To be a Chicago sports fan today is a labor of love. Some would say it’s the very definition of insanity. Whatever the case may be, the sports scene in Chicago can be best described as being in total disarray. Both the Bears & Bulls fandom entered their respective seasons with the expectations of being even better than the season before. Each team so far has significantly under-performed.
This just in — the Bulls are terrible at basketball. Counting tonight’s loss to the Pacers, the Bulls are now 2-5 to start the season. Three of those losses have come against three bottom feeders in the NBA – Charlotte, New York & Cleveland. The losses against the Knicks and Cavs were particularly ugly considering the Bulls blew double-digit, second half leads.
The Bulls are giving up 110.7 ppg(15th in the NBA) but what is more unsettling is their lack of effort on the boards. They’re only pulling down 41.8 rpg(29th in the NBA) while giving up 52.2 rpg(worst in the league). Rebounding & defending is about effort — of which the Bulls are severely lacking in. Coach Jim Boylen can give all of the drill instructor speeches he wants because it won’t matter. This roster & coaching staff is inept & soft — and that is the fault of John Paxson and Gar Forman. If you can’t beat the worst teams in the NBA then how in the world can you expect to compete for a playoff spot?!
Bears Nation it is time to face facts — this season is over. The loss to the Eagles today drops the Bears to a disappointing 3-5 record. The Bears are 2-3 against NFC teams and on a day when everyone else in the division lost this team could ill afford to lose too.
Even more concerning is the Bears’ putrid offense. The Bears’ 142 points scored through 8 games is the 5th worst in the NFL. They rank 29th in total yards per game & 26th in the run game. The play calling by Coach Matt Nagy has been head scratching at best & negligent at worst. The regression of QB Mitchell Trubisky has been shocking. He looks as though he can’t read defenses. He locks on to one receiver and his footwork is atrocious. GM Ryan Pace has to be concerned about his 2017 decision of trading up to draft Trubisky with the #2 overall pick. This will be his Achilles heel. The bigger question is whether Bears fans can trust that Pace make the right choice at QB. The consensus seems to be… no.
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