W3@CLE: Historically bad

    This game was so bad I can still feel it crawling in my brain, such a horrible offensive performance, I don't remember watching a Bears game that was as sad and depressing as the one played on Sunday in Cleveland, the Browns dismantled Matt Nagy's game plan and made Justin Fields disappear, the only semblance of familiarity was the defense once again trying to maintain the ship from sinking but was, like many other times, let down with the offense answering their efforts with six points, what a waste. Until now I have tried to maintain these notes short and concise, but I just had to take a deeper dive into what the hell happened in this game, so I wrote down all the plays that mattered to me the most so I could decide who or where to shift the blame of this result. (For anybody else reading this, sorry if I confuse you with what I think is the right terminology of play/formation names).

First drive: Second play after the first down run by David Montgomery, inside run play, Sam Mustipher loses contain of NT who forces Montgomery to improvise for no gain.

Third play play, Fields with time, has Damien Byrd getting open deep center but Fields doesn't see it and scrambles for a 3rd and short situation.

Fourth play, 3rd and short on a sweep Montgomery chooses to go inside but Jason Peters is blocking for an outside run or gets beaten inside, no gain.

Second drive: First play, Germain Ifedi makes a premature decision and moves for an edge rush but defender goes inside, this doesn't allow Fields to climb the pocket and defender is to fast for him to escape, sack.

Second play, outside run for no gain because Mustipher can't make the second level block.

Third play, Cody Whitehair gets beat dead on, Fields manages to get the pass out for a short gain.

Third drive: First play, run with seven defenders on the box, the Bears at this early stage point are fooling no one, no gain.

Second play, QB option, defender spies Fields and goes for a late blitz, Fields doesn't see it, sack.

Third play, Fields with time, has Montgomery and Kmet open on short field,  Fields scrambles but gets sacked, don't blame him much for not passing it short when needing a long completion to get the first down but nothing opened deep, hope he learns quickly that he needs to get rid of the ball even if not for a first down, take what the defense gives to help the punter and himself from getting hit when still early in the game with an even score.

Fourth drive: First play, Fields drops to pass, Ifedi makes same mistake moving outside prematurely and defender going inside, Fields gets the pass out to Darnell Mooney for a manageable second down.

Third play, after a first down run, Fields runs his first bootleg and gets it to Robinson for a second and inches.

Fourth play, play action but Fields short throw is too high for the receiver, bad throw, slip?

Penalty on Ifedi makes it 3rd and long (penalty should have been on Daniels).

Fifth play(personal opinion), Fields doesn't climb the pocket to keep searching for open receiver, instead he evades the rush thinking he could scramble for first down but two defenders drop to stop him, gets sacked from behind. There was a shot deep for Mooney he could have tried but is depending too much on his athleticism. 

END OF THE FIRST HALF

Fifth drive: First play, Fields drops back to pass, enough time but throws into double coverage, bad incompletion.

Second play, edge blitz by defense, edge rusher beats James Daniels making Fields to hurry the pass to a well defended Mooney for a dangerous incompletion.

Third play, defense shows heavy formation to the right, Fields drops to pass with max protection TE left edge and RB inside, Ifedi gets beat on and edge rush for the sack. WHY NOT MOVE PROTECTION TO THE RIGHT? 

Sixth drive: Second play, play action bootleg, second one called in game, accurate throw but defended, could have helped if Marquise Goodwin was more aggressive to come back for ball.

Third play, Fields drops to pass, gets time but barely, pocket collapses, Fields doesn't find an open receiver and scrambles but barely gets tangled up from behind and falls for a sack.

Seventh drive: First play, RPO, (personal opinion) Fields keeps ball but with a defender in front of him he hesitates to make a quick pass to Byrd who motioned to the sideline, then he hesitates a second time to lob it to Jimmy Graham to escape pressure but tries to scramble, finally gets rid of it to Graham but comes out a horrible incompletion.

Second play, it's getting embarrassing, Fields drops to pass and has Robinson in the short field but Jason Peters gets in the way and drills him with the ball for an incompletion.

Third play, defense shows heavy blitz, Montgomery stays to CHIP, Fields makes a quick decision to throw an accurate pass to Robinson for a first down. (THIS RIGHT HERE IS THE  STRATEGY WHERE DALTON THRIVES AND THE "WHY" NAGY IS SEARCHING FOR AND  THE "WHY" THE LINE SURVIVES TO PROTECT HIS QB FROM DEATH, until Fields improves on decision making and pre snap reads, he isn't going to make it in Nagys god awful strategy, its like Mike Martz throwing Jay Cutler out there to react or die. )

Fourth play, three rushers, short accurate throw on the move, defender slaps it from Montgomery for an incompletion.

Fifth play, miscommunication, play action fake handoff to Montgomery, Fields runs but Goodwin forgets to block the outside corner, no gain.

Sixth play (personal opinion), screen play but Fields hesitates to lob it above the coming defender, moves to the side to get himself a better angle but the time used is enough for the defense to react to the play, holding on Peters was called (bogus call).

Seventh play, 3rd and long, Fields is given time to throw but gets himself more time moving to the sideline, misses a shot to get Mooney at midfield, throws a deep ball for probably Robinson to jump catch it or Mooney to scoop it but gets picked, PI called on defender for shoving Robinson.

 Ninth play, play action bootleg, Fields hesitates once more to quickly throw the ball to Cole Kmet going to the sideline, Fields thinks he can use his legs to much, he needs to get rid of it, gets sacked.

Tenth play, it's nothing special but it bothers me that Fields hops to make the pass and loses his structure, BUT he makes a fast short accurate throw in spite of this. The play goes for a short 4th down,

Nagy goes for the FG and trusts his defense to keep it close, normally and at the preset time I agreed with this because its still close and de defense is playing good so the offense has to step up and get back to the red zone once more, but rethinking it now, it would have been selfish for Nagy to think this way, he and his QB have struggled all day to move the chains and he is pouring it all on the defense to get it done? again? The defense at this point needed a spark of hope, a TD would have given them a boost.

