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.