W2vsGIANTS: Climbing the ladder

   Another close win against a not so good team, it does not change the matter that there was stability in some areas and improvement in others, there were mistakes that can be corrected while getting one more in the win column to keep themselves on the right track. In a week plagued by injuries, it's also good to see that the Bears got of this game almost intact if not for the loss of John Jenkins that was placed on IR, it wouldn't be a big issue if it wasn't the position that is missing Eddie Goldman already.

   Mitch Trubisky started strong and had a good game overall, his 2 picks where good defensive plays, a little bit of sluggishness by Allen Robinson and bad luck, still Trubiskys bigger problems were the same ones he had the previous game at Detroit, needs to get rid of the ball to the safety valve when pocket collapses and read the field better. He trust his legs to get him out of trouble and sometimes it's not necessary because he often has a receiver near the line to bail him out, can't blame him much being that he is very dangerous on the run. He still treads the needle on throws, which is not bad because he is showing good accuracy but it's not always necessary when its on early downs. The two picks stalled the Bears offensive momentum adding both drops by Anthony Miller that would have counted for a TD and a first down on enemy territory, the score would have been much different. David Montgomery can run the ball, the Oline gave him just enough gaps for him to be able to pound on the Giants defense always fighting for extra yards, even when he seemed to get injured his neck when he went down on his head on a dive he still returned and played strong, the guy is tough as nails.Tarik Cohen and Cordarrelle Patterson were lost somewhat in this game and while Robinson did his part, he didn't seem to be 100% on every play. Darnell Mooney on the other hand showed grit as a receiver and blocker. Players who need to get their head back in the game are Charles Leno Jr. on run plays, he needs to stop with the dives/chop blocking costing Montgomery some bigger chunks, and JP Holtz looked horrible at his FB position, he need to keep running and maul someone, anyone.

   The defense in their bend but don't brake mentality finished the job and limited the Giants offense to 13 points. I had heard for some time now the cries of fans to give more holding penalties against Khalil Mack, now that I can watch the all 22 I could see why all the fuss, it's ridiculous the way he is grabed and no flags come on the field, the guy just disrupts the offensive game flow in spite of this, if only he had another guy who could get to the QB on the other side. I'm a bit concerned of the number of snaps Robert Quinn is getting which are not enough but this week he is off the injury list completely so I can't way to see him more on the field. Danny Trevathan getting subbed out for Deon Bush is interesting, it seems to work but not long ago Trevathan was known for being a great cover LB, its would be surprising if he lost a step this suddenly. Jaylon Johnson keeps making plays, him and Mooney have flashed these past two games and are slowly making themselves known in the league, Cole Kmet has been silent but is slowly getting his identity starting as a blocker which is helping the run game so he is coming in slow.

   I read a tweet where a fellow user commented that this next game against the Falcons is a lose -lose for the Bears. I get it, winning against a 0-2 team doesn't mean anything, its just another bad team the Bears are facing and if they lose to this bad team it means that they are who most analysts think they are and that is a bottom tier team. The question for the Bears is can their defense stop Matt Ryan without Julio Jones and can Trubisky and his offense score more than 3 TDs, in stats this is all that would matter, in reality is how much can this team polish their game and end the game with another win. 

W1@Detroit: EDDIE COME BACK!

    What a life draining game, holy crap! Even when the game was sloppy, at the end the thing that matters is the win,. If the Bears want more of them they have to polish up almost in every area which can be fair to say that every team is coming in to this season rusty by not getting real action this preseason, so again even if it was a bad win it's still a win and a step on the right direction.

  The Bears Oline overall played a good game especially helping push the pile and giving the runners some holes to attack, Germain Ifedi helped a lot on this area who aside of Cody Whitehair were the better looking maulers, James Daniels and Charles Leno Jr. did their jobs nicely but it would help if they didn't fall down and keep blocking, it would have given the runners bigger chunks or even a break out run. Bobby Massie stood his ground but was the least impressive. It was a good idea by coaches to use a TE to help block the edges on play action, Detroit had a spy or a defender at the edge ready to cut the escape lane if Mitch Trubisky decided to run or to reduce his time to find receivers on bootlegs, the TE helped to protect the QB on these situation and Jimmy Graham executed better this task than J.P. Holtz, even if Holtz is more physical and maintains blocks better, he sometimes doesn't get the best angle or isn't on time to make the block. Graham blocked good enough but gives the defender a chance to recuperate, good thing Trubisky got rid of the ball fast most of the time.

   The trio of David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen and Cordarrelle Patterson showed what they can do and they can be better, every one of them can contribute in short pases but Montgomery is the mauler while Cohen and Patterson will make you pay with open field in front of them. The Oline improving is important to the development of this offense based on what everybody showed and it's that this team has various weapons that can attack the defense in different ways.

