AZ54

I thought Mundy played well against Seattle and I think he'll get the job done for us this year. Comparing him to Earl Thomas is not realistic and he's certainly not going to cover pass routes for 4 seconds. We need serviceable play from our safeties this year and that I believe Mundy can provide it at SS. Just avoid diving into a play and completely missing the tackle like Major Wright often did and I'll be happy. He might give up a few more yards than someone like an Earl Thomas would but avoid the big gains and make their offense have longer drives. We have a new scheme with a ton of new and young players at all levels on defense. It seems clear to me this preseason that players across the board often aren't sure where they should be. We saw that on offense last season and it started to smooth out around the 4th game and was definitely better in the second half of the season. Nobody ever wants to hear it but it's a reality that players need experience against different offenses to get better. You just can't do that day after day going against the same Bears offense. FS remains the biggest question mark, right now it appears that it'll end up in Conte's hands with Vereen behind him…which means it'll remain our biggest question mark on D. I'm a big fan of Fuller and I think having him on the field is going to make a noticeable difference in our nickel package this year. He can cover the "move" TEs we'll be seeing keeping our safeties less exposed to the better athletes. Our defense is in the midst of an overhaul that is going to require another offseason to complete, at least to get quality players at all 3 levels. In year 1 the bulk of the money and the early draft picks went to the Dline. I think that was the right approach but it also means we're relying on them to get the job done on both run D and pass D via effective pass rush limiting the coverage time our safeties have to do. If we are to compare to Seattle's defensive overhaul it should be in the 2nd year of Carroll's tenure (2010) where they ranked 25th in defense pts/game. The following year they rose to 7th. 2010 was a young Earl Thomas' first NFL season along with Kam Chancellor. If our young LBs improve this season it will allow us to focus on the backend of the defense next year.

That might be one more reason the Bears cut him so early. We haven't yet started game planning for Buffalo so while Palmer might know the playbook what's he really going to say that they won't see from film of last season? The whole spying thing is overrated, just ask the Patriots.

Not much of a surprise I suppose but I expected he'd figure in the competition for the last safety spot.

There is that as well…good point.

I finally got to see the first half of the game. I don't quite get all the sky is falling comments especially regarding the offense. I saw lots of production and of course some mistakes but overall we moved the ball against Seattle, often making it look easy. WR looked good overall but Jeffrey missed the early TD catch. Add in Wilson and, as he gets up to speed, Santonio Holmes and this will be a very tough group to stop. Ola is not ready to be a RT in the NFL. He might have potential but he's not there yet. In the 2nd quarter there were some key ole blocks by both Ola and #85 Mulligan that led to easy sacks. Rosario whiffed on a block at the goal line that led to a tackle behind the LOS. Defense is a different story but the Dline actually gives me reason for optimism. We had good pass rushes quite often. Yes we lost contain many times but this is Russell Wilson, one of the fastest and quickest QBs, in the NFL. Adjusting to contain is a correctable problem but for the other QBs we will face they are going to give up sacks, and we really haven't seen the rush with Jared Allen yet. What worries me most is the lack of plays from the LBs. I expect SMC to still be learning but Bostic, Briggs, and especially Williams were ineffective. At times SMC seemed to diagnose the plays better than the other guys but he is still a step late getting to the right spot. With experience I think he'll be making those plays by mid-season. Bostic has the athleticism but still seems lost. I hated the coverage of the DBs but I trust Tillman and Jennings to sort that out once the real season begins. Getting Kyle Fuller back will help a lot versus watching Hayden out there. Safeties are what they are and if they don't give up the big plays this season I'll be happy. If we're talking about them as our primary defensive concern then it's really issues in front of them that are the problem. Right now I expect our 1st - 3rd Rd draft picks in 2015 to be S, TE and LB. Likely in that order assuming we see improvement from SMC, Bostic and the staff remains high on Greene and Jones. There will be no reason to pay big $$ to Briggs next year and DJ Williams will be looking for a new home as well. I watched the first half of Buffalo's preseason game. We will destroy them. EJ Manual can't go through his progressions if the first WR is covered and looked lost even when dumping off the ball. CJ Spiller is the real deal and they will also have Watkins out there to challenge us but our pressure will be effective against them. Their Dline is good but behind them there is little to note and they will not cover our WRs. Then the real schedule begins.

