{"numbering":"asc","slides":[{"index":1,"title":"If Ted Phillips isn’t in the plans for 2021, that move should be made now","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_Phillips.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1607373555,"caption":"

If George McCaskey didn’t make changes in the middle of the 2014 season, it’s hard to imagine him pulling the trigger on anything now.

As bad as the Bears’ six-game losing streak looks – the worst the franchise has endured since 2002 – it doesn’t compare to the drama of 2014.

Remember when Brandon Marshall called his own press conference to discuss his domestic violence history when the team told him not to? Or when cornerback Tim Jennings called Mel Tucker’s defensive scheme “vanilla” in the middle of the season? Or when offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer privately bus-tossed quarterback Jay Cutler only to have the whole thing exposed when the general manager leaked it to the media?

2014 was unlike anything I’ve ever covered and for the Bears’ sake, it better not be topped. But through all that, McCaskey and team president Ted Phillips didn’t make a move until the season was over, when they fired both GM Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman.

Of course, they were also the ones who hired Emery, the guy that built the toxic culture and hired Trestman from the Canadian Football League instead of Bruce Arians. That led to Virginia McCaskey feeling “pissed off” when the whole thing went up in flames.

So how does she feel now?

Fans are understandably calling for change. And they want it right now. But despite all the losing, the culture general manager Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy built is the only thing preventing 2020 from becoming another 2014. That’s not to say they should keep their jobs, because ultimately, it’s the wins and losses that matter. But what does firing them now accomplish? In Detroit, Matt Patricia had to go because many of the players and coaches were miserable. The culture was bad. That’s not the case at Halas Hall right now.

If McCaskey is going to make a big move now, it should be higher than the GM position. The head start you get on a GM or head coaching change is minimal during the season, because you can’t interview employees from other teams until the season is over. But if the Bears are going to move Ted Phillips out of the team president role, then they can begin a hiring process that would certainly include names outside the NFL. A move like that should be an immediate priority, because you want your new team president in place as soon as possible so you don’t miss out on general manager candidates and head coaching candidates in early January.

One of the problems the Bears ran into when they fired Emery and Trestman is that McCaskey, Phillips and search consultant Ernie Accorsi started interviewing head coaching candidates before they even hired Pace as general manager. They needed to do it, but it wasn’t ideal because a general manager is going to have his own list of coaches he wants to hire. In the end, John Fox suddenly became available and a rushed decision was made by all parties.

Right now, firing Pace and Nagy would just be a PR move to satisfy the fan base. But what if McCaskey made that move and then immediately said he and Phillips would begin a search for the next GM and head coach? Would fans even be happy?

That’s why the only move that makes sense in the immediacy is firing Phillips. And if the Bears are going to make that move, they should do it now. Because, honestly, the person they hire to replace Phillips is the one who should make the decisions on the general manager, head coach and general direction of the franchise going forward.

"},{"index":2,"title":"A reflective Sunday night","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_pace_0.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1607374155,"caption":"

When I reached the end of my lengthy Sunday checklist and was finally able to grab a beverage and sit down on my couch for the second half of Sunday night’s Chiefs-Broncos game, I couldn’t help but think about the big picture.

As soon as I sat down, I saw Patrick Mahomes flick multiple sidearm passes, contort his body and find Sammy Watkins over the middle, and launch a bomb downfield to Tyreek Hill. And I couldn’t help but think about Pace, who probably got home from Sunday’s collapse and was also sitting on his couch watching Mahomes while thinking about Deshaun Watson coming to Soldier Field next week.

The Bears aren’t in their current state entirely because of the Mitch Trubisky pick, but it certainly will go down as the defining move of the Pace era, which we all knew at the time. If Mahomes was in Chicago, he wouldn’t have Hill or Travis Kelce or that same offensive line, and in many ways, Watson is proof that you need more than incredible quarterback play to win championships because he’s stuck on a bad team right now. But could the Bears have won the Super Bowl in 2018 if they had either of those quarterbacks? At a minimum, Nagy’s offense wouldn’t be as bad and the Bears wouldn’t be on a six-game losing streak.

It’s dangerous to go down that road – and frankly, it’s exhausting. But not a day goes by in Chicago without Mahomes and Watson being mentioned because that’s how important April 27, 2017 truly was. It set the course for this regime and unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

"},{"index":3,"title":"The Khalil Mack/Mitch Trubisky double-down","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_mack.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1607374234,"caption":"

Believe it or not, Pace’s plan was not a bad one. He just didn’t always pull the trigger on the right players. He rebuilt an historically bad defense and thought he had drafted the franchise quarterback. After Trubisky’s rookie season in 2017, he brought in the head coach he thought could get the most out of the young quarterback, knowing he had a three-year window to contend under Trubisky’s rookie contract.

And that window swung wide open when he traded two first round draft picks for Khalil Mack. But in doing so, he was also ensuring the window would shut at the end of the 2020 season. The Bears were were hoping – and planning – to pay Trubisky beyond his rookie deal, but with Mack’s contract on the books, paying the QB too would have left little cap space for the rest of the roster.

That’s why the Raiders traded Mack in the first place.

On the day Mack was introduced at Halas Hall in 2018, I remember making three conclusions on The Hoge & Jahns Podcast:

1. It was a great trade.
2. The Bears were doubling-down on Trubisky, with three years left on his rookie contract.
3. There would come a day when the Mack trade wouldn’t look as good. And it might even feel like the Raiders won the trade.

