W14vsDAL: Better late than never

   Somehow the Bears are keeping this season alive by beating teams that they were capable of beating on paper, but I didn't expect them to put 30 points against the Cowboys while really not changing much of the offensive scheme they have already used all season, so what gives? 

   Mitchell Trubisky is fighting for his job playing with more confidence and getting the ball off his hand quicker and his accuracy and anticipation has shown improvement in some throws, so basically something clicked in Trubisky's head? His decision to start scrambling and running again is definitely helping the offense by getting positive yards and giving the defense something to worry about, last year his legs were a weapon that for some reason this season disappeared until this last game. Was it Matt Nagy putting a ball and chain on Trubisky to improve him as a pocket passer? Is Trubisky free from it? Even if injury is a factor for him not running as much, I hope he keeps it up while being smart with it and slide like he did when there is nothing there. This is great for David Montgomery who continues to show to be the player Ryan Pace drafted, just give him a crease to work with and he will win yards. The Oline is not improving much, Charles Leno is looking very pedestrian in this offense, the fact that Cornelius Lucas III is doing his job tells me a bit about how average is Bobby Massie, Rashaad Coward is still to raw. All of this added up is what I hope is affecting Cody Whitehair and James Daniels play better, there is no consistency in this unit, if this continues they will be placed under the microscope on the offseason along with OL coach Harry Hiestand. The emergence of J.P. Holtz as a weapon at the TE/FB position is was I envisioned for Ryan Nall who has used as Holtz backup, can this be what Nagy's offense needed to complete his scheme? this along with Jesper Horsted being the next man up at TE made Dallas respect the position, adding all this up, all these little things, Trubisky's confidence and running skills along with good TE play is what might be making Nagy's plan work finally and getting Montgomery more room to work with only missing is for the Oline to make the push. This doesn't make me think that Nagy is making this work, rather it seems that its all in Trubisky's  arm to move this offense forward, he has three more games to keep it up, if he does then he gets to go next year no questions asked.

   Chuck Pagano inherited a solid unit and has kept is solid to this day even when losing key contributors and leaders, he has done a great job and its up to the players to get the only thing missing from last year and that is the turnovers, Kyle Fuller is a good player but he has gotten chances to increase his interception count but has drop many of those opportunities. The sacks are not coming in bunches or from just Khalil Mack, but the pressure is there just a half second late to get to the QB. This defense bends but doesn't break and is consistent enough to give the offense a chance to win them games. With Prince Amukamara healthy and Akiem Hicks back from injury, the unit can only get better.

   This game against the Packers is as important as any of the final three games left this season, they are statement games that will tell us what I already knew, how good can this team be? the answer is very good, they just need to get it together and show it on this final stretch, even if the postseason slips from them, they need the boost for next year and realize again that they are a contender. 

W12vsNYG: Run?

   Bears win a game they should have won in a close but not that close game, there were some positive but also huge negatives and this team still looks not ready to win against the real competition.

   Mitch Trubisky was the offense in this game because the running game was none existent, it was no where to be found, the Oline just can push or open holes for their lives, its a nightmare. Trubisky got picked two times, the one in the end zone should have been a touchdown but Allen Robinson didn't help him out by running his rout to deep to the area Anthony Miller was, the second one was of concern because is was a ball that didn't go deep enough to his receiver for some reason, it looked like he just didn't have enough strength, could he be hurting still? He did get to score through the air and ground despite the lack of a running game and TEs.

   The defense is still giving one huge play a game for a score, still they do enough to give the offense a chance to win the game, very silently getting better at the run stuffing department.

   Bears get a short week to go Detroit for another must win game, there is no reason they should lose this one, but right now what is important is improvement, find the running game, decide who you TE is going to be, give Eddie Piñero all the shots, give Trubisky more confidence and give your new guys a shot, now with Bobby Massie and Taylor Gabriel out for this one its time for Alex Bars and Riley Ridley to see what they got.

W11@LAR: What a waste

   Mitchell Trubisky was average against the Rams but looked to be throwing with more determination, still his flaws of field vision and anticipation are present but he needs to be showing he is trying to get better and I did see it and it shows how bad the Oline is playing and how rusty the WR corps is, still they need help everywhere from TE, get bigger at WR and getting better scheme or fresh bodies at the line of scrimmage. Still nothing is more frustrating than the game plan that, for eleven weeks it has struggled, it still DOES NOT CHANGE. Matt Nagy pulling Trubisky out of the game is what it is, at the moment it showed a braking point fo the hole organization where Nagy seemed to pull Trubisky out because of performance, then it showed that it was to protect the QB from a posible worsening injury from an already lost game, its just really frustrating to not get a chance to see if he can get a winning score at the end of a tight game, this one sadly wasn't the case.

