Bears off-season thread 2022

[UK]

Finally got a chance to see Fields' performance from Saturday. His mechanics are much smoother with his arm action and his footwork is much improved.

 

I thought the offense looked like an actual offense with designed to get WRs open and put Fields in a spot to succeed.

 

There were some negatives. It seemed like Fields went through his progressions too quickly rather than let the play develop and also looked to scramble instead of looking downfield earlier in the play than he needed to.

 

He still shows signs of elite QB, only 3-4 other QBs could have made that throw to Sharpe (I'm not sure Brady has the arm strength).

 

I was pleasedwith him overall, unfortunately he's going to have to be good to great without a supporting cast.

 

Some Youtube QB breakdowner said the same thing, about him going through his progressions too quickly, and showed some examples.

 

I'd be curious which ones they highlighted, there was one where he went right to the back as well as the scrambles that were his poorest decisions, IMO.

 

He's not Lamar Jackson, I'd rather see him be a pocket passer who can rollout and run; compared to a runner who can throw.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Finally got a chance to see Fields' performance from Saturday. His mechanics are much smoother with his arm action and his footwork is much improved.

 

I thought the offense looked like an actual offense with designed to get WRs open and put Fields in a spot to succeed.

 

There were some negatives. It seemed like Fields went through his progressions too quickly rather than let the play develop and also looked to scramble instead of looking downfield earlier in the play than he needed to.

 

He still shows signs of elite QB, only 3-4 other QBs could have made that throw to Sharpe (I'm not sure Brady has the arm strength).

 

I was pleasedwith him overall, unfortunately he's going to have to be good to great without a supporting cast.

 

Some Youtube QB breakdowner said the same thing, about him going through his progressions too quickly, and showed some examples.

 

I'd be curious which ones they highlighted, there was one where he went right to the back as well as the scrambles that were his poorest decisions, IMO.

 

He's not Lamar Jackson, I'd rather see him be a pocket passer who can rollout and run; compared to a runner who can throw.

 

[UMFan83]

The Ringer did an article ranking every NFL offense earlier this week and then another one ranking every defense using a bunch of FO stats. The Bears ranked 2nd to last on offense and dead last on defense. The offense ranking is whatever, I can understand why it looks bad, but kind of surprised with the defense. Clearly they aren't as good as last year and there are a lot of question marks, but I sort of expected a middle of the road defense, maybe in the 15-20 range, not 32nd. Am I way off here? I guess it depends on how the Roquan situation plays out and whether we keep Quinn and he plays anywhere near as well as last season. But we hired a defensive minded coach and used both of our second round draft picks on the secondary. There's still talent there.

 

 

(note, the Bears rank 30th on offense but they declined to rank the Browns offense because of the Watson situation. Pretty sure they will be ranked higher than the Bears regardless of how it plays out)

[David]

I expect the defense to be better than last year. That list is horseshit.

 

And they were 13th in DVOA last year. I expect them to be in the top 10 when all is said and done.

[jersey cubs fan]

I expect the defense to be better than last year. That list is horsefeathers.

 

And they were 13th in DVOA last year. I expect them to be in the top 10 when all is said and done.

I really don’t understand this sentiment, which is admittedly shared by many. This defense is incredibly mediocre. A 4-3 cover 2 defense without a legit 3 technique and no playmakers at any level is goi g to struggle. This would be like post Tommie Harris decline with no Urlacher or Tillman.

 

There’s been quite a few out there who see this defense as a house of cards. I think there’s way more downside than upside. Definitely a chance for bottom 3rd of the league, and with an offense that will not sustain long drives, these guys will be dragging by mid season.

[jersey cubs fan]

Also, FWIW, the off-season is ovah

[David]

I expect the defense to be better than last year. That list is horsefeathers.

 

And they were 13th in DVOA last year. I expect them to be in the top 10 when all is said and done.

I really don’t understand this sentiment, which is admittedly shared by many. This defense is incredibly mediocre. A 4-3 cover 2 defense without a legit 3 technique and no playmakers at any level is goi g to struggle. This would be like post Tommie Harris decline with no Urlacher or Tillman.

 

There’s been quite a few out there who see this defense as a house of cards. I think there’s way more downside than upside. Definitely a chance for bottom 3rd of the league, and with an offense that will not sustain long drives, these guys will be dragging by mid season.

