The Chicago Bears had simply misplaced by 31 factors to a division rival, one among what would turn into 13 losses within the season. In the Chicago Tribune the subsequent day, the Bears coach was quoted as calling it “one of the darkest and dreariest days in Bear history.”
A bit greater than 53 years later, the Bears once more misplaced to a division rival by 31 factors, the thirteenth lack of the season.
The present coach wasn’t as dramatic as the previous, however he was quoted within the Tribune as saying, “It doesn’t sit well.”
The first coach was Jim Dooley, whose 1969 Bears went 1-13. One of these losses was a 31-0 beating by the Minnesota Vikings at Wrigley Field, after which Dooley proclaimed himself “bitterly disappointed.” The second was Matt Eberflus, whose present Bears misplaced 41-10 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field to drop to 3-13.
Eberflus wasn’t born but when Dooley’s group misplaced that October 1969 sport, however the coaches are linked by an unlucky distinction. Along with John Fox’s 2016 Bears, their groups maintain the report for essentially the most losses in franchise historical past, a report the present Bears may break Sunday in opposition to the Vikings within the season finale at Soldier Field.
By that metric, Eberflus’ Bears are among the many worst ever in Chicago, although they’re solely the second group to play a 17-game season. But what about different measuring sticks? Where do these Bears match within the spectrum of dangerous Bears groups?
Here’s a have a look at the worst of the Bears, from report to level differential to takeaways to common dysfunction.
Records in keeping with Bears media relations and Pro Football Reference, since 1940.
Record
Worst groups
“If it were a book, it would be written by Stephen King. If it were a movie, it would be scripted by Brian DePalma. The year was 1969, the worst season in Bears history. Try to forget it. Just try,” Tribune reporter Robert Markus wrote on the 25-year anniversary of the 1969 group.
We’ll get to a number of the drama in a bit, however let’s begin with the fundamentals. In their second season below Dooley, who changed George Halas as coach, the Bears misplaced 17-0 of their season opener to the Packers in Green Bay and began the season 0-7. They notched their solely win, 38-7, in opposition to a Pittsburgh Steelers group that additionally went 1-13.
However, as we’ll talk about later, that win would come again to chunk the Bears. Running again Gale Sayers returned from a knee damage to hurry for 1,032 yards in his final full season, however the large controversy of the season surrounded three beginning quarterbacks — Bobby Douglass, Jack Concannon and Virgil Carter — as Dooley tried unsuccessfully to raise his group out of its funk.
The 2016 Bears gifted Chicago with the phrase “hot dog-laden press box,” utilized by Fox when speaking about these critiquing the quarterback play of Brian Hoyer. The group didn’t reward town with numerous wins, nonetheless.
The 3-13 group additionally used three quarterbacks — Jay Cutler, Hoyer and Matt Barkley — due to accidents and had three three-game dropping streaks earlier than ending the season on a four-game skid. The final streak included a 41-21 loss to the Washington Redskins wherein Barkley threw 5 interceptions. Not surprisingly, this group would come up once more after we discuss takeaway-giveaway ratio. It was one among 5 three-win groups in franchise historical past, together with the 1945, 1953, 1973 and 1982 Bears.
Current Bears
In May, ESPN’s Football Power Index projected the Bears to be the worst group in soccer this season, so evidently, exterior expectations as common supervisor Ryan Poles initiated a rebuild had been low from the beginning. But a rain-soaked victory over the San Francisco 49ers within the season opener and a Week 3 win over the now 2-13-1 Houston Texans gave the Bears a 2-1 begin. When the Bears upset the New England Patriots in Week 7 to enhance to 3-4, it felt like possibly they may exceed a few of these expectations.
Then got here trades and accidents and a nine-game skid in opposition to what turned out to be a tough late-season schedule. Now, with a loss to the Vikings on Sunday, this group may go down in historical past because the losingest Bears group ever.
2022 stink meter: High.