   The Bears are struggling at the TE positions and some say that this is what is bringing Nagys whole system to the ground in flames. If it is, well for me its just another way to see that he is preferring to place the fire out and rather getting another system that works with what he has. Its infuriating to see the Bears TRYING to run the ball, David Montgomery will maybe need to stat trying to bounce out to the outside on some occasions to try and get some daylight because the holes are not getting open and Nagy is just not accepting that the only shot they have is to get the FB J.P. Holtz in the game and involved in the passing game, I still believe that Ryan Nall can go in as FB on some plays with Montgomery and use him to mix things up. Its time to give Alex Bars a chance with Rashaad Coward still looking like someone learning the position and Bobby Massie regressing to Bobby freaking Massie the one I keep yelling at the TV the whole game, some even say that Bars should go in to replace Charles Leno Jr. but that's a tad to much to throw a rookie in there at LT, he could show how good he is at the other two positions even if he isn't the strenght type and he is more finesse he can still get good tape out of it, right now anything helps. Giving the young WR coprs a shot is a bit more difficult, it is somewhat frustrating to see Taylor Gabriel and Tarik Cohen not getting the shot of showing their speed because of poor run blocking or Trubisky not seeing them get open but the drop passes are a killer as well and both have gotten their fair share. Anthony Miller has to get his passion for the game under control a bit, just a bit.The Cordarelle Patterson offensive experiment is not giving fruit, this can easily be minimized to one trick/run(ugh) play a game and give the snaps to some one else be it a TE or WR. Trubisky showed some good side stepping footwork and getting out of the pocket to extend plays, still he need to be more decisive with what to do next but keeping his eyes down the filed is good, not spotting the open receiver is still in the works as is stepping inside the pocket... when there is one. Nagy need to understand where he is at right now, 4th and 1s are not punt situations anymore, he need to get the offense rolling, 3 and shorts are not for fancy or gimmicky plays anymore, they need to punish the line, punch it in and run the ball over the line of scrimmage!

   There is not much to say about the defense aside that they have been solid, the pass pressure has been lacking and they are still giving up one big play a game but the situation is the same, the offense is still waiting of the defense to bail them out and not the other way around. 

   The Bears could win every game that is left of this season and still get the 10-6 record I said they would end up with, still it doesn't seem it would be enough to get them in the playoffs at this point with Seattle and Minnesota being the wild card leaders having very respectable records, the other factor being that it doesn't seem very likely this Bears team can muster a 6 game winning streak when they still have games against the Packers in Lambeau and another against the Chief's at home. Right now they have the Giants to worry about to get this miraculous journey started, they even get a legitimate chance of getting some to believe by winning today and Thursday against the Lions in Thanksgiving, the real challenge starts one week after against the Cowboys on Thursday night and still if the Bears can get it together its still a winnable game, but it only takes one more sloppy game to call this season a total waste and for Ryan Pace to move some pieces to evaluate the rest of the season and decide where this team should go next year. 

W10vsDET: Building blocks

   Close win against a very banged up team, the Bears offense were slow to get things in order to put some points against a weakened defensive secondary while the Bears defense is giving every team a scoring drive due to penalties, bad reffing or because a series of fluky or lucky plays, this time being the later got the Lions in position to steal the game but couldn't get it done. But a win is a win to move forward and continue to polish this team.

   Mitchell Trubisky once the Oline got some stability help his squad score some touchdowns showing he can put some touch on the ball and can execute good plays drawn by Mat Nagy, still there are some plays that need to go out of the playbook and the Oline is still shaky when with the change of Cody Whitehair back to center pushing James Daniels to LG. Daniels needs to get stronger and Whitehair needs to learn how to snap the ball, still every other Olinemen is struggling in someway, but overall they all need to hustle more and to not stop blocking until the whistle blows, Trubisky need this from them but still there are things he can do to help himself like learning to climb the pocket and recognize the blitzer and go to his hot route or run it himself, saw him looking to go long on 3rd downs while getting blitzed and couldn't escape and the pair of times that he did he could have done more if he got rid of the ball to the receiver that got open when the defender separated from the receiver to go tackle him, these are quick decisions that if he learns to make can show that he is in his way to be a good QB. Lessening Tarik Cohen touches is smart, he is still a weapon but Nagy needs to give him in space where he can show his speed, Cohen shying away from contact has to be used in special packages just like Cordarrelle Patterson, give David Montgomery all the line work and bring Ryan Nall in to give him a breather. 

   Losing Danny Trevathan is big, losing another team leader is worse. I don't know what to think about Nick Kwiatkoski but he balled replacing the injured Trevathan, its no surprise that Kwiatkoski plays the run very well and his blitzing is a pleasant surprise but I don't know his his cover skill have gotten better or if its because the Lions didn't look to exploit this OR if Chuck Pagano disguised the defense to use him specifically to play at the line of scrimmage. Roquan Smith can handle the coverage better and will need to be well communicated with Kwitkoski to get themselves in the most optimal position before snaps and it wouldn't be a bad idea to send Kwiatkoski an blitzes more often with the front seven struggling to get to the QB, looks like the screens and crosses are making this unit play less aggressively and opening up run lanes, Pagano needs to shake things up.

   The Rams are struggling on offense lately and the Bears need to take advantage of this to get the winning streak going, right now both teams seem to be a mirror of each other so lets see who can correct their miscues in time to get the needed win, Mongomery being a game time decision is very concerning but Nagy cant abandon the run specially with Aaron Donald on the other side of the line of scrimmage, if the Oline cant keep him on check then he needs to help Trubisky get outside the pocket or get it to his RB, its now or never to get this Oline fired up or light a fire on their asses.