 

The secondary is going to be a lot better. Mack only played in 7 games last year and Hicks played in 9. That's a loss but is being overstated as it relates to last year's defense. Eberflus's defenses have shown to perform better than their talent would imply (yes, I know that's very scientific). The "everyone hustle to the ball" thing is going to matter.

 

I don't really care to put much effort into arguing about it, but if you want to wager on a top 10 DVOA finish, gentleman's or otherwise, I'd be happy to oblige :dontknow:

Edited August 18, 2022 by David

[David]

Also, FWIW, the off-season is ovah

 

Maybe a thread title change at this point?

[jersey cubs fan]

Also, FWIW, the off-season is ovah

 

Maybe a thread title change at this point?

Fresh start

[Bertz]

The Ringer did an article ranking every NFL offense earlier this week and then another one ranking every defense using a bunch of FO stats. The Bears ranked 2nd to last on offense and dead last on defense. The offense ranking is whatever, I can understand why it looks bad, but kind of surprised with the defense. Clearly they aren't as good as last year and there are a lot of question marks, but I sort of expected a middle of the road defense, maybe in the 15-20 range, not 32nd. Am I way off here? I guess it depends on how the Roquan situation plays out and whether we keep Quinn and he plays anywhere near as well as last season. But we hired a defensive minded coach and used both of our second round draft picks on the secondary. There's still talent there.

 

 

(note, the Bears rank 30th on offense but they declined to rank the Browns offense because of the Watson situation. Pretty sure they will be ranked higher than the Bears regardless of how it plays out)

 

FO projected the defense at #10, so while I don't want to be all "you hate my team!1!1" it seems pretty clickbait-y to rank them #32 while otherwise generally leaning on FO for your stats and research.

[jersey cubs fan]

I expect the defense to be better than last year. That list is horsefeathers.

 

And they were 13th in DVOA last year. I expect them to be in the top 10 when all is said and done.

I really don’t understand this sentiment, which is admittedly shared by many. This defense is incredibly mediocre. A 4-3 cover 2 defense without a legit 3 technique and no playmakers at any level is goi g to struggle. This would be like post Tommie Harris decline with no Urlacher or Tillman.

 

There’s been quite a few out there who see this defense as a house of cards. I think there’s way more downside than upside. Definitely a chance for bottom 3rd of the league, and with an offense that will not sustain long drives, these guys will be dragging by mid season.

 

The secondary is going to be a lot better. Mack only played in 7 games last year and Hicks played in 9. That's a loss but is being overstated as it relates to last year's defense. Eberflus's defenses have shown to perform better than their talent would imply (yes, I know that's very scientific). The "everyone hustle to the ball" thing is going to matter.

 

I don't really care to put much effort into arguing about it, but if you want to wager on a top 10 DVOA finish, gentleman's or otherwise, I'd be happy to oblige :dontknow:

top 10?

$100

[David]

I really don’t understand this sentiment, which is admittedly shared by many. This defense is incredibly mediocre. A 4-3 cover 2 defense without a legit 3 technique and no playmakers at any level is goi g to struggle. This would be like post Tommie Harris decline with no Urlacher or Tillman.

 

There’s been quite a few out there who see this defense as a house of cards. I think there’s way more downside than upside. Definitely a chance for bottom 3rd of the league, and with an offense that will not sustain long drives, these guys will be dragging by mid season.

 

The secondary is going to be a lot better. Mack only played in 7 games last year and Hicks played in 9. That's a loss but is being overstated as it relates to last year's defense. Eberflus's defenses have shown to perform better than their talent would imply (yes, I know that's very scientific). The "everyone hustle to the ball" thing is going to matter.

 

I don't really care to put much effort into arguing about it, but if you want to wager on a top 10 DVOA finish, gentleman's or otherwise, I'd be happy to oblige :dontknow:

top 10?

$100

 

you're on.

 

i feel like i should suggest some injury protection but horsefeathers it lol

[Tim]

Let's just hope you guys pay up better than Sulley.

[raw]

The Bears #1 offense has scored 1 TD in preseason since 2017. Granted that includes no preseason in 2020 and Nagy famously not playing starters much despite them needing the reps for most of his tenure.....but it's not like that bleeds into the regular season or anything.

