North: Cutler made Gase hot property in NFL
So, Adam Gase is gone as the Bears offensive coordinator after just one year.
While his arrow is definitely pointing up, I think the Bears' arrow just headed south.
I'm sure general manager Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox will find a suitable replacement, but here's the message I got from the hiring of Gase by the Miami Dolphins. If a coach can make Jay Cutler, with his slightly better -than-average 93 quarterback rating look serviceable, then you're the guy everyone wants to hire.
Gase did a solid job making some good calls and a few not-so-good calls, and the Bears did improve their record to 6-10 this season after going 5-11 last season.
It might not be much, but it did feel like a better team this year in several ways.
The style of play and managing the ball, which was somewhat Kyle Orton-like, worked for Cutler.
Will that approach be out the window next year with the new guy? Stay tuned, but making Cutler look OK can make a coach a hot property. Congrats to Gase and good luck.
Character counts:
Character remains a factor on any team. I believe character is an important thing, especially when it comes to team sports.
Talent is always the common denominator, but if a team has some bad apples, it will always be a negative.
I can name you several teams with talent that suffer because they have players that drag them down. Injuries hurt of course, but good people in a locker room are still an important aspect of football.
When the Dallas Cowboys let running back DeMarco Murray go kept wide receiver Dez Bryant and picked up defensive end Greg Hardy, it was easy for me to say Dallas wouldn't make the playoffs.
The same goes for a team that can't win a playoff game: the Cincinnati Bengals. They have the talent, but they lost last weekend to the Pittsburgh Steelers because of a lack of character.
Two 15-yard penalties in a row, one by Pac-Man Jones, put Pittsburgh in field goal range to win the game 18-16.
How about those Philadelphia Eagles who didn't even make the playoffs? Their players are still sniping at their recently fired coach, Chip Kelly, and Murray had spoken with owner Jeffery Lurie earlier in December about his limited playing time and role on the Eagles.
These are just three examples of teams with plenty of physical talent but not enough character. Check the owners of these teams: Jerry Jones, Mike Brown and Lurie.
And don't get me started on the Cleveland Browns. With Jimmy Haslam as the owner, and Mike Pettine as the coach and Johnny Manziel as the quarterback, it has been a train wreck there.
Sometimes a team stinks because there's a funky smell at the top. Look at the teams still in the playoffs: the Steelers, Browns, Patriots, Seahawks. Panthers, Packers and Cardinals. For the most part, pretty high character. No surprise there.
Program notes:
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