Chicago Bears are a masterclass in how to waste a great defense
There was a moment in the first quarter of Sunday’s tilt against the Los Angeles Chargers when the Chicago Bears looked like the Chicago Bears again. After Kyle Fuller picked off Philip Rivers, most of the defense gathered for a delightful performance of the Cha Cha Slide, led by Prince Amukamara. They were having fun, taking comfort in that fact that they are still a dominating force that on Sunday would hold the Chargers to just 231 total yards.
Then the rest of the game happened, and the Bears lost 17-16 when Eddy Pineiro missed a 41-yard field goal as time expired. But this loss, and this season which is officially in disaster mode, was not Pineiro’s fault. Nor was it the fault of a Bears defense which still ranks in the top-10 despite losing disruptive defensive end Akiem Hicks to an elbow injury.
Sunday wasn’t the type of signature Bears defensive performance we were treated to every week last season, when the unit consistently terrorized the quarterback and seized every turnover opportunity. But the defense did its part, stymying Melvin Gordon, who only had 31 rushing yards. Khalil Mack also had a nice sack.
This game was also a needed change of pace for a defense that had been gashed on the ground in recent weeks because the offense had no ability to keep them off the field with sustained drives. But on Sunday Matt Nagy finally utilized his powerhouse running back, David Montgomery, which kept the defense well rested. For a while, the flow looked like a sliver of last year’s formula. Then the Bears were firmly back in the present.
The defense watched as Mitch Trubisky ended the third quarter with an interception and began the fourth with a fumble that the Chargers converted into a touchdown. The defense watched again as Trubisky actually drove Chicago into field-goal range on the final drive leaving enough time to attempt another run, which could have improved the field, position or heck, even led to a score. But Nagy insisted on kicking it right away. Miss. Bears lose again.
At this point, the Bears owe Mack and Eddie Jackson and Danny Trevathan and the entire defense an apology. Chicago now sit at 3-4 in the cellar of the NFC North without much hope given their quarterback and perplexing playcalling this season. The defense hasn’t been perfect; you’ll hear players like Mack or Trevathan talk about tackles they didn’t perfectly execute or how they still “believe in this team.” But they know the reality. They see the undefeated San Francisco and New England with crushing defenses and must salivate.
In case you haven’t heard it before, the Bears selected Trubisky in the 2017 NFL draft ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. And yes, instead of watching Trubisky look like a deer in headlines, it’s a fun exercise to close your eyes and dream of Mahomes or Watson paired with this defense.
Then reality hits and Bears fans have to watch their team waste a season waiting for Trubisky to make some incremental progress. Meanwhile, the organization is wasting this special collection of defensive talent. Mack is 28 and in his prime. Some guys are older, some are younger. Even with Trubisky’s contract, which some Bears fans are trying to buy out, Chicago’s front office has made the numbers work. That likely won’t be the case starting this offseason.
Unless Trubisky makes a massive transformation or the Bears pull off some blockbuster trade before the Tuesday deadline, this team is wasting more than this season. It’s painful to watch. Imagine how Khalil Mack must feel.
Stat of the week
A lot of 49ers performed in an electric 51-13 win over the Panthers but no one dominated quite like the rookie Nick Bosa, who has been a beast this season. After the game, Richard Sherman continued lobbying for the young pass rusher to get Rookie of the Year consideration. Defensive Player of the Year should be in the conversation as well.
MVP of the week
Cooper Kupp’s magical season continued Sunday with seven catches for a whopping 220 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 24-10 Rams win over the Bengals. It was Kupp’s fifth game of the season in which he topped 100 yards and the most receiving yards by any Ram in one game since Isaac Bruce in 1997.
Kupp feasted all day but it was his 65-yard score on a brilliantly called and executed double-reverse fleaflicker in the second quarter that altered the momentum of what was then a tied game.