Losing streak
Previous worst groups
“So a punt bounces off a man’s face and you win. At least the Bears were using their heads. That ball has bounced everywhere else this season, usually out of the hands of runners, or into the arms of defenders.” Bears reporter Don Pierson wrote that within the Tribune on Nov. 20, 1978, when the Bears broke their eight-game dropping streak with a 13-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Bruce Herron blocked a punt together with his face masks that arrange Walter Payton’s 2-yard landing run to safe the Bears win, their first in additional than two months. The group used quarterbacks Bob Avellini, Mike Phipps and Vince Evans in that sport — are you sensing a development concerning the worst groups? — and went on to win 4 of their final 5 to complete 7-9. After the sport, coach Neill Armstrong stated, “We were getting awfully sick of losing and so was the public after eight games. I hope we never see that again.”
Twenty-four years later, the Bears endured one other eight-game dropping streak because the 2002 group performed in Champaign due to Soldier Field renovations. During the stretch, quarterback Jim Miller battled tendinitis and flip-flopped begins with Chris Chandler.
Six of the eight losses had been by a landing or much less — two had been in time beyond regulation — but it surely took a baffling determination by Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg to finish it. Under earlier sudden-death time beyond regulation guidelines, wherein even a discipline purpose on the opening drive would finish the sport, the Lions received the toss however elected to defend with the Bears driving in opposition to a powerful wind at Memorial Stadium. Miller led a drive to the Lions 22, and Paul Edinger made a 40-yard discipline purpose for a 20-17 win in a 4-12 season below Dick Jauron. “I couldn’t believe that they didn’t take the ball,” linebacker Brian Urlacher stated.
Current Bears
Was that one other lifetime, that Oct. 24 evening when Jaquan Brisker made his revenge interception after Patriots quarterback Mac Jones kicked him “somewhere I shouldn’t be hit?” When Roquan Smith stated the Bears so shocked the group at Gillette Stadium that “it was like you could hear a rat piss?” When Justin Fields took off on his operating spree and there was a glimmer of hope for the Bears season?
Nine video games and greater than 70 days later, the Bears nonetheless haven’t tasted one other victory. Smith is now with the Baltimore Ravens, the beginning of a seemingly fixed shedding of the Bears finest gamers, both by commerce (Smith, Robert Quinn) or by damage (Darnell Mooney, Eddie Jackson, Jaylon Johnson). And whereas there have been a couple of shut ones early within the dropping streak, the final two to the Buffalo Bills and Lions have been significantly ugly. Like the 1978 Falcons and the 2002 Lions, will the 2022 Vikings give the Bears an opportunity to finish their franchise-record nine-game skid?
2022 stink meter: High.
Point differential
Worst groups
Pierson proclaimed {that a} Nov. 2, 1975, loss to the Miami Dolphins was one of many Bears finest video games of the season, writing that the Bears moved the ball higher than that they had all yr, hustled and hit onerous. They misplaced 46-13.
“That’s how far away these Bears are from the top of the National Football League,” Pierson wrote of a younger Bears group below first-year coach Jack Pardee. “The reality hit them squarely between the eyes Sunday. They have now lost to the world champion Steelers, runners-up Vikings and powerful Dolphins in three weeks by a combined score of 93-25.”
It wasn’t simply these three weeks that set the Bears on observe to a minus-188 level differential, the worst in group historical past. Eight of their 10 losses in a 4-10 season had been by 20 factors or extra. The season, the fourth straight with 4 or fewer victories, capped one of many worst stretches of soccer in franchise historical past. Payton was a rookie in that season however broke out to turn into an All-Pro the subsequent two seasons, together with the Bears’ first profitable season in a decade in 1977 as they leaned on their star.
The next-closest group was the 1997 Bears, who went 4-12 and had a minus-158 level differential. The Bears, quarterbacked by Erik Kramer many of the season, misplaced their first seven video games, the worst of which was a 31-3 loss to the Patriots and Drew Bledsoe. The final of that stretch was a 24-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers wherein coach Dave Wannstedt referred to as for a two-point conversion to win the sport reasonably than kick the additional level and ship the sport to time beyond regulation.
“What did we have to lose?” receiver Curtis Conway stated after Kramer overthrew Raymont Harris on the try and win the sport. Except for, you recognize, one other sport.
Current Bears
After a 49-29 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, Smith sat within the guests locker room and used the phrase “embarrassing” 3 times, “unacceptable” 3 times, “inexcusable” as soon as and “frustrating” as soon as. Starting with that sport — the Bears’ first with out Quinn and final with Smith — the Bears protection has saved opponents below 27 factors simply as soon as. It has been a big a part of the Bears dropping streak — and their minus-121 level differential. The aforementioned 31-point loss to the Lions, coupled with a 22-point loss to the Bills every week earlier, has moved the Bears into eighth-worst in franchise historical past within the class. They are third-worst within the NFL this season behind the Indianapolis Colts (minus-137) and the Texans (minus-132). The Bears have misplaced 5 video games by 17 factors or extra.