Eight drive: Fields looks damaged. First play, Fields quick throws to a blanketed Robinson for an incompletion, there was nothing there.

Second play, Fields with time throws a bad short pass to Montgomery for an incompletion.

Third play, after a first down because of penalty, Fields quick throws an inaccurate pass to Mooney for an incompletion.

Fourth play, first designed QB run play, medium gain, better late than never I suppose.

Fifth play, miscommunication between Whitehair and Mustipher on a stunt, Fields need to hurry up pass for a well defended play for an incompletion. Had a better option to the other side with Robinson, his timer is screwed by now.

Ninth drive: Second play, Fields with time throws not so well placed pass to Robinson, gets defended for an incompletion.

Third play, Peters covers inside instead of the edge blocker, gets beat for the sack on a rollout by Fields.

Tenth drive: First play, A SECOND SCREEN. First down.

Second and third are forced throws and final fourth play was a blitz that got to Fields for the final sack. 

GAME.

   I'm not gonna deep dive with the defense, they did their part, it wasn't perfect but they made plays and controlled a dangerous running attack while getting to the QB against a tough OL. Not to bring down the Bears defense but it could have been worse against an elite QB, Baker Mayfield has got talent in bunches but he isn't there yet. Still with what the offense showed, or better put didn't show, is asking the defense way to much to do a better job.

   Conclusion? Fields looked really bad, just as last week when he came in for Andy Dalton he looked uncomfortable in the pocket and obviously got worse as the game progressed, his decision making wasn't good nor was it quick which is normal for a rookie. The lack of quick decision exposed the Oline who weren't ready for a pro caliber Dline, burying themselves even more with stupid penalties, they needed help just as much as their QB. The people capable and with the responsibility to help these men was their coaches and the man in charge of the game plan Matt Nagy. I accept that Fields didn't do a good job but Nagy was as equal to blame for not putting his men in positions to succeed, time and time again Nagy refuses to play to his players strengths and forces them to make his plan work with whoever is on the field it doesn't matter to him, he has talent in this team but fails to make it work. What worked on this game? not much but Fields can extend plays and did when rolling out when it wasn't designed, even if he can't find someone he has the choice to run for short gains or throw it away. I couldn't understand why he was so bad at play action, he constantly hesitated to get rid of it to the nearest receiver who was open, I would assume this gets practiced daily but it doesn't show, every time Fields turned to find his receiver and noticed the defender coming his way he looked shocked. Props to the Browns for being ready for this game but even so, plays where there to be made but just didn't happen because I don't know why everybody looked so lost. The running game didn't have a chance with no tempo by the offense at all with all the bunch of three and outs, the Browns are loaded with athletic talent and got the Bears offense pinned in a corner all game.

   There are hundreds of excuses to be said for what may be the reasons this was a total disaster of an offense but ultimately this is what I want to happen like many others. 

   Point one is to make Nagy relinquish play calling duties and give them to Bill Lazor, I didn't trust Nagy last year and I trust him less now, this team needs someone who understands how to play with the players on the field, not just against the opponent, if Lazor doesn't work then it will be very clear that the Chicago Bears need to change their offensive regime immediately. It may not be fair for Nagy to not have time to play with his new shiny QB but, maybe over exaggerating a bit, this team has never had one before and we fans can't afford to have Nagy break him. Impatience in Mustiphers improvement makes me what them to try out having Daniels play center and plug Alex Bars at RG, a more solid interior would help in Fields development.

   If point one is done, then point two would be to keep Fields playing, he needs to play, he need to see the field as much as posible and experience the NFL because having him on the bench didn't work one bit, if there was a plan for him to get better it didn't work or wasn't a good plan, it didn't show on the field that there was a plan made for him, it's time to change that. I am open to regress my decision depending on what Lazor shows with Fields playing, if it's more of the same then it might be better to sit Fields and wait for better leadership to arrive. Nagy has had one good year where he enjoyed a stellar defense, he has shown no growth, made his QB Mitch Trubisky show no improvement what so ever, it would even be fair to say he got worse every year, the idea that he need specific players to make the team work is just not a good way to coach, he didn't like Jordan Howard, he needed a healthier Trey Burton. Ryan Pace has made himself no favors in keeping him, of all his so called mistakes of drafting Trubisky second overall, signing Robert Quinn who is balling this season and other free agents and picks he has signed, its getting more and more evident that his biggest mistake was to hire and keep Nagy as the HC. Pace is a flawed GM, but there is a place for him in an NFL team, he has talent to help a team out. I can't say the same for Nagy, he is just not ready and hasnt showed he can make a team win on the field. I am not holding my breath to see chance being made immediately, I just hope that when this team manages to beat Detroit next Sunday, they all see it with evaluating eyes and not as just a win everything is fine, unfortunately I can't be sure they will win anymore, they should but this can down spiral very easily, it will all be a reflection of Fields play, if he gets better then there is something to look forward to, if he looks like just another Bears QB or gets benched all hell is going to break loose.

Useless predictions: 2021 Week 3 picks

    OMG I knew I wasn't good at this but come on I was terrible last week, Cardinals and Rams let me down failing to contain subpar offenses, I totally underrated the Raiders and Panthers, Chiefs and Seattle dropped the ball on their respective games. Whatever, lets see if I can do worse, impossible.

W2 Record 2-13 

Season: 7-24 (29%)

New Orleans at New England (-3)    U42.5

   The Saints looked awful against a very good pass rush, the Patriots however have been very underwhelming liting up the scoreboard. Going with the home team with the bear minimum, but this could be an ugly game.

Cincinnati (+3) at Pittsburgh     O43

   The Bengals can take advantage of a banged up Steelers team who will be missing their best pass rusher while big Ben is hurt and old with their best receiver not playing.

Washington at Buffalo (-7.5)    U45.5

   The Bills plastered the Dolphins last week, expecting more of the same for this game.

