Rob Ryan on New England Patriots' struggles: "That's the first time in God knows how long I've seen the Patriots look like the game wasn't everything to them; this is a team that looked like they did not care"
Friday 30 October 2020 14:59, UK
Jeff Reinebold, speaking on the latest episode of Inside The Huddle, has described the "talent-deficient" Chicago Bears as "the weakest 5-2 team I have ever seen".
The Bears lost 24-10 to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, with their offense, which has managed to put up 30 points only once this season, again struggling.
Chicago are ranked 29th in the NFL in total offense, 27th in scoring and 25th in passing, while their rushing attack is bottom of the pile. It has been the strength of their defense which has propelled the team to a 5-2 record and into playoff contention.
"They're right where you expect them to be, in my opinion," Sky Sports NFL expert Reinebold said on the latest episode of Inside The Huddle, which you can listen to as a podcast in the player above.
"[Head coach] Matt Nagy is under fire for his play calling right now - should he give up play-calling duties or not? - but here's the bottom line, they are talent-deficient on offense.
"Start with the offensive line, they were horrendous last year; now they're just bad - so there is improvement there, horrendous to bad!
"They do not have a running game at all. Their best running back is [receiver] Cordarrelle Patterson. They've got two threats outside, Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney, who has been a real pleasant surprise - that kid has a bright future.
"The Bears are who we thought they were. This is historic with the Bears; on the 1985 Super Bowl team, it was Jim McMahon and Walter Payton, but they won that Super Bowl because of defence. When they got back to the Super Bowl, under Lovie Smith [in 2006], they did so because of defence.
"The Bears, since forever, have been deficient on offense. For me, don't hang it on Nagy, put it on the general manager who is responsible for getting you players because, right now, they are not good enough.
"They are the weakest 5-2 team I have ever seen."
Another team to struggle in recent weeks is the six-time Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots, who have dropped back to 2-4 on the season after suffering three-straight defeats.
The latest of those was a 33-6 hammering at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers - their heaviest defeat at home in the Bill Belichick era.
Rob Ryan, who coached under Belichick, winning two Super Bowls during his time as linebackers coach in New England between 2000 and 2003, was critical of the team for looking like they did not care in Sunday's loss, but believes they have the coaching to turn things around.
"This is un-Patriot like," Ryan said. "They had no edge on defense all game long, be it against a run by a [49ers] wide receiver or running back or one of those sweep passes.
"It was just an awful experience for them. And that's the first time in God knows how long I've seen the Patriots look like the game wasn't everything to them.
"This team usually overachieves, plays as hard as they can, plays physical, and this is a team that looked like they did not care about football.
"It has been two really bad weeks in a row, and that has got to get fixed. But, believe me, it will be, because the coaches over there are too good.
"Bill Belichick is the greatest ever, Josh McDaniels, to me, is the most innovative offensive coach in football, and he is also very skilled in teaching fundamentals. I think he needs to step in and coach Cam Newton himself and fix him.
"You can't just give the Buffalo Bills the AFC East without competing for it. Get your act together and come together as a team.
"Until that happens, this team looks overmatched. Jeff talked about the personnel for the Bears, but look at this personnel and you see guys that don't belong. That's what you're dealing with right now in New England."
Reinebold and Ryan reserved far greater praise for Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera, whose treatment for skin cancer came to an end this week.
Rivera, in his first year in Washington, has coached the team through the first seven weeks of the season while undergoing chemotherapy. They won on Sunday, beating NFC East divisional rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, 25-3.
"Reinebold, himself a cancer survivor, said: "It is an insidious disease and a tough thing to go through. But certainly he is a tough man, and what is really beautiful is the way his staff and his organisation have rallied around him.
"Beyond all of the things he has done to beat cancer, he has done a phenomenal job of taking over a franchise that was really in disarray and giving them hope, direction and a plan to come out of the wilderness.
"I'm really proud of him, happy for him and certainly wish him all the best."
Ryan, who was linebackers coach on a Washington team that stumbled their way to a 3-13 record last season, is pleased to see Rivera begin to turn things around after being hired in the offseason.
"It's unbelievable," he said. "They hired a person of strong character; they've got an excellent leader in there.
"They needed a guy to manage the entire building, in my opinion, and he has done a first-class job. The entire organisation has really risen up from where it was - and they're fun to watch.
"If you saw that game last week, against Dallas, one team looked like they were throwing the towel in and the other looked like they were fighting like mad to get the win."
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