A bad Bears team beating one of the NFL’s worst teams in years Sunday at Soldier Field changed nothing but the mood at Halas Hall.
But given everything swirling in the air around the Bears lately — besides the snow — coach John Fox relished a 20-3 rout over the Browns that offered a respite from speculation long enough for everyone to enjoy Christmas.
“That meant a lot to the guys in the locker room,’’ Fox said about Bears players committed to playing hard for a guy who likely coached his last game on the lakefront.
A 17-point blowout aside, the gift at the top of most every Bears fan’s list remains a new coach. Many also want a new general manager. The greediest of the bunch might ask for a smart football guy to oversee everything. As the flakes fell on the museum campus, Bears Chairman George McCaskey showed up in the South Lot to interact with those fans like he does two hours before every home kickoff.
On Christmas Eve — exactly 15 weeks after McCaskey invited me to accompany him down Aisle A4 for his regular tour before the season opener — doubt competed with the hope within many folks whose loyalty was tested by another season of futility. At least that was my impression after approaching at least a dozen diehards.
A local singer with season tickets looked forward to major organizational changes. One dad from Naperville who brought his three sons wholeheartedly agreed. A guy who awoke before dawn to battle bad roads on the drive from Peoria longed for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to replace Fox. A longtime fan from Robbins lighting a charcoal grill echoed the prevailing opinion on the hottest topic in town: The Bears need to make a move, with sooner outpolling later in a landslide.
“Fire Fox the day after Christmas,’’ one cynic suggested.
McCaskey, wearing a No. 86 Zach Miller jersey and a Bears ski cap, was leaving the parking lot as I arrived. Asked what he heard from fans that might have resonated, the guy who prides himself as a man of the people smiled wryly.
“You’re the one with your finger on the pulse,’’ McCaskey said with a hint of sarcasm.
The only message that matters is the one McCaskey sends Jan. 1, the day after this longest of regular seasons ends. The masses demand a strong, swift and decisive statement from McCaskey, starting with Fox but not necessarily ending with the coach. Chances are general manager Ryan Pace will be spared, especially after the Bears avoided one of the most embarrassing moments in franchise history by beating the winless Browns.
The future of team President Ted Phillips should be something McCaskey re-evaluates, but early indications make that unlikely. The NFL Network reported that Phillips has been “doing homework” on potential Fox replacements. A league source clarified that Phillips will leave the hiring decision to Pace. but, in his role as team president, would consult with fellow NFL executives he respected about possible candidates.
All those adult consequences were put on hold for three hours as the Bears channeled their inner 12-year-olds to produce a holiday memory their football family won’t soon forget.
“To play in the snow on Christmas Eve against your hometown team is like a dream come true,’’ said Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky, the pride of Mentor, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
The Bears did what they needed to do to avoid the ultimate ignominy, with Trubisky overcoming winter elements like someone who grew up in the Midwest and the defense benefiting from the Browns’ spirit of giving. Trubisky protected the football, completing 14 of 23 for 193 yards and alertly doing as much damage with his feet with 44 yards on seven carries.
Rookie counterpart DeShone Kizer threw two interceptions — the costliest one in the end zone by cornerback Kyle Fuller with the Browns trailing 6-0. Fuller, matched up for much of the game against the explosive Josh Gordon, continued his resurgent season with six passes defended in addition to the interception. Fox called it “as good of a game by a corner since I’ve been here,’’ praise that will only drive Fuller’s price up come free agency.
The Browns’ third turnover came when wide receiver Rashard Higgins fumbled in the Brownsiest play ever. Higgins fell after catching a pass around the Bears’ 10, got up untouched and made it to the 3 before fumbling into the end zone — where Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara recovered. Or was Myles Garrett’s 37-yard interception return to the Bears’ 5 getting negated by an offside penalty on the first play of the second half more indicative of the Browns’ chronic ineptitude?
All Fox was sure of afterward was that the Bears are in the wrong division.
“We fared pretty well in the AFC North,’’ Fox pointed out after going 4-0 against the Browns, Ravens, Bengals and Steelers.
So blame those teams for the Bears not picking in the top five of the 2018 NFL draft, the team’s next shot at exciting a fan base best described as apathetic as 2017 ends.
The Bears announced attendance at 41,257, with 17,539 no-shows. If that was accurate, thousands of fans watched the game from inside the corridor or in suites. The crowd looked more similar in size to the one that watched the fourth exhibition game between these teams Aug. 31. Experienced eyes saw at least 20,000 empty seats at kickoff, and that number slowly grew, leaving fewer than 10,000 fans for the final minutes.
Those who stayed until the end celebrated the Bears’ win, but not nearly as much as they likely will cheer a victory for progress when the looming change begins.
Twitter @DavidHaugh
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