Bears 3rd qrt 2017 season

   Playoff hopes went out the window faster than they came, rather they never arrived completely. The expectation of watching this team slowly but steadily progress after each game hasn't shown and the result have been the contrary, only thing that is left now is to watch just how much deeper down the hole this team will have to crawl back from next season.

   The two division loses by a close margin where just hard to digest, it was impossible to not feel anger but still it was tolerable, you could say that they tried but just came short because of injuries, some bad play execution and bad luck. There wasn't much to fight for after those two losses but to go forward, get better as a team, as a unit in this system. Then came the destruction in Philadelphia, the loss was expected but the one sided match was not. Many thought the game against the 49ers was a sure win and resulted in another close loss by one point, but the only thing that mattered was that they couldn't maintain control of the game and ultimately lost. This will hit the players in their confidence and unity. But whats happening to this team? Why is it that they are regressing each game?

   A win against the Packers would have been big to start things right, boosting the teams morale. But even the bye week seemed non existent, players where still hurt and the team looked sloppy and unprepared. The Bears running game struggled and the defense couldn't stop the Packers, didn't matter who the RB was. The game slipped away giving big plays to the offense and having bad luck obviously didn't help when losing that TD challenge to have it overturned to a turnover. This was an Aaron Rorger-less team with a leaky defense, blitzes overwhelmed the offense and the defense just couldn't stop the run.

   Against the Lions, the offense played like they should have, running the ball efficiently and the passing game was there when needed. A botched snap between QB and C resulted in a defensive TD that came to haunt us at the end of the game. It came to the wire, both teams played as best they could, Mitchell Trubisky led the offense to a point where the kicker could tie the game. That kick may have been a spirit beaker for the team and the start of where we are now. It wasn't just a miss, it was a terrible attempt by a shaky kicker that was brought to make the team better. Connor Barth got waived the next day, something that probably should had happen sooner.

   The one against the Eagles was pure mockery, the run game was non-existent and Trubisky was constantly under fire. The Eagles went 3 of 4 on fourth downs and managed a bunch of big plays by air and ground. This was a humiliating game, cant call it a match. This just had to hit the team hard and everybody had to wake up and do something about it. But it seems it was to late.

   The visiting 49ers came to town with their new promising QB and were ready to play against a Bears defense that was patched up and running headless. With Danny Travathan back, the run was held to a minimum but with no Leonard Floyd and no Adrian Amos, the middle of the field was wide open for business all day for Jimmy Garoppolo and his receiving core but couldn't get in the end zone managing 5 FGs the entire game. That would be enough because once again the run game of the Bears, the one thing they found out they could do well at the beginning of the season that made them keep themselves in the game and ultimately made them win 3 games, was no where to be found. Some way the Bears managed to just pass the ball 15 times and run it 19 times in the whole game. Garoppolo threw more times than the Bears did plays. 

   Many games where against promising and already accomplished teams. Only 3 games where blowouts but just 1 when Trubisky was in at QB who is still a mentally raw player  for the NFL. The team is still rebuilding and watching which positions still need to be addressed.
   That doesn't make it less frustrating that in this 3rd year of this regime, talented players have emerged but feels they are not given the chance to succeed. The running game considered the backbone of the offense has taken a backseat. Too many runs going for negative yards, to many controversial play calls on 3rd downs, to many penalties on offense. How much blame do the coaches get from this? How much blame do they get of not preparing their players and adjusting to their strengths?
   Next four games are to be played for pride as individuals that represent a team, aside from that they are meaningless. Kyle Long and Mitch Unrein go to IR now, once a considered strong O-line and D-line are no more because of injuries. There is no more expectations of growth as a team anymore because now we have to rely on free agents and practice squad rookies to fill in the teams positions. There is no core of players to grow as a unit for next year, not until everyone get healthy again. Now its Ryan Pace's time to evaluate his team and get ready for next season, even if it means making changes starting right now. 

Bears 2st qrt 2017 season

   I can argue until the end of time how we got robed two potential wins against the Vikings and Saints, but I won’t. Instead I will watch this team handle all odds and adversity to see how far they can go and grow as a unit, as they have shown that they can. Right now, they don’t resemble a team that is ready to win a playoff game, but they could get there.

   At the half mark of the season the defense is looking very good, playing tough football and are starting to get the much-needed turnovers, but with the offense still trying to click with Mitchell Trubisky managing the game with not much help at receiver and relying on the run game, the defense has been asked to do more and are playing extended time on the field.

   It’s refreshing to see life in the secondary, Adrian Amos and Kyle Fuller are showing that they can play at a high level and Eddie Jackson is right behind them. This can only make the front seven look better with Christian Jones commanding the position left by his injured teammates. There is room to improve the OLB position with more pass rush. What’s left to pressure the QB from the outside is the quickness of Leonard Floyd and power of Pernell McPhee, now with Lamarr Houston gone and Willie Young lost for the season, I may change my mind of wanting to get a safety as priority in next year’s draft if the position keeps improving behind Amos and Jackson, instead opting for a top pass rusher to add depth and eventually replace McPhee.

   Unfortunately, the question mark at the WR position is too big to ignore. The position got thinner losing Zack Miller probably forever as an option going forward, Cameron Meredith’s injury and Kevin White’s growth is a concern. Markus Wheaton brought to stretch the field can’t get on the field due to health issues. Dion Sims, Tre McBride, Kendall Wright have been serviceable, the rest of the core is still too inexperienced. This prevents the running game to show how good it can really be, defenses are not respecting the run enough and are not having second thought on blitzing more often. While Jordan Howard can still break tackles and find holes for big chunks, there are too many times he gets caught behind the line because defenses bring 8 or more guys to get him. This particularly hurts Tarik Cohen, who is shifty but not enough to make so many bodies miss. A presence of a passing game will make Cohen play better and make the run scary good. One can only hope that Dontrelle Inman can be the threat we need to open the field more and stop defenses from crowding the box. The offense is close to being decent in the passing game and that could be enough to make this team win more games. With Kyle Long and Cody Whitehair getting injured last Sunday, the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. With Charles Leno Jr. signed for the future and Bobby Massie being average at best, a swing tackle could be a priority for next year as well. And can we get Robbie Gould back?