W9@PHI: Half glass... I dont know

   They say that hope is the last thing you lose, well I guess right now its the only thing it remains from this season for the Bears finding different ways to lose games giving flashes of good play making abilities just to come up short again in what was another disappointing performance overall against the Eagles.

   Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky aren't in the same page, Trubisky is showing to be a very limited mentally prepared QB, he is still learning but he might not get a chance to prove he can be a good one and it doesn't help him that Nagy doesnt play him at what he is good at right now, just as he seems to understand how to establish the run game with the players he has. The Oline is not there yet by still missing blocks and losing against the Dline but David Montgomery looks to belong on the bell cow group of running backs in the league with his gritty running and cutting ability to gain extra yardage. The same cant be said about Tarik Cohen who looks lost in this system for some reason, he need daylight to make damage and he isn't getting it this year together with some really nasty case of the drops. Adam Shaheen is a similar case, he was brought to dominate with his size but just hasn't displayed it on the field when blocking or with the ball in his hands which have been very limited and will continue to be if he doesn't get open and keeps dropping the ball.

   The defense has their hands full and are limited to mistakes by their offensive play, still they got penalized to much (and the others to little...) and made very poor decisions in coverage on this game that cost them points, its a bit concerning that the front seven hasn't been as aggressive as before, I didn't want to believe that it would make a huge difference but it seems they are really missing Akiem Hicks.

   The season is on the balance, a loss to any divisional opponent would mean the end of the road and more than two losses overall would do it as well. So its now or never and tomorrow I expect to see Mike Davis get released so Ryan Pace can get a chance of getting a fourth rounder in next years draft, he is going to need it and what he doesn't need is Davis on the team. Get Ryan Nall in as a backup to Montgomery, its time to limit Cohen to run pass options in 1st and 2nd downs, never in 3rd down where Montgomery or Nall need to be in, especially in 3rd and short distances, Nagy needs to sell the run at all cost, no more empty back formations that get destroyed by blitzes or because Trubisky cant read the play in time before there is someone in his face, get an extra blocker and let the guy have a chance to scramble. Dax Raymond and Jesper Horstead need to be on the roster to see want they can do on the field. Its all in for the Bears at this stage of the season, a win against the hot Lions could change everything, lets start by moving the ball and scoring on the first drive, how about that? is it to much to ask?

W8vsSD: Got to finish

   The return of the infamous "doink" should have felt like a bad omen from the moment it happened, especially to Matt Nagy who got spooked and left the game in the right foot of his not so established kicker instead of trusting his offense to get him a few yards closer. Of course all of this could have been prevented if not for bad red zone plays and one really bad defensive series by the Bears.

   Mitchell Trubisky played better in this game but had a ball get picked because he got played by the corner and on the next drive pressure got to him and lost the ball for another turnover. The interception is was makes Trubisky not great, the fumble was bad luck by his part, this could change with what he showed at the end of the game when he finally remembered he is a good runner and a dangerous one at that, one can not deny that Trubisky took a step back from last year but one thing he still can do very well and was an issue on his first year, he wasn't good coming back from games. On the final drive he got the ball where they could win the game and could have made it on the previous drive after they got the PI on Allen Robinson II but on 2nd and 7 they ran a run play that left the MLB unblocked and Montgomery looking lost for a loss of 3 yards, then went for a long pass that only got destroyed by Joey Bosa who was giving Bobby Massie a though time all game, maybe getting another blocker on him would have been a good idea. Finally the run game showed it had a pulse letting rookie David Montgomery chunk up big gains for 135 yards and it could have been more if they stuck with the run a bit more in some occasions, what will matter now is that they keep doing it.

   The defense played a good game that got stained by one drive, where Phillip Rivers threw a long ball to Mike Williams that should have been defended or maybe even picked by Eddie Jackson but played it to soft and got beat by Williams by going up for the rebound, this followed by a long run by Melvin Gordon braking tackles in route to the end zone. The other score was after Trubisky's fumble at Bears territory but the first score was what bothered me, its not the first time this season that the Bears defense gives a big long pass, basically they play against this type of plays to not happen. This hurt the Bears to lose this game basically because the team still is depending on the defense to play solid.

   Then there is special teams, Eddie Piñeros doink was a thing of horror for fans, then came the final play where Nagy decides that the ball is close enough for Piñero to kick it in for the win, despite having 40 seconds in the clock with a time out worried that the offense could lose yards or lose the ball. This goes against everything Nagy told the media last year once Cody Parkey started struggling where he basically said that the offense goes for touchdowns not field goals, so what changed here? Piñero isn't a veteran, he hasn't even kicked in Chicago not even for an entire season, so where did this trust on the kicked and not on the offense that was all fired up at that time come from? It made no sense to me.

   The Bears played a sloppy game all around but they had the opportunity to win that game and build on it, instead it slips through their fingers (or toes?) and now their back to finding themselves out of a hole that is getting deeper. Today to win against the Eagles in Philadelphia will be no easy task, they have been there before and didn't make it. The Bears record is almost at win or go home time, they can still lose a pair of games and still have a shot at the post season but they have to show improvement or they are only kidding themselves.

