AZ54

I'm not exactly looking forward to writing a little game summary but there are still a few things worth mentioning. Sanborn continues to show well. He had just 1 negative play but with another double digit tackle game he's becoming a mainstay in our D. I'd love to see him play behind a Dline that made the Oline work harder before getting to the 2nd level. Darrynton Evans has better vision and ran much better than Ebner did last week. I think he sticks on the active roster for another week. Borom is not ever going to be the answer at RT. I understand that Siemian could be a bit rusty on the offense but why were so many other players unable to line up properly? All I can think is that we got a glimpse of how good Fields is in the huddle calling the play and making sure guys know where to line up. With little passing threat, and no running threat from Fields, Montgomery ran for 5.6ypc, 79yds, and added 34yds on receptions. That's a good day against a good defense on the road. Evans added 34yd rushing and 33yds receiving. Elijah Hicks is going to give up a lot of yards receiving. He's just not a good enough athlete to play deep. When Brisker returns I expect he'll move to be more FS and leaving Houston-Carson to play more SS. From what I saw with DHC I think that combination will be ok for us. For those fans who want to see us move on from Jackson this will give you a good what-if scenario to evaluate. With Gordon and Brisker out it appeared we stayed out of nickel and used 3 LBs for most of the game. I was optimistic about him when he signed with us but Cruikshank hasn't done much if anything this year. We definitely have to add more depth among the DBs this offseason and if he's kept around, I doubt Vildor makes the roster next year. Armon Watts got a sack. He and Pennell can sometimes make a play too often nobody else can. Taco Charleton didn't even get on the stat line. Matt Adams played a lot of snaps and had just 1 tackle. It seems you'd at least get credit for some assists somewhere in the game if you just got around the ball. Joe Thomas isn't the answer so I'm getting curious to see what Weatherford can do. If he plays poorly at most we'd be giving up 1 tackle.

Some athletes do get it back but it takes far more than a year.

At this point any significant injury is season ending. Ankle sprain that takes 4-6 weeks to heal? Done. Would it matter or even be worth it to have Mooney play in the last game? IMO you use those reps for guys like Claypool, Pringle, even Velus to help him for next year.

Just to be fair here are similar concerns with another prospect I like a lot: Jalen Carter. Starting around 4:30.

There is a very long way to go in the draft evaluation process. Well Anderson is currently listed as the consensus #1 overall prospect but when I watch entire games I see gaps in his performance that concern me. He’s still a terrific prospect but we’re talking to 5 picks so you need a sure thing. I don’t think Anderson will be a bust but I wonder if he’ll struggle a lot more against NFL OTs. He is more of a Khalil Mack style in his rush than Von Miller. This video does a good job capturing some of my concerns starting around the 5 min mark.

Teven Jenkins did go to Flus and told him he didn't think he was good enough to play but that he wanted to be available in case of an injury...he'd play. Because of that Jenkins was active for that game.

I believe 5 juries have already voted no on Charleton: Dallas, Miami, KC, and Pitt. I'd rather see Reyes get some experience and see if he has anything at all to offer than waste snaps on Charleton. Granted Taco at least has a bit of performance on his resume with 46 tackles and 11 sacks so he's better as a drop-in replacement for a few weeks.

Good point. I think there was concern with the gap we have on the roster. Aside from stingers point about Sanborn they may have gotten good news on the injuries of Adam’s and I think there was another LB injured.

Buckner would be a great addition and I'd still add Carter, Bresee, or Anderson alongside him.

He's a good football player but there was no scenario where he was part of the future, and this season is all about evaluating the young players. Poles did him right by letting him go to a winning team.

The issue with Fields playing with that injury is that he will be trying to avoid contact on that shoulder. That’s just b normal but it means he’s more likely to put his throwing shoulder into harms way.

Interesting to see the Bears kicking the tires on FB Rakovich. A knee injury kept him out of the draft/UDFA picture but if healthy he's an intriguing prospect. There's no way he'd be playing this year so this is clearly a 2023 consideration.

Against Chicago Parson's had 2 solo tackles. 2 assists, 0 sacks, 0 INTs, 0 forced fumbles. Don't misunderstand me because I'd take him on our team in a heartbeat but the fact is that Parson's and that entire Dallas defense could not stop Fields. Plus I can make a good argument that Parsons has a lot more talent surrounding him on that D than Justin does on our offense.

There is no reason to risk the future of this franchise for one game. Let Fields rest for a week or two and get ready for the rest of the season. If I'm Poles I have that exact conversation with Flus just in case he gets too narrow-minded to consider what his future would look like without a good QB.

Never thought I'd see so much frustration with the Bears averaging 29pts/gm in the last 5 games. If we just had an average defense we'd be on a 5 game winning streak. Nonetheless I'm happy to see this discussion because there wasn't one person here who thought we'd have this to talk about this year.

