Bears lose to Packers 17-9 in what could be Justin Fields final game as Bears quarterback

[Music] and that is how your season comes to an end 17 to9 Green Bay at Lambo field the Bears with an opportunity to spoil Green Bay's chances of making it into the postseason but the Packers just overall the better team today taking down Chicago as I mentioned 17-9 and that's it that's all she wrote fellas we welcome you into the football after show presented by St Xavier University for the last time this season I'm Ruthie p alongside Dave wad Alex Brown Lance Briggs fellas it wasn't exactly th

e way we drew it up we wanted to see a Bears win today get your first win at Lambo since 2015 uh but I think there's a lot to break down for this one we're going to talk a lot about this game but we're also going to talk about this incredibly intriguing off season that we have ahead of us let's start with the game coach uh what did you make of just kind of the way these two teams matched up at the end of the season well uh I I think both teams got better okay I will say that obviously Green Bay

did the way they played tonight and particularly Jordan love uh but I'm going to give the Bears a little bit of love and two now the Bears improved you know uh as a football team as the season went on I mean the numbers prove it the numbers do prove it uh today we weren't good enough I I was we had opportunities you know I mean they they messed some things up early I was a little bit disappointed in just the physicality of us tonight you know I mean they didn't over Blitz us and we gave up five

sacks I mean it was just man on man now that's the Green Bay defense has seven number one picks on it they showed up today so um I guess just the physicality you know there was a lot of runs that they had that they broke tackles receivers running backs that I would have liked to see be a little bit more physical but uh you know Green Green Bay was the better team today I don't know you know there's not way any way to cut it you know MH the Bears Alex obviously very underman today a lot of injuri

es two starting offensive lineman didn't play in this game um Jaylen Johnson was out trell Smith gets hurt you know they were they were banged up but what did you make of the way these two teams faced off today I still don't believe that uh that we believe we can beat him I think we go into that game hoping we win and they go into that game expecting to win they expect to beat us and I don't know if we winning that game with the same uh like we've been playing the past few weeks um defensively I

thought we played pretty well um just how we the points we gave up um I thought we took the ball away um there were certain things we could have done better for sure uh knowing Jones he's going to be a big part of it and him coming out and having a big day that didn't help right but as far as let them getting in the end zone putting up points I said before the game in order to beat this team you got to hold them to 17 points that's what you're going to have to do they did you know like okay wel

l I don't know what else right you know what I mean what else that they need to do I think uh our offense has got to be better we we have to be better I mean many field goals we averaged 22 points a game and we came out and we scored nine if we come out and just average like do our average we win the football game so it in my opinion I think it's offensively we got to be able to stick the ball in the end zone and I think we need more offensive Firepower that's what we need give up five sacks you

know what I mean give up five sacks it's tough to move the ball you know there there were some uh situations we couldn't run the ball you know we weren't effectively running the ball I think coach you said they were at 10 yards uh averaging 10 yards we were at uh under four yards um I think you know from a from a defensive standpoint um the thing that that was most disappointing is the are the the the Dig routes you know um those routes that they're running on the outside those comeback routes

that are about 10 to 12 yards coming back um there were a lot of guys open on that and and we ran a lot of cover two you know which means they were manipulating our uh our seam or curl player you know when you're manipulating your seam or curl player a lot of times you'll send somebody across just to hold that guy you know you hold him so that that dig route's coming from the other side you know and there were a lot of times where that guy was coming wide open you know that to me says that we we

re undisciplined in our underneath coverage you know when you see these formations routes should be alerted right now we should have an alert and I saw we used to call it called The Viking route they ran a lot of Viking route where that dig route would coming they seeing somebody shallow with somebody coming uh up top that 10 12 yard Route and they were come an open way too often and I I'll say this I watched that game just like we all did we sat in there and watched it and I I don't care if y'a

ll mad at me or not I want a quarterback like that that's what I want we don't have that I want a quarterback like Green Bay has I want a quarterback that can make these throws pinpoint the damn football that's what I want I don't why why do we always have to not have that and if we don't get it let's keep looking for it but when we get that then I think we'll be at a point where we can compete year in and year out on a playoff team it's it's been said or a number of years Green Bay's down years

is 500 our down years we got the first pick you know what I mean like this is crazy let's go get a damn quarterback let's go get one that can help us win like they have you know I I would say this too just in a game like this and that you're playing a good football team uh your your star your best players got to play better than their best players Aaron Jones today was the we talked about he he he he's a man I mean he was the difference in this game in my opinion as far as just the heart and so