   Mitchell Trubisky showed he is still not there, but he isn't the same player from last year, he showed improvement. From all his throws he had 2 bad throws while trying to thread the needle on tight coverages and got lucky not getting picked both times but kept trying to do so the rest of the game not shying away. Throws that hurt the head of his coaches las year were like the one he threw to Demetrius Harris at the end zone while moving to his right, placed it at the far corner of the endzone too far from the reach of Harris displaying bad accuracy, but before that he had already thrown a great pass to Allen Robinson in the endzone while again moving to his right but Robinson was held and couldn't make the catch, a clear pass interference not called that should have been a TD. Then he has another similar one moving to his right and hit Graham on the move right in the chest, next drive again at the 2 yard line moving to his left hit Javon Wims in the numbers. He missed an open Graham twice on the move and Cole Kmet once probably by not being in the same page, the misses to Graham and two long balls, one to Robinson and one to Anthony Miller, where off by inches. But the throws like the one to Robinson that was to short where the ones that we got used to see last year, the others where a tad to long but not out of reach, Trubisky in my eyes is improving his accuracy, it's still early to say but I didn't hate everything Trubisky did the whole game and absolutely loved his 4th quarter heroics, a thing I need to see more that he can do if needed. The fact that the Lions where without their starting CBs and that is why he could hit his receivers is debatable, the throws I mention were on the money and I believe that the CB couldn't have been a factor just by where he placed the ball. Where Trubisky still needs to get better is in blitz recognition to get the ball out to his safety valve and his accuracy in slant route while in the pocket, he is placing the ball behind the receivers not giving them the chance to gain momentum.

   The defense was scary and frustrating to see, I really didn't expect for Adrian Peterson to slice and dice the Dline for that much yardage. How much Eddie Goldman is going to be missed is still early to tell, Akiem Hicks was doubled teamed the whole game and Khalil Mack did what he could but just couldn't get to the QB in time, would have helped if some holdings were called, still there was little to no help on the other edge to get pressure on the QB, whether is was Barkevious Mingo or James Vaughters it didn't matter. Danny Trevathan looked old, he got crossed by receivers the whole game and looked slow, wasn't consistent against the run not really helping Roquan Smith, this will be interesting to follow, there isn't much security at the MLB depth chart. The secondary was very reliable even with rookie Jaylon Johnson's debut he did his part and Tashaun Gipson look good at the SS spot, at the end they were the ones giving the offense the chance they were waiting for to get the win.

   Cairo Santos didn't miss, big check mark, more of this please.

   Matt Nagy simplifying Trubisky´s work is essential, Trubisky did his best to go through his progressions and the Oline did their best to give him time most of the game, still it's a work in progress and play action and bootlegs are still Trubisky´s strengths. Giving Detroit enough time at the end of both the 2nd and 4th quarters where a concerne and better play calling is needed, better play by the defense will help as well. Using two set TEs seems to work Graham, Kmet and Harris seem to fit in Nagy´s plans but we will see.

   Next is the first home game against the Giants, this seems like a similar game against the Lions, a team with a running game, a big armed QB and an OK defense. Still it's a winnable game the Bears can improve upon. The drama with Robinson isn't what it's needed right now and hopefully it can get resolved soon preferably with Robinson still on the team, he is a great WR and has done everything right but Trubisky needs to rely on the whole receiving corps when Robinson is getting double coverage. Step by step, let's see where this goes.

2020 Chicago Bears Roster

    Hours from Sundays kickoff, the Bears have decided what their team will be for the start of this season. Cuts done to trim it to 53 players were not surprising, the roster looks solid on defense and promising on offense but everything as it always does comes down on how the QB performs.

   With the new rules for the practice to add more spots for veteran players the guys I thought were getting roster spots got signed to the PS, only unexpected move that happened was letting Isaiah Irving go and giving the backup spot to James Vaughters.

Mitchell Trubisky gets the opportunity to show how much he can turn his career around in his posible last year as a Bear and he gets the chance to start with the right foot against Detroit where he has performed very well.

   Germain Ifedi plugs the RG spot in hopes to better the performances of last year declining Oline.

   It's good news to hear David Montgomery is ready to go week 1, still his injury is dicey and could be limited to fewer snaps than expected to monitor his health.

   So they did go with 5 TEs, so that will be interesting in how many times they will be going 2 TE sets. I believe Cole Kmet will come in as the blocker while Jimmy Graham will be off line as a receiver primarily followed by Demetrius Harris. JP Holtz gets in as a FB and at ST with Eric Saubert.

   Allen Robinson and the WR corps will be as good as Trubisky lets them be.

   

   The defense is still the strength of this team. One could argue that theres is some meat missing at the Dline without Eddie Goldman even when adding Mario Edwards Jr. from FA. Akiem Hicks will be even more pivotal to this Dline.

   Robert Quinn is likely to miss the opener so its wait and see how good the pass rush can be once he comes back, on the bright side we get to see what Trevis Gipson looks like as a pro.

