Luke Getsy keeps giving Bears a reason to fire him

Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has been terrible in 2023. He’s in over his head, he isn’t a good play caller, and there’s no Aaron Rodgers on the Bears’ roster to inflate his resume like it did when he was the Packers’ quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator before joining Matt Eberflus’ staff in 2022.

Two years into his tenure as Chicago’s offensive coordinator, one thing has become painfully obvious: Getsy likes blaming everyone but himself for the offense’s shortcomings.

He did it again this week when he inexplicably used the deep pass Justin Fields threw to Tyler Scott on a fourth-quarter third-and-9 pass that, but for Scott’s poor route running, would’ve been a game-winning dagger, as an opportunity to critique Fields … publicly.

Watch closely if Tyler Scott judges this ball correctly and doesn’t slow down for a split second he gets to this ball. #DaBears #Bears #ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/WbyPhIMrZz

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) November 19, 2023

It was a tough moment for the rookie wideout. Fields knew it, and rather than pile on after the game, he took the opportunity to prove why he’s the kind of leader a rebuilding team needs.

“He knows one play and one game is not going to define if I go back to him,” Fields said. “I don’t care if you keep dropping the ball because we have our own individual responsibility to help this team be successful. The receivers open, I’m gonna throw him the ball and if he drops it, it’s his responsibility to catch the ball. So yeah, I’m not losing faith in him. I’m gonna keep going back to him.

“He’s gonna be a great receiver. He has a lot of room to grow and he’s talented even now. He’s made a lot of plays for us this year. Offense, special teams, and with his speed, not many defensive backs can keep up with him. He had a tough game, but I mean, we’ve all had tough games.”

Maybe Getsy needs to be coached up by Fields. The overwhelmed OC took a different approach to that play.

“I think that’s all part of your growth, and when you’re going through those types of situations, you always want to factor in who people are, that’s always matchups are always kind of a starting point of our week when you’re putting your plan together,” Getsy said of Justin Fields targeting Scott. “But the cool part about it was just the way that he processed it, the way he communicated, the way that he talked about why he did what he did and what he saw. — that’s all real growth and stuff like that. And he made a good throw.

‘His feet need to be cleaned up a little bit on that one, in that moment, it kind of felt, the left side that he kind of had to take a little extra hitch, but at the same time, he was seeing everything clearly and made a good throw, too.”

My god, Luke. Take some responsibility. Stop blaming the players for poor execution. Start looking in the mirror and take ownership of a putrid offense you’ve been in charge of for 28 games. At some point, it’s a you problem, Getsy.

Aside from the rushing offense, which ranks fourth in the NFL, Getsy’s offense is a middling group that can’t score points to keep up with playoff teams.

Here’s where the Chicago Bears” offense ranks through 11 games:

Points scored: 18th (20.9 points per game)
Passing yards: 25th (184.4 yards per game)
Passing TDs: 14th (15)
Rushing TDs: 14th (9)
Sacks allowed: 26th (32)

If you want to be kind to Getsy, you would say his offense is slightly below average. If you want to be honest, you would say his offense sucks.

And here’s the thing: maybe Bears fans wouldn’t be as hard on Getsy if he was a sincere guy who put his ego aside and accepted blame. It doesn’t appear like that’s in his DNA, and it’s time (it’s been time for several weeks) for Eberflus to cut his losses.

At some point … if it hasn’t happened already … Getsy will lose Justin Fields. He’ll get tuned out. Messages like the one he sent about Fields’ misfire to Tyler Scott (again, it was on Scott, not Fields) are unnecessary. Getsy should’ve praised Fields for having the killer instinct, for taking a shot that would’ve ended the game, and for throwing a perfect pass that should’ve been caught. There was no need to point out anything negative other than Scott’s hesitation on the route. Even that would’ve been unnecessary, it’s been discussed ad nauseam. But if Getsy just had to blame someone other than himself, it should’ve been Scott.

Up next for Luke Getsy is the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. The last time the Bears played the Vikings (Week 6), Getsy got KO’d by defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ aggressive blitzing style, which everyone but Getsy apparently knew was coming. Justin Fields was literally knocked out of the game with a dislocated thumb, and Chicago lost 19-13.

I don’t have any faith that Getsy will make the necessary adjustments to combat the Vikings’ relentless pressure this week. Why would he? Remember: His system isn’t the problem, it’s the players’ failure to execute. (insert sarcasm tone).

So, expect more of the same: Fields running for his life because the play-calling didn’t account for the blitz. There will be some bad throws. Maybe a turnover or two. And when that happens, ask yourself whether Fields was put in a position to succeed. Take a mental note. Then, get ready for Getsy’s press conference a few days later.

His words won’t match reality, much like they haven’t for nearly two seasons.