adam

Definitely a possibility, but the whole "not being himself" in practice thing led me to believe it was not a singular incident.

I saw a Tweet about how the Bears defense is getting close to the pace of the vaunted '85 Bears Defense. This is what the numbers look like from the last 14 regular season games. This was when the defense got locked in last year and ever since they have been stout. 18-19-20 Bears (14 games) Average pts allowed: 13.86 (+1.48) Average Total yds allowed: 276 (+18) Sacks: 3.43 sacks per game (-0.57) Turnovers: 1.93 turnovers per game (-1.45) 1985 Bears Average pts allowed: 12.38 Average Total yds allowed: 258 Sacks: 4.0 sacks per game Turnovers: 3.38 turnovers per game The biggest difference is the turnovers produced. The 85' Bears took the ball away over 3 times per game. That one will be a tough one, however, pts allowed, sacks and yards allowed is really close in comparison.

Some funny comments from Raiders fans about Mack: https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2019/10/1/20894495/mack-wants-the-raiders-pay-for-trading-him and here: https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2019/10/1/20893307/silver-mining-10-1-khalil-mack-says-hes-been-looking-forward-to-game-against-raiders Some still don't like the trade, and others think they won hands down and hate Mack for leaving. Kind of funny to see it from their side. There is no way you can say the Raiders won that trade. You don't trade a generational talent in their prime. We should draft in the bottom 12 of the league (playoff team) and the Raiders should end up in the top 12 (right now they are projected to be 9th). So we will be swapping our mid-20's-low 30's (hopefully Pick #32) for their pick in the late 30's to early 40's. It might be less than 10 slots. This is what different draft values would be based off where we finish: NFC Wild Card loss: Pick 22 (780) NFC Divisional Round loss: Pick 26 (700) NFC Championship Game loss: Pick 29 (640) SB Winner: Pick 32 (590) Raiders: for Pick 38 - 6th worst team (520) for Pick 44 - 12th worst team (460) So just say we lose the WC game, our pick will be worth around 780 and if they finish as the 12th worst team (460), that 320 value equates to a late-round 2nd, meaning we really gave up a late-round 2nd this year and a 1st last year for Mack (not 2x 1s). In a best-case scenario, we win SB, Raiders are the 6th worst team (I couldn't put them lower than MIA, WAS, ARZ, CIN, and NYJ) and the difference is only 70, the equivalent to a mid-4th rounder. That is crazy if something like that occurs because the trade was alway seen as us giving up 2x 1's but in reality, by us getting that 2nd back, the trade could equate to only a 4th round value.

On the flip side, Gabriel (concussion), Hicks (knee), Iggy (Hamstring), Larsen (knee), Nichols (hand), Trubisky (shoulder) all are likely to miss the game. Wims will get more PT, which is great. I really like him and think he can become a WR2 and maybe even a fringe WR1. Hicks and Nichols still out, so nothing new there. Iggy is new, which puts more emphasis on Kwit covering down on Special Teams. Larsen out, but Long back in with Coward as the super sub. Pineiro, Burton, and Smith all full go's.

Raiders Injury Report: Pos. Player Injury Wednesday DE Clelin Ferrell Concussion Did not part. WR/RS Dwayne Harris Ankle Limited RB Josh Jacobs Elbow Limited G Gabe Jackson Knee Did not part. WR J.J. Nelson Knee Limited RB DeAndré Washington Ankle Limited WR Tyrell Williams Foot Did not part. Raiders may be without Ferrell (concussion), Jackson (Knee), and Williams (Foot), and Jacobs was limited. Ferrell being out would be huge for our offense. He was their best pass rusher. If Williams misses the game, then the passing threat would be limited to their TE. With Jackson out, their line will be vulnerable.

Yeah, we beat a dead horse in the other thread. My belief, based on what I have read, seems like it was related to the throwback jersey. During his interview, Smith said he was past "it". So if he did have an issue wearing the jersey, we will see what he does on December 5th when they wear it again. I might be completely wrong, but just the way it was reported about him not being himself led me to believe he was uncomfortable wearing the jersey. However, it doesn't matter now, it's a done deal, and we will have him in the lineup in London. With Jacobs being a quicker back, Smith matches up better with him than Kwit does.

On a side note, I feel like Mack is going to be extra motivated and Pagano is going to move him around to allow him to attack. I think he will have a multi-sack game, forced fumble, and few TFLs. I also think Nagy will put him in on a goal-line play (if they get there), which I don't really like, but we have yet to see one of those this year. I think this is where Nagy pulls some of the tricks out of the bag. Speaking of tricks, I would love to see a flea-flicker play that includes Burton making a throw.

Yeah, if it is the uniform, we will find out in December when they wear it again. Otherwise, bring on the Raiders!

Yes, normal jersey rotation if not noted (Navy Blue - Home, White - Road)

I agree, with the bye the following week, it would nice to get him to 100% with 3 weeks off. Same for Hicks. We need the depth from NOV-FEB.

Roquan will play. Long said he is a go. So right now it is Trubisky and Hicks as the two major injuries.