W7vsNO: Disappointed

   I did not expect this but the outcome was understandable, to only score a touchdown on a kick return and wait for the next one to be until garbage time at the end of the 4th quarter is a shame for a team with proven talent on the roster. All three phases of the team are playing poorly and its fair to say that it all comes down to the offense not helping the rest of the team and is forcing the defense and special teams to bail them out of the funk there are in. That will not happen until they get the running game started and one could argue that the QB needs to play better for this to happen which I don't see this being the case, although Mitch Trubisky is playing poorly and is not taking the best decisions on the field, I don't believe he is the cause that defenses are stopping the run.
   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.

Bye week recap

   Recapping last three weeks, what mattered to me was once Mitchell Trubisky got hurt, got pulled out of the game and watching the replay I thought he was done with a clavicle brake and then thought if the season was even worth it anymore while loosing the most important guy that needs to be evaluated this year to see where should Ryan Pace goes once the season is over, I really didn't think for a second that Chase Daniel could take us to the playoffs so it was somewhat a depressing moment. Luckily Trubisky dislocated his non throwing arm an is playing today which is good for the team and himself to prove what he can do in this difficult position where he will have his injury to worry about on every snap and at the same time show if his mentally though to play good enough to win games despite of it.

   The game against the Raiders in London was a real headscratcher, Daniel played like you would expect from a backup QB but what was surprising is how poorly the run defense played, even without Akiem Hicks the Bears defense showed they were good enough to stop the Vikings run game with Dalvin Cook running through every defense they played against this season, but couldn't handle the conservative offensive game plan the Raiders were running with short passes to negate the pass rush and running the ball and then some. Even if the Bears have an offense that still has to make the run game work, the defense cant perform like that again with the talent they have in the trenches.

   Today's game against the Saints is a winnable game with Alvin Kamara and Drew Brees, its still a Saints team that haven't lost with Teddy Bridgewater at QB so its not a sure thing but the chance to get the W is there. The Bears losing their two monster players in Hicks and recently with Kyle Long should not slow down this team, Pace has gotten good talent for this coaching staff to work with and they need to get it done, getting them in the best situations to succeed. The defense has to get fix whatever went wrong at London, the run game has to wake up and open gaps for David Montgomery to exploit and give him a chance to show what he can do with more daylight. Trubisky will have to depend more on his intelligence and learn timing to get rid of the ball like Daniel showed the last two games, he has a dependable WR1 in Allen Robinson and two game changing payers in Tarik Cohen and Anthony Miller he needs to find, Adam Shaheen has showed he can fight for yardage and Montgomery has good hands and wiggle to get extra yardage through the air, Trubisky just need to get rid of it.

   I am of the people that think that this is the end for Long at least n Chicago and its a big bummer, he showed he cared and he showed he is passionate for the game and could be of the best linemen when healthy but he is just to banged up and there is some interesting depth behind him now that can fill for him in the future, he was worth the pick but sadly his body could take the though regime and punishment received in his position, he will be missed and hopefully can hang around the team at the bench as long as possible. As for Hicks, I do believe he will come back for December, so its up the his teammates to keep the season alive to get him back for January.

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.

W2vsDEN: Two wrongs make a right?

   What a weird and stressful game, at the end it took the refs help and Mitchell Trubiskys only pass for more than 10 yards I believe to give Eddie Pineiro his moment of glory and the Bears first win, a really though win in mile high. I hate to see them win with a bad call by the refs but it was past due with the awful calls they gave to Leonard Floyd and Eddie Goldman earlier in the game, Goldman's penalty gave Denver 3 points instead of a punt.

   The defense used all they had and then some to slow down Denver's offense which consisted almost on short quick passes and pounding runs, it seems it was going to be enough to break them but didn't and just bended getting their first turnover that almost sealed the game, but the offense struggled once again in this game. 

   Trubisky played average football just enough to help move the ball and get some points but looked conservative, going for the sure passes when there where throws down field that where harder to make no doubt but where options. It wasn't the worst of options because moving the ball and giving the defense a breather was very important in this game. David Montgomery got more opportunities and should get even more on every game he can play on, Tarik Cohen needs to concentrate more and not drop easy passes and Mike Davis is looking to fade away little by little if he keeps playing like he did.

   

   Another prime time game for the Bears this Monday night against a low tier opponent in the Washington Redskins who has a really scary front four Dline that will give the Bears Oline a handfull to try and give Trubisky time to throw, most writers expect Trubisky to show a big improvement in this game, I expect more quick passes and a better running game and of course the win. It would hurt to see if Anthony Miller is open on a few occasions tho. 

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.

2019 Chicago Bears roster

   The team is set for the season opening game this Thursday night with no major changes to the starters from last year for the exception of Bilal Nichols winning the RDE position. 

   As for the rest of the depth chart, there were some curious decisions but just one that really surprised me and that was not getting Alex Bars on the 53 man roster, instead going with Cornelious Locas III for some reason I cant comprehend other that hes played more at the professional level than Bars even when he showed versatility and upside, doesn't mater that it was against second team players, Lucas played beside Bars on games and looked very inconsistent. Luckily Bars made it to the PS along some other good players that showed promise like Jesper Horsted, Thomas Ives and Jonathan Harris. Ryan Nall was sent to the PS once again, I get that his play style is somewhat similar to Jordan Howard's and Matt Nagy seems to values Kerrith Whyte's speed and agility more than Nall's hard nose running, its a shame but it is what it is. Strange that Clifton Duck or Ian Bunting weren't considered for the PS. Dax Raymond made the team in a way by getting himself placed at IR. At the end Bradley Sowell's hard work payed of, he wont be fooling any defense when on the field as he will be treated like a sixth O-lineman, it will just be a matter of time I guess until Nagy reaches to his bag of tricks and uses Sowell as a receiver, but I really don't see Sowell take the field that much this season.

