Trestman’s judgment calls hurting the Bears

I recently wrote a column about Chicago Bears head coach Mark Trestman’s decision to start an injured Jay Cutler against the Detroit Lions. His judgment issues surfaced again Sunday in the 23-20 loss against the Minnesota Vikings.

With plenty of time left on the clock in overtime and facing a second-and-7 play, Trestman decided to go for it with a 47-yard field goal attempt by the usually reliable Robbie Gould.

Truthfully, when the decision was made I had no issue with it. Let’s face it, if Gould makes it, there’s a different beat in town and I’m writing a column about something else.

But let’s remember that a 47-yard field goal isn’t a simple chip shot, and another five or sx yards would have helped tremendously. Gould’s percentage rate is 90.5 percent from 30-39 yards and it’s 72.2 percent from 40-49 yards in his career.

Trestman explained he was worried about a possible penalty or a fumble, so I guess I can call him a glass-half-empty guy, like some have called me.

Running back Matt Forte might have sprung a 20-yarder or quarterback Josh McCown might have thrown a screen for additional yardage, but Trestman didn’t give them a chance.

I don’t want a head coach who is afraid; I want a coach who goes for the jugular.

What’s more amazing is the 60-plus yarder he had Gould attempt and miss.

The judgment calls by Mark Trestman have to improve — he still coaches like an offensive coordinator.

Trestman has lost a couple of games for this team, and isn’t the head coach supposed to win games?

Look, if you don’t have enough common sense you shouldn’t be a head coach. Here’s hoping Trestman gets some soon.

Saban’s blunder:Nick Saban had a meltdown on the sidelines as Alabama#146;s coach Saturday night. He finally had to do a little coaching in the Iron Bowl. When a team is winning games like #146;Bama usually does, not much high-pressure coaching is needed. How is it that the man who is the best recruiter in the game, according to many, doesn#146;t have a decent field-goal kicker? Probably because it doesn#146;t usually come down to that for them. When things started going south against Auburn, Saban panicked, and he had no answers. His football team was undisciplined and his decision to pass up a 30-yard field goal to go for it on fourth down will forever haunt him as much as the final play, which cost him the game. The Crimson Tide would have been up by 10 against Auburn, but his ego took over.Not many people are shedding a tear for Saban today, but he#146;ll be back. Hopefully he won#146;t forget how to coach.Program notesI will be co-hosting with Andy Furman from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and from 9 p.m. to midnight on Sunday. Check me out on iHeart radio or FoxSportsradio.com, and follow me on Twitter @north2north.Listen to The Mike North Pregame Show from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday on WIND 560-AM The Answer. Ÿ Mike North#146;s column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.