adam

Very cool. I am glad he got over the substance abuse stuff as that stuff is sticky. Here is the article if you can't see it at the Trib: https://www.aol.com/kofi-hughes-used-football-hide-110000505.html

Locking Goff in for a top 5 QB deal is great for the entire NFC North. Once he gets hit, it's game over. I know they had no choice and the Bears would do the same thing in a heart beat, but Goff is turning 30. Injury risk increases every year and he is already a statue. The one thing the media doesn't talk about is the actual cap hit for Goff. It is relatively the same for the next two years, then balloons to over $69M in 2026 (24% of the cap), $54M in 2027, and $61M in 2028. So they really have the next two years or they will look at a restructure after two years. The problem they are going to have is St. Brown's new deal and Sewell's new deal also balloon in 2026 (to $29M and $32M respectively). So between those 3, they will have a $130M cap hit in 2026 (45% of the cap). If you add Hutchinson's 5th year option and Glasgow, those top 5 players would take up over 56% of the cap in 2026 with very little wiggle room. They are going to have to shed a ton of salary over the course of the next two seasons while basically resigning none of their current players.

All the signs are there for a breakout year, but it is still on paper. Injuries are going to be the most important thing. Then obviously the play of Caleb, the O-Line and the D-Line. The Bears, just like other teams, need a little luck, or most things to go right to have a great year. I think what most see that now that the QB position may not be the limiting factor, the sky is the limit. I still think they are a year away, but nothing is stopping them from having a Texans type of season with a playoff win. The crazy part for me is, if the Bears lose, I can almost guarantee you it is because the defense allowed 28+, not because the offense couldn't score 20. The Bears will be undefeated when the defense holds opponents under 20.

I was assuming the Bears would be up for several flex games later in the season. The last 8 weeks are going to be tough with 6 division games + SEA and SF. Going 4-4 in those 8 would be huge and required for the playoffs. I am hoping they can start fast and go 7-2 or 8-1, which would be crazy but very possible. I assume 7-2 and 6-3 is the most realistic, but HOU is the only really tough game. LAR is in CHI, and for IND, it would be Week 3 with Richardson coming off injury. If the Bears start 8-1 before playing GB, Williams will be the leading MVP and OPoY candidate, Flus CotY, and Poles EotY. That would be the 2023 win total in 8 games. Not playing the division games until later is a good thing for the Bears. Williams will have 9 games plus the bye before playing GB. That also means the defense will have that much more tape on Love and Co.

OK, after evaluating the first minicamp practice, my predictions for Williams are as follows: 387-574, 67.4%, 4362 yds, 7.6 Y/A, 37 TD, 7 INT Bookmark this and come back here in January. I have a feeling he is going to be a top 5 QB out the door. Comparing him to Trevor Lawrence, Williams is already months ahead in development at this point.

1 net yard on punts adds almost 2 pts per game, so there is correlation between field position and outcomes. Gill was terrible and was a bottom 3 player on the 53-man roster. It sucks they had to use a 4th to get him, but they got Booker in the 5th which sort of makes up for the reach on Taylor.

This guy is something else. I know you don't win press conferences, but man, his responses are literally night and day compared to Fields, Trubisky, Cutler. It is honestly refreshing.

How so? He seems like the 7th option on offense right now behind Moore, Allen, Odunze, Kmet, Everett, and Swift.

It starts today. We will finally get "real" news on our rooks. Can't wait to hear about Taylor!

DJ was at the Cubs game with him, Odunze wasnt'. DJ also lives in the area and has a family. I think it is much to do about nothing. DJ has had some of the worst QB situations since being drafted, and now he finally has a real QB. I don't think him not being everywhere Caleb is at is an issue. Keenan is also new to the area, so he clearly is taking advantage of the new fans and area.

$5M in cap savings if they cut Borom and Homer, that would bump the Bears up to $17.5M in effective cap. They always leave some operating income, so that would probably leave them to sign a guy or two up to 9-10M in total.

