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Cassie goes 1-on-1 with Marcedes Lewis
The Bears' 19-year veteran has been a leader during a challenge-filled season. Cassie Carlson sat down with Bears' tight end Marcedes Lewis this week.
CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears are preparing for one of the best rivalries in all sports after a week when they replaced their offensive coordinator and hit reset on their offense.
Here are three takes from the Chicago Bears this week as they prepared for the Packers.
The Bears-Packers trash talk lives
As if the Bears-Packers rivalry needed more backstories, Packers safety Xavier McKinney brought the receipts.
During the offseason, Bears' receiver DJ Moore was asked about the Packers adding McKinney to their defensive backfield that included Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes and Javon Bullard. Moore said "that's nice."
I don’t feel no way about it," Moore said. "They just there."
McKinney took aim at Moore this week.
"This dude walked out on his QB, I’ve been playing football for five years now and I’ve been watching football for longer than that, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it," McKinney told reporters this week. "You're supposed to be the guy and you’re walking off the field on a rookie QB."
Of course, Moore was asked about it on Thursday. He didn't add to the fire.
"He a good player," Moore said. "I played against X a few times though. I mean, looking forward to it."
Of course, talk beforehand is rather cheap. Especially when Moore and McKinney combine to have contracts worth $179 million.
That's why Moore is leaving the trash talk to the game on Sunday. A wise choice, to be fair.
"It's already there," Moore said. "Let's see on Sunday."
The Bears want to ‘change history’ in a game they need
The Bears have not had the Packers' number for years. Green Bay has owned Chicago since the 1990s when a guy named Brett Favre emerged, and then gave way to Aaron Rodgers.
The Bears have lost 10 straight to Green Bay. It's starting to dwell on some of the longer-tenured Bears.
Bears' star cornerback Jaylon Johnson was asked if the fact he hasn't beaten Green Bay pisses him off.
"Yeah," Johnson said after pausing for a second in thought.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was blunt about it, too. He wants to use that as a rallying cry.
"They've won the last 10," Eberflus said. "We're looking to change history. That's an important thing to rally around."
The Bears need everything they can get. They're mired in a rut and need to right the ship. Betting for that to happen against Green Bay is tough. The Packers have always found a way to get the Bears, no matter what.
But, the Bears need this. It's about changing history within the long-term history of the franchise rather than the short-term.
The Bears have never fired an offensive coordinator midseason. There's no baseline for success after a move like that.
Looking to Thomas Brown as a savior is unrealistic, but if this Bears season wants to get back on track it has to happen Sunday against Green Bay at the start of three consecutive divisional games.
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, right, during practice at Halas Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Thomas Brown is on the right track with Caleb Williams
There's an old adage that's passed around that goes: "Keep It Simple, Silly."
The Chicago Bears seem to be taking that approach as they try to turn around Caleb Williams' rookie season.
On Wednesday, Williams mentioned the offense could take that kind of approach under new Bears' offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.
"You'll get a few easier passes, few extra layups," Williams said. "I think it'll help us in the run game. I think it'll help us in the pass game being able to do that. I think from there, it provides a little bit more explosiveness for us as an offense, and being able to help out the complimentary football thing that we really want to attack."
He's right.
Under Shane Waldron, the Bears offense had the right idea in trying to stretch the field vertically with longer routes for playmakers like Rome Odunze and DJ Moore. But, those routes took too long to develop behind an offensive line that's struggled with injuries.
Shorter routes mean Williams can get into a rhythm quicker. That would be a rhythm like he had in the final two drives against Washington where Williams got the Bears to the one-yard line.
One of Williams' biggest criticisms has been he holds the ball for too long. That led to him taking multiple sacks against New England. Bears quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph said a way to help that would be to taking what's open right away.
"Number one is open, let's get it to him," Joseph said. "We continue to talk about that and when we do that, now those plays become unsackable because the ball is out of our hands. We just continue to talk about that, continue to talk about putting our eyes in the right place, having an understanding what they're trying to do defensively, and then we can get the ball out and that's the plan."
If the passes are easier and Williams takes them right away, the Bears offense will move. That's a good starting place for an offense consistently searching for answers.