Broncos at Bears Game Thread Preseason Game #1

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Watched the 1st half with a fair amount of slo-mo on some plays.

 

Cornelius Washington has already made the 53. He was unblockable and it didn't matter when he was in the 1st quarter or the 2nd quarter. You often heard the names of other players who got the tackle or deflected pass but it was Washington's early pressure up the middle that forced the action. Keep in mind this is his first game ever as a DT, there is nothing but arrow pointing up here. Now I understand why he was out there so early in the 1st quarter. Might be time to say goodbye to Will Sutton as I'm not sure he's a fit at NT.

 

Staying with the Cornelius theme: Cornelius Edison did well. He wasn't great but for his first shot on the big stage among all the backup Oline players out there in the 2nd quarter he belonged in the NFL. I look forward to seeing how he progresses over the next few games.

 

Leonard Floyd belongs on the field. I expected he'd struggle at times, and he did, but overall he showed enough flashes that I think given a year to learn the job he'll be just fine next season. In the meantime he'll be contributing to some big plays this season. Did he split a double team in the 1st quarter to get pressure on the QB? Yes he did and that was nice to see from the guy lacking strength.

 

Whitehair played most of the 2nd quarter at C. He can play there but was clearly uncomfortable. It will be interesting to see how they handle this moving forward. Is it because they prefer Whitehair at C and Larsen at LG? Or was this just a look to see how Whitehair can handle the backup role vs. Edison?

 

Hoyer didn't get much time to throw on many occasions but when he did he often showed why he's no longer a starter in the NFL. There's a lot of moving pieces on the 2nd unit including Oline and he's learning a new system so I hope to see progress over the next few games.

 

Kevin White is going to make us smile. We didn't get to see much but on at least one play either a LB or S tried to jam him about 3 yards off the line and lost the battle. That was on the early 3rd and 3 where Cutler got sacked. By the way, the sack was caused by a TE or FB (can't recall if it was #47 or #49) getting pushed into a bad crossing route from the right side and almost running into Jeffrey. Jeffrey was wide open coming from the left side but had to cutoff his route and cut back toward the LOS to avoid the collision. Otherwise Cutler throws to Jeffrey as he started to do for the 1st down.

 

Bausby didn't show well but it was his first game. Athletically he can handle the role. Mentally he has a way to go.

 

Callahan looks good. I know he blew a coverage and gave up a TD but until he broke off the coverage he was right there step for step with Thomas. Why he was out there and Porter sitting on the bench is a bit of a mystery. It might just be that he is going to be our backup outside CB. Might be there is more competition there than we're being told.

 

Fuller looked good too. He didn't have passes defended but he was right there on plays in his area. I didn't see the same loose play that we saw early last season.

 

I do not miss SMC. Freeman missed a tackle but he is quick to the spot he needs to be in. We are going to see a world of difference at ILB with him and Trev.

 

From what little I saw Christian Jones he looked good at OLB. Maybe he has found a home? He'll be competing against Acho and this battle will certainly play out at OLB and on special teams. Acho looked better than I remember from last year. It's early but whichever one it is, it feels like the last OLB spot will be filled by a better player than it was last year.

 

Braverman still has some things to learn on his route running at the NFL level. I'm betting he'll learn it quickly.

 

Did anyone mention Charles Leno? I don't think so.

 

Knowing the score and reading some of the reviews as I started to watch I expected to see a really bad performance. I found it to be more of the opposite. I saw a solid and consistent pass rush from the Dline/OLB. I saw LBs making quick reads and making first contact around the LOS. I saw DBs right there (aside from the one TD) when passes were made. So it appears we have guys who know their assignments but they are young or new to the roster and just a half step slow to analyze where to be.

 

Despite the mistakes here and there the offense wasn't completely inept either. They have more to work than the D but I think given some of the recent shuffling of the Oline we'll see improvement soon. TE still remains a mystery.