Here ya go: https://www.chicagobears.com/photos/2019-bears-uniform-schedule

He said it is behind him and he is past the situation. He said "it already happened". The jersey is the only logical thing, which if that's the case, I am totally fine with him not wanting to wear it. That is probably why we heard reports about him not being himself last week in practice (while wearing the throwback), then he probably went to the staff and didn't feel comfortable wearing it in a game. We wear the same jerseys on December 5th, so we will see what happens then. I am just glad he is past whatever he was going through.

Roquan spoke to the media today and was a full go at practice. He said it was a personal issue and it is behind them now. It had to be the jersey.

Our defense seems to be deeper than I expected. What's crazy is we are going to have an even better defense once these come back. Now if the offense can get going, we are going to be in for a great run.

Trust me, I want Roquan locked in for the next decade on this team. I would love to keep this young nucleus together for the next 8-10 years and see them dominate the league as we plug and play with a mix of free agents and rookies. Smith is supposed to be a mainstay on this team so hopefully he can get thru whatever he is dealing with.

Kwit is great with a gap/assignment and he actually looked pretty good in space. I think his only issue is staying with RBs/TEs in routes down the field. He seems to trail them and can't keep up. Either way, if Pagano maximizes his strengths, we will see another effective game out of him. You are right about Fangio, but I think that is more to do with the fact that he is better as a Coordinator than a HC. Some guys just can't make that jump. That's why it took Vic so long to get a HC gig and you have to think he is 1 and done in Denver the way they have played, especially on defense. Now on the sacks, some of that is on the actual players. You should be able to put Von Miller on the edge and just say go and he ends up with a sack a game.

I would be surprised if that was the case. At this point, it doesn't even matter what it is. As Connor mentioned before, my only fear is that he retires.

I think Pagano used him a little differently than Fangio did and it looked like it helped out. He was extremely effective and all over the place. With the Raiders liking to run the ball, Kwit fits in perfect with the game plan.

Neutral field, even without Mitch, Akiem, Bilal, and Roquan, we should win this game. This is the Khalil and Eddy Revenge Game. Based on Mack's comments this week, he is going to be amped up for this one. I am expecting havoc from him all game and wouldn't be surprised to see him get a multi-sack effort and a bunch of pressures. All we need out of Chase is an average game without too many turnovers. We really need to get the running game going. As 5-point favorites, I will take the Bears winning 20-9 and the under. Using Sagarin Ratings: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/sagarin/ we are 7th and OAK is 25th. Using FBO, https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teameff/2019 we are 8th and OAK is 25th. Two totally different rating systems come up with almost the exact same rankings make the confidence level pretty high on these.

I hope the kid can address whatever he has going on and come back at 100%. I really thought it was related to the jerseys and he was against wearing them (which would be a problem later in the year as well) but he is shown wearing them in one of the practice photos. Really odd to say the least. I was wondering if it is related to Mike Davis who was also held out for personal reasons but they announced he was dealing with a death in the family.

Looking back, just think if they don't blow the play dead where Prince Peanut Punched the ball out of Diggs hands and HHCD is able to run that one back. That would've put the game away. In a few other games, they let the play play out before blowing the whistle. They were too quick to call incomplete on that one. Now we get to see what Daniel can really do. The last time he got the entire week for preparation, he went 26-39 (66.7%) for 285 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT against the Giants. He also had 4 fumbles (none lost), which was really odd. Most of his throws went to RBs (Cohen, Howard, and Mizzell ended up with 15 receptions). However, the defense got shredded by two huge chunk plays and we somehow lost in OT 30-27. A win there and we have a bye going into the playoffs. I remember that long Barkley run in OT on first down, then the Bears get the ball only needing a FG to tie and Daniel has 3 fumbles in 7 plays to lose the game.

If Trubisky is lost for the season, the team will have to explore all options, so it would make sense to kick the tires on Kaepernick. This team would be able to handle the initial media frenzy but if he starts kneeling again, it could become a zoo. One guy I would consider is AJ McCarron, currently with the Texans. Obviously they would have to be willing to part with him.

Yeah, if Hicks or Long are not 100% for next week, I would consider giving them more time off the way Williams and Larsen/Coward played. One interesting thing to note, with Daniel playing Scout Team QB, he gets a lot of reps with subs, so Larsen and Coward are familiar with him, same with Wims. Something to watch going forward. Based on the early assessments on Trubisky's injury, he more than likely has a torn labrum and separated shoulder. They will more than likely let the inflammation go down and will keep him out a few weeks. Since it is not his throwing shoulder, there is not much risk of further injury other than a lot of pain (if he lands on it). If he has any kind of surgery, he will be out 6-8 weeks. Daniel looked great and hopefully he can play good enough to win with this defense. Just don't turn the ball over and score at least 17 points, and we are likely to win. Through 4 games, we have allowed 5 TDs, and 45 pts (10, 14, 15, 6), that is insane. Obviously not sustainable, but I don't see us letting up 21 or more unless we let up some huge plays. Craziness, thru 4 games: (Pts allowed: 45, 85' Def: 69; Yards Allowed: 1163, 85' Def: 1334). This defense is really dead set on breaking some records.

Yeah, watching the other games highlights (watch JAX or CLE), Chubb and Fournette have huge holes where they are not touched for 7-8 yards down the field after they are running at full speed.