AZ54

On this I totally agree but I measure it based on my "nervous feelings" a lifetime Bears fan has had every time we get into the redzone. Oddly those bad vibes seem to have just gone away in the last couple games.

All a defense can know is that Velus Jones, Everett, and Scott are not the favorite targets. Everyone else has to be covered. That kind of balance is very good for a rookie QB in his first 6 games and already he's forcing defenses to cover the entire field. What will we add to the offense in the bye week?

Yeah that was a really bad call to overturn that play.

I'm more concerned that Caleb was the right choice for the Bears. IMO Daniels is better than just a 1-read QB but in the very limited games I've seen him play in I've also not seen him look nearly as comfortable scanning the entire field as what we've seen from Caleb in the last two weeks. Like any decent NFL QB Daniels is more than talented enough to hurt you especially if you make a mistake in coverage. Although he can throw on the run Daniels does not have as much off-platform talent as Caleb does, nor do I think his pocket presence is as good. Daniels is faster and more elusive running plus he has had far better pass protection to date this season than Caleb. I think both are good leaders for the locker room. Given what I've seen in the first 6 games, especially the last 3, Caleb was the right choice IMO. He made a lot of "NFL" throws today. Both TDs to Keenan Allen were not easy opens. The back shoulder throw for the first TD was perfection. The toss over the defender for the 2nd TD though was IMO an even more difficult throw because you have to get the right amount of arc on the ball to drop it in over the top. There are a lot of NFL QBs that struggle with those throws. Those slants to Keenan for 1st downs were big time throws and, at least on the last one, the DBs hand was right there just behind the ball. Improve the pass protection for him and there's no telling what Caleb will be doing to defenses.

Interesting in hindsight as I scroll through the game thread...

Same for me. The first three days in Europe my body never feels right. I think the Bears got it right leaving early.

Listening to DJ Moore’s press conference yesterday he was joking around about how Caleb is bossing them around telling them how he wants them to run their routes on specific plays. Caleb confirmed that but focus is to get everyone on the same page. As DJ said it’s working.

Their QB isn’t as good as our QB. I wouldn’t have expected to be saying that but too often Lawrence looks lost on his reads. He’s not a Trubisky deer in the headlights QB so he can still hurt you at times. Hopefully we can get him rattled a bit with the pressure and our coverage.

Not that they are watching what the Bears are doing but by the time we play them our division rivals will have missed out on the easy games against a rookie QB. The Vikings game against their aggressive defense will be a bellwether for Caleb's progress. Fields and Getsy were completely lost against them last year but even then on film review you could see WRs wide open on numerous plays.

I agree. Whatever the cuteness was that he thought he needed early on has just morphed into a straighforward NFL offense. The coaches deserve credit too for the improved Oline play, which includes backups Pryor and Murray. We don't even have Bates back yet and already IOL depth looks better than expected. Braxton has been "ok" the last two weeks but his performance has me getting more and more curious to see what Amegadjie can do. Jones, to his credit, is still very good on run blocks and keeping the run game going is important for Caleb so I don't see anything happening soon. If later in the season we trend toward being a playoff team the coaches will have to consider if Jones can hold up against playoff caliber DEs. If not, do you start to see if the rookie is a better option somewhere around Wk 11? By then we should have stability with the IOL however it shakes out.

I just watched Jenkins’ film review of the last game. It’s clear to me that Caleb is starting to play chess with defenses. His stats against the blitz are outstanding the last two games. He is starting to put defensive coordinators in a bind. His ability to see it and release it is frustrating defenders, visible in their body language. The fact he can do that on a 40yd pass for a TD like on the 2nd TD to Moore is amazing. Yet there is still meat on the bone. The best is yet to come.

Creed extended his contract. https://overthecap.com/player/creed-humphrey/9527

I might because we need to add a young DT to this rotation. I don't think that's going to be Pickens long term. The Dline talent in this draft is plentiful while IOL doesn't appear to have much, if any, 1st Rd talent. I expect we'll be drafting around 20 overall and at that spot you have to take the value that falls to you. If it's a DT like Kenneth Grant on the board I'm ok grabbing him. Grant at 340lbs can actually play both spots on the interior to mix and match with Dexter/Billings. Use the 2nd Rd picks for IOL and if needed take 3 bites at it with a third pick in Rd 3/4. The one challenge Poles will have is the entire world knowing he's drafting IOL. He might have to trade up a bit to ensure he gets two players he wants.

