Kolek planning to go pro
Belichick accepted no blame for simply not having his QB take an effen knee and going to OT.
I think everyone pretty much agrees with the Bears' strategy in that the front office is saying "we are building to be successful in 2-3 years, and we are indifferent to the results in the meantime." I think the disagreement boils down to: after you accept the front office's decision to punt on near-term results, is the Bears future brighter if they go 4-13 instead of 8-9?I'm in the camp that no, the Bears' future is not materially impacted by whether they win or lose these games. As a Dolphins fan, I had to deal with this exact issue during the 2019 tank for Tua year. Flores and Fitzmagic went on a meaningless heater, and I was in fan no man's land about whether winning those games was a good thing. That was even more pronounced because the front office's indifference to winning was in service of getting a specific QB, whereas the Bears debate is just about the value of picking 4-6 spots earlier with no particular draft target in mind. My two cents is that a front office punting games is the hardest position to be in as a fan - its actually easier to root for your team to lose than to be told that the games don't matter. But fortunately in the NFL, the value of losing games just isn't significant enough to ever actually root against your team (e.g., Tua got hurt, slipped, and the Dolphins got him anyway, which never would have happened in the NBA). So just root for your team to win with the standing disclaimer that you know the front office isn't putting the players and coaches in the best position to succeed, in service of future success.
I take a very different tactic. While the Bears will have a high draft choice this year and probably next, don't expect them to spend a dime more than they absolutely have to until Arlington Heights is secured and under construction.Assuming Arlington Heights opens in 2027 or 2028, look for the Bears to begin break-out spending in 2026. They'll build slowly and very gradually until then. As long as people show up at Daley's Dump on the Lakefront, they won't care!
The Bears haven't been shy to spend in free agency before. They are making money hand over fist already.
I agree with this. Generally, I don't see spending money as a significant issue for any NFL team. Not like you see in other sports. Just MHO.
The Packers got a little momentum but ultimately the teams they should have beaten. They still need to beat 2 playoff caliber teams, and they still have one more against the Vikings.
I have no issue with calling a simple running play there, cause who knows. The chances of a fumble that is returned for a TD on a basic inside run are near zero, FAR less than breaking that HB dive/stretch/counter into a TD run.
Odds of breaking a TD run there were extremely low. Take the knee and go to OT, and everybody isn't talking about Belichick's team suffering the humiliation of being victimized by one of the worst plays in the history of the sport.The odds were long against the Pisarcik fumble/TD return, too. It happens. The Giants should have taken a knee there back before you were born.Bottom line: For better or worse, coaching is a results business. The result of Belichick's decision to hand the ball to a dumb-ass was a crucial loss.
Hmmmm, lack of defensive playmakers. Check.Can't stop power running. Check.Same old Lions. Check.Improved, but not a playoff team. Check.Detroit plays a base 4-2-5 and never put in a third linebacker while betting destroyed up the middle.The worst thing a Lions fan can have is hope.I never believed the hype.
Congratulations on a franchise best yardage total.
One more Texans win, Bears lose out would get Chicago the first pick.