Draft: Safety's group of 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Draft: CBs group of 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Draft: RBs group of 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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

WildCardvsPHI: ...You missed one

   The Bears feel good season came to an abrupt end, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles by one point, it was a devastating loss for any Bears fan, it didn't hit immediately for me, it kind of crawled from my stomach all the way to my brain, numbness before returning to reality that this season was over.
   Every part of the team got its chance to potentially give the Bears a win, both defenses played great and eliminated each others running game but ultimately hurt the Bears more, they just couldn't run the ball effectively, Jordan Howard got a chance to take one for a long gain but lost balance and fell forward just enough for the first down, a decent hole was made by the O-line and there was only one visible deep threat to stop him from a potential touchdown but instead got tackled by first contact, it was a very poor performance against a dificult defense. Tarik Cohen was shut down as part of the Eagles game plan, so the Bears turned to Mitchell Trubisky to move the ball against a solid pass rush, he couldn't do much and almost turned the ball over three times, but at the final stretch of the game when trailing he displayed poise and put his team in front, then when trailing again he moved the ball to field goal range with a great deep throw. The last throw that when incomplete was because he decided to be smart instead of being the hero, if that ball is caught outside the end zone by Anthony Miller there was a chance he gets tackled for a game ending play, that ball was thrown to the end zone where it had to be thrown, but he didnt lob it enough for Miller to have a chance to get there or keep the ball for one more second before throwing it, the pressure was on and he had to get rid of it, a sack would have ended it as well.
   Before the Bears final drive, the defense had its shot to win the game but couldn't stop them from scoring the winning touchdown, 4th and goal from the 1 and Sherick McManis just couldn't stick to Golden Tate enough to stop him from scoring, it was a difficult play but it just makes you wonder if Bryce Callahan could have done better or even worse if Crevon LeBlanc could have done it if he was still on the team instead of having the best game of his career with the Eagles on this precise game.
   Pat O'Donnell played great, until his last kick of course, which gave the Eagles offense great field position for that final score. Cohen gave the Bears life again, putting the offense on the 40 yard line on the ensuing kick off for their final drive where Trubisky threw his best ball of the game and gave the team a chance to win it with a 43 yard field goal. So here we were, watching Cody Parkey attempt his second 43 yard field goal try because the first was negated because of the Eagles final time out, that one went trough the middle no problem, even better than the previous 3 he already made on this game form a shorter distance. So Parkey only had to do the same once more, but he couldn't. Instead the ball hit the left post AND the cross bar, bounced back into the field for a missed field goal that statistically went as a blocked kick viewed with the help of the fines high technology in camera zooming where one could watch how Treyvon Hester's I don't know which finger seemed to get a piece of the ball just enough to deflect it and hit the FRIGGIN GOAL POST! REALLY!? I mean COME ON! It hit the goal post just enough to ricochet on to the crossbar! so you mean to tell me that a scratch moved the ball one inch enough to do that instead of maybe just grasp the goal post and get in? So yeah maybe the news that it was deflected protects Parkey from getting hate mail for the rest of his life (which is stupid, you don't try to spoil, ruin or threaten a mans life based of stuff like game performance) but how does that help me? a finger prevented the Bears to go to the next round? well that's just grate isn't it?

   It was sad to watch them lose like this and I don't say it just because they lost in their first playoff game but because I compare it to when the 2010 Bears made it all the way to the conference finals, I didn't feel as pumped as I did with this team. Maybe its because I'm more invested in the team than before, maybe its because I'm more informed about them than before now with news spreading from everywhere at every minute. But the fact that this team showed more unity and hunger than the last team that made it this far, really made me feel they had a shot of going all the way. There is very good talent in this team and I could be bold and say that I think they have better talent than the 2006 Bears and I also believe that they have a brighter future because of Trubisky, right now I believe he is better than 2006 Rex Grossman, Trubisky could have had 2 or 3 picks on this game but he didn't, had a shot to come back and win this game and he almost did, but at least he gave them that shot.

