AZ54

After watching both videos the decision to draft Velus seems like a perfect complimentary fit for this offense. I was focused on finding an X WR but it appears Jones is the chess piece that makes the play fakes (or not) something the defense has to react to. There are some very simple route concepts where Fields can get him the ball in space and let him do his YAC thing. Jones working out of the slot on those deep sideline routes makes a lot of sense too. It's a simple rub concept where his speed really challenges a DB to keep up with him through. the traffic. With this offense we simply don't need Velus to execute what might be a more traditional X WR route tree. On the flip side we have Mooney doing those things, filling the role Adams did for GB. He's not as good but maybe they view him as good enough. Looking back at the draft, we weren't going to get as much production or attention on jet sweep plays/fakes from Skyy Moore or Alec Pierce, but might have been good with Tyquan Thornton in the same role. Maybe Poles figured Velus or Thornton would be there in the 3rd? Afterall, what role are the Patriots going to use Thornton (50th pick) for because Mac Jones is not consistently hitting him 50 yards downfield? Pickens was still on the board too when we chose Brisker and I'd have been happy with him there. IMO Pickens skillset would be a better fit in the role Adams had but again, it appears they are content with Mooney. Would Pickens be happy when he is primarily a blocker or decoy? Adams was never the WR who routinely won contested catches. He used quickness to get open and if that failed, as we saw last year after Jaylon Johnson shut him down in the 1st half, the scheme could get him open. There's no reason to think Mooney won't benefit in the same way. As others have shown RBs get a significant chunk of targets and based on what was shown here the rest (Pringle, ESB, Kmet, etc) just as coverage dictates or when plays break down. I can definitely see Fields ability to run really stressing defenses on some of these play-action plays. All of this has to start with an effective running game or there is little reason for LBs or anyone to respect the play fakes. The teamwork on the zone blocking requires practice especially on spots where they have to help chip and then get to the 2nd level. That is job 1.

I have always like when the organization keeps former players engaged.

Passing game breakdown

This is long but he goes over the various type of running plays the Packers ran and Getsy is almost certainly going to follow. It seems clear St Brown was brought here moreso as a run blocker than pass receiver. That's not necessarily bad as long as he can contribute some as a WR. You'll also get to see some of the limitations Lucas Patrick has but those should be less impactful at C. There is a similar video breakdown for the passing game I have yet to watch but will post here in this thread.

Now he has two WRs like that in Pettis and StBrown.

It pays to have friends in the media. Criticizing him would be like eating their own.

Funny thing about Pettis is that he was a 2nd Rd pick largely because of his return ability followed by his skill as a WR. At least that's how I remember him when I watched him in college and his draft profile sort of echoed that. The 49ers were lauded for selecting Pettis, or at least not criticized for it despite a big trade up to get him much earlier than he was valued. Fast forward to today and everyone in the media is complaining about Velus Jones being a 3rd Rd pick and Jones offers even more versatility than Pettis did coming out of college. At the time everyone was still singing the praises of Lynch for the Trubisky draft/JimmyG etc. so he got a pass for reaching on Pettis so he could help his QB. https://www.ninersnation.com/2019/1/28/18200971/49ers-offseason-grades-nfl-draft-2018-dante-pettis "The 49ers needed to add some playmakers this past year, and they made an aggressive move in the 2018 NFL Draft to add Pettis. The team traded a third round pick and received a fifth round pick from Washington to move up from No. 59 to No. 44. Non-first round trades can fly under the radar, but it was still an indication the 49ers were high on the Washington receiver and returner." https://www.nfl.com/prospects/dante-pettis/32005045-5473-5981-8eda-5f27db81c106 https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/04/28/nfl-draft-2018-team-grades-picks-analysis I don't expect anything out of Pettis but he's good for camp and if there are injuries who knows how the last WR spot shakes out.

Not sure I've seen this here on our board. I came across this on Bearswire cross-referenced from ESPN where Matt Bowen selected Brisker as one of the top 10 best fits among the rookie draft picks: https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/draft2022/insider/story/_/id/33891791/nfl-draft-2022-best-team-fits-top-rookies-perfect-landing-spots-midround-steals-early-impact-potential https://bearswire.usatoday.com/2022/05/16/chicago-bears-jaquan-brisker-dubbed-perfect-fit-2022-nfl-draft/ Brisker is a classic fit for Matt Eberflus’ scheme in Chicago as a defender with multidimensional traits. His play style reminds me of Bills safety Micah Hyde. With a smooth pedal, split-field range and easy transition ability, Brisker can drive downhill on the ball from the deep half or match vertically in Quarters. When the Bears do play their single-high schemes, look for Brisker to rotate down, tracking the ball in the run game or lurking underneath in coverage. A highly instinctive player with disruptive traits, Brisker will pair with safety Eddie Jackson in the Bears’ heavily defined system.

