BearFan PHX

I agree with all of that. I just keep repeating - it will be uneven this year, and it should be more consistent and even in the back end of the season. I with it was crisp right now, but it takes time I think. I also have faith that BJ will get us there, and ride the team hard to make it so.

I think we have the speed at LB to (mostly) contain Jackson. We win or lose these games coming up purely on our own. It all depends on how consistent we can be that week. We are in all these games, even to win convincingly, but we can flame out too if we dont play with more discipline. Luckily, that seems to be coming in big supply each week from the coaches. This week were were good on the ground and on defense, and controlled the game the whole way. Next week, lets hope its Calebs turn. In time, all phases will show up together on a regular basis, and thats the contender we are looking for.

yeah, we didnt have it in the passing game, but coach called a really great game. we were truly in command of the game the whole way, even with the passing game being trash. Johnson will have lots to coach Caleb about this week. And thats how it needs to happen anyway.

I dunno about a run, but we are definitely sniffing the playoffs. 10-7, with a possible WC game was the prediction we all seemed to kind of agree on early, and I think we are still there. Not saying it couldnt be 11-6 or whatever, but WC game is probably about where we belong right now. I still maintain this season is for building consistency. We sure didnt have it in the passing game today. I have faith that BJ will get it straightened out. He coached a great game today even as our passing offense faltered. The outcome was pretty clear the whole time. We were in control. We scored 26 points, and took a knee on the 20. We could have had 29 easily, and 33 too possibly if we needed it. We're OK, but damn we looked sloppy today. We are all looking forward to seeing our team impose its will on our opponents, but its a process to get there. i think we are on the right track, and we will clean up the issues that arise.

This has been a frustrating day for the passing game. The mission for the season is to work on consistency on offense. It won't be a straight line upward. Bears will build on this, BJ will give them hell this week. We need to eliminate offensive penalties at the LOS too. But the sky is not falling - trust the process.

Dalman needs to get his shit together.

Bears continue their search for consistency on offense. Some good flashes in the run game, and the defense is dialed up again. Dennis Allen predicting whats gonna happen again - Dexter dropping out in the zone blitz almost had a pick there. Hopefully the offense shakes this off and finds their rhythm. This is the ongoing mission for this whole season.

Sort of surprised they havent bring Brittain Brown up from the practice squad.

right! you mean the only team to score at least 21 points in every game, and thats true! we are seeing moments and flashes and statistical gems that tell us we are making progress. we just need to be more consistent now, until we are tough to beat.

I dont mind the dynamic kickoff, I get the safety issues. But bringing the ball out to the 35 on a touchback etc is insane for all the reasons given above. You should be able to kick it out of the end zone and then the receiving team gets the ball on the 20. I understand the NFL wants close games and last minute victories - but that also makes the allocation of victories more random and less about who was the better team, and thats awful. I mean, why not just not play the game at all and have a huge hyped up coin toss that determines who wins instead? Sheesh.

I think Caleb took a step backward, not fully trusting the pocket on that one, and because his feet were wrong, he underthrew the ball. The more he gets his feet right, the more his accurate he will be I think.

so to speak LOL

100% on both

OUCH

If Swift keeps playing like he did this week, it's easy to say we keep him. But I've never seen him look like that before, so let's see what the rest of the season looks like. It is possible, that because Braxton Jones was not a good run blocker on the edge, we were running power gap, and Swift doesnt fit that as well. He doesnt seem to have the vision you need for that. But as soon as Benedet got in there, now the blocking assignments change, and we see Benedet and Wright out on the edge moving people, and Swift looks like a different player. It's such a team game - what looks like Swift's fault might be the scheme, which in turn might be the limitation of an OT which in turn causes the coach to call different plays. Wild to see Swift look So different. Let's hope it continues.

Right. And more than rah rah and feelings, or tough statements in press conferences, THIS is what creating a culture means - its all about accountability.

I thought it was a kidney, or lower back / side issue, but I dont know for sure. Thats just what it looked like after he got hit to me. EDIT: Heard Ben Johnson speak about it - and it is in fact a groin ASHKUM you were right.

of course I agree. He needs to work on some footwork issues, and that is a big part of the accuracy issues too. There are other parts to it too, but yeah youre right he needs to be more accurate, and more consistent in general. And youre also right that it's all about his potential - we can all see it now clearly. Will he reach it? Obviously it has to be proven ont he field before we can say yes, but I think he couldn't have a better situation now, and I see growth every week too, so it's a pretty safe bet he will get a lot better. But, he still has to walk that path before it's real. This is the year to gain consistency. That's probably the biggest goal overall for this season for the team - for Caleb to grow into a consistent and really good pocket QB.

he is VERY safe with the ball. I truly think we have a top 5 QB in the making here. He's showing all the traits he had pre-draft, and he's learning the things he needed to learn. He's not done by any stretch, but you can see the progress, and I know Ben Johnson knows what to do with him too.

good catch. Im not one for conspiracy theories, but the refs were brutal on us last night.

It really starts to put into perspective what an amazing job Caleb did last year in all that chaos. Of course he got sacked way too much, and the team overall was a mess, but to put up the stats he did last year in all of that is incredible, and speaks to his innate talent alone, because the scheme and OL sure didnt help any. But what's even better news is how much Caleb is growing each week as a pocket passer under Johnson. Last night, even with the drops and missed balls, you could SEE where this is going. You could see what we are trying to do, and even as we fell short a bunch of times, it was right there - we are close to becoming something special. We just need to be more consistent. And that's the whole thing for this year - becoming consistent, moving the chains, learning to eliminate penalties, finding out what our identity is, especially in the running game. And all those things are getting better each week. It should also be said that the defnese was flying around yesterday, playing with a lot of heart. These are all good signs that we have the right coaches and QB.

I hope Moore is OK too. He is a baller, and perhaps still the best WR on our team. But that doesnt mean at $20M a year that he isnt trade bait with Burden on the roster ready to take his place. Good teams trade good players when the cheaper and younger replacement is on the roster.

right Caleb played a good game, but rushing touchdowns dont go into the QBR stat. Maybe they should!

i agree. Braxton was bad at pass pro, but he was worse int he run game. But also, Johnson changed the blocking scheme during the bye week. The first 4 games, we were a power gap team mostly. Now we had big bodies on the edge, and as you say, both Benedet and Wright are made for that. And since Johnson already knew Swift before, I wonder if the change wasnt based more ont he OL skill set than Swifts. That said, Ive never felt this good about Swift before.

I think because Daniels threw for 3 TDs and Caleb only threw for one. Thats why the discrepancy. Otherwise I think Caleb had the better game.