If any more evidence were needed that it’s time for change at Halas Hall, it was all there to see Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
On the final day of Dick Jauron’s fifth season, his offense hit rock bottom. A unit that defined futility much of the season took it to a lower level in a 31-3 loss to Kansas City. An offense that had managed only one touchdown in 10 of the first 15 games didn’t score even one for the first time this season.
“It’s been a struggle,” said Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz of the season.
On Sunday, injuries and mental mistakes combined to make Kansas City’s defense look like a combination of the 1985 Bears’ and 2000 Ravens’.
What were the memorable moments Sunday? How about when David Terrell, displaying no feel for the game, caught a perfect Chris Chandler pass down the middle with a path to the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown, only to make a hilarious, unnecessary cut and get tackled at the Chiefs’ 17. The Bears didn’t score on the drive.
And then there was the end of the first half, when the Bears reached the Chiefs’ 15-yard line with 19 seconds left and couldn’t even get off a field-goal attempt.
In an apparent effort to shock the Chiefs, they gave the ball to Rabih Abdullah, who gained 8 yards, forcing the Bears to use their last timeout.
Then Kordell Stewart found Bobby Wade in the flat, but he could neither score nor get out of bounds, and the half ended.
“I should have dropped the ball,” the rookie said.
Said Jauron: “We want incomplete, out of bounds or touchdown.”
Jauron emphasized that the Bears prepare for those situations–meaning the players, in the heat of the battle, didn’t execute. Which is what has happened often during Jauron’s tenure. In his first two seasons, Gary Crowton’s gadgets helped the Bears get yards but not points. In the last three years, John Shoop’s conservative approach has been aided and abetted by Jauron.
Sometimes it seems Jauron didn’t have faith in his players, refusing to open up the offense.
And this season, the Bears didn’t always use their talent, most notably Anthony Thomas. He carried only six times in the first half Sunday against the NFL’s worst rushing defense. He ended the season a frustrated man.
“I don’t make the calls,” Thomas said. “When the play’s called, I try to do it. Shoop calls the plays, and we try to make it work. I go out there and I see certain things, and I give my opinion on what I see, and the coaches don’t listen and run the same play over. It kind of gets frustrating.”
Sunday’s finale was typical in many ways for the offense. The receiver corps was missing injured Dez White and Justin Gage. Desmond Clark was the only healthy, experienced tight end, so backup center Josh Warner played the position in some two-tight-end alignments.
Shoop, struggling to hold back his emotions, appeared to wonder whether the Bears ever really had a chance this season. They started 0-3 and 1-5 after guard Rex Tucker tore an ankle tendon in the last exhibition game and guard Chris Villarrial injured his knee in the first half of the opener at San Francisco.
“I wish Kordell didn’t have to start the season with a makeshift offensive line and two road games,” Shoop said. “So yes, there’s a lot of different plays that I wish I would have been able to call with Kordell in the game early, but circumstances dictated we couldn’t do what we wanted. The line that played the San Francisco game did not even resemble the offensive line we practiced with in training camp.”
Where did it go wrong? “Too many places,” Clark said.
Where did it go wrong? “Where did it go right?” Kreutz said. “We didn’t have a good season. Whether it’s the offensive line or whatever it was, we didn’t get things done as an offense.
“It wasn’t a good season, but hopefully there were some positives we can build on.”
The development of Rex Grossman is a positive, but even he joined the ranks of the injured with a torn ligament in the middle finger of his right hand. Grossman’s injury led to Stewart and Chandler playing as quarterback roulette followed Jauron and Shoop down to what likely will be the end of their tenure.
With this offense, the Bears have gone 2-14 on the road and 11-21 overall the last two seasons. They were also 11-21 in Jauron’s first two seasons with Crowton as offensive coordinator. That’s the kind of symmetry that won’t do Jauron and Shoop any good when general manager Jerry Angelo announces his decision on Jauron’s fate.
