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Herbert is really a liability blocking. Like he can't be a starting RB level liability. He gets the flash plays as a runner, but that's literally all he does. Bears probably have to re-sign Montgomery, or else they'll probably need to draft a RB on Day 2 or early Day 3, I'd imagine. Oh and it does sound like they are reconsidering Mustipher starting. Getsy said something about trying to find a combination. ESPN depth chart has JaTyre Carter at LG with Patrick at C. Still have Schofield as well. Carter intrigues me. 4 of 5 OL with less than a season's worth of experience each. Might as well see what you have if Justin's going to die anyway.

So, I actually get why teams do the shotgun run when they only need a yard. Out of the gun, you aren't really picking a hole before the play and running thru it. You are giving your RB a chance to pick his hole based on where the push is. Whereas under center, you are going thru a predetermined hole and hoping your OL blocks it up well enough. My biggest issue with what the Bears did is more with the play call itself. They basically did a QB sneak from 4 yards away. Fields got to read the blocking a bit, but he's also not a RB. Snap it to Montgomery and let him go straight ahead or hand it off and like DM find the soft spot (he's actually not very good at this though). So I think the benefit of the QB taking a snap is you can clear some defenders by making them respect a wide out (I don't remember if Bears did in that play) Obviously like you said, a RB is gonna read holes better. But you definitely don't want a handoff. That removes a potential blocker. So direct shotgun snap is the best/logical play, but maybe you make the case for a Wildcat scenario where you remove the QB from the play completely. If a D REALLY sleeps on it you might have a RB who could still make a dump sideline pass if they leave a WR completely uncovered. Yeah, the Bears had 3 WRs in the game, but Mooney was flexed to the formation (not tight, but within a couple yards of the nearest OL). There was another WR wide left that moved tight to the formation before the snap. So basically, the formation only really took 1 maybe 2 guys out of the box and you only had 6 blockers and a WR. If that's the play, gotta go bigger inside. It's not like there was a threat of a pass (plus the Bears had only passed 9 times to that point so wasn't a threat no matter how spread the formation). Yeah, I agree with the handoff part too. Not a good option, but better than a non-Josh Allen QB straight ahead. At least with a handoff you also have the threat of Fields pulling and maybe the LBs are soft in the middle because of that.

Ha! Certainly not calling it but I'm starting to get a weird feeling about this game. This NFL season has been extremely screwy already and this seems like a game the Bears have no business winning right now so I almost expect it to happen. Watch Fields come out and throw for 300+ yards and 3 TD's while Cousins has multiple picks and the Vikings fall flat on their face at home. I feel like this is where things start to settle down a bit in the NFL. First 4 games, you have eternal optimism some teams are dealing with injuries/suspensions from the previous season. We've seen the Bears be 3-1 at this point only to finish 8-8. Cream starts rising to the top at this point in the season. Upsets will start to be more 1-offs.

So those rates are at a yard or less... I'd suspect the difference between a yard and a foot or less is a pretty big difference in the "just reach over" decision. At a yard, yea get the extra blocker. Down to a foot, or inches. Just get under center and reach. So, I actually get why teams do the shotgun run when they only need a yard. Out of the gun, you aren't really picking a hole before the play and running thru it. You are giving your RB a chance to pick his hole based on where the push is. Whereas under center, you are going thru a predetermined hole and hoping your OL blocks it up well enough. My biggest issue with what the Bears did is more with the play call itself. They basically did a QB sneak from 4 yards away. Fields got to read the blocking a bit, but he's also not a RB. Snap it to Montgomery and let him go straight ahead or hand it off and like DM find the soft spot (he's actually not very good at this though).

This is the fun part of the season where just 2 days ago the Bears were a very winnable game away from a 3-1 start and are now potentially 10 days from being 2-4 and some big time frustrations setting in around Chicago. The Vikings should beat the Bears pretty solidly. There's a lot of matchups in their favor in this one. They aren't running the ball that well, so the Bears run D may actually be decent. But they also aren't running as much as years past either. The matchups that scare me are in the passing game. Sounds like Jaylon Johnson may give it a go, but Jefferson isn't a great matchup for him. Thielen and Osborn vs. Gordon and Vildor scare me a lot. Vildor couldn't keep up with Smith-Marsette last year and Gordon hasn't kept up with anyone yet. On defense, the Vikings have good defensive ends and strong coverage LBs, so running the ball will be paramount again. Fields did have a solid game against them last year, with a career high 285 passing yards, but fumbled all over the place and the Bears only put up 3 points until the final play of the game. The biggest thing in the Bears favor here is that the Vikings are coming off a London game and maybe the travel and time difference plays a factor. Also the Vikings like to let teams hang around, and Cousins likes to throw to the opposite team a bunch. I'd probably still pick the over if I'm a gambler, but this has the makings of a late score either way messing with that line.

