Bears game 1 vs Falcons, Sun at noon on Fox

[Guest]

Good news: Trevathan, Bullard, and Goldman all not listed on the injury report.

 

Prince is doubtful, but I see Fuller matching up with Julio and playing well, maybe even getting a pick (you heard it here, first, everybody)

 

Crazy prediction:

Goldman gets 2 sacks, and on the first possession, Floyd puts a hit on Ryan as he's throwing and Fuller picks off the errant pass and goes the distance the other way.

Bullard and Hicks also push around the o-line, destabilizing Ryan's passing lanes and causing two more picks on the day. Ryan finishes 28-53 for 300 yards one td and three picks. Julio gets 150 yards and the td.

 

Glennon leads the team to TDs on the first three series. Both Howard and Cohen finish with over 100 yards rushing. Glennon throws for 180 yards, two TDs and an INT, while facing minimal pressure. Dion Sims and Tarik Cohen catch the touchdowns. Howard finishes with two tds rushing, Cohen adds a rushing touchdown as well.

 

Bears win 41-17 and shock the world.

[David]

it's sad that out of all those unlikely things, glennon leading the team to TDs on the first 3 series is the least likely

[Guest]

it's sad that out of all those unlikely things, glennon leading the team to TDs on the first 3 series is the least likely

 

but really, it's not THAT unlikely. all those things happening in the same game? yes, but any single one of them happening aren't really insane to imagine.

[Guest]

would you rather have Whitehair at center and Compton at Guard, or Grasu at center and Whitehair at guard?

[Guest]

also, in one of the biggest no-brainer moves i can think of, Akiem Hicks just re-signed for four years.

[Thrilho]

also, in one of the biggest no-brainer moves i can think of, Akiem Hicks just re-signed for four years.

Yeah, this seems like a great move/contract. Here's an article talking about how Fangio uses Hicks/Floyd the same way he used Smith/Smith, lining them up on the same side so Hicks can draw double teams and Floyd can tee off. It's got some good videos of that working.

 

https://sportsmockery.com/2017/09/how-leonard-floyd-is-the-biggest-reason-to-extend-akiem-hicks/

 

I used to love those SF defenses. Off the top of my head, that was my favorite defense of the last 20 years or so. Tons of strong, athletic guys on the 3 man front stunting and causing havoc, and Aldon Smith and the other LBs coming from everywhere.

 

I think you're right that this is the Sunday everyone finds out how good this defense is. If Bullard is anywhere near as good as he looked in the preseason that is a really tough front with him, Goldman, Hicks. Then you've got Freeman/Trevathan back in the middle, and Floyd on the outside. And Vic Fangio calling the defense against an offensive coordinator who hasn't had an NFL job since 2004.

 

I'm looking forward to these blitzes. The Bears secondary has been junk the whole time Fangio has been here, so having two safeties who can cover in Demps/Jackson I think is going to do a lot more blitzing than we've seen in the past. And it seems like you'd want to get to Ryan as quick as possible to minimize the big play even if he beats you all day in the middle of the field. So I'll say Bears blitz a lot, get burned a couple times but hit with like 5 sacks and 2 picks.

 

On offense, I'm really looking forward to seeing these two back looks. They've now got Cohen, Mizzell, and Cunningham that can come out of that backfield. Mizzell, who ran seemingly pretty legit downfield routes in college and dropped only 2 of 152 passes in the his last two college years. They kept the FB, so clearly they plan to do a lot of 2 back sets, and every back they kept is very good at pass catching. So they'll probably do a fair amount of motioning Cohen and Mizzell into the slot. Or starting with 2 TEs and dropping one off the line. Regardless, there should be a lot of movement. I think Loggains will be able to get these guys the ball in the open field and there will be big plays.

 

Then I think Glennon will be good enough. Check down a lot to the RBs and TEs. Let the running game do its work and keep the Falcons offense on the sidelines. Even if they get behind they've got the offense to be able to hold onto the ball and not let it get away from them. Unless Glennon decides to start striking downfield and throws 2+ picks, in which case the Bears probably lose. But I think he'll play fairly conservatively, both because the running game is so good and because the only way he loses his job is by throwing a bunch of picks.