   John Fox is winning some breathing room, but at the end of the day he just resembles the player’s coach that the Bears organization desperately needed to get the players mentally and emotionally back on track, but as a game-planning coach it doesn’t look like he brings much to the table. Only thing that keeps me wanting to stick with him as a coach is the fear of Vic Fangio leaving if Fox is shown the door, like Rod Marinelli did when Lovie Smith got fired. Last season it kind of showed that Fangio and Fox weren’t best of buddies so maybe it wouldn’t be an issue. The other possible situation is if Fangio would prefer to be the HC if the position was open. I wouldn’t mind if he got the job, but I would prefer an offensive minded coach instead to work on improving Trubisky, but at the cost of losing Fangio? It’s a tough decision. In a prefect scenario, I would keep Fangio at DC and get a OC as a new HC and have him bring a new OC to replace Loggains. This is something to watch closely at the end of the season.

   Next four up are the Packers, Lions, Eagles and 49ers. Getting the two wins against the division rivals would put the Bears in the mix for the wild card. There’s a slim to no chance to get a win against a potent Eagles team in Philly. Against the 49ers is a whole different story and should result in a win unless Jimmy Garappolo has something to say about it, but even so I don’t think the 49ers finish beign the better team. Three wins would put the team at the .500 mark at 6-6, reaching the number of wins I pictured the team would get this season, making the future look a bit brighter.

   If this last game should be the final game of Zach Miller’s carrier, it would be a damn shame. But here is hoping he gets healthy soon, he deserves better than this. Not getting his TD catch sucks, I believe he would prefer to be able to use his own feet to walk again, so here’s hoping he doesn’t get negated that as well.

Bears 1st qrt 2017 season

   I got the Bears record for the first 4 games right, but that was it, well sort of. They finished losing horrendously against the teams I though had a better chance of beating and won against the Steelers and almost beat the Falcons who are more balanced and superior teams, but it’s a new year and this kind of things happen at the beginning of the season until teams have a better feeling of what the opponent can and can’t do.

   With these 4 games watched I can see what this Chicago Bears team is and that is an old school type of team that John Fox envisioned along with Vic Fangio. Finally, they can say they have a team that can run the ball and play defense, but it’s still in its infant stage because of a poor passing game which doesn’t need to be great but it’s not even average. I believe Mike Glennon was brought to the team for one thing and it’s to protect the football, but he hasn’t. It looks like he’s trying too hard to make plays that aren’t there and is not in the same page with his average WRs. This reminds me of the 2009 season when they traded for Jay Cutler, had a great defense, a good offensive group and Matt Forte to be a great running team, they had to because at receiver they had speed and nothing else. If I compare these two teams, then I can truly say with confidence that Glennon is a downgrade at QB. The 2009 team finished 7-9 but counted on Cutler to keep them on the game, Glennon hasn’t showed he can do this aside that last drive against the Falcons. They both have average accuracy and a tendency to make harsh to bad decisions and be sloppy protecting the ball, but what Cutler had that Glennon doesn’t is athleticism that he used to extend plays, Glennon can’t even get out of the pocket. Only positive I’ve seen from Glennon until now is he can take hits and hasn’t gotten injured, not yet.

   The Packers challenged the Bears to throw the ball stacking up the line and Glennon couldn’t get it done, take the two fumbles away and chalk it up as bad luck but he still threw two interceptions because he tried to do too much instead of taking the sack not even considering he could get away from it with his legs. The O-line is what it is, above average unit that needs to play more disciplined. The receiving core is what it is, a below average unit not getting help from the QB, the majority of them new to the system and aren’t in synch. A team can’t run effectively enough if the opponent is not worried about the passing game and even less if they are behind in the scoreboard, that’s the reason they had a chance against the Falcons and Steelers because they kept it close.

   The defense is good enough to make any game a close one, the offense just need to not get so many 3 and outs. They can stuff the run and if they could be more aggressive on pass plays I can see them getting those turnovers this team desperately needs. Corners are average but I’m happy to see that Kyle Fuller is playing good ball giving the team depth at the position. If Adrian Amos doesn’t cut it as SS, can we now get a safety with the first pick next draft? Here’s hoping Eddie Jackson keeps getting better and don’t need to draft two. Seeing John Timu alone in open space scares the crap out of me. Where’s Roberto Aguayo’s picture? Connor Barth needs it on the bench, he’s sucking again.

   So, what now. Well next is against the Vikings who are looking good although I don’t trust Case Keenum to keep it up so there’s a chance but not much. Same situation with Baltimore, having some issues offensively and have a chance there as well. Against Carolina I don’t see many holes unless it’s like playing Pittsburgh over again and against New Orleans I do believe they can win this one having an inconsistent average defense and an offense that right now looks lost behind a mix bag of a running core trying to establish a running game that feels like it doesn’t let Brees do his thing.  

   But to answer the big question many have, will or should Mitchell Trubisky play on Monday. I say no he shouldn’t just because I don’t know where he is at this point as in if he knows the playbook, not worried if he lacks footwork or under center snap issues because what flaws I saw on him in preseason don’t worry me. I’m more worried about if him and Loggains can communicate and prepare for a game, this is a good game to prepare him for because he would have 10 days to do so although it’s against a very though defense on the road on primetime, but eventually he will have to be in this situation. I do believe that his athletic skill set is a plus in this situation and can give the running game opportunities for big plays. But what I also believe is if he plays on Monday night it’s because Fox and Pace admit they blew it with Glennon and will try to salvage the season leaving Fox with one foot out the door and Pace on the hot seat, it would be a make or break situation for this staff and will have me glued to twitter next week waiting to hear the decision although trying to ignore the criticism of Bears reporters that now instead of being realistic and crude, prefer to just be plain negative and sarcastic e.g. my Barth comment.

2017 Chicago Bears Roster

   The official depth chart is out for the 2017 Chicago Bears, the unofficial one had me scratching my head and giving me more questions than answers but now with the official one out I can say I feel better now.

