AZ54

I'm 100% with you on the rebuild and what we see on the field so far. I agree less on the use of Fields. I'd rather he learn the details of being a pocket QB and I consider putting him in the pocket as developing him. Letting him do what he does best isn't likely to improve what he's bad at. He needs one WR who can win early. I don't see that player at the top of the draft. Mooney can win but it's usually late on routes at the top of the stem. We might have to just add another good piece. That brings us back to the Oline because he'll need time for those WRs to get open. I agree here... fix the Center position. If we had a good Center right now it would make a world of difference for Fields even with Patrick at LG. Finding one in FA isn't likely so that leaves the draft. I have no doubt this is already a top assignment for our scouting department. I'd bring back Montgomery hopefully on a reasonable deal. I don't trust Herbert to start and with our needs I wouldn't use anything but a day 3 pick on a RB if we went there. Keep Monty, Herbert, and Ebner for next year. I'd like to see Ebner take Herberts place long term. At this point I'm considering letting Roquan walk away. I simply don't see a player worth $20mil/yr. I might tag him and see if I could get a day 2 pick in a trade but that $20mil could help in a lot of other places. Would I rather pay Jaylon Johnson or Roquan? Despite his injury issues Jaylon contributes more to the D and he'd be more difficult to replace. Hopefully the 2nd half of the season is better for Roquan but right now I'd bet Poles is feeling like he dodged a bullet.

If the 2nd half of the season can unearth another diamond in the rough on the Oline it's a huge win for us. Leatherwood has the best chance of being that guy. He won't get a shot at RG and I've been happy with Whitehair at LG. I wanted to cut him after last year but like Eddie Jackson he's reinvigorated and playing well. We have a lot of money and a lot of gaps to fill on the roster so I don't see a reason to create another gap especially one we have to spend money to fill. Cutting Whitehair has dead money of $8.3mil and saves just $5.3mil in cap space. RT seems like the logical choice for Leatherwood since Borom has limitations there. OTOH I wish he hadn't been on NFI when Whitehair went down because it would have been interesting to see if he got a shot at LG. Maybe that still happens we'll see if we can get rumors about where he's practicing.

Short week, short practices that's all very challenging for a young QB in a new system. You can't minimize the game plan stuff either because the defense has different talent and schemes. Players have to digest that quickly when they are already struggling with the plays on a full work week. I watched the replay and have some additional thoughts on a few players. Braxton Jones was really struggling with Montez Sweat's speed. Sweat routinely got into his chest before Jones could get his arms on Sweat. Just pure timing and once Jones was late Sweat moved him backwards quickly and it ended ugly for Fields on several plays. On the other hand there was quite a few plays where Jones gave up some pressure around the outside but if Fields could have stepped up it wouldn't have been an issue. That's where Patrick showed his worth. On run blocks Patrick is either hit or miss. He'll have some good blocks and then he'll just completely miss a guy or get pushed around. On pass protection he's mostly miss (still had some good plays) and nobody is having issues getting him off balance. Jenkins isn't perfect but he's obviously the best Olineman we had on the field. Gotta love his future at RG. Herbert is frustrating to watch at times because he overruns the plays and misses the good cutback creases. OTOH he makes some good plays but he's not a starter IMO. We're best off with Montgomery getting more snaps but they seemed to be alternating series. The 4th and goal play was just poor design. We had Jones and Patrick crash down on the DTs and it worked to create a crease for Herbert. However that left Kmet to slide down and block Sweat and that ain't happening. The LB filled the gap but if Sweat isn't there Herbert likely pushes through to the goal line. Sweat simply took Herbert sideways off his feet. Nonetheless, if we're going to run that play I'd prefer to put in Montgomery who is better at getting low and finding tough yards. Justin will be alright long term. This game wasn't as good as the Vikings game but I still see progress from where he was early in the season. However, we have to get rid of that early pressure in his face. Sadly I don't expect any changes on the Oline especially on the road and MNF. I do expect N'Keal Harry on the field for some plays and that should help both the run game and red zone plays. It's not like he doesn't know how to play against the NE defense. It will also put ISM on the bench where he belongs. He's got speed but he's just not a very agile athlete, has issues separating, and he's not big enough nor strong enough to win in other ways. Mooney was putting his hat on some big DEs including Sweat and doing alright blocking on several plays. He's not a #1 WR but neither is he a guy you cut. You keep players like him and then add more help. Armon Watts has improved since the beginning of the season and was big factor in keeping their running game stifled early. I still don't see much pass rush from him. Maybe we'll see that improve over the season but he's already a starter ahead of Blackson. That's not a high bar but it is progress for the roster. LBs...both Morrow and Smith were good but could have been better filling their gaps to create negative plays. The DBs are the heart of this defense. If we can find Dline players this offseason who can get consistent early pressure, and maybe stop the run so the DBs don't have to make so many tackles, these guys could really shine next year. Tough loss but it's so easy to see us winning that 20-10. I get it, that's the way it is in the NFL for most teams. I don't like the loss but I'm also not opposed to taking the higher draft pick for a team with so many holes.

