I have a theory that really isn't a theory anymore. It's almost "Fact". So, a quick review of the game: 1) Both sides of the line were getting mauled early in this game. They looked "gassed", sleepy, sluggsh, late off the snap, overpowered, and just plain manhandled. 2) This anomaly wasn't just at the lines and the LOS. Our receivers looked slow. We were getting beat to the spot. 3) Our DB's were slow. Slow to read the play. Slow to react. Slow to get to the spot. 4) Our Running game (which has been bad all year) looked very sluggish hitting the hole and initiating contact. WE got hit, we were not hitting. 5) We were missing tackles badly - all over the place. Kyle Fuller is usually an above average to great open field tackler. Today, he was destroyed and looked foolish. 6) And don't even let me get started on our LB's. This looked like a team that was 4-11 and playing their last game of the season for a coach who will be gone tomorrow..... Basically, we were the Raiders Bitches in the first half today - across the board. So... Why? I would say with the exception of maybe their QB, and maybe their RB, and possibly their TE, there isn't a single person on the Raiders I would rather have than any player on our team. You may agree here or there, but across the board, we are a better team, better "coaching" talent, and have much more player talent - from A to Z. As you guys know, I travel weekly. I will be in Asia next week, Starting Tokyo, heading to Singapore, and the to HK. I currently have over 3 million miles and average somewhere in the 150-250K miles per year. I've been to London 6 times this year.... I know what travelling to a place 6 ahead hours does to a person. It fucks you up. And yea, it's not horrible. It's not like you can't function. But it does fuck your system up. Your head just can't adjust in a day or 2. Especially when you take the red-eye... And when I fly, my head is all I need. I can't imagine also having to go to war physically... Our coach went on 670 this week to talk about how this was a "busniess trip". They decided to take the red-eye over on Thursday. No enjoying London. Go there, play a game, come home. The Raiders? Well, they played there last year and decided that there was no fucking way they were waiting till Thursday. they were destroyed 30-3 against a team they were favored to beat. They didn't make the same mistake twice. They flew over Sunday night and started acclimating. More, they gave the team Tuesday off. The team all went out sight-seeing, bonding. And again, acclimating. I now put BOTH of our loses on our coaching staff. This was a game we should have won. Our D should NEVER give up what we gave up to this team, and more, our O line should never have looked as fucking inept as it did. Our coaches put our players in a position to lose. And that CAN NEVER HAPPEN!. Let alone twice in 5 games.
I don't understand why the coaching staff wouldn't recognize that it takes more than 2 days to get acclimatized? Especially after taking a red-eye? Don't they have the same information and indicators that you found about the Raider's game there last year? That's just plain stupid. They cost the Bears that game. A well-rested team wouldn't play like the Bears did.
I'm on board with the acclimated thing too. Whenever I travel south it's about a 12 hour drive, and since I don't schedule my driving time during daylight hours I travel at night so I'm up about 12 hours prior to leaving. When I do finally get there you would think I would sleep, but I can't fall asleep right away, it's just not possible. My mind thinks it's morning and I have to be up, even though my body is telling otherwise. I'm still foggy and not as sharp even after a good nights sleep and it usually lasts for a couple days.
Great post. Very well thought out with real life experience to prove your point. That said I feel Nagy’s decision to go late definitely put the team at a disadvantage physically but doesn’t excuse some of the horrible individual fuck ups that really made this game an L instead of a W. Daniel fucking sucked. The O line couldn’t run block for shit but that is nothing new. The first 3 sacks Daniel held the ball too long. The 2 picks were horrible. Throws you just can’t make. The first put the Bears in a hole, the second sealed their fate. The running into the kicker penalty is just so mind numbing stupid. Defense finally gets the big stop. Your getting the ball back. You can not put yourself in that position. Stay the fuck away from the kicker. Back to the O line. We are seriously fucked here. Long is done. But that’s not even the biggest issue. Leno is a hot mess and unlike Long we don’t have a replacement. Coward needs to start going forward and they are going to have to start giving Leno more help from the TE. The running game is broken and I don’t see how they fix it.
Awesome post Mongo, I agree this is a big part of it, and it’s 100% Nagy. Right when the game began the announcers talked about how Gruden did the same thing last year and most importantly said how bad it was and they didn’t repeat the mistake. Of course I’m sure he didn’t say this last year. (Anyone know?) my concern is that Nagy is too prideful to admit when he ducked up. This is one of those times. I’d hope he’s just saying it in the press conference but this is forming a pattern. Two years of getting beat by the Packers after no preseason and looking sluggish. Now a mid-season equivalent in London. It’s starting to look like a pattern of not understanding what the team needs to prepare. Fuck that guy. I wouldn’t want that dirty POS anywhere near the Bears. There’s a reason the Raiders are one of the few places he can play. Cinci would probably love him too.
