Preseason Game #1 Open Thread

[adam]

Here we go!

[scs787]

I already loves me some Willie Young.

 

Also freak Fox.

[adam]

First drive on defense. At first we looked a little confused, players were running all over. Then after a timeout, we looked like a different defense. Ratliff and Paea kept getting pressure and Mundy got an INT.

 

First drive on offense. I don't know if it was because we had the ball in the Philly 30 or what, but we looked like crap. 3 and out and we miss a 41 yard FG. Horrible start.

 

2nd drive on defense. Eagles getting a lot of penalties due to our D-Line pressure so far.

[adam]

After 2 drives by Philly, which has a pretty good offense, our defense has totally impressed me. The D-Line is in the pocket on almost every play. Young is really noticeable and the DT's playing solid. The LB's and DB's seem to be in position with no obvious missed assignments.

[adam]

Jeffery with a 40+ yard gain negated by offsetting penalties. Then Marshall with a highlight reel one handed catch for a 1st Down.

[adam]

Cutler trying to go to Weems twice, both times it looked like Cutler thought he was 6'4". Then a nice touch pass to Rosario over the middle.

[adam]

Wow, Cutler with a laser through double coverage to Zach Miller for a TD.

 

Cutler 9/13 for 85 yards and a TD, 112.7 QB Rating. Probably done for the night.

[adam]

We've had 2x Kickoffs and great coverage on both.

[adam]

Just as I thought the defense was showing some holes, McManis gets a pick.

[adam]

Tress Way with first punt, a 38 yarder. Hard to see him winning the job with that type of punt.

[adam]

Beasr #2 D vs Eagles #2 O, 3 and out, punt.

[adam]

Zach Miller still in at TE, makes a great catch and a few moves for a nice gain. Very impressed with him so far at TE.

[adam]

All subs in now, Palmer looks really bad at QB. Sanchez looks like a Pro Bowler. SMC with a weak attempt at tackling on a long run.

[scs787]

Zach Miller still in at TE, makes a great catch and a few moves for a nice gain. Very impressed with him so far at TE.

 

x2

[scs787]

It's Miller time! 6 receptions 68 yards and 2 TDs.....Hope he can keep it up into the season.

[CrackerDog]

ST is a clusterfudge tonight. DeCamilus to the woodshed.

[CrackerDog]

Not that Palmer looked bad but I just like Jimmy better as our #2.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

My Direct TV is on the Kaputz but enjoyed Adams play by play . Sounds like there may be an answer developing in who will be the #2 TE behind Bennett.

 

My fears of Palmer are becoming confirmed. Neckbeard anyone?

 

Willie Young is a strong player that got lost in the shuffle with the addition of Allen, Houston and the rookies. He's solid enough and young that he could prove to be an X factor this year.

[Daventry]

I have watched most of the first two quarter, we beat Philly no problem.

 

Palmer might not be answer at number 2, he doesn't look good to me.

 

The D will be strong....

 

And the O....God help the other teams.

 

Time to go to the SB guys!

[Bears4Ever_34]

My thoughts:

 

-There is not much to be taken away from any pre-season games, but it's always nice to see certain guys play well, as opposed to not playing well.

 

-Zach Miller and the corner from Boston College (can't think of his name) look like possible nice finds. The Bears desperately need depth at the TE position and Miller looks like he could fill the part if he can stay healthy.

 

-The LB'ers were pretty much invisible all game. Bostic and McClellin each looked like they gave up a few big passing plays off play action.

 

-The running game was poor again. The Bears always seem to struggle right out of the gates in pre-season when it comes to their run game, though they were missing like 4 offensive lineman, so that's part of it.

 

-The 1st team D-Line was pretty meh during their time on the field. Willie Young was getting some good pressure, and Ratliff made a nice play, but no sacks. I wanna see what Jared Allen can do for this team. Look forward to seeing him next week.

 

- All in all, my biggest takeaway from this game is that the Bears really need Jeffery and Marshall to stay healthy this year, because with Williams and Wilson already hurt, there isn't much depth behind the two pro-bowlers, and we don't even know if Williams and Wilson are any good yet. The LB'er position also worries me. I think we could be looking at a LB'er with our 1st round pick next year if none of these young guys step up.

[lemonej]

The most noticeable things I took from the FIRST PRESEASON game is that:

 

1 The Bears don't run much under Trestman in the preseason.

 

2 For the right side of the OL and the top backup to be out the remainder of the OL fared okay considering their status and I hope #79 Long is the first guy cut.

