his power to get himself back in the best situation for himself and the team.”

Getting their takeaways

The Bears’ two takeaways came inside their own 10. From the Bears’ 8 in the first quarter, Lions quarterback Jared Goff watched the shotgun snap bounce off his thigh and bicep and land in defensive lineman Bilal Nichols’ arms.

From the Bears’ 3 in the second quarter, Goff dropped back and was sacked by Robert Quinn, who poked the ball loose. Fellow outside linebacker Khalil Mack recovered it and ran, though was flagged for lateraling the ball forward to safety Eddie Jackson. It was Quinn’s fifth sack of the season.

”You need time to get there, so coverage had their people locked down,” Quinn said. “Got an extra second or two to get to the quarterback.”

This and that

In his first regular-season game since Dec. 15, 2019, nose tackle Eddie Goldman started but wasn’t credited with a tackle. He sat out last season because of coronavirus concerns and missed the first three games of this season with a knee injury.

o Quarterback Andy Dalton, who was ruled doubtful late Saturday, didn’t dress. Nick Foles served as the backup.

o Strong safety Tashaun Gipson missed his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury.

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The Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights | John Starks/Daily Herald file via AP

Around the country, professional sports team owners keep pulling money out of the pockets of taxpayers. Enough of that.

It’s still early in the game, but we’re going to shout this to the top of Soldier Field right now:

Nobody should even think about picking the pockets of the taxpayers for a single dollar to build the Chicago Bears a new stadium in Arlington Heights.

The Bears are looking at building a new stadium on the site of the old Arlington International Racecourse. The team just this last week signed an agreement to buy the site for $197 million.

We’ve seen this play before, here and across the country. A professional sports team wants a new or refurbished stadium, it persuades the taxpayers to pick up an unreasonable share of the cost and then it walks away before you know it, leaving behind a white elephant.

Less than 20 years ago, Chicago — meaning Chicago taxpayers — committed $432 million to renovate Soldier Field for the Bears, money the taxpayers are still forking over. And now, already, the team is angling to leave or strike a better deal. But enough. The city should not further burden the taxpayers to support a privately owned football team worth $4 billion.

And the suburb of Arlington Heights, the State of Illinois and any other governmental entity should send the same message — if the the Bears want to move, they must foot the bill themselves.

Public largess for stadiums comes in all sorts of forms. A government might sell bonds that must be backed by property or sales taxes. Or it might create a tax increment financing district. Or offer property tax rebates. Or give a team a share of the amusement taxes. Or steer to a team revenues from a publicly financed stadium.

If the Bears move to Arlington Heights, what are the chances the team will pay for the new roads and other infrastructure needed to make the stadium work? About zero. You, the taxpayer, will pay those costs, directly or indirectly.

Sports teams always justify such public investment by claiming their new stadiums will produce all sorts of new benefits for the people of a town. Revenue will flow into municipal budgets! But when it comes to football stadiums that host just 10 or so games a year, studies show that does not happen. Stadiums are not reliable builders of local economies.

Arlington Heights has dodged this bullet before. In the 1970s, the Bears wanted the village to issue general obligation bonds to build a stadium possibly patterned after the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. Fortunately, the Bears deal fell through. The Detroit Pistons moved out of the Silverdome 10 years after it was completed in 1975 and the Detroit Lions pulled up stakes 13 years later. Pontiac sold the stadium for less than 1% of the cost to build it. It was razed in 2017.

Before the Bears come calling, elected leaders such as Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes and Gov. J.B. Pritzker should tell the Bears that every dollar of taxpayer money is in a lockbox. And they should tell them now.

Send letters to [email protected].

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Gaston Gimenez and the Fire lost their first game after Raphael Wicky was dismissed, dropping Sunday’s match to Toronto FC. | Courtesy of the Fire

“You always look at the coach, but there’s responsibility on everyone,” Klopas said after the Fire lost 3-1 to Toronto. “It’s not just on one person.”

There are things Raphael Wicky could have done better as the Fire’s coach, but he isn’t the only person who’s the cause of another lost season. Sporting director Georg Heitz is taking his share of the blame for building a subpar roster, and owner Joe Mansueto is responsible for the time crunch that forced Heitz to hastily construct the team two years ago.

