Hub Arkush at chicagofootball.com asks some good quesions after the Bears loss to the Packers Sunday:
“‘I think that, fundamentally, we’ve got to be better,’ Trestman said. ‘We had some missed assignments back there, we had some guys where they shouldn’t have been, that was No. 1.
“‘I think, particularly because we played so much zone (Sunday), that we’ve got some cleaning up to do with our coverages. We didn’t play as well as we can play and it starts with fundamentals and technique.’
“But is it ‘fundamentals and technique,’ or is it talent, and why don’t veteran players know their assignments four games into the season?”
Though Arkush seems to believe its talent I really don’t think that’s the problem. Or at least not the larger problem. Even without Jeremiah Ratliff and Jared Allen I thought the younger players on the defense would show up better than they did against the Packers. Perhaps more time for development is needed at defensive tackle and once they’re playing better it will elevate the rest of the group.
But that’s no excuse for everyone else and its the second part of Arkush’s question that particularly bugs me. I’ve been a defender of defensive coordinator Mel Tucker but these intermittent poor efforts from the defense are starting to add up. I’m starting to wonder if he’s the guy to get all of these guys on the same page and perfroming as a unit week to week. I was willing to cut him some slack last year but I’m running out of patience. And I’m willing to be that feeling extends into places that are a lot more official.