scs787

Also, Green Bay might be without 3 starting linemen. This is a very winnable game. Next 2 after that are winnable as well...4-0 Bears???

Jaylon Johnson was not targeted once in 27 coverage snaps. That's tied for the most snaps without being targeted over the last 3 years. I still remember Kupp saying JJ was one of the toughest guys he's went against. This secondary can be reallllly good if the rookies play well and EJax is back.

Outside of the silly wiping the field penalty, the Bears had just penalty the whole game. That's such a breath of fresh air. San Fran has one of the better Defensive lines in football and while they certainly got pressure, the OL only gave up 2 sacks. I thought Jenkins played really well while he was out there(he was splitting time with Patrick) . Jones was not tooooo shabby vs Bosa. Cole Kmet putting up a goose egg bummed me out but he was largely needed in protection. Hopefully as the line comes together, Cole gets used more in the passing game. This defense was tenacious. All the talks over the offseason really showed up on game day. Fingers crossed that EJax INT is a sign of things to come with him. I like Blackson, but Watts looked a guy who is gonna take a starter role and run with it, I like what I saw out of him a lot. If Green Bay played like they did yesterday, its a totally winnable game for the Bears. I haven't really noticed in the past, but I guess tomorrow starts another wave of free agent pick ups. Something about after week 1 any veteran signed doesn't have to be fully guaranteed or something like that.....A lot of intriguing guys still out there at both CB and WR. I'd still very much like to see Will Fuller, even if he does get hurt.

I'm not sure what angle you're coming at here. I've been a big Pringle supporter and think he can breakout because he has the ability to create separation. I think my post may have come across a bit snarky with the first line. Obviously Pringle didn't show anything today, much like Robinson, but I think both have good seasons. ...or at least I hope so when it comes to Pringle.

Tough to really say anything about this game with the weather the way it was, but what I did see was some tenacity on defense and thats gonna keep this team in a lot of games. Packers look like poo. Hopefully Lazard is out another week, but even with him, they could have some issues.

Ah yes, the separation argument. You know who got a ton of separation last year? Byron Pringle. Like top 5 in the league I wanna say. Just wanted to bring that back. To show him some love.

Womp, totally down with him starting, but if soon meant this year I'd hope he'd be open to coming out of the pen for the playoffs if they make it.

That'd be huge!

Sounds like Kittle might not play on Sunday. No Kittle, a shaky OL, a very inexperienced QB, and they're missing a key piece to their secondary.

Idk if it's really a thing or if it's just something that he'd just have to get used to, but Eloy is just straight up mashing when he plays the field vs when he plays DH. He's still above average when DHing but there's about a 100 point OPS difference when he plays the field. I think you almost have to just ride it out and trade Sheets. Vaughn has way too much upside and I'd just hate to see Abreu go if he still wants to play.

One thing that hasn't been talked about a ton that I wonder about, is Dane Cruikshank gonna have a roll on this team? He played a ton of nickel and was a "Tight End eraser" for the Titans last year. He lined up against Kittle last year and held him to just 2 yards on 1 reception. That's what I wanna see the Bears do. Put Johnson and Gordon on Deebo and Aiyuk as much as possible then just throw DC out there lined up on Kittle.

Trace Armstrong represents Ryan Poles so that would be a pretty good fit.

Bears snatched up a WR from the Vikings on waivers. I've never heard of him but Viking fans are upset. https://youtu.be/C7rSc8IS-Uk

With the injury uncertainty surrounding guys like Pringle, Velus, and Harry, I'd really like to see the Bears kick the tires on Will Fuller, TY, or Emmanuel Sanders. I'm a believer in Pringle and Velus, but I think grabbing a vet would be very beneficial. Fuller can give you some good games until everyone comes back to full health.

Does SI have a betting app? I'm pounding the over on that.

https://www.raidersbeat.com/raiders-have-the-two-worst-pass-blocking-linemen-in-the-nfl-and-they-play-right-next-to-each-other/ As the article says the raiders had the 2 worst pass blocking lineman in the playing right next to each other. That had to make things even harder for the both of them. Maybe playing next to a more competent lineman would make things a little easier. I remember doing film study on Jermon Bushrod with the saints yearssss ago and he consistently got help from his LG which made the both of them a lot better. You have to work as a unit, and having 2 guys who are struggling mightly next to each other can really hurt. Regardless, Leatherwood has a lot to show before he gets inserted into the lineup.

Leatherwood was the Outland trophy winner in college. That's given to the best lineman (offensive or defensive) in college football. You'd think that a winner of this trophy would be a lock to go on and have success in the NFL, but in the last 20 years, only 3 offensive lineman to win the trophy also went to the pro bowl. For every Joe Thomas and Brandon Schreef, there has been a Gabe Carimi or a Robert Gallery. I hope Leatherwood comes in hungry and the Bears can fix him.

Ooof. Tonga cut right as I was typing that last post out. Little surprised there, but Watts looks to be a clear upgrade

Looking more into Watts, he could really be a steal. There was a 4 game stretch last year where PFF had him rated as the 9th best defensive lineman in the league. I'm still not sure who starts next to Jones. Tonga is a fun player to root for and Blackson quietly had a solid year with 43 tackles. At the very least Watts should add a quality rotation piece.

Hopefully Leatherwood comes in hungry AF. The size and altheticism is there. Watts is a solid pickup as well.

Schofield gone now too. Little surprised by this. I love that Jenkins really won the RG spot and is running with it, but I woulda liked Schofield as a backup. It was just 2 years ago he was rated as a top 20 offensive lineman.

Mario Edwards gets cut. I was definitely wrong on him, I thought he was the best fit they had at 3T. Justin Jones has been pretty impressive and I feel a lot better about him as a disruptor than I did before. Looks like he was held back in San Diego.

A perceived huge issue. Lol. Poles really looked to have hit it out of the park with this draft class. With the other picks thriving the way they have, here's hoping he hit on Velus too. I still want to believe in Pringle as well, but I'm bummed to have not seen anything out of him in preseason. I believe wholeheartedly that Mooney is gonna be looked at as a #1 regardless of team. Gonna see a lot of production in the pass game out of the RB and TEs too.

I mean, I obviously just meant he's gonna get those 800 yards on the way to the super bowl...that's another 3 games. Lol.

I know it was just preseason, and I know Cleveland didn't play all their starters, but that was still super encouraging just from a play calling standpoint. How often did Fields run bootleg last season? Not nearly enough is the answer. That should be his bread and butter.