Alaskan Grizzly

I hope all the best for Claypool. I would really like for him to succeed in Chicago. He’s one of those ‘big body’ receivers in a fan of (also a HUGE fan of Harry’s for the same reason). I’m a little concerned because of the rumors we’d heard about his maturity issues before coming here. That and he didn’t like playing slot (as Pittsburgh had him found just before he left). But Chicago has let him play outside and so far on the field he’s done ok. Maybe he’s another Tevin Jenkins situation? A player who just needed some good coaching? Next year is a deciding year for him so I sure hope he figures it out.

I was thinking this was the first time in a long time when I remember all the NFC East having a winning season. Usually they’re one of the worst with someone having to make the playoffs only because they’re the division leader. And that team had a 5-7 or similar record. So far all four are slated to make the playoffs.

Eddie Jackson status from the man himself.

Word.

1st round picks like Alex Leatherwood, N’Keal Harry and Taco Charlton? No game is ever “meaningless”.

When I say this I mean if he’s implied to lose (like gets the impression from coaches or players) that he doesn’t need to put in as much effort If they are close in the third or fourth quarter. It’s one thing to tell him to go out and have fun and learn as much as he can for next year but another is he’s legitimately trying to Will his team to win but told to hold back late in the game.

I have a strong opinion about winning that I’ll save for now. I’ll just say from where I sit, I see Justin and many of the players wanting to win. Justin has said he’s not accustomed to losing and if he were asked to lose or suspected it was happening on purpose, he might break his will to do better for our team in the future. And frankly I wouldn’t blame him. For what it’s worth, I hope they win all the rest of the games.

I’m doing a dangerously hot take . Bears win by a slim margin. They did some amazing work (adjustment wise) after the mini-bye (blew out Pats if I remember). Looking forward to see how they do after a full bye…at home. Brisker and Gordon will be back and I’m sure Justin will be playing to win.

Overall I’d think Poles had done a pretty good job. Most everyone here picked the Bears to have the schedule they have currently ( I was not one of them - oddly enough, they’re only about two games out of contenting for the playoffs). Anyhow, if you consider all the money he saved in trading away some of the star players and replaced them with lesser known, less expensive players (like Roquan for Sanborn) that’s a huge success. Even your list of hits and misses from the draft are in our favor 4:2. I especially like his trying to bring in former 1st rounders (Leatherwood, Harry, Reiff, Charlton) at a discount rate to see how they pan out.

Here’s another ‘how bout that’ story for the bye week. (From FB / Chicago Sun Times).

A quick little bye-week anecdote about Fields. He’s got the most 20+mph runs than any player since 2018. In the story this came from he said he felt it in his legs (this late in the season) and when they told him his last run of 50+ against GB was in the ‘low 20 mph’ range he said he’s going to need to do more wind sprints. Says he likes to be in the 21-21.5 mph range. Meanwhile Claypool holds the current speed record for this season at 21.46 mph from week one.

Stolen from Twitter. But shows, I think, how close the Bears really are…to being really good. And where the Vikings are close to being really bad. At least GB sucks both in reality and the alt-universe.

Exchange Pettis for Harry and you’ve got yourself a deal. ??

Not really a roster item for the Bears but, Robert Quinn enters IR with a (relatively) minor knee injury. Could be back for playoffs. Bears still hold a 4th round pick in exchange…and some money on his contract (?) but still…

When the Bears got EQSB I liked it. Big body WR with familiarly to the Getsy offense…yadda yadda. But he’s more a liability than commodity for the team right now. Somewhere else I read that on nearly every catch thins season, dropped or possessed, he’s managed to bobble it. Even on that big gain yesterday. Time for more more Harry and Claypool. And then there’s this from Jairire Alexander on St Brown.

Overall I agree. Early on what I saw was a guy who was playing confidently with scripted plays. As the game wore on he was having to throw more on the fly and decide on his own where the best read is. He is overly cautious to a point and stared down both receivers on the INTs. As time wears on he’ll get more confident and sure where to throw. He’s shown immense growth this season, I’m not worried how he’ll do going forward. And if the Pack thinks they’ll make the playoffs, or at least last long into them, they’re fooling themselves. Rodgers was barely able to pull out a win against a decimated Bears defense and was gifted two turnovers from a second year QB.

I’m in with the idea of more Claypool for sure . And Harry. Still wondering how he’s lost position to ESB and Pettis. All he’s done so far is make it catches.

It was?

Something tells me Josh Blackwell is a player to keep tabs on. Formerly a castoff from the Eagles earlier this year (after going undrafted). Intriguing given where he came from and having co-GM Ian Cunningham in the mix.

I read elsewhere that Blasingame is out due to illness. So instead the Bears have 6 WRs today. I’m predicting big things for Harry. I’d like him to stick around for next year.

Explains why they signed another QB this week. And hearing more and more like Justin will start Sunday.

Flus gives a vague response to whether Leatherwood plays this weekend. But a guy who is not Coach Flus suggests a good reason to start him.

And in typical Rodgers d-bag fashion. Gawd it would be so nice to beat him. Alas I don’t think it’s in the cards.

The Boyle signing sorta makes sense (with his familiarity with Getsy) but the signing of Brown (a DE) with all the injuries in the defensive backfield, to include now backup Safety Cruckinshank(sp?)?? ??‍♂️

Saw somewhere else that claimed both Jackson and Mooney on IR: