domingo, 15 de diciembre de 2019
W14vsDAL: Better late than never
miércoles, 27 de noviembre de 2019
W12vsNYG: Run?
domingo, 24 de noviembre de 2019
W11@LAR: What a waste
domingo, 17 de noviembre de 2019
W10vsDET: Building blocks
sábado, 9 de noviembre de 2019
W9@PHI: Half glass... I dont know
domingo, 3 de noviembre de 2019
W8vsSD: Got to finish
sábado, 26 de octubre de 2019
W7vsNO: Disappointed
For starters, I cant imagine a team running the ball less than 10 times in a game and expect to be competitive. There was no excuse for this, the score had a 2 point differential at the half and the time of possession was way in favor of New Orleans with Trubisky struggling once more. So with the QB struggling, the defense getting worked out and the score in reach, this scenario screamed run the ball. David Montgomery has yet to have a big play, I could argue that he needs to improve his vision when picking the lane he will attack but the holes he he has gotten often have been very narrow, if it wasn't for his fight to gain the extra yard this running attack could be even worse. Speaking of fighting for yardage, I could be more frustrated with Tarik Cohen this season, he has gotten more opportunities to ignite the offense but is not willing to lower the shoulder, preferring to go to the sidelines or diving before receiving any contact, he is not getting the wide open field plays he got at times last year but unfortunately if he isn't more willing to fight for yards then he wont be helping this team right now, at the end of the game he showed anger and frustration but also showed he can get the though yards and that is what I am expecting he can do more in the games to come.
The offensive line is improving by game but still the struggle to maintain the lane for the running back has continued, I honestly don't know what is wrong, is it the scheme or is it that on every play there is one lineman per play that isn't executing, I just don't get it.
The defense is what demoralizes me when it comes to the performance of this team, I started to have doubt about the ability of this unit but what this defense is lacking is not talent or scheme. The big amount of turnovers from last year was a pipe dream to repeat this season, they are being missed but what is hurting more are the little thing that are important, the occasional run stuff in 3rd and short that Akiem Hicks is so good at but has and need to continue to be done by someone else on this loaded defense. They have been getting in a very uncomfortable positions by the offense, whether is by not making enough 1st downs because of poor execution or various penalties, they are making the defense have to show and play to much against the opposing offenses, it wouldn't surprise me that other teams are getting used to how the Bears defense play and are better game planing against them. Special teams is as guilty as the offense by not helping the defense by allowing kickoff and punt returners to gain big yardage against them.
But of course no problem is bigger that Trubisky, call me pessimist but I didn't expect him to be an elite QB but I did expect him to not be a problem and right now he is, the short version of the problem is that he is not being consistent, he hasn't showed what he could do the previous season and seems to be regressing to a QB that looks to be his first year in the NFL. So how much fault is this on Matt Nagy who inexplicably makes his QB throw for more that 40 passing attempts when he knows he is struggling and even worse not at 100% playing basically injured. Its easy to be disappointed in Trubisky but right now I'm more disappointed in Nagy and will continue to be until the running game works. As for Trubisky, I expect him to play the whole year and to just play as best he can, nothing more. At the end of the season, be it week 17 or later, then I can say if he should continue to be the Bears QB or not, be it because of his talent or because he just doesn't fit with the team, which would be a big blow on Nagy.
Next game against the struggling Chargers is a chance to get back on track, they have the same shot of wining this game as they did against the Saints, if the Bears offense doesn't at least win the time of possession, then I don't expect this to end well.
domingo, 20 de octubre de 2019
Bye week recap
domingo, 29 de septiembre de 2019
W3@WSH: Getting the job done
The Bears won a game they had to win, they were obviously the better team and showed they can still be a stingy defense getting the ball away form the offense four times. The offense responded getting points with every turnover created, Mitchell Trubisky did a good job and Matt Nagy did a better one with his play calling, the run game is still stuck on first gear and needs to get better, if Trubisky can keep it up and get defenses to pay more attention to him he can help the O-line who as a unit needs to play nastier and give David Montgomery more holes where he can pound positive yards at first contact.
