Week 2 Official Game Thread - CHI @ HOU, 9/15, SNF, CHI +6.5 O/U 46, NBC

[adam]

Some thoughts:

• I chalk this one up like the Cleveland game for Fields.
  • The O-Line and entire team never had another game THAT bad.
• This was a projected loss against a potential Super Bowl-level contender, on the road, in prime time.
• This was not a Division or Conference loss
• If the Bears do anything at the trading deadline, you have to believe it is going to be O-Line
• The next game is against the 0-2 Colts
  • Colts Defense is allowing 237 Rushing yards per game (not a typo)
  • Richardson is boom or bust, 3 TD, 4 INT, 49% Comp%.
  • Taylor or Pierce or only real threats
  • DeForest Buckner is doubtful

[DABEARSDABOMB]

57 minutes ago, adam said:

Some thoughts:

• I chalk this one up like the Cleveland game for Fields.
  • The O-Line and entire team never had another game THAT bad.
• This was a projected loss against a potential Super Bowl-level contender, on the road, in prime time.
• This was not a Division or Conference loss
• If the Bears do anything at the trading deadline, you have to believe it is going to be O-Line
• The next game is against the 0-2 Colts
  • Colts Defense is allowing 237 Rushing yards per game (not a typo)
  • Richardson is boom or bust, 3 TD, 4 INT, 49% Comp%.
  • Taylor or Pierce or only real threats
  • DeForest Buckner is doubtful

I won't compare this to the Browns game. Caleb had almost 175 yards and had a clean first half. The Browns game was a disaster from beginning to end. Not saying this was great - it just wasn't to that same level of bad.  

[AZ54]

2 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

I won't compare this to the Browns game. Caleb had almost 175 yards and had a clean first half. The Browns game was a disaster from beginning to end. Not saying this was great - it just wasn't to that same level of bad.  

I saw growth from Caleb.   Just not enough but also not unexpected for his first road game ever.   It wasn’t  helpful to have the entire stadium know the snap count right after Davis tapped Shelton.   Our Oline have enough issues but if you could just change that one aspect of the game it would have helped especially the tackles who were often late off the ball.  Williams clearly missed his safety blanket in Keenan Allen too.  
 

Last year we’d have lost that game by 20pts. 

[adam]

2 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

I won't compare this to the Browns game. Caleb had almost 175 yards and had a clean first half. The Browns game was a disaster from beginning to end. Not saying this was great - it just wasn't to that same level of bad.  

That is the crazy part, the pressure rate was worse last night than the Cleveland game (but similar). The main difference was the QB. 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

36 minutes ago, adam said:

That is the crazy part, the pressure rate was worse last night than the Cleveland game (but similar). The main difference was the QB. 

One thing to remember about the pressure rate - is it wasn't that he was pressured on 38 of 39 plays, I believe the pressure count is just the # of pressures - so on many plays it was 2 or 3 pressures on the same play (so 3 pressures on 1 drop back).  I think for the game he had 23 drop backs where he was pressured...which was still a very alarming rate, but given how much they blitzed not a surprise.

If you blitz you expect pressure...now it is up to the offense, oline, QB, backs, etc to pick up the hot read and make the defense pay.  No shock the rookie QB didn't do that - and this was his real first test of it (road environment, crazy loud stadium)...so it got magnified.  But on the no-pressure, he looked a heck of a lot better than the week before...albeit later in the game after he started getting hit you could see even in the no pressure he wasn't finishing his throws...which led to some misses down the field.  

But all of these are opportunities...opportunities to grow and develop so hopefully Caleb, Moore and Rome can work this week on some of those issues to clean them up. Hopefully line can work on some of their presnap issues and clean that up - cause a lot of this seemed like communication (not all).  From QB to wideouts being off synch...oline being off synch on protections and snap counts...not necessarily crappy players..albeit on the oline that may be playing into it.  And on the QB side - learning to beat the blitz is one of the first real challenges I believe any rookie QB is going to go through.  

But hopefully Caleb takes this as yet another opportunity to develop and grow.  If he does - I really think we'll be having a very different, and more positive conversation about Caleb 3 weeks from now as he enters the 2nd quarter of the season.  

