The Chicago Bears lost a tough game to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday to drop their record to 1-4, and head coach John Fox seemed to still be in a salty mood about it the next day.
On what ended up being Chicago’s final offensive play against Indy, quarterback Brian Hoyer missed a wide-open Alshon Jeffery running down the sideline. Had Hoyer delivered the ball, the result could have been a game-winning touchdown:
All-22 of Bears final play in Indy
1. Pre-snap look from Colts
2. Colts safety Mike Adams moves to middle post-snap
3. Jeffery wide open pic.twitter.com/RGWMZNhxTn— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 11, 2016
Unfortunately, Hoyer forced the ball into coverage and threw an incomplete pass. Jeffery, who caught five passes and was targeted just six times, was seen slamming his helmet in frustration after the play. Naturally, a reporter asked Fox about the play during the coach’s next-day press conference. Fox’s response was basically that the media should worry about eating their hot dogs in the press box and not trying to analyze what happened on the field.
#Bears coach John Fox was asked a couple of questions about the team's final offensive play in the loss to the Colts pic.twitter.com/Ig3XpASFT6
— Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) October 10, 2016
That seems a bit uncalled for, especially since it is a reporter’s job to raise questions when things go wrong. Jeffery made no effort to mask his frustration and he clearly had his defender beat, so it was a fair point to raise.
It’s always easier to spot an open receiver when watching film than it is with the game on the line, but Hoyer’s apparent lack of chemistry with Jeffery is something to monitor — especially given the recent reports we have heard about Jay Cutler. Jeffery is Chicago’s best offensive weapon. Guys like that don’t enjoy being ignored.
H/T Deadspin
