Why Chicago Bears fans have every right to be angry at GM Ryan Poles
Chicago Bears fans have every right to be angry at general manager Ryan Poles after the debacle we saw on Thursday Night Football this week. The Bears put up nearly 200 more yards of offense than the Washington Commanders on Thursday night and still lost the game 12-7. One of the biggest reasons for the […]
Chicago Bears fans have every right to be angry at general manager Ryan Poles after the debacle we saw on Thursday Night Football this week.
The Bears put up nearly 200 more yards of offense than the Washington Commanders on Thursday night and still lost the game 12-7.
One of the biggest reasons for the loss was the Bears' inability to put up points in the red zone.
Chicago made it into the red zone three times against the Commanders and came away with 0 points each time.
The Bears were able to run the ball effectively against Washington, totaling 238 rushing yards on 37 attempts (6.4 yards per carry).
Chicago's passing game, however, left a lot to be desired.
And those struggles in the passing game fall on Poles more than anyone else.
Justin Fields completed 14 of 27 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown (he also threw one interception, which was tipped).
Fields' struggles in the passing game were one of the reasons why the Bears weren't able to come away with points in the red zone. Washington was able to key in on the run in those situations. And because their defensive line was creating pressure on seemingly every play, Fields often didn't have enough time to look down the field and find an open receiver.
On one of the few plays where he did have enough time, Fields hit Dante Pettis for a 40-yard touchdown.
Most passing attempts, though, saw Fields running for his life. And when he had time to find an open receiver, we either saw an off-target throw from Fields or a drop from a receiver.
Those off-target throws from Fields are a reminder that he's still a work in progress. Those throws, however, stand out a bit more when Fields didn't have many opportunities with a clean pocket to make an on-target throw.
There were times when Fields showed the elite talent that made him a first-round pick. He showed he can throw a great deep ball. And when he takes off in the open field, he's absolutely electric.
The problem is that Fields has no help. And that's because of Poles. I get that this is a rebuild, but Poles is putting Fields in a position that could potentially ruin the young quarterback's career. No quarterback can take that kind of beating and expect to progress. There's nothing productive about Fields running for his life as soon as the ball is snapped because his offensive line can't block anyone.
And then in the rare case that Fields gets a pass off, he has a below-average wide receiver group that's simply not making plays.
Poles had to know that not getting Fields any help was going to be disastrous. He could've signed some veteran offensive lineman — like Eric Fisher — to help protect Fields. Or Poles could've traded one of the Bears' defensive pieces — maybe Robert Quinn — to get Fields some help.
I think everyone would prefer to see the defense struggling over the offense (at least Fields would be upright). But instead, Fields is going to be lucky to make it to the end of the year in one piece.
Poles massively let his quarterback down this offseason. And by extension, he let the fan base down.
A rebuild was possible while signing veterans to short deals to give Fields some help. Instead, Poles basically told Fields "good luck".
Poles better have a great plan otherwise his time as a general manager in Chicago won't last long. Because so far, I haven't seen evidence that he has any clue what he's doing.
Featured image via Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
