RIP Bears.

I'm in the middle of exams so I have to keep this short. Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune nails exactly what I want to say about the Bears, but then I'll add some thoughts at the end:

The Trib's Rosenbloom on the Embarrassing Bears Flameout in Denver


We all saw or heard about what happened Sunday. Marion Barber is the latest Bear to give the Denver Tebowners fuel for the media frenzy fire when he couldn't stay in bounds to burn out the clock at the end of the fourth quarter and then fumbled in overtime to give the Broncos their latest trademark Tim Tebow win. It's just awesome turning on ESPN this week to see their latest episode of getting off to Tebow feature the Bears. Caleb Hanie was absolutely horrific and clearly doesn't belong in the NFL. And the defense? The defensive line was outstanding, including Julius Peppers, especially on the one play where Tebow tried to juke him and outrace him to the sidelines, with Pepper chasing him down the entire way. The secondary, including Craig Steltz and Chris Conte, were great in run and option coverage, which is easier for both of them because they aren't as athletic as other defensive backs and thus are more valuable in run coverage. Yet again, the pass coverage of the Bears was the biggest weakness, letting Tebow, who was terrible in three quarters, march down the field and move the ball at will in the 4th quarter. Embarrassing.

Yeah, Hanie was atrocious. Yes, he shouldn't be a starting QB, regardless of injury. But, it's really not all his fault. The Bears' receivers blow - not one of them is better than a 3 or 4, including Earl Bennett, who's only real success seems to come with Jay Cutler playing (well I guess the same could be said for all of the Bears receivers). The offensive line was putrid, but I couldn't tell if all the sacks were Hanie's fault from standing in the pocket for an eternity with the deer in headlights look, or just the bad quality of the offensive line. So, on offense, if you're keeping track, that's one terrible backup QB, multiple mediocre/average receivers, an old, stupid, and fumble-prone backup running back, and an awful offensive line. Good preparation for the season Jerry Angelo! Look at how backup Houston Texans QB TJ Yates played and tell me you couldn't have gotten someone better than Hanie. Don't go out and tell the world that our receivers are fine when they can't run correct routes (still), can't catch the ball consistently (still), and simply do not get open (still). And the offensive line? We've been over that. Thank god for the rumors of your retirement, that's the only good news Bears fans have had in weeks.

There's no point in Cutler or Matt Forte rushing back, the Bears made sure in dropping three straight games to an Oakland Raiders team that got trounced by the Packers, a HORRIBLE Kansas City Chiefs team, and a Broncos team QUARTERBACKED BY TIM TEBOW, that the playoffs are clearly out of sight now. I can't wait to watch the Bears stumble through the rest of the season and get a mediocre draft pick so they can draft another safety instead of addressing the other issues on the team. What a sad, sad end to the season. Thank god the Bulls are back.