   Deciding on keeping Mark Sanchez? Whatever, but making him the backup was not funny. This got corrected when John Fox announced that Mitchell Trubisky would be the backup because he earned it, which he did. Kudos to Tarik Cohen on getting to be the backup to Jordan Howard as the premier change of pace RB, he makes the offense feel different and probably more fun to watch. Letting go of Jeremy Langford was a bit surprising but it doesn’t feel the group will miss a beat without him and getting Taquan Mizzel of the waiver wire was a good pickup. Getting to the TEs and keeping a FB is where it gets interesting. At one point the team was keeping 5 TEs which felt there were too many, then Ben Brauneker got to the PS and now with 4 TEs it feels right because it feels that the coaching staff is all in on the run game and we might see a lot of 2 TE sets for better blocking and gain short yardage which I’m ok with that. Not keeping Tanner Gentry over Josh Bellamy was not ok and I almost lost it when they released him to hopefully get him on the PS which they did, but come on! that was way to risky. Letting Victor Cruz go I understood but getting Tre McBride off the waiver wire to insert him on the team only because Dowell Loggains knows him when he was with the Titans doesn’t seem right, let’s see if he even plays. The O-line group makes a comeback from last year as an O-line should, I don’t believe Kyle Long will be playing this Sunday and that is going to hurt the team a lot, the guard position was the most established position with Erick Kush as backup but now with him out and Long struggling with his ankle makes it a high concern. Who would have thought that we are one more injured guard away from being in deep shit.

   The front seven looks awesome and love that Roy Robertson-Harris convinced the coaches to give him a spot with his great play in the preseason. Having him, Jonathan Bullard and Nick Kwiatkoski as solid backups and counting Eddie Goldman and Laonard Floyd as rising young stars gives a good feeling for the future. Adding the return of Pernell McPhee to the lineup is huge even if he only plays half the snaps. Love that Willie Young will get to play the strong side while Floyd is on the field at the weakside giving the team a rushing duo in almost every play but this only happens because of the injury and consequently the release of Lamarr Houston which is tough because he really gave his all when on the field. I was skeptical with the decision of not having a backup NT but then saw they got John Jenkins signed and all was good again. The secondary is a sad bunch with all the injuries looming, losing Deiondre’ Hall for the season hurts, it’s like Kevin White all over again but not as costly. The bright spot is that Eddie Jackson gets the nod at FS but is also with a lingering groin injury, so is Prince Amukamara, Marcus Cooper, Sherick McManis and you can’t ignore that Bryce Callahan tends to get injured frequently and add that Kyle Fuller is getting back from a season ending injury. This would be the group with the biggest question mark going into the season due to health, but we have enough questions at QB to be worried enough.

   I wonder if we could have a picture of Roberto Aguayo on the bench in every game just to keep Connor Barth honest. Jeff Overhaugh out, Andrew DePaola in. Why? Don’t know, don’t care. It’s done, let’s move on.

   The future looks brighter with the young talent on the team and Trubisky looking good in the preseason. There’s still a necessity to get better depth at the O-line, specially at tackle and although Charles Leno Jr. got signed long-term, we can still get better at RT. WR is also a position that wouldn’t hurt to have more promising prospects. As good as the front seven on defense looks, getting young on the edges would be beneficial. The secondary is still a mess.

    Still believe they finish 6-10 against a strong schedule and a not established enough Bears team.

   Predicting the 1^st quarter of the season is gruesome and pessimistic. Going against a traumatized Atlanta Falcons group that is loaded on offense and quick on defense will be thought to say the least. There’s just too many weapons on offense but shutting down Julio Jones is priority, next is to not lose sight of the running backs on pass plays. Then the Bears must do what they need to do on every game, grind the defense and clock with the run and pressure the QB as much as they can to alleviate the DBs.

   I’m expecting to see a competitive game at Tampa Bay which is not a bad team but is not a top 10 team yet, right now they feel like a bit better Bears team with more experienced WRs.

   Going against Pittsburgh and then at Green Bay can get demoralizing. The Steelers are a better team than the Packers because of a better-established running game and O-line, but it’s the QB play and WRs that make these teams scary as well as their LBs.

   I believe they will beat at least the Buccaneers and start the season with a 1-3 record.

   Here’s hoping they can beat one other team like the Packers in a not so cold Lambeau Field with a weak interior O-line where the Bears could have an edge. Let’s see if they can get some momentum going early in the year.

Predicting the 53 man roster of 2017

      The rehearsal game is done with only one more game left to finish the 2017 preseason and it couldn’t come soon enough. Sadly, the damage is done losing Cameron Meredith for the season, pushing Kevin White to the scene and be the next “X” receiver for the Bears and show the league that he is truly the pro caliber WR Ryan Pace envisioned when drafting him 7^th overall two years ago.

   Mike Glennon showed what he is capable of on the first series against the Titans defense, but he also showed he is still inconsistent throwing inaccurate passes to his open receivers. One positive thing he showed on Sunday is that he took better care of the ball, he still struggles to find the better reciving option to throw at but protecting the ball should be his priority, it’s one of the things that led to Cutler being cut. Glennon and coach Fox must realize now more than ever that losing the top WR and playing with receivers still grasping the playbook means this team will have to go forward with the run game and protecting the ball, play with double or even triple TE formations taking advantage of a position of strength and a rising defensive unit. Zach Miller and Dion Sims look the part of solid TEs and Adam Shaheen is getting confidence with each game as is Tarik Cohen who is part of a strong RB group that I believe that can run the ball all day behind the O-line that includes Kyle Long returning and moving Cody Whitehair back to center while he gets accustomed to his new position at LG. If Long takes a step back because of health forcing to leave Hroniss Grasu at center, there will be a significant difference but the plan to run the ball more that 50% of the plays should not change. It seems the O-line has trouble getting to the second level to block for bigger gains, but I’ll have to wait and see if it improves once the season starts and Long returns.

   The starting defense has played solid especially the front seven where Akiem Hicks is the key player. Like Eddie Goldman, he disrupts the line and gets to the ball and takes double coverages almost every time and still makes plays, they feed off each other but I believe that Hicks takes the lead as the veteran he is. There is lots of talent in this group that it can become one of the strongest in the league if Vic Fangio makes them play to their potential.

   This are the players I believe will make the 53 man roster this year.

