It's a strange time to be a Chicago Bears fan. The decision to tradeJared Allen Monday makes sense on paper because he wasn't a fit for their 3-4 defense and he was taking up valuable snaps.
But it's also a trade that a team makes when it's looking to the future. The Bears get a sixth-round pick and more snaps for younger players. The Bears' brass essentially did Allen a solid favor after giving him an $11.5 million bonus in March and $14.62 million for 18 games of work. This is the type of contract that bad organizations hand out. Allen, who finished the 2014 season as a solid starter, was a player in decline even before he arrived in Chicago. They still guaranteed him a ton of money over the first two years of his contract.
The Bears paid Allen like a superstar and then changed their entire organizational structure, including their defensive scheme. This is how you get pieces on your roster that don't fit. It's also how you construct an offense that can't pass the 45-yard line for an *entire game* in Seattle.
Allen wasn't the only player to leave the Bears' defensive fold Monday. The team shipped linebacker Jon Bostic to the New England Patriots in exchange for a late-round pick, a source informed of the deal told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.
Coach John Fox's news conference Monday, which finished before the Allen and Bostic trade news, was full of telling responses to questions about his offense. When he was pointing out positives from the 26-0 loss to the Seahawks, the first thing he referenced was punt protection. After that, we can't decide which response from Fox below we liked the best:
» On the team's offense: "We need to generate more than zero points to win games, there's no doubt."
» On whether he would consider starting David Fales at quarterback over Jimmy Clausen: "I'd consider starting anybody on the 53-man roster. That's why they're here."
» On the team's 0-3 start: "I don't know that it's all been horrible. I know the result is horrible."
» On choosing to punt on fourth-and-one at midfield in the fourth quarter: "After I saw the third-and-one, I wasn't too encouraged."
» "There were some bright spots. You guys don't see them ... on a pass-fail system, no one is totally pleased."
» On his offense: "Was it a conservative game plan? That's probably a fair assessment."
