Jay Cutler could take a lesson or two from Adewale Ogunleye on how to handle an awkward question.
When Ogunleye was asked this week to explain why Gaines Adams and Mark Anderson have struggled to make an impact -- a fair question for a coach, but a no-win situation for a teammate -- he could've gotten away with saying, ''That's a coach's question'' and been done with it. But he came up with an answer anyway. It's called playing the game.
''That's not for me to answer,'' he said. ''I don't know. The guys are working hard. Gaines is definitely working hard trying to get his thing together. Mark is one of the hardest-working guys I know. I work out with him in the offseason a lot. I see he's trying. I think it's just opportunities. Guys have to make the most of their opportunities, and they just haven't been happening. The reason why? I really don't know. But I know these guys work hard.''
In a way, Ogunleye's answer might've been too good because it indirectly illustrated part of the Bears' problem: If Adams and Anderson are working that hard and still not getting the job done, maybe they're just not good enough.
Adams has an excuse -- he joined the team in October. But Anderson has been working for nearly three seasons to regain the 12-sack form of his rookie year. It has been a theme of the Bears' 2009 season: the offensive line -- working hard but can't seem to ''jell.'' Cutler -- working hard, going straight to Halas Hall after a road game to watch film but still struggling. Everybody's working hard -- but with nothing to show for it but victories over the Steelers (6-7), Lions (2-10), Browns (2-11) and Rams (1-11). It almost would be better if they weren't working hard. Then at least they could start working hard and get somewhere.
This town has lost faith in this team, this coach and this organization. And even if wholesale changes aren't in order -- Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith aren't going anywhere -- can we at least see something from this team that restores our faith? Something that shows us the Bears as presently constituted can at least someday be what they purported to be this season?
Holding the Rams to 142 yards doesn't count.
The opportunity against Green Bay today at Soldier Field has nothing to do with satisfying the meatball contingent that would settle for 2-14 as long as the victories are against the Packers (if those people are for real, they need some serious counseling). It has to do with stemming the tide of public opinion by beating a playoff-caliber team; beating a team that beat you earlier in the year; showing signs of progress, anything that lets us know that all this hard work is getting them somewhere; showing us that Cutler and Adams are worth not having first- and second-round draft picks in 2010.
All we have to go on so far is blind faith.
''We want to play better than we did last week,'' Smith said. ''There's no reason to think we won't.''
With all due respect, I think there's more reason to think they won't than they will. The Packers have won four consecutive games. Their quarterback-of-the-future is here right now. Their once-porous offensive line is solidifying. Their rookies, particularly first-round pick Clay Matthews, are thriving.
Their defense, 20th in the NFL last season in total yards, is No. 1 this season in a totally different defense with a new coordinator. (Can you see the Bears transitioning to a 3-4 defense? They'd still be in the ''transition phase'' today.)
Linebacker Nick Barnett, who's coming off knee surgery, leads them in tackles with 89 and has three sacks, despite only playing full-time since Week 4.
And the Bears? Still a work in progress. We've seen the work. Can we please see the progress?
Photo: Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images / Running back Matt Forte is only one of many Bears who haven't lived up to expectations this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment