AZ54

On Antone Smith: http://atlantafalcons.blog.ajc.com/2015/09...h-antone-smith/ Hamstring issue and probably the emergence of their other RBs caused them to let him go in the preseason. It's hard to understand why we're signing this guy. We have Carey and 3 RBs should be enough. Unless they aren't that sold on Carey but bringing in a 30yr old RB coming off a hamstring issue is not really a move with an eye toward the future. "Smith was a standout on special teams for the Falcons since 2012."

A good point about the scheme and lack of pressure with the focus being to take the running game away. I didn't think about it at the time but I do remember seeing just 3 guys rushing a few times in the game.

Does Brady need to cheat to win? Absolutely not. Why he did it is beyond me but it doesn't change the facts. Then again these aren't exactly the cold weather/bad weather scenarios where he wanted the ball pressure lowered.

Agreed but again we have neither Jeffrey or White which takes away the fade options. Nor do we have a mobile QB so that takes away some roll outs. Eventually we'll get some more options.

Watching in the bar again so it's hard to pick up on some of the details on how guys played. Here's some thoughts on the KC game: Offense Oline: Forte managed to run for 3.9ypc behind a rookie center and 7th Rd pick Leno while going against a stacked box all game long with no credible deep threat on the outside. There was nothing spectacular in the run game but it was effective enough. On the edges Kyle Long and Leno shutout Hali and Houston from getting any sacks. The line often had help from Cutler who was elusive in the pocket but he also had places to move to on most plays. It seems to me that when the QB has space to move around it's a credit to the blockers for at least staying with their guy even if they get beat to one side. I didn't see very many free-runs at the QB like we've seen in the past. Leno has done well enough IMO that the team is not going to be in a rush to get Bushrod back on the field. RBs: Forte was his usual jack-of-all-trades again. I still want to see a little more of Langford but with the banged up WR corps and the way the game went it is understandable. WRs: Wilson is finally getting it. I see reports of Cutler getting on him during practices to run his routes better (he needs that) and it's paying off. Hopefully that light is coming on for Wilson. Bellamy is not flashy but is productive. Meredith had 4 rec 52yds and might be the real gem long-term among this backup trio. Meredith made a great shoestring grab and turned upfield for a 1st down. He has a quickness to his cuts and acceleration once the ball is in his hands that the other two don't have and he has really good hands. There is a steep learning curve for him but I don't think he'd be safe if the Bears put him on the practice squad once Jeffrey and White are healthy. ---------------------------- http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000047...om-fcs-runnerup Wide receiver Cameron Meredith (6-3 3/8, 207) ran the 40 in 4.42 and 4.45 seconds. He had a 39-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-7 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.17 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.76 seconds. He performed 12 lifts on the bench press. He had a good positional workout and could be a priority free-agent pickup following the draft. ---------------------------- QB: Two weeks, two game winning drives late in the game. With all the changing pieces around him from WRs, C, LT he's leading them. I'm leaving it there. Defense Dline: I expected more pressure in this game and it never really materialized. That was disappointing. Our sacks were more coverage sacks (which is a good thing too). Ratliff didn't show much in his first game back but maybe after a month off I shouldn't have expected much. I love Unrein's hustle chasing down plays from behind but I'd like it better if he made more plays going forward. While it wasn't flashy the effort across the board was again productive giving up just 10pts on the road. Having Charles out late in the game helped but no sympathy from me given all the injuries and the fact we had two rookies playing safety and a ILB we signed 12 days ago. LBs: McPhee. Everyone else was ok but we did see a couple splash plays from Jones (finally) with a big hit on Kelce to stop a 3rd down play, and Reynolds ran through some blocks to make a nice stop for a loss. Lamar Houston is not fast nor quick, expect to see one of our early draft picks (of FA pickup) to get some speed on the edge. Loved seeing Willie Young on that sack, hope to see more of that from him. I think the biggest take away is that Kelce didn't have a big game 3 rec / 35 yards. Not sure if that was DBs, LBs or a combination of the two but he was not nearly as effective as KC wanted. DBs: This was not a tough challenge given KC WRs and Alex Smith. Aside from Porter's mistake taking the inside gamble and giving Thomas a 19yd TD they kept everything in check. Smith helped with several bad throws this game. We started two rookies at safety and yet there has not been a single thread, either pre-game or post-game, mentioning this as an issue. Doesn't mean it's not an issue but it does indicate how far down the list of concerns it is. I'm not putting our safeties in the Pro Bowl, and this was a game with little deep threat, but the rookies held up. Coaching: With so little talent these coaches on both sides of the ball are getting production. Fangio gets guys into the right spots on the field. Did you notice our defense is now ranked 4th in yds/game given up? Passing defense is 3rd in yds/game but rushing D not so good at 24th. I know stats don't tell the whole story and we're far from a shutdown defense. But we're also far from where we were last year when we couldn't stop anything. Gase likewise has been able to get productivity from backups at many positions as long as Cutler is on the field.