The players also contributed to Wicky’s downfall, something captain Francisco Calvo acknowledged after the Fire’s 3-1 loss Sunday at Toronto FC. Calvo said it’s tough to lose a coach so close to the end of the season and that the locker room was sad about Wicky’s departure. Calvo also said the players wish Wicky the best, and he called him a great person and coach.

Alas, the players’ apparent feelings for Wicky weren’t enough.

“Of course we need to take responsibility for this, too,” said Calvo, who made his first Fire appearance since Aug. 21 after dealing with a right thigh issue. “At the end of the day, sometimes the coach goes first, then the players. It’s a hard job for them, but it’s how it is.

“[Soccer] is like that, and of course we [didn’t] want him to leave, but we need to take responsibility because our performance during the year wasn’t good enough.”

Three days after Wicky was dismissed, the Fire continued playing out the string on their 2021 season and surrendered the last three goals of the game after taking a first-half lead. Team legend Frank Klopas is leading the Fire while academy coach Ludovic Taillandier is serving as an assistant, along with goalkeeping coach Adin Brown.

Obviously, the Fire didn’t expect to see themselves in this position, finishing a lost year with an interim coach. But for a host of reasons, Wicky was unable to get the points to stay in realistic playoff contention and save his job, which he officially lost Thursday.

“It’s always difficult when things change in the club,” goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina said. “Right now, we still have five games left, so I think the focus is going to be on trying to finish the season the best we can and continue to fight and push each and every single game and go out and give our all. The situation is difficult, but we’re doing our best to try and focus on the games and give our all.”

Klopas – who is not a candidate for the permanent position – also praised Wicky, citing his work ethic and commitment to his job, also calling him a great human being. Yet the business of soccer is a tough one that’s based on results, and Wicky’s record through almost two seasons wasn’t good enough.

However, Wicky wasn’t the only reason the Fire are headed home before the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The whole soccer side of the franchise came up short.

“You always look at the coach, but there’s responsibility on everyone,” Klopas said. “It’s not just on one person.”

NOTES: Attacker Fabian Herbers was removed due to a hamstring injury in the 21st minute and replaced by Ignacio Aliseda. Moments earlier, Herbers had the assist on Robert Beric’s 16th-minute goal that gave the Fire a 1-0 lead.

* The Fire also dismissed director of performance Ben Donachie. The team suffered a rash of injuries during training camp and the first half of the season.

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Shots were fired at police October 3, 2021 in Gresham. | Adobe Stock Photo

Officers were responding to a call about 2:50 p.m. when they saw a male firing shots in an alley in the 500 block of West 88th Street.

A person was arrested after shots were fired at police officers Sunday afternoon in Gresham.

Officers were responding to a call about 2:50 p.m. when they saw a male firing shots in an alley in the 500 block of West 88th Street, Chicago police said.

The gunman managed to escape after shooting at the officers, according to police.

Officers placed another male in custody, police said.

No injuries were reported.

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Alex Ogletree led the team with 12 tackles against the Lions in Week 4. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Plus, a look at wide receivers Allen Robinson’s minor role in the offense and why the overall defensive performance was shakier than it looked.

It was a jubilant afternoon for the Bears on Sunday as rookie quarterback Justin Fields progressed and coach Matt Nagy got the heat off himself for a week by beating the Lions 24-14.

While Fields’ performance, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s play calling and running back David Montgomery’s injury were the dominant storylines, here are three observations beyond the obvious:

Dicey defense

The final stats look strong for the Bears’ defense, but there’s still cause for concern after the Lions drove inside their 10-yard line on each of their first three possessions. The Bears continued to have lapses in the secondary and costly penalties, and Lions quarterback Jared Goff posted a 105 passer rating on them.

Rocky day for Robinson

Allen Robinson has been the Bears’ best wide receiver since signing with them in 2018, but he has just 13 catches for 149 over the first four games. Fields threw to him three times Sunday, and he caught all three passes for 28, 27 and eight yards. His agent, Brandon Parker, tweeted, “Glad to see the team win but 3 total targets?”

Ogletree’s audition

Linebacker Alec Ogletree was an afterthought — all accounts indicate that he caught the Bears’ attention incidentally by hanging out at the facility with Robert Quinn while on vacation — but he has made a strong case to be their permanent starter even when Danny Trevathan returns. Ogletree led the Bears with 12 tackles Sunday, including one for loss, and broke up a pass.

