2 hours ago, Goober said:

Anyone know whether Caleb Williams chose a one-piece or a two-piece swimsuit for the beach in Cancun today?

You looking for pics or what?

2 hours ago, Flash Tizzle said:

Absolutely. And while I’m grateful for the season (and playoff win), there’s a feeling that the Bears may be in store for a huge letdown next year. I can only hope the coaches and Poles feel similarity. The “magic” of the late game comebacks and defensive turnover abilities masked a lot of issues. I understand the clutchness and will to win from Williams - but that completion percentage needs work. I believe he even acknowledged it yesterday. We’ll also need to spend a significant amount of draft capital on the defense.

No one expected the Bears to be winning a Super Bowl this season. But the path was there to make an unexpected run. 

I mean, do you think they are going to spend the offseason looking to make the team worse? If there is one thing everyone is on the same page on, it’s right now is the window. The next three seasons before Caleb’s rookie deal is up. Doesn’t mean they can be successful after that, but it’s a lot easier when your QB is still on his rookie deal. 

You say “there is a feeling the Bears may be in store for a huge letdown next season.”   You can feel anyway you want, but the expectation for this team will be to reach the Super Bowl, as it should be. They took a huge step forward this year, and the next step will be expected when the new season starts. Will it result in 11 wins next season and some of the most thrilling games we can remember? No idea, but they need to win multiple playoff games next year, end of story. 

And lastly, while good fortune certainly seemed to be on their side this season, I don’t know why just straight up growth is being overlooked by so many. Ben Johnson has never been a HC before. Given what we’ve seen from him as a