I don't care how busy you are SM, you need to stop by more. This post, 1000%. This will be repetitive, i don't care. Im not in your league for airmiles, but ive travelled with work plenty, to Asia in particular. There is no two ways about this, a 6hour time difference messes with you. You can do it, ive had meetings the day after landing, its not like you're incapacitated. But are you at your best or even near your best? In terms of mental sharpness and concentration levels. Hell. No. I was drunk, obvs, but i saw pass catchers constantly with no one near them. No one. Thats assignment breakdowns. Thats lapses in concentration. I haven't rewatched but it seemed like the D was constantly one step behind. They bit on PA, they got lulled by misdirection. Basically they all had their heads up their arses and thats just the mentla aspect. Physically it was utter carnage. I can't remember a time when our DL got moved off the ball so consistently and comprehensively. I know depth was a problem but it was happening from the first series! Given the collection of shitbirds on our OL it always looked like a tall order, but they got completely mashed. The Bears got out-physical'd from the first bell to the last in this game. It just blows my mind that there are still teams idiotic enough to think coming over last minute is a good idea. Not saying its impossible to win, it isn't. In fact i think the Eagles may have done that last year and they got the W. But ive seen nearly every London game since 2007, even the ones played during Bears games cos they're on free to air tv so you can record them..... my totally unscientific estimate on this is the team that comes over early and puts a full week in v the last minute teams must be winning like 66-75% of these games. Maybe more? Sure you can beat the odds i guess, but why load the odds against you needlessly?? You disrespect that trip at your peril. Hell even Gruden said this week they thought they could come over late last season, and then got their asses handed to them. So this time they did it right, put the time in and holy hell it showed. The Raiders played as well as their talent would let them. They were razors. The Bears were a fucking spork. And responsibility for that lies with one person imo, the HC. That had to be Nagy's call. If he'd wanted them there early they would've been there early. And did you see him straight-face that question in the post game presser?! You should be a fucking politician Nagy you bullshit merchant little snake ha. WOW. Yeah they all played like they had one foot in the grave for an entire half but it was nothing to do with the time difference. Do one Nagy. Thanks for reading Part 1: EB Rant. Coming up, Part 2: Things EB liked.
Hello, welcome to Part 2: Things EB Liked. Well of the game itself, this won't take long: - ARob dropped another A+. The dude is a stud fuck. That toe tap catch shouldn't have been possible. Pace, start trying to extend him while his raw stats still give you a chance. - Cohen. As a pass catcher did ok and had a great punt return he nearly took to the house. - McManis with the amazing peanut punch. The rest of the D can eat shit but that was a great play. - I was basically sat at the goaline, South End, 20 rows back. Ringside seat for all 6 TD's...... so there's that.. I did also have some personal victories: - As some of you may remember, i was meant to go to the last Bears London game in 2011. Shelled out the money, got great seats for me and my dad....... and then didn't go to the game. Had to miss it due to the birth of my first child, which of course was the right decision. But it still annoyed the F out of me heh. So at least this time i got to the damn game. - When the tickets went on sale in like May/June i again bought two for me and my dad. Unfortunately he's been battling cancer this year and has had a hell of a tough time. At the time of buying i fully expected he wouldn't make it but got him a ticket anyway. I figured I'll sit next to an empty seat in his honour if i have to. I thought there was no way he would make that game, then a week ago the tough son of a bitch said he was going. We didn't actually stay to the very end. Once Jacobs went over again i figured it was game over. No offense to Chase but i didn't see him pulling it off, especially behind that OL and besides more important was getting my old man back to the hotel in one piece. The crush on the trains after these games is always unbearable and i couldn't have that so i got him out of there early. So there it is. Spent a shitload of money for 1 Quarter of football yet still had an amazing weekend. Including meeting Staley The Bear.
Did you notice that he had a slight delay before he took off and surveyed the field much like Hester used to do? I can't recall him doing that prior. I had already surrendered that TD in my mind I'm sure glad McManis had other ideas. Cancer is no joke no doubt as we all have stories to tell about that shit. I'm glad he was able to go as I actually smiled reading that last line. I sure hope he can beat that shit, and remains defiant in that fight. Did you suck that pint off of him that you spilled on him? BF wants to know
One of the interesting things about being at the games ive noticed is i think you see the punts better than on tv. I believe the Raiders punter didn't hit a good punt on that one which is why Cohen seemed to have more time. Speaking of bad punts, did you guys see that shank by O'Donnell in the first half?? Holy shit i think he shinned it! It was horrible. Yeah was great to be there with him. We had to get an early flight back today cos i had meetings from like 11. He was done in, basically spent most of today sleeping. Its an intense trip. Even just getting around London on the underground which is hotter than hell. Thanks for the well wishes buddy. You know the thought never occurred to me tbh. I mustn't be a corona sucking, crate kneeling, back of a camper van illegal afterall. Baby, wanna crawl under the wire fence and offer your thoughts?
