Life in the NFL is not fair. It is corporatized blood sport that blends the brutality of capitalism with the barbarity of football. John Houseman’s character in the classic 1975 film Rollerball explains the peculiar ethos that captures the imagination of millions of fans:
“Sweet Dreams, Moonpie. That’s a bad habit you’ve got there. You know what that habit will make you dream, Moonpie? You’ll dream you’re an executive. You’ll have your hands on all the controls, and you will wear a gray suit, and you will make decisions. But you know what, Moonpie? You know what those executives dream about out there behind their desks? They dream they’re great rollerballers. They dream they’re Jonathan; they have muscles, they bash in faces.”
Of course, Houseman’s character was the de facto commissioner and Moonpie ended up on life support after a head injury.
All of this brings us to the current state of the Chicago Bears and its professorial head coach Marc Trestman. The Bears were built on a reputation of bashing in faces by league founder George Halas. Now, the inheritors of his legend, the McCaskey family, look like another mom and pop shop about to be swallowed whole by the Walmarts of the NFL. The Bears were 3-5 as they headed into the harsh confines of Lambeau Field in Green Bay Sunday night. They left 3-6 and stumbled home with no shot at the playoffs. (Really, that dream ended with a 51-23 fiasco in Foxsborough.)
The Bears went slightly out of the box when they hired General Manager Phil Emery; and he went out of the country when he hired two-time CFL champion Marc Trestman from the Montreal Alouettes. Emery was signed to a five-year contract in 2012. Trestman signed for four years in 2013. That handcuffs Bears’ fans to both of them until 2017 unless the McCaskeys eat their pride and cash and start over again.
Trestman had a long career in the NFL and an excellent history of nurturing offenses and quarterbacks. The biggest question about Trestman was whether or not he could command an NFL locker room. Unfortunately, for Trestman and Bears’ fans, the answer to that question seems to have been answered. By all accounts, he’s a good man. He likes to talk about nebulous concepts of team cohesiveness and “growing the man.” None of it matters if you do not win. Bill Walsh was cerebral, but no one questioned his authority – or his teams’ physicality.
Jason La Canfora wrote a specious, but damaging, article about Trestman losing the locker room. The smoke has shown some signs of fire. After losing to the Dolphins at home on October 19th every local beat writer could hear Brandon Marshall screaming at various teammates.
Brandon Marshall has nominated himself as a team leader, but everyone is sick and tired of hearing him talk. Marshall travels every week to film his appearances on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.” He is the same guy who held a 40-minute rambling press conference to defend his domestic abuse history – in spite of the organization’s misgivings. Marshall is not the only Bear that has wandered outside the protected lands of Halas Hall. Six days before the season opener Lance Briggs took off a practice day to open a restaurant in California. Briggs, who is 33 and a twelve year veteran, also considers himself a team leader.
Trestman was fighting Bears’ history and culture when Chicago went 8-8 last year. He attempted to mobilize a franchise around a 21st century offense with a 20th century defensive tradition. Mission accomplished. Last year the Bears were second in the league scoring 27.8 points per game; but their defense was brutal yielding 29.9 points per game.
Trestman inherited a team left over from Lovie Smith and former GM Jerry Angelo. Smith coached up a solid defense and brought about his demise with almost a decade of awful offense. The problem for Trestman has been the leftovers of a franchise riddled with horrible Angelo drafts, desperate free-agent signings, and huge investments in questionable leaders.
Emery and Trestman have hitched their wagon to Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. Nobody likes Cutler except for Marshall; and Marshall is a documented malcontent. The Bears have invested almost $30 million between the two of them this year alone. To bolster the defense Emery signed an aging Jared Allen to a four-year $32 million contract, and Lamarr Houston to a five-year $35 million contract. Allen has showed his age and Houston tore his ACL celebrating a sack in the debacle at Foxsborough. As for the leftovers, Lance Briggs completely checked out after his shoulder injury last year, and a 33-year old Charles Tillman has not been able to complete the last two seasons.
What do the Bears’ “executives” dream of? Do they dream of bashing in faces? Or are they content in the 2003 renovation of an archaic and fraudulent Soldier Field? Are they content to let their bean counter team president and CEO, Ted Phillips, continue to make horrible football decisions? The family took away the toy from chairman of the board Michael McCaskey in 2011 and turned it over to his brother George. Hopes soared that bashing in faces would return to the proud Chicago franchise.
Last night the Bears got smoked by the Packers again. Expectations were high when the season started. There was even hushed talk about Super Bowl dreams. Now whispers about Trestman’s grip on this team have turned to murmurs; and the torches are at the gate. Whether it is fair or not, the Marc Trestman era is over in Chicago.
Trestman is failing all the criteria that made him head coach of the Bears. Jay Cutler is not improving. The offense is stagnant. The defense is deplorable. But, most damaging – the questions linger. Whatever happened to bashing in faces? And, does anyone on this underachieving team give a damn about what Marc Trestman has to say?
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @Scott_Habiger.
Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