Quote of the week
“Keeping a completely healthy player from being on the field isn’t protecting anyone.” –Cardinals linebacker Cassius Marsh
Arizona linebacker Cassius Marsh went down at the end of a Michael Thomas run in the first quarter and was soon ruled out of the game with a concussion. Marsh’s public disagreement was stunning because it came from the locker room mid-game in the form of a now-deleted tweet. (Marsh will be receiving a letter from the NFL since players are not allowed to post on social media during a game.) But Marsh’s words also illustrate a sad reality in the NFL that, despite the emphasis on safety, players know their worth is tied to being on the field.
Video of the week
There are no superlatives left to describe Adam Vinatieri’s career, and the collection of moments he’s accrued since joining the NFL in 1997 would fill a palace. The 46-year old (he turns 47 in a month) added to the list with a clutch 51-yard field goal to seal a gripping 15-13 victory for the Indianapolis Colts over the Denver Broncos. Vinatieri’s smooth kick keeps the Colts atop a tight AFC South. More importantly, it was a lovely reminder that life in sports, or in general, doesn’t have to disintegrate at 40.
Elsewhere around the league
-- Drew Brees made his return from injury and despite a shaky overthrow to start, he settled in nicely and led the Saints to a convincing 31-9 win over Arizona. Brees finished with very Breeslike numbers: 373 yards, three TDs and an interception. Have to wonder what Teddy Bridgewater could net the Saints from some team desperate for an upgrade at quarterback (ahem, Bears).
-- The Patriots now stand at 8-0 after beating the reeling Browns 27-13. Through their first eight games the Pats have a +189 point deferential which is tied for third-best in NFL history. In other words, they are ridiculously dominant.
-- A usually mellow Joe Flacco was furious about his team’s decision to punt on fourth and five at the Colts 48 with a 1:40 left and a one-point lead “Well, c’mon, I just look at it like we’re now a 2-6 football team, and we’re like afraid to go for it in a two-minute drill, you know?, Flacco told ESPN. “Who cares if you give the ball back with a minute, 40 seconds left? They’ve obviously got the field goal anyway.’’ He’s not wrong.
-- Given that the Broncos have lost three games in the last 30 seconds, first-year coach Vic Fangio may be on the hot seat. But it’s hard to imagine any seat hotter than Dan Quinn’s in Atlanta. The Falcons are now 1-7 with road games in New Orleans and Carolina in the next two weeks.
-- Deshaun Watson put on another show Sunday in a 27-24 win over Oakland. Watson was almost flawless, putting up 279 yards and three TDs, and displayed his incredible body awareness and heart on a mindboggling touchdown pass to tight end Darren Fells. In not-as-sunny Texans news, JJ Watt tweeted that his season is over after suffering a torn pectoral against the Raiders.
-- Talking of Watson’s brilliant touchdown throw, Aaron Rodgers came up with a half-decent effort for the Packers agains the Chiefs during Sunday Night Football:
-- The Jets quietly released Kelechi Osemele on Saturday after a bizarre dispute over whether or not Osemele needed shoulder surgery for a torn labrum. The Jets injected him with Toradol before his last two games but Osemele declared he could no longer play in so much pain and after a third outside opinion, decided to get the shoulder surgery (which the Jets would not authorize). This saga will continue as Osemele is filing grievances in an attempt to recoup his salary and fines for missing practices. But at the surface it’s safe to say that the Jets are in their own category of utter ineptness, particularly when it comes to medical matters.
-- The Dolphins did not lose on Sunday! (They play Monday night.)
make tea on the bus. After 20 games in the Premier League, with a few goals, the kitman said: ‘Go on, get on the bus.’ That made me feel so good. But it gave me such hunger and you knew your place.
“It definitely helped me and they’re good values that I wish were still in the game. It would help young players. They’re now looked after amazingly well but there’s more scrutiny on social media. In some ways they probably have it harder than we did as kids.”
Milner sounds pragmatic rather than wistful when pointing out that dressing rooms are now much quieter and more sanitised. But his remorseless professionalism has not cost him his wit or honesty. He still speaks in unvarnished detail when, like here, he is relaxed during an hour-long interview and I ask him about VAR: “I’m not a fan at all.”