Next they host the Vikings, a tough game against a solid defense and a dangerous Dalvin Cook. The Bears are banged up on both sides of the ball but right now with the news that Roquan Smith might not play is bigger news to me than Akiem Hicks not playing, Cooks gets it done running to the outside and that is Smith's territory, without him this will be an extra hard game and the offense will have to place more than 20 points to get it done, right now is when they need to get the run game going and then some.
lunes, 23 de septiembre de 2019
W2vsDEN: Two wrongs make a right?
jueves, 12 de septiembre de 2019
W1vsGB: Consistency
The Bears opening game was disappointing, I would never had imagined that it would turn out the way it did. It was demoralizing to know that the defense showed such a great performance just to be blurred out by the incompetence that it was the Bears offense. The mistakes made by the Oline, Trubisky and Nagy have circled around the Internet by many sports writers and broadcasters giving their meticulous analysis and opinions on what went wrong, it wasn't that hard to see on live TV that they didn't look ready, they looked rusty and struggled to get in rhythm and get out of the hole they dug themselves in.
Keeping it simple, Trubisky is not ready to take the team on his shoulders and lead them to victory with his talent, he showed inexperience que help his receivers get open and show panic in some plays, this could have been by the inconsistency and lack of discipline of his Online who need to communicate better. Nagy needs to help Trybisky out with the playcalling and not forget about his RBs by keep running it or get them on the field for short passes, get Trubisky in rythm. Nagy can not do everything tho, Trubisky needs to get better and build consistency, the season has only started and need to show he can help get this talented team to the postseason again, this team is to loaded for anything less especially on defense.
Next they go to Denver who didn't look well on offense but has the talent on defense to put pressure on Trubisky like the Packers did. Denver is supposed to be a very hard place to win, but it looks to be a match were Chicago should be the favorite to win and should before they get to play against playoff teams from last season and won't be optimal to get there with a 0-2 record.
miércoles, 4 de septiembre de 2019
2019 Chicago Bears roster
jueves, 29 de agosto de 2019
Predicting the 53 man roster for 2019
K - E. Piniero
I had my money on Elliott Fry but his miss against the Giants gave way to Eddie Piniero getting picked because of his stronger leg. Rumors say that there is a chance Pace could go for a free agent leg, so solidifying this position could be far from over. Damn you John Fox...
P - P. O'Donnell
Hey Pat's back.
LS - P. Scales
Hey so is the other one.
viernes, 2 de agosto de 2019
2019 Offseason
jueves, 25 de abril de 2019
Draft: TEs group of 2019
The TE position, as are the others on the team, has no meaningful holes to fill but there are some questions regarding Adam Shaheen's development which is similar to Leaonard Floyd's, injuries have derailed his improvement and there is no sure thing he can be who the team thought they would get, so some insurance can be drafted this year. The obvious ones to get drafted early are the Iowa boys, T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant, just depend on whats your want more, receiver or blocker. Both can do everything good enough but they are not the same type and are built differently, I would prefer Hockenson. Others who I don't see making the third round are Keenan Brown, Alize Mack and Irv Smith, still there are some how caught me eye.
Dax Raymond - A bit of a project but does everything well, has some drops and isn't o polished blocker but does enough to open lanes and give time to the QB, has good speed and agility but still need to get stronger in his lower body to shed tacklers better.
Kahale Warring - Could get better at blocking but can become a threat in the passing game with his size and strength.
Trevon Wesco - A blocking TE that if it weren't for his speed he could be a decent receiver, wont go down easy and still is agile enough to make people miss.
Drew Samples and Foster Moreau would be other considerations for a blocking TE and Caleb Wilson for a receiving type TE but Samples and Moreau didn't get much of a shot to see how good they could be as receivers and Wilson still seems too raw of a player.
So this is as far as I go this year on analyzing players so ill be watching back on this to see how I do, for today I will be imagining that the 24th pick the Chicago Bears select Khalil Mack. What. a. STEAL.
domingo, 21 de abril de 2019
Draft: EDGE group of 2019
This years group has some promising players with potential to go in the first round but none I see is a dominant player. Josh Allen, Clelin Ferrel and Josh Sweat are my favorites to go on day 1. Brian Burns is another one that could be picked on Thursday but I have him going one day later because of coverage concerns. Jachai Polite, Porter Gustin and D'Andre Walker are day 2 players that if they slide would be my preferred candidates for Pace to pick up. My problem is that aside from these three, I don't see any other player that seems like a natural OLB that the Bears should consider using a draft pick on, I see some DEs with potential but could they play standing up? I don't know but these guys might be intriguing,
Justin Hollins - I saw some flashes of him rushing the edge with some bend and speed, but his inconsistency and motor are what bother me about him, he doesn't seem to go all out on every play but when he does he looks good and capable to rush inside or out with fluid movement as well when dropping to coverage.
