Chicago Bears: Historically Bad, By The Numbers
By John Dodge
"This is a proud franchise that's being humiliated here tonight." -- NBC Analyst Cris Collinsworth
CHICAGO (CBS) -- There is no need to search for adjectives to describe the Chicago Bears.
They are bad. Historically bad for a franchise that has defined football from the beginning of the league.
There have been some bad Bears teams in the past.
The teams of the mid-1970s leap from the recesses of a fan's brain after watching last night's massacre in Green Bay.
The 1969, the Bears were very bad, finishing 1-13.
That year, the team gave up 96 points in the first four games.
The 2014 Chicago Bears have given up 106 points in the past two.
Equally alarming, most of those points came in the first half.
Against the Dolphins, Patriots and Packers, the team has been outscored 94-7.
So, in the equivalent of 1.5 games, the Bears have given up as many points as that horrible 1-14 team did in four.
The mopey Jay Cutler has an 84.4 passer rating as a Bear.
That is "elite" in the history of the Bears, which perhaps explains why he's paid so handsomely.
Jack Concannon, who led that 1969 team, had a passer rating of 55.6. Bobby Douglass led many of those abysmal teams in the 1970s with a 47.5.
However, if one considers that amazing athletic talent of guys like Marshall, Bennett, Jeffery and Forte, that 84 rating is put into perspective.
There is no formula for comparison, but what would Cutler's statistics look like if he was throwing to the Bears receivers of the 1970s, the likes of George Farmer, Bo Rather or Greg Latta? None of those guys rank in the top 30 Bears receivers of all time.
Of course, there are other factors that are difficult to compare, the different offensive schemes and the quality of the linemen, for example.
This short clip, tweeted by Bears reporter Adam Hoge, from the Miami game is telling. In describing this play, Cutler told reporters that he threw the ball where it was supposed to go.