   The backfield has the biggest question mark with Jaylon Johnson getting the spot across Kyle Fuller, this is where my attention will be most part of the game.

   Eddy Piñeiro to IR was somewhat expected, in comes Cairo Santos who really gives me as much relief at he position as Piñeiro does, which is questionable at best.

   I do believe Trubisky will be on a short leach and performing poorly in his first game could get him benched, the schedule doesn't get any easier after this game so he doesn't get much time to get it right. Getting to the playoffs this year will be though, the schedule isn't pretty with games against the NFC South and AFC East teams, they need to get as much wins against their division rivals as posible but a 8-8 record right now seems to be a best case scenario. Every season shows us different team performances, but the only one that matters is how improved this Bears team got.

2020 53 Man roster prediction

   Coronavirus is a pain in the ass to say the least but having to live with it and thousands of idiots ignoring it is more painful to the body, mind and soul. 

   I still cant believe there is going to be a 2020 NFL season, or at least that it's going to start. In a way, for me,  it really doesn't feel right that this is happening, because it's not like its really necessary to have a season played and have people risk their lives and/or others for the sake of entertainment. For the viewer it may help as a distraction from the world, for some working on this industry means to keep their jobs a float, so there is positives to this but I just hope the cost isn't steep. I still have a job and Im thankful for it,  have to leave the safety of my house to do it and for me it's hard to leave and come back to possibly become a threat to others or myself. Sometimes I question myself if it's worth it, at the end its necessity that ends the question.

   Anyway back to business, with no preseason to watch the new faces its a bit harder to know what these guys bring to the table so it shouldn't be weird for coaches to go with the guys they already know. This is what I think will be this years Chicago Bears 53 man roster.

QB - Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles.

I believe Trubisky will be the starter and will have to get on the winning column early and often if he wants to keep it. Foles can get to know more his teammates on the bench until he is needed if ever.

RB - David Montgomery, Ryan Nall, Artavis Pierce

Montgomery will be the lead back once he recovers, although Nall is the more experience complete back, I believe that there will be more gadget plays with Patterson and Cohen.

FLEX - Cordarrelle Patterson, Tarik Cohen

Fantasy mode on. Patterson seems to be a jack of all trades in training camp this year so I gave him a special spot with Cohen as his backup who is nothing like him but brings the same terror to the backfield if you mismatch him.

WR - Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Ted Ginn Jr., Riley Ridley, Darnell Mooney, Javon Wims

Who is going to step up and be Robinsons Robin? Much is expected of Miller this year and has shown he has talent to get open, I expect Ridley to push for the job as well. There is talk that Mooney is impressing coaches which would be fantastic if he can bring his speed as soon as posible to this offense that has plenty of height but lacks burners.

TE - Jimmy Graham, Cole Kmet, Demetrious Harris, J.P. Holtz

At the beginning there were ten. It comes down to four... I think, could be five if they really want five and give Jasper Horsted a spot. Lets see how much veterans Graham and Harris can hold on and help get Kmet up to speed. 

OL - Charles Leno Jr, James Daniels, Cody Whitehair, Germain Ifedi, Bobby Massie, Jason Spriggs, Alex Bars, Sam Mustipher.

I really don't want to put Coward here as much as I would like to see someone else at RT that is not Massie, I still believe that Bars can snag the spot.

DL - Akiem Hicks, Bilail Nichols, Roy Robertson-Harris, Abdullah Anderson, John Jenkins, Brent Urban

Goldman will be missed, like, a lot. I fear for the run defense. Offenses might get 3 yards a carry now.

ILB - Danny Trevathan, Roquan Smith, Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Josh Woods

This group stays the same, good but still not great, it depends on how much Smith has progressed.

OLB - Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Barkevious Mingo, Isaiah Irving, Trevis Gipson

If Quinn is a s advertised, this defense is going to be fun to watch. 

CB - Kyle Fuller, Jaylon Johnson, Buster Skrine, Kevin Toliver, Sherrick McManis, Kindle Vildor

This group is shaky and full of doubts. I expect much growth from Johnson and Vildor at the end of this season, it's all I can ask from them.

S - Eddie Jackson, Deon Bush, Tashaun Gipson, DeAndre Houston-Carson

Im giving Bush the SS spot, he know the defense and I believe the line will need an enforcer to help them with the run. Then again, I can be way off and Gipson gets the starting spot because he seems better in coverage and with a shaky situation on one side of the field oposite of Fuller maybe this would be better.

SP - Cairo Santos, Pat O´Donnell, Patrick Scales

Eddy Pineiro getting injured got Santos singed, I have seen what happens to kickers when they get injured and usually their performance goes down that year or don't play at all.

McManis, Bush and Mingo should bring some good experience to SP.

Ok, so now its wait and see what happens. Maybe five TEs.