Washington was carted off the field in the second half of the game with an ankle injury that is believed to be serious. This would be the second straight year where he would miss most of the season (if the injury is as serious as some have reported). It is unfortunate cause the rare times he has been in action, you can see a certain explosiveness to him.

 

By the way, great posts and insights as always AZ.

[madlithuanian]

Thanks for the comments.

 

Based on what you're saying, I'll watch the game since I DVR'ed it last night. Glad to hear it wasn't all doom and gloom!

 

Watched the 1st half with a fair amount of slo-mo on some plays.

 

Cornelius Washington has already made the 53. He was unblockable and it didn't matter when he was in the 1st quarter or the 2nd quarter. You often heard the names of other players who got the tackle or deflected pass but it was Washington's early pressure up the middle that forced the action. Keep in mind this is his first game ever as a DT, there is nothing but arrow pointing up here. Now I understand why he was out there so early in the 1st quarter. Might be time to say goodbye to Will Sutton as I'm not sure he's a fit at NT.

 

Staying with the Cornelius theme: Cornelius Edison did well. He wasn't great but for his first shot on the big stage among all the backup Oline players out there in the 2nd quarter he belonged in the NFL. I look forward to seeing how he progresses over the next few games.

 

Leonard Floyd belongs on the field. I expected he'd struggle at times, and he did, but overall he showed enough flashes that I think given a year to learn the job he'll be just fine next season. In the meantime he'll be contributing to some big plays this season. Did he split a double team in the 1st quarter to get pressure on the QB? Yes he did and that was nice to see from the guy lacking strength.

 

Whitehair played most of the 2nd quarter at C. He can play there but was clearly uncomfortable. It will be interesting to see how they handle this moving forward. Is it because they prefer Whitehair at C and Larsen at LG? Or was this just a look to see how Whitehair can handle the backup role vs. Edison?

 

Hoyer didn't get much time to throw on many occasions but when he did he often showed why he's no longer a starter in the NFL. There's a lot of moving pieces on the 2nd unit including Oline and he's learning a new system so I hope to see progress over the next few games.

 

Kevin White is going to make us smile. We didn't get to see much but on at least one play either a LB or S tried to jam him about 3 yards off the line and lost the battle. That was on the early 3rd and 3 where Cutler got sacked. By the way, the sack was caused by a TE or FB (can't recall if it was #47 or #49) getting pushed into a bad crossing route from the right side and almost running into Jeffrey. Jeffrey was wide open coming from the left side but had to cutoff his route and cut back toward the LOS to avoid the collision. Otherwise Cutler throws to Jeffrey as he started to do for the 1st down.

 

Bausby didn't show well but it was his first game. Athletically he can handle the role. Mentally he has a way to go.

 

Callahan looks good. I know he blew a coverage and gave up a TD but until he broke off the coverage he was right there step for step with Thomas. Why he was out there and Porter sitting on the bench is a bit of a mystery. It might just be that he is going to be our backup outside CB. Might be there is more competition there than we're being told.

 

Fuller looked good too. He didn't have passes defended but he was right there on plays in his area. I didn't see the same loose play that we saw early last season.

 

I do not miss SMC. Freeman missed a tackle but he is quick to the spot he needs to be in. We are going to see a world of difference at ILB with him and Trev.

 

From what little I saw Christian Jones he looked good at OLB. Maybe he has found a home? He'll be competing against Acho and this battle will certainly play out at OLB and on special teams. Acho looked better than I remember from last year. It's early but whichever one it is, it feels like the last OLB spot will be filled by a better player than it was last year.

 

Braverman still has some things to learn on his route running at the NFL level. I'm betting he'll learn it quickly.

 

Did anyone mention Charles Leno? I don't think so.

 

Knowing the score and reading some of the reviews as I started to watch I expected to see a really bad performance. I found it to be more of the opposite. I saw a solid and consistent pass rush from the Dline/OLB. I saw LBs making quick reads and making first contact around the LOS. I saw DBs right there (aside from the one TD) when passes were made. So it appears we have guys who know their assignments but they are young or new to the roster and just a half step slow to analyze where to be.