   On the defensive side of the ball, biggest news was Johnathan Bullard getting cut and Abdullah Anderson getting the nod in his place which I believe is well deserved. The team starts the season with 6 ILBs and only 4 OLBs. Isaiah Irving and Joel Iyiegbuniwe survive the preseason, Kylie Fitts doesn't, the team decides to go with Josh Woods and Kevin Pierre-Louis, it would seem like its because they can contribute more on ST.

   DL, WR, RB, S positions are stacked. LB and OL positions are solid but the depth is average. TE position is shaky with health issues by Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen and average depth at best with Ben Brauneker and Sowell. At the end, with a very solid team, the Bears season rides on Mitch Trubisky's arm and decision making, I can see this team finishing the season 10-6 and getting into the playoffs in back to back seasons. It would be huge for the Bears to get another run at the Super Bowl this year with all the attention they are getting because of their centennial anniversary with five confirmed prime time games, not counting the one in England and the one on thanksgiving. The attention and pressure is on this year, if they handle it correctly to make a run for it and reach January, the hype will be immense and I could see the run continue all the way to February and maybe this time they can get that win in Miami.

Predicting the 53 man roster for 2019

   Last year Matt Nagy strongly limited his starters snap counts on preseason, this time he almost didn't even let them touch the field. Even without saying anything, everyone knew David Montgomery got the job once he didn't take the field after the opening game against the Panthers. Nagy isn't joking around, he wants to get to the start of the season at full health with a team itching for some contact against real opponents, what better to go all out against the Packers in Soldier Field at a prime time hour.

   Because of this, the 53 man roster for this yeas is fairly easy to predict when talking about the starters, but once you get to the backups, it isn't that easy and in some cases it doesn't feel right or its just that this team has the chance to be very versatile.  

QB - M. Trubisky, C. Daniel

   Finally its the moment of truth, this year Mitchell Trubisky has to take a big step forward and I don't mean in numbers, he is a veteran now and a leader of this team with one full year to digest Nagys playbook. He has to show what he is made of and get things done when needed and has already shown his is capable, its time to show more consistency. Even if he doesn't put the big numbers, winning is what matters and if he can minimize the mistakes, he should be just fine. What is not fine is what Chase Daniel has shown on this preseason, some of the shaky play can be put on the inconsistency of backup players and rookies, but just part of it. Its best if he is just there to help Trubisky with the game plan and giving the high fives, but its getting to the point where Ryan Pace should start searching for a better prospect.

RB - D. Montgomery, T. Cohen, M. Davis, R. Nall

   I'm giving the last spot to Ryan Nall instead of Kerrith Whyte although I had both of them at one point. I like Whyte speed at the RB position and as a KR but I don't see him getting snaps unless someone gets injured, Nall I can see him on the field to deceive the defense as a FB because he is a more all around player than Whyte who I believe isn't ready yet to make a difference but should be a priority to get him signed on the practice squad.

WR - A. Robinson II, T. Gabriel, A. Miller, J. Wims, C. Patterson, R. Ridley

   Javon Wims deserves a spot here with a superb camp and showed good play with the snaps he got this preseason. Cordarell Patterson will be an offensive and special teams weapon. Last spot goes to Riley Ridley who displayed enough talent to surpass the other WRs on the team with good size, hands and rout running.

TE - T. Burton, A. Shaheen, B. Braunecker, I. Bunting, D. Raymond

   This is were it gets tricky, the Bradley Sowell experiment didn't convince me and its not easy to not pick him with the hard work he put on for the transition he made from OT to TE, but I just didn't see enough of him as a consistent blocker and didn't display any pass catching or rout running skills to really consider him viable. Ian Bunting showed ups and downs but showed something and mostly was that he can be a passing threat up the middle who can shed tackles. Dax Raymond showed good blocking and right now I believe he is a better TE than Sowell. Ben Braunecker isn't that special but does everything OK and it helps that he should be more familiar with the system.

OL - C. Leno Jr., C. Whitehair, J. Daniels, K. Long, B. Massie, A. Bars, T. Larsen, R. Coward

   I'm a bit disappointed that Ted Larsen deserves a spot because nobody else really showed better skills than him but Alex Bars really is a good surprise, he really showed dominance at the guard position and didn't look bad at the OT position and even looked better that the other guys playing for a OT spot. Rashaad Coward is here just because I felt obligated to put one OT of the group as a backup but Bars looked way better and it wouldn't shock me if the team decided to not go with Coward and instead make room for someone else, in my case it could be Sowell or Whyte. a free agent pickup wouldn't be surprising.

DL - A. Hicks, E. Goldman, B. Nichols, R. Robertson-Harris, A. Anderson, N. Williams

   Jonathan Bullard's time with the team has been on a string for a while now at I believe his time is up, I liked what I saw from Abdullah Anderson this preseason and I still haven't seen any dominance from Bullard so I give his spot to Anderon. Nicholas Williams played well and could be a good backup if the team wants to go with six D-linemen or maybe they will use it on another LB.

