As bears should know, bad things happen to bad organizations

The romantic, bear-eyed view of what’s going on with the local NFL team is one of a series of franchises that bravely continue despite being besieged by evil forces planning to destroy it.

The truth would like to talk about this view.

The whole truth is that Bears can blame themselves for everything that has happened to them, even rumors and reports that seem alienated from reality. The organization is the main factor in its own sobs. If there is no McCaskey family, there is no team chairman Ted Phillips. If there are no Phillips, there is no CEO Ryan Pacea. If there is no Pacea, there is no coach Matt Nagya.

If Nagya isn’t, there’s no five-game losing streak and no terrible attack. And if there is no five-game losing streak and no terrible attack, there is no summary reporting of immediate shooting, there was no such thing by the way.

Is this unfair to Bears now? Does it blatantly forgive journalistic sin? In a narrower context, probably. For the sake of clarity, I will not give permission to Patch.com. Two days before Bears Thanksgiving in Detroit, the news site said the team had already informed Nagy that the Lions match would be his last head coach. The story turned out to be wrong. It has no subtleties or refinements. Nagy is still Coach’s coach.

But the beating of bears outside the field happens these days as the organization falls in a series. When you’re your own worst enemy, you don’t need enemies like a neighborhood news source. When you use the Kick Me brand, steel-toed boots will find you. Then there is the open season, and in the world we live in, good luck with it. It leads to rumors, constant abuse of social media, and glowing stories that should never see the light of day.

Bears ’management declined to comment on Patch.com’s story because it was probably considered the main road. This left Nagy to undo his own shooting. As the story got its own life and decibel level, team president George McCaskey had to talk to the players and coaches and tell them it wasn’t the truth. But by then it was too late. The story of the lame-duck coach was everywhere, and it became the Bears theme against submissive Detroit. They ended up winning one of their teases for Gipper. Yeah.

By this I mean that the franchise is responsible for everything that has happened to it this season (and in the past), even for things that are not under its control. An intelligent organization would have quickly and publicly shot down a report on Nagy. Not these guys. McCaskey has not spoken to the media since Illinois became a state, nor with Pac since the invention of Brylcreem. So if their lips had rusted shut, what was the chance that someone in Halas Hall would think of sending a press release to refute the Patch.com story? Zero.

Those in charge do not know how to do things. They think they are noble, when in fact they are bone heads. In this case, their silence did damage to the organization and left their coach in a very uncomfortable position. Good companies will not let that happen.

Ineptitude has been a bear’s constant companion for years, so it was no surprise that last week went as it went, and no surprise that one would face them. Again, they’re not guilty of the Patch.com story, but while they don’t mean it, they help and help.

This season was a mess before news of Nagys ’impending breakout erupted. Last month, when he couldn’t find a way to cure an attack that had become more difficult in the previous two years, he gave up playing tasks that were apparently his strength. He hasn’t been able to figure out how to get the most out of rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who was supposed to be much better than Mitch Trubisky, but has been statistically worse.

Now the season has changed from a mess to a soap opera. Everyone is waiting for the next shoe to fall, and if that doesn’t happen soon, you can be sure the blogger will report the heel hitting the ground. Nagy gets fired after the season, and Pacen should be, but Chicago, who knows McCaskeys too well, fears the worst.

I should feel bad for Bears, but don’t. They are not innocent bystanders. They are not victims of bad luck. They are not brave souls living in an unfair world. They are the sum of all the mistakes and bad decisions they have made for decades.