Chicago (+7.5) at Cleveland     U44.5

   The Browns lost Landry but will get back Beckham so maybe nothing changes for the offense, the Bears will miss Goldman for this game but still believe they will not lose by more than a TD.

Indianapolis at Tennessee (-5.5)    U48

   The Colts will play a banged up Carson Wentz, maybe this is better for the Titans, it will not matter if they cant get Henry rolling against a very good Colts defense.

Baltimore (-7.5) at Detroit    O50.5

   The Ravens cant lose this one right? The Lions have shown very little to make me believe that they are capable of beating good teams.

Arizona (-7.5) at Jacksonville    U51.5

   I am going to be real disappointed if the Cardinals defense can't contain a Jaguars offense that hasn't no direction yet.

LA Chargers at Kansas City (-7)    O54.5

   Looks like a good game but the Chargers haven't really put up many points, although they have been playing strong defenses, this should be a shootout but ultimately the Chiefs offense will be too much to handle.

Atlanta (+3) at NY Giants     U47.5

   The Falcons have good pieces on offense but can their defense play a complete game? If they do, it will be enough to beat an average Giants team.

Miami at Las Vegas (-3.5)    U44

   Can the Raiders keep this win streak alive? They have shown somehow to be a capable team even if its Carr throwing to Waller almost every play, how much games can this keep up? Against a good but shaky Dolphins team maybe it will be for one more. 

NY Jets at Denver (-10.5)    U41.5

   Are the Jets in trouble or what? They are slowly dropping to the bottom of the league and facing the Broncos at home will not help them get on track.

Seattle (-1.5) at Minnesota    O55

   The battle of the chokers, who will keep losing games because they cant pull their shit together on the last drive?

Tampa Bay (-1) at LA Rams    U55.5

   A possible future look at this year's NFC Championship, will offense or defense prevail in this matchup?

Green Bay at San Francisco (-3)    U50.5

   The battle of identities, who is what and when? Can they find out who they want to be in time to win the game?

Philadelphia at Dallas (-3.5)    U52

   Two solid defenses go at it but unfortunately the Eagles travel to Texas where it isn't easy to win when the Cowboys are playing good offense.

W2vsCIN: Struggling to win

    The Bears needed everything that came their way to get he win against an equally struggling Bengals team. The news is all focused not on the win but on whether Matt Nagy will make Justin Fields the starter for their next game while Andy Dalton takes care of his injured knee.

   Offensively it started with more of the same, Dalton moving the chains with short quick passes and with Montgomery pounding for chunks of yards only this time the Bears managed to score on their first possession which is very good and very different in a positive way compared to previous years. On their second drive they kept moving the ball basically the same way until Dalton got injured on his second scramble, he tried to stay on the field for another drive but it would be his last of the game, so in comes Fields and the game changed completely. It's easy for me to say that Fields was not ready, he looked like a rookie and made rookie mistakes which were expected but he also looked nervous and it didn't help that the plays called weren't exactly based on his physical traits to give him time to scan the field, basically it looked like it didn't matter who was playing QB, there was a game plan and Nagy was going to finish the plan, I don't know what the limited package for Fields for this game was but, as I mentioned, I saw no play that took advantage of Fields movement skills, he sat in the pocked uncomfortable as hell. There was a play in the 3rd qtr near midfield with trips right with Allen Robinson near the Oline, he ran a GO or POST route and was pretty much open and  Fields was looking to Robinsons direction (looked like it from the end zone shot) and instead of taking a shot he sprinted, it looked like he didn't trust the OL to maintain, I can't completely blame him not trusting the line but right there in that play looking at Robinson he needed to trust them to try that pass. This was a sample of what I am afraid will not take Fields to the next level, the lack of game planning for him and the lack of trust in the OL can make him take bad decisions and transform them into bad habits, the line was holding up most of the times but Fields on most occasions failed to climb the pocket, probably because on various occasions Sam Mustipher was unable to maintain his defender at the line of scrimmage instead he was getting pushed back to the QB, that wont help a young QB and it will make him want to use his legs instead of completing his reads, Mustipher most of the game was getting help from the G's to double team the NT which helped a lot to keep the pocket clean, if there's problems on the IOL its because Mustipher can't consistently take care of his assignment on his own, not yet at least. Not everything was bad, Fields showed he can put the ball where it needs to be showing very good arm strength and when using his legs he showed that he is capable of creating something out of nothing.

Upside players: David Montgomery keeps showing up and finding creases to keep drives alive, he got a big catch play called back by penalty that was pure gold leaving the defender searching for his legs. Jason Peters and Germain Ifedi are not dominating the Oline but are often giving enough time to their QB, as of now I feel they got upgraded at this position and the future looks to be even better hopefully. Allen Robinson had the huge drop in the end zone but there is one thing that any QB playing for the Bears should know, don't lose trust in him and when in trouble look his way because more often than not he is going to be open.

Downside players: Sam Mustipher continues to show to be the weakest link in the Oline, he is an up and down player so there is still time for him to correct his mistakes, if there were to be a change it would mean to shuffle Cody Whitehair and James Daniels and plug someone at G to start all over again which wouldn't be ideal. It's time to pin Jimmy Graham as just a red zone catcher where he gets open or is a mismatch, unfortunately he wasn't thrown the ball this time, but as a blocking TE he is showing no interest in being one nor is he helping stretch the field, it's time to see more Jesse James and see what he can do, we know what Graham can do.

The real hero of this game was the defense capitalizing opportunities created by good plays and a little help from a still rookie QB in Joe Burrow. It's a bit of a let down that 4 turnovers led the Bears to score only 6 points offensively out of them, it's even worse if you think that 13 of the 20 points scored were due to turnovers, the Bears wouldn't have won otherwise, they just weren't able to score and are still a struggling offense. The defense on the other hand came thru when needed and did just enough to keep it under control, Sean Desai designed some good pass rush plays and took advantage of an unstable Bengals Oline. The Bengals and Burrow could have gotten the Bears defense in trouble if they took advantage of their weakness that is still the slot corner, this time it was Duke Shelley who performed a bit better than Marqui Christian against the Rams by playing the run better and consistently being near the receiver to get the tackle but still was getting beaten regularly. Shelley like Christian just seem to not have the ability to stick to the receiver, I honestly think it's better to play Artie Burns outside just to push Kindle Vildor inside because he plays man better and could minimize the damage and the need inside, it may cause problems outside bit it's not like its a lock by having Vildor there. 

