The Chicago Bears are in crisis following Wednesday’s developments
By Todd Welter
![Sep 10, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (95) celebrates his sack of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) during the third quarter of their regular season opening game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports Sep 10, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (95) celebrates his sack of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) during the third quarter of their regular season opening game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/12ac09cfff3ff5fa54eaa53206aa05b5d3109bb3d7abccf1cfa68bda7453396d.jpg)
The current state of the Chicago Bears ranges somewhere between dysfunctional, crisis, and chaos.
It has been nothing but bad news since the season kicked off.
The team opened the season with an embarrassing loss to the Green Bay Packers. The franchise followed it up with getting defeat at Tampa Bay where Justin Fields’ poor performance left many questioning his ability to play quarterback.
The hits just kept coming as it was announced starting left tackle Braxton Jones was being placed on injured reserve with a neck injury.
That news was followed up when Fields all but confirmed what many had been pointing out as what was causing his struggles. Justin explained the coaching he is receiving has him playing in a manner he is not comfortable with.
Bears QB Justin Fields: "I felt like I wasn't necessarily playing my game. I felt like I was robotic ... not playing like myself. My goal this week is to ... play football how I know how to play football. That includes thinking less and going out there and playing off instincts."
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) September 20, 2023
Finally, defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned to focus on his health.
Statement from former Bears DC Alan Williams on his resignation, effective immediately.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 20, 2023
"I am taking a step back to take care of my health and family. I appreciate the opportunity to work with the Chicago Bears, a storied NFL franchise with a rich history. The McCasky family is…
That was just the news on Wednesday. September has been a brutal month for the Chicago Bears.
Bears' last month:
— Josh Schrock (@Schrock_And_Awe) September 20, 2023
-- LG on IR
-- Lose to Packers
-- WR gives poor effort, has meeting with coaches to address it
-- DC is MIA
-- Lose to Bucs
-- LT on IR
-- QB says what coaches want him to do doesn't mesh with what he does best. Needs to get back to playing like himself.
Let’s not forget the team is in the middle of a 12-game regular season losing streak. There is a good chance of it reaching 13 on Sunday since the Bears play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead.
Last season was rough to go through but landing the No .1 overall pick made it all better. General manager Ryan Poles leveraging the pick to acquire D.J. Moore and additional draft picks from the Carolina Panthers gave the impression the Bears were headed in the right direction.
All that hope has been wiped out in two weeks.
Wednesday’s news has this franchise facing a five-alarm fire. The team is not doing a great job of trying to put it out.
Before Alan Williams announced his resignation, his situation ranged between weird and concerning because head coach Matt Eberflus refused to give an answer on Williams’ status after he left the team due to personal reasons. Eberflus’ non-answers led to rampant speculation on what was going on to the point the team had to deny the FBI raided Halas Hall.
Eberflus could have addressed the defensive coordinator’s status much better instead of being vague in the strangest way possible.
The Bears will now turn to Larry Borom at left tackle. Borom was benched at right tackle last season because of poor play. Ja’Tyre Carter might be able to play the position too, but neither is an attractive option. Depth at tackle should have been addressed in the offseason but it was overlooked.
Then the starting quarterback put offensive coordinator Luke Getsy on blast with his comments. Fields took agency in his struggles and explained that his head was being flooded with too much information that it prevented him from playing free and easy.
Getsy was already embattled and Fields’ media responses are going to do nothing but keep Luke under siege.
It did not feel like Justin was trying to create drama. He even took the time to clarify his statements by talking to the media later in the locker room, not blaming the coaches.
Fields’ comments do not excuse his need to get better in the passing game. He knows he has to get better, but at least it is good for Fields to say if he is going down, he will do it his way.
One way to calm the crisis is for Fields to go out and play well. Borom not getting beat for sacks will also ease the tension. Properly handling Williams’ situation will help make it go from awkward to understanding why the answers have to be vague.
However, the crisis could get worse depending on how badly the Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
light. Related Story. Alan Williams has resigned as defensive coordinator