 

Despite the mistakes here and there the offense wasn't completely inept either. They have more to work than the D but I think given some of the recent shuffling of the Oline we'll see improvement soon. TE still remains a mystery.

 

[Bears4Ever_34]

I was surprised by how bad Braverman looked. I thought I was watching Marc Mariani for a minute. I didn't see the speed or quickness I saw from his college tape. Looked terrible out there returning kicks.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Keeping in mind I've only watched about half the game I have a few points I'd like to ask about:

 

Hoyer didn't get much time to throw on many occasions but when he did he often showed why he's no longer a starter in the NFL. There's a lot of moving pieces on the 2nd unit including Oline and he's learning a new system so I hope to see progress over the next few games.

 

What? Had it not been for the one INT (not sure how that occurred since I haven't seen that part) Hoyer was outperforming the other QB's statistically. For you to say he doesn't belong on the field when he's fresh from taking his last team to the playoffs (and our current starter never has...) baffles me. I am curious for your rationale.

 

Callahan looks good. I know he blew a coverage and gave up a TD but until he broke off the coverage he was right there step for step with Thomas. Why he was out there and Porter sitting on the bench is a bit of a mystery. It might just be that he is going to be our backup outside CB. Might be there is more competition there than we're being told.

 

My guess is they're looking for either a starter (least likely) or what they have in a backup to an aging, but still effective player, in Porter (most likely) or wanting to gauge how he might do as an eventual NB (also highly likely). He closed out the year doing pretty well when he did play so it makes sense that he would be improving on that performance.

 

From what little I saw Christian Jones he looked good at OLB. Maybe he has found a home? He'll be competing against Acho and this battle will certainly play out at OLB and on special teams. Acho looked better than I remember from last year. It's early but whichever one it is, it feels like the last OLB spot will be filled by a better player than it was last year.

 

In previous posts this was discussed. Although I hadn't seen him play this position last night he has a history as an OLB and I personally think he would be a great fit there...if they have the room to keep him. As much as I'd hate to lose Acho, if you had to choose you'd need to go with Jones. Especially if he shows as much promise it sounds.

 

 

From the little I did see; Mariani continued to play well in the slot (?) role. Especially considering Royal's being out, I don't see Royal holding the spot. I also saw Braverman's potential but measured to Mariani's level of play and experience in this offense he, right now, has the upper hand.

 

Devonte Thompson may very well have a future. If not just as a return man but as a legitimate #4 receiver. The kid is fast, runs clean routes and has some decent hands. I'd personally like to see Bellamy stay on the team but right now Thompson offers more with his KR skills.

 

[adam]

Did we watch the same game? That was one of the worst showings I have seen in a long time. Yes it was only the first preseason game, but I didn't expect the team to look that bad, and for the entire game, at home no less. It was the first time the Bears have been shut out in preseason since Aug. 15, 1981!!!!!!

 

The only players that stood out were: Washington (who got hurt), Hall and Floyd (who actually busted thru a double team on one play and had a couple of pressures)

 

The only player on offense that stood out even in the least bit was Thompson (and that was on one play). Due to his special teams play, he is going to be a roster lock. I am assuming Royal's cap hit will prevent him from being cut but he was so bad I don't even know if he played.

 

Now for the other bad, the O-Line was horrible, none of the QB's had time and any longer developing play resulted in a sack. There were very few holes and RB's were constantly getting hit behind the LOS, it was hard to evaluate their performance. I don't know why they tried Whitehair at Center (instead of letting him learn LG) because he was brutal at center. Braverman was bad all around and I don't know if he will survive the next wave of cuts, Bellamy made a few catches and I assume will be ahead of Braverman on the depth chart again. TE's were non-existent. FB's were bad. Front-7 generated some pressure, but Denver was able to dink and dunk all over us. The secondary (Callahan really) gave up the TD to Thomas, but overall the secondary was decent (Fuller was at least not bad).

