Haugh: Bears lose to mighty Cardinals but risk losing something bigger than a football game unless they embrace organizational change

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CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- Hours before kickoff Sunday, as blustery conditions warned of a long day for everyone lingering in the Waldron Lot south of Soldier Field, a chant as predictable as December weather began.

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“FIRE NAGY! FIRE NAGY!” a small group of Bears fans shouted between sips and bites at their tailgate.

Fire Nagy.

It’s the least original and most popular idea in town, introduced several losses ago and reinforced again in the Bears' 33-22 defeat to the Cardinals.

If only it were that simple to fix all that’s broken at Halas Hall.

Firing the coach feels more like a reflex than a solution and only begins to attack the broader problem. Nagy’s coaching invites criticism, but general manager Ryan Pace deserves his own derisive chorus for where the Bears find themselves – how does “RE-PLACE PACE” sound? – and, while we’re at it, what rhymes with McCaskey? But, seriously, on a day that reinforced how deep the issues go, empty seats threatened to speak louder about the state of the Bears than any impromptu jeers.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock in front of basically any friends and relatives who remained in the stadium, the sparse crowd reminded the McCaskeys that apathy and indifference loomed worse for the Bears organization than anger and irritation.

The slow erosion of interest potentially damages an NFL franchise more than any quick and painful defeat. That played out at the end of the Marc Trestman and John Fox eras, and history unfortunately appears to be repeating itself again in a football city. The Bears listed the official attendance figure at 60,803 on Sunday, but that was harder to believe in than the team's defense. And five games remain, including two more on the lakefront.

Memo to Fox Sports and any other television network possibly involved in promoting the next one, Sunday in Green Bay: Stop showing any playoff graphics or prompting announcers to reference playoff scenarios that include the Bears. The notion was ridiculous last week even after the Bears' victory against the Lions and more absurd during a loss to the Cardinals in which they really weren’t competitive. Mark them “Out of the Hunt” and be done with it. The only thing the Bears ever are realistically “In the Hunt” for is a new direction.

Firing Nagy, which seems inevitable, merely represents the most obvious place to start. But it’s also terribly naïve, not to mention unfair, to imply by repeating that chant that the Bears somehow would be in a better position to compete for a playoff spot by getting rid of the head coach. If this lost season has exposed Nagy’s weaknesses as a head coach, it also has underscored Pace’s mistakes in constructing the Bears' roster.

Another glaring example surfaced against the Cardinals.

Sure, any football simpleton can tell you the Bears lost the game because veteran quarterback Andy Dalton threw four interceptions. As Dalton put it, “You lose the turnover battle, you lose the game," but assigning all the blame on Dalton lets too many others off the hook. Pinning the defeat solely on Dalton’s picks misses the point. Even with stellar play at the quarterback position, even with, say, two interceptions instead of four, the Bears would've been hard-pressed to beat a winning team for reasons that have been true since they broke training camp.

The Bears lack talent at too many key positions to be taken seriously as a playoff contender. Their lack of depth is too easily exploited by injury and attrition. They entered the season with a roster incompatible for complementary football, with an aging defense in decline and an ascending offense led by young talent.

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On the most frustrating Bears defensive play on another day defined by futility, Cardinals running back James Conner helped clarify where the root of the problem lies. Conner made a nifty one-handed catch on a swing pass before brushing off a feeble attempt of a tackle by Bears cornerback Xavier Crawford, who's on his third team in three NFL seasons, a vagabond for reasons becoming painfully obvious.

Crawford’s missed tackle led to Conner running 23 yards for a touchdown that stole back any momentum the Bears had gained to that point. Later, on a key third down near the end of the third quarter when victory still had a faint pulse, Crawford committed a pass interference penalty after the Bears had closed the gap to 24-14.

That made Crawford this week’s symbol of Pace’s roster mismanagement and miscalculation, the latest in a long line. From Marqui Christian to Kindle Vildor to Crawford, the lack of cornerback depth continued a season-long problem that dates back to decisions made by Pace last spring. If Plan A involved letting Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback Kyle Fuller go, the first 12 games have revealed Pace never had a viable Plan B. And please don’t mention Artie Burns.

These realities make any so-called “reports” of Pace being reassigned after the season to make room for another football executive -- or any conversations about keeping a general manager still waiting for his first playoff victory after seven years -- as illogical as they are nonsensical. Too many draft picks were squandered. Too many decisions at the quarterback position were wrong. Injuries to Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks and Allen Robinson have wrecked the Bears, who have lost six of seven, but they represent excuses to rationalize Pace returning more than valid explanations for the Bears’ shortcomings. The Bears aren’t unlucky. They’re underwhelming from the front office on down. They’re not one fired coach away from affecting change. They’re at least another organizational overhaul away from reviving faith.

They never really had a shot against the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

Interestingly, the NFL’s only team with 10 victories didn’t bring its A game from Arizona. Nagy cited the elements bothering his team’s execution, but the Cardinals were the ones leaving sunshine and 75-degree temperatures for blustery conditions in the 30s.

Still, the Cardinals played just well enough to beat a bad Bears team and their effort had a restrained, preseason don’t-get-anybody-hurt feel to it. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray shook off the rust expected from a guy who hadn’t played since Oct. 28, completing 11 of 15 passes for 123 yards, two touchdowns and a 136.9 passer rating. Murray’s 20-yard touchdown pass early to DeAndre Hopkins featured MVP-level accuracy.

But Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury flew home feeling relieved to have won handily despite gaining only 257 total yards and possessing the ball for 25 minutes, 15 seconds. That’s what happens when turnovers allowed the Cardinals to start five drives in Bears territory. Chicago running back David Montgomery gained 90 yards on 21 carries, but he was among the few bright spots on a dark, cold day.

Dalton threw those four horrific interceptions, each with its own ugly story that involved the Cardinals starting drives inside the Bears’ 30. The first was a Dalton overthrow on the opening series that bounced off Jakeem Grant’s hands into Deionte Thompson’s. The second should've been caught by tight end Cole Kmet, but he bobbled it and safety Budda Baker plucked it out of the air and returned it 76 yards. The third came in the fourth quarter when Chandler Jones bull-rushed his way into deflecting Dalton’s pass so Byron Murphy Jr. could easily pick it off. The finale – saving the worst for last? – came when Dalton faked a screen left, then lofted a screen pass to the right that 6-foot-5-inch, 285-pound Zach Allen put his paw up to intercept before lumbering to the Bears’ 12-yard line.

The Cardinals turned those four interceptions into 23 points, early holiday gifts without ever having to shop on Michigan Avenue. When Dalton ends the game with as many tackles as Crawford, it tells you everything you need to know about the outcome.

Part of the postgame involved incessant questioning about more communication issues involving the Bears' headsets – is the Chicago Park District working with or against their football tenants? – providing a fitting metaphor for a team that seems so thoroughly disconnected from, well, everything. Nagy also raised an eyebrow by reiterating that rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, who saw his first action on special teams after back surgery, offered “depth” but wasn’t necessarily an option to play left or right tackle. Why wouldn't developing Jenkins be the biggest priority for a team out of the playoff picture?

Perhaps there will be more minutiae during Packer Week and the final month to hold Chicago’s attention, but zooming in on the little things won’t change the big picture for the Bears.

Fire Nagy? OK, then what? Then who? Or who else?

The Bears can handle losing a football game to the NFC’s best team. But the loss of hope that appeared imminent after falling to 4-8 should pose a greater concern.

David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images