BearFan PHX

yes, or even ahead of the chains I think we know we need a few more players in the trenches, and a season of growing for Caleb. All of those things will be accomplished by opening day next year, and i dont think we are scheduled to lose anyone important next year. So I figure we are truly super bowl contenders next year, and who can say what this year will be? Learning and growing for sure, but I wouldnt put a ceiling on this roster this year, but this is the year for growing pains and to come together.

We have a top notch secondary and coverage linebackers, but it comes down to pressure from the D line. I hope we see some without having to blitz. If Dexter and Booker start to go off, we are on our way. If not, then Poles is right that this is stage two of a three stage rebuild. I cant wait for Sunday.

It's an interesting read, but it also sounds like some regurgitation of old debunked narratives about Caleb not throwing in rhythm. We've seen him do it in college and in preseason. Obviously pocket passing in the NFL is a skill every rookie QB has to get better at, and Caleb does too, but he's not any more challenged at that than any other rookie. Even less so in my opinion. I do hear them saying that we need more pass rush on the defensive line, and we have some names, but we need to see it from Dexter, Williams, Booker, Walker and Taylor. We have a talented but raw and newly former roster and coaching staff. I can't wait to see what team develops from these ingredients. Trying to guess where they might end up in the division is difficult. They do have the talent now to be a top 5 team, but they will need time to develop and gel - how much time is the question, and how bad do they want it. This is a fantastic situation, but 7 wins is possible and so is 12 - and I think the Bears set of realistic outcomes this year is probably more spread out than any other team in recent memory. If they want to fight for it, they can have it.

cool, here's a link where everyone (including me) can read it. https://archive.is/RNTjp

if you put the (unreadable) link here, I can probably hack it so everyone can read it.

ha! hilarious!

LOL!

thats how I see it too, although I wouldnt be 100% comfortable predicting where the team will be in December. If they gel, they might be like year 2 in December. But i also think there is a moment where you learn that you need to dig deep within yourself and find things you never knew you had. MJ had a great shooting percentage, but it was even higher on important shots that determined games, and even higher than that on important shots that win playoff games or championships. That hard to define magic where you actually play better than even your own ability when it matters. I hope to see us have some gut check moments like that this year, and decide exactly how hungry we really are.

he definitely ought to look good, even if he throws some interceptions etc. I guess the wild card is the running game. If we have good success on the ground, we might not be asking Caleb to throw that much, and that could limit his yardage totals. But with 3 solid WRs, and TEs and RBs that can catch, when he does throw, everything is in place for him to do well. I do expect Caleb to get over 4,000 soon - this season or next.

hahahaha well its damned funny! And you got me I believed it!

I agree with all of this. I was thinking, off the top of my head, that we should be able to routinely beat the 16 worst teams in the league, which means we are probably 12th, but really heading higher, because the 12th best teams doesnt "routinely" beat the 17th best team. I'd say we are around 12th-ish, heading into the top 10 maybe even top 5. But we will find those top 5 teams are on another level, and while our roster probably matches up with them, we will need to learn how much desire and will we have for winning when we meet those teams. I always think thats the last lesson you need to learn before you are truly competing. I think of the 1984 Bears getting easily handled by the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. They already had a magical roster, but they didn't know how deep they were going to have to dig yet. That's our ceiling right now I think. I dont want to contemplate our floor, but assuming we play our cards well, it's still 8+ wins.

is there a link to where I can see the vote totals? That would be interesting.

all these cool stats are fun to read - I do truly enjoy them. Thank you for sharing all this work. I'm sure you also agree their value in specific predictions is severely limited, I mean, we have a new QB! But all the same, when a clear trend line is pointing unmistakably upward, you can at least take that data point as a sign to expect improvement.

well they couldnt count the vote because it was injured.

yes they do of course

QB Caleb Williams WR DJ Moore TE Cole Kmet TE Marcedes Lewis LB T.J. Edwards LB Tremaine Edmunds CB Jaylon Johnson S Kevin Byard Good list - makes sense. The reason Im even posting is to comment on Mercedes Lewis being in there. At 40 years old, he still has some use in the red zone where he doesnt have to run 40 yards, and he is a good blocker. But there is a reason beyond those few snaps that we kept him and lost Bates to develop, and that he is a captain, even as a third string player. When Cole Kmet was asked who was the leader in the locker room, he said "Mercedes Lewis" - I dont know if his inspiration is strongly tied to his work ethic in weight room, but if it is as I suspect a mental thing - the long experience and character that inspires and leads guys, then I just want to put it out there that maybe we should hire him as a coach next year - maybe offensive quality control or something to start? Then we could keep him and his leadership around for quite a while with no cap price (obviously). https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2024/09/02/bears-name-rookie-qb-caleb-williams-1-of-8-team-captains-for-season

I think what it says mostly is that the depth on our roster is legit.

I have more faith in PFF stats like these that start from hard numbers like points, yards, QB ratings etc. than I do when they grade performances themselves, like Offensive linemen etc. And of course all stats are lies without context, but its a good sign to see the Bears stats trending upward and better than the alternative.

for sure. if they are making a playoff run this year, that makes upgrading at the trade deadline more appealing than waiting for the draft. If we are 4-4, then maybe you dont need to jump in at that point.

I think everyone is right that the pass rush is the difference between 5th and 10th, and i also think that if Booker doesnt come on by the trade deadline, we might be looking at a trade for someone superior. I dont know who that would be, but I didnt see Sweat on the radar either. If on the other hand Booker and Dexter make big steps, who knows where we might be? I was encouraged to hear poles say this was the second phase of roster building, and infer that there is a third phase yet to come. Seems we finally have a GM that knows what he's doing.

I expect success for this team, and for Eberflus to get his share of the credit. but if, for example (and I am NOT predicting this) he loses multiple games for us by going too safe too early like he has in the past, then he would be in trouble. I do also worry about having a defensively oriented head coach which means if the offense takes off, we lose Waldron. But it is too late to do anything about all of that, and if we perform like expected, Flus is more likely to win coach of the year than to be fired. But he has made a bunch of bad decisions in the past. I assume the new staff will keep him on the right track, and he also seems to have grown himself as well. Cool.

I didnt like Flus, but Ive come around. I think he has changed too. I think the last two years he was more soft, and forgiving. To give him the benefit of the doubt, I might say he knew his roster wasnt very good so he wasnt trying to burn guys out when he knew we had no chance. He seemed to be enjoying his title, but not really pushing for greatness. Now this year he knows his butt is on the line. He also has the roster to win, and he knows that too. I have written before about how he seems more dialed in, and in footage Ive seen, more intense.

Thanks for posting that. I'm especially glad to see Curhan made it through waivers. If Braxton goes down and Kiran isnt ready, having him as an option is a huge difference. But it is one that will mean less in December than it does right now, so practice squad is good. Ditto in some ways for Reed as the emergency 3rd QB, and Daly for Scales. Also glad to see Micah Baskerville, Collin Johnson, Carl Jones Jr and Reddy Stewart stuck around for us to develop them.

mm hmm

welcome GO Bears!