I have been a proponent of this going back to Trubisky's days. There is one caveat in that play action takes the QBs eyes off the defense. To keep QBs looking forward I think coaches fell in love with the RPOs and it had initial success when it was new. On those plays the QB has a simple read for a run/pass option to one side of the field but that is extremely limited in terms of what a defense must defend against. Defenses adapted quickly as they always do and now nobody really cares about RPOs. Where RPOs force the action into a narrow window I feel like play action opens up the entire field and allows a good OC to take advantage of weaknesses or bad tendencies of specific players (susceptible to double cuts, LB with coverage issues, etc.) which create more opportunities for big plays. You have to coach the QB how to interpret the defensive shifts that happen while his back is turned, and he also has to read the rush package properly and be in sync with the Oline blocking assignments before the snap. With athletic QBs like Trubisky and Fields you have options on moving the pocket, and hot reads if a guy blitzes to mitigate that. I think all this takes more commitment and effort on the part of the players and coaches versus learning college-style RPOs but there's a reason it's lasted so long as an effective play call in the NFL. It's going to be interesting to see this play out this year.

Good call.

Justin has been working on an improved more compact throwing motion this offseason. It appears here that Getsy is pushing him to get rid of the little hop he takes before he throws.

Wow that is a seriously underthrown pass. Hard to say if it was the wrong route but for Gordon to be able to come back on that and pick it off says a lot. I'm guessing this is the same play but Finke is listed as #8 on the Bears site but jersey numbers at this point change frequently. In any case that WR doesn't have the burst to challenge Gordon and he was going nowhere against his coverage. I look forward to seeing Velus against Gordon. https://www.chicagobears.com/news/quick-hits-bears-top-pick-gordon-lighting-it-up The ball skills that second-round pick Kyler Gordon demonstrated at Washington were on display during the Bears' first two OTA practices Monday and Tuesday. On one play, the rookie cornerback ran stride-for-stride with receiver Chris Finke, stopped on a dime, turned around and leaped high in the air to intercept the ball. "Kyler's been lighting it up the last two days, I'll just tell you that," coach Matt Eberflus said following Tuesday's practice. "The guy's got tremendous ball skills. He's been playing defense the right way and we're very impressed with him.

Other than the fact Eberflus reportedly moved to more Cover 3 to close some of the Cover 2 issues teams we able to take advantage of. That's good news IMO because I got sick of the Cover 2 getting burned on the same throws again and again. I was all for drafting offense early in this draft but I thought it would have been nice if we were in position to take advantage of the Rd 2 DB talent. The Vikings got my guy Lewis Cine at 32, which seemed high, but left us Gordon on the board who I think is a very good fit for our scheme. And so here we are with an upgraded secondary. The mixed coverages is why having a legit Field General out there in Brisker was such a good pick. My assumption is that his leadership is what we coveted as much as his physical ability. He seems like one of the few safeties in the draft capable of getting everyone aligned before the snap. We badly need that so I don't have to see Eddie Jackson waving his hands up in the air on every blown coverage. If Brisker is that guy, then the DC can mix in coverages during a game with more confidence.

He has some good insights into our offseason with the new coaches, strength and conditioning program, Oline, and the WRs. Most of that is in the first half of the interview and the second half goes further back to his days with Angelo.

If he's even he's leavin' and so I'm taking Velus on this one.

He ran a limited route tree in college, pretty much like all of the drafted WRs, even some of those that went in the first round (or Christian Watson). Doesn't mean he can't be effective since most rookie WRs start out the same way. Regardless, his YAC ability might make him the better slot option but I think long term he lines up in a variety of spots and we force the defense to sort out how they want to cover him. There aren't many NB who can stay with Velus 20 yd downfield or even on a drag route across the field.

They obviously see some potential with him but did this to clear up a 90-man roster spot for training camp. That's good so we can evaluate one more player.

I agree familiarity with Getsy likely gets St Brown the first crack at X. We'll see how they line up in OTAs but then we'll see what changes happen when training camp starts. If Velus, who is not a great route runner, passes him up quickly that's not a good sign we can expect anything at all from St. Brown.

Easy. There is just one team I can't see any way we can defeat: Bills. Getting the Packers early is good before their WR situation is sorted out. Not that I expect to win that game on the road but it's in the realm of possibility. Getsy should know how to exploit their defensive weaknesses, I'm just not sure he'll have the tools to make that happen. All the other games we should be competitive but will a young roster know how to win close games? I say 6 to 8 wins.

It explains a lot about how he lost his heart for the game, all understandable. Writing that had to be hard but I also think it helped with the healing process, which will never stop. I wish him nothing but the best and hopefully he can find that football spark again. I'd like to see him smiling again on the sidelines one Sunday.

Tajae Sharpe is some reasonable competition for a roster spot. Pettis I"m not too interested in but we have to see. We need some WRs for camp and this adds competition for those last 1 or 2 roster spots. Sharpe ran a 4.55 forty at the combine so he's not a speed merchant but having players who have run NFL routes before certainly helps in camp, especially if there is an injury.

Bummer I wonder what the injury is.

Great QB if you want to practice running screen plays.

I hope Mooney's targets drop... by a lot... and we're getting better distribution across the field. I also hope his receptions stay the same meaning we're finding him when he's open and not forcing throws at him just because there are no other good options.