ILB - D. Trevathan, R. Smith, N. Kwiatkoski, J. Iyiegbuniwe

   Nick Kwiatkoski lives another day... or season, he shows that even if he isn't good at covering, he has good value near the line of scrimmage against the run and even can show some pass rushing moves. Joel Iyiegbuniwe is here because I couldn't decide who played well enough to get this spot, it could easily go to anyone else from the ILBs or no one at all. A free agent could be a posibility.

OLB - K. Mack, L. Floyd, A. Lynch, I. Irving

   Isaiah Irving get the nod but not by much, Kylie Fitts showed near even trait than Irving but I saw more hustle by Irving so I chose him, Fitts could still make the team if Williams or Iyiegbuniwe don't get picked.

CB - K. Fuller, P. Amukamara, B. Skrine, K. Toliver, D. Shelley. M. Joseph

   Duke Shelley is pure hustle and I love it, I expect big things from him and would be very disappointed if he doesn't make the team. Cant say the same about Michael Joseph, again I just chose him because I didn't like how John Franklin III got burned badly by second and third squad WRs and Clifton Duck although he showed good things I don't believe he is ready for the league but should be considered for the practice squad.

S - E. Jackson, H. Clinton-Dix, D. Bush, S. McManis, D. Houston-Carson

   Deon Bush showed the team that he should be considered to start at SS, time will tell. Sherick McManis is an average back that can do decent wherever he is placed but his value is at STs as is DeAndre Houston-Carson.

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. 

   Many if not every battle for the last sport on their respective group should be determined with their contribution at STs because that area needs to get better, its going to be tough even for this defense to stop offenses from getting points if they are getting great field position on KOs and punts regularly as its happening lately.

2019 Offseason

   Its August, football is back... sort of. Its still a ways to go for meaningful football but something is better than nothing I guess, this period is mostly for the rookies to show their guts so they can be considered to be part of the final 53 man roster or the practice squad. Football news is blowing up and the only thing I'm interested in is to not hear that someone in the team got hurt.

The draft is a thing of the past, free agency and trade options are mostly over for the Bears who are very limited in cap space, it would be really surprising if they did something significant at this stage of the season. So, now a recap of the additions to the team from this offseason.

   With limited picks in this years draft Ryan Pace did what he has been doing since being GM for the Bears and that is getting his guys no matter what and no matter where they competed.

   David Montgomery - Ryan Pace made yet another move, went up the board and drafted someone I didn't imagine would be available in the third round, Montgomery was my favorite RB to get drafted by the Bears, so yeah I loved this pick. I believe Montgomery will do well in Matt Nagy's system, it will all depend on how fast he can digest the playbook and how healthy he can stay. He wont have to do it all on his own the first time around with good depth at the RB position. Running the ball is extremely important but it helps that every RB in the roster right now is descent at catching the ball.

   Riley Ridley - A good route runner with size and good hands, comes in to make the depth at WR even deeper, I don't know if there was another time the WR position was this talented and versatile. 

   Duke Shelley - I didn't see any gameplay of Shelley until he got drafted and I was surprised that he wasn't really considered on draft boards or talked about more by analysts, he looks to be a very fierce nickel corner with quickness, tenacity and ball skills.

   Kerrith Whyte - A speedy running back who can punish defenses if they don't pay attention. Speed is something that the Bears have lacked for some time, its good to have it at hand.

   Stephen Denmark - A very raw CB with size and a nasty tackler, can go up and get it as he has WR experience but has no feet technique and is not fluid enough to be called a corner yet, still relies to much on his physique and speed.

Free agent rookie signings that caught my eye,

   Alex Bars & Sam Mustipher get to reunite with their Oline coach ones more, familiarity can only help them get to speed much quicker.

   Emanuel Hall was considered by some analysts to have slipped at the draft, an all around WR that will help to generate competition in an already crowded and talented WR core.

   Chuck Harris the successor of Khalil Mack at Buffalo will be following the footsteps of his former teammate and hopefully learn as much as possible from him. 

   Dax Raymond was one of my favorite TEs in the draft who is still raw but has good potential to be a big red zone threat once he gets the hang of things. He will be pushing for Ben Braunekers spot in the depth chart.

   Mathieu Betts gets to show why he was drafted 3nd overall in the CFL. In games he has shown good strength and a big motor as a pass rusher from the edge, him and Harris will have to show big potential to catch up to RRH and Aron Lynch.

Even with good money spent on big talent already on the team, Pace got some needed help via free agency to fill some holes on the depth chart and strengthen other areas.

   Mike Davis mixes well with what the Bears already have at the RB position, brings experience, shows good speed and agility, not afraid to lower the shoulder and can catch out of the backfield.

   Buster Skrine was brought in to replace Bryce Callahan, is similar in size but with a better health record although he hasn't put the numbers Callahan has, still with the drafting of Shelley I don't believe the nickel position will be given to Skrine and will have to compete for it, which is how it should be.