I think Jones is one of those guys with enough potential that he won't stick around long enough for us to put him on the practice squad. It might take him a year or two to develop but keeping him around is the right decision IMO as he could be a good starter for us for years.

Jordan Senn is cut as well. That's a positive IMO as it means Greene has played well enough to earn a roster spot, as has Christian Jones. Somebody is working overtime for the Bears website as their roster list is updated with the latest cuts, a departure from years past when it took days to get updated. http://www.chicagobears.com/team/roster.html

If we had someone with very good raw talent that could develop into a starter, or a cheaper #2 QB down the road to save cap space, I'd be open to keeping a roster spot for a #3 QB. Fales is not that guy IMO. The question comes down to keeping a #3 QB on the roster that will never amount to much or giving that slot (protecting) a good young talent at another position. I appreciate Palmer's response about the Bears after getting cut. https://twitter.com/JwPalms?original_refere...tw_p=tweetembed "I'll be wearing #bears gear and supporting the bears for the rest of my life. Regardless of what happens. This is the best org in the NFL." We are not the bottom of the barrel in the NFL as some in the media still make us out to be. Once again, kudos to the Bears for making a decision promptly and cutting Palmer early enough that he might get a shot with another team. If not, I'm sure we'll keep him in mind as we did last year should things go the wrong way with injuries.

Waiting on Jordan Palmer to be cut. I know he's slated to play against Cleveland but he's not nearly the QB Clausen is, especially considering he has 3 to 4 times as much experience with our offense. Fales doesn't inspire much confidence either but as a 3rd guy, likely practice squad player I'd rather keep him for the upside versus Palmer. Palmer often looks overmatched or confused after the snap.

Nope…and I'll bet he's our SLB starter in Week 1. Bostic remains on the bench while DJ Williams and Briggs start.

With two rookies at DT I figured he'd be a good 5th option at DT.

Yes but for one most KR are touchbacks these days. Half the PRs are fair caught or just hit the ground. I want to have that weapon for the returns as it can impact a game tremendously but the way the rules are today it's not as big of an impact. We know Chris Williams has done PR/KR before so he's capable just need to see it at the NFL level. I loved having Hester on the roster over the years but what he did for us was not worth $2-3mil. I wish him well in Atlanta but the fact they used him for a simple WR screen doesn't make me think he's suddenly figured out how to play WR. By the way, in a highlight of a Julio Jones play I noticed a guy named Weems on the sideline.

Agreed, Toub was special.

I agree there but it's preseason not the ideal time to be particular about who you can find. This is the same team that moved Peppers to LB.

No links so I had to dig around to figure out which Wilson…but it's not Marquess. http://www.csnchicago.com/bears/bears-part...on-nate-collins I'm not so surprised about Adrian Wilson as he started improving then fell out of favor among the coaching staff. Collins I find surprising but on the other hand I also find it to be good news about our DT depth. This tells me the club is confident in Sutton and Ferguson as contributors going forward. They released both players in time to have them be picked up by other clubs before the wave of cuts hits, which I find to be a respectable approach. Could Collins sign with the Packers to replace Raji? I think at this point Ka'Deem Carey is going to be our #2 RB.

We got rid of him for $3mil in cap space, at least that is what I think he signed for and IIRC his deal with us would have cost $2mil. That can translate into whoever you deem it to be among our signees this offseason. Since it seems clear Willie Young and Houston we're our early targets I'd say overall it translated into keeping enough room available that we were able to get Jared Allen. That space along with what Cutler's contract conversion freed up. If you prefer a straight up comparison I'll take the combination of WR Marquess Wilson and KR/PR Williams and the extra cap space.