 

How about special teams, Prosinski blocked a FG but we had a punt blocked and returned for a TD, and our punt coverage was horrible. That needs to be fixed. Either megapunt needs to start punting 65 yarders like he capable of or he needs to start angling 40 yarders out of bounds, because these 50 yarders that are returned for 15 don't help much.

 

In the end the score was:

Denver offense: 13

Denver Special Teams: 7

Denver defense: 2

Bears entire organization: 0

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Did we watch the same game? That was one of the worst showings I have seen in a long time. Yes it was only the first preseason game, but I didn't expect the team to look that bad, and for the entire game, at home no less. It was the first time the Bears have been shut out in preseason since Aug. 15, 1981!!!!!!

 

The only players that stood out were: Washington (who got hurt), Hall and Floyd (who actually busted thru a double team on one play and had a couple of pressures)

 

The only player on offense that stood out even in the least bit was Thompson (and that was on one play). Due to his special teams play, he is going to be a roster lock. I am assuming Royal's cap hit will prevent him from being cut but he was so bad I don't even know if he played.

 

Now for the other bad, the O-Line was horrible, none of the QB's had time and any longer developing play resulted in a sack. There were very few holes and RB's were constantly getting hit behind the LOS, it was hard to evaluate their performance. I don't know why they tried Whitehair at Center (instead of letting him learn LG) because he was brutal at center. Braverman was bad all around and I don't know if he will survive the next wave of cuts, Bellamy made a few catches and I assume will be ahead of Braverman on the depth chart again. TE's were non-existent. FB's were bad. Front-7 generated some pressure, but Denver was able to dink and dunk all over us. The secondary (Callahan really) gave up the TD to Thomas, but overall the secondary was decent (Fuller was at least not bad).

 

How about special teams, Prosinski blocked a FG but we had a punt blocked and returned for a TD, and our punt coverage was horrible. That needs to be fixed. Either megapunt needs to start punting 65 yarders like he capable of or he needs to start angling 40 yarders out of bounds, because these 50 yarders that are returned for 15 don't help much.

 

In the end the score was:

Denver offense: 13

Denver Special Teams: 7

Denver defense: 2

Bears entire organization: 0

I agree it was an ugly performance, but we do not know what the intentions were. This game counted as nothing. What preseason is is evaluating what you have. They got to see how the players did in situations and that allows them to adjust with stunts or help. Give it time and hopefully by the time the real season starts, we see a decent team on the verge.

[adam]

I agree it was an ugly performance, but we do not know what the intentions were. This game counted as nothing. What preseason is is evaluating what you have. They got to see how the players did in situations and that allows them to adjust with stunts or help. Give it time and hopefully by the time the real season starts, we see a decent team on the verge.

Yeah, in a way, playing bad will actually make them get better (quicker) because they won't have a false sense of accomplishment. Hopefully everyone gets motivated and pushes harder to improve.

 

Also, they will have a lot of tape to use as teaching points (what not to do). So hopefully we will see a marked improvement going forward.

[AZ54]

Keeping in mind I've only watched about half the game I have a few points I'd like to ask about:

 

 

 

What? Had it not been for the one INT (not sure how that occurred since I haven't seen that part) Hoyer was outperforming the other QB's statistically. For you to say he doesn't belong on the field when he's fresh from taking his last team to the playoffs (and our current starter never has...) baffles me. I am curious for your rationale.

 

-----------------------

Hoyer threw one pass to Braverman that should have never been thrown. Braver man was on an out route about 10yards downfield. Meanwhile Carey was running a wheel route up the sideline and Hoyer threw right into the mesh point. Carey's defender came off his man and tipped the ball in front of Braverman, fortunately it bounced and ended up Carey's arms for a decent gain. Even in flag football QBs know not to throw into a place where two WR are headed because bad things can happen. It's an indication Hoyer was locked onto Braverman and didn't pickup (or know) the route Carey was running. OTOH I'm sure Loggains didn't design the play this way so either one of the receivers ran the wrong route, or Hoyer threw the ball way too late.