ul of that offense uh DJ showed up for us and then Jordan love for them you know I mean they're they got five sacks and three of the sacks were on third down that ends a drive that ends a drive Aaron Jones had 141 yards total today on the ground and and through the air right coach you look at if you watch the way that you know you talk about the difference you watch you watch CLE Herbert run you know get the ball and run up the field and one of their linebackers grabs him and throws him back bac

kward okay Aaron Jones runs the ball and he runs through the arm tackles you know what I mean there's a you talk we want to talk about the difference and who and just like you said you know I don't think we we've got to the point where we we know that we can beat them right you know I'm right there with you um I the the running backs but the running backs are about the same when you look at their size they're about the same I think their mentality is different mentality I think their mentality i

s a little different I think there were two sacks um I think that Jenkins gave up where I don't think Justin had a chance on those plays but there are other ones where he's getting hit or he's getting sacked and he's got 5 Seconds back there like you got to be a you got to be able to get rid of the football and you got to be able to you got to be able to get open all there's few those where we look for we got finally got a chance to see the quarterback View and we both looked at each other and s

aid was there anybody open correct it's not all one person's fault I think it's just it's a collection of all of them but one person can absolutely help everybody if that one position is is there and the reason this is so fascinating right is because the Bears have the number one overall pick in the draft and I wonder if they didn't have that number one overall pick sure maybe taking a quarterback would be considered at this point but because you have the opportunity to do something major and ma

ke a decision on Justin Fields I I just wonder how much having that number one overall pick really is making the is Justin Fields the guy conversation that much more important if you're the if you're the GM if you're the GM you have a short window you know year three is the year that you're going to have to show the most amount of progress you got you have to have a playoff team by year three anything any decision that you make that will set you back or reset the time time that is a that is a co

mplete role of the dice you know what I mean so even getting rid getting rid of gy getting rid of fields getting drafting a new quarterback there's a lot of stuff that goes into this short window like this year three you have to be successful if you if you draft a quarterback he has to come in and play well right now you need that CJ Stout yeah yeah I I would I would just add that that um you know when I look at the season you guys know I'm a Justin fan I've said that uh I want the kid to be suc

cessful but I I look at that offense at Green Bay and it looks like you know looks like they just gave him the Playbook that they were using with Aon Rogers you know what I mean and just said and now the beginning of the year Jordan love was completing 50% of his passes and I wasn't sure I wasn't sure who you know now obviously it's a different story but but I just wonder if I'm Luke gy and I'm Matty brl and Ryan poles and and I'm looking and saying okay what does Justin do best you know what I

mean I mean what if he's the guy what are we going to do that that we can score 25 points a game you know or whatever it takes Ian we're at 22 this year we were at 22 this year I'm thinking today might have I think we were 22.2 before the game and this nine may have brought us down a little bit but I mean we're right at 22 and that's Improvement if you're looking at the last three years we're talking about 18 points to 19 and a half rough now 22 and what I'm seeing on the other side of the footb

all is well they're giving up less points like the defense is starting to play well so as you continue to add to it can you win like that yes I think you can win but when we start talking about winning in the playoffs like really competing for a Super Bowl can you beat the better teams that that's it can you if you think you can go into a game and you're going to hold Miami to 25 points or 17 points be hard you hold 49ers and 17 points you might have to score 30 and the way we're currently const

ructed there's no chance against a good defense shoot there's no way it doesn't matter who you have back there okay I can tell you that right now if you can't protect the kid like there's no point in going getting a great top in quarterback even trading trading the whole draft go get go get CJ stout or go get one of the best quarterbacks we got to you have to be able to protect them whoever is there you have to be able to protect I'm not and I'm not taking anything from anything you guys are say

ing but you have we have to we got to get somebody in there to protect totally understand that and I agree with you that we do need an upgrade I think at left tackle I think we need a a monster left tackle yeah that's what we need like somebody that you can slide a protection other way and leave him there nobody when we when we talk about Braxton and at Center but when we talk about Braxton that left tackle we always talk about what PFF says when we talk about Trent Williams don't nobody bring u

p PFF he's the dude he is the dude they don't care what PFF says it it does not matter he is the guy and I want one of those guys I think think two of those guys I think you have an opportunity to get a guy that two guys one of two guys that can be that um on this football team I don't think we've had it so you're right but if the quarterback can make decisions early if they don't need six seconds back there to throw the ball if your receivers can get open quicker you know what I mean like that