   Cordarelle Patterson is one of the best pickups at free agency for the Bears, hopefully he can get the offense in much better position with some good returns on kickoffs. He has shown to be a dangerous returner and can be a gadget player in Nagys offense to confuse the defense even more than last season lining him up at WR or RB.

   HaHa Clinton-Dix could be considered the best pick up in terms of value, talent and need. Still, it will be interesting to see two deep safety's on the field at the same time but it could end up being fun watching opposing QBs think twice when wanting to go deep.

   Marvin Hall another speedy receiver to the mix who I see as backup to Taylor Gabriel and at the return game.

   Ted Larsen returns as an experience interior lineman who, if he gets to be on the team, I hope doesn't get to play one down.

   Time to see some rookies develop and may the football gods have mercy on our starters.

Draft: TEs group of 2019

   Last group I could watch before the draft, this is really time consuming. Well now that I did get to see this years TEs group, or par of it, ill take this moment to thank Zack Miller for his time with the Bears as a player and hopefully he sticks around to continue to be a good teammate even if his time as a player is over which is a shame that injuries were a big part of his career but when healthy he showed he was a play maker.
   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.

Draft: EDGE group of 2019

   Few days away from this years NFL draft and Ryan Pace is still filling holes on his roster signing Aaron Lynch to back up Leaonard Floyd and Khalil Mack at the OLB position one more year. Lynch gives familiarity and game plan experience to the team even if the Defensive Coordinator has changed, Chuck Pagano would be wise to stick as much as possible to the blue print left by Vic Fangio. Again, Pace does himself a favor and reduces significantly the need at this position, he has better prepared himself to go for the better player on every pick he gets which is good in any situation but even better when one lacks picks like the Bears do this year.
   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.

Draft: Safety's group of 2019

   Didn't finish this one on time before the Bears stole Ha Ha Clinton-Dix off the free agency pool, a 1 year prove it deal. It doesn't "replace" Adrian Amos as a Strong Safety, Amos is more the enforcer type while Clinton-Dix is a cover guy but if paired with Eddie Jackson what happens is they maximize coverage "sacrificing" run support. Clinton-Dix or Jackson aren't bad tacklers, they just aren't sure tacklers, but what they are is ball hawks that can cover half of the field to shut down the deep ball and read the QBs eyes to pick off routs, so if the front seven is OK with not getting extra help, its going to be a tough day for QBs. Also this looks like Ryan Pace finding insurance if Jackson falls injured again, the feeling that if Jackson where healthy enough to play against the Eagles they would have won may have triggered Pace to get this done at all cost.

   Its been a passing league for some years now with teams searching for all around running backs that can catch and the three down back is scarce, so if the Bears offense can get leads early like they did last season forcing teams to forget about the run, this safety combo would be the perfect scenario. If this is the plan, having "max coverage" with double FSs on the field, then what happens if (know on wood) one gets injures? do they go conventional and stick Deon Bush as a SS or do they try and get depth at FS? Whatever they decide, the Bears can get a special teams player out of this group at the least.

   Going against the grain, I believe that Deionte Thompson isn't that good, atop the list I have Johnathan Abrams as the best strong safety this year in front of Taylor Rapp and Juan Thornhill. The best Free Safety I got is Nasir Aderley but not good enough to go in the first round as well as Marquise Blair. Chauncey Gardern-Johnson is my favorite of this group, still raw but I see loads of potential in him to be a really good FS and his attitude on the field could be contagious in a good way. These players I don't believe they will be available when the Bears are up, the ones I do think will be and I consider of interest are,

   Shedrick Redwine - More of a FS but does a good job of bringing ball carriers down, has enough agility and speed to react to the play, can play man and is decent in zone coverage.

   Evan Worthington - A bit raw recognizing where the ball is going but has very good agility and movement to react once he knows where to go, a big guy that makes it even more impressive how he can move, unfortunately he isn't as fast and can get beat by speedsters.

   Darnell Savage - A smallish back that can play the slot but could learn to play FS with his high athleticism and strength to tackle and take on blockers, he gets lost on plays, needs to be taught.

   Khari Willis - A strong SS that needs to get better at using his feet and align himself to plug the hole or attack the ball carrier, not good in coverage but could be a great enforcer to assist at the line of scrimmage and a special teams guy,

   Zedrick Woods - A patrolling compact SS that lives for contact, lacks some strength to get ball carrier down without giving them extra yardage but he can be an enforcer and special teams player.

   Pace eliminated the need at this position with Clinton-Dix, only some depth is required as does TE and EDGE positions, it seems that this years crop of EDGE players are better than the safety's and you can never have enough pass rushers.

Draft: CBs group of 2019

   I find it very difficult to evaluate cornebacks, in part its because I don't watch it from the 22 man view but from game clips, where they just run out of the screen and often one cant know how the play unfolds until the ball is thrown his way and that is only if the ball got thrown, what I get to watch is very limited, although what I look for or try to watch from a player, I believe the clips are enough to get an idea of how good I think he is.

   Now that Free agency is taking form as I write this, it seems very unlikely that Bryce Callahan returns to the team now that Buster Skrine is set to get signed once free agency hits officially. Skrine will be 30 years old when the season starts so his signing shouldn't stop the Bears from getting a younger one to mold to their system.

