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Chicago Bears: Head Into Off Week Better or Worse?

By Wanda Wiedman

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Oct 18, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears running back

Matt Forte

(22) celebrates his touchdown with tackle

Charles Leno

(72). Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears head into the bye week with a 2-4 record and holding on to third place in the NFC North. With a devastating loss to the Detroit Lions, the Bears go into the bye with several questions, “Did they get better or are they worse than last year?”

I think it is fair to say that several components of the team have improved for the better and in some cases regressed backward. However, the mentality going into the bye is completely different under head coach John Fox.

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The Bears had a taste of two wins that came from a fourth-quarter surge and almost had the same thing happen in Week 6 against the Lions. They are hungry for a solid win, one without having to scratch and claw their way out of it. There is a definite fire burning in the depths of this team and they are at the cusp of breaking out. But they are missing key elements.

“I don’t want to go to the bye week. I want to focus on the next team”-Matt Forte

In an interview with Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com, running back Matt Forte expressed his frustration by saying, “I don’t want to go to the bye week. I want to focus on the next team.” He also stated that “We had a lot of opportunities to win that game.” The fear of losing the momentum proves their determination to shut the mouths of all the critics who deemed them to finish last and with a 2-14 season.

Need more proof? Last year when Marc Trestman was the head coach, the players took the entire week off. When they returned from the bye, they lost to the Green Bay Packers in a blowout 55-14 embarrassment.  Due to the mandated Collective Bargaining Agreement, they are forced to take four days off. This team doesn’t want four days off, they want to prepare and practice with immediate results.

Oct 4, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Fox wanted them to remember what they are fighting for, so he had them practice for two days before their four-day rest period. The practice gave them extra time to work on some things and prepare to take on the Minnesota Vikings for an essential NFC North match-up.

It would be in the best interest of each and every player to watch tape with the goal of erasing costly mistakes. The penalties on both sides of the ball have to stop especially on pass interference calls. Every time they get one of those calls, it increases the momentum of the opposing team and the progress of the offense.

However, there were some changes in the backfield with the addition of cornerback Bryce Callahan from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. An undrafted rookie from Rice University, he stands at 5’9″ and very athletic. Due to his size he may be mismatched from the slot and outside receivers, but the coaches saw something in him to garner a promotion. In case there was any question as to how high he can jump, he had a 43″ vertical at his Pro-Day. Kyle Fuller‘s vertical was 38″.

Let’s not overlook the improvement in the backfield with rookie free safety Adrian Amos. He currently has 19 tackles and 4 assists credited to him with no penalties.  So with the pieces falling into place, a healthy quarterback, receivers and impressive rookie growth, the Bears are looking to be a better team coming back from a bye week.

The Bears will be a better matchup against the Vikings and will make every attempt to come out fast and furious as a team moving forward.  If they are all on the same page, it can only get better.

Next: Chicago Bears:Future Outlook for Adrian Amos

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