Bears Notes: Trestman Expects To Be Back
By Dan Durkin-
(CBS) Despite deafening noise about his tenure in Chicago soon coming to an end, Bears coach Marc Tresman expects to be back next season.
"I do," Tresman said Sunday after a 13-9 loss at Minnesota. "I don't have to go into the reason I expect to be back. I couldn't look at it any other way or with any other kind of focus. My plan is to continue to finalize my notes now that the season is over and make sure that opportunity arises. I'll be able to explain how we fix this thing, because we have to get better."
That train of thought is a microcosm of the duality of Trestman-speak -- delusion contrasted with a firm grasp of the obvious.
His own players feel that Trestman's scheme is too predictable. Running back Matt Forte said as much after the game.
"Yeah, you can say that (we're too predictable)," Forte said. "Sometimes we line up in a formation that we ran a specific play out of a few more times than we should have. Defenses are smart. They watch film, read their keys and they know stuff like that."
Forte breaks receiving record
When a team loses 11 games, finding positives can sometimes be hard to come by. One positive all season has been the play of Forte, who set an NFL record for receptions by a running back in a season. Forte had eight catches for 23 yards Sunday, putting him at 102 receptions for the season.
However, the sting of a lost season took a little bit of the joy away from it for Forte.
"When I look back at my career, it will probably mean something," Forte said. "It will mean a lot more than it does right now."
Quarterback Jay Cutler had much more to say about the record and Forte in general.
"I couldn't be more proud of him," Cutler said. "We've talked about it numerous times, the way he comes to work, his dedication to the Chicago Bears and all he's done throughout his career. That's a heck of a record, that's a lot of balls, that's a lot of catches, a lot of production from him. It just tells you how good of a back he is."
Jennings discusses coverage bust
The lone touchdown in Sunday's game was scored by Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielin, who streaked through the Bears' secondary uncovered on a 44-yard touchdown reception.
That play happened because of a coverage bust by Bears veteran cornerback Tim Jennings.
"It was a blown coverage on my part," Jennings said. "I was playing Cover-2, was supposed to be playing Cover-3."
There were many plays that contributed to the Bears loss, but that's the play that made the difference on the scoreboard and was a pattern on defense this season for the Bears.
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.