QB Mike Glennon, Mitchell Trubiski

   This is still Glennon’s team to lose, he will have to pick up the pace rather quickly if he wants to stay the starter. Trubiski has shown he can play but not enough to know if he can handle the 1^st team only because he didn’t have much chance to demonstrate it. There is no need to throw him in to play if not necessary, the position is set to be a strength with a promising QB on the bench and every day he can get better by learning and practicing the playbook, the better for the team. They can Jimmy Garoppolo the hell out of Trubisky in a scenario where Glennon happens to play like an all pro. Only thing that I ignore is how much time this can go on without hurting the team’s salary cap. When and if this becomes an issue where someone else needs to be signed long term is when, most likely, Glennon gets cut.

   I don’t have a reason to believe Mark Sanchez will stay signed unless it is to keep being the mentor/advisor to these somewhat inexperienced QBs but I believe they can manage without him and open up a space for another position. Getting Connor Shaw on the practice squad would be ideal.

RB Jordan Howard, Jeremy Langford, Tarik Cohen, Benny Cunningham

   The injury to Ka’Deem Carey, although unfortunate, opens the possibility for Cunningham to be the fourth RB of the group. He has shown great skill at the RB and KR/PR positions and can catch the ball. I prefer having four RBs that a FB, but there’s the possibility that the team decides to go with 4 TEs instead, leaving Cunningham out of the roster.

WR Kevin White, Kendall Wright, Victor Cruz, Markus Wheaton, Tanner Gentry, Deonte Thompson

   There is still talent left with Meredith out, just maybe not what we need. Wright is playing great but him and Cruz are more dangerous at the slot, Wheaton could be the “Y” but he hasn’t played yet, leaving Thompson as the more ready played but not necessarily the more talented. I feel like Gentry is better than Thompson but it would be risky to let him have the spot full time. It will be interesting to see the final depth chart at this position. One more player who could be considered to make the roster is Titus Davis, getting him on the practice squad would be great.

TE Zach Miller, Dion Sims, Adam Shaheen

   I’m giving Shaheen the nod just because he looks to be getting better every game he plays, he needs to get more comfortable and gain confidence and the only way to get it is if he gets to play some snaps on gameday. If the team goes with another TE I believe it will be Daniel Brown who I saw got more looks by Trubisky with the 2^nd team.

OL Charles Leno Jr., Kyle Long, Cody Withehair, Josh Sitton, Bobby Massie, Hroniss Grasu, William Poehls, Tom Compton

   As I mentioned, with Long I believe this line is set to run the ball, it still struggles with pass protection and it may be Glennon’s demise with his lack of mobility in the pocket. The need to set a game plan that lets the QB get rid of the ball quick and trick the defense with screens and bootlegs is of high importance. This is why there is some much hype surrounding Trubisky because of his mobility and accuracy while on the move that helped the line look good. But until the day comes, its Leno and Massie’s job to keep Glennon whole in the pocket.

DL Mitch Unrein, Eddie Goldman, Akiem Hicks, Jonathan Bullard, John Jenkins, Jaye Howard

   Only thing I don’t like about this group is that it’s not young but it’s not old either, as a matter of fact aside from Goldman and Bullard, everyone else is at their prime and ready to prove their worth. If they can make a space for Roy Robertson-Harris or prefer him instead of someone else like Howard or Unrein, I would be alright with it giving more of a balance of youth and experience to the group. They could consider him to get on the practice squad but I don’t think he would be there for long, losing him to another team would be really bad.

LB Leonard Floyd, Danny Trevathan, Jerrel Freeman, Lamarr Houston, Willie Young, Nick Kiatkoski, Christian Jones, Dan Skuta, Sam Acho

   The absence of Pernell McPhee is palpable, Houston just doesn’t do what McPhee can and would make this group scary good. Kwiatkoski can keep the LILB spot with no problem until Trevathan is healthy enough to play if that is the case, but maybe if it takes him to long Kwiatkoski may solidify himself at the position.

DB Prince Amukamara, Marcus Cooper, Cre’Von LeBlanc, Kyle Fuller, Sherrick McManis, Bryce Callahan, B.W. Webb, Quintin Demps, Eddie Jackson, Adrian Amos, Deiondre Hall, Deon Bush

   The CB position is anyone’s guess due to injuries, Callahan and Amukamara haven’t been able to stay healthy but are to talented to let go, but Johnthan Banks on the other hand hasn’t been able to showcase his skills since he got picked up last season. I like that Jackson got the opportunity to play with the 1^st team, although he didn’t do much I expect him to start at FS and learn on the go because I believe he has better speed and ball skills than Amos, who can still get to play if Demps doesn’t cut it. Same goes to Fuller if Amukamara gets hurt more or Cooper folds, but he has GOT to get better at tracking the ball, he’s there but just doesn’t turn his head.

K Connor Barth

   Nice move by Ryan Pace of bringing in Roberto Aguayo, Barth’s nemesis from the Bay, to challenge him for the spot. Looks like it’s working for now, let’s hope it transcends to the season.

P Pat O’Donnell

   Still crushing it.

LS Jeff Overhaugh

   Injury to Patrick Scales opens the door to newcomer Overhaugh. The season hasn’t started and there’s already four players on IR and possibly two on the PUP list, are we trying to beat the Chargers or what? Sheesh.

   This team is heading to a very strong schedule and they don’t have much time to get it together as the first half alone looks to be brutal from the start. Looking at this seasons schedule I envision this team going 6-10 aside of players getting injured, but less than this and I think John Fox and Loggains are gone, not Pace, at least not yet. I believe he is bringing talent to the team and I don’t know how much he was part of the selection of Fox as HC. Although his decisions on contracts are somewhat questionable and that could get him into trouble in the future. But as I said, I believe there is enough talent on the team and finishing with an 8-8 or a 9-7 record would say that the team took a step forward, more than that could put them in the playoffs and would be an automatic win just with that accomplishment.

Let’s get this season started already.

1st Pre-season Game 2017

   Some thoughts on the team after their first preseason game against the Broncos. Although this is still a mirage of what’s to come when the season starts, it’s still more real than what happens on training camp.

   Starting with what was evident but it’s the most important thing to point out, Mike Glennon’s interception on his second pass attempt was the result of a horrible decision, floating the pass where there where 3 broncos and a striding Bear on a deep route. Aside that Kendall Wright was open in the middle and there was a clear penalty for contact to Glennon’s facemask, that pass was never meant to be throw there. Glennon is big and slow, bootlegs are an eternity to him and his attempted pass while running from pressure was awful to the feet of Zach Miller who was less than 10 yards away. If he had taken the sack instead of the turnover, his dreadful QB rating would mean nothing because its 1 qtr of the preseason and there’s still 2 more games to play to clean things up which will not get easier against the Cards and Titans defenses. Mark Sanchez looks like a washed-up backup QB, let’s see how much time his experience gives him a spot on the team.

   There was little to no running game in the first quarter to shed some pressure of Glennon, the O-line struggled to move the pile and maintain their assignment, at least one guy at each play seemed to lose containment resulting in short gains by the running backs. One I consider had a bad day was Hroniss Grasu who didn’t look strong enough on the run game. Jordan Howard got stuffed in his three attempts, it wasn’t until late in the second quarter that it started to come to life where the rest of the running backs shined with solid playing. Tarik Cohen look’s the part of a change of pace back and is willing to block, didn’t like when at the hand off he hasitated or tried to make a little juke to try to confuse the defense instead of flowing with the play like Benny Cunningham did, he followed the play and made the juke of spin move when necessary, he’s not as fast and elusive as Cohen but he is stronger and can get short yardage with power. Kadeem Carey is the hammer who can still get those tough short yards on third down. Joshua Rounds looked like an all-around average running back who lacks vision at the NFL level. Carey and Cunningham are in for a battle for a spot if the team decides to go with 4 RB’s and no FB. Maybe Jeremy Langford looses his job due to injury? If Cunningham is out of the PR/KR competition, it’s going to be harder for him to win a spot.

   Out of the receivers, everybody seemed to have contributed in some way by catching a pass or just blocking up front. The one guy I was disappointed on was Adam Shaheen who dropped 2 passes by trying to catch it with his body and didn’t look to good pass protecting. Hope he improves quickly because there is too much competition at TE and doesn’t result in droping someone else who looked good  because of the high expectations Shaheen could bring.

   Defensively, aside from the fourth quarter, looked good, no turnovers but they kept the offense from producing big plays and held them to ten points. They pressured the QB several times but Trevor Siemian did a good job of getting rid of the ball quickly. There were flashes of things I’d like to see more of like Leonard Floyd and Johnathan Bullard’s speed and Akiem Hicks and Mitch Unrein’s disruption in the line of scrimmage but who took my attention was Nick Kwiatkoski who seems to have improved his game. DB’s and S’s were silent but made tackles when needed, one missed interception by Chris Prosinski was the closes to a turnover the Bears had all night.

   Finally, Mitch Trubisky comes in and revives a passing game that was none existent in the first half and rips the third and fourth stringers of the Broncos for the first score looking like a second round pick, making Deonte Thompson and Ruben Randall look good. Things that impressed me where the accurate throws on the run in bootlegs and that he always maintained vision downfield. Displayed awareness in the pocket and showed composure when the pocket drew smaller or when he got pressured he would climb the pocket not losing his field vision. Showed good footwork, no problems with the snaps under center and ran when needed and most importantly he protected himself. He didn’t throw deep missing in his one attempt to Victor Cruz which was a bit overthrown but not enough to get intercepted. He did attempt intermediate throws that were on point. One bad action I saw is that on one play he jumped to throw the ball and it wasn’t necessary. Other than that, I thing he played excellent and believe he gained some necessary confidence and NFL experience besides Chicago’s hopes and dreams for now.

Post Draft 2017

This was not a draft for the fans, this was Ryan Paces draft for the future that will give us nightmares at least until the season starts. I didn’t want a QB with the 3rd overall pick, I hated the idea, so when I see Pace trading up to get Mitchell Trubisky with the 2nd overall I just felt my stomach turn waiting to know what was given for the move, although I didn’t care to know at the same time because any pick lost to that was a punch in the nuts. I don’t hate Trubisky I consider him a good prospect but wasn’t my favorite, I  could say that I wouldn’t have cared if they had gotten him at mid to late round but the reality is that he wasn’t going to be there watching teams going up for Mahomes and Watson at 10 and 12. The night was ruined for many of us, it took me until the end of the first round when I stopped reading tweets about the pick because I feared for my health and started watching the interviews on youtube (doesn’t sound like it was a better idea as I write it). On came Paces press conference and the one thing that I heard that made me feel better was the part where he said (not quoting) he really wanted the guy and was going to do everything possible to get him because he believes in his talent, and then he said something I will quote, “I don’t want to be average around here, I want to be grate”. He really doesn’t have a choice but to convince everyone that this is the right choice, but at least he does say it convincingly. Like I said, I don’t think he could have gotten him later on the day so he did what he needed to do to get the guy he wanted, even if he gave a 3rd rounder for next year’s draft when it should have been a 4th, it just shows how much he wanted this QB although his "best player available" philosophy does not show in this draft at all, after this trade every other pick felt like a reach. Now the trade up was because, as the rumor goes, the 49ers told the Bears they were going to trade down with another team, I won’t go as far as to say the niners told them the team was drafting Trubisky, I believe that was the logical chain of thought for the Bears war room so they jumped to get their guy, so I don’t know if it’s a tool to make other teams react like that with rumors or false information but if it really is this is a business tactic well I would have to give kudos to the 49ers war room and shame to the Bears war room, but if this is cheap trickery then I give the middle finger to John Lynch.

   With nothing else to do but to swallow the reality that we will have less chances to strike a promising player, but the rest of the draft shows us something else. In the second round the Bears trade down to get back a 4th rounder and ad a 6th rounder we didn’t have and another 4th for next year in exage for the 2nd and 7th pick this year, weeeh! Right? Well, it didn’t last long for the happy rollercoaster to go swishing down.

With the 45th pick Pace gets Adam Shaheen, the big and athletic TE form a small school. This fell a bit like a reach only because there were some other players available in areas of bigger need. The reality is that this is a promising talent that if he pans out should contribute immensely and because we lacked a 3rd round pick there was a chance that he would not be there in the 4th round so it’s another pick for the future of the franchise. Fists, second and maybe even third round players are picked with the thought that they should contribute as starters on the year they were drafted, but in this case with the 2 picks that we finished having this year made this a draft for the future, the tools these two players have are top notch but they aren’t ready to play day 1 because they lack experience to play at their best and it’s hard to digest the idea that our two top picks are going to start on the bench and will have to wait for them to develop to what Pace thinks will be great players. So, charge up your patience pack because this could take a while.

