Flash Tizzle

Washington is like the bizarro Bears, so damn lucky.

We know how this is going to go down. Atlanta quickly scores a TD to tie, then Daniels gets to march back down the field making wide open throw after wide open throw. Then there will be an obvious penalty ignored to benefit Daniels.

Washington has schemed so many wide open throws for Daniels, it’s ridiculous. Everything looks so easy.

I’m not feeling very good about our chances of hiring Johnson. There’s just too much disfunction here to overcome. The roster (esp. OL) needs a complete overhaul. And the guy assisting Johnson with that task is the GM who has proven he cannot do anything but botch nearly every roster and personnel decision. Would any of us feel comfortable working with Poles? Especially knowing he’s a lame duck GM? I understand there’s the whole, storied franchise, “build the team and become a legend” allure, but when you look at it everything on the field - the path to success is easier in Jacksonville. That is true regardless of who the GM will be. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait too long to find out. Whenever Detroit season ends, I can’t imagine the decision for Johnson will be dragged out very long.

What is this s%*#? How can this be acceptable for a NFL team?

It was, but Williams also looked clueless. Are we creating this screen heavy, quick slant heavy, avoiding throws over 10 yards heavy, type of offense because we don’t trust the OL, Williams, or some combination of both?

And Caleb missing easy passes in the middle of the field. Ridiculous. Every QB in the league can make that throw

Absolutely. Missed tackles, broken tackles on the defense. Keenan dropping passes, Odunze giving maybe 50% on a catchable throw, Moore cutting out of bounds one yard short of the 1st down. We’ve seen for awhile what it looks like when a team has given up

His seat is definitely hot. USC has lost momentum as a program recently and a huge amount of players are transferring out. I don’t know if it’s hot enough to throw away 80 million to be rid of him, though

Would Lincoln Riley come along as Carroll’s OC? I really wonder if that’s the sales pitch. You have a lot of parts here that connect with Riley, Carroll and Williams. If I was Carroll, and knew Poles was desperate, I’d throw out the idea of immediate success. “We can save your job and turn this around right away! I’ll rebuild the culture and have a hand in the defense, Riley will work with Williams.” Why would Poles care what happens three years down the line? Or if Riley leaves the following season? The man is trying to survive. Ben Johnson is personally still my number one choice. But I really believe that Carroll has a shot

For Carroll’s camp to leak out this information actually gives me a ton of optimism. He wouldn’t be willing to come out of retirement if he didn’t believe in Caleb and the possibility of quickly turning this mess around. This isn’t just some generic, “Pete Carroll wants to coach in 2025” statement open to every team. At 73 years old, he wouldn’t be here to oversee a rebuild. Depending on what his demands are, I’d be willing to put him right at the top alongside Johnson. Especially since his name carries the respect to have some part in roster construction. I know, I know, the Shane Waldron connection; and he’s a defensive minded coach who would have to find yet another OC for Caleb. But guys…..who are we to turn him down? He is a proven winner who created a winning culture over his 14 seasons. Are we going to be the team that overlooks Harbaugh and Carroll in back to back seasons?

I just can’t watch teams lay down against Washington. Dumb decision after dumb decision. Lucky play after lucky play. 5 turnovers and they still win. Wide open pass by Philly that should have finished the game….dropped. Obvious false start by Washington on the last drive ignored. And one-read Daniels doesn’t impress me the way people have propped him up. I give Kingsbury all the credit though, scheming for his QB - a ton of lob passes to wide open receivers.

I could see it as a 20-17 type of game. It’s cold outside, and as I recall Goff plays much worse in outdoor stadiums.

Hell if they score any first half points and manage more than one third down conversion in the same drive I’ll be happy.

Poles should consider stepping down as the GM. There is a very narrow path to success for him. He has to oversee all of the following in one season: successfully pick the next HC (and its accompanying staff), draft/sign through FA a collection of talent who will bring immediate success, take a huge step forward with Williams’ development, all the while competing in the toughest division in football. Impossible. Especially when he hasn’t checked any of those requirements to this point! Why would anyone believe he could somehow make it work? A important question for me is try to decide is, what is our metric for deciding if Poles was successful or not? Is it as black and white as, playoffs or he’s fired? What about if the Bears finished 9-8 but missed out on a final playoff spot? Or, a scenario where Caleb and the offense looks great overall but the defense continues they slide and they finish below .500? I wouldn’t be surprised if both Johnson and Vrabel did not select the Bears. The Jets will entice Vrabel with a voice in the GM search. Even with their meddling owner and Rodgers drama, having your voice heard is a powerful selling point. There’s a possibility the Cowboys also pivot towards him. With Johnson, the Jags will offer him more roster control than he would get here. Also, are you sitting across the sidelines watching this disaster of a team thinking you can fix it? Then whatever relationship you have with Poles, you have to deal with another GM the following season. The easiest path forward for the Bears starts with firing Poles. Then, we immediately become a more attractive option for all of these coaches.

We all know damn well if the Chicago Bears were in that situation, there’s no way they would bench a quarterback they just signed to a huge off-season deal. Regardless of who was waiting in the wings, or how he was performing.

Penix replacing Cousins. I was a huge fan of his before the draft, and really believe the national title game squashed his value just a little bit. Enough to knock him out of the Top 3 slot.

Poles should be devoting 80+% of his draft AND FA funds to upgrading the offensive line. Yes, there are upgrades needed on defense as well; but think about the #1 metric by which Poles will be judged - the development of CW. Poles must do everything he can, even if it borders on tampering, to let Trey Smith know the Bears will reset the market and give the man his bag. When you envision the different scenarios for 2025, one where the Bears are in a Bengals situation (Top 10 offense, bottom 5 defense, in the playoff hunt, but possibly below .500) would be my goal. If we have to forsake defense for offense, it’s a risk I’m willing to take. Get the most important position, right, then worry about the other pieces in the upcoming seasons while he is still cheap.

Caleb deserves some blame. He had some bad O lines at USC and still wasn’t missing receivers by 10 yards, or just not recognizing open receivers directly in front of him.

We never know whose turn it is, but Williams, Amegadije, and Kramer have stepped up to do their part today.

Aikman has been rightfully critical of Williams. Usually we get the 3rd string announcers who hold back, but this game has really shown how far off he is. Caleb looks terrible. If he doesn’t drastically improve next season, we may need to have some uncomfortable questions about his future.

Opposing teams have figured out this defense. My god, reception after reception uncontested.

Caleb cannot even see Odunze wide open right in front him!?

I can’t even be excited for that interception, because I doubt the ability of this offense to move the ball 80 yards (in the 1st half)

I wasn’t hoping for that either. Only that with the lack of front line protection, Caleb’ well being depends on quickly releasing the football. And if those quick throws lead to interceptions, so be it. I imagine we will know early how the line holds up. BIG assignment from Kiran today filling in for Braxton.