type of stuff I think you can I think you can work with he be the most deflating thing to a defense is a quarterback patting the ball going looking this way that way then this way because you know at that moment right there you know that we can't get there we can't get to the quarterback with our pass rush he can Pat the ball now we have to worry about double and triple moves we're we're we're pretty much screwed defensively if we have to worry about that every time he drops back it's a conversa

tion that is going to last us through the draft and we're all looking forward to it we will continue to talk about it today I think as of now you know there were a lot of conversations a few weeks ago about the coaching staff and about Luke gsy and and from all all signs are pointing toward matd berfo being back as the head coach next season and I think he's earned that the way that the way he turned this defense around and what he was able to do with what he had the team up until today was real

ly the trajectory of the team as a whole was trending upwards um what do you guys make of the way Matty bfo what changes maybe he needs to make on his coaching staff or not I I and what and does that matter what you do at quarterback yes I I think does I I think uh I think if you keep Justin you keep everybody just where they're at and figure out exactly what you're going to do they fell into a trap this year and I know this for a fact I won't get into it but I was uper at otaa in training camp

and Coach Justin was going up and down the field and the nobody's rushing the passer course and the coverage is covering but you know how I mean nobody's laying out and and they fell into a trap and I I really believe and I know this that they went into the season saying ah we're ready to take the next step with Justin and remember the first four games of the year it looked like Green Bay's offense dropping back and and we we couldn't do it whether it be offensive line real receivers just whatev

er couldn't do it so we revert back to the nakeds and the boots and what we try to do now and uh so I I think the coaches overestimated what what was going and Justin didn't play in the preseason he played 10% of the snaps got no preseason work virtually and then we got in regular season got trapped got stung right off the bat by Green Bay so my point is that I think if they keep Justin they know right now they should everybody should know what this kid can do to win yeah and that's what you got

to live with build your team around him and hope that and count on him getting better if not if they're going to change it then you're into a whole another philosophy you can't get rid of gsy and keep Justin bring another Guru in and now you're going to to give Justin another system to learn it's the third system in four years or Force the new OC to inherit a quarterback yeah no you if you don't keep everything the same everything yes you blow up the whole thing y but if you're if they're set o

n keeping erlu then G is going to have to go Justin's going to have to go somebody G to have to take the fall for this absolutely somebody do so if eflu goes Justin's right out the door cuz the next OC that you bring in he don't want one year with and now you got to make a decision on Justin so Ryan Paul spoke to ESPN Radio before the game um had some very you know I think strong words in favor of Matty iberu uh and it said this you can go back to the original press conference and the things I w

as looking for one of them is leadership and the mental toughness and the steady hands to really Captain the ship when the seas are rough and they got rough at certain times certainly last year early this year there was some Sudden Change and he was steady at the wheel he fought to get back above water and get things the way they were his ability to adapt and adjust really take input from the players to get this thing on the right path was incredible his ability excuse me where I think a lot of

people would have been in really bad shape and crumbled to the pressure he got better with the pressure and so did the football team now listen you don't say that if you're not bringing your guy back I if you ask me I think that's some really strong words of um you know believe and I'll say this too I don't know if you guys caught this Tracy wolson had a really great report during the game she spoke with Kevin Warren and she talked about his time with the St Louis Rams and the consistency and wh

at he learned during his time with the St Louis Rams and how they built consistency and how that's what led to their success considering the head coach the GM the quarterback so I think those are just things that everyone needs to hear from Kevin Warren we still don't know what Kevin Warren's role is going to to be in the football side of things it's very mysterious but I think hearing from Ryan poles and then hearing that report from Tracy wolson about Kevin Warren that's very telling to me tha

t everyone should prepare your themselves for this team to kind of run it back and maybe continue to build around Justice flu is that's that's PA's guy you know what I mean like you he you really need to back him up you know what I mean because if you're not backing him up you're saying I made the wrong I made wrong the wrong decision you know so yeah if yours if I think 's helped him to say that you know instead of backing him against the wall with these last uh you know last four or five games

so it's you know it's of course I want to jump at the ability to say hey the guy that I brought in and picked is doing he's progressing he is progressing everybody's able to see it now I can say it to everybody and you'll believe it where so Kevin Warr was at Minnesota he was at Minnesota what so what was the report who was that on that was Tracy Wilson he talked about earlier in his career he spent time with the St Louis Rams with dick verm correct okay so the St Lou RS he talks about that lea