   We go to day three of the draft and don’t have to wait too long because here comes Pace lunging forward 5 spots to get his man, giving up the 6th pick we got on the trade down. Picking with the 112 slot we get Eddie Jackson, YES! Although he is also considered a reach I don’t care, I like it, gives us a promising center fielding safety with good coverage and ball skills, a poor man’s Malik Hooker maybe and that’s fine by me because we are poor at this moment. So here comes the roller coaster back up again, seven picks later and I can’t really see the bottom anymore. With the 119 pick we get Tarik Cohen, WHO?! I see his stats and immediately think that pace misses Darren Sproles so he picks his mini me. A RB that destroyed his division with speed and agility maybe because nobody could bend that much to get him, but if he plays anything similar to Sproles I don’t care what he measures. Experts say this is a reach and I agree this time, Josh Reynolds went to the Rams two picks earlier and was my last best choice on offense and Desmond King was still there I would have preferred him or even a developing OT like Julie’n Davenport or Will Holden, but that wasn’t the case so let’s move on.

   With the final pick, the 147 on the 5th round we get a guard for some reason, Jordan Morgan from a small school. King and Holden were still there, but we got a guard who is promising but as I watch the result of this draft I see that Pace drafted players at positions that are already set, I could say that we just solidified the positions, not necessarily made them better which that is yet to be seen but there is depth now, there isn’t much to do in these areas but to wait and see who is the better player.

   I can see the CB position as already filled with promise but I can’t say the same on the other positions like the OTs, DL and WRs. Ryan Pace really put a target on his back with this draft and could now be in the hot seat with John Fox if this season turns to be a bad one. I really like Pace as GM and would give him time to see the development of his draft picks, but with some big contracts given to average players as some experts see and now with a questionable draft, they cant end with a top 5 pick next year because it would mean they gave up way to much for Trubisky, they would positioned themselves to have gotten a better prospect or even a starting QB next year as viewed by scouts and that would just show how poor Paces decisions on this draft were.

2017 NFL Draft Prospects

   If Chicago stays put with the 3^rd overall pick there’s just too many options, the easy/logic decision would be to go with Jonathan Allen or Solomon Thomas because you should start solidifying the line but I don’t like Allen’s medical record and both him and Thomas size bugs me a little not really convinced they can dominate at the 5 tech. What I would love to see is going for Jamal Adams, I believe he is a complete player at safety and his leadership is a plus. The only thing that bugs me is not him as a player, but the need on the team where I believe that, if Malik Hooker is who he and everybody else says he is, then a centerfielding cover safety is what the Bears lack, but he is raw and has medical issue’s and that is a risk that I don’t see in Adams. Other players I can consider is Marshon Lattimore who has the same ceiling and issues as Hooker and O.J. Howard who is just an animal but the pick may be too high for the position with other needs.

   QB I would prefer they go for on the mid to late round if he’s still there, DeShone Kizer. He’s big, strong, athletic, big arm, has played pro system, reads defenses, doesn’t have to play day one so he can be polished.

   On day two we get anything that drops from the first round, seeing this draft is full on talent. Some prospects I like in order are Chris Wormley, Jordan Willis, Zach Cunningham, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Zay Jones, Antonio Garcia, Budda Baker, Desmond King, Eddie Jackson, Curtis Samuel and Tre’Davious White. Again, if any of these guys drop to the third round take him. 

   If Kizer get to the bottom of the first round or goes to day 2 of the draft and the Bears want him then go get him, if not I would wait to round 3 and see if Nate Peterman is there or if the team really wants him they could reach for him with the second pick. Other than these 2 QBs, I feel unsure with the rest of the bunch especially Deshaun Watson, he may be a winner but so was Vince Young. Mitchell Trubisky isn’t a bad prospect but I believe Kizer has more upside than him with better physic and knowledge of the game. Patrick Mahomes and Davis Webb have a better arm than Peterman but they are more erratic, Mahomes mechanics are all over the place and the tape on Webb against Washington is awful especially his decision making, they feel like Cutler clones so I don’t see them going for either of them although I do see some Tony Romo in Mahomes but I do believe that would be his ceiling. Brad Kaaya is intriguing but he really does look like he has the yips or something and his character a big negative for him. Chad Kelly is a big “NO” with ups and downs with his game and life in general. Other two I may be ok with Chicago targeting are Joshua Dobbs and Jerod Evans on day three but I don’t see them being more than backups, I would prefer getting talent on other positions with the picks.

Other players I consider for round 3 through 7:

Jarrad Davis ILB 3rd

Raekwon McMillan ILB 3rd

Adam Shaheen TE 3rd

Chris Goodwin WR 3rd

Josh Reynolds WR 3rd

Adoree Jackson DB/RS 3rd

Amara Darboh WR 4th

Malachi Dupre WR 4rd

Carlos Henderson WR 4th

Taylor Moton OT 4th

Julie’n Davenport OT 4th

Jaleel Johnson NT 4th

Carlos Watkins NT/5T 4th

Montavious Adams NT 4th

Fabian Moreau DB 4^th

George Kittle 5th

Michael Roberts TE 5th

Jake Butt TE 5th

Stacy Coley WR 5th

Jehu Chesson WR 5th

Will Holden OT 5th

Dion Dawkins OT 5th

Fish Smithson S 5th

John Johnson S 5^th

Corn Elder DB 7th

Damontae Kazee DB 7th

Shaquil Griffin DB 7th

Darius English OLB 7^th

Deatrich Wise OLB 7th

Pre-Draft 2017 Free Agent Signings

   With the 2017 draft just 2 days from starting Im ready to give my opinion on the top free agents that the Bears signed with Ryan Pace on the helm. Since I don’t really know how to evaluate a good contract or how to evaluate the cap space going forward, I won’t get to much into that.