Upside players: Akiem Hicks is a beast, he is just pure energy and spreads it. Roquan Smith wants to get paid, might not be the nasties LB but he is all athlete. Eddie Jackson shined on this game by being him, opportunistic and not the best tackler but will shoestring tackle you to the death. Jaylon Johnson isn't getting a lot of work due to the weakness on the other side but still makes plays when they try to go his way. Angelo Blackson is playing hard coming out of the bench, hope he keeps it up and help the DL one of the best in the NFL once the rest of the guys return.

Downside players: If I have to mention someone it would be Shelley and Tashaun Gipson just because they were the once that I saw struggled more against an opponent that is still not there yet.

So what do I expect to happen at the QB position for the game against the Browns? I'm gonna say that if Dalton is healthy enough he is going to start because I believe he gives them the better chance to win which are not that great, Dalton with his limitations fits better with the Bears teams that they have right now, the ball needs to get out quick and keep the defense from staking the line of scrimmage for Montgomery to run more freely, keep the clock moving and keep the defense fresh, that is a plan and it tends to work, that is what Dalton brings to the table and he has shown to do it better than any QB the Bears have brought to the team in the last few decades. If Nagy doesn't want to go with Dalton or he isn't healthy enough to move in the pocket, Fields is the QB for the whole season if he starts against Cleveland, the learning experience would start then and there and hopefully will end in at least 10 years. If Nagy plays Fields right, he can keep the defense guessing, he can be the wild card, Nagy needs to help Fields increase his confidence, help him get time to see the field and get him in rhythm and accustomed to the game flow, this might not be the best offense but it has shown its not a bad one, it just needs to be pointed in the right direction. One thing that makes it very important not to play Dalton hurt is if he gets lost for the season, Nick Foles would be the backup, no way that is ideal. Against the Browns the Bears Oline is going to get tested with a dose of high caliber pass rushers, the QB will need to be able to move out of the pocket if needed, the true damage will most likely be on the ground but they need to create enough damage thru the air to give the runner some breathing room. the Bears defense will have a shot of giving their front seven some time to get to the QB with their top two receivers in Jarvis Landry and probably Odell Beckham Jr. out for this one, still the Browns runners can be a nightmare with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt but the Bears might be in luck by getting Mario Edwards Jr. back but most importantly if Eddie Goldman can return to action it could be key to getting the win. It's still the Browns game to win, but the odds are tilting a bit, let's see if the Bears can make it interesting and maybe pull an upset.

Useless predictions: 2021 week 2 picks

    I did horribly with the early games but did better with the late games. Lot of games where over the line which cost me some wins, going to switch my strategy this time, yeah that will make all the difference.

RECORD 5-14 (26%)

New Orleans (-3.5) at Carolina    U44.5

   Awesome surprise by the Saints stomping the Packers, Carolina struggled a bit against a banged and patched up Jets team, Jameis Winston didn't light it up but played good enough.

Houston at Cleveland (-13)    O48

   Is Tyrod Taylor that good? If he pulls it off again this week, I will back off from calling the Texas a trash team.

Cincinnati at Chicago (-2.5)    O45

   Can go either way at this point but I'll go with the home team by three.

Las Vegas at Pittsburgh (-6)    U47

   The Raiders benefited from a strong performance by their DL, if they can repeat that this week they could pull it of, I don't see it happening. I gotta admit I didn't expect that kind of solid defense from the Steelers.

Buffalo (-3.5) at Miami    U47.5

   I will call Buffalo's offense last week a fluke, they got this one against a dolphins team that struggled against a rebuilded Patriots team led by a rookie.

LA Rams (-3.5) at Indianapolis    O48

   The Rams are too strong for Carson Wentz, this one should be in the bag.

San Francisco (-3) at Philadelphia    O50

   The 49s had the game locked then followed to almost blow it against the Lions, THE LIONS. In reality they just needed to catch one of the onside kicks to ice the game so I will trust them with just three against them. Philadelphia took out a bad team with authority, lets see them in action against a playoff contending team.

Denver (-6) at Jacksonville    U45.5

   Yikes Jacksonville how did you manage to lose against Houston? You cannot be taken seriously until proven otherwise with some solid wins.

New England at NY Jets (+6)   O43

   The Jets played good defense against a talented Panthers offense, I'm trusting Zach Wilson to get it done.

Minnesota at Arizona (-3.5)    O50.5

   The Vikings are going to get destroyed, Arizona is too explosive.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay (12.5)    U52

   Atlanta looked horrible, against the champs it will probably get ugly again.

Tennessee at Seattle (-6)    U54

   Welp, can't go against the 12th man, Tennessee could pull it off but didnt give a good showing last week.

Dallas (+3) at LA Chargers     O55.5

   So Dak Prescott is officially back, this makes Dallas a dangerous team that should compete against anyone, so I will take the points.

Kansas City (-3.5) at Baltimore    U55

   Baltimore got exposed with a weak OL, it might be to much to take on the Chiefs.

Detroit (+11) at Green Bay     U48

   Let's just call it a slip up for the Packers, it can't be that bad again right? Aaah who am I kidding, I can't take this matchup seriously.

W1@LA RAMS: Know thy self

   The lose was expected, the result was domination from the LA Rams but if watched closely it wasn't all that bad or at least you can get some good stuff out of this game for the Bears to build on.