So a lot of people are now using AI for season projections. Here the 33rd Team has all 3 of the Bears top WRs getting over 1K yards. If you add Kmet, Everett, Swift, Herbert, Johnson, and Scott, Williams would have close to 5K passing yards. Also, as a disclaimer, AI is very accurate, so at least 50% of the time, these predictions will be 100% accurate.

So traditionally our defense has played against a bad offense in practice. Now they are going to get some real competition, which should make them even better. Another added benefit of this offseason's acquisitions.

Looking at DVOA from last year, the Bears had the 22nd offense and 17th defense for the season. Here is how the rest of the North looked: DET 5th/13th GB 6th/27th MIN 23rd/11th So just say the offense gets to 15th (right at league average), and the defense improves to a top 10 defense (they were top 5 the last 7 weeks of last year). That would put them at 15th/10th. There were 3 teams to finish in the teens in both offense and defense last year, HOU, NO, and JAX. That should be a 10-7 record. Now looking at the other teams, DET's offense looks to be exactly the same, and based on previous seasons, most teams have a dip, so I expect DET to be top 10, but not top 5, say 8th. On defense, they should be slightly better, say 12th. That would put them at 8th/12th, and probably atop the division again. This is 11-12 wins. For GB, this will be interesting. They finished with the 6th offense and 27th defense. I feel like their offense is going to come down to earth, say 10th, and their defense will be better, say 22nd. That would put them at 10th/22nd. This is 8-9 wins. Lastly we have MIN, their offense was terrible last year and now has a rookie QB. I think they will be worse on offense, say 25th, and their defense is going to stay exactly the same at 11th. So 25th/11th. This is 6-7 wins. So with the factual scientific data output, we get: Lions 11-6 #2 Seed Bears 10-7 WC1 Packers 8-9 Vikings 6-11

AZ, I am sorry for your loss. Getting old sucks. I lost my dad 10 years ago and my mom is hanging in there but getting close.

I would have liked a better option at Center, that is my only gripe right now. I am assuming they will bring in a vet Edge and DT to fill out the rotation on defense. The only position I don't like is Center with Bates/Shelton. The only saving grace is Shelton started the entire year for the Rams, so at least we know the floor.

It feels like Williams is wired differently. He doesn't give a crap about the Bears passing records, he is going for league passing records while carrying his team to the playoffs and winning often. I will say this, if the Bears make it to the playoffs, they are going to be a hard out.

How did I not know this. Rome Odunze led the entire nation in receiving yards in 2023 with 1,640 yards, paired with 92 receptions and 13 TDs. He also had a rushing TD. Compare that to Harrison Jr who had 67-1,211-14

This is going to be the first official field event for Williams, Odunze, the other rookies, UDFAs and some camp invites.

Yeah, it seemed like a player bonding experience, and from the looks of it, they are bonding really well. I liked that there were WRs, RBs, TEs, and OL there with Williams. Not just starters too, guys like Roschon and Carter, which is cool to see.

I am so sorry for your losses. Losing family members, especially children, is such terrible experience. I lost my dad and my older brother, and both of those were tough. I can't imagine losing one of my kids. So my thoughts and prayers go out to all those that lost family members. If there is anything I can ever do, please don't hesitate to ask.

I did not see Flus or Poles, but they may have been there.

Every season is like a new hand of poker. GB has had a good run but that is ending this year. Also, the hand 5 years ago has nothing to do with this hand, it just makes for good conversation.

Caleb with Keenan, DJ, Cole, Braxton, Roschon, and Ja'Tyre at the Cubs game.

Those both popped up around the same time too. I would be down with it as they are more than likely not extending Herbert with Roschon having 3 more years left and Swift just signing a multi-year deal. Since Hendrickson is way more valuable, who will also be 30 this year, I would say a pick swap like Herbert+4th for Hendricks+6th would be fair. If they did that, I would go grab someone like Josh Kelley or Marlon Mack as RB3.