BearFan PHX

yes 8-11 wins is the reasonable expectation, and no one can say they wont win more, or collapse. i dont expect them to collapse, but a lot of teams that looked good on paper didnt actually perform on the field. Like Redskin and Raiders teams of the 80s and 90s or a lot of Yankee trams over the years. That doesnt mean there is any reason to predict failure either. Just that we dont know the chemistry of this team yet at all. Lots of reasons for optimism tho! And who can say who this team will be in December if it all comes together too.

Yeah, I dont know what we will be exactly, but last years win total makes a poor predictor or even starting point, i agree. First of all, we should have had 8 wins if Eberflus hadnt given them away. secondly the roster is very different and so is the coaching staff. So I agree that there is no reason to be anchored to last years number in any way. But this is a NEW team, and we have to gel and see what we are. Gotta do it on the grass So I totally agree with you. we are 0-0 with no reason to think anything concrete yet for better or worse!

ah OK! That makes more sense!

You dont know who Colin Cowherd is? Not saying his takes are right, but hes pretty well known?

Well I guess the argument would be that BJ knows what he's doing and it's a whole new coaching staff. And I also buy into that, but Im gonna agree with you, we need to see it in pads first for SURE.

Yeah, whenever you run a system that's different than the norm, you get players at a discount

no thats 100% - I did know he likes larger DEs becasue he asks them to set the edge, and that leaves LBers free

cool! I feel very good about our DT rotation. A killer DE cant hurt, but if its good enough for DA, its good enough for me.

Maybe youre right re: Kaleb and the draft.

could be. I still think he had his eye on Kaleb Johnson and Cam Skatebo and got played in the draft, but either way, we will definitely be looking for HB and DE next year, and it's good to hear that next year is stocked with talent at HB!

I wouidnt trade him today, but after camp in pads, when the next trade window opens, at the end of camp, I think he will be trade bait, and if we cant find a partner, he might even get cut. They arent gonna keep all three, and if you know Braxton isnt your future, hes the odd man out.

I have no doubt that Bieniemy is a great RB coach. Still, vision is kind of an inherent talent. Of course people can learn and be coached, but I'll be Swift has been coached before, and yet he still has mediocre vision at best. Im hoping RJ does well, and I look forward to seeing Monangai in pads, but as a 7th round pick, he's gonna have to show me before i start considering him an answer. i would LOVE it is he is dominant, but I need to see it first. I still think we need a real HB1.

If you know youre not gonna keep him, wouldnt you want a trade if one was possible?

The running game has changed in the past 5 years as defenses play more 2 deep safeties and shell defenses to counter the modern passing offenses. I dont think you can use KC as a model for that now. We need a HB that can grind out first downs consistently. They dont need to be speedy, but HBs that break off a single 70 yard run in a game are less valuable than one that consistently rips off 7 and 12 yard runs. So you need a back with consistent vision, and I dont think Swift is that guy.

PFF is random. Braxton cant handle a bull rush and will give up sacks and pressures at key moments, because the DE will save the power moves for those moments. If you think he's so great, then someone will trade for him. Can't have it both ways.

if we could get a 4th for him that would be amazing, especially considering he was drafted in the 5th I also believe in Tremaine Edmund's athleticism, but he would save $15M on the cap if you cut or trade him next year. And Kmet is another $10M so you get $25M right there if you need it.

right. he was already susceptible to bull rushes, and without an offseason to train, hes not gonna come back stronger than he was last year before the injury. You kinda have to proceed on the idea that his time as a starter is over for us.

I've been thinking similar things. I know Roschon doesn't really have explosiveness as a home run hitter, but hes a tough runner in the mold of David Montgomery, Raymont Harris and similar backs. I've always loved those kind of players. So far, RJ hasnt shown the vision that the other two have/had but with a proper blocking scheme, that could all change. I still wish we had Kaleb Johnson or Cam Skatebo.

yes, and this is all gonna be predicated on being able to run the football too. The OL seems like it's gonna be OK, now who is gonna get those tough yards?

Interesting. I cant really say i know anything about DA's defense other than that it is aggressive and he has presided over several highly ranked defenses. Oh and I know he likes his DEs a little heavier to set the edge so LBers flow. ANd i suppose that if you like bigger DEs, then youre not expecting as much speed rush from those DEs. Interesting, thank you for that.

good point. I should probably say Burden & Zaccheaus = 600 yards.

there is no doubt this roster and staff are VERY different from what we've seen before. There are lots of reasons for optimism. I am very much looking forward to seeing it on the field. I do expect great things, but there have been teams that had a lot of talent before that just didn't gel, so there's a reason they play the games, it's not won during the offseason. But if I had to bet, i would bet that the bears will be significantly improved, and the window should open for Caleb to lead us deep into the playoffs and hopefully a championship in the coming years. I am very excited for this coming year, and it sure feels like we are on the right path! I do think we still need a dominant pass rusher, so that will probably limit how far we can go against the really good teams. I wonder about our RB room, and while I have hope, i worry about LT too. Im VERY much looking forward to seeing how the LTs look in pads. If Trapilo (or any of them) ascends to become not just serviceable but actually GOOD, then that will help a lot. There are certainly more reasons for hope than we've had in a quite a while. And like you said here - the coaching staff looks to be elite. That is amazing, and should help all the players ont he roster reach their best potential. Dont forget Dan Roushar - he's gonna make that OL better too - including Trapilo and Wright!

If Burden gets playing time, it could make it hard to feed so many mouths. This is still my prediction, from April: My total guess, assuming LT isnt a total disaster, and Caleb isnt running for his life: Caleb Williams 4,050 yards passing DJ Moore 800 yds receiving Rome Odunze 1,050 yds receiving Luther Burden 600 yds receiving Colston Loveland 750 yds receiving Cole Kmet 350 yds receiving HBs 500 yds receiving

Yeah Flus sucks! Something that's also lost in all this is that apparently it was Caleb's Dad who told the ESPN writer that Caleb told him that - thats a 3 man chain of telephone now. Who knows exactly what the nature of Caleb's complaint was? One thing we can be sure of is that the Bears offensive staff SUCKED at preparing the team, so whatever it is that Caleb actually said to his dad, it was probably true.

totally agree, or yell at Cleveland and Houston for making those deals.