   So, Mike Glennon got signed with a contract that reflects he is the starting QB for the Bears this year, giving Jay Cutler the boot out of town. For starters, I don’t see this as an upgrade and the contract for his first year on the team shows he gets more money than Cutler would have got so that’s a negative for me. Glennon deserves a chance to start no doubt as he received a lot of hype the last 2 years as Tampa Bay’s backup QB although now you hear that he isn’t that good to be a starter, so make up your minds already, as for me I say he has enough to get a chance. What I don’t like about him is his zero mobility and therefore needs a good O-line that the Bears lack of in consistent tackles, that is scary as this draft lacks talented plug & play tackles, so the only option I see is to game plan this weakness so he doesn’t have the ball for more than 5 seconds in the pocket, something that a more agile Cutler usually would do. And for those who say that Jimmy Garoppolo would have been a better option because his less of a risk I say nay! because why is he less of a risk? Because of his better stats in 1 and a half games agaist Glennons average stats in 21 games? At the time of the signing, Glennon was cheaper and more experienced than Garoppolo who was sold at a cost of a franchises future with a promising high ceiling.

   So, bottom line is that the Bears organization get what they wanted; a battle tested, good guy, promising starting QB who they can mold in to their system at a “reasonable” price, getting rid of Cutler who they didn’t want any more let it be because he wasn’t liked, didnt fit on their system, injury prone or/and getting old. This gets them a chance to get a young QB to polish whether its Connor Shaw or one at this year’s draft. This is where it gets… interesting.

   If they pick a QB with the 3^rd overall pick, it’s going to be a long 3 months for me. I may scream hell I may even shed a tear or two I don’t know what to expect so I really hope they DON’T DO IT! Only way I can accept drafting a QB in the first round is if they trade down to wherever and get a 2^nd rounder and even better if they use that 2^nd rounder to get back and select a QB they really want instead of using the 1^st pick.

   Back to the free agent signings, I like that they picked up 2 good promising experienced corners with Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper they have good size and have looked good on the field, but to get rid of Tracy Porter was a little surprising for me although I understand that the team is filled with young talent at the position but there is no sure #1 CB. Our best shot is Amukamara although he is as injury prone just as Porter is. Good thing this draft is loaded with promising DBs but how much raw talent can we get on a team and pick the right starters out of the bunch? I believe this is going to take 1 more year to solidify the position but it looks we will get there.

   Quintin Demps will try to do the job that Antrel Rolle couldnt do when he was on the team, to be the experienced, sure tackling leader at the safety position. I feel we will have two SS on the field if Demps gets that assignment and Adrian Amos get the FS spot because I see him more as a punisher that a cover guy so I expect it to be the other way around. If DeAndre Houston-Carson or Deiondre Hall don’t step up I don’t see a deep cover FS on the team.

   I like to think Pace went to the market to get some speed on the WR spot with Markus Wheaton and Kendall Wright who are still young and can play slot and outside with good rout running, something we are not getting consistently out of Eddie Royal because of various injuries throughout his 2 years as a Bear. Needless to say, I like these signings, because the speed is needed so that Glennon gets rid of the ball faster. Just hope Wheaton is worth those $11 million, that contract looks awfully like the contract Royal got.

   My favorite signing was Dion Sims who in my eyes looks like a big young menacing double threat TE who got payed yes but I believe it was the fact that Miami didn’t want him to leave thus Chicago broke the bank a bit to persuade him to join the team. I imagine Sims and Zach Miller on opposite ends of the line and I get goose bumps, I love it.

   The rest will battle for positions like re-singed Deonte Thompson against Benny Cunningham for return duties, Tom Compton will have a swing at the swing tackle position (see what I did there?). Chris Prosinski, Sam Acho and Christian Jones get a crack at special teams and backing up at safety, OLB and ILB respectively. Johnthan Banks and John Jenkins will battle for backup duty at CB and DE. B.W. Webb is there too don’t know why really and lastly Mark Sanchez… whatever.

Free Agency 2017

   It’s almost time for March madness and my prediction of Jeffery sticking with the team is most likely about to be incorrect and I can say I don’t care not because I got it wrong but because of what looks like is going to happen at the QB position for the Bears. It looks like the Cutler era is coming to an end leaving us with 1 QB signed as of now being Connor Shaw who is a raw talent at best, they could bring back Matt Barkley or maybe some other experimental QB free agent, getting back Brian Hoyer isn’t a bad idea if he comes cheap but this is what makes my stomach turn, Hoyer would be the starting QB most likely at that sucks because (as I’ve said before)  he is not better than Cutler in which he doesn’t have the tools to win and that’s why it would bother me to lose Jeffery, he would be used to his strengths as a physical possession receiver who is not fast but plays the deep rebounding guy. For a time there was the consideration of trading for Jimmy Garoppolo which I would mind if it was for a second round pick but for me that would mean that in this draft you don’t draft a QB because you would be using to picks for a QB and I don’t like that when you’re still in the process of filling up your whole team with talent in every position specially when losing your #1 receiver, I wouldn’t mind if it’s for next year’s first pick thou. Now there’s rumors that were all in for Mike Glennon, who is probably going to get Cutlers paychecks for the remainder if his soon to expire contract and I say… sure why not. I don’t have anything against Cutler but I do believe that it’s fair to say that the present team of coaches don’t want him or don’t know how to use him, he is to banged up and he isn’t getting any younger and if they like the tools that Glennon bring to the table then what the hell, let’s see this new blood which will play a crucial role for John Fox and Dowell Loggains jobs, I’m not throwing in GM Ryan Pace here yet because he should be evaluated more with his draft and contract decisions. If Glennon is going to be on board, I believe Chicago will be drafting a QB in this year’s draft with their 2^nd or one of their 4^th rounder’s. All of this doesn’t really matter on who get the QB1 reigns if the tackle positions don’t get upgraded, moving along.

   I can see the Bears going deep in free agency, I got a list of possible players they can get but can’t say if they can get them all not really knowing what value they deserve so I’ll just write the here and see what happens it the next days to come.

WRs: Cordarelle Patterson (KR)*

Kenny Stills (slot)

Anquan Boldin (reliable, cheap?)

TEs: Dion Sims, Mychal Rivera, Gavin Escobar (the one that blocks better should be singed*).

OT: Ricky Wagner RT

Kelvin Beachum LT (if he comes with a discount)

RB: Latavious Murray (if he comes cheap, I believe he can be a 3^rd down back catching the ball and blocking)

ILB: Gerald Hodges, Zach Brown, Kevin Minter (the one the team sees more potential or comes cheaper).

