Brandon Marshall was extraordinarily frustrated following the Bears’ 21-13 loss to the Packers in Chicago on Sunday. Green Bay clinched the NFC North with the win, while the 8-6 Bears dropped their fifth in their last six games.
Marshall was so upset he said the jobs of the team’s coaches should be on the line.
“Everybody involved in the offense should be held accountable, even if that means jobs,” Marshall said after the game. “It’s been this way all year. It’s no excuse. We still have two games left, there’s still hope, but at the same time, we need to be held accountable.”
Marshall got so emotional answering a few questions that he nearly began to cry.
“It’s been the same way all year. It’s the same thing every single game. We need to be held accountable,” he said. “What I got to do is try my best to keep it together and not let this affect me because it’s starting to affect me more than it should. And I love this game, I’m very passionate about this game, and right now it’s affecting me way too much.”
Marshall was so upset at that point he actually left his press conference. He had six catches for 56 yards including a touchdown that put Chicago up 7-0 in the first quarter, but the Bears only scored six more points after that.
It’s hard to know whether Marshall was pointing to any particular coach with his criticism. He may have been talking about head coach Lovie Smith, offensive coordinator Mike Tice, or just all the offensive coaches in general. One thing we do know is that quarterback Jay Cutler had an incident with Tice earlier in the season, though they both brushed it aside.
Now at 8-6 and in danger of missing the playoffs despite a 7-1 start, the coaches’ jobs will likely be in question after the season if they don’t win the next two games. The Bears are at Arizona and at Detroit the next two weeks, and they should be able to win both games to get into the playoffs.
