The Bernstein Brief: John Fox Can't Lose
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) After all his silly skulduggery regarding his injured players, Bears coach John Fox should at least be partly thankful for them.
The absences have helped give him some cover. For now.
In a market where expectations are known to inflate from optimistic to unreasonable, that's just not happening in advance of this Bears season that begins against the Packers at home Sunday. The talent dearth has been exposed, the roster laid bare. Add to that the suspension of Jeremiah Ratliff, the loss of top pick Kevin White and mystery surrounding the health of Alshon Jeffery, and anything not horrible from the Bears will be a pleasant surprise.
General manager Ryan Pace has left them so thin along the offensive line and at wide receiver that the team is still scrambling to figure out who fits where, even after all this time. The defense is a mismatched jumble of square pegs in round holes. There's not much a coach can do without adequate depth.
Fox won't be blamed for struggles yet. How long his honeymoon lasts will be determined by the talent he has at his disposal and how the Bears perform as expectations shift. He has said he prefers to "understate and overproduce," and the time for comparing the latter to the former is now at hand.
If he's true to his slogan, a reputation as a turnaround architect will be enhanced. But he may not be held to it for some time.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. Follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