rning from the leadership there yeah spoking about that yeah learning from the leadership there and if if this is a dick for me time we're talking Mara Faulk right we're talking Tory Hulk Isaac Bruce Isaac Bruce Kurt that's four hall of famers we don't have a Hall of Famer they got a movie got a movie we more so so we need more Talent on this team that's what we need like yeah I get what you're saying and all that like but y'all had a whole bunch of talent and I ain't even went to the defensive

side greatest show on like they were man they were super talented so yeah so you got to you you've had you had number one pick last year I thought you did a really good job um with with the picks uh Po's first year when we had no picks and he got two in my opinion two really really outstanding players and brisker and Gordon the second year you got number one pick like it should be no nerves like figure out what you want to do there's a lot of people that want a quarterback yeah if you don't want

a quarterback or you're not sold on a quarterback make sure you get those picks and you build a football team so when you do find your quarterback most of the quarterbacks in this league they aren't number one picks most of them like there are a lot of quarterbacks throughout it you don't have to get the number one pick as a quarterback but you have to find a guy that can run your system but you got to have a system now if you get rid of Luke gety now you got a new system you know what I mean s

o you you have to have a system first then you to add the players there's no system without players I I think you know we all give uh flu credit for the defense obviously but I think he deserves credit just for the whole team too you know I mean that old expression you know a good coach can lose games but you can't lose the locker room he never lost his locker room he really didn't you know and whether it was the the and you know the new guys coming in Edwards and them learning system or the roo

kies being developed and getting better your man from Florida and all those young guys I mean some guys did get better too B you know besides just the raw raw stuff there was Improvement I think Stevenson got better you know I mean these young kids were being coached I think they were being coached and I did see Improvement there so and you got a glimpse to see how much better they can be adding a few extra pieces right you know when he says hey we we're a few players away and you add a piece se

e the difference yeah the difference that he makes and then he says hey we're still a few more pieces we need to add a few more pieces you believe him and listen this team is going to have a lot of opportunities to add more pieces this offseason they've got a lot of money they've got the number one overall pick theyve two first round picks you can move back as much as you you know as much as you feel like you need to or you want and you're going to have first round picks for years to come which

Jimmy Johnson when yeah and it's gonna it's really just interesting the quarterback decision will Define Ryan plls his career it will Define it whether he likes it or not and it's going I I think fans when you're looking at the situation you look at the GM that you have right now I think he's earned our trust so I I I just I encourage everyone to kind of sit back and enjoy this because this is a beautiful situation to be in I think it's bigger than just polls you know I mean I think it's it's Ch

icago you know and and I think one of the things that uh AB says you know that that is really important is you know invest is important but which part are you talking about here we go here we go here we go you know you know you invest this you invest this money and time into this this quarterback and it doesn't pan out you know we're stuck with this guy for a long time you know I mean I was you know we were with a guy you know named Jay Cutler you know that came in had all this Talent you know a

nd it didn't pan out but we paid him and we were stuck for him for a long time so you know it is it is a very important decision but it's bigger than just Justin it's bigger than polls it's for the whole city of you know what and kudos to our producer who just said this in my ear this is an NFL potentially historic decision just depending on where Justin Fields ends up what happens with his future and what that means for the Bears and and when we talking about the Chicago Bears you're not talkin

g about some you know random team somewhere like this is the Chicago Bears you documentary it's going to be fascinating Hard Knocks question it doesn't matter like wow for me for me thank you Justin thank you for what you gave us and I once you move on you move on like we sent uh the Titan uh Greg Olsen we sent Greg Olsen to Carolina Greg Olsen put together what could very well be a Hall of Fame career but he wouldn't have had that here he went to a better system that was better for his talent s

o I hear the guys everybody saying that they want Justin I want him dat more he wants him to be his quarterback next year hell we wanted Chris Harris to stay we have no we have no control over that we got him back like but he but he went to Carolina and beat us too yes he sure sure did um so like this stuff we don't control and the Bears have to they really have to sit down and think about cuz it hurts my stomach every time I know every time I see momes yeah in the playoffs it bothers me cuz we

had a chance to get him CJ St is in the playoffs don't tell me it takes a long time to happen they got a rookie coach they got a rookie quarterback they got a first year OC can I tell you one thing can I say one thing come on that team was awful let's not forget that the Houston Texans tried to trade up to number one couldn't get it and you better believe they were going to take Bryce young because everyone was going to take Bryce young coach coach but they got him they got CJ in the years that

you've coached um how many opportunities have you had to to draft a quarterback and thought you know this quarterback is going to be the guy or this guy's got a good chance and it didn't pan out I you know I mean I I think it happened so it the the great ones are rare yeah fifth the last 15 quarterbacks that were taken first nine of them failed and six of them have been suc taking number one yeah yes I'm not talking about number one I'm talking about the I'm talking about the bears being in a po

sition to draft a quarterback that Lamar Jackson is about to win is and my opinion I think he's going to win his second MVP we had a chance to draft him we did not okay we didn't draft CJ we didn't draft Mahomes we didn't Des Watson like we and we're actively looking for a quarterback it's not like we're not looking for one when we took Adam Shaheen in the round baby gr agree KD was at Iowa we're actively looking for a tight end and we miss on him but that's the draft you have to do your homewor

k AB absolutely but you the problem I think the problem with what you're saying right now is is where maybe you myself and Coach like we understand the the talent that's out there like I definitely wouldn't have missed on Patrick Mahomes if I was that war room because I watched his I watched a lot of his games playing you know and I would have stoed my fist and said we got to take this guy but we're not in that war room there's somebody else that's that doing these evaluations there's somebody t

hat's that's missing something that we we we may see football people right I didn't say I didn't say you mean we talking about football people because it doesn't matter who we bring bring a new coach bring a new GM we bring like we're doing the same stuff like but the ones we have in now they have had pretty good drafts up to this point we missed on a guy the receiver we got from uh Pittsburgh we missed on we missed on and they got rid of him right you don't hold on if you mess up you me okay we

messed up all right he's gone get him out of here we wouldn't have let Ryan Pace pick the phone up to make that trade for Mitchell pisy no uh no uhuh uhuh no no we can't do it how much how many seconds we got what was your reaction when they draft Mitch I had no idea who he was you know you know you know what bothers me about Justin you know when you said you feel bad about about it is there was there's always been kind of a in draft rooms they say that uh Talent sets the floor for a quarterbac

k character sets the ceiling and the thing that really bothers me about Justin I know he's the best is the stuff his toughness you see him get his work ethic the players like you know the character part of it there you know what I mean so the city loves him you know I mean which fought right through a concussion today tell you one thing the ground roll around and he got up Mayfield is duct tap together and he led his team to the playoffs like okay you're tough so it's I guess what I'm saying is

you know I I hate to admit that there in some areas there's probably lack of talent there whatever that is from a football standpoint because it's not the character of the kid it's really not you know I don't hate him I think he a great kid I don't I just want to win L I think you do don't we don't think you hate him we just think you're ha her that's all and that's something I think we're going to hear a lot from hopefully we get to hear from some of the players after this game but I I'm I'm ju

st so curious to hear what the narrative is I know the players have already been asking what do you guys want from the quarterback position and they all say we want Justin so what does that mean for the locker room if you move on what does that mean nothing you got a job you going go to your job job you going to go to your job on Thursday they say be back in the spring you going to be back in the spring so they said that by coaches too they still let you go right yeah true right true coaches yea

h right yeah coaches can that can create or kill a entire culture in the locker room yeah you know so it's that's it's a it's sensitive I think that's very sensitive coaches even more so than players players is a business it it puts pressure I tell you what it what that would do yes it it puts a lot of pressure on that new guy that comes in like if if they did get rid of Justin and the whole team wanted to keep him and the new guy comes in he has to play well and you have a core you have a core

that if you bring a new coach in you have a core of guys that have that you need to buy in and and if these guys don't buy in and the older you get the tougher it is to get them to buy in to to your new scheme because you I've been with this coach for the last six years and what we've been doing is fine it works now you're coming in you're saying okay we're playing musical chairs in our locker room doors are going to be open and all the there's a lot of crazy things that go on that you're like w

hy are we doing this we're on a team we're on a team in' 04 04 Thomas Jones runs for 1300 1400 yards yeah the next year we have a top five pick and we took Cedric Benson and we're looking like why would we take a running back yeah but guess what that when that when that first day of work came around everybody was there you could be unhappy with what they did but you're going to be there you're going to be at work and you're going to let's see if this works