NFL force Chicago Bears to abandon practice, veteran TE blames it on young roster
The Chicago Bears have been a team largely incognito in the 2022 NFL offseason. However, the Bears have finally made headlines and for the wrong reasons. According to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune via Pro Football Talk, the NFL cancelled practice for the team due to a violation.
The NFLPA had someone on-site in May who caught the team being too aggressive in pad-less practice. A warning was issued that a continuation of the behavior would result in a loss of practice.
Another video surfaced of the conduct continuing and the NFL made good on their threat, cancelling their practice.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus says it’s unmistakable that QB Justin Fields’ footwork and timing are significantly upgraded from what Eberflus saw on film from last season. It’s a big part of why he’s optimistic about Fields making a jump this season.
The team returned to practice on Wednesday and there were no fines issued. Some will blame the coaching staff for allowing practice to become as intense as it became. However, one of the tight ends blamed the young players. Speaking on the incident, tight end Cole Kmet blamed the players on the bubble for trying too hard to impress.
Here's how he put it:
“We’re going 100 percent, and you’re being asked to go 100 percent, and you want to show out for a new staff, you have young guys and guys like me that want to stick around here and be around here. . . . And I think it’s a balance.”
The Bears head coach Matt Eberflus also commented on the situation:
“Hustle can be there and it is, and you can see that. You guys were at practice. They run on offense. They run on defense. Man, we run. But the intensity part. The focus part of intensity can be there but not the physical part until we get the pads. Once we get the pads on in training camp, that’s when we’re going to focus on how we play the intensity piece."
He concluded by saying:
"That cannot be done this time of year. We’re excited where we are with that. There’s guys, they’re flying around, they’re really moving to the ball. It looks fast to me.”
The Chicago Bears in recent years
Most agree that the Chicago Bears are on a list of teams that routinely struggle to remain relevant on a yearly basis. As a team with a rookie head coach and a young quarterback, starting off the year with a loss of practice isn't the best way to make a first impression for 2022.
Of course, the team's struggles stretch back until at least 2006, when the Bears last had two consecutive seasons that ended in the playoffs. In 2005, Kyle Orton led the team to an 11-5 record and the divisional round of the playoffs. The following year, Rex Grossman took over and took the team to the Super Bowl, where they lost to Peyton Manning.
I stopped by #Bears Organized Team Activities today to shed some light on why their Tuesday OTA was prohibited by the league, plus, the trajectory Coach Matt Eberflus sees for his QB Justin Fields…
@nflnetwork @NFLTotalAccess https://t.co/xvrxdVbNX9
Since then, Chicago has struggled with consistency. Their most recent playoff season came in 2020 under Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky, when their season ended in the Wild Card round. Neither Nagy nor Trubisky remain with the franchise and it is a now largely a new team since the 2020 campaign.
Chicago fans hope that Matt Eberflus and Justin Fields can raise them to new heights in 2022. The Green Bay Packers have had a stranglehold on the NFC North, winning eight in the last 11 years.
After Aaron Rodgers' "I own you!" taunts during a dramatic touchdown celebration, revenge is definitely on the cards for Chicago.
Also Checkout:- Chicago Bears Super Bowl Wins