Give John Fox some credit. He’s somehow managed to maintain control of the Chicago Bears despite three-straight years of losing seasons. Most head coaches would have long since completely lost a grip on his players. If nothing else that’s a testament to his ability to maintain order. At the same time, that hasn’t prevented certain players from taking subtle jabs at him in the media. Not so much over Fox himself, but rather his philosophies.
Mitch Trubisky, in the most innocent way possible, brought it up multiple times. He stated the offense was doing as much as “Coach Fox allows” during an early press conference. Then after the win in Cincinnati he confirmed that the offense had been more aggressive than usual. All the while not trying to hide the “I told you so” look on his face.
His teammate though, wide receiver Kendall Wright, doesn’t have the same level subtlety. After delivering his best game of his Bears career last Sunday, it seems he was intent on venting some minor frustrations after weeks and weeks of outside criticism. His target, though without naming names of course? You guessed it.
Kendall Wright blames John Fox run-heavy scheme for the receiver issue
It was clear that Wright wasn’t happy about taking criticism for not producing enough in the passing game this year. After delivering a 10-catch, 107-yard performance in Cincinnati though he seized the chance to explain that talent wasn’t the problem with the Bears receiving corps. It was utilization.
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“We don’t get the opportunities that most receivers get.
How do you know if you’re good or not if you’re only getting two or three targets a game?” Wright said. “If you watch somebody else’s games, Antonio Brown (of the Steelers) would have 15 targets and he’s great.
You come to our game, we have two and (it’s), ‘Aw, the Bears need receivers.’ They don’t need receivers. When you balance it up, you see what our receivers do.”
Is it a fair criticism? While Wright is not on the same level as Brown would more targets be producing more results? Currently he sits at 477 yards on 64 targets from Bears quarterbacks. Brown has had an absurd 160 thrown his way. So if one were to simply double the number of targets (128) Wright has had this year, he’d average out to over 950 yards with three games to play.
It might be an overly simplified excuse but not entirely unfair. It’s hard to produce at a quality level in the NFL without a fair amount of opportunities. Running backs tend not to have great games unless they get a certain number of carries. Cornerbacks won’t get a lot of interceptions if opposing QBs refuse to throw the ball in their direction much. Receivers are no different.
At the same time much of the original beef is still in place. The Bears receiving corps is undermanned and needs more talent. Whether Wright likes it or not, there will be changes coming this off-season.