   Offensively they looked like they played to what the defense gave them and respected the talent of Aaron Donald which is not a bad idea. Astoundingly the offense moved the ball and ate a lot of clock managing to stay on the field for much of the game with short quick passes and solid running from David Montgomery keeping the defense fresh, the defenses of past year would have loved this situation. The Oline played fairly well against a powerful front four, it got help from the quick passes Andy Dalton was making and its still a wait and see if they can handle other Dlines for extra seconds to let deeper routes develop and try longer passes. The Rams didn't wanted to get beat deep and dropped three a lot in the game, with Dalton's iffy arm it wasn't a surprise he didn't want to risk it.  The one time I saw Dalton trying a deep pass was at the 3rd qtr where Darnell Mooney was on his way to get open inside the 10 yard line but Dalton got sacked by Donald before he could even try the pass because Cody Whitehair played him 1 on 1 and lost miserably, the one time the Bears should have double teamed Donald to get extra time like they were doing almost on every other pass play, they decide to let Whitehair block the best DT in the NFL on his own. The real tone setter was the interception that Dalton threw in the end zone to end the Bears first drive, Dalton managed this game like a pro but that one was an awful pass. If that play where to end in a touchdown, I believe Matt Nagy would have thought twice to go on fourth downs in the first half of the game. These risks made me think of two things, Nagy was following his "more TDs less FGs" mentality or he trusted his defense as much as many Bears fans do which is close to nil, the game was in reach until the start of the 4th quarter where both offense and defense just flat out had no more in the tank, so maybe it wasn't the best of plans to get so risky so early in the game, adding that this decision making may tick the defense the wrong way. 

Upside players: Marquise Goodwin as WR3. James Daniels was the best lineman out there Sunday and Jason Peters showed he still got it just needs to gel although the injury wont help. Larry Borom in a very limited role backing up Peters showed LT wasn't to big for him. Montgomery may look faster but he is running meaner.

Downside players: Whitehair had a tough task but needs to start push people over. Sam Mustipher had an average day but hope he gets better looking like the weakest link in the OL. The WRs blocking is sad to watch, if they don't get better Nagy should just throw away all the bubble screen plays or start using TEs.

   Don't get beat deep has been the way to play defense at Chicago for many years now, don't give up the big play, wear them down and close the gap near the red zone to force no more than a FG. Sean Desai and his defense failed to do this against the Rams, allowing 2 big plays to go for TDs, one because the safety's forgot it wasn't practice anymore and the second is because Marqui Christian isn't a nickel corner and the Bears need one. As I said, the defense even with their blunders, had the Rams offense in control for the majority of the first half, then started struggling in the third qtr to then lose it completely in the fourth. Sean McVay had a plan and Mathew Stafford executed it almost perfectly. it wasn't an easy game for the Bears defense, they needed to play better especially at the edges, since before the game everybody knew that the secondary had problems and one way to mitigate this deficit was with pressure from the front seven but they didn't show up as much as needed. I have to admit that I had one thing very wrong, I was underrating Akiem Hicks believing that Bilail Nichols could be his replacement, Nichols is a good player but he cant do what Hicks does, Hicks was the only one taking double teams and still getting across to the QB just a split second to late to make the sack. Khalil Mack is not showing to be one of the best rushers in the NFL, he isn't looking elite when trying to bend to beat the T, he barely forces the QB to step inside but not enough to help the DTs get their hands on him, if he has lost his step then this front seven is screwed because Quinn isn't showing to be that guy either, he looks more like a cleaner than a disrupt, he showed more power today but declined as the game continued. The topic of Eddie Jackson not tackling is a bit silly just because Jackson never was known for being a sure tackler, he is a ballhawk and Desai needs to work on putting him where he can make damage, he needs to know his players better and play them to their traits, if not then this defense will fail and the Bears likely will lose more games than everyone thought, it will not matter who is at QB as shown by the LA Chargers last year.

Upside players: Hicks still plays with the same demeanor and passion, hope he can keep it up the entire season. 

Downside: Christian was exposed, he isn't the nickel the team needs especially his safety's. Mack is not blowing up Tackles in single coverage, he might be in the decline. Alec Ogletree got pushed around and didn't look good stopping the run.

I want Justin Fields to play as much as the next hardcore Bears fan but I don't want him rushed resulting in an injury. Its not that I trust what Nagy is doing but I get what he says he wants, when he decides to play Fields I will be evaluating every detail from how is the team is doing to against who they are playing to come to my conclusion if he really did everything for the sake of Fields success or if it was all bull. The learning curve exists for young QBs, they can have all the tools and can make big plays, but the quick decision making is vital at this stage, everything is speed and deception. One guy that is super talented but is not there yet is the Bears next opponent in Joe Burrow, he is the whole package but still needs to learn to see the field faster, he got hit plenty by the Minnesota defense because he didn't get rid of the ball in time which he had enough of and has a trio of WRs that would be the envy of many NFL teams, if the Bears fail to create pressure once again they might regret it worse than with the Rams. Bengals defense didn't show dominance against a run heavy Viking offense and had a bunch of help in the form of a dozen penalties by the Viking OLine getting themselves in steep holes on 3rd and long situations and even so they came back to force overtime, this might be the chance the Bears have to win this one with their offense playing clean football as they did against the Rams.

There is no better way to learn to QB but by playing the game I get that, there are only two thing I believe make sense for Fields to be on the bench right now, one is to give the OL time to adjust and try to better the protection and the other is to find what plays Fields is confortable with and work from there, how much time this last one takes to happen its on the coaches as much as its on Fields, if Nagy takes too long to put him in the field to get the much needed experience he needs by worrying in the what ifs and buts of the state of the rest of the team, that's on Nagy and Pace for building and preparing this team to was it is and will be.

Useless predictions: 2021 week 1 picks

 Even moooore useless predictions, I'm on a role! Gonna try to maintain these probably horrible picks during this year.

   I had Tampa Bay winning against Dallas but never thought it was going to be that close, thought they were going to cover the -7 spread.

Buffalo (-6.5) at Pittsburgh  O45

   I like Buffalo, I don't trust Big Ben and the Steelers defense until proven otherwise, I am expecting some garbage time point at the end from the Steelers.

Jacksonville (-3) at Houston  U44.5

   Houston is a joke, Jacksonville better take advantage of this matchup to get the first of not to many wins they might have this season.