That day is here. Mack is still a good player that opposing offenses spend a lot of time worrying about, but he’s only delivered one dominant, game-wrecking season. It’s still a trade most teams would do again, but it’s also fair to say the results haven’t been completely worth the price – both in draft capital and in dollars. The far bigger problem though is that the quarterback didn’t work out. And when it became obvious that Trubisky wasn’t getting paid, that money/cap space went to filling holes largely created by draft failures, resulting in big contracts for Nick Foles, Robert Quinn and Jimmy Graham. All three will have money on the books in 2021.

In today’s NFL, the plan was sound. But too many mistakes were made when selecting the players to execute the plan.

And now the Bears have to start over.

"},{"index":4,"title":"The disappearing pass rush","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_Quinn_0.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1607374274,"caption":"

On the topic of Mack and Quinn, the missing pass rush has been hard to explain in 2020 – and Sunday’s game was especially confounding because the Bears played with a lead for almost the entire game. With the Lions trailing late, you would think Mack and Quinn could have pinned their ears back and put Matthew Stafford on the ground.

Yes, Mack gets held a lot and rarely gets it called. But for every snap where he gets held, he also gets a snap with a true 1-on-1 rush and there were multiple times Sunday – including on a converted 3^rd & 10 and Stafford’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Quintez Cephus – that both Mack and Quinn had 1-on-1 rushes and failed to get home.

There are all facts right now:

- Mack doesn’t have a sack in his last four games.
- Quinn hasn’t had one since his very first snap of the season back in Week 2.
- The secondary doesn’t have an interception in its last six games.

All three of those realities are indicative of the lack of a pass rush on a team that has sunk a lot of money into sacking the quarterback.

"},{"index":5,"title":"A bright spot: David Montgomery","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_Montgomery.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1607374310,"caption":"

I thought running back David Montgomery was the best player on the field Sunday, at times turning potential TFLs into solid gains. Montgomery ran for 62 yards on just 11 carries in the first half, showing the vision, contact balance and toughness that was advertised when the Bears drafted him in the third-round last year.

His four-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter was particularly impressive, as there didn’t appear to be anything there.

The running game has been better since Cody Whitehair moved to left guard and Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars were inserted at center and right guard, respectively. Perhaps the Bears discovered something there.

"},{"index":6,"title":"Key development: Cole Kmet","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_Kmet.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1607374374,"caption":"

Sunday’s game was also encouraging for second-round draft pick Cole Kmet, who very clearly looks like the best tight end on the roster now. Kmet was targeted seven times – tied with Allen Robinson for the team lead – and caught five passes for 37 yards and a touchdown.

The development of rookie tight ends is usually a process and while Kmet’s lack of involvement at times this season has been frustrating, it’s encouraging that he appears to be getting better. It’s important that continues in the final four weeks of the season.

"},{"index":7,"title":"Draft watch","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_Draft.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1607374407,"caption":"

It’s been a few years since I’ve had to track the NFL Draft order in December, but the Bears are suddenly in that position.

After Sunday’s loss to the Lions, they are now tied with Detroit with a 5-7 record. Because the Lions have the easier strength of schedule, they are slotted at No. 12 in the NFL Draft order and the Bears are No. 13. That order won’t change Monday, even if Washington improves to 5-7 or the 49ers fall to 5-7.

So how high can the Bears climb? Right now there are five teams with four wins ahead of the Bears, including the 4-8 Texans, which come to Soldier Field on Sunday. That Texans pick belongs to the Dolphins, but will still be determined by Houston’s finish. As it stands right now, the Bears’ strength of schedule is weaker than all the 4-8 teams, so it’s theoretically possible the Bears could climb as high as No. 7 in the draft order, but they’ll need some help.

And considering the Bears still play the 1-11 Jaguars later this month, you’d think their worst possible record would be 6-10. You’d think.

"},{"index":8,"title":"Other observations","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_Miller_0.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1607374427,"caption":"

- Anyone else curious what Anthony Miller would look like in a consistently better – and perhaps, simpler – offense? I feel like Aaron Rodgers would love him in Green Bay. He’d yell at him a lot, but he’d also throw to him a lot.

- Did Kmet’s 11-yard touchdown look familiar? The Bears lingered in the huddle for a long time and then ran to the line of scrimmage and quickly snapped the ball to catch the Lions defense off guard. Kmet snuck out uncovered and was able to catch-and-run with the ball for the score. The Rams did the same thing to the Bears defense earlier this season and scored on it.

- Dear Bill Lazor -- more tempo, less zone read.

"},{"index":9,"title":"Opponent look-ahead: Houston Texans","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_watson.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1607374451,"caption":"

Just like Patrick Mahomes came to Soldier Field last December and painfully made the Bears regret passing on him, Deshaun Watson has the same opportunity Sunday. At least this one won’t be on national television.

The Texans launched Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start and were 1-6 at one point, but then fired off three wins in four games before losing narrowly to the Colts Sunday. And had Watson not fumbled a low shotgun snap in the final moments, the Texans might have won that game too.

Watson is somewhat of a one-man show right now, but he’s been electric and you know he’ll be motivated against the Bears. Viewer discretion advised.

"},{"index":10,"title":"Final word","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/10_Trubisky.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1607374479,"caption":"

Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the fact that the Bears have drafted only one quarterback in six years.

"}]}

Hoge's 10 Bears Things: If moving on from Ted Phillips, do it now