Overall he held up well. Aside from the obvious missed blitz pickup early in the game I'm sure there some other gaffes but I have to say for a rookie against that Dline in that stadium he exceeded my expectations. When you consider all of his struggles in training camp he's come a long way in a very short time.

This is one of the biggest upsets of the day. maybe the biggest after it's all said and done. We were 10pt underdogs and rightfully so. These coaches impress me with what they can get out of the talent they have the on the field. One day I want to watch a Bears game where I don't need to keep my roster webpage open so I can figure out who is on the field.

Been on board since Week 3.

Jeffrey and Royal inactive, as is Bushrod and Omameh. I think we'll see Forte split out quite a bit with either Rodgers or Langford in the backfield. This would be a good day for the rookie RB to have a coming out party behind our rookie C. Likely need a TD by the defense to pull off this win.

Poor decisions and bad mechanics under pressure are what showed up on his film earlier in the season. There's no doubt he has the accuracy you need in the NFL when he has time to throw, but it's concerning that he still has these issues mid-season. I didn't see the game but just watching that highlight of him throwing an INT to a Dline player when there really is nothing there at all is enough. I'm moving off the Goff 1st Rd bus and will keep an eye on Cardale Jones.

The outside LBs of the Chiefs are the strength of their Dline: Houston and Tamba Hali. I'm not that worried about Houston against Long, and really not too worried about Hali against Leno. I might be crazy but Leno did ok last week against a speed rusher although Hali brings a lot more power to the game than what he saw last week. It is the stunts or other lineups with guys blitzing inside that worries me the most. Grasu is going to get challenged at the line a lot with inside-blitz fakes pre-snap. If the protection can hold up I think Cutler will find open receivers. The Chiefs defense is not ranked that highly so far. They've played the Texans, Broncos, Packers, and Bengals. In scoring defense they are dead last ...even with Chicago. But in yards/game they are 28th giving up almost 400yds/gm while we are ranked 7th giving up 309 yds/gm. It is hard to say how our running game will go with so many backups on the Oline and WR. If we can find some confidence early we might be able to make some things happen.

Omameh not practicing because of a bad ankle so right now it appears Grasu is going to get his shot. It won't be perfect and my biggest concern is our QB behind him is not able to run. Hopefully Cutler is a more mobile this week than last. I don't know where we sit on the injury rankings among the league but we have to be among the hardest hit teams. We're going to learn a lot about Adam Gase this weekend.

You compared their pre-draft abilities. I just added some context that I think is relevant. If you want to move their pro careers, DHB has averaged 13.9 yards per catch, Kevin White 0.

Kreutz didn't start his first season and he turned out just fine. We can find other players who struggled their first season with the transition to NFL speed/power in guys like Urlacher. It takes many players a year to get the adjustment in technique, strength, and scheme. Maybe we could have found someone more prepared to help this year at Center but that doesn't mean that player would be better for our team long term. In the preseason Grasu was getting pushed all over the field. He has been told to hit the weight room and get stronger and work on his technique. All indications are that he's doing just that and has added 10lbs. He says he is getting quite a bit stronger. I'm pretty sure his friend Kyle Long has given him a good indication of what is needed to succeed at the NFL level and the type of work a guy like Garza put in. He needs to be competitive for the starting job next year in camp and should win it over a journeyman like Montgomery (should we bring him back). If that doesn't happen then we can start worrying. I still think we'll see Grasu this season as Fox indicated. I don't think they want him getting out of this season without experience and some idea if he is capable of being a starter. I'm not sure if that will be sooner (within the next few weeks) or late in the season.