Worse than some of the football being played was the Amazon team trying to cover the game. Now for the rest of the story... Everyone has been all over the issues with Patrick and Mustipher, rightfully so. I like our coaching staff but what were they seeing that convinced them on 4th and goal to call a run behind those two? I don't blame Fields for not looking at Pettis on that 3rd and short where he tried to hit Mooney over the top. At this point the odds of Mooney making a great catch are higher than the odds of Pettis making a routine catch. With all the uproar over the lack of offense our D quietly had a very good game. Gordon is starting to get quick stops on plays. The blitzes got home often or forced some errant throws. Eddie Jackson is flying around. I'd prefer to see him wrapping people up but an incoming missile that hits it target has a positive effect. There will be no hiding the DT issues on this roster all season.

I could be wrong but I don't think they had to start the 21 day window, he just had to be on IR for a minimum of 4 weeks. If his return was many weeks away they could have just kept him on IR another week or two. The big thing with the 21 day window is to let them practice and get back into shape before being active. If they do not add him to the 53-man roster within 21 days then he's on IR the rest of the season.

https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2022/10/12/23400628/chicago-bears-washington-commanders-injury-report-jaylon-johnson-returns-nfl-thursday-night-fantasy

Of the rumor mill is correct and he was out with Mono then it's hard to know where his conditioning is at and how many weeks to get back in shape. I'm very curious if they'll give him a look at LG with Whitehair out. He's only practiced with this team for a week or two so he's definitely not a near term fix anywhere but they obviously didn't like any of the other options at LG (Carter, Schofield, etc.). https://www.chicagobears.com/news/bears-ol-alex-leatherwood-returns-to-practice

I forgot ... Charles Leno is their LT. https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/top-individual-matchups-for-commanders-and-bears The Bears run up against their longtime starting left tackle and he is still fooling the people at Pro Football Focus, who for years have loved his production even while Bears quarterbacks had to watch their backs. He is rated currently as the 10th best tackle in the league and the NFL's third-best pass blocker at tackle. Overall, PFF puts him two behind Washington right tackle Samuel Cosmi.

I haven't watched or even noticed a thing the Washington Football Team has done this year. It appears their HC blames the QB for their 1-4 record so that's cool: https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/2022/10/10/ron-rivera-on-why-other-nfc-east-teams-are-ahead-of-washington-commanders-quarterback-carson-wentz/ Of course he's backpedaling as fast as he can but on a short week there is no better way to get your 1-4 team fired up to go on the road for a nationally televised broadcast where every single player has to answer the "QB" question. WFT offense: Passing 6th in yds but they are bottom 4 in Rushing. but they've tossed 6 INTs. WFT defense: Passing middle of the pack, Rush middle of the pack They have a few injuries including Jahan Dotson who likely won't play. Their starting RT missed practice with a finger injury so if he has to wear any kind of a cast or even tape on his hand it could affect his ability to block. Starting TE Logan Thomas also can't practice. https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/lists/washington-commanders-week-6-injury-report-vs-chicago-bears-tight-end-logan-thomas-didnt-practice-tuesday/ I don't like TNF because I don't think it's enough rest for the players and these games are often chaotic. Our defense, in particular our pass rush finally needs to show up in this game. Get on the QB early and often and make everyone think, like their HC, that they are losing because of Wentz.

I’m guessing That’s Braxton Jones run blocking or blocking for a screen with everyone else pass blocking. After the screw up Mustipher just decided it would be best to block nobody.

I'm going to pretend I didn't hear what he said because I don't really want that much hope for my Bears future.

Until I see him quit throwing weak arm passes off his back foot under pressure I won't be a Goff fan. That was his issue in college and so far in the NFL. Beyond that he's a terrific and accurate passer. Maybe he has overcome that issue.

Yes, you need desperate HCs and GMs of playoff eligible teams to get a good deal.

Late in the game his read of the Vikings blitz and the hot throw to Kmet was as good as any I've seen from any QB this year. I think it went for a 1st down too. 15/21 for 208yds. That's a 71% completion rate and there were at least 2 clear drops by Pettis, maybe 3 IIRC (2 Pettis, 1 ISM). Also the TD pass to Mooney late in the game was pass interference as Harrison Smith hit his arm early. I would have liked to see Mooney be more emphatic about it and urge his coach to challenge it. At a min with the 2 drops we saw Fields throw well enough for an 80% comp rate. There wouldn't be anything significant in the yards for those dropped passes, maybe another 15yds but we can call it 220yds. He added another 47yds rushing. That's a productive day and to he looked the most comfortable I've seen him in the pocket despite a lot of early pressure and some players getting a free run at him. It appears Whitehair means a lot to our running game. Patrick and Mustipher not so much. Lots of folks don't like Kmet but he had a good day too. Velus' speed (his coach calls him V12) showed up on the TD run. I didn't think he could get in that gap fast enough to score. He'll help as he gets more involved in the offense. Either this week or the MNF game a week afterward we'll have N'Keal Harry. He's good enough to get ISM off the field. Hopefully Jaylon Johnson returns too. Two prime time games in a row.

