Chicago Bears: 5 Vital 2018 Preseason Facts to Remember
By Erik Lambert
The Chicago Bears lost their second-straight game of the preseason. Of course the final outcome doesn’t matter, but there are still concerns.
Preseason or not, it’s still simulated game action. When a team isn’t performing at optimal capacity even in simulated games, people grow concerns because how can the players be expected to suddenly flip a switch when the real action starts in September? That’s why there is a minor panic going on around the Bears thanks to several issues that have stemmed from both defeats.
So it might be time to settle things down and remind people about what’s really going on with this team with three preseason games left to go. As always it’s not as bad as people make it out to be. All that’s needed is a little bit of context.
That starting offense in Cincinnati wasn’t the starting offense
Seeing Mitch Trubisky go 2-of-4 for four yards on Thursday night must’ve been tough for Bears fans. Is that it? Is that the new Bears offense they’ve been hearing so much about? The simple answer is no, of course not. Forget the reality that the scheme itself was under lock and key by the coaches. Trubisky was basically playing that game with half a deck.
While Andy Dalton had his primary weapons in A.J. Green, Joe Mixon, and others? Trubisky saw Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen on the sideline. Those four guys are arguably the four-most crucial players to making this new offense go. The Bears QB can’t be expected to execute at a high level without so much help on the field.