I don't think Heyward-Bey and White are anywhere close to the same player coming out of college. DHB http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/historical/564881 Positives: Exceptional straight-line speed. Opponents must account for his deep speed on every play. Too fast off the snap for most defenders to challenge him in press coverage. Long, lean athlete with long arms and strong hands. Has the agility to make plays in space. Reads the field and can follow his blocks to generate yards after the catch. Can snatch the ball out of the air. Learning to better use his height as an advantage. Good leaping ability and has become more consistent in timing his leaps. Negatives: Bit of a one trick pony at this time. Might be the draft's most dangerous vertical threat, but offers little else. Long-legged and struggles to generate consistent separation out of his cuts. Not as consistently effective on jump balls as he should be, considering his natural size advantage. Too often double-clutches the ball. Questionable toughness running across the middle. Lacks strength and consistent effort as a downfield blocker. White (hit the link if you want to read the full profile it is pretty long) http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players...558/kevin-white IN OUR VIEW: The best receiver in this draft class at attacking the ball, White is never truly covered with his ability in jump-ball situations to track and highpoint - high success rate in contested situations. He is a much improved route runner with an understanding of how to stack defenders and work back to the ball with excellent coordination. White lacked polish in 2013, but his light bulb is now at full glow - although his timed speed doesn't always translate to the field, the game doesn't move too fast for him. He doesn't have the sudden burst to instantly create separation when he wants, but White has the instincts, ballskills and competitive nature needed to be a No. 1 target in a NFL offense - one of the top-seven players in the 2015 NFL Draft.

I want to see Goff throw with better technique when under pressure before throwing away a top 5 pick on a QB.

On Timu....maybe they are keeping all the LBs worth a damn? I suspect he'll be back on the practice squad if he's available. In the meantime our defense is improving each week so I'll trust the coaches know what they need on the field to keep the progress moving forward. Barrett Jones seems like a good pickup but I was wondering why he was available. Looks like he's had a couple injury plagued seasons so far including a back surgery last year. That's never good for anyone let alone an NFL player. I would have expected he'd stick on the Steelers practice squad but maybe that is all devoted to kickers now. If he makes it that far, next offseason we'll see if this is a case of the Bears grabbing a guy they think can contribute next year. I doubt he's ready to contribute this year.

Our WR just ran his route to the corner but yes I know if you just go out and run into a CB to set a pick it can be called.

Two of those penalties were bad calls. Royal dropped the ball after a catch and got flagged for spiking it One of the CBs had his hand barely graze a face mask, maybe one finger nail touched it, and they flagged him for hands to the face.

That is funny.

I think we all assumed this would be the case when we heard he had a broken leg. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...1005-story.html With Bushrod nursing a back issue, likely for the entire season, I expect we'll be signing someone off the street. That is unless they are starting to get some confidence in Fabuluje. I think we kept 9 Oline at the start of the season so we might decide to go with 8 and keep that extra slot open on the bottom of the roster to help special teams.

Rumor is that Slausson will start at Center. http://www.csnchicago.com/bears/expect-bea...enter-vs-chiefs I have a feeling Grasu is going to get his chance soon but Fox isn't comfortable with him starting and making the calls on the road against KC. That's a tough place to play with all the crowd noise, and they still have a strong Dline. Omameh has been around a few years so I guess they were ok with what he did and prefer to have his experience on the field. We have a bye in two weeks so if they want to shake it up and get the rookie in there that would be a good time to get him ready. I expect Grasu will be active for this game.

Except for Tracy Porter...to my surprise.

I agree on his improvement. He is starting to show up at the right spot and on the underneath stuff he closes on the ball very quickly. The drop off from his speed to Rolle's is noticeable such as on Amari Cooper's TD catch. If that was Conte on the deep coverage instead of Rolle we'd have two threads dedicated to blasting his "late as usual" coverage skills.