[Bears4Ever_34]

4 hours ago, adam said:

Some thoughts:

• I chalk this one up like the Cleveland game for Fields.
  • The O-Line and entire team never had another game THAT bad.
• This was a projected loss against a potential Super Bowl-level contender, on the road, in prime time.
• This was not a Division or Conference loss
• If the Bears do anything at the trading deadline, you have to believe it is going to be O-Line
• The next game is against the 0-2 Colts
  • Colts Defense is allowing 237 Rushing yards per game (not a typo)
  • Richardson is boom or bust, 3 TD, 4 INT, 49% Comp%.
  • Taylor or Pierce or only real threats
  • DeForest Buckner is doubtful

The schedule and injuries sets itself up well for the Bears to make a run over this next month and a half. The Rams won't have Nakua 2 weeks from now, and now Kupp is hurt, too. Critical time for Caleb to show something as the schedule really starts to lighten up.

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, AZ54 said:

I saw growth from Caleb.   Just not enough but also not unexpected for his first road game ever.   It wasn’t  helpful to have the entire stadium know the snap count right after Davis tapped Shelton.   Our Oline have enough issues but if you could just change that one aspect of the game it would have helped especially the tackles who were often late off the ball.  Williams clearly missed his safety blanket in Keenan Allen too.  
 

Last year we’d have lost that game by 20pts. 

As you said we lost by 6 points on the road to a SB contender, last year the team would have been praised for putting up a good fight. Thw whole purpose of this year is to develop CW and you did see growth in that game. Quick passing , he was in rythum at the begining of the game. Then we struggled to run the ball so we were in 3rd and longer so it takes more time to throw downfield , they started blitzing. 

Communications problems on the oline were apparent,  everyone was on a different page at times. The one sack were Kmet missed to block, he stated wasnt his assignment, he tried to block him when he seen him release. Jones blocked inside and whiffed on Anderson. 

Poles is building this line threw his eyes as a player.  Later round good chartacter pick and develop him. He drafted an anchor in Wright plus had a 2nd round pick in Jenkins that has looked good at times. Jones is a  work in progress but has shown promise. He seen something in Bates but Bates hasnt been able to stay on the field. He clearly missed on Davis and that's why paying free agents is risky. 

In last years draft there was no center or guard worth the 9th pick, Barton drafted at #26, JPJ pick 44,  Zach Fraizer was 2nd #51. We didnt have a 2nd round pick(Sweat). Frazier and Barton sre starting and believe it or not, JPJ is a OG backup with Whitehair starting. Poles took Kiwan with  the third pick, a high upside prospect, coming off an injury is the only reason he dropped to that spot. I checked out several lower picks and the only one I could see starting was OG Puni for SF.  So players in the draft to help us this year wasnt really there. 

With him signing Davis the year before and his mother dying, he wasnt going to dump Davis on a guarrantued contract. He focused on Bated instead of singing Cusenberry( 4 yr 50 mil) or Connor Williams( coming off an injury). He has been starting in Seatle and has a 64.2 overall PFF grade. He would have helped us. 

Until we see Bates play regularly, Poles one big mistake was not signing Connor Williams as many on here wanted.

[adam]

43 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

As you said we lost by 6 points on the road to a SB contender, last year the team would have been praised for putting up a good fight. Thw whole purpose of this year is to develop CW and you did see growth in that game. Quick passing , he was in rythum at the begining of the game. Then we struggled to run the ball so we were in 3rd and longer so it takes more time to throw downfield , they started blitzing. 

Communications problems on the oline were apparent,  everyone was on a different page at times. The one sack were Kmet missed to block, he stated wasnt his assignment, he tried to block him when he seen him release. Jones blocked inside and whiffed on Anderson. 

Poles is building this line threw his eyes as a player.  Later round good chartacter pick and develop him. He drafted an anchor in Wright plus had a 2nd round pick in Jenkins that has looked good at times. Jones is a  work in progress but has shown promise. He seen something in Bates but Bates hasnt been able to stay on the field. He clearly missed on Davis and that's why paying free agents is risky. 