Christian Miller - Can play standing up but seems to have only one move combo when rushing the edge, needs more moves to get better as a pass rusher but has shown to be good at stopping the run and be where he needs to be, add that he looks comfortable in coverage and you almost got a decent OLB.
Jordan Braliford - Could play middle LB or DE, uses more power than finess to get to the QB when rushing, better at stopping the run by filling up the run lane and can drop to coverage as good as any middle linebacker should.
Oshane Ximines - He looks more prepared to play with his hand in the dirt but I consider him a prospect because he looks very raw and could be taught to play standing up. Even as raw as he is, he displays flashes of dominance with good speed, agility and strength to play the edge.
Sutton Smith - The local underdog, small guy to be playing as an edge rusher but what he lacks in strength he makes up with effort, big motor and wont give up until the play is dead, more quick than fast but agile enough to disengage at the line to beat linemen, can show it as well when dropping to coverage.
If Polite, Gustin or Walker don't slide, I don't believe the Bears will select someone from this list with their first selection on round 3, its more likely that a RB will be considered for this pick but it will and should depend on which player brings more talent and promise, this is what Pace and his war room should be thinking this next Friday.
miércoles, 27 de marzo de 2019
Draft: Safety's group of 2019
lunes, 11 de marzo de 2019
Draft: CBs group of 2019
lunes, 25 de febrero de 2019
Draft: RBs group of 2019
viernes, 25 de enero de 2019
WildCardvsPHI: ...You missed one
Every part of the team got its chance to potentially give the Bears a win, both defenses played great and eliminated each others running game but ultimately hurt the Bears more, they just couldn't run the ball effectively, Jordan Howard got a chance to take one for a long gain but lost balance and fell forward just enough for the first down, a decent hole was made by the O-line and there was only one visible deep threat to stop him from a potential touchdown but instead got tackled by first contact, it was a very poor performance against a dificult defense. Tarik Cohen was shut down as part of the Eagles game plan, so the Bears turned to Mitchell Trubisky to move the ball against a solid pass rush, he couldn't do much and almost turned the ball over three times, but at the final stretch of the game when trailing he displayed poise and put his team in front, then when trailing again he moved the ball to field goal range with a great deep throw. The last throw that when incomplete was because he decided to be smart instead of being the hero, if that ball is caught outside the end zone by Anthony Miller there was a chance he gets tackled for a game ending play, that ball was thrown to the end zone where it had to be thrown, but he didnt lob it enough for Miller to have a chance to get there or keep the ball for one more second before throwing it, the pressure was on and he had to get rid of it, a sack would have ended it as well.
Before the Bears final drive, the defense had its shot to win the game but couldn't stop them from scoring the winning touchdown, 4th and goal from the 1 and Sherick McManis just couldn't stick to Golden Tate enough to stop him from scoring, it was a difficult play but it just makes you wonder if Bryce Callahan could have done better or even worse if Crevon LeBlanc could have done it if he was still on the team instead of having the best game of his career with the Eagles on this precise game.
Pat O'Donnell played great, until his last kick of course, which gave the Eagles offense great field position for that final score. Cohen gave the Bears life again, putting the offense on the 40 yard line on the ensuing kick off for their final drive where Trubisky threw his best ball of the game and gave the team a chance to win it with a 43 yard field goal. So here we were, watching Cody Parkey attempt his second 43 yard field goal try because the first was negated because of the Eagles final time out, that one went trough the middle no problem, even better than the previous 3 he already made on this game form a shorter distance. So Parkey only had to do the same once more, but he couldn't. Instead the ball hit the left post AND the cross bar, bounced back into the field for a missed field goal that statistically went as a blocked kick viewed with the help of the fines high technology in camera zooming where one could watch how Treyvon Hester's I don't know which finger seemed to get a piece of the ball just enough to deflect it and hit the FRIGGIN GOAL POST! REALLY!? I mean COME ON! It hit the goal post just enough to ricochet on to the crossbar! so you mean to tell me that a scratch moved the ball one inch enough to do that instead of maybe just grasp the goal post and get in? So yeah maybe the news that it was deflected protects Parkey from getting hate mail for the rest of his life (which is stupid, you don't try to spoil, ruin or threaten a mans life based of stuff like game performance) but how does that help me? a finger prevented the Bears to go to the next round? well that's just grate isn't it?
