DENVER — Hello from the Rocky Mountains. As we get set for the Bears-Lions barnburner at Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to get one more Bears Mailbag out to you all.
Obviously, last Sunday’s dismal loss to the Baltimore Ravens at home was a tipping point for Chicago. The optics of losing to Tyler Huntley in that fashion? At home? To fall to 3-7 with a five-game losing streak? There’s no recovering from it.
Thread: Some thoughts after Ravens-Bears…
1a. I said it yesterday: that loss was the final nail in this regime's coffin.
Losing at home to Tyler Huntley — while really not much different game-plan wise from Lamar Jackson — was optically the worst possible outcome.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 22, 2021
After that loss, several stories began to leak, starting with Matt Nagy starting to lose the locker room (keeping it together was one of his strengths til date). In fact, it was reported that he started to lose some players in the locker room dating back to last season. Whew.
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This is where covering the Bears becomes a chore.
A "dead man walking" scenario is a massive waste of time.
If I'm the Bears, I fire Matt Nagy after the game in Detroit and name John DeFilippo interim HC. It's a chance to evaluate him (a real HC candidate) for six games. https://t.co/3ojrslilxQ
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 22, 2021
And then yesterday’s Patch.com report stating that Nagy had already been informed that Thanksgiving’s game in Detroit would be his last came out — a report that had its semantics picked apart more so than the actual content itself.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 23, 2021
It’s been a tough season for Nagy, especially considering the Bears looked primed for a run after a dominating 20-9 win in Las Vegas that got them to 3-2. Say what you want about his coaching, you have to feel for the person. What he had to deal with yesterday was unnecessary.
Here’s hoping the Bears can get him a nationally-televised win in Detroit tomorrow, come what may of his future.
With that, let’s reach into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
Bears Mailbag
If Fields is healthy, it's going to be Fields.
Nagy confirmed that Fields is QB1 when healthy today.
At this rate, even if they win Thursday, they'd be 4-7 and not contenders.
There's nothing left to care about except for Fields.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 23, 2021
Desai's a decent overall first year as a DC, especially after a rude welcome in Week 1 in Los Angeles.
As his available talent has diminished, he's struggled more lately. Overall, I think he's a good coach who has the personality to be a HC candidate one day.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 24, 2021
Roman is a proven OC who would bring a great rushing attack to Chicago. But that just doesn't matter much in this league.
They need a strong passing attack to win. Fields is a better passer than Lamar, but can he pass in Roman's scheme?
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 24, 2021
It's possible, but they would've made that move closer to then, not made him a public dead-man walking for the next five games.
There's still a lot of season left to get through!
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 24, 2021
TBD this offseason after all the franchise tags and re-signings take place. It's too difficult to know right now.
But position-wise, I scour:
WR
C
CB— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 24, 2021
I'd imagine December 5 against Arizona is the more likely target.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 23, 2021
There's hope for sure.
Borom looks legit.
I like Daniels a lot (they have to re-sign him, though).
If Jenkins is good, that's obviously good.
Whitehair is good enough.
They need a new center.But that's a solid group, assuming an upgrade at C.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 24, 2021
He needs to get reps and continue to play, now that they have started him down this path. If his injury is manageable, he should be out there.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 23, 2021
Considering draft and free agency, they will/should:
– Find a new starting C
– Re-sign Mustipher for depth
– Sign James Daniels to an extension
– Possibly try to find a replacement for Cody Whitehair— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 23, 2021
GM candidates I like: Rick Smith, Will McClay
HC candidates I like: Kellen Moore, Brian Daboll, Nathaniel Hackett
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 24, 2021
Lots of WR depth, which is good for the Bears. I could see them using at least two draft picks on WRs.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 24, 2021
Nagy — almost certainly.
Pace — it's more probable than not, though there's also this:https://t.co/otOESJm8F0
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 23, 2021
He has about 15 days left to try to get activated and onto the field somehow this season. If he can't, then it would be 2022.
But I'm confident we might see him on December 5 against Arizona in some capacity.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 23, 2021
Borom
Mooney
Kmet
Montgomery / Herbert
Jaylon
Roquan
Teven Jenkins (if we see him play)
Fields, to an extentThe Bears need more players on this list.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 23, 2021
Only if Fields is good.
If not, then it's gonna be another long half-decade.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 23, 2021