2022 stink meter: High.
Turnover differential
Worst groups
Barkley turned one among 10 gamers in Bears historical past to throw 5 interceptions in a sport on Christmas Eve 2016, second solely to Zeke Bratkowski’s seven interceptions in 1960.
“I was standing in my way today,” Barkley stated, “just in my own head of trying to do too much.”
That sport contributed to the Bears’ 31 turnovers for the season. Barkley had 14 of the Bears’ 19 interceptions in seven video games, with Cutler having the opposite 5 in 5 video games. The 2016 Bears ranked thirty first within the NFL in takeaway-giveaway ratio, the bottom rating in group historical past, on condition that different equally dangerous groups performed when the league had fewer groups. But that ratio had as a lot to do with their franchise-low 11 takeaways — tied for fourth-worst in NFL historical past — as their turnovers. They had a franchise-low eight interceptions — led by two every from Tracy Porter and Cre’Von LeBlanc — and simply three fumble recoveries.
The 2016 Bears had been fiftieth in group historical past in offensive turnovers. The 1947 Bears had 58 turnovers, however in addition they had 47 takeaways and nonetheless went 8-4.
Two different groups had equally giant turnover differentials. In 1960, the 5-6-1 Bears had 42 turnovers and 19 takeaways. That group had Bratkowski, who threw 21 interceptions in 11 video games. In 1987, a Bears group that went 11-4 and made the playoffs had 44 turnovers and 24 takeaways. That included a two-game stretch in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks with 11 turnovers and one takeaway. Quarterback Mike Tomczak, who was filling in for injured Jim McMahon, had six interceptions in these video games. The Tribune’s Bernie Lincicome wrote, “The ball needed a handle to stay in the Bears’ hands and thorns to stay out of San Francisco’s.”
Current Bears
Creating takeaways — and defending the ball on offense — are key tenets of Eberlus’ HITS precept.
“It’s really built into our whole culture, just being fanatical about getting the ball out and punching all the time and being consistent and finding ways to create turnovers,” cornerback Kyler Gordon stated at the start of the season.
That hasn’t led to as many takeaways because the Bears in all probability would love. They have 21 this season, which might be tied for tenth fewest in group historical past. On the flip aspect, Fields has thrown 11 interceptions, and the Bears have 23 turnovers, giving them a minus-2 turnover differential, ranked twentieth within the NFL heading into Week 18 — however removed from the worst in group historical past.
2022 stink meter: Medium.
Dysfunction
Worst groups
A Brandon Marshall postgame shouting session directed at Robbie Gould. Lance Briggs lacking a Week 1 observe for a restaurant opening. Lamarr Houston injuring his knee on a sack celebration together with his group down by 25 factors. Marshall difficult a Lions fan to a battle on social media and later saying he would use it in an anti-bullying marketing campaign. Aaron Rodgers throwing six landing passes within the first half in a 55-14 Packers win, one sport after the Patriots scored 51 factors in opposition to the Bears. Offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer leaking his frustrations about Cutler to NFL Network, solely to need to apologize to his gamers later.
“It’s one of the most (messed) up things I have ever seen,” a participant advised the Tribune’s Brad Biggs of the Kromer feedback and apology.
By current reporters’ estimations, the 2014 Bears group below Marc Trestman, which went 5-11, was among the many most tousled groups by way of pure dysfunction in current reminiscence. Trestman and common supervisor Phil Emery had been fired on the finish of the season.
The 1969 group can also be well-known for its points, together with a quarterback controversy, with Dooley at one level even utilizing a platoon system wherein the veteran Concannon changed the rookie Douglass in third-and-short conditions. Carter obtained his alternative late within the season, however Dooley pulled him at halftime of a loss to the Packers, and Carter referred to as him “gutless and a liar.” Carter additionally stated he hoped administration wouldn’t be “chicken(bleep)” sufficient to make him return to Chicago the next season to play out his choice. The outburst earned Carter a $1,000 advantageous from the group, and he left the group a sport early.