Arizona (+3) at Tennessee   O52.5

   This one should be a good game loads of point could be either taking the win SO i will go with the one with points in their favor.

Washington at LA Chargers (PK)  O44.5

   I am expecting Herbert to continue his stellar play from last season even against a stingy Washington defense.

Atlanta (-3) at Philadelphia  U48.5

   Going with the vet team, got to see Hurts play.

Indianapolis at Seattle (-3)  U49.5

   Indianapolis doesn't look like a bad team but Wentz is still a big if at this point, Seattle although getting old are a veteran savvy team.

Minnesota at Cincinnati (+3)  U47.5

   Cincinnati has enough tools this time around and could possibly do enough to make it close.

San Francisco (-7.5) at Detroit  U45

   San Francisco is too much of a still unproven Detroit team.

Cleveland (+5.5) at Kansas City  O54.5

   Cleveland has a great roster and can go against the best of them, I'll take the points.

Miami (+3) at New England  U43.5

   New England has a lot of new players and might need time to gel, Miami is all about Tua.

Denver (-3) at NY Giants  U41.5

   I don't trust Jones and Denver has a scary good defense.

Green Bay (-4.5) at New Orleans  U49.5

   Rodgers against Winston?

Chicago at LA Rams (-4.5)  O46.5

   LA has to good a roster at this point to be loosing to an unproven team.

Baltimore (-4) at Las Vegas  U50.5

   Baltimore's roster is loaded even when loosing so much players to injury, them just have enough to plug their holes and play at their usual level.

Useless predictions: NFL standings for the 2021 season

More useless predictions! It's fun to see how wrong you were at the end of the year.

AFC 

NORTH

CLE (4)

BAL

PIT

CIN

   I like Cleveland's roster, it has been getting better for the past few years and its shown on how far they have gotten closer and closer to the big game, they have a balanced team with elite players all around the roster and promising young talent, their run offense las year was scary. I had Baltimore missing the playoffs before knowing about the new injuries to RB Gus Edwards and CB Jason Peters, they are devastated with injuries to key players and it show show on the field, I don't believe they can overcome them. I'm not a big fan of this Pittsburgh team more precisely of Ben Rothlisberguer, he is old and slow, he still has an arm but todays football is about speed and having an Oline that can counter that speed so your QB doesn't get killed, I am questioning their Oline and their QBs survival skills, the defense lost some important pieces at LB and DB that will hamper them to win some games against tougher opponents. Cincinnati is a mix of good and bad, and the result at game day can be one or the other, the Oline still is in the air whether it got fixed or not, that is important to know if Joe Burrow will have time to throw to his very good receiving squad, ultimately I don't believe they will pull it together. 

SOUTH

TEN (1)

JAC

IND

HOU

   Tennessee is blessed to be on a god awful division where they can easily have 6 wins in the bag, add that they are a very good team and they very possibly win the first seed, it really all depend who wins against them, Buffalo and KC who match up on the regular season, I gave both to Tennessee just because they were the home team in both occasions. Jacksonville can only get better from here, it all depends how well they surround Trevor Lawrence with talent, right now it's still not enough to beat the big dogs, but they could easily take the Browns road these next years. Indianapolis is in shambles most of it is because they don't what to risk taking a rookie QB and why not they destroyed the last one they had, going with sure thing veteran QB once more, it kept them out of the gutter last time but I'm not sure Carson Wentz can get them to the promised land. Houston is a joke and I don't even have them as the worst team, they came second for some reason, but they are way of track with the Deshaun Watson case they are probably losing face to the entire league, they are the new destinations for players to rot, what a mess.

EAST

BUF (3)

MIA (6)

NYJ

NE

   Buffalo is on its way to another deep playoff season, Josh Allen and his monstrous arm can slash against any opponent, their defense solidly balanced, winning their division though will be no easy task but can temper them to a stronger team for when they reach January. Miami has great potential all around, it all falls in Tua Tagovailoa's hands to make it work, will he be a game manager or the stout QB needed to beat Super bowl caliber teams. The Jets have a promising QB since Mark Sanchez, the team has been rebuilding since for this moment, it might be to soon to reach glory days but if Zach Wilson pans out, they are on their way. New England is at the bottom just because someone has to be, they are a FA rebuilded team while a competent QB landed on their lap in the draft, the competition might get the best of them but this is no slouch of a team.

WEST

KC(2)

LAC (5)

DEN (7)

LV

   The battle for the West will be won by Kansas City once more, this is what happens when you find the QB of QBs and protect him no matter what. The Chargers will have to live in a world where Patrick Mahomes is king, they have their QB set but it will take a team effort to be at the top. Denver has the most scary secondary ever since the days of the Jets with Revis island, this makes the defense a thing of horror, luckily for opponents their offense is still mortal. Las Vegas is David and has to battle three goliaths, led by some questionable people, its going to be a long road for them to compete in this division.

NFC 

NORTH

GB (4)

MIN

CHI

DET

   Green Bay is favorite until Aaron Rodgers seizes to wear the green and gold (its yellow but whatever). Minnesota seems to be the same team every year, a Jekyll and Hyde defense and good offensive pieces led by an above average QB that doesn't scare anyone protected by a tilting brick wall with bad foundation. Speaking of bad Olines, Chicago has its own foundation problems not being able to construct a stable team, they seem finally found their QB to lead them to multiple playoffs just to then fall into cap hell. I don't know how Detroit find a way to look mediocre even when having a very decent draft, they switch their good QB for an iffy one and show no promise in the preseason, they don't look as awful as Houston but still you look at their schedule and it HARD to pick them to win.