 

Later he overthrew a wide open Thompson in the middle of the field by about 5ft. If the ball didn't slip out of his hands this is a classic sign of a QB who short-stepped into the throw. With no pressure in his face and enough years to work on his fundamentals that I don't expect to see this kind of mistake from him.

-----------------------

 

 

My guess is they're looking for either a starter (least likely) or what they have in a backup to an aging, but still effective player, in Porter (most likely) or wanting to gauge how he might do as an eventual NB (also highly likely). He closed out the year doing pretty well when he did play so it makes sense that he would be improving on that performance.

 

 

 

In previous posts this was discussed. Although I hadn't seen him play this position last night he has a history as an OLB and I personally think he would be a great fit there...if they have the room to keep him. As much as I'd hate to lose Acho, if you had to choose you'd need to go with Jones. Especially if he shows as much promise it sounds.

 

 

From the little I did see; Mariani continued to play well in the slot (?) role. Especially considering Royal's being out, I don't see Royal holding the spot. I also saw Braverman's potential but measured to Mariani's level of play and experience in this offense he, right now, has the upper hand.

 

Devonte Thompson may very well have a future. If not just as a return man but as a legitimate #4 receiver. The kid is fast, runs clean routes and has some decent hands. I'd personally like to see Bellamy stay on the team but right now Thompson offers more with his KR skills.

 

 

Hoyer threw one pass to Braverman that should have never been thrown. Braver man was on an out route about 10yards downfield. Meanwhile Carey was running a wheel route up the sideline and Hoyer threw right into the mesh point. Carey's defender came off his man and tipped the ball in front of Braverman, fortunately it bounced and ended up Carey's arms for a decent gain. Even in flag football QBs know not to throw into a place where two WR are headed because bad things can happen. It's an indication Hoyer was locked onto Braverman and didn't pickup (or know) the route Carey was running. OTOH I'm sure Loggains didn't design the play this way so either one of the receivers ran the wrong route, or Hoyer threw the ball way too late.

 

Later he overthrew a wide open Thompson in the middle of the field by about 5ft. If the ball didn't slip out of his hands this is a classic sign of a QB who short-stepped into the throw. With no pressure in his face and enough years to work on his fundamentals that I don't expect to see this kind of mistake from him.

 

If Cutler had thrown that pass to Braverman would you be here criticizing him for it?

 

By the way, check your history to see which current Bears' QB has gotten his team further in the playoffs. You'd be impressed to know that Hoyer took his team to the NFC Championship game.

[AZ54]

Did we watch the same game? That was one of the worst showings I have seen in a long time. Yes it was only the first preseason game, but I didn't expect the team to look that bad, and for the entire game, at home no less. It was the first time the Bears have been shut out in preseason since Aug. 15, 1981!!!!!!

 

The only players that stood out were: Washington (who got hurt), Hall and Floyd (who actually busted thru a double team on one play and had a couple of pressures)

 

The only player on offense that stood out even in the least bit was Thompson (and that was on one play). Due to his special teams play, he is going to be a roster lock. I am assuming Royal's cap hit will prevent him from being cut but he was so bad I don't even know if he played.

 

Now for the other bad, the O-Line was horrible, none of the QB's had time and any longer developing play resulted in a sack. There were very few holes and RB's were constantly getting hit behind the LOS, it was hard to evaluate their performance. I don't know why they tried Whitehair at Center (instead of letting him learn LG) because he was brutal at center. Braverman was bad all around and I don't know if he will survive the next wave of cuts, Bellamy made a few catches and I assume will be ahead of Braverman on the depth chart again. TE's were non-existent. FB's were bad. Front-7 generated some pressure, but Denver was able to dink and dunk all over us. The secondary (Callahan really) gave up the TD to Thomas, but overall the secondary was decent (Fuller was at least not bad).

