Bears Illusion Fools Cutler, Not Giants, On Monday Night

I am proud to say that as a football fan, I have managed to spread the appreciation of the game to my parents. So when my mother told me about a conversation she had with one of her coworkers about the most recent Chicago Bears fiasco, I was compelled to listen in.

This particular dialogue concerned the Bears offense, which her colleague described as being a holgram that was actually non-existent. In a time where it would not have suprised me to hear quarterback Jay Cutler say "Help me, offensive line, you're my only hope", it appeared that he and not the New York Giants was the one fooled by the Bears' lack of offensive presence.

Despite being sacked nine times by a Giants team that was missing its leading pass rusher in Mathias Kiwanuka, Cutler held onto the ball incessantly and stubbornly refused to check down to his backs when the game was on the line. Particularly strange given that Matt Forte is the Bears' leading reciever.

The refusal of both Cutler and Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz to make halftime adjustments, as well as head coach Lovie Smith's stoicism throughout the affair, seems to indicate who has the power in Chicago. Everyone's been taking about the cohesiveness between Cutler and Martz, but Lovie Smith may have been made the unwitting victim in a situation featuring two men that can best be described as absolutely convinced of the superiority of their own methods. Lovie has never been known as a strong leader; he is often presented by the media as a soft-spoken player's coach--well-liked by his guys but not renowned for his ability to rally and motivate a team in crunch time.

It's painfully clear that Martz and Cutler have yet to work out all of the problems with their offense; they have consistently had trouble establishing the running game with a patchwork offensive line that is still missing left tackle Chris Williams; regrettably, it seems doubtful that they would be much better even with Williams in the lineup. What the Bears need now is consistency, and they may find a measure of respite against Carolina, who have looked poor even after substituting Matt Moore for rookie Notre Dame product Jimmy Clausen. If the Bears can go several games without being forced to shuffle their lineup, they may find some solidarity in their offense to accompany a defence that was forced to play alone throughout the game at the Meadowlands.

Hopefully things will improve on Sunday.