Week 1: Bears vs Vikings on MNF

[UMFan83]

Just now, Cubs420psd said:

Anyone see a reason yet why using a 4th round pick on Tory Taylor was a good idea? 

 

 

Yes because Poles would have picked a bust instead of Taylor otherwise.  I mean Taylor might be a bust too but he's not an 'out of the league' bust yet.

[Soul]

38 minutes ago, PosterToBeNamedLater said:

Yeah I didn't feel good after that first drive at all.  I mean, great, a touchdown... but when ESPN would show the replays and you could clearly see someone breaking wide open downfield and Caleb either not seeing it or not throwing it gave me a really uneasy feeling.  As you said, it definitely didn't feel like the drive had any flow.

My confidence level that he will ever be very good is extremely low right now.  

 

Ok, well it seems that my post on this is a resounding dud, LOL

[Bobson Dugnutt]

4 minutes ago, Cubs420psd said:

Anyone see a reason yet why using a 4th round pick on Tory Taylor was a good idea? 

 

 

It doesn’t matter. Whoever Poles would’ve drafted instead would be off the team by now anyway.

[minnesotacubsfan]

4 minutes ago, Soul said:

Ok, well it seems that my post on this is a resounding dud, LOL

When the first drive was happening, I at first thought Caleb was improvising because the Vikings D was so good last year at disguising what they were doing that Caleb was having a hard time finding an open guy. And maybe thats the case. But still, he had EONS of time to sit in that pocket and sooner or later, you'd think he'd see an open guy

[Cubs420psd]

14 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Yes because Poles would have picked a bust instead of Taylor otherwise.  I mean Taylor might be a bust too but he's not an 'out of the league' bust yet.

Yeah sadly, you are not incorrect.

[bjam12]

1 hour ago, jersey cubs fan said:

Caleb is awful with quick stuff. He has a few quick strike plays late and missed by significant margins and/or threw the ball into a defender. 

If he can't throw deep and he can't throw quick, what is he even good at right now? 

[Soul]

2 minutes ago, bjam12 said:

If he can't throw deep and he can't throw quick, what is he even good at right now? 

He is pretty good at escaping the rush.  That’s kind of cool.  Good eye candy.  It does frustrate defenses.  But it’s not enough to be a great QB.

[The_Achiever]

What an absolutely depressing start to the BJ era.  Caleb just ain't it, some comically inaccurate passes; I think I'd rather have Justin Fields back (rooting for him).  

Bad OL, vanilla playcalling.  Could have been a Trestman or Eberflus team if I hadn't know who was on the sidelines.  Ryan Poles is TERRIBLE at his job, particularly at evaluating offensive linemen.  

Time to detach any hope or potential excitement from this unit.  

[UMFan83]

2 minutes ago, bjam12 said:

If he can't throw deep and he can't throw quick, what is he even good at right now? 

Really good at making plays outside of the flow of the offense.  It's not a surprise that Caleb seemed to excel most last year at 2 minute drills when he doesn't have to think and he is just going out there making plays, rolling out of the pocket, etc.

The problem is, I'm not sure you can be a successful NFL QB if you struggle to throw with anticipation and play within the timing of an offense.  Other elite QBs are also really good at making plays when things break down, but they are also able to get the ball out quickly after a 5 step drop. 

Maybe the issue is Caleb is still having trouble diagnosing defenses.  That seems more fixable than being unable to identify receivers who are 'NFL open'.  But either way he's simply taking too long to get the ball out right now.

 

 

[UMFan83]

Oof 

 

 

[UMFan83]

[Wilson A2000]

28 minutes ago, bjam12 said:

If he can't throw deep and he can't throw quick, what is he even good at right now? 

The occasional crazy sidearm throw

[Old Style]

Why is Santos still in the league? He’s awful. 

[Soul]

4 minutes ago, Old Style said:

Why is Santos still in the league? He’s awful. 

Accuracy at shorter distances, which was cool 10 years ago when 50 yarders were still considered difficult.  You can grab a kicker off the street who can reach distances well over that.  Santos has aged out of the league.  His skills are no longer up to standard.  He should be gone tomorrow.  I'm not sure of the contract implications, if any. 

[UMFan83]

Caleb apparently had the 2nd highest PFF grade on the Bears yesterday.  That could mean one of 3 things:

1. Caleb was better than we thought 

2. The team was terrible in general and Caleb was just a little less terrible (77.1 PFF grade isn't great)

3. PFF grades are bunk

[Soul]

To further drive home the point on Santos and why he shouldn't be with the Bears anymore, even mid-season:

"After going undrafted in the 2005 NFL draft, XXXXX was signed as a free agent by the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots prior to the 2005 NFL preseason — even though they already had established Super Bowl-winning placekicker Adam Vinatieri. Following his preseason release from the Patriots, XXXXX signed with the Baltimore Ravens only to be waived three weeks later. He then found construction work with M&R Contracting in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania."

Can anyone say who this person is?