In last years draft there was no center or guard worth the 9th pick, Barton drafted at #26, JPJ pick 44,  Zach Fraizer was 2nd #51. We didnt have a 2nd round pick(Sweat). Frazier and Barton sre starting and believe it or not, JPJ is a OG backup with Whitehair starting. Poles took Kiwan with  the third pick, a high upside prospect, coming off an injury is the only reason he dropped to that spot. I checked out several lower picks and the only one I could see starting was OG Puni for SF.  So players in the draft to help us this year wasnt really there. 

With him signing Davis the year before and his mother dying, he wasnt going to dump Davis on a guarrantued contract. He focused on Bated instead of singing Cusenberry( 4 yr 50 mil) or Connor Williams( coming off an injury). He has been starting in Seatle and has a 64.2 overall PFF grade. He would have helped us. 

Until we see Bates play regularly, Poles one big mistake was not signing Connor Williams as many on here wanted.

What kinda makes me sick is Williams signed for 1 yr/ $4M, it was not like he broke the bank. Everett signed for 2/12. 

[Stinger226]

6 minutes ago, adam said:

What kinda makes me sick is Williams signed for 1 yr/ $4M, it was not like he broke the bank. Everett signed for 2/12. 

AGREE , I listen when Olin talks

[adam]

Even in his record breaking season, CJ Stroud still had some issues:

• Stroud lost his first 2 career games (Williams started 1-1) +1 Williams
• Stroud sacked 11 times in first 2 games (Williams only sacked 9 times) +1 Williams
• Stroud had a 3 INT game (Williams' max is 2) +1 Williams
• Stroud lost to Bryce Young and CAR 15-13, with only 140 yards Passing (Williams can't lose to Young who got benched) +1 Williams
• Stroud lost to the lowly Jets 30-6, where he was 10-23, 43.5%, 91 yards Passing (Williams worst game was 93 passing yards on 48.3% in a win) +1 Williams

Williams +5 after 2 games

[NAMEDSONPAYTON2]

20 hours ago, AZ54 said:

Whoever is upstairs telling Flus to challenge plays is bad.  If Flus does not have somebody up there doing that he’s really bad.  

Yup

[Stinger226]

Actual the second challenge on the interception was just taking a shot at having a referee make a mistake at a critical time in the game. They screw things up all the time, what if they changed it, we might have won the game. 

[Mongo3451]

If this happens, we are 2-0

[adam]

9 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

If this happens, we are 2-0

Herbert scored on the next play. However, there were 2 other plays where Odunze was not on the same sheet of music than Caleb (one was an INT) and the other was the last offensive play of the game. 

After seeing what Harrison Jr and Nabers did, and what Brian Thomas is doing, Odunze really needs to step up his game. Right now, he is the worst of the 1st Round WRs and it's not really that close:

Nabers 15-193-1
Thomas 6-141-1
Harrison 5-134-2
Odunze 3-44-0

[ASHKUM BEAR]

4 hours ago, adam said:

Herbert scored on the next play. However, there were 2 other plays where Odunze was not on the same sheet of music than Caleb (one was an INT) and the other was the last offensive play of the game. 

After seeing what Harrison Jr and Nabers did, and what Brian Thomas is doing, Odunze really needs to step up his game. Right now, he is the worst of the 1st Round WRs and it's not really that close:

Nabers 15-193-1
Thomas 6-141-1
Harrison 5-134-2
Odunze 3-44-0

I was a big Thomas fan and was finding a way to draft him by moving down.  I am happy with Odunze and still think he will be great but they have to get the oline fixed.  Frazier C was also a pick of mine.  A move down could have landed both bir the Bears were ready to move up for Rome.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

24 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

I was a big Thomas fan and was finding a way to draft him by moving down.  I am happy with Odunze and still think he will be great but they have to get the oline fixed.  Frazier C was also a pick of mine.  A move down could have landed both bir the Bears were ready to move up for Rome.

I liked the other 3 recievers more from a pure athleticism standpoint. Rome's character is really good and I expect he'll be a good player but for whatever reason had the worry that he lacks that elite quickness or elite skillset that can be a game wrecker at the NFL level.  I was in camp of move up to get one of the tackles but was also fine going wideout (and was definitely good with moving down if their were takers).