 

And I know the plan is to play the starters only 6-10 snaps (was also called 1-2 drives, which LOL almost feels like planning two 3 and outs), but it would be really nice if the Bears #1 offense did something good in the first series. I know last week was nationally televised, but it was also NFL Network, and at 1 EST on a summer Saturday. Would be cool once to show the world that Fields isn't in a dire situation. Especially being on ESPN and all their talking heads are convinced the Bears are easily going to be the worst team in football. Not that they are wrong for believing that or that the offense scoring means this is a top unit, but it would be nice to have some positives to talk about a Bears offense at the proverbial Friday morning water cooler.

[UMFan83]

The Bears #1 offense has scored 1 TD in preseason since 2017. Granted that includes no preseason in 2020 and Nagy famously not playing starters much despite them needing the reps for most of his tenure.....but it's not like that bleeds into the regular season or anything.

 

And I know the plan is to play the starters only 6-10 snaps (was also called 1-2 drives, which LOL almost feels like planning two 3 and outs), but it would be really nice if the Bears #1 offense did something good in the first series. I know last week was nationally televised, but it was also NFL Network, and at 1 EST on a summer Saturday. Would be cool once to show the world that Fields isn't in a dire situation. Especially being on ESPN and all their talking heads are convinced the Bears are easily going to be the worst team in football. Not that they are wrong for believing that or that the offense scoring means this is a top unit, but it would be nice to have some positives to talk about a Bears offense at the proverbial Friday morning water cooler.

 

Damn, only 6-10 snaps? Isn't the 2nd preseason game basically the 3rd preseason game in the past? I don't expect to see the starters in the 3rd game (but maybe I'll be wrong). With a new offensive system, tons of new players, young QB etc. I would have expected more than 3-4 drives from the 1st team offense all preseason. That's less than even Nagy gave them (albeit he had 1 more game to play with)

[Bobson Dugnutt]

The Bears #1 offense has scored 1 TD in preseason since 2017. Granted that includes no preseason in 2020 and Nagy famously not playing starters much despite them needing the reps for most of his tenure.....but it's not like that bleeds into the regular season or anything.

 

And I know the plan is to play the starters only 6-10 snaps (was also called 1-2 drives, which LOL almost feels like planning two 3 and outs), but it would be really nice if the Bears #1 offense did something good in the first series. I know last week was nationally televised, but it was also NFL Network, and at 1 EST on a summer Saturday. Would be cool once to show the world that Fields isn't in a dire situation. Especially being on ESPN and all their talking heads are convinced the Bears are easily going to be the worst team in football. Not that they are wrong for believing that or that the offense scoring means this is a top unit, but it would be nice to have some positives to talk about a Bears offense at the proverbial Friday morning water cooler.

 

Damn, only 6-10 snaps? Isn't the 2nd preseason game basically the 3rd preseason game in the past? I don't expect to see the starters in the 3rd game (but maybe I'll be wrong). With a new offensive system, tons of new players, young QB etc. I would have expected more than 3-4 drives from the 1st team offense all preseason. That's less than even Nagy gave them (albeit he had 1 more game to play with)

 

I think they said it’s because of the short turnaround between games. Still, 6-10 does seem low.

[SpongeWorthy]

liked some of the play designs on that drive

 

the immediate pressure on straight drop backs sucked

[UMFan83]

liked some of the play designs on that drive

 

the immediate pressure on straight drop backs sucked

 

Feel like the constant pressure also led to the end of the drive with that dump off for a loss. He read blitz on the weak side and tried to get rid of it anticipating pressure, but the blitz never happened.

[David]

I really don’t understand this sentiment, which is admittedly shared by many. This defense is incredibly mediocre. A 4-3 cover 2 defense without a legit 3 technique and no playmakers at any level is goi g to struggle. This would be like post Tommie Harris decline with no Urlacher or Tillman.

 

There’s been quite a few out there who see this defense as a house of cards. I think there’s way more downside than upside. Definitely a chance for bottom 3rd of the league, and with an offense that will not sustain long drives, these guys will be dragging by mid season.

 

The secondary is going to be a lot better. Mack only played in 7 games last year and Hicks played in 9. That's a loss but is being overstated as it relates to last year's defense. Eberflus's defenses have shown to perform better than their talent would imply (yes, I know that's very scientific). The "everyone hustle to the ball" thing is going to matter.

