3 and Out: Bear Down or Lay Down
Preseason finale shows Fields, Bears more in control of their facilities than anyone wants to believe
Break up them Bears! In August, at least.
The pathway to consistent prominence in the NFL isn’t laid out with preseason wins, but maybe there’s a shared reason why the Baltimore Ravens have won 23 straight exhibitions and have gone 60-36 in that time period in the regular season (since 2016).
It’s been at least 30 years since the Chicago Bears have had such a run of overall winning play, competing for the title of team of the 1980s with an 62-17 record from the ‘84 through the ‘88 seasons.
In five seasons from now, what will the Bears be? They’ll almost certainly be preparing for a move to Arlington Heights. They’d have likely had a not-so-amicable break-up with one of the team’s current best players (Roquan Smith?, David Montgomery?, *gulp* Justin Fields?…)
But even with all that a major possibility — after all, the Ravens recent success hasn’t shielded them from the still-possible loss of Lamar Jackson to free agency as of this writing — the Bears may have finally laid the sediment for a franchise-wide culture of accountability, self-sacrifice and over-achievement that could finally make old Virginia feel proud of her daddy’s team again (I try not to spread rumors in this space, but some whispers have had it this week that we should all keep the team’s 99-year-old matriarch in our thoughts. That’s not too much to ask in any context).
A lot around the Bears and even within the team may be very different by 2027, but if they compete in each August going forward like they’ve done this year then that will largely be the credit of Matt Eberflus and that’ll mean he’ll likely still have the job comfortably and that will be a hell of a thing for any Bears coach this side of Mike Ditka to say.
The mind can drift into some wonderful places with halves like the first half of the Bears’ 21-20 win over Cleveland in the 2022 preseason finale Saturday night. We see early on in Channel 32’s broadcast just how inherently different Justin Fields is being handled by his coaches this year as he was in his first season, down to the stance he takes in shotgun formation. If Fields was handled so negligently under Matt Nagy then all the reporting and opining that the Bears have done nothing for him in this past off-season goes down as rhetoric that misses the mark.
The Bears did the only thing they could have done after lucking up into him in the 2021 draft, they gave one more chance to the supposed quarterback guru in charge to do something worth keeping their job. He didn’t and he got flushed down the drain, now Fields is back on the field feeling about 10 pounds lighter. And he was light on his feet against Cleveland, Ali-like at times, leading the Luke Getsy-designed offense he’s been blessed with with a kind of efficiency and pop that is rarely unveiled for Chicago fans at the start of a season.
“It just gives all the guys confidence, Luke does a great job, of course, giving everyone confidence and trust in the offence and trust in the process of things,” Fields told the media after the game.
What? You say Fields didn’t have to play any downs against Miles Garrett or Jadeveon Clowney? Ugh…
Again, it is the preseason and that means you can only play against who the opposing team allows you to play against. And what exactly are we asking of the Bears in this position, to not execute against lesser competition? To lose a game they shouldn’t lose just so we can feel collectively like we got a better grip on just what this team is? Maybe the team is showing us just not who they are but who they want to be. Manifesting aspirations is tough in the NFL, sure, but everyone fakes it until they make it to some degree and then when the real tests come you put your nuts on the line (or whatever else you’re ready to put on the line) and do what you got to do.
One step at a time here people. Completing 14 of 16, though, three touchdowns, that throw to Ryan Griffin, that end zone route that Dante Pettis ran, Montgomery running like he dares someone to hit him… come on. That first half was fun and it shows that there are pieces there for this team to work with, and even more so, that the coaching and strategy being instilled allows for pieces both ideal and not-so-ideal to possibly succeed.
In a game like football, with so many variables and intangibles ingrained in it, success starts with controlling what you can control. Bears fans and media are so used to the team not being able to control itself that any sort of self-discipline and autonomy that doesn’t look exactly like ‘06 or ‘85 or ‘63 almost can’t be accepted as something that’s real. Well, I’ll risk being the fool and say that this looks real. When first recognized, a mirage and an actual desert paradise both look like the same damn thing.
Open coverage: Don’t want to take my word on this whole Bear rejuvenation thing? Here’s some more takes following Saturday night.
“An encouraging aspect of both the Griffin and Pettis TDs was they came on throws within the pocket in time, withouth Fields needing to scramble. Pettis had three catches for 37 yards.” - Gene Chamberlain (SI/Bear Digest)
“Fields’ speed on the edge and ability to move defenses with his eyes can open up a lot of different options on those bootlegs. Getsy’s scheme and tactical mindset will be a boon to the Bears’ offense this season.
Every play he calls has a purpose, and his offense is designed to put defenses in difficult positions and ask them to make tough choices.” - Josh Schrock (NBC Sports Chicago)
“Fields’ touchdown passes went for 22, 12 and 24 yards, respectively. He had a crucial 14-yard completion after a holding penalty and another 18-yard pass to end the first quarter. These were chunk plays, not the checkdowns we’ve seen so often in camp.” - Kevin Fishbain (The Athletic)
Loose ends: Not unlike the great ‘80s British soul group that shares a name with this last section, the results of this weekend leave us all “Hanging on a String” to a degree, but that string will unfortunately run out for those who’ll have to be cut from the Bears’ roster by Tuesday, where a limit of 53 players will have to be made.
Typical of this time of year, Bears fans may have to say goodbye to an impressive player or two with potential, but we may not need to expect too much heartbreak from this last round of cuts, unless a Jack Sanborn or Dante Pettis is let go - both are unlikely, maybe even highly unlikely in the case of Sanborn.
Beyond those two risers we’re likely talking about filler closer to the practice squad or bodies to be flung about in special teams, which as we’ve seen in parts of all three preseason games will need a certain amount of available bodies to begin its reclamation as an phase of play that can affect winning play for the Bears. Still, injuries could play a role in these final decisions - with three sure bets for the roster at wide receiver (Byron Pringle, N’Keal Harry and Velus Jones Jr.) all likely to miss time in the season’s early weeks along with some key players on the O-line (Lucas Patrick) and defensive backfield (Thomas Graham Jr.) who’ve had to be sidelined.