   The first hurdle for next year is moving forward without Vic Fangio and almost (as of now) his whole defensive staff. Chuck Pagano is brought in for the DC coordinator, a veteran coach that has almost every piece in place to work with, needs to bring his staff tho. A positive is that maybe this team wont miss the picks given for Mack as much, they have play makers in every area and good depth in most of them, Pace can focus on getting better depth with promising talent and strenghten the special teams unit which is the one area that needs more help aside from what to do with Parkey.  Pace cant do the same mistake he did with Robbie Gould and kick his kicker to the curve without insurance, replaces him with someone that can be better. I say challenge Parkey to keep the job and bring new and old talent to compete against him in the preseason, then decide. The big names who hit free agency are Bryce Callahan, Adrian Amos, Aaron Lynch, Roy Robertson-Harris, Bobby Massie, Daniel Brown and Ben Brauneker. If I can only sign one it would be Callahan, they need to keep him based on how he played this year. Amos, Lynch and RRH are good players and I would love for them to stay but Amos is the one I see easier to replace with Deon Bush, there is depth with Jonathan Bullard and Bilail Nichols at DT so RRH could be expendable, while at OLB there isn't much depth which would maybe place Lynch second in the priority list. Massie is average, his value comes in his experience with the rest of the O-line players but I don't think he will come cheap so maybe T will be a priority in the draft. Brown and Brauneker are good depth players, I would go with Brown tho if one is picked up, would maybe even consider cutting Dion Sims to make space for both. Kevin White is someone I would want to see on the team but he would get buried in the depth chart, he needs to play to reach his ceiling and see how good he can be, free agency should be a better option for him.

   So this is it, one week away from the Super Bowl which I believe the Patriots will win, the Rams to have a shot will have to get to Brady quickly with the help of Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald leading the charge but I don't trust in Jared Goff to do enough to win this one, that's why I preferred the Saints to be the NFC representative because I believe they have the better offense with a better QB that can go toe to toe on the scoreboard. But whatever, I don't care who wins this one, I will be waiting for next seasons events to start, its looking promising at least and this team gave me what I wanted, a competitive team that could beat anyone, Pace looks to have most of his pieces set, here's hoping they can take it a step further.

W17@MIN: Heating up for January

   The Bears managed to knock the Vikings out of the playoffs with relative ease even with the refs going the Vikings way on some calls and no-calls, one could say that this was a good warmup game before the real thing this weekend.
   The thing to watch in this game that really mattered most was the running game worked with Jordan Howard against a stout Vikings D-line no less, Howard and the Oline gained more than 100 yards on the ground which is important in January and even more in open field stadiums. The Bears defense made Kirk Cousins look average and shut down the run game, it was an all around great performance and they didn't need to score to finish the game with more than 20 points, this was a solid team win although Mitch Trubisky and the pass offense can still improve but with a steady run game like this one, it will take some pressure of the pass game and Trubisky, even better if he can contribute to the run with some scrambles.
   The elimination rounds begin today, starting with the Eagles visiting Soldier Field led by Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, this time around he cant be seen as a pedestrian back up QB like I did last year. The Eagles D-line, like the Vikings, is a though one with Flecher Cox as the spear head of this defense, but the Bears will have to force the run like they did last game and not put to much on Trubiskys plate. The defense will need to repeat what they did to the Vikings this past week, get in Foles face and eliminate the deep ball while limiting big chunks in the run game, easy right? Well there are differences between the Eagles and Vikings offenses, well now watching the Eagles depth chart I believe there are more similarities between them and the Bears offenses, maybe both will be treating each other like they do in practice, this should be a low scoring game so the Bears definitely need to take advantage of their home crowd to get the Eagles off their rhythm a bit, turnovers will be big in this game and maybe a score by the defense will end up being the difference. Now I believe that if Eddie Jackson plays, the Bears have a better secondary that the Eagles, but this is no easy game whatsoever, they are going against last years defending champions, they were here not long ago while the Bears will have to turn to their veteran teammates for advice and believe that their experience coaches will point them in the right direction.

W16@SF: Struggles at the Bay

   Close game win against the 49ers on the road doesn't really tells us much aside that the Bears seem to still struggle against them at their house for some reason.
   The offense played well enough despite making two turnovers, the last one coming at the final minutes of the game giving the 49ers the chance of taking the lead but they didn't get to do much and got shut down by the defense sealing the win for the Bears. So again the Bears defense has played at a high and consistent level, the absence of Eddie Jackson and Aaron Lynch didn't inflict much in the overall performance of the unit but it was against a average team, the good news is there is a big chance they both come back for the playoffs and even better is that Kyle Long already is back on the team and there is even a better chance he gets plunged in at right guard for the for game of the postseason just in time to gear up the running game. I have said like many others that Mitchell Trubisky is the key to the Bears going all the way, but Cody Parkey could have a saying in this, he missed another manageable field goal and the only thing that lowers my concern of his performance is that this season no kicker is a sure thing, still I am very afraid.

