Chicago Bears: Are Woes of the Past 2 Weeks the Fault of Mike Martz?

Week 1 of the NFL season saw the Chicago Bears matched up with last year’s No. 1 seed, and this year’s Super Bowl pick (for a lot of sports journalists), the Atlanta Falcons.

The Bears were underdogs, but a win would’ve only been mildly surprising unless it was the result of pure domination by Chicago. And it was. The Bears did it on both sides of the ball. The attack was balanced and effective. The analysis in the week that followed included praise to a much-improved offense (with Mike Martz at the helm), and the Bears defense we’ve all been waiting for Lovie Smith to produce. The Chicago Bears were the team to watch going into Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints (who, at the time, were on pace to go 0-16 thanks to a season-opening loss to Green Bay).

Well, if Week 1 was a wake-up call for the league to start checking for Chicago, then Week 2 was a wake-up call for Chicago to start checking themselves. All of the old issues that were thought to have been exorcised in the first game came back in grand fashion at the New Orleans Superdome.

After playing a close first half, Chicago came out in the third quarter and made a quick, efficient drive that ended in a field goal and put Saints fans on the edge of their seats. The worry was all for nothing as Martz completely abandoned the run and became extremely pass-happy. Figuring every possession had the potential to last at least two minutes, the two-minute drill was employed in the middle of the third quarter and lasted all the way to a 30-13 loss that included five fourth-quarter sacks.

Chalk it up to the excitement that is a home opener in New Orleans. The Bears had Green Bay for Week 3 and a lot of film with which to make adjustments. Besides, Bears fans knew that the rival game would be just what the doctor ordered to get motivated and show that Week 1 was not a fluke.

Green Bay blew into town with a 2-0 record, and the unofficial title of the most balanced team in the league. After jumping to an early 14-0 lead, Chicago’s defense clamped down and a game ensued…for a little while. Once again, Martz got pass-happy and things fell apart.

Despite all of that, the defense played well considering the circumstances and gave the offense every chance in the to world make it a closer game. Now the Bears are near the bottom of the NFC North division with a 1-2 record, and every flash of promise has been doused with head-scratching calls by the “mad genius.”

Over the past two games, the Bears have attempted to throw a total of 82 times and run a total of 25 times. After the loss to New Orleans, Martz admitted to getting happy with the pass and assured the press and anyone reading that the game against Green Bay would be much more composed. Fans were duped again.

It has to be noted that Martz’s decision-making is hurting the team.

Despite the “complexities” of his offensive system, each play is a gamble where the downsides are just as dangerous as the payoffs. Any casual fan can notice that if you ask your offensive line to hold off the pass rush for at least four seconds on 75 percent of the called plays, it’s going to wear down your protection and lead to rushed passes, poor decisions, sacks and turnovers. If you ask your QB to read the coverage of a defense who figured out a long time ago that dropping seven into the passing lanes would be effective enough to stymie any attempt at getting down the field, you’re going to get QB frustration that will show up as offensive stagnation.

Bears fans have to wonder what happened to that team from Week 1? What happened to balanced offense and the stifling defense that shredded the Falcons? What did Martz see in Week 1 that convinced him to not repeat that strategy? What did he see in Week 2 that convinced him to do the exact same thing in Week 3 (and with the same result)?

Lovie Smith used to take a lot of heat for some of the decisions made during Bears games. Well, it is the opinion of this writer that the blame of the past two losses rests squarely on the shoulders of Mike Martz.

This week, taking the blame just won’t do. Giving the public “my fault” is not going to be enough. Bears fans have thought for years that this team was on the verge of bringing home another Lombardi trophy and now that expectation is slipping further and further into the realm of improbability.

The improbable will soon become the impossible if Martz keeps looking more “mad” than “genius.”