Yeah at this point, it's based on if you view the glass as half empty or half full on Fields. There's that chart that shows he's been under pressure more than anyone and he has WRs that get open less than anyone. But we also know he doesn't get rid of the ball quick enough. But his numbers are great when he has a clean pocket, which he sometimes leaves too early (different story). So, whether or not you think he will get better at some things or always be what he is....he seemingly can be an effective QB if he is protected. The question for Poles and company will be if they do build the OL where it needs to be, if "effective" is good enough in the age of 50Mil/year QB salaries. But that's a question you hope you have to answer in 2024, at the earliest.

Yeah, Patrick sucks too though. The problem is both of them on the line together and next to each other. If Patrick can snap, I'd rather they go with Schofield at LG for the time being, at least he has a history of pass blocking well per PFF. I've been thinking about long-term what is needed to get this line to a respectable level. And realistically, they are going to let Jones develop at one of the OT spots. They are going to play Patrick somewhere, preferably at C, next year. Other than that, it's up in the air. IDK WTF they are doing with Jenkins, but he's been their best OL by PFF and by most people's eye tests. I'm guessing they look to trade him again. If not, I'd LOVE for them to put him back at RT. He's likely to best the best tackle as well. Whitehair is probably a cap casualty. And I'd hope they'd go OL very early and very big in free agency. Elgton Jenkins would be the most perfect fit that is possible. Getsy ties, multiple position experience. You could truly put your best 5 out there with him able to play anywhere. So for 2023, I'd like to see: LT- Jones LG- E Jenkins C- Patrick RG- 2nd round pick (I love Voorhees from USC) RT- T Jenkins If they want to keep Teven, and keep him at RG, they could put Elgton at RT and the 2nd round pick could play LG. Or Elgton at LT, Jones to RT where he and Teven can be a great run blocking duo over there. Borom at swing OT, a cheap FA, and the other 9 dudes they drafted are the depth.

Isn't that the opposite of the WRs he has the most success with at Ohio State? Yeah, and they were really interested in Olave this year, if you believe the rumors.

I wonder if Poles (with Getsy's recommendation) will go after big WRs this offseason. St. Brown is pretty big. They had interest in MVS and Chark who are also tall WRs. And in Green Bay, Getsy had 6'3" Adams, 6'5" Lazard, 6'4" MVS, 6'3" Juwann Winfree along with 6'4" St. Brown. They also had Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers who they drafted, but Cobb was handpicked by Rodgers and Amari doesn't see the field. So, I wonder if they try to give Fields a basketball team of WRs next year. Of course, that makes passing on George Pickens even more damning.

Kmet is a good blocker? Here are his PFF pass and run block grades in the first 3 games this year: Week 1: 70.2 pass block, 64.3 run block. Pass block seems solid but everyone had a good grade week 1. Kmets was 4th worst on the team. Run block was actually 5th best on the team. Week 2: 29.6 pass block, 65.5 run block. Pass block was 3rd worst on the team ahead of only Mustipher and Jenkins (Patrick was just ahead of Kmet). Run block was somewhere in the middle of the team Week 3: 51.0 pass block, 55.1 run block. These were both the 2nd worst on the team, behind Patrick in both cases (who was significantly worse than any Bear) I'm leaning towards 'no he's not a good blocker' He's probably Ok enough to block a safety or CB. Don't want him on a DE though, same can be said for probably every TE that's worth a damn receiving......not that Cole is worth a damn there right now

Short passing is always there. Not always the way the Bears are doing it, but with a team that can run the ball like they can, the run action should open up quick hitters. Granted, Fields has struggled reading the defense on RPOs and so forth, but it can be done. Plus, in tight coverage, you can pick guys off to free up receivers. It could be combo of Getsy not doing it or Fields not seeing it fast enough, though. Short passing is always there for teams with talent at receiver. The bears are bottom of the barrel at receiver. The 1 guy they have is not a short threat. They don’t have anybody they can rely on for 4-6 yard gains over and over. Yeah, talent helps. But put Kmet's big ass out there or EQ St. Brown, they are good blockers and big enough bodies to muck things up a bit for Pettis or Mooney to get 4-5 yards. Then you just have to worry about Fields actually seeing it fast enough to throw it before a penalty for blocking and then them actually catching the ball. The Bears are just 4 easy steps away from being able to complete a competent NFL offensive pass!

Short passing is always there. Not always the way the Bears are doing it, but with a team that can run the ball like they can, the run action should open up quick hitters. Granted, Fields has struggled reading the defense on RPOs and so forth, but it can be done. Plus, in tight coverage, you can pick guys off to free up receivers. It could be combo of Getsy not doing it or Fields not seeing it fast enough, though.

Just for perspective. 49 dropbacks under pressure and he only has 67 passing attempts overall. Granted, that includes sacks (16) and scrambles. But the man under constant duress. Again, not trying to excuse Fields, but this is David Carr esque OL play in front of him. Not so much yesterday, but the first three weeks he played himself into a lot of those pressures I agree with that, especially last week. Vs. GB, wasn't really enough of a sample size to work with. Vs. SF again sample size, but he definitely did run into pressure a bit there as well. This is the perfect storm of suck. Bad OL, bad playcalling, bad conservative strategy, bad WRs, bad QB. At this point, I'm holding out hope the QB is a symptom and not a cause, because he's literally the only guy here that has the proven talent and track record (based on college and draft status, and sometimes last year) to not suck.