SOUTH

TB (1)

CAR (7)

NO

ATL

   Tampa Bay where the rich get richer, Tom "Immortal" Brady is the reason every single starting player from FA came back. It's just not fair, it's like the a parallel universe, it's now the NFC version where Brady will get three more rings to be like the freaking Mandarin with his ten rings of power, he can't last that long right? Carolina has a decent team that if they play good enough can reach the last golden ticket. New Orleans will try to survive with Jamies Winston at QB and some defense to not fall into fourth place, we all know Alvin Kamara is going to have the ball. Atlanta will squeeze the last drops of QBing Matt Ryan has, they will ultimately end up high enough in the draft to draft his successor. Really? this is Brady's division?

EAST

WSH (3)

DAL

PHI

NYG

   Washington will be favorited because of its envious DL and solid offense led by the beard. Dallas would be more favored if it wasn't for the questionable health status of Dak Prescott, if he is alright maybe they can reach a wild card spot. Philadelphia is not a finished product, Jalen Hurts looks like a fine fellow but can he QB this team to enough wins. The Giants end at the basement again because I don't trust Daniel Jones to get the job done. 

WEST

LAR (2)

SF (5)

ARI (6)

SEA

   I like the Rams to go deep in the postseason even in a very tough West division, I trust Matt Stafford to be an upgrade from Jared Goff, the team is well loaded with talent especially at the defense, I believe it will be enough to end of top of the division. San Francisco is a very good team and it could en up being even better when Trey Lance get his shot at QB, he has more arm and athleticism than Jimmy Garoppolo which makes him one more player in the field that can be a threat in any moment. Arizona has a solid team with a good mixture of youth and veteran players, the thing with this team is the play calling by the coaches, if this improves then there should be no doubt they make a playoff push. Seattle is falling a bit to a rebuilding team, they are not a bad team but they are missing some young talent to keep opposing teams on their heels, they can claim some home wins with the return of the 12th man.

I got Cleveland at Buffalo for the AFC Title and at the other side I got LA Rams at Tampa Bay for the NFC title. It's tough for me to decide who of these goes to the Super Bowl, ultimately I chose Buffalo against LA Rams just to make it different, the winner are the LA Rams. I couldn't be more wrong right?

2021 Chicago Bears Roster

   The final depth chart sadly is not ideal to say the least, it has holes but has potential as well, which one will show up first in game day could end up being the X factor. Ryan Pace took a hit with the shortage of salary cap and exposed some bad contract negotiations made, putting the team in a pinch roster wise, he managed to build a team of course but it really does look unfinished especially at defense, but first things first,

QB - A. Dalton, J. Fields, N. Foles

   Matt Nagy sticks to his word and makes Dalton the starting QB for week one. I don't love the decision but I can accept it. The Oline is not a finished product and could hamper Justin Fields development, although he showed he is capable of playing behind a shaky Oline it's still not the best scenario for the future of the franchise. Eventually Fields will play this season, it should depend partially on Daltons and the Olines play but mostly because Fields is up to pace with the playbook and knows the team better. Nick Foles is on the roster because there is still no one to pick him up via trade, if he steps on the field to play QB it would mean that the previous two QBs died along with any hope of the Oline getting better. One thing that bothers me of this group is that  no QB got signed to the PS... where is the development Ryan Pace? do not sit on your hands just because you landed the golden egg, great QBs are rare but so are good ones, find one and bid him for more help if necessary or keep him it wouldn't hurt to have two good QBs now would it?

Right now this group is considered average. Like a broken record, it all will depend on Fields development. Make it happen Nagy or the crowd will be shouting for Brian Daboll next year.

RB - D. Montgomery, K. Herbert, D. Williams

   The preseason for this group was all about who was going to back up David Montgomery, I would give the win to Khalil Herbert who did more with his snaps than Damien Williams and even played as a kick returner and did OK, I wouldn't mind if he is given some of Montgomery's snaps. Williams is still a good player to have in case of an emergency as a starter. At the PS there is Artavis Pierce and the kids all favorite Ryan Nall, both with good history with the team makes them serviceable as backups if needed. Tarik Cohen is still rehabbing the leg, he might not get a chance to play this season, I hope he does return if just to get a chance to play with Fields.

This is a good group that can establish a good run and pass game with Montgomery taking the inside handoffs while Hebert stretches the Dline with outside runs.

WR - A. Robinson, D. Mooney, M. Goodwin, B. Perriman, D. Byrd, N. Webster

   Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney are the starters, duh. Although he didn't play much in preseason games, looks like Marquise Goodwin won the backup role and will help at slot WR. Surprised that none of the players who started camp were retained except for Damien Byrd, instead Breshad Perriman was signed and  most likely will be the first to come off the bench when needed and Nsimba Webster was picked via waivers from SF to play primarily as a returner so it seems. This only means that Ryan Pace and his scouting team will have work on upgrading this group next year, Mooney is their only drafted player and Robinson, as good as a catch in FA as he was, is not under contract at the end of the season. PS players signed were rookie Dazz Newsome who likely regressed with his collarbone injury and didn't show much at preseason for the coaches to keep him in the 53 man roster, newly signed Isaiah Coulter looked alright playing in a limited role, Jon'Vea Johnson had some action but didn't flash enough and Rodney Adams who was the favorite to make the roster with a pair of long touchdown passes but instead was waived and made it here, he isn't big or fast but played tough and made the catches thrown his way.

Robinson and Mooney could benefit with better QBing depending if the Oline give them enough time,  if Goodwin, Perriman and Byrd can contribute as the third guy then this group could end up being solid for Fields growth.

TE - C. Kmet, J. James, J. Horsted, J. Graham, J.P. Holtz

   There is Cole Kmet and then a lot of Jays... Kmet should be the premier TE playing mostly inside and have Jesse James take the outside role while Jesper Horsted backs them up. James and Horsted have been a pleasant surprise this preseason, their performance would have made it easy for Pace to let go of Jimmy Graham before the draft, I did feel that Graham was needed on the team with only Kmet as the sure thing at the time, but with what I saw this preseason it would have been better to let go of him instead of Fuller. Oh yeah I almost forgot about Holtz, why is Holtz on the team? I was sure he was just warming the seat for someone else but ended up staying somehow, I don't get it, last year he did close to nothing to help the team win in any way, I'm still not convinced he stays for long, maybe he will get waived when/if Cohen returns.

