The Fat Lady is Only Warming Up

At a point last night, as either the third or fourth interception was thrown, my thoughts shifted from "crap - there goes a playoff try" to "oh, maybe we'll LOSE out and get some draft picks back."

The loss yesterday effectively takes them out of the hunt, but it actually does accomplish a few things:

Talent evaluation - there is no reason to keep players on the sideline. At this point, I'd want to see what Devin Aromashadu can do. Might as well test Caleb Hanie, any tackles or guards we may not have seen yet, etc. We might find some new talent or energy, and at worst we might develop some trade bait. Devin Hester has shown some ability as a receiver, but he used to score points as a returner. That only worked because he returned everything, so his odds to score went up. His odds to score as a receiver and occasional returner are very, very low.

Coaching changes - I have a feeling either Ron Turner or Jay Cutler has to go. Cutler is signed for quite some time, and I think he's more valuable than the coordinator. As I heard on the radio, the Bears spent a lot for a top-five QB. Are these coaches the best way to get a return on that investment? I say no, but I've been saying that for a while.

I know he got us to a Superbowl, but Lovie hasn't been a great coach all along. There is no excuse for all of the interceptions by Jay Cutler, but all of the penalties all game long eventually end up on the coaching. Players are not ready to hit the field. At the very least, they're not on the same page, mentally. That stuff is on the head coach, who is now also the defensive coordinator. I just don't think Lovie has any offensive input, and the defense isn't knocking anyone out of contention. That's a system failure and it's his system.

Shaking dead weight - I rooted for Rashied Davis a few years back. He had humble beginnings and showed flashes of greatness with good hands and the willingness to catch a ball over the middle. He sucks now. Our offensive line might have talent, but I think Kreutz is about at the end of his run. How many snaps have to be botched or picked up out of the dirt before he's called out? I'd even put Forte on the pile based on last night. If he's not injured, he's definitely not an elite running back. If everything else on the offense is working correctly, he could get away with his current state of skill, but when everything is in disarray, he needs to step up, and he stepped down (maybe out).

The tough part of this is the squashing of the expectations I had going into the season. By all accounts, we had an upgraded offensive line, a stellar QB, receivers who were unproven but ready to learn, and one of the elite tight-end groups in the league. The entire offense seems to be inept at this point.

Here's a look back at my preview for the season: http://fledglingtimes.blogspot.com/2009/05/gearing-up-for-football.html