AZ54

I get tired of listening to these players, many who are multi-millionaires, complain about how hard their job is and if they make one mistake out of 64 plays it ruins their game and reputation. If I make one mistake out of 64 or just one out of hundreds of attempts at my job I cost my company millions or even tens of millions of dollars. I'm just one of tens of millions of ordinary people with jobs like that. True professionals understand there is a standard they have to meet, they know exactly what that standard is, and they accept it as a condition for holding that job. Why these guys need to hear how hard their job is, and "woe is us" for being in this difficult position, is beyond me. It's the standard. Man up and own it. Tillman's speech to the rookies was much better in that he said to never think that way. (paraphrasing...). Just focus on what must be done on every play in all situations, and what you need to do in advance to be prepared to get it done.

Interesting stuff. Especially about dealing with coaches you don't like. Not even sure what to think about that because it's a topic that easily cuts both ways. When you look at someone like Jenkins, or Leatherwood, or any of these young NFL players still relying on what they were able to do (i.e. got away with) in college because of their superior physical talent. Was that the message Jenkins needed to hear last year when he was struggling? OTOH not all coaches are good at their jobs, and players and their talent don't fit all schemes.

You draw a lot from one photo of a guy who decided to do some modeling. Maybe he was also in Paris to help Fields with his football camp? Does this mean he's doing nothing to rehab? I don't know how you draw that conclusion from this. Mahomes is not doing rehab but he's also enjoying his time off before a 6mo block of work with few days off. https://www.tmz.com/2023/06/26/patrick-mahomes-plays-camera-man-for-brittany-during-bikini-photo-shoot/

Soft tissue injury leaves a lot of room for interpretation.

Claypool only missed the last week + of workouts. A couple OTAs and then minicamp, otherwise he was there.

Some good analysis by Robert Schmitz.

To further followup on Detroits 1st Rd LB selection I just came across this... https://www.profootballrumors.com/2023/06/nfc-north-rumors-campbell-bears-addison-cook

Detroit is well represented in this list.

Putting up prayers for our extended Bears family here for Pix and Bill. Hope both of you get well soon. Pix, about all we know from OTAs and minicamp is that for the first time in years our offense didn't look inept and we didn't get the usual "it's a work in progress" crap from the coaches and players. That doesn't mean it's all perfect either but we are clearly entering training camp starting from a much higher platform than usual. The defense still has the same question mark at DE but Poles hasn't moved or done anything desperate. I'm starting to think he feels we just might have enough to get the job done. Not great, just adequate enough that it's not worth giving up significant future draft capital to try to improve it.

Always fun to watch those highlights.

This definitely makes me feel optimistic that we'll see a legit NFL offense this year. https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/bears-coaches-see-more-advanced-offense

It's summer and quiet while everyone is away but Dan Durkin put together a good breakdown of what DJ Moore brings to the table.

I have to admit I agree Velus is on the roster bubble. On one hand that’s bad for last years 3 Rd pick. On the other hand this WR corps has come along far faster and far better than I ever thought possible at the time Velus was drafted. If it comes down to Pettis or Velus I’m keeping Velus. He’s better with the ball in his hands and their hands are about equal. Period is the better route runner but I prefer Velus on jet sweeps and drag routes.

Are we keeping 5 or 6? I’d say 6 stick around. I think they will stick with Velus as primary returner this year and see what else they can get out of him. Tyler Scott is getting reps at PR and maybe KR. He may end up the primary competition for Pettis in terms of getting snaps. There is no need to duplicate talent so one of them ends up on practice squad. Barring injury that is likely stonePettis. Which means ESB makes the 53.

Good summary of what was seen from the rookies in OTAs and Minicamp. There were a lot of good first impressions which bodes well since we'll be relying on many of them to contribute early. https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/what-bears-rookies-showed-in-offseason-work

Listen to his press conference from yesterday. He outlines what he’s been doing to improve his body and avoid those injuries.

Tev getting some praise

Sure, but you know better than I do for the Olineman it's always different when the pads come on.

I agree. I like him as depth but GIpson's never been a quick twitch guy nor is he powerful. He is a good hustle player and with that work ethic he'll likely have a job in the NFL for years to come. If he can have a good season this year with 5-7 sacks maybe he ends up similar to Roy Robertson-Harris. RRH signed for 3yr $23mil with the Jaguars after he left Chicago.

I can’t imagine thinking we have too much competition. At best Jones is a practice squad player. If you look at his play last year so is Dom Robinson. On the next tier we have have Gipson and Green who are both rotational players. Walker is the only legit starter in this group. Much like how adding DJ Moore pushed WRs back into their appropriate slot so would adding another starting DE. Terrell Lewis has a long way to go for starter snaps but he should be in the competition with Gipson and Green. P.S. Every year in minicamp there is a surprise pass rusher who gets great press clippings. That only lasts until the first day the Oline are allowed to put hands on a defender.

Brisker needs a lot of improvement before he gets to a Pro Bowl. Step one is to stop missing so many easy tackles. I’d give the pro bowl nod to Eddie Jackson because he’s the better ball hawk. Plus he has better coverage LB to support the underneath and deep middle. That frees up his eyes to focus on the outside or makes QB force throws into tighter window which leads to more tipped passes.

That would be great, trade back one spot and pick up a starting RT and starting DE.

Thanks

Media can attend some OTAs (don't know the Wash policies) so we'll see what is reported about Young. If there is trade talk among our teams can Poles ask for film of Young from their practices? 2 years into his recovery and just listening to this interview it seems he's still not the same player. He sounds a bit like what we heard from Jenkins last year so he obviously knows of the trade rumors, plus all the contract noise. He's a bit coy when it comes to answering questions about his knee. How will you know you're back? "Because it'll feel good and it felt good today" (paraphrasing). These are non-contact practices. Saying you have your burst back has nothing to do with handling the power of an OT as you try to bend around the edge. He doesn't even talk about wanting to get back into that which makes me think he's not yet confident in his knee. If Poles has any interest I don't know how he answers the questions about the health of that knee. Right now I'm still sitting at giving up a Day 3 pick due to the unknowns.

I listened to this show last night and the reporter they had from Minn laughed when they mentioned Yannick and said he only lasted with them until the bye week. That's a damning endorsement and whatever issues are behind that there is no denying that no team wants Ngakoue long term. He might be saying he wants to be a on a playoff caliber team but at this point those options are getting few and far between.