Milner grins when I remind him that, in his book, he says he hates VAR. “Yeah. It’s in writing. So we’ll go with that. It might just be the old school part of me but I think there’s still too much debate around VAR. Goal-line technology is incredible. Instant decision. Black and white. But it’s very hard to use VAR when you’ve still got opinions on the decisions and the atmosphere is being ruined. You score, there’s an explosion of noise and then it’s VAR. You wait. Is it a goal?
“I had the experience of a penalty the other week [when Milner scored a much-delayed last-minute spot-kick to win the game against Leicester]. That was a new experience as they’re debating if it’s going to be a penalty. I think there’s use for it – if we can improve it. But football is a game of human error on the field and in officiating as well. They have a very tough job and I’m all for making their lives easier – but not at the expense of the flow of the game. If the VAR took away controversy I’d back it 100%. But we’re still having discussions about VAR. I don’t think many footballers feel differently.”
Milner sounds almost nostalgic for the lunacy of Phil Dowd’s high-jinks as a referee when he was playing for Aston Villa. “I was being pulled back by the referee and I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “I think it was at Villa Park and I was running into the box. Me and Phil Dowd were close to each other, and he pulled my shirt. I look around, and I’m thinking: ‘Ref!’ But, hang on a moment, it is the ref! Afterwards you think: ‘Did that really happen?’”
Did Dowd say much to him? “Yeah. We were joking about it. Strange. But it happened.”
Milner also confirms that Jürgen Klopp really did wear CR7 boxer shorts when making his final team talk before
Liverpool faced Ronaldo and Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final. “He thinks deeply about what he’s going to say before a game – and the CR7 thing broke the ice. This was just before we went to the ground for the final and we had our usual 15-minute meeting. He just lifted his top and had Cristiano’s boxer shorts on. Everyone started laughing – as you would before a Champions League final against one of the best players in the world and your manager’s wearing his boxer shorts. He just relaxed everyone. That’s why he’s such a good manager.”
Did Klopp say much to Milner before this year’s Champions League final? Milner had started virtually every Champions League game – but he was on the bench in the final. “He didn’t say anything. He only explained his thinking to me after the game. He said he wanted me on the field at the end. If it got nervy he wanted me playing – especially if it went to extra time or penalties. I was obviously disappointed but you win things as a squad. After a day you think: ‘What can I do to help us win this trophy?’ Anyway I came on after an hour and we won. When you get over the line it’s amazing and you remember all the games you’ve played – like beating Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield. Winning it was incredible.”
The league now matters most to Liverpool, after a 30-year wait, and Milner acknowledges that the yearning of the fans can be intense. “They started getting quite nervous early in the title race last season. It was the first time I had sensed that atmosphere at Anfield. But nothing really changes in the dressing room. The lads are always calm and confident and hopefully winning the Champions League settles people down. I hope they can just enjoy it. As much as people want the trophy, it’s the journey that you enjoy most.
“It’s so difficult to win the league. I’ve been fortunate to win it a couple of times [with Manchester City] and last year we were so close. We were flying. We were winning every week and felt we should be 10 points clear. And you’re still second. Last year, if you’d have said: ‘You’ll only lose one [league] game all season,’ I’d have snapped your hand off. But it wasn’t good enough.
“This season we have a team that can do it. I think there’s a calm around the club, both inside and outside, and people are confident we can get it done. But City are so good they’re capable of winning every game. The gap is not that big so we have to just keep pushing, and not worry too much about the title.”
A six-point lead seems a comfortable margin for Liverpool after 10 games, with nine wins and draw, but next weekend they face City. “A couple of bad games can happen,” Milner admits, “and with the amount of games we’re playing there might be a couple of injuries. It could be a couple of poor performances and the lead’s gone. That’s why it’s so special to win the league. It’s so difficult and the best team always wins the league, no matter what. Hopefully winning that first trophy, the European Cup, as a squad will give us the experience to win the league.”