 

How about special teams, Prosinski blocked a FG but we had a punt blocked and returned for a TD, and our punt coverage was horrible. That needs to be fixed. Either megapunt needs to start punting 65 yarders like he capable of or he needs to start angling 40 yarders out of bounds, because these 50 yarders that are returned for 15 don't help much.

 

In the end the score was:

Denver offense: 13

Denver Special Teams: 7

Denver defense: 2

Bears entire organization: 0

 

Yes we watched the same game but with different perspectives. I learned years ago to not consider the team effort in the first preseason game. Last year in our first preseason game we won 27-10. In week 2 we beat the Colts 23-11. How'd that work out for us? The Broncos were blitzing from everywhere in Week 1, we have a lot of new pieces on the Oline, including our Center. We're not scheming or game planning for this so I'm just not going to get too negative on that. I prefer to watch individual players and how they

 

a) handle their individual assignments (at least what I think is their assignment do they know who to block, who to cover, etc.

how they match up physically with the competition. Can they run with WRs? Can they hold their ground at the point of attack (DT)?

 

It wasn't all good. The only backup Oline I thought could do either a or b was Edison and he had some rough spots. Not exactly a good sign for us overall but as our backup Center I think Edison has a shot to make it on the 53.

 

Whitehair could do both a and b at LG. He struggled a bit at Center with his assignments but to me looked like he handled the physical side of playing Center for us (he's athletic enough). He was just thrown into the fire at Center with very little practice. Considering all that I like his upside there even if this is just getting him a bit settled to be our backup C behind Larsen.

 

Floyd looked a bit mechanical in his motions but he admits he was focused on his assignments and technique. Nonetheless he showed up on several plays. I take that as a good sign.

 

On the TD pass Callahan gave up Sanchez faced a blitz that got home very quickly. He threw up a prayer to Thomas who had to stop in the end zone to catch it. It was not an accurate pass at all and if Callahan stays on his assignment his 43" vertical jump gives him a very good chance to stop that TD. I think Callahan improved a lot as the season wore on last year. In this game he was in a new spot he hasn't practiced as much yet overall he still did well. Other than that breakdown he had both his assignment and matched up well physically with Thomas. I now feel like he can be a good backup to Porter/Fuller if needed but he'll need a few more games of experience for it to be at the level we need. What else should we expect with such a young roster?

 

Kevin White...we didn't see much of him on routes but his athleticism was on full display to gain 3 yards out of nothing.

 

I am less enamored with Hall than what I see in the media. I saw a guy who was a step too slow and will get beaten by faster WRs, or better QBs. IMO he was helped out by a few short throws that allowed him to get back in the play. It was his first NFL experience so it's normal to see a player react slower. In the next few games I hope to see him with more quickness to turn with WRs as they move upfield.

 

I am not worried about players like Goldman Hicks, Long, Jeffrey, etc. There's no reason to think they won't be there when it counts. Speaking of Goldman, remember the long path he took to being a good DT for us. He wasn't burning it up in the preseason, or even in the first few games last year. Yet he developed. I saw good things from Bullard but I expect he'll take a similar path this season as what Goldman took last year.

 

Coaching. Last year this team often started out so slow in so many games and yet the coaching was evident throughout and you saw our performance improve. That was both with numerous injuries and backup players sometimes off the street (i.e. DT). I have on reason to think this won't hold true again this year. Loggains is the biggest question mark but he has a veteran HC overseeing him, a HC who has proven his ability to develop young coordinators, and he has some very good position coaches underneath him. I really like our draft this year but I have no reason to think those kids will jump right in during Week 1 and make us a playoff team. We might get to that point in the 2nd half of the season.

 

For now I saw quite a few young players who look like they belong on the field, meaning they can match up physically to the competition. That's Pace's job. Overall the assignment discipline wasn't that bad among those youngsters and that's Fox's job. Just like Goldman, Grasu, Langford, and Amos, I think they'll just get better as they continue to work.

 

 

 

Last reason to be optimistic....24hrs later and still nobody is talking about Charles Leno!

