Time's Running Out on Bears Offense

A saying developed by Marvel's cinematic universe needs to be told to Matt Nagy and his Bears coaching staff as they approach the final preseason game this week against Tennessee.

The Black Widow tells an enraged Hulk, "sun's gettin' real low." It calms him down so he can become puny Bruce Banner again. 

Someone needs to tell Nagy and the staff this, except for the opposite reason. They need to get a little more focused on the matter at hand. That would be the season opener against the Rams.

Some teams are approaching the final preseason game like they have to look at a few players they plan to cut. 

The Bears can't do this. 

Nagy has to go all in on the first half of this next preseason game because their first-team offense, with the designated first-team quarterback, has been atrocious. 

The offense hasn't consistently moved the ball. As much as Bears fans and even Nagy himself might want to see more of rookie Justin Fields, they need to see Dalton more in the final preseason game. 

They need this because so far what we've seen of Dalton and the offense has failed to convince anyone they wouldn't just better off letting Fields start and wing it all the time. 

Make no mistake. That's what Fields has been doing. He has thrown too few times from the pocket and almost never on time to receivers. 

Instead, Fields is rolling around, turning it into playground or backyard football and this can only work on occasion. It can turn into disaster as often as it can a touchdown.

Question: What happens when the quarterback hasn't thrown the ball? Answer: His helmet comes flying off.

Right now, Fields running around and flinging it is their best option because Dalton has shown nothing more than a 73-yard heave down the sidelines that Rodney Adams might have caught with assistance from a defender's helmet, a gift for the new father of a bouncing baby daughter.

"We have to see what can Andy do during the season with this team and with these guys," Nagy said after Saturday's 41-15 loss to Buffalo. "That has been our plan this whole entire time."

It has been their plan to let him start, but not to finally see what he can do. Is the regular season now the preseason? They just take a look at people then?

It's been stated numerous times that Dalton will start, and anyone who doesn't want to hear it simply hasn't. Dalton is starting the opener. The problem is, what Dalton? What first-team offense?

Sure, it's preseason but the Bears were 0-fer on Saturday on third down, as in 0-for-11. 

In nine possessions this preseason, the first-team offense has four first downs, an interception, a touchdown pass and aside from that one bomb Adams caught they have 71 yards on 28 plays. 

Saturday might have been preseason and the 41-15 loss didn't count, but 71 yards in 28 plays for the regular season will get a team the first pick in the draft. Except, this year it would get the New York Giants the first pick in the draft thanks to Ryan Pace's  trade up for Fields.

"You have to look at Andy and I know like he's more frustrated than anybody right now," Nagy said. "He wants to get that rhythm. He wants to get that swag. He wants to get those first downs. He wants touchdowns with his guys.

"Because in practice when we are out there with those guys and rolling, we feel it and we see it. That's the part we like. We know that."

That's practice, not games. They aren't even really hitting anyone in most of those workouts.

Nagy is quick to point out Allen Robinson hasn't been on the field. They haven't had right tackle Germain Ifedi playing. 

They had Elijah Wilkinson and Larry Borom playing left tackle Saturday but that's not a situation which is likely to improve unless they've got enough Blue Emu and back or knee braces to keep 39-year-old tackle Jason Peters upright.

Cole Kmet hasn't done anything except take flight and then crash after 3 yards. Darnell Mooney doesn't have a preseason catch or even target. 

They haven't put the band back together yet, and as has already been stated,  the sun's gettin' low. 

If they really are planning to put Dalton out there to start the season then they better do it against Tennessee and surround him with an offense capable of providing support. 

That is, if they even have one.

Otherwise, forget it. Let Fields run around in circles and fling it wherever. But someone better get him a crash helmet instead of a football helmet.