Cleaning House Is the One Thing the Chicago Bears Did Right This Season

Well, it appears that the continual backslide over the past three years finally took its toll on the Chicago Bears. At the very start of Black Monday, the Bears’ organization cut ties with general manager Phil Emery, head coach Marc Trestman and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer. This comes after the franchise had a combined record of 23-25 with no playoff appearances from 2012-14.

Emery seemed to be making the right moves as Chicago’s GM with draft picks such as Kyle Long, Alshon Jeffery and Kyle Fuller. Emery also showed fearlessness in his signing veteran free agents such as Jared Allen and Martellus Bennett. Unfortunately, the project with Shea McClellin left an ugly spot on his reputation. But that pales in comparison to the decision to sign Jay Cutler to a seven-year, $126.7 million contract, which has put the Bears in a tough situation financially and made it virtually impossible to get rid of the erratic quarterback.

The reputation of Trestman being an “offensive guru” seemed to be nothing but smoke and mirrors. After finishing second in the NFL in scoring in 2013, Chicago scored no higher than 28 points in a single game in 2014. In addition to the offense’s regression, Trestman never displayed the leadership qualities a head coach should have for a winning team in the NFL. Going from 8-8 in 2013 to 5-11 in 2014 and to the very bottom of the NFC North definitely didn’t work in his favor.

And the offense’s misfortune can’t all be put on just Trestman. Near the end of the regular season, Kromer brought some negative attention to himself and the Bears when he admitted to criticizing Cutler’s decision making on the field. I don’t know how much of a factor this played in Kromer’s firing, but I do know that it didn’t help.

As bad as it may appear, letting go of Emery, Trestman and Kromer is the right decision for Chicago. The Bears are too talented of a team to be so mediocre, and they need the right people in place to help make the team’s production match how everyone sees them on paper. Now that the higher powers of the Bears’ organization have made one step in the right direction, we’ll have to see if they’ll continue to move in the same way this offseason.

Clyde A. Speller is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClydeASpeller.