49ers vs. Bears: Behind enemy lines Q&A with Bear Goggles On
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise previews Week 13’s NFL matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears by going behind enemy lines in Q&A format with FanSided Bears site Bear Goggles On.
The San Francisco 49ers visit the Chicago Bears in Week 13, and Niner Noise always enjoys reaching out across the field to see what the perspective is from the Niners’ upcoming opponent.
In this case, we touched base with Mike Burzawa of FanSided’s Bear Goggles On site to break down Sunday’s contest between San Francisco and Chicago, hoping to gauge what to expect between these two teams.
The Niners enter this contest 1-10 after dropping last week’s bout with the Seattle Seahawks 24-13. Yet the game featured newly acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo executing some last-second heroics in the wake of C.J. Beathard’s knee and hip injuries.
San Francisco 49ers
Burzawa certainly made note of this, as Garoppolo — a native of nearby Arlington Heights, Illinois — will be playing in front of his hometown crowd.
Chicago enters the game at 3-8, and its season has certainly turned heavily towards 2018. The Bears are also starting a young quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, who has certainly gone through his share of growing pains this season.
While this game appears meaningless to many across the league, let’s see what Bears and Niners fans have to look forward to.
NN: The Bears certainly experienced a bit of criticism moving up to grab Mitchell Trubisky at No. 2 overall in this year’s NFL Draft. But if he’s the guy, it shouldn’t matter. Based off what you’ve seen from the rookie so far this season, are you comfortable with the Bears choice here, and what would you like to see Trubisky improve upon down the stretch into next year?
"BGO: The Bears and 49ers will always be linked by the 2017 draft. The Bears gave up a lot to move up one spot that they probably didn’t need to move up in order to get Mitch Trubisky. When you consider what Deshaun Watson was doing for the Houston Texans before he got injured, you have to wonder if the Bears made the right choice.Trubisky broke onto the scene during his first preseason game. He was completing nearly every pass and throwing darts while on the run. He hasn’t looked the same since he got his number called in Week 5. In fact, he seems to have regressed in recent weeks.Trubisky has shown flashes of why the Bears traded up to get him, but with limited weapons on the offensive side, it’s really hard to judge if he’s the right choice. To further complicate things, John Fox has put the clamps on the offense, preferring to play a style that’s more complimentary to his defense.I’d like to see Trubisky improve his footwork and become more confident in the pocket. He didn’t have a lot of experience taking the ball from under center and running a more conventional offense, so I’m eager to see what the last five games and a complete offseason program can do for him."
NN: Bears head coach John Fox seems to be on the hot seat each and every year. Do you still view him as the right guy for the job, or would Chicago be wise to make a switch this offseason?
"BGO: I think John Fox’s seat may have reached a boiling point. I had such high hopes when the Bears brought him in since he had a good reputation for turning teams around. He had taken the Carolina Panthers from a one-win team to a Super Bowl in a few short years. He also took a Denver Broncos team led by Tim Tebow to the playoffs before Peyton Manning showed up and they went on to a Super Bowl.I don’t think that Fox is the man for the job. Now that the Bears have Mitch Trubisky, they need to hire an offensive-minded head coach to install a system and let Trubisky grow in it."
NN: The Niners and Bears’ seasons haven’t exactly gone well, but both franchises have some nice building blocks in place. Which players on both teams are you excited to watch in Week 13?
"BGO: Since I’m the Bears expert, I’ll focus on some of the Bears young talent. On the offensive side of the ball, they have a couple of nice building blocks beside the aforementioned Trubisky. Be on the lookout for a couple of rookies, tight end Adam Shaheen and running back Tarik Cohen. Both players are very athletic with high upside, but being from small schools, they are pretty raw. Cohen can break a play from anywhere on the field. Look for him out of the slot and on check downs from Trubisky. On the other end of the spectrum, tight end Adam Shaheen is a big body who makes a great red-zone target.On the defensive side of the ball, I’m looking forward to watching Eddie Jackson. The safety out of Alabama has had a pretty solid rookie campaign. He had two 75-plus-yard return touchdowns a few weeks ago and showed the ball-hawking and return skills that he demonstrated at Alabama."
NN: Running back Jordan Howard is having yet another solid season for Chicago. In this matchup between the 49ers and Bears, I’d view him as a primary threat. How do you view the Bears handling him against a young and relatively inexperienced San Francisco defense?
"BGO: The Bears’ blueprint for winning games is getting Howard a lot of touches. He’s pretty much carried the Bears to the three wins they have so far this season. I’d like to see him get about 25 touches. In recent weeks, teams have focused on shutting down Howard and forcing Trubisky to beat them.I expect the Niners will follow a similar blueprint. If Howard gets over 20 touches, the Bears have a decent chance of winning the game."
NN: Which players on the Niners side are you concerned about in this contest? Are there any who stick out in your mind as game-changing contributors?
"BGO: For me, the main player I want to see on the 49ers is Jimmy Garappolo. The former Patriots QB and native Chicagoan was a hot commodity during the last offseason, but the Patriots didn’t trade him until the trade deadline. The Arlington Heights native will be starting his first game for the Niners in his hometown. Do you think he’ll have any nerves before the game?Jimmy G is another quarterback who the Bears could have gotten, so you can bet there will be comparisons between him and Trubisky. If Garoppolo has a strong game, the Niners could pull off the upset."
NN: Who wins and why?
"BGO: I’ll give you a fun fact. The Bears have been favored six times in John Fox’s tenure as Bears head coach over the last two-and-a-half seasons. Not only have they not covered any of those games, but they’ve lost all six straight up! That’ a pretty pathetic record. Can the 1-10 Niners help turn that around?I think the Bears will break the streak and put a W on the board, but it will be a tough one. Trubisky and Garappolo go back and forth but in the end, it comes down to the Bears new kicker, Cairo Santos, who hits the game winner late in the fourth quarter.Bears 23, Niners 20"
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It’s always a ton of fun to reach out to other FanSided sites, and be sure to head over to BearGogglesOn.com to see Niner Noise’s own answers to Burzawa’s questions.
Be sure to give both Burzawa a follow on Twitter — @BGOBoomer — and Bear Goggles On as well — @BearGogglesOn.
Everyone here at Niner Noise would like to thank Burzawa and the team at Bear Goggles On for this Q&A session.
Next: 49ers vs. Bears: 5 key matchups to watch in Week 13
San Francisco and Chicago kick off at 1 p.m. ET from Soldier Field.