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The Bears’ Matt Nagy coaching ’em up Sunday at Soldier Field. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

With coordinator Bill Lazor calling the plays, Justin Fields & Co. get a bounce-back victory.

The best sight Sunday was not David Montgomery running, Justin Fields throwing, Darnell Mooney making great catches or even the Lions showing up on the schedule.

It was Matt Nagy, hands on knees, exhorting. That’s a nice way of saying, “The best sight Sunday was Matt Nagy not calling plays.”

The Bears head coach cheered on his team, letting offensive coordinator Bill Lazor do the play calling, and the result, possibly a complete coincidence (no), was a 24-14 victory.

What does it all mean? That’s a very broad question, but forced to give an answer, I would offer three: We’re all alone in this universe, we need to be kind to each other and the microphone on Nagy’s headset should never be turned on again. That’s not based on last week’s atrocity against the Browns but on the sickly body of his work as a play caller for the Bears.

“Bill did a great job” calling plays, Nagy said after Sunday’s game. “At the same point in time, it’s important that we understand that I felt good out there as a head coach. That’s real. But we all get together (during the week). We talk through how we’re going to call the game. … We do it together. I get a great opportunity to say, yes, I like this or, no, I don’t — as the head coach, right, in charge of all that.”

To sum up: Nagy is the head coach. He’s in charge of everything. But if you’re going to be a quibbler, no, he wasn’t in charge of calling the plays during Sunday’s game. So not really in charge of everything.

OK?

Good things happen when Montgomery is able to run the ball. It stops opponents from teeing off on the quarterback, the way Cleveland did the previous week in Fields’ first NFL start. Lazor gets this. He got it last season at times when he took over the play calling from Nagy.

So the Lions got a heaping helping of Montgomery right from the start. He rushed seven times in a 12-play drive, including a 4-yard touchdown run to help give the Bears a 7-0 lead. There are few running backs who run harder than this guy. Lazor gets that, too. The Bears finished with 188 rushing yards, Montgomery with 106.

It can’t be overstated: When it came to generous, true-blue Friends of the Program, the Bears had no bigger supporter at Soldier Field on Sunday than the 0-4 Lions. But this also can’t be overstated: Fields was sacked nine times the week before, so who cares how giving the Lions were? All that matters is that Nagy’s lack of creativity was not allowed to ruin the possibility of a gimme.

Fields needed a confidence builder. He got it because Montgomery softened up the Lions’ defense and because the offensive line … what’s the word? … blocked. He was sacked just once. The rookie made some very nice throws that were doable because he had time to throw.

The previous week, the Browns were on him before a neuron could fire. On Sunday, he had connections of 64, 32 and 21 yards with Mooney and 28 and 27 yards with Allen Robinson. He looked like he belonged. His numbers — 11-of-17, 209 yards, no touchdowns and one interception off a tipped pass — said the same thing.

“I feel like before the game I know when I’m in a rhythm and I know when I’m feeling good,” he said. “I felt good just coming into the game throwing the ball. So I knew it was going to be a good day.”

The Lions drove inside the Bears’ 10-yard line three times in the first half and came away with no points. That’s a testament to the Bears’ defense and to the Lions’ inherent Lions-ness. On one first-quarter play, quarterback Jared Goff wasn’t prepared for the snap, and the ball bounced off his right knee into the hands of Bears defensive lineman Bilal Nichols. It’s like that, being the Lions.

Of course, the 2-2 Bears are in no position to mock anyone. Last week’s embarrassing loss led to days of public outrage over the direction of the franchise.

And if you’re looking for your weekly dose of darkness, it came when Montgomery went down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter. He walked off the field with help and seemed to be in considerable pain. The Bears will be, too, if he’s out for an extended period.

“Got down and prayed,” Mooney said when asked what he did when he saw Montgomery down.

That was the right approach. A lot rides on the running back’s health.

Nagy said he won’t answer any more questions this season about who is calling the plays. Maybe he thinks it will be a distraction. Maybe he knows it would reflect poorly on his past performances if Lazor does well. Maybe he’s embarrassed because he was hired based on his know-how on offense.

Or maybe, just maybe, we simply need to appreciate that Nagy feels good as a head coach and that he’s in charge. That’s real. Reportedly.

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