   As I watched this group in alphabetical order, I was thinking that this years bunch was not very good, but then some just popped up and at the end I finished giving 5 players a 1st round grade. Greedy Williams and Tayvon Mullen are the best of the bunch, Mullen looks more ready but Williams is good and could end up being the better one with experience. Byron Murphy is the better nickle corner of the group and can play outside as well. Rock Ya-Sin has everything to be a starter day 1 and Jamel Dean is a good player that will benefit from crunching the combine. I don't expect these players to be around when the Bears get to pick but there are 4 players that they could consider to battle Skrine for the position.

   David Long - He moves very effortless while sticking to his man, what I really like about him is that he often doesn't loose sight of the QB while shadowing the receiver on the move, he plays aggressive attacking the ball and doesn't shy away from contact. He might not be there for round 3 of the draft and don't know how suited he is to play the slot.

   Julian Love - He can play in nickle packages, moves fluidly with agility and can tackle, only concern I had was his game speed, he showed he has enough speed running the 40 at the combine.

   Ryan Pulley - Sticky corner and very agile while running, he can stop and change directions very quickly, a big plus is his aggressive play to frequently try and punch the ball out and he is a good tackler. Issues I have on him is his lack of recovery speed when getting beat or going against speedy receivers, he tends to grab to much.

   Ken Webster - He is a big question mark, he looks like a veteran with good instincts and technique, but physically doesn't show it consistently, he doesn't seem agile and fast enough to move to where he recognizes the play is going. At the combine he showed very good speed and agility, if he can show these same physical traits on the field, he could become a great player.

   Others to consider for depth could be Salvion Smith, big strong corner with good movement, his 40 yard dash on his pro day will decide on what round he goes. Kris Boyd may not be the best cover corner but can assist on run defense and has enough speed to go toe to toe with his man. Michael Jackson is a bit stiff but can play press man to disrupt routs and zone where he aggressively attacks the ball. Lonnie Johnson is a tall corner with some good movement and decent speed to cover big targets.

   The only big names behind the starting corners are promising but raw Kevin Toliver II and special teams captain and serviceable backup Sherick McManis and a bunch of practice squad dudes, I do believe the Bears will end up picking at least one corner this year.

Draft: RBs group of 2019

   Its been 50 days since Cody Parkeys last doink with the Bears, Ryan Pace did it again and kicked the kicker out of the team even before free agency hit. So the road to finding a new kicker has begun as well as a very probable boring offseason with the Bears having little cap room to consider getting high talent in this years free agency and down their first and second round picks this year, on the bright side this means that they wont have to pay big contracts to rookies and can maybe consider that cash somewhere else. But before the saga for the search of a new non-doinker, through-the-uprights kicker begins, I got through this years running back group invited to the 2019 Combine.

  The talk that Jordan Howard may not be the ideal player for Matt Nagys system has been on various analysts mouths, this may be true. Howard is a very good back and his dip in numbers cant be all on him, the Oline struggles on times to open holes and the passing game was still in its infant stage. Howard got much better at catching the ball on short routes, he is no burner running routes and wont catch high passes. He can punish tacklers and shed them but will not make tacklers miss with agility or with quickness by changing direction. So if Nagy prefers agility and speed over power then there are a hand full of backs I like that can maybe compliment Tarik Cohen without sacrificing speed.

   The obvious pick would be Josh Jacobs, punishing back with speed, balance and burst. Isn't really big but plays big, good receiver and blocker. He will be gone by the end of the first round so there is no chance the Bears will get him. So I really only have four players that I would accept the Bears drafting if they intend to replace Howard. 

   David Montgomery - I see him as a LeVeon Bell type of player with his patience and having enough speed and burst to attack holes for big gains. He lacks top speed but he can change direction with good balance, he can take on tacklers with enough strength. Hes could be an asset as a receiver.

   Myles Gaskin - A smaller player that the previous two but runs with patience and vision, has enough burst and speed to get to the hole, wont go down easy. Good balance to change direction and attack the perimeter. Can catch short passes but wont be a weapon as a receiver.

   Elijah Holifield - He doesn't have the typical size for a physical back but he looks to enjoy contact, pushes tacklers around and runs with aggression, not the fastest of the bunch but will fight for every yard but is agile enough to make cuts and change direction without losing too much speed. His receiving skills are a question mark but not his willingness to block.

   Tyveon Williams - Of all the small backs, I consider him the all around better option. He can be physical enough to gain hard yards, he has good speed, balance and agility. has good vision to be patient and find the hole. Can be a good receiver and doesn't shed from contact when blocking.

   Damien Harris and Karan Higdon could be better backs but Damien is too similar to compliment Cohen and Higdon doesn't have enough speed and agility. Rodney Anderson, Alex Barnes and Qadree Ollison are good backs but too similar to Howard, also Anderson has a serious injury history. One intriguing runner is Darnell Henderson, he is a burner that reminds me of Chris Johnson, small but not as small as Cohen although less physical and agile.

   

   So if these four are not there for the Bears to take, I would roll with Howard on his contract year.

WildCardvsPHI: ...You missed one

   The Bears feel good season came to an abrupt end, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles by one point, it was a devastating loss for any Bears fan, it didn't hit immediately for me, it kind of crawled from my stomach all the way to my brain, numbness before returning to reality that this season was over.
   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.

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.