The Chicago Bears defense had played some consistently good football in recent weeks. That ended abruptly on Sunday in Dallas, where the Cowboys racked up 440 total yards and 42 points on offense. It was ugly in every sense of the word. The defensive line couldn’t get to Dak Prescott or close running lanes. Linebackers were out of position almost all day. The cornerbacks left receivers running open way too often. The only two quality performances came from safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker.
Jackson notched his fourth interception of the season. He was the only one making plays. So it’s easy to understand why he was frustrated after the game ended. That kind of performance has never happened during his long tenure with the organization. His words after the game showcased his frustration. In fact, it was hard not to read between the lines that he might see some of his teammates as not being 100% committed to doing their jobs. Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago picked up on it.
“It sucks. It’s frustrating. It’s repeat and recycle. We just got to get this out. Just get it out. Like I said, sustain execution. That’s what we have to do. People probably taking and just listening to the words. Just (in) one ear and out the other. We really have to do that. We want to win, want to be a good team, want to prove people wrong, we got to come out here and play our game. Can’t have the ups and downs. Can’t get complacent. That’s what it is.”
Eddie Jackson seems to think some guys ignore the details.
That was painfully evident against Dallas. Too often, it looked like defensive linemen or linebackers were out of position, enabling Tony Pollard to go crazy for 131 yards and three touchdowns. It was painful to watch how many times Trevis Gipson bit on bootlegs from Prescott. Little things like that kill defenses. The last thing the Bears could afford was lots of small mistakes against a talented offense on the road.
Maybe Eddie Jackson should’ve kept his frustration out of the media. That doesn’t make what he said less accurate. It feels like the Bears started feeling themselves a little too much after crushing New England last Monday. They thought they could do the same against Dallas and got a harsh reminder that isn’t how it works in the NFL. Maybe it’s the consequences of being a young team. Remember that only three of their current starters are over the age of 26. Their most seasoned veteran, Robert Quinn, was traded to Philadelphia.
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Learning experiences like this can happen, even if there are no excuses. Jackson won’t be the only one handing out criticisms before the next 48 hours is over.
And the dan coaching staff, too. The Cowboys game was a real shizztshow other than a few players, and it gave the appearance the Bears staff even wanted Justin Fields to make tackles when he leaped over Parsons who was recovering Montgomery’s game sealing fumble. The coaches who looked unprepared were Eberflus (the buck stops with him), Getsy (failure to use RB screens, end crossing routes, and utilization of the TE), and DC Alan Williams (Players waiving at opponents instead of tackling, and one lousy defensive plan). Am I wrong: Do these coaches look like they are learning on-the-job? Since… Read more »
E-Jac needs to take a look in the mirror, and realize people have been saying the same damn thing about him for years past. Now that he is having some success, he needs to STFU and play. He’s speaking truth, but perhaps he is the wrong one to be saying it! That said, I think someone must have had him doing some tackling drills. Actually making some true tackles instead of throwing shoulders w/o wrapping up! Vildor was once again the weak link in the DB backfield.
I noticed there were quite a few calling out Getsy for the offense’s sub-par performances. Why does Williams, who sucked when he was last coordinated a defense in Minn, get a pass? The slow starts against teams with functioning offenses is a troubling trend, and tells me that he’s slow to make adjustments and needs to stop it with the vanilla fronts. Too predictable.
Accountability
EJ was spot on to call his TEAMmates out.
Some were not ready to play and some forgot to show up.
How many defensive players lost their spots on the 2023 roster yesterday by nor being focussed and ready to play?
Did the Defense even get on the plane to Dallas? Coordinator needs to better prepare player’s and tackle skills? What ever happened to Man on Man defense, trusting your player’s over their opponent