It's very interesting to compare Josh Allen's 2019 season (his 2nd) to Fields this year. All we need is a little patience. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FielJu00.htm https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AlleJo02/gamelog/2019/

Based on SNF commentators Herbert at 6'6" tall is a leader in passes knocked down. These young QBs still don't have fast eyes and so it's easier for DTs to follow where they are looking and time jumps on their passes. I think it's natural for a guy who has just finished one full season of games as a starter to still be finding his way and have things to improve upon. If he focuses too much on that it'll take his eyes off the DBs and WRs. That would lead to worse problems. For now I prefer he focus more on reading the coverage. His pocket presence has improved dramatically from earlier in the season and he's starting to slide around more. I don't know when it's going to be but there is a big passing game lurking in the shadows. We adjusted with Fields running and now defenses are adjusting back. It's our turn to make the next move and I think Getsy and Eberflus will do that.

Poles has taken a lot of pain this year to put himself in the driver's seat. Unlike teams in cap space purgatory Poles can build and make decisions when the time is right. There is no reason to move on from Whitehair early, he should wait until the timing is right and he has confidence we have signed someone equally as good or better. If that takes until 2024 so be it. That may also mean a decision after training camp.

Bresee is still a very good fit as a 3-tech whereas Tyree Wilson is a bit of a tweener (DE or DT). A trade back like that to 6 should net Bresee. All I see are power style rushes like Mack. vs. Von Miller speed/bend around the edge. NFL OTs will match his length and present a much bigger challenge. He might even end up a 5-tech DE for a 3-4 defense. Good player who would definitely shore up some run defense on the edges not sure this is top 10 ability.

Thanks for reminding me how old I am and how many challenging (trying to avoid using depresssing) years we've been through. I do like this coaching staff so far. They've had missteps but they've also coached numerous rookies to being competitive on the field. We're starting 3 rookies on D (Sanborn, Gordon, Brisker) and relying on a 5th Rd rookie at DE for a significant chunk of snaps. Combined with losing Khalil Mack (who didn't do much on Sun night football 0 tackles, 1 assist, 0 sacks and is making Poles' decision looks like a complete steal), Roquan, Quinn, and even Hicks in FA and you've taken out the heart of the defense. I agree with all those decisions but we can't underestimate what it means on the field. Today's post-game press conference is the first time I've seen Eberflus frustrated and really at a loss for words. I really think he felt we should win this game (so did I). He needs some time to review the film and I'm confident some corrections will be made. We need some players like Jenkins back on the field but beyond that I think we're about to head into a turning point where we go into full evaluation mode and see a few more rookies getting snaps. In a way they experimented a bit this week and gave Velus another shot, making Harry inactive in the process. I think Eiselen is on the short list to get some snaps but if that happens it will depend on Fields health. That might sound odd given Mustipher's struggles but going from a known to an unknown regardless of how bad the known is, is still a risk. I'd guess right after the bye is the ideal time. Weatherford is another guy I think they'll try to get some defensive snaps with before the season ends. On the Oline it's hard to say what we do with Leatherwood and Carter. Ideally I'd like to see both get some snaps but when? Protecting Fields has to be job 1. If Fields sits "injured" in the Week 17 I'd experiment. Sadly we literally have nobody with "youthful potential" among the DTs. Other than the Mel Tucker years I can't recall another season with so few plays by DTs. That's being anecdotal of course because I don't have data to back it up, but they sure are quiet during games. That has led us to blitz more and but that's not who we are in this D, especially with the rookies out there, and it opens up the backend for some big plays. I'd rather make a team like Atlanta walk all the way down the field like they had to on the first drive than give them chunk plays because of a blitz.

We have over $100 million to upgrade two or three starting spots. Starters are usually available every offseason. Moreover we should be able to draft a couple starters. Elite talent almost always has to be drafted.

This game was a homecoming for Fields, playing in front of family and friends. I don't like the play calling but I also wonder if Justin reverted back to focusing on the big plays as he did earlier in the season, in this case hoping to impress people.

Yeah I was disappointed in Schofield and run blocking was very hit or miss. Ebner is lost in the tight spaces of the NFL. 18 carries for Fields is a huge no no. Calling QB runs when he is obviously injured is flat out stupid.

https://bearswire.usatoday.com/2022/11/20/bears-falcons-inactives-week-11-teven-jenkins-velus-jones/ Alright we have quite a bit to see today. WR: Velus is back on the active roster and Harry is inactive. Pringle gets two games in a row at WR and seeing how he and a more comfortable-with-the-playbook Claypool change things (or not) is a big focus. RB: Darrynton Evans is active, will he get some snaps at RB or do they stick with Ebner and Monty? If he's getting snaps it's a glimpse into a possible future without Montgomery. LB: Adams is back this week, how will they line up this week? Weatherford is active as well (maybe he was last week) but we can watch him on special teams. Oline: Jenkins is active so I look forward to see improved running lanes. Will Reiff continue to start at RT? Based on Eberflus' comments it seems that's how we'll end the season. DBs: We have a healthier Jaylon Johnson and Vildor is back. Many don't like Vildor but I think he's pretty good 10-15yds from the LOS and in run support. That matters this week because Atlanta isn't a team that will threaten us downfield much and will instead prefer to run to the edges. DE: AQM is back and we'll get to see Taco.

I thought he might turn into at least a good backup for us but at this point he's off to LA because they are desperate for help. Carter was the more talented prospect and this will likely make certain that he doesn't get cut in an attempt to be placed on the practice squad. https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2022/11/18/23467083/los-angeles-rams-sign-zachary-thomas-off-chicago-bears-practice-squad