3. There is a reason why Weems has never cracked the top rotation at WR at any of his NFL stops. His hands.

 

4 Its going to be really bad if Bostic and McClellin are on the field at the same time.

 

5 Joe De Camillas should be on the hot seat.His units have looked unorganized and have made bonehead blunders since he has been here and at family fest last Sat Nite there was several times the ST had the field to run drills and nothing looked organized in the game last night. Return for TD, Blocked FG and some mental blunders.

 

6 Zach Miller looks like a keeper.

 

7 Ka Deem Carey blocks pretty good for a rookie.

 

8 Chris Williams looks size-wise like Johnny Knox and has similar quicks. Durabilty-wise also. He may windup being on PUP to start the season if his injury is more serious than first thought. After he made the play, he seemed fine, did he hurt himself celebrating?

 

9 the instinctive play making ability thought process is bac as a part of the D philosophy and it looks like the DTs are back to a read and react mentality similar to what we witnessed with Greg Blache as Dick Jauron's DC. Occuppy Blockers let LBs make the plays.

 

10 Its only a matter of time before Adrian Wilson is first team. The way he reacted on the Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half was savy and smart and the type of football instincts that this developing defense is going to need and he still can bring some attitude when tackling.

[Bears4Ever_34]

I forgot to mention Joe DeCamillas in my previous post and I don't know how. He should have been fired at the end of last season along with Mel Tucker. I never understood why the Bears hired these two clowns anyways, as if they were any good with their previous teams before coming here..

[dawhizz]

Watched the rebroadcast on NFL Network today and here's what I saw:

 

- Everyone seems to think Clausen is in the driver's seat for #2 QB, but I didn't this he was much (if at all) better than Palmer. Both had good and bad throws and it'll probably come down to the wire as to who wins the job.

 

- Though his stats don't show it, I thought Carey ran well without a lot of holes and didn't really see anything from Draughn. Also, I know Lynch is the sentimental favorite for practice squad RB, but I thought Sinorice Perry ran hard.

 

- I can't see anyone but Josh Morgan being the slot WR until Wilson comes back. although I think Chris Williams can be a very useful weapon (so long as he can stay healthy).

 

- Good showing from Michael Ola, who started at RT and I think played some LT too. Considering he's slotted as the back-up RG on the depth chart, that versatility will probably earn him a spot. I also thought Charles Leno, who got a lot of work with Britton out, did a good job when he was in there.

 

- Ego Ferguson will help this team more than Sutton right away. Sutton seemed to get pushed around too much (though he probably would have had a sack near the end of the first half if he didn't run into Ego on a stunt). Ego really held his ground well in the running game.

 

- Cornelius Washington is useless. The stats will show a TFL and a hurry on the last play of the game, but he can't locate the ball and can't disengage from blocker. He was worth a pick where he was drafted, but Trevor Scott, Austen Lane, and even David Bass are far superior players.

 

- Based on the Eagles game, I'd rather start Khaseem Greene than Bostic or McClellin. Both seemed to get lost in pass coverage and overpursue in the run game. Khaseem wasn't always in the right place, but he made sure tackles given the opportunity.

 

- Fuller looked solid starting for Jennings and had a nice break-up match up with Jordan Matthews. And while I don't see any way he makes the roster barring injury, Al Louis-Jean is a keeper on the practice squad at least. Hurst had more tackles, but only because his guy was catching balls and he was making the tackle. Louis-Jean was really on his man and had that nice interception.

 

- I couldn't tall anything from the safeties since they aren't on the screen most of the time, although I was comforted to see that none of them made any Conte-like whiffs. So there's that.

[AZ54]

Watched the rebroadcast on NFL Network today and here's what I saw:

 

- Everyone seems to think Clausen is in the driver's seat for #2 QB, but I didn't this he was much (if at all) better than Palmer. Both had good and bad throws and it'll probably come down to the wire as to who wins the job.

 

- Though his stats don't show it, I thought Carey ran well without a lot of holes and didn't really see anything from Draughn. Also, I know Lynch is the sentimental favorite for practice squad RB, but I thought Sinorice Perry ran hard.

 

- I can't see anyone but Josh Morgan being the slot WR until Wilson comes back. although I think Chris Williams can be a very useful weapon (so long as he can stay healthy).

 

- Good showing from Michael Ola, who started at RT and I think played some LT too. Considering he's slotted as the back-up RG on the depth chart, that versatility will probably earn him a spot. I also thought Charles Leno, who got a lot of work with Britton out, did a good job when he was in there.

 

- Ego Ferguson will help this team more than Sutton right away. Sutton seemed to get pushed around too much (though he probably would have had a sack near the end of the first half if he didn't run into Ego on a stunt). Ego really held his ground well in the running game.