A extra critical and heartbreaking second within the season, nonetheless, was that operating again Brian Piccolo was recognized with most cancers after he went to medical doctors for a persistent cough they usually discovered a chest tumor. He died about seven months later.
Current Bears
It’s a credit score to Bears coaches and gamers {that a} group with the longest single-season dropping streak in group historical past, with a report as dangerous as any the Bears have had, hasn’t had many public points. Smith’s public assertion requesting a commerce and blasting Poles for failing to barter a brand new contract in good religion in August was essentially the most dramatic public second of the season. But even that appeared to die down fairly rapidly as Smith and the Bears agreed to maneuver on with the season with out extra negotiations. Rookie large receiver Velus Jones Jr. stated the atmosphere Eberflus created has helped.
“It’s all about respect,” Jones stated. “We respect one another, from player to coach and coach to player. It’s about the passion and the brotherhood we have in the locker room. Everybody is really social, everybody wants to play for one another. It sucks the way the season is going, but it’s just amazing to see everybody sticking together. At this point, I feel like it’s easy to give up, go halfway. But that’s not the case at all.”
2022 stink meter: Low.
Talent
Worst groups
In 1998, after the Bears fired Wannstedt after six years as coach, group President Michael McCaskey spoke of the personnel points that plagued the group. He famous the Bears’ lack of Pro Bowl gamers. The Bears didn’t have a single participant elected to the sport from their 1994-98 groups.
“With the 1985-87 teams we had any number of impact players, players who could make a difference in a game,” McCaskey stated. “I have to take some share of the responsibility that the talent level deteriorated over the years.”
Talent is a little bit of a subjective measurement, however the absence of Pro Bowlers — and simply fundamental title recognition for many of these late Nineties gamers — is telling of an absence of top-end expertise.
Before these groups, the final group to haven’t any Pro Bowlers was in 1974. That was one season earlier than the Bears drafted Payton and after the careers of Sayers and Butkus ended. There have been a number of years wherein just one participant was elected.
Current Bears
The 2022 Bears additionally didn’t have any participant elected to the preliminary Pro Bowl roster, a primary for the reason that 2017 group. Smith has been named a Pro Bowler whereas with the Ravens. Quinn was a three-time Pro Bowler however wasn’t chosen this season after he was traded. Jackson might need gotten a nod if he hadn’t been taken off the poll following a Lisfranc damage in Week 12.
Bears followers actually hope Fields is a future Pro Bowler. Same with younger gamers corresponding to Jaquan Brisker or any of the massive variety of rookies the Bears performed this season. But nonetheless the absence of Bears on the occasion speaks to the group’s lack of elite distinction makers.
2022 stink meter: High.
Hope
Worst groups
Now we come full circle to the 1969 group and that lone victory in opposition to the Steelers. Because each groups completed 1-13, they flipped a coin for the No. 1 choose. “ … And now Bears flop on the flip!” the Tribune headline proclaimed on Jan. 10, 1970. Vice president Ed McCaskey referred to as heads. It was tails.
A author yelled out, “McCaskey, you’re a bum!” from a crowded information convention. The Steelers drafted quarterback Terry Bradshaw No. 1 general. The Bears traded their second choose to the Packers for linebacker Lee Roy Caffey, middle/guard Bob Hyland and halfback Elijah Pitts.
As talked about earlier than, the Bears didn’t have a profitable report once more till 1977, one among two within the decade. The Steelers received 4 Super Bowls within the Seventies.
In hindsight, that 1969 group, together with the 1997 group that traded its No. 11 choose for quarterback Rick Mirer within the preseason, didn’t have quite a bit to stay up for, dropping on alternatives to make their groups higher.
Current Bears
Fields’ playmaking prowess, whereas it has come operating extra usually than passing this season, is the first vein by which hope has flowed. The thought that the Bears may have a star quarterback within the making after so a few years of futility from lots of the aforementioned gamers softens the blow of the 13-loss season. A primary-year common supervisor and coach who at the very least have stated the suitable issues are being afforded a while to construct their imaginative and prescient.
A top-four draft choose — which may go as excessive as No. 1 relying on the end result of Sunday’s video games — doesn’t damage an optimistic outlook both.
But we received’t know till years down the road if that’s all false hope.
2022 stink meter: Low.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com