 

So yeah, I'll get on the Sulley/Brian train here and say the Bears win this one 24-20 with ok play from Glennon, good RBs, good offensive play calling, and great defense.

[David]

also, in one of the biggest no-brainer moves i can think of, Akiem Hicks just re-signed for four years.

 

Reeeeeepost

[Guest]

also, in one of the biggest no-brainer moves i can think of, Akiem Hicks just re-signed for four years.

 

Reeeeeepost

 

Sorry, dude, but it was my words, not some retweet

[Thrilho]

I also wanted to post about some young guys that seem pretty promising. I haven't posted since Gentry got passed on by all 32 teams, but the part I didn't really acknowledge in all my fawning is that I have no idea how good he is at running routes. I'm hoping it's a thing where he can't run a route tree because all he did was play street ball with Allen, running go routes and then milling around until Allen was ready to throw it. So he was too big a project for any other team to want to put on their 53 man, sort of like trying to keep a Rule 5 relief pitcher with a good fastball but no secondaries. Anyway, I'm sure I'm just being a homer, but I still see him winning a starting spot by year end and having that 600 yd 4 TD year.

 

So some other guys who are exciting:

 

Taquan Mizzell

 

He caught 127 passes his last two years in college, which is way more than Cohen (62) or Cunningham (42 in NFL). He ran routes downfield both in college and in preseason for the Titans. I think he's got a solid chance of being active tomorrow for some gadgets and third down work. Don't know if he's got the playbook down yet, but once he does I think he'll get a lot of snaps either out of the slot or after motioning there.

 

 

For a look at his downfield catch ability check out 1:35-2:10 and 4:34-4:43.

 

http://www.nfl.com/m/share?p=%2Fvideos%2Fnfl-game-highlights%2F0ap3000000835142%2FJosh-Woodrum-finds-Taquan-Mizzell-for-a-15-yard-touchdown

 

Regardless of whether he can work out of the slot he should be able to do stuff like this with some reliability. especially if the Bears run a lot of 2 back sets. Let him leak out of the backfield, find a hole in the defense and get him the ball. With all those college catches he must be pretty good at find soft spots in the zone. So if the offense is already set up for it, let him do some of that work and get Cohen more swings and actual runs to start. Hopefully with a year on the bench behind him, Mizzell is ready to hit the ground running.

 

Tre McBride

 

Seems like he could be an Earl Bennett type. Only 6'0 and not that fast, but plays big and good at winning jump balls. If Gentry isn't that guy, then the Bears don't really have a "go up and win it" guy on the outside except for hopefully White. I could see him carving out a decent role. NFL.com estimated him at a 3-4 round pick last year.

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/tre-mcbride?id=2552428

 

Strengths Good NFL size and physically dominated opponents when the ball was in the air. Makes circus catches look easy and appears fearless in the air. Elite high-point ability with outstanding body control, ball tracking and concentration. Plucks the ball out of the air. Excellent catch radius that saved his quarterback one or two incompletions per game. Will catch in traffic with ability to tuck-in, absorb blow and hang onto ball.

Weaknesses Rumored to have blazing speed, but doesn't show up on tape. Rarely runs away from defense on vertical routes or after catch. Average acceleration off of release. ...Scouts say inability to separate is biggest concern for him.

 

Rashaad Coward

 

6'5 320 lb UDFA nose tackle they stashed on the practice squad.

 

PFF: Coward’s 2016 grade ranked 21/172 among all DIs in his draft class (minimum 250 snaps). Well-balanced, he ranked 30th in pass-rushing grade and 17th in run defense.

 

His 2016 run-stop percentage of 9.5 percent ranked 12th among defensive tackles in his class and recorded the eighth-most stops (27). Coward’s pass-rushing productivity rating of 6.6 was good for 18th (minimum 200 run/pass snaps).