[adam]

Yes we watched the same game but with different perspectives. I learned years ago to not consider the team effort in the first preseason game. Last year in our first preseason game we won 27-10. In week 2 we beat the Colts 23-11. How'd that work out for us? The Broncos were blitzing from everywhere in Week 1, we have a lot of new pieces on the Oline, including our Center. We're not scheming or game planning for this so I'm just not going to get too negative on that. I prefer to watch individual players and how they

 

a) handle their individual assignments (at least what I think is their assignment do they know who to block, who to cover, etc.

how they match up physically with the competition. Can they run with WRs? Can they hold their ground at the point of attack (DT)?

 

It wasn't all good. The only backup Oline I thought could do either a or b was Edison and he had some rough spots. Not exactly a good sign for us overall but as our backup Center I think Edison has a shot to make it on the 53.

 

Whitehair could do both a and b at LG. He struggled a bit at Center with his assignments but to me looked like he handled the physical side of playing Center for us (he's athletic enough). He was just thrown into the fire at Center with very little practice. Considering all that I like his upside there even if this is just getting him a bit settled to be our backup C behind Larsen.

 

Floyd looked a bit mechanical in his motions but he admits he was focused on his assignments and technique. Nonetheless he showed up on several plays. I take that as a good sign.

 

On the TD pass Callahan gave up Sanchez faced a blitz that got home very quickly. He threw up a prayer to Thomas who had to stop in the end zone to catch it. It was not an accurate pass at all and if Callahan stays on his assignment his 43" vertical jump gives him a very good chance to stop that TD. I think Callahan improved a lot as the season wore on last year. In this game he was in a new spot he hasn't practiced as much yet overall he still did well. Other than that breakdown he had both his assignment and matched up well physically with Thomas. I now feel like he can be a good backup to Porter/Fuller if needed but he'll need a few more games of experience for it to be at the level we need. What else should we expect with such a young roster?

 

Kevin White...we didn't see much of him on routes but his athleticism was on full display to gain 3 yards out of nothing.

 

I am less enamored with Hall than what I see in the media. I saw a guy who was a step too slow and will get beaten by faster WRs, or better QBs. IMO he was helped out by a few short throws that allowed him to get back in the play. It was his first NFL experience so it's normal to see a player react slower. In the next few games I hope to see him with more quickness to turn with WRs as they move upfield.

 

I am not worried about players like Goldman Hicks, Long, Jeffrey, etc. There's no reason to think they won't be there when it counts. Speaking of Goldman, remember the long path he took to being a good DT for us. He wasn't burning it up in the preseason, or even in the first few games last year. Yet he developed. I saw good things from Bullard but I expect he'll take a similar path this season as what Goldman took last year.

 

Coaching. Last year this team often started out so slow in so many games and yet the coaching was evident throughout and you saw our performance improve. That was both with numerous injuries and backup players sometimes off the street (i.e. DT). I have on reason to think this won't hold true again this year. Loggains is the biggest question mark but he has a veteran HC overseeing him, a HC who has proven his ability to develop young coordinators, and he has some very good position coaches underneath him. I really like our draft this year but I have no reason to think those kids will jump right in during Week 1 and make us a playoff team. We might get to that point in the 2nd half of the season.

 

For now I saw quite a few young players who look like they belong on the field, meaning they can match up physically to the competition. That's Pace's job. Overall the assignment discipline wasn't that bad among those youngsters and that's Fox's job. Just like Goldman, Grasu, Langford, and Amos, I think they'll just get better as they continue to work.

 

Last reason to be optimistic....24hrs later and still nobody is talking about Charles Leno!

AZ, you are correct that the game and outcome are meaningless, but I didn't see any really strong individual efforts outside of Washington really. You are right about Hall, but he was making plays and was at least in the correct spot to make them. He may have been a little reactive (thus the step slow), but otherwise, I thought he looked good in his first live action.