OLB: Datone Jones, Nick Perry (cheapest backup).

CB: Logan Ryan, Stephone Gilmore (cheap is todays word).

S: Micah Hyde (versatile, solid)*

Bradley McDouglad (box SS, special teams? Cheap?)

Tony Jefferson (maybe to $$)

NT: Bennie Logan (run stuffer, depends $)*

Brandon Williams, Johnathan Hankins (maybe to $$)

DE: Calias Campbell ($$ worth it, depends on the other needs)*

QB Mike Glennon (better than Hoyer I guess…)

* Refers to the players I really want on the team

Bears 4th qtr 2016 season

The season is over for the Bears (for a while now...) and the ride wasn’t pleasant, finishing with a mediocre 3-13 record and 18 players on the IR list… eesh.

Resuming the final stretch in a nutshell is that we came empty at the helm fot the starting QB position where Matt Barkley imploded throwing for 10 interceptions in 3 games, although he toughed it out at the end of the Packers game almost getting the win but couldn’t finish it with a TD on the last drive, the next 2 games were just horrible performances trying to do too much with bad ball placement. So, we’re back at having no sure thing at QB for next season and it’s not as simple this time just to bring everyone back because I don’t think you can evaluate more than 4 QBs to see who starts next season. Barkley lost big because Hoyer’s play is better suited as a backup QB where Barkley is more like a development QB like Connor Shaw would be if he’s signed back and if one is drafted this year then I believe you have one to many projects at QB. Hoyer CAN’T be our starting QB so the question is if there’s anyone better at FA for the backup role or even for the starting role where I believe its Cutler’s job to lose one more time next season if no one better is signed.

Focusing on how the other areas of the team on offense finished the year, it’s great that Jordan Howard got called to play at the ProBowl because he deserves it, just come back to us healthy please… really, please. With Jeremy Langford backing him up, the RB position is looking good.

Cameron Meredith played like a pro, great routs and run after catch, needs to focus on catching the ball because he can make really thought catches, he’s a very good WR2. Right now, Jeffrey is our only WR1 and I wouldn’t pay him as one of the top 5 WR in the league, he could argue he’s a top 10 player but durability hits his stock hard, with this said I expect for the Bears to present him with a better contract option that the one they handed to Matt Forte last offseason. One who shouldnt get the chance to finish his contract is Eddie Royal because, as it is for Jeffrey, health is not on his side playing less than half the games in the last 2 seasons. Same could be said about Zach Miller but his game has impacted more and has played more games that Royal, still it’s a good idea to search for talent at the TE position for when Miller can’t go and like Marquess Wilson they have finished 2 season on IR because of the same broken foot and that is a durability concern. Letting go of Royal leaves the slot spot wide open with really no one good enough to take a hold of it, we need speed and that spot gives the Bears a chance to go get someone to fill the position and I believe there are good options in this year’s draft.

Erick Kush played good ball in place of Kyle Long and should be re-signed thus giving the boot to Ted Larsen. The times I was watching the games and not yelling Bobby Massie’s name I realized he got better but I’m not sold on him as I am with Charles Leno Jr. who I would not blame the team to search for better players at both tackle positions, the depth at the interior O-line makes it easier to focus on that.

As for the defense, the front seven looks promising but can’t say the same of the secondary, but in general there is still much work to do. The biggest problem I saw was in week 15 against the Packers where Ty Montgomery sliced through the defense like nothing, I noticed the impact and importance of not having Eddie Goldman on the field. In all the games he didn’t play I saw the run defense succumb to the run, some games more than others, Goldman made Akiem Hicks and Jerrell Freeman play better and more disruptive. Getting another body at NT with Goldman’s run stopping talent to rotate or step in when he’s not available should be a good idea or going for a more talented 5-tech to replace Mitch Unrein who was silent most of the season. I’m hopeful that Jonathan Bullard gets better for year 2 of his career, we could use his explosiveness to harass the QB more often.

Leonard Floyd´s two concussions in his first season is a big concern for me and can’t focus just on his great stats which point in the right direction, he must focus on taking care of himself more by tackling properly. The OLB position looks old and banged up, Willie Young can be considered at his prime, Sam Acho is a backup and Pernell McPhee has health issues and has been a rotational player lately and Lamar Houston is in his second trip to IR in 3 seasons with the Bears. Some youth is necessary here.

The opposite can be said about the ILB position with Freeman being the stellar player this season just to get band 4 games for PEDs and with Danny Threvathan on IR… in come the youngling's Nick Kwiatkoski, who got necessary experience and played decent, and John Timu, who is a backup at best. With Kwiatkoski, Christian Jones and Jonathan Anderson there is some projects here to see how they develop.

The secondary… well it just gives me nightmares. Is it young or old? Theres young talent but not enough was shown to be sure if someone is going to step up like Amos did the previous season. Is Porter going to play forever? who’s going to replace him? Is he on the team right now or in FA or the draft? There are tons of options and possibilities, decisions must be made to pave way for the next squad that will be playing next season. I really like Callahan but he get injured to often, I dislike LeBlanc he's not a sure tackler and get burned a lot but I'll admit he doesn't forgive QBs when they throw a bad ball and he can blanket a receiver but he can also get beat real bad, many have high hopes for him but just not me. Amos didn't have a good year as any of the others that played beside him. In defense,  the secondary squad playing on the field gave plenty of time for the front seven to get to the QB lots of times. But as pressure didn't get there much, neither did they take advantage when the did, making QBs throw bad balls and not resulting in turnovers.

This year's draft is loaded with promising DB's and pass rushers so that's good.

Free agency on the other hand doest look as promising, I don't think the big name players are going to be left free by their present team so Ryan Pace will have to make due with another good draft.

Looking at next year's opponents makes me think that, if this season was tough, next season is going to be loads more. Taking on the AFC NORTH and the NFC SOUTH, both very competitive so will be the Eagles that are on the rise. So a good way of putting it it's that it's going to be a challenging season and getting to the playoffs would speak volumes of the team but another season like this one and we could be experiencing a change in direction for a Bears team that will have to take the long road to get things right. So leaving this year behind, let's enjoy the ride to another season and watch closely what's to come. Bear Down.