   The final game of the season is here as the Bears trave to Minneapolis to face a a Vikings team fighting for their playoff lives, they have their faith in their hands but if they lose then its up to the Eagles to they take advantage and win their game snatching the wild card seed away from the Vikings. the Bears get the slight chance of getting the two seed by beating the Vikings and waiting to see if the Rams fold against their division rival 49ers, its not likely but Matt Nagy already stated that the plan is to go all out this game to get the win, then its wait and see. At first thought this game wasn't worth the effort as they will be showing the Vikings their hand and will be in harms way for potential injuries and I still don't think the 49ers will beat the Rams at the Coliseum. Still I can understand why try and win this game and its that chance of maybe getting a by and eliminating a division rival from the playoffs as a bonus, getting rid of a team that already played you twice this year and then play you again in back to back games can be rather dangerous. Injury is what concerns me, they already lost Trubisky for two games against them, this is one of the key elements the Beas                managed to get in the post season because they took better care of their players health so just hope no one gets seriously hurt.

W15vsGB: Hibernation postponed

   This season is a definite step forward for the Bears organization topping it of with a win against the arch rival Packers with Aaron Rodgers leading it, resulting in a Division Title and a home game in this years post-season, just in time for Christmas. Although there is a slim chance this can get better and of course it can get worse as well, because karma I guess?

   Starting of with the man that can take this team to the promise land depending on his performance, Mitchell Trubisky flipped the script and played a very good game, nothing compared to his previous one, so maybe it was rust? One could only hope so, he did throw a pair of early passes before the receiver started his cut but no overthrown balls, no turnover although he did fumbled once but no harm came of it as the ball was recovered by his O-line which played pretty good as well, picking up a variety of blitzes and helped Trubisky escape the pocket when nothing was open. This type of performances make the Bears a Super Bowl contender but I have seen this hot and cold scenarios in the QB position before with Rex Grossman and Jay Cutler, differences? Grossman didn't have the type of elusiveness, its still to early to tell if Trubisky can make better decisions consistently, Grossman was a freaking roller coaster, Cutler not as much but was inconsistent with or without good receivers, the biggest thing Trubisky has that Cutler never had was the undeniable support of his teammates, accepting him as a leader even when struggling, this area hit Cutler hard on his job as a starting QB. Jordan Howard is getting the ball and doing his part, gushing thru the middle on one play resulting on a long touchdown run. Tarik Cohen was the player to watch on offense in this game, making great plays but then balancing his performance with some big mistakes of his own loosing a ball on the hand off to Howard on a wildcat play and then catching a short pass that could have resulted in his second touchdown but for some reason went out of bounds even before crossing the first down marker making the Bears go for a field goal instead. Still Cohen is a dangerous weapon to have and a key piece to the offense, the good things he did in this game showed that. Adam Shaheen appeared on this game with a pair of catches and watching him with the ball just wants me to watch more of it, he is massive and can push people around in the secondary. 

   Aaron Rodgers was a tad off on his deep throws, but the usual suspects on defense shined once more. I really liked Leonard Floyd's play and effort on this game, he look like he had something to prove playing hard and fast all over the field. It hurts not having Bryce Callahan but Sherrick McManis is a good job of replacing him, he looks to be a step slower than Callahan but has enough to stick to his man and making the tackles. One of the things that makes the Bears defense great is they their health, watching Aaron Lynch as a good rotational OLB and Eddie Jackson as the backfield cover safety hurts, Jackson's absence will hurt Kyle Fullers game more than anyone else in the field, his type of play is better when he can trust his safety to cover the deep routs, really hoping that Jackson can be ready for the playoffs. 

   Five Pro Bowlers later (just four on defense, should have been more), the Bears finish 7-1 at home losing only to the Patriots in a tight game. Getting home field advantage for the whole post season would be huge but the odds are against them, beating a re-surging 49ers team led by rookie QB Nick Mullens and a stingy defense, who play better in Candlestick Park, is the first step. This win is needed if they want to get a 2nd or even a 1st seed, even so a win would assure them the 3rd, a playoff game at Soldier Field, what a year. Playing in wild card week could be better for a Bears team that didn't play well when coming out their bye week this season, but if Jackson isn't healthy enough to play it may not be the best scenario, Deon Bush will be under the microscope in this game.