Two weeks ago at New England, the Bears found themselves behind the Patriots 38-7 at the half. In their first game after a bye, the Bears have fallen behind the Packers 35-0 at Lambeau Field.
That’s 73-7 for those with the same rudimentary math skills that I possess. And that’s a disaster for a franchise that entered the season with legitimate playoff aspirations.
The inevitable loss will drop the Bears to 3-6, further narrowing their window of opportunity for making it to the postseason. And if the ugly losses continue, it’s hard to imagine many key employees of the football operation continuing with the team.
G.M. Phil Emery got the job in early 2012. He fired coach Lovie Smith after one year, and then Emery went outside the box (and the country) for Marc Trestman, a former NFL assistant coach who went to Canada for a head-coaching gig. In picking Trestman, Emery passed over 2012 coach of the year Bruce Arians.
Yes, Bruce Arians.
Trestman, who has a nose for Xs and Os, apparently can’t command a locker room. When the coach can’t command the locker room, he needs players who can -- and who will. The Bears lack either. And now Emery has to decide whether to admit that he blew it by hiring entrusting the job to Trestman.
Emery may not get the chance to admit his mistake. From the misfire on Trestman to the regression of franchise quarterback Jay Cutler to the general sense that the roster is overmatched and undercommitted, Emery may be fired, too.
Sure, things may not get any better with a new G.M. and head coach. But it will be hard for things to ever get any worse.