NFL Chicago Bears

Mel Tucker Must Be Fired By Chicago Bears After Latest Debacle

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Embarrassing doesn’t cover it. Humiliating is closer.

The Chicago Bears have sunk to new lows after their 55-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. The offense is bad, the defense is pathetic and the coaching is worse. It’s time for some accountability to be had at Halas Hall.

So what can be done? It’s clear Marc Trestman has lost this team and needs to be fired. I have questioned his ability to lead for several weeks now, but would Chicago even consider that? The one thing fans know is that the McCaskeys run the Bears like a business. The truth is that Trestman still has two and a half years remaining on his contract, and the McCaskeys are not going to eat the remaining years that easily.

There is zero chance that Trestman gets fired mid-season, although he should have been fired on Sunday. The Bears’ front office is going to hope that with a soft schedule over their last seven games, the Bears could go 3-4 maybe even 4-3, finish with a bad, but not embarrassing 6-10 or 7-9 record, and give Trestman one more go. If Trestman fails again in 2015, that means the McCaskeys only have to eat one year of his contract, which is a lot more palatable.

Plenty of finger-pointing will be done at Jay Cutler. Cutler does not perform well in big games: he was horrendous against the Packers, and his inconsistent play is maddening for fans and the coaching staff. However, the only other quarterback choice on the roster is Jimmy Clausen. Clausen looked sharp in his opportunities in the preseason, but based on his past and what fans have seen in limited mop-up duty this year, there is no reason to think that changing to Clausen would improve the Bears’ offense this year.

Not to mention, Cutler just signed a multi-year contract extension with the organization last year, with almost all of his money guaranteed through 2016. The Bears are not going to pay Cutler to sit on the bench when starting Clausen isn’t necessarily a better option anyway.

If Trestman is staying, and Cutler is staying, then you need to look at the defense. There is no question that the offense has been underachieving all season, but the defense was below average over the first seven games of the season and has become downright putrid the last two. Here’s looking at you, Mel Tucker.

Tucker’s defensive unit was horrible in 2013, and most assumed that he would be shown the door after last season’s historically bad defense. However, Trestman and the organization stayed loyal and gave Tucker one more go at running the unit. Everyone but the organization seemed to know that was a horrible decision, and their suspicions have been confirmed in the last two games as the Bears have become a national laughingstock.

Tucker needs to be fired, and he needs to be fired today. The situation isn’t all his fault, but he has failed as defensive coordinator, and there is zero chance he will be back next season.

Paul Pasqualoni is currently the Bears’ defensive line coach. He was the head coach of Syracuse from 1991-2004 and led the Orange to nine bowl appearances, including two Fiesta Bowls and one Orange Bowl. He’s been a defensive coordinator in the past, spending two seasons at that position in 2008-2009 with the Miami Dolphins and 2010 with the Dallas Cowboys. Pasqualoni’s 2008 defensive squad was ranked ninth in the NFL.

It’s not to say that Pasqualoni is a slam dunk to turn around the Bears’ defensive woes, but he is a new voice with a legitimate resume that needs to be given the opportunity to try and help salvage what’s left of this season. Tucker does not have the ability to do it, so Chicago needs to give someone else a chance.

It’s easy to throw your hands up and demand massive change — fire Trestman, fire his coaching staff, get rid of Cutler, etc. However, that type of turnover is simply inconceivable, especially in the middle of the season. The Bears should at least do something reasonable: fire Tucker, and fire him today.

Bill Zimmerman is a Chicago Bears writer for www.RantSports.Com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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