 

- Cornelius Washington is useless. The stats will show a TFL and a hurry on the last play of the game, but he can't locate the ball and can't disengage from blocker. He was worth a pick where he was drafted, but Trevor Scott, Austen Lane, and even David Bass are far superior players.

 

- Based on the Eagles game, I'd rather start Khaseem Greene than Bostic or McClellin. Both seemed to get lost in pass coverage and overpursue in the run game. Khaseem wasn't always in the right place, but he made sure tackles given the opportunity.

 

- Fuller looked solid starting for Jennings and had a nice break-up match up with Jordan Matthews. And while I don't see any way he makes the roster barring injury, Al Louis-Jean is a keeper on the practice squad at least. Hurst had more tackles, but only because his guy was catching balls and he was making the tackle. Louis-Jean was really on his man and had that nice interception.

 

- I couldn't tall anything from the safeties since they aren't on the screen most of the time, although I was comforted to see that none of them made any Conte-like whiffs. So there's that.

 

 

Good post. I watched the game yesterday as well here's my thoughts:

 

QB: Cutler mechanics weren't ideal, he seemed a bit anxious, not from pass rush as he did great moving around the pocket, perhaps more from a desire to make something happen. Despite that I was happy to see Cutler choose many underneath throws.

 

Palmer appears more lost than Clausen when making reads. There just always seems to be some hesitation from Palmer before he throws. Add in that his passes tend to float more and you have a recipe for INTs. When I consider that Palmer has had 3x the exposure to working in our complex offense between last season and this offseason he shouldn't even be close to Clausen. This one is far from over but I suspect it's like that old phrase about WR's on go routes….if he's even he's leavin'.

 

I wanted us to draft Carey and I still like him. I didn't see many holes for him to run through but, as he did back at UofA, he finds a way to make positive yards when nothing is there. I liked how Perry ran as well and Lynch surprised me by looking like he fits at RB at least athletically. Run blocking was bad for all the RBs. I never noticed Shaun Draughn and he only had 2 carries which is surprising for the guy listed as our #2 RB. Or was Draughn pulled because his pass protection wasn't good and then coaches liked what they saw from Carey so he stayed in longer to help evaluate the QBs and WRs?

 

Oline: Not much worth writing about. I though Ola looked bad as did anyone else on the right side all night long but it's his first game.

 

LBs: I don't recall seeing any plays of note from anyone other than Briggs. I won't get too caught up on the SMC bashing because going against the Eagles instant-on offense is tough for a guy who is still getting a feel for the position. OTOH I expected to see more from Bostic.

 

Dline: I liked both the run defense and pass rush early in the game. Ratliff is playing strong and quick showing he is going to be tough to handle inside. Ego did look stout at times and now having more of a 2-gap scheme fits Ego moreso than Sutton. I won't give up on Sutton helping out at least in pass rush situations this season.

 

You are right about Washington. He doesn't look like a guy who wants to play football and I don't think he makes it past the first cut. Trevor Scott, Lane, Bass all looked like players fighting for a roster spot. Kudos to the front office for building some better competition on the backend of the roster.

 

I like how Kyle Fuller played. None of the CBs early on (our top 5 on the depth chart) looked bad, or at least I didn't notice big gaps in coverage. Safeties…nobody stood out until Adrian Wilson leveled that WR in the 2nd half. That made me smile.

 

Horrible game for penalties from both teams. Very disappointing in terms of discipline.

 

 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

My thoughts:

 

-There is not much to be taken away from any pre-season games, but it's always nice to see certain guys play well, as opposed to not playing well.

 

-Zach Miller and the corner from Boston College (can't think of his name) look like possible nice finds. The Bears desperately need depth at the TE position and Miller looks like he could fill the part if he can stay healthy.

 

-The LB'ers were pretty much invisible all game. Bostic and McClellin each looked like they gave up a few big passing plays off play action.

 

-The running game was poor again. The Bears always seem to struggle right out of the gates in pre-season when it comes to their run game, though they were missing like 4 offensive lineman, so that's part of it.

 

-The 1st team D-Line was pretty meh during their time on the field. Willie Young was getting some good pressure, and Ratliff made a nice play, but no sacks. I wanna see what Jared Allen can do for this team. Look forward to seeing him next week.

 

- All in all, my biggest takeaway from this game is that the Bears really need Jeffery and Marshall to stay healthy this year, because with Williams and Wilson already hurt, there isn't much depth behind the two pro-bowlers, and we don't even know if Williams and Wilson are any good yet. The LB'er position also worries me. I think we could be looking at a LB'er with our 1st round pick next year if none of these young guys step up.

Starting dline was one of the most impressive things I saw during the game. They were forcing penalties and in the backfield consistently. Led to turnovers and a near turnover that Briggs almost had. Agree with the other comments.