 

 

[Thurman Merman]

Yeah, we know thats Robbie Gould. I wouldn't say that he's the rule though.

[Soul]

4 minutes ago, Thurman Merman said:

Yeah, we know thats Robbie Gould. I wouldn't say that he's the rule though.

Here's 10:

 

1. Adam Vinatieri

• Undrafted out of South Dakota State (1996).

• Initially tried the CFL (Amsterdam Admirals, NFL Europe). Cut before sticking.

• Signed by the Patriots, struggled early, but became the NFL’s all-time leading scorer with 4 Super Bowl rings.

---

2. Justin Tucker

• Undrafted in 2012 (Texas).

• Not heavily recruited; signed by the Ravens after camp.

• Won job after they cut veteran Billy Cundiff.

• Widely regarded as the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

---

3. Matt Bryant

• Undrafted (1999, Baylor).

• Cut multiple times (Giants, Dolphins, others).

• Finally caught on with the Buccaneers and later had a long, successful run with the Falcons.

• Hit several clutch postseason kicks.

---

4. David Akers

• Undrafted (1997, Louisville).

• Cut by the Panthers, Falcons, Redskins before landing with the Eagles.

• Became a 6-time Pro Bowler and led the league in scoring twice.

---

5. Nick Lowery

• Undrafted (1978, Dartmouth).

• Cut 11 times by 8 teams before finally sticking with the Kansas City Chiefs.

• Ended career as the NFL’s all-time most accurate kicker at that time.

---

6. Jay Feely

• Undrafted (1999, Michigan).

• Cut by the Buccaneers after camp.

• Later stuck with the Falcons and had a 14-year career across several teams.

---

7. Graham Gano

• Undrafted (2009, Florida State).

• Cut by the Ravens. Brief CFL stint.

• Returned to the NFL, stuck with Washington, then the Panthers and Giants.

• Pro Bowler in 2017.

---

8. Robbie Gould

• Undrafted (2005, Penn State).

• Cut by the Patriots and Ravens.

• Landed with the Bears, became their all-time leading scorer, later had long stints with the 49ers and Giants.

---

9. Chandler Catanzaro

• Undrafted (2014, Clemson).

• Cut by the Panthers during his first stint.

• Later succeeded with the Cardinals, making 87% of his FGs in 2015.

---

10. Phil Dawson

• Undrafted (1998, Texas).

• Cut by the Raiders and Patriots.

• Finally landed with the Browns, where he became a franchise icon and Pro Bowler.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

18 minutes ago, Soul said:

Accuracy at shorter distances, which was cool 10 years ago when 50 yarders were still considered difficult.  You can grab a kicker off the street who can reach distances well over that.  Santos has aged out of the league.  His skills are no longer up to standard.  He should be gone tomorrow.  I'm not sure of the contract implications, if any. 

Santos was 8 of 9 on 50+ yarders last year, the league as a whole was under 70%.

[UMFan83]

Most kickers are undrafted.  In fact the ones that get drafted are frequently (but obviously not always) busts.  I don't disagree that there's probably someone out there that can be better than Santos.  But I also remember what a disaster it was for the Bears between Gould and Santos.  

Edited September 9, 2025 by UMFan83

[Soul]

1 minute ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Santos was 8 of 9 on 50+ yarders last year, the league as a whole was under 70%.

Meh, his leg is still a noodle and the Bears are always worried about getting close enough.

[gflore34]

Honestly, anyone expecting the Bears, Ben Johnson and Caleb to click right out the gate was setting themselves up for disappointment.  You've got the monster of schedule coupled with a new coach, etc. and, of course, like most anything else in life, it's going to take some time.  If there's isn't noticeable improvement from Caleb coming out the bye or shortly thereafter I believe there's a good chance he'll be benched.

[Soul]

3 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Most kickers are undrafted.  In fact the ones that get drafted are frequently (but obviously not always) busts.  I don't disagree that there's probably someone out there that can be better than Santos.  But I also remember what a disaster it was for the Bears between Gould and Santos.  

I'd bet dollars to donuts the Bears haven't really looked.

[Soul]

Just now, gflore34 said:

Honestly, anyone expecting the Bears, Ben Johnson and Caleb to click right out the gate was setting themselves up for disappointment.  You've got the monster of schedule coupled with a new coach, etc. and, of course, like most anything else in life, it's going to take some time.  If there's isn't noticeable improvement from Caleb coming out the bye or shortly thereafter I believe there's a good chance he'll be benched.

There's a little bit of Chicago sports PTSD mixed in for sure, but to me there's serious, measurable concern that Williams is the guy both in terms of fit for BJ's offense and required skills like quick diagnosis of the defense and consistent accuracy.

Of course I'm hoping for big improvements.  I would love to be sitting here in December talking about how much of an idiot I am for doubting Caleb Williams.

[UMFan83]

2 minutes ago, Soul said:

I'd bet dollars to donuts the Bears haven't really looked.

Probably not.  They brought that MSU kicker in for training camp but it didn't look like he was serious competition for Santos at all.