1. I still like Justin Fields and think he continues to play better each game. He made some really good quick reads this week, the sort we've been asking to see. He could use a couple WRs who can hold onto the ball. 2. Kyler Gordon had a good game. Everyone will go after him on a play he missed but he's starting to make positive (negative) plays too. Patience with rookies is needed. 3. I'm really heartened by this team coming back from being down 18pts to take the lead. It would have been easy to throw in the towel and wait for next week. There's a lot of goodness here with the coaches and the young players. A lot more talented players are needed to close the gap, however, just having Jaylon Johnson on the field might have been enough to sway this one in our favor. 4. Welcome back David Montgomery. He's still the RB I want to see with the ball in heavy traffic at the LOS where he often fought just to avoid a loss on a play. His big plays were nice to see too. 5. Hurry back Cody Whitehair, we miss ya!

Our OTs usually don't get blown up early and typically are just giving up edge pressure deep in the pocket. That's a weakness for both OTs but it's also the pass rush being done to contain Fields. If Fields could or would step up in the pocket most of that pressure, not all of it, would disappear. Fixing the interior blocking is key and after watching Patrick get pushed around I don't know if we have the players to make that happen regardless of where he lines up.

I didn't say or even imply that he should tell them. In this case it's more why tell them your taking your biggest weakness off the field?

Eberflus on Mon: We will have Patrick at LG with Whitehair out. Today reporter asks him what changed now that Getsy said we're trying out different combinations. Eberflus on Fri: "Nothing changed." Then he ran on about always having competition etc. and tossed in a quick Freudian slip about wanting Patrick at Center. He doesn't like to disclose anything he feels can give us an advantage especially personnel changes but this change seems like a done deal.

I think so but I also think that happens in the 2nd half of the season.

Swift kicks in with some good All-22 breakdown on Fields and the Oline. I listened to Getsy today and I think this staff is done with Mustipher. That doesn't mean we have good options but IMO they should be thinking after the first 4 games we haven't seen the improvement we expected. If we were to give someone else 4 games experience would we be in a better spot? Teven Jenkins doesn't even have 4 games experience and he's improved. He's not perfect as he gets beat on the very last play in this review but more often than not he's blocking his man the furthest away from Justin as compared to everyone else. Patrick continued to practice some at Center so that means he's not a lock at LG as Eberflus said on Mon. If he was they wouldn't take away valuable LG reps from him. That also means someone else, maybe Carter, got snaps at LG.

More good feedback on the offense as a whole.

Sorry Adam, I've been waiting but we gotta get this in gear. I don't expect much with Whitehair and Montgomery out this week. Things will only be tougher on Fields in the passing game and without Montgomery this week we'll struggle again to get the tough yards (3rd and short) where Herbert struggles. However the Vikings, despite being 3-1, are bottom third in both pass and run defense so they don't appear to be as good as they were in years past. They are also going through a transition to a new scheme under our former coach Ed Donatell. Just like us there are likely some growing pains. On offense they are 21st in rushing yards, but 12th in passing yards. That tends to play into our strength as a passing defense but we'll likely be missing Jaylon Johnson again this week since he didn't practice today. Jaylon is the perfect antidote to a WR like Justin Jefferson because he's consistent in his technique and you want to get Jefferson's head out of the game if at all possible. He's already shown this year some tendencies to break off his routes if he doesn't win early. The only way I can see us winning is if we have a few surprise big plays.

No doubt Mooney needs a sidekick but I'm happier (relatively speaking) watching ESB and Pettis trying to sort that out than if we had re-signed ARob in desperation.

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2022/10/lions-waive-k-dominik-eberle-to-add-k-michael-badgley

I thought about that too. I think Borom is a better fit at OG anyway. https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/justin-fields-was-under-pressure-50-percent-his-dropbacks Very interesting stat: Justin Fields was under pressure on 51.4% of his dropbacks against the Giants. On plays where he was kept clean, he went 10-of-14 for 168 yards, with a PFF grade of 90.3 Justin Fields’ average time to throw on plays where he was kept clean was 2.84 seconds, according to PFF We'd all like to see some quicker throws in there but we'd also like to see some WRs win early on the route. Add in that we had 5 drops and it's not hard to see Fields putting up an average statistical game if he had an average supporting cast. I'm not giving up on him.