It was sad to watch them lose like this and I don't say it just because they lost in their first playoff game but because I compare it to when the 2010 Bears made it all the way to the conference finals, I didn't feel as pumped as I did with this team. Maybe its because I'm more invested in the team than before, maybe its because I'm more informed about them than before now with news spreading from everywhere at every minute. But the fact that this team showed more unity and hunger than the last team that made it this far, really made me feel they had a shot of going all the way. There is very good talent in this team and I could be bold and say that I think they have better talent than the 2006 Bears and I also believe that they have a brighter future because of Trubisky, right now I believe he is better than 2006 Rex Grossman, Trubisky could have had 2 or 3 picks on this game but he didn't, had a shot to come back and win this game and he almost did, but at least he gave them that shot.
The first hurdle for next year is moving forward without Vic Fangio and almost (as of now) his whole defensive staff. Chuck Pagano is brought in for the DC coordinator, a veteran coach that has almost every piece in place to work with, needs to bring his staff tho. A positive is that maybe this team wont miss the picks given for Mack as much, they have play makers in every area and good depth in most of them, Pace can focus on getting better depth with promising talent and strenghten the special teams unit which is the one area that needs more help aside from what to do with Parkey. Pace cant do the same mistake he did with Robbie Gould and kick his kicker to the curve without insurance, replaces him with someone that can be better. I say challenge Parkey to keep the job and bring new and old talent to compete against him in the preseason, then decide. The big names who hit free agency are Bryce Callahan, Adrian Amos, Aaron Lynch, Roy Robertson-Harris, Bobby Massie, Daniel Brown and Ben Brauneker. If I can only sign one it would be Callahan, they need to keep him based on how he played this year. Amos, Lynch and RRH are good players and I would love for them to stay but Amos is the one I see easier to replace with Deon Bush, there is depth with Jonathan Bullard and Bilail Nichols at DT so RRH could be expendable, while at OLB there isn't much depth which would maybe place Lynch second in the priority list. Massie is average, his value comes in his experience with the rest of the O-line players but I don't think he will come cheap so maybe T will be a priority in the draft. Brown and Brauneker are good depth players, I would go with Brown tho if one is picked up, would maybe even consider cutting Dion Sims to make space for both. Kevin White is someone I would want to see on the team but he would get buried in the depth chart, he needs to play to reach his ceiling and see how good he can be, free agency should be a better option for him.
So this is it, one week away from the Super Bowl which I believe the Patriots will win, the Rams to have a shot will have to get to Brady quickly with the help of Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald leading the charge but I don't trust in Jared Goff to do enough to win this one, that's why I preferred the Saints to be the NFC representative because I believe they have the better offense with a better QB that can go toe to toe on the scoreboard. But whatever, I don't care who wins this one, I will be waiting for next seasons events to start, its looking promising at least and this team gave me what I wanted, a competitive team that could beat anyone, Pace looks to have most of his pieces set, here's hoping they can take it a step further.
domingo, 6 de enero de 2019
W17@MIN: Heating up for January
The Bears managed to knock the Vikings out of the playoffs with relative ease even with the refs going the Vikings way on some calls and no-calls, one could say that this was a good warmup game before the real thing this weekend.
The thing to watch in this game that really mattered most was the running game worked with Jordan Howard against a stout Vikings D-line no less, Howard and the Oline gained more than 100 yards on the ground which is important in January and even more in open field stadiums. The Bears defense made Kirk Cousins look average and shut down the run game, it was an all around great performance and they didn't need to score to finish the game with more than 20 points, this was a solid team win although Mitch Trubisky and the pass offense can still improve but with a steady run game like this one, it will take some pressure of the pass game and Trubisky, even better if he can contribute to the run with some scrambles.
The elimination rounds begin today, starting with the Eagles visiting Soldier Field led by Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, this time around he cant be seen as a pedestrian back up QB like I did last year. The Eagles D-line, like the Vikings, is a though one with Flecher Cox as the spear head of this defense, but the Bears will have to force the run like they did last game and not put to much on Trubiskys plate. The defense will need to repeat what they did to the Vikings this past week, get in Foles face and eliminate the deep ball while limiting big chunks in the run game, easy right? Well there are differences between the Eagles and Vikings offenses, well now watching the Eagles depth chart I believe there are more similarities between them and the Bears offenses, maybe both will be treating each other like they do in practice, this should be a low scoring game so the Bears definitely need to take advantage of their home crowd to get the Eagles off their rhythm a bit, turnovers will be big in this game and maybe a score by the defense will end up being the difference. Now I believe that if Eddie Jackson plays, the Bears have a better secondary that the Eagles, but this is no easy game whatsoever, they are going against last years defending champions, they were here not long ago while the Bears will have to turn to their veteran teammates for advice and believe that their experience coaches will point them in the right direction.