Bear down, Chicago bores: Next coach must bring excitement with him

Those that didn’t nod off during the Bears’ 20-10 loss to the Lions on Saturday would have heard John Fox explain two coaching decisions the same way.

Asked what he had to lose by going for it on fourth-and-one at his own 45 in the second quarter, Fox disagreed with the premise.

“You do got something to lose,” he said. “That’s called field position.”

But what about an onside kick with two-and-a-half minutes left, down 10? Why not give his players a chance to recover the ball?

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“I mean, again, it’s field position,” he said.

That should thrill the dozens of masochists who decide to occupy a half-empty Soldier Field on Christmas Eve against the winless Browns.

The Bears, as currently constructed and coached, are bores.

Whoever replaces Fox as head coach — and that is more inevitable today than it was Saturday morning — will have to provide Bears fans with more than mere hope for next season. How about a little excitement?

Fans looking to frame Fox’s decisions as those of a doddering coach miss the point; with 16 years of NFL head-coaching experience, it would be more surprising had he gone for it on fourth-and-one.

A different coach, though, might recognize a fourth-and-one as a chance to inject some artificial juice into a team playing out the string. And an opportunity for Mitch Trubisky to learn from a situation he’ll need to master at some point in his career.

General manager Ryan Pace must spend the offseason stocking his team with difference-makers on defense — start with a young edge rusher to play opposite Leonard Floyd and a ballhawking cornerback to team with Eddie Jackson — but, more importantly, on offense. Pace must entrust them to an offensive mind who can develop Trubisky to use his new-found gamebreakers properly.

As it stands, the Bears’ most thrilling play is a punt return. No. 2 is a kick return. No. 3 is a penalty doing either.

In between special teams plays, Tarik Cohen, who provides the team’s most stop-what-your-doing anticipation since Devin Hester, takes the field for only 37 percent of the offensive snaps. That’s less than receiver Josh Bellamy.

Trubisky’s growth has been — and will continue to be — the most critical development in recent franchise history. He’ll get better, and more compelling. Until then, he is averaging 6.72 yards per attempt. That’s 25th best in the league, wedged between the illustrious Jacoby Brissett and Trevor Siemian.

Kendall Wright, the Bears’ top receiver, would have to play a 22-game season to pass the 888 yards that Cam Meredith led the team with last year. Jordan Howard might finish in the top five in rushing, but that’s a function of volume; 12 running backs averaged more yards per carry entering Sunday.

Fox likes to say the game is only fun when you win, and he is right. Whoever takes his place, though, figures to be more exciting. And that’s progress.

Follow me on Twitter @patrickfinley.

Email: pfinley@suntimes.com