If I crawl under this wire fence Ev I can assure you that I'll be doing more than just offering my thoughts... think about that for a moment. I'm really surprised at you Ev. Any Bears fan worth his weight knows that it's not even a choice. You should know better. When there is beer to be sucked, you suck it. You don't question it, you, don't wonder about it, you just get down and you do it. You should have just gone at him like a dog would on a bone. And you call yourself a fan... < kneels back down on her crate, grabs another Corona and opens her mouth all while shaking her head in complete shock >
Well he made the best of his limited time on the field to make an impact as he was in for a total of 3 snaps.
Pace/Nagy/The Bears are in a world of trouble here. Particularly in the here and now but looking further ahead as well. Long was completely owned again. They need to get him off the field. He's got a dead cap of $1.5mil next year, he's a dead man walking. After that it gets much more tricky. Massie costs more to cut than to pay next season so he is back, even though his salary is gonna jump by over $5mil next season. Daniels and Whitehair they're gonna persevere with and tbh i think they should. 1- They've got to give it a chance to work in these spots and 2- they just have too many other fish to fry on that OL. You can't move everybody. Leno is the big problem in all this, partly cos there's simply no one to replace him with. I've always thought Leno was over-rated, but not by this much. The guy is just playing terrible terrible football. His confidence looks shot and he simply doesn't have the aggressive mentality to when he's losing play on play at least fight and maul guys, drive em into the ground whenever they're off balance, pound them right up to the whistle any chance he gets. Its just not him. It was really hard to watch, couldn't tell if it was always the same guy or different guys but it looked like there were plenty of times Leno had someone in his ear after the whistle. Just getting bumped, shoved, talked down to, and he just took it. Bullied is the word you would use. He was their bitch. Pace didn't exactly break the bank on Leno but he did give him a solid long term deal. The guy has a $7.5mil dead cap next year, Pace doesn't have the cap space to eat that then pay a replacement given all his other contract headaches and he also doesn't have the draft picks cos he's spent too long dropping multiple picks on individual players. If Leno plays out the rest of the season like this he shouldn't be on the team let alone starting, but i don't see how they solve this easily. Pace has two 2nd round picks and about 5 positions in need of those picks. I agree the running game is totally broke and don't see how they fix it either. Its not like one side of the line is doing well and you can work around that. The failure is right across the line.
The Oline is a huge concern. Ev is spot on and what’s worse is that 4 of the 5 guys on the OL are really well paid. Leno is getting 10+ per year, Massie just under. long took a pay cut but still is making too much, and Whitehair silently signed an extension back on 9/1/19 5 year 52.5 mil with 27.5 guaranteed. The run game is broken and predictable. Opposing linebackers snuff out the run so easily, and the overpaid buffoons aren’t mauling anybody, so right now Montgomery is really hard to judge. I’ve seen plays a 10 yard hole collapsed and Montgomery got 2 yards because the OL got beat, leaving him with no chance. I’ve seen plays where Montgomery goes full Trent Richardson and misses the wide open hole and lane with a shifty cutback that goes nowhere. I get Nagy giving lip service about being better with the run game then abandoning the run, and Nagy deserves every shred of criticism. But why does Harry Heistand not get any blame? Wasn’t he the guru and best in the league when he came here? Right now there’s no fixing. There’s no FA to come in, and Cinci might sell their interior OL, or you’d have to drop a premium draft pick to the Skins for Trent Williams—two things Pace won’t do. I’m all about Bars, mustipher, and Coward getting more time if this continues. While Notre Dame plays tons of cupcakes then gets its ass whooped against real teams, Dexter Williams averaged 6.3 ypc in 2018 behind Bars and Mustipher. That’s promising. Obviously the NFL isn’t Bowling Green University, but there’s a shred of optimism. Can Sowell put back on 50lbs and play tackle? Otherwise I’m out of ideas how to fix this now.
A lot of teams go in the time frame the Bears do , in particular the Jags do it every year ... that being said I have no clue of their previous results . It's been this way since Nagy showed up at Halas Hall , he's always trying to outsmart everyone and do it his way , and those decisions ( no preseason play , leave late to London ) have zero consequences on the results in his mind. Well for now he's 0-2 in both those decisions , he may think otherwise but from what we have seen there's a strong case he made 2 bad , bad decisions. If anyone say the SF game last night they were under center and handing the ball of the the RB ...hmm what a fn concept Nagy ... yes are still allowed to run that type of formation and play ...and yes you can run it for consecutive plays as well. The upcoming sch as well all know looks even more brutal after Sunday , flip of a coin on where this all ends up once Mitch does come back .
I meant to mention this but then forgot, great catch! Heistand's ass should be firmly on the hotseat at this point. Same group of players as last year and they are markedly worse both collectively and individually, with the only possible exception being Massie. If the OL coach doesn't carry the can for that i don't know who does.
Great point I was thinking about that when I read the guy from ND they put on the practice squad had a chance to sign with NE after he was cut. He's supposed to be the guru of O line coaches, so yes he needs to be held accountable for sure.
