Friday, November 13th
Maybe I am just a glass is half full kind of guy! Because, if you look closely at Jay's performance tonight, he hit 12 different receivers. That is some serious distribution of the football and spreading the wealth. Unfortunately, seven targets were on the Bears roster and five others played for the 49ers.
You cannot sugercoat Jay's performance one bit. He needed to be the difference maker for the Bears, not SAN FRAN! The game was set up for Jay coming into Thursday night. Running the football was going to be difficult as the 49ers were fourth overall in the NFL at stopping the run. Furthermore, the Bears should have featured the passing game due to the 49ers losing their star cornerback, Nate Clements, for six weeks to injury. It was not to be and Bear faithful are left wondering how their prized franchise QB now leads the league in interceptions. Is Chicago where QB's come to die?
All of Jay's miscues are correctable and some the fault of others. But when you blow Red Zone scoring opportunities with as much frequency as the Bears, it is now must be considered a trend. The first and last interceptions are without a doubt the most alarming. We have witnessed three games this year where Jay has demonstrated poor decision making in the Red Zone that has cost the Bears football games. The first interception by Nose Tackle Abrayo Franklin of the 49ers is inexcusable. There was no passing lane! Never going to be a passing lane to complete that football! Three other 49ers had TE Greg Olsen blanketed in the Endzone making it way to risky of a throw. THROW THE BALL AWAY! Go back to my Atlanta Blog. Take the three points. You are on the road in a MUST WIN game scenario. The bigger picture needs to sink in and Lovie Smith needs to hammer it home to his starting franchise QB. Time for a trip to the principles office for a chat because Jay's poor decisions are now putting Lovie's livelihood in harms way.
Jay's carelessness displayed throwing the football makes it difficult for everyone moving forward. It certainly affects Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner's ability to call a game. Jay will not say it publicly, but his confidence is shaken. You do not apologize to your teammates after the game if you are not questioning yourself inside. Tommie Harris dealt with it last week and now Jay has to get back to work. Ron has to stress the fundamentals. Poor footwork and technique are killing Jay's production. It is not the time to let Jay off the hook after a so called "bad day at the office". This has been brewing for quite some time, when it should have been addressed in the first place.