You can run the ball so the QB doesn't get killed. But when it's not effective enough, you can also move the ball and protect the QB by getting the ball out quickly. The only layups Fields is getting are screen passes. And unless they are quickscreens (which they suck at), they take a bit to develop and actually naturally get the QB pressured or hit. It almost feels like on one hand (running the ball a ton, conservativeness in general) that they are trying to not give Fields too much on his plate all at once. While on the other hand, they are trying to force him to go thru natural progressions while not scheming up guys to get open quickly and give him easy completions (where are the pick plays, RPOs, moving pockets with max protection?). I honestly do get trying to make him learn the full offense, and not masking if he can play by giving him a bunch of layups. But it seems contradictory to the playcalling where it feels like you're almost intentionally getting into 3rd and long situations.

Just for perspective. 49 dropbacks under pressure and he only has 67 passing attempts overall. Granted, that includes sacks (16) and scrambles. But the man under constant duress. Again, not trying to excuse Fields, but this is David Carr esque OL play in front of him. Given this wouldn't it be reasonable to minimize the number of drop backs, if not altogether, at this point, remove them for the playbook in favor of some sort of quick passing game? Something along the lines of run, run, run, then under center, one step throw, I've seen every other NFL QB, even horsefeathering Mitch do this, its possible. Yeah, I said that before the season. But I don't call plays. I watched Aaron Rodgers get absolute freaking layups yesterday against the Patriots. Off coverage? Take the snap and throw it outside for 5 yards. Blitz coming? RB doesn't chip, just goes outside the tackle box for a quick swing pass, gets 5 yards. That's Getsy's former team. He was on the team that did that horsefeathers last year. Why he isn't doing it for his young QB, I will never know.

Just for perspective. 49 dropbacks under pressure and he only has 67 passing attempts overall. Granted, that includes sacks (16) and scrambles. But the man under constant duress. Again, not trying to excuse Fields, but this is David Carr esque OL play in front of him.

I haven't said anything contrary to your first 2 paragraphs. I've even said (last week) that Fields isn't playing anywhere near good enough. Fields himself would say the same. But maybe.....just maybe, his footwork, accuracy and pocket issues are based on him knowing he doesn't have the talent around him. It's not like he's incapable. He was OK yesterday, probably better than any game this year (not saying much). But he showed us in Pittsburgh and a couple other games last year that when he's comfortable in the offense, he can play. It sucks that he has regressed so far but so has Mooney, Kmet, Borom, and somehow Mustipher and the playcalling are even worse than last year.

It's not unreasonable to want that. Absolutely unreasonable to expect that and be upset that he's not.

But they didn't do those things, and you knew that going into this season. Why are we still talking about what they didn't do? They are a 5-12 team with Pickens or Cooper, and they wouldn't be any more watchable with a QB getting hurried on half his dropbacks.

I believe many of understand the need to be run heavy but, that cowardly, dick-less punt on 4th and 2? Hell, horsefeathering run the ball but, at least grow some and give it a shot. And all of that basically giving up with run after run in the red zone? Even bad teams will show more trust in their bad players and actually try to score a TD via the pass. What kind of a message is that to Fields - we're so scared you'll horsefeathers up that were just going to make sure we get at least a FG attempt by running the ball up the middle three times. But people aren't talking about that. They're talking about Zappe looking competent, being "out" on Fields, TD less halves, wishing he had 1/2 of Mahomes stats....and that's in the last 15 posts. Granted, you aren't one of them. But in general, people act like Fields is a bust because he can't turn a horsefeathers sandwich into a 5 star meal while only having a hot plate to work with.

You guys are still killing me in these threads. We talked all offseason about how the talent team was bad. I think we all agree the games have proven us right, correct? Based on the common knowledge that the talent is bad, especially on offense.... Why are we acting surprised the offense can't score? Why are we expecting Fields to be good and transcend the rest of the talent on the roster? Why are we screaming for Fields to throw more, when he was pressured on 17 of 35 dropbacks? Bad team is bad. Like if Fields were to look how you guys want, then the bad team with the bad talent wouldn't be bad. This year is gonna suck. They NEED to be run heavy, not only because they are best at it, but also to protect Fields from his eventual death if they don't. When teams stop the run or the Bears D can't hold teams down, they are going to lose and its going to be ugly. Idk why you guys keep expecting otherwise. I understand the heat of the game, but it's over and these takes still suck.

SO you're saying there's a chance.....

They were top 10 every year in D, I'm pretty sure. He's fine overall and certainly was well qualified. so why does he suck ass I mean this is the 2nd game he's lost in 8 tries.

They should have just broadcast this game in regular def. Giants throwback uniforms. Teams playing 80s style football. Bears making every Giants pass rusher look like Lawrence Taylor. Love a good theme.

They were top 10 every year in D, I'm pretty sure. He's fine overall and certainly was well qualified.