 

I don't really care to put much effort into arguing about it, but if you want to wager on a top 10 DVOA finish, gentleman's or otherwise, I'd be happy to oblige :dontknow:

top 10?

$100

 

Lol it just occurred to you how this is such a win win for you because if you lose, it's so worth $100 to make 17 Sundays much more enjoyable.

 

I should do the emotional hedge more often.

[bukie]

Pretty boneheaded play by Evans, who had a first down on a 3rd down run, but cut backwards and got tackled a half yard short

[bjam12]

I think Kmet could have a really good year.

[Brian707]

Pretty boneheaded play by Evans, who had a first down on a 3rd down run, but cut backwards and got tackled a half yard short

 

And why didn't Eberflus challenge the no catch before halftime? I think that was when it was.

[David]

Pretty boneheaded play by Evans, who had a first down on a 3rd down run, but cut backwards and got tackled a half yard short

 

And why didn't Eberflus challenge the no catch before halftime? I think that was when it was.

 

 

Said they basically just missed it.

 

“A couple coaches on the sideline thought it bounced on the ground,” Eberflus said. We got one good look upstairs, and that was it. We didn’t have a second look at it, so we just decided to let it go.”

 

It’s an understandable explanation, except the Bears took too long to make the call. They were assessed a delay of game penalty, which in turn put Trenton Gill out of range to pin the Seahawks inside their 20-yard line. Once the Bears committed the delay of game, they also squandered their chance to challenge.

 

There were just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter at the time, so it wasn’t necessarily a moment where a coach needed to be precious about his timeouts if Eberflus wanted to give his replay team more time to find another angle. With another challenge to use, even if this one failed, it seemed a good time to drop the red flag if Eberflus didn’t want to risk burning two timeouts in one play.

 

“In real time, in a real game, maybe I would’ve thrown (the challenge flag),” Eberflus said. “But we didn’t have the second look.”

[CubinNY]

Pretty boneheaded play by Evans, who had a first down on a 3rd down run, but cut backwards and got tackled a half yard short

 

And why didn't Eberflus challenge the no catch before halftime? I think that was when it was.

 

 

Said they basically just missed it.

 

“A couple coaches on the sideline thought it bounced on the ground,” Eberflus said. We got one good look upstairs, and that was it. We didn’t have a second look at it, so we just decided to let it go.”

 

It’s an understandable explanation, except the Bears took too long to make the call. They were assessed a delay of game penalty, which in turn put Trenton Gill out of range to pin the Seahawks inside their 20-yard line. Once the Bears committed the delay of game, they also squandered their chance to challenge.

 

There were just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter at the time, so it wasn’t necessarily a moment where a coach needed to be precious about his timeouts if Eberflus wanted to give his replay team more time to find another angle. With another challenge to use, even if this one failed, it seemed a good time to drop the red flag if Eberflus didn’t want to risk burning two timeouts in one play.

 

“In real time, in a real game, maybe I would’ve thrown (the challenge flag),” Eberflus said. “But we didn’t have the second look.”

Same problem, different people. Don't the Bears have a guy for this?

[raw]

I thought the first team OL was actually solid last night. Stats show Fields was pressured 4 times on 8 drop backs

 

1- TE screen to Kmet (12 yards). IDK if this counts as a pressure, but it's a screen. That's how they work.

2- Incomplete dump off to Kmet. The OL was perfect on this play. Pressure came from blitzer who blew thru Herbert

3- Fields scramble (1 yard). Pocket was actually clean. He could have stepped up to throw, but just kept running. (Jenkins gets beat, but does maintain his block and drives the guy WAY up field).

4- Dump off to Herbert (4 yards). No pressure

5- Rollout to Kmet (19 yards). I don't think this would count as a pressure.

6- WR screen to Mooney (5 yards). No pressure

7- Rollout incomplete in end zone. This probably counts as pressure too. But it was a designed rollout and Fields had several seconds to throw, nobody open (though a better throw may get that TD to Mooney). This isn't on the OL as he was near the sidelines

8- Dump off to Herbert (-2 yards). Jenkins gets beat pretty bad, and there is a free (delayed) blitzer off the edge.

 

I'm guessing plays 1, 2, 7 and 8 are being counted as Fields being pressured. Only 1 of these are on the OL. They weren't perfect by any means, but they were better than 50% pressure rate suggests.