Milner played against United at Old Trafford – in the only game that Liverpool have dropped points so far. “They defended well and we only played our best for the last 15 minutes. It’s never easy after an international break. That’s no excuse but it might explain the lack of rhythm. The fight was there to the end and we got a point. You see that character in the squad time and time again. If someone’s not in the gym you say: ‘Where were you today?’ That’s the sort of dressing room we have. It’s massive.”
High standards also prevail in the Milner household. He nods when I ask if he is still talking to his small children in Spanish. “I’ll repeat things in English after I’ve spoken to them in Spanish. But, yeah, always Spanish first. My daughter understands everything. My son repeats more, and doesn’t understand as much. But a child’s mind is incredible really. They pick up things so fast so it’s the best time to do it. I got the idea because Gaël Clichy [his former City teammate] said his daughter spoke three or four different languages. When I started to talk to the kids in Spanish my wife probably thought it would last a couple of weeks. But then again she knows me. Maybe she knew I’d do it all the time.”
Milner did not reveal the extent of his Spanish to Lionel Messi after he had fouled him in the first leg at Barcelona last season. Messi reminded Milner of how he nutmegged him while calling him a “burro” – without realising the Yorkshireman understood it meant donkey in English. “I just smiled and went back to the dressing room. We weren’t in the best position then. But Messi’s incredible. I’m lucky to have played against him and Ronaldo because the numbers they put up every year are ridiculous.”
Yet Milner says that Wilfried Zaha is the player against whom he has had the most difficulty. “I’ve been sent off for tackles on him twice. He’s a talent. Unpredictable. You see how difficult it is to deal with him when you’re watching him. And when you play against Zaha he’s tricky and very tough to face.”
Last week Patrice Evra said the same about Milner when naming him as the player against whom he struggled most. “I suppose it’s a compliment,” Milner says. “He thought I was a nuisance.”
Milner had far more critics at the start of his career – and he could have been ruined by comments attributed to Graeme Souness, his manager at Newcastle, who apparently said you can never win anything with a team of 11 James Milners. “I was 18 so I wanted to show him he was wrong. Since then, he said he was misquoted. That was fuel for me, whether he said it or not. Ironically he was covering the game when we won the Premier League the first time at City. He didn’t have to come over but he did. He was very nice and I have no problems with him. I think he’s a legend.”
Milner was tested at City. There were occasions when he would drive home from training in tears because, no matter how well he played, he was left out of the team. “It’s frustrating when you feel like you can’t do any more. But that’s where you need that character and strength to bounce back. I always had good people around me which helped. The biggest thing in football, and life, is that you make mistakes. The best players might make a mistake once, twice maximum. But they learn from it and never do it again.”
Milner has learned from his mistakes and, even after making his 500th Premier League appearance last season, he is hungry for more. At 33 he still tops the fitness tests at Liverpool. “Someone said to me, a few years back, that I’m going to have to rein it in in training, and look after myself a bit. I didn’t agree. I felt that the more I pushed myself, then the higher level I get in terms of fitness. I still feel very good and no different to what I did six years ago. My contract with Liverpool is up at the end of the season but hopefully we’ll sort something out. I want to keep going as long as possible at the highest level.”
In the meantime, Milner will continue having fun. “I started using a sleeptalking app years ago,” he says. “I don’t use it every day but Robbo [Andy Robertson] and I had a laugh. Robbo said: ‘I also talk in my sleep.’ So we used it and we found it was me who was doing most of the talking – in Spanish. Robbo was making farm noises.”
This perhaps shows who is the most intelligent out of Liverpool’s two jokers? “You could say that. On the pitch Robbo is unbelievable and off the pitch he is a great character. He also had a difficult journey into football but his ability is massive. He’s a big presence within the dressing room, lively, enjoys a joke and never shuts up. It’s important to have those characters in the squad especially when, like us, you’re chasing something special.”
James Milner’s Ask a Footballer is published by Quercus
The best players might make a mistake once, twice maximum. But they learn from it and never do it again
Donald Trump was in attendance at Nationals Park on Sunday night, and was loudly booed by the home crowd when he appeared on the stadium’s video screens.
Up next
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