Not accounting for Holtz, this is a good mix of young and veteran players.

OL - J. Peters, C. Whitehair, S. Mustipher, J. Daniels, J. Ifedi, A. Bars, L. Borom, E. Wilkerson, L. Simmons

   The Oline may still dictate the fate of this team once more, the rebuild started promising with the drafting of Teven Jenkins just to lose him for a chunk or maybe the whole season due to an injured back he was nursing before training camp. Signing super veteran Jason Peters to play LT is a good move, I wanted him on the team last year, he may not help at the run game but will be a very decent pass protector. At the other side Germain Ifedi returns as the RT, he was praised a lot by coaches but what he showed at the last preseason game was nothing to praise about. Cody Whitehair and James Daniels will be playing their more dominant positions at G, the real concern is C Sam Mustipher, he didn't show much improvement but it's still a wait and see scenario. Rookie Larry Borom has shown a bit of promise and is now being tutored to be the main backup at probably LT for the Bears, if this works and pushes Jenkins to the RT it would be awesome to see. Alex Bars comes back with good versatility to play almost any positions in a pinch although he is average at best. Swing tackle Elijah Wilkinson should be considered only for the right side and hopefully isn't needed and lastly Lachavious Simmons is another player I don't expect to see on the team for long. At the PS the Bears signes Tyrone Wheatley Jr. Dieter Eiselen and Arlington Hambright who I don't see them getting a chance to play.

The group is average at best right now and that is not good, if Mustipher and Ifedi struggle then the season is most probably over, even if Fields gets the starting job I don't know how much good it can come out of that type of situation.

DL - A. Hicks, E. Goldman, B. Nichols, M. Edwards*, K. Tonga, A. Blackson

   This might be the last year we see Akiem Hicks in a Bears uniform and that is sad, what is not sad is the return of Eddie Goldman to the middle, the improved play of Bilal Nichols makes this trio a force to be recon with. Khyiris Tonga showed great strength pushing guys back at the line of scrimmage, he promises to be a good backup to Goldman. Angelo Blackson reminds me of Hicks when he got signed to Chicago, if he shows some of that type of game he could very well be the replacement for Hicks. The return of Mario Edwards once he completes his suspension will only make this group better. There is some promise at the PS with Sam Kamara who had some good plays in the preseason games, newly signed Auzoyah Alufohai I know nothing about but doubt he will see the field.

The core group returns as a very good group and the backups only makes this group better with a very good rotation.

OLB - K. Mack, R. Quinn, Tr. Gipson, J. Attaochu

   I wonder if Khalil Mack ever regrets being a Bear? then I remember that he was a Raider and I stop thinking about it. Last chance for Robert Quinn to help in the sack department by getting to the QB or helping his teammates get home, if not then he should get the Leonard Floyd treatment and get cut, give another guy a chance, someone like Trevis Gipson who showed improvement finding the QB possibly making him the third rusher for the team. Jeremiah Attaochu for now is just another guy. At the PS John Snowden was signed back, hopefully he can get better and make the 53 man next year, he looked very promising.

As long as Mack is here this group will be alright, it will need the help of its DL to produce because its not going to get it from its secondary. With Goldman back and a healthy Hicks, its possible that this time the sack number gets to where they would like it to be.

ILB - R. Smith, A. Ogletree, C. Jones, J. Iyiegbuniwe, C. Johnson

   Roquan Smith will have a new partner in crime this season, with Danny Trevathan moved to IR its time for newly signed  turnover machine Alec Ogletree to take the field, lets hope his preseason interception streak continues. Christian Jones and Joel Iyiegbuniwe bring the veteran presence and will be contributing more on ST along with rookie Caleb Johnson who showed good energy and hustle in the preseason.

If Ogletree can cover and run like Trevathan once did, this group will do good things.

CB - J. Johnson, K. Vildor, D. Shelley, A. Burns, X. Crawford, M. Christian

   Incredible how this group can go from a solid one to the weakest one, with Kyle Fuller gone its up to Jaylon Johnson to put his big boy pants on as the main CB of the team, the biggest issue though is at the other size with Kindle Vildor, a promising slot guy now in charge with the duty to go cover the boundary, he could end up being the second coming of Tim Jennings who had size disadvantages as well but made up for it with tight coverage, Vildor is struggling in zone but has looked better in man so ideally Sean Desai should scheme to his advantage. That leaves us with Duke Shelley with slot duties, he isn't bad but hasn't showed he is good either giving up a lot of plays, again this is going to be a really tough job for Desai getting this to work. Artie Burns, Xavier Crawford and Marqui Christian are the backups, WOOF. At the practice squad Thomas Graham Jr. was resigned although I would have prefered he was part of the 53 man instead of some other guys. Jalen Tabor made it as well but he is more of a safety.

This group is in so much trouble if Johnson gets injured again.

S - E. Jackson, Ta. Gipson, D. Houston-Carson, D. Bush

   There is chat that Desai will bring us back 2018 Eddie Jackson, I hope this is true. Tashaun Gipson gets another shot at SS finishing strong last year. Veterans DeAndre Houston-Carson and Deon Bush come back as well as solid backups.

Average at the least but if Jackson recovers his swag then this defense could possibly have been one good CB away from being scary good.

ST - C. Santos, P. O'Donnell, P. Scales

   Cairo "Robbie who?" Santos is back and well deserved along megapunt Pat O'Donnell and LS Patrick Scales to complete the trio for one more year. Santos beat out rookie Brian Johnson who performed pretty well and won himself a spot at the PS.

   Everybody will have their eyes on Fields and the moment he start for this team but the start of the season will be all about the Oline, if it plays good enough Dalton will find succeeds and Fields can learn to be a QB as a whole, if the Oline struggles I don't see Dalton overcoming this but maybe Fields will but will be having to learn the hard way. The defense will be a testament of Desai's coaching and scheme abilities, if he is able to make the difference and overcome the holes in his unit I would be amazed. Five more days.