 

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2017/04/19/pfws-nfl-draft-late-risers-old-dominion-dt-rashaad-coward/a29iamx/

 

Coward may not have been invited to the Combine — Pascal was the first ODU Monarch ever invited — but he’s been getting plenty of attention from teams. At 6-5 5/8 and 322 pounds, Coward moves well — illustrated by a 5.03 40-time, which is only .03 seconds slower than the 286-pound, top-five pick Jonathan Allen.

“[Hearing about] guys at 290 running the same 40-time as me, I thought, 'OK, I can play at that level,'” Coward said.

 

He made 47 and 49 tackles the last two years and in his tape he seems like he plays pretty fast. He didn't have much TFL production, and he didn't get drafted or picked up after the cuts, so there's got to be some things he's doing wrong. The biggest knock on him seems to be that he's top heavy, but he seems pretty well built. Not at all in the Keith Traylor mold. If all he needs is to put on some leg muscle that shouldn't be too hard, I wouldn't think. And I'd guess he'd make decent DE before he's ready to become a NT, just looking at the body type and athleticism.

 

http://prod.static.bears.clubs.nfl.com/assets/images/imported/CHI/photos/centerpieces/2017_760x473/coward-main-062017.jpg

http://www.chicagobears.com/multimedia/videos/Highlights-Rashaad-Coward/19392479-4553-4db7-920a-b28c7df4d461

 

It was great that they got John Jenkins through cuts so this guy didn't have to be the #3 at NT after Hicks. Coward does look a little light to be the anchor of a defense right now, but I could see him being pretty good next year and I could see him being a Jaye Howard type at DE this year if there are injuries. Dude seems like he can run, and at 6'5 320 that could be pretty valuable in this defense. I'd guess that only injury gets him in any time soon, but I'd expect him to flash pretty quickly and hopefully grab a consistent spot in 2017.

[Guest]

Well done. Thanks for that, i had no idea.

[BigbadB]

Damn all of you! These last few posts have me all excited about this season and I'm gonna sound like an idiot talking up my Bears before games start today.

 

Truth be told, I am excited about this defense if they can get everyone healthy. Or at least most everyone since having everyone healthy is not a thing. I loved Fangio's defense in San Fran and that's what sold me on the shift to the 3-4. There are a lot of guys on this front 7 that can get penetration, which is just gonna make everyone else look better.

 

The offensive line should provide great protection and create holes for the running game. I'm just worried that they stay too one dimensional on the ground, allowing the defense to stack the line. If the Bears can move the ball in the air, I think they have a good chance to win this game.

[David]

Bears rocking the blue on blue today apparently

[Hairyducked Idiot]

They probably suck but maybe not? Woo.

[Tim]

Couldn't get much pressure on that first drive.

[UMFan83]

Couldn't get much pressure on that first drive.

 

Yeah but they did a good job stopping the run.

 

Offense looks fairly miserable on the first drive

[Guest]

Couldn't get much pressure on that first drive.

 

Falcons were throwing it quick.

[Tim]

Couldn't get much pressure on that first drive.

 

Yeah but they did a good job stopping the run.

 

Offense looks fairly miserable on the first drive

The offense is ass.

[UMFan83]

I...I am not used to pressuring the QB into an incompletion on 3rd down

[Tim]

That was a nice blitz by Freeman to get the pressure.

[Guest]

I...I am not used to pressuring the QB into an incompletion on 3rd down

 

Ryan hasn't gone to his second read once.

[Tim]

Running backs are exciting. The rest of the offense is just plain bad.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I did not expect him to make that kick.

 

Season saved

[Thrilho]

Glennon ran into that sack. The right side of the line was holding pretty well but he ran up to the line of scrimmage with a plan of just kind of hanging out.

[UMFan83]

I feel like I follow the Bears fairly closely but I've never heard of Roy Robertson-Harris. He looks like a beast though

[We Got The Whole 9]

Vaunted Falcons