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AZ, yes this is it 100%

awesome!

possibly why they didnt play Fields or the starters in the game. I did see a tweet about five minutes after I wrote this that Whitehair is at LG and Patrick is in at Center today. I hate the deja vu of it. We need a better center. We will probably draft C and G next year along with DE.

I guess the reports are that he strained both of his calves, which I've never heard of, but they are saying 4 to 6 weeks recovery, which means he could miss 3 or 4 weeks of regular season. The question will be who replaces him. There's Leatherwood or Carter on the depth chart, recent free agent signing Logan Steinberg. Eislen, Patrick and Borom too. And the Bears could claim someone off of waivers during the cuts too. But there is another option too. They did it last year. Whitehair to LG and Patrick, Kramer, Eislen or a waiver claim at Center. I wouldn't be shocked if this is the way it goes. I think the main decision makers on this will be Carter and Kramer - whichever is better will determine where Whitehair plays for the first few weeks.

Dexter was noticeably faster off the ball tonight too. Good to see him improving. Youre right, hes so strong.

WTG Mongo!

That's how I read it too. NFL Preseason has morphed from the preseason games that we see, to week long intra-team scrimmages and position work. The coaches are able to dial up the matchups they want to see, and can do it in a controlled way without the increased risk of injury in a game. IF you've seen your QB carve up their defense in 7 on 7s, but the OL is missing guys who are dinged up, and they keep getting destroyed in practice, what good is going thru the game? You're not getting quality work for Fields, you risk injuring him, and you provide fodder for sportswriters to write negative things. One of the great things about football is how every position leans on every other position - it's the ultimate team sport. So it's smart that the coaches find a way to get increased quality work, while isolating variables (7 on 7, 1 on 1) so you don't have to put dinged up OL out there to protect the QB just so he gets work against live opponents. It's too bad we cant watch more of the scrimmages on TV or streaming, but this modern kind of offseason does make a lot of sense for the teams.

amen

Moore gets open, and he STAYS open. I watched a bunch of Carolina film, and Moore would be just sitting there waiting for the QB to notice him. IF Fields has a problem making late reads, that particular skill by Moore will cover for a lot of it. And if not, then watch out. Like you said, someone is going to be open.

on about half the snaps he looked slow off the ball, but MUCH faster than last years 2 gap film. Hopefully he continues to improve. i know there are brain training machines that can improve this. As for pad level, he's really gonna have to take that coaching. hes so strong, and he will be even stronger when he learns his leverage.

DJ has incredible spacing skills - youll see it in his routes too. He just knows where everyone is going to be a second in the future. Its not about pure speed - but reading holes in the spacing. Mike Brown had the same skill, albeit in reverse (closing holes on defense)

yup - every player is a multiplier. at some point, you just cant defend everything - then it comes down to playcalling and rhythm. get that right and you go far. I hope we dont lose Getsy a year early.

hahaha IF this helps, he simultaneously released this video on YouTube too. Pretty funny.

Amen!

There was a cutup from practice where Eberflus was reminding Velus, who was having trouble remembering it, that the ball drifts (or spins Im not sure which he was talking about) right off of a right footed kicker and left off of a left footed kicker. How do you get to this point in your career and still not be able to remember that? VJ can go play Madden with Mustipher.

One thing you can really see from DJ Moore on that screen is he is a genius when it comes to spacing. i saw it on the film from Carolina too - he finds the perfect spacing against zone defenses. Think of all the WR screens we've seen fail over the years (looking at you Gary Crowton) Getsy get it when it comes to screens. And screens will compliment our zone running scheme, and Fields' running. Great to see.

thanks guys

do they show the entire game in real time on NFL+ Premium?

in the long term, yes. I think they hoped that Dexter would eventually be their 3T, but also thought hed get snaps at NT until he was ready. I think he is developing fast, and so they signed Roy to backup at NT now that Dexter is going to be pushing to start at 3T.

I think they thought Dexter would play NT this year and get reps at 3T and grow. If hes showing faster, then he will go to 3T, which is why I think we claimed Bravvion Roy - to add bodies at NT. It also makes sense that Pickens will get reps at NT, and of course, Bell will only be at 3T, he's not really a nose. One wonders how long Justin Jones will hold Dexter off as the starter. On the other hand, Billings is going to be there at NT for a while, especially without Dexter to push him.

Wright is gonna end up in the Hall Of Fame. You can see it on film. He's not just an impressive specimen, he's a hell of a football player.

right. hes not in our long term plans, but he can give enough that the secondary can grow this year.

He might even play in 2 TE sets, especially on running plays (or play action)

We probably have a top 3 LB group. Maybe even #1. Billings and Dexter should be really good in the middle. It isnt so important that Ngakoue get sacks, he just needs to eliminate plays where the QB has 5 seconds of unmolested time. Given a shorter passing clock, the coverage should show what they can do, and I think they are a top 10 unit, especially with Edmunds roving the deep middle. Give 'em time to grow into NFL players, and add a few more names in next years draft and this is a very solid roster for the foreseeable future. We should see flashes of it this year. If they grow by December, who knows who they'll be, but before that, we will see spurts and mistakes - just like Kyler Gordon during the first half of last years' season. There is a lot to be optimistic about.

Interesting @ every down player. I do think this will make a big difference in wins, and especially in evaluating the coverage. I still think we are a 7 to 10 win team.