 

The only thing I can think of is that the team in general is being very close guarded on schemes, etc, to not tip their hand. I can just see that being something Fox does. I expect a better overall effort next week.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

AZ, you are correct that the game and outcome are meaningless, but I didn't see any really strong individual efforts outside of Washington really. You are right about Hall, but he was making plays and was at least in the correct spot to make them. He may have been a little reactive (thus the step slow), but otherwise, I thought he looked good in his first live action.

 

The only thing I can think of is that the team in general is being very close guarded on schemes, etc, to not tip their hand. I can just see that being something Fox does. I expect a better overall effort next week.

Next week they will be a little more prepared. They will get familiar with NE and have a feel of the competition. I would like to see them get the running game established, that was one part I was somewhat disappointed in. We saw very little since they started off passing.

 

As for Hall, they drafted him knowing he wasn't quick twitch at the hips. His length makes up for that. Once he learns what works and doesn't he will improve. He made some good plays and with that his confidence will grow. For his first performance, he did well and fans/media may be overreacting a bit. I wasn't too impressed with Houston-Carson to be honest, I figured he would sneak into the good spot light some.

 

Washington was a pleasant sight. No news yet on his injury status, but since he wasn't designated to make room on the roster is a good sign. Same with Grasu, still on the roster. Maybe his injury isn't as serious as thought.

[AZ54]

AZ, you are correct that the game and outcome are meaningless, but I didn't see any really strong individual efforts outside of Washington really. You are right about Hall, but he was making plays and was at least in the correct spot to make them. He may have been a little reactive (thus the step slow), but otherwise, I thought he looked good in his first live action.

 

The only thing I can think of is that the team in general is being very close guarded on schemes, etc, to not tip their hand. I can just see that being something Fox does. I expect a better overall effort next week.

 

I agree, if this continues into the next game and the 3rd game we have issues. Do you know if Silatolu was out there at all? I haven't watched the 2nd half.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Hoyer threw one pass to Braverman that should have never been thrown. Braver man was on an out route about 10yards downfield. Meanwhile Carey was running a wheel route up the sideline and Hoyer threw right into the mesh point. Carey's defender came off his man and tipped the ball in front of Braverman, fortunately it bounced and ended up Carey's arms for a decent gain. Even in flag football QBs know not to throw into a place where two WR are headed because bad things can happen. It's an indication Hoyer was locked onto Braverman and didn't pickup (or know) the route Carey was running. OTOH I'm sure Loggains didn't design the play this way so either one of the receivers ran the wrong route, or Hoyer threw the ball way too late.

 

Later he overthrew a wide open Thompson in the middle of the field by about 5ft. If the ball didn't slip out of his hands this is a classic sign of a QB who short-stepped into the throw. With no pressure in his face and enough years to work on his fundamentals that I don't expect to see this kind of mistake from him.

 

If Cutler had thrown that pass to Braverman would you be here criticizing him for it?

 

By the way, check your history to see which current Bears' QB has gotten his team further in the playoffs. You'd be impressed to know that Hoyer took his team to the NFC Championship game.

 

Ok first thing; I'll use a 'Trumpism' and say I was being "sarcastic" about our starting QB ever getting us to the playoffs. My recollection was clouded by his sitting out the Championship game. So in the regards of them (Cutler and Hoyer) going to the playoffs and stinking it up....it's a wash.

 

Anyhow you ask me if I would critique Cutler if he threw those errant throws? It's like you don't know me AZ. Of course I would. And for good reason. The guy is making how much to be our FRANCHISE QB and still plays at the journey man level. The point is that so far he's done no better than any of our backups (for the most part) over the years and I'll say again; at best he's devolved (or evolved) into a solid game manager.

 

With the current status of the Oline I'm not expecting a lot of improvement from Jay or many other QBs on the roster at this point. Thankfully if Loggains is running a similar scheme to how Pace did it we'll be seeing a lot of quick passes with lots of running by committee. And man do I hope our D comes through!!!

 

And lastly, I find it interesting you missed the big PA play that Hoyer completed up the left sideline to Thompson about midway through the 2nd.