North: Lack of talent, heart make Chicago Bears tough to watch
The Chicago Bears are simply a mess!
As I watched them lose 29-14 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, I saw plenty of give up on the field, and that is unacceptable.
Yes, there were some players who played hard, but if the fans were leaving late in the third quarter, so were some players. Jay Cutler left early in the fourth quarter with an injured thumb not long after a horrible interception.
He took himself out of the game and headed to the locker room right away; he was as anxious to leave as some fans.
Now GM Ryan Pace is young and needs some time, but there was just no reason for him to keep Cutler this season.
If the Philadelphia Eagles could get a first and fourth round pick for Sam Bradford, I thought the Bears could have gotten more for the very overrated Cutler.
I know he doesn't have a lot of talent around him, but even when he has in the past, he hasn't gotten this team anywhere close to the promised land.
It's time for a change and now we're hearing he may not be back next year. That's a safe bet because the franchise will save money. Remember this is a team that cut a kicker, Robbie Gould, because of expense not because of ability.
His replacement Connor Barth still has to prove himself as he has yet to make a field goal.
Hopefully in a year or two the Bears will improve, but Cutler will be gone and the team will have to develop a quarterback.
Timing is everything, and the most we can expect from Cutler is to keep this team middle of the road.
At this point in the season, we will start to find out how bad the loss of previous offensive coordinator Adam Gase affects the offense.
Cutler, who is somewhat dinged up, might try to play against Dallas Sunday night, but I say let Brian Hoyer play and let Cutler try to get better.
I'd like to place some blame on John Fox and his coaching staff but you coach the talent you are given and there really isn't much there.
But I do think his game management skills need to improve.
If the Bears ever needed an upset, it's this week's game against the Cowboys, but the spotlight is really on the Cubs right now.
I'm going to pay attention to which Bears players play with heart in the upcoming games.
It's a good place to start, but talent is needed and I just don't see much out there.
• Follow Mike North on Twitter @north2north. His 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.