We're a couple weeks away from the start of the season. I'm curious how our division opponents are doing. As I scan around various websites when I find something noteworthy I'll post the link. It'd be nice of others add in as well. Today it is Nick Fairley making headlines for his eating habits. Actually it seems like there is much more going on than just a man who likes to eat. Either way, he's on their second string and on a Dline that lost Willie Young who appears to be a good player so far. For a team that has invested three #1 picks at DT and then DE they are planning on needing to blitz their linebackers a lot more this season to get pressure. I'm good with that considering their weak secondary. This is a team that needed DBs in a bad way yet went after a TE in Rd 1. Their offense will be tough to stop "if" they can protect Stafford but they'll have to score a lot of points this year to win games. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000038...-got-in-the-way http://www.detroitlions.com/news/lions-ins...0c-612ab195f979

If the owners are willing to spend the money why not? Overall it can only help improve the quality of the players in the league and with a likely expansion coming up (either LA or London or both) that's important.

True, not a lot there that we don't talk about here. I've seen plenty of Forte misses on pass protection to know he's not a great pass blocker, despite what John Gruden says. As far as the Oline…the article looked at overall grades for the season. Early on we had tons of issues with plays, missed blocking assignments, etc. The first 4 games were not smooth at all on offense. I think Long improved significantly over the course of the season while Mills improved in some areas but still struggled with speed rushers in space. We all knew Bushrod was not an elite LT but he does well enough that Cutler doesn't have to worry about it on each snap. The key is that the inside is solid (as Kromer and Trestman wanted) allowing Cutler opportunities to move around. I'm curious to see if Ola continues to improve and gives Mills a run for the spot at RT. I don't foresee that happening but Ola's play could mean the end of the road for a guy like Britton.

The fact we are so unsure of the current backup WRs behind Marshall and Jeffrey along with the fact Wilson was by all accounts playing well and will return around week 4 means he gets a spot on the roster at the 3rd or 4th WR spot. Williams returned to practice this week and hopefully we'll see him against Seattle. I think he makes the roster as a special teams player/WR so that slots him as the 6th WR. While I like what little we've seen of him as a WR I don't believe he has enough experience yet at the NFL level for us to rely on him as the 5th WR/Returner. Durability remains a question mark for him as well. That's why I see us carrying 6 WRs this year. In between we have two spots one of which will end up being Santonio Holmes. He has too much talent and experience in the league and given the weak competition he's facing it's hard to believe he won't show enough to win a roster spot. If he keeps his act together he could unseat Wilson for the 3rd WR slot for the rest of the season. That leaves one spot open…and I'm not sure who will get that but it's likely to be whoever offers the best combination of special teams play and WR play. Right now that seems to be Morgan.

Fuller is day to day. Ankle sprain was nothing serious and didn't look like much in the replay to me. http://www.csnchicago.com/bears/sick-bay-b...ng-jordan-mills Rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller, who suffered an ankle strain covering the opening kickoff of the Jacksonville game, also was out of practice. Both Briggs and Fuller were described by head coach Marc Trestman as “day to day.”

Maybe, maybe not… http://www.csnchicago.com/bears/bears’-ben...g-play-and-fine

Yes, he is gone. One thing I like about the Emery/Trestman regime is that they are decisive. Sometimes we can see things coming like Weems today other times we think they should go one way and they all line up and go the other way. Whatever it is when they make a decision they are clear about it. My biggest issue with Weems is that he can't return kicks very well at all, he has no vision just runs full speed into traffic hoping there will be a hole when he gets there. As a WR he really can't separate from DBs and isn't big enough to shield them. It is extremely easy to replace his skill set with a rookie and should be relatively easy to improve upon it. Easy decision.

I read somewhere it's more or less a two week tryout. With little to lose it's worth a shot but his attitude is my biggest concern. Unless he shines right out of the gate I think he'd be our 4th WR once Wilson returns. Will he be content sitting on the bench?

I'm glad he's back. He has to earn his job, even earn a roster spot so there is nothing wrong with competition being added to the mix.