That plus the stats under pressure are all pretty impressive for a player with just 3 games experience headed into the Rams game. Some of the big gains on underneath passes are not because of quick dump offs either. He's often letting receivers stretch the field knowing where his outlet is and when he has to go to them. There isn't a lot of time between those two scenarios given the poor pass protection.

Yes I’d trade Herbert once Homer is healthy. Velus gets a lot of negative press but he did have some good pass pro moments in the preseason. He might be a different runner but I think he can provide backup snaps with similar production to Herbert. Unlike Herbert he can’t handle 20 snaps in a game but for that we have Roschon. i didn’t realize we do not have a RB on our practice squad.

Adam: I keep hearing Caleb was the best in the NFL under pressure and against the blitz last week. Maybe I missed it in this thread but have you seen any stats that back that up? If true I have to be honest I never thought I’d hear that about any Bears QB let alone a rookie.

To Mongo point I see the same things. I can’t see how that is coaching since the Oline coach is the same. I can understand how playing in a new offense with rookie QB new cadence and such is causing them to think too much. I just shouldn’t see that still happening in Wk4. At least Wright can get it right and he has a lot of good reps. Jone’s is constantly getting walked backward. i don’t know if my eyes deceived me but I thought I saw Amegadjie on the field blocking for special teams? I just checked Pro Football Reference and he was in on 4 special teams plays. There a big gap between blocking ST versus offense but at least he is now getting a glimpse of NFL speed and power.

Every time I see him criticizing other QBs all I think about is his INT at the goal line that lost the Superbowl for the Cardinals. Regardless I enjoy watching the breakdowns. Now in my second or third year of watching all these I can see differences in how Daniel’s, Warner, JT, and Tim Jenkins read plays or defenses. I believe each found the things that worked for them. Plus there is the element of how the coaches want it done which does play into the WRs mind as well when running routes. Toss in other variables like protection issues and coverages which will vary based on opponents strengths.

I’m happy with the Caleb Williams I’ve seen the last two weeks. I’ve watched a couple breakdowns of the Rams game and yes he missed on some big plays that were open but he’s learning to work the shorter stuff more effectively. As Mark Sánchez said during the game take the profit. What doesn’t get said is the corollary of not worrying if there was a bigger profit on the other side of the field. I like that phrase and I don’t think Caleb did enough of that last year at USC. It was my main concern for him. Play on schedule play on time and take the profit. He’s been doing more of that the last two games and less hero ball which I find very encouraging. Adam likely has the stats but it seems to me that Caleb has led several very long drives. Often overcoming penalties. That’s not easy to do in the NFL. Of course I regret the big plays he’s missed. I’m not worried about that long term because that’s who he is. I believe that part of his game will return when he stops thinking as much about everything else and he can just play ball.

In week one they made that call against the Ravens several times yet ignored the Chiefs RT Taylor who is well known for his cheating stance in pass pro.

And they still gave up 29pts?

It's ok to give coaches some credit. They just defeated what is supposed to be an elite coach in McVay and an elite QB who only managed to score 1 TD. I don't think anyone on TV picked us at least not that I saw, but I also don't watch much of that stuff these days. I get that they are missing 2 starting WRs but we've had injuries affecting us too and lost Jenkins mid-game. Swift was clearly running differently up the middle this game. Waldron listened to the players and they went heavy this game with Kramer out of the backfield on short yardage plays and it paid off twice. There were a lot of mental errors on the players' part that I don't think are coaching issues. I do think it's fair to say they are all still learning a new offense and new QB cadence who is already free to change plays. How all that gets done pre-snap is definitely a work in progress and needs to get resolved soon but I think it will level out. The D gave up 18pts which is always a good result but when the game was on the line they were at their best.

We have a QB. There are still gaps in his game but some of those throws and reads and first level, and in just his 4th game. There are no more excuses, players can't hide behind the rookie anymore. He is going to drag the rest of the offense along with him. One player I didn't see is Gerald Everett. I hope that was intentional.

You complained about our punter too. I like how that worked out.

https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/9/29/24257156/bears-vs-rams-inactives-keenan-allen-caleb-williams-thread-updates-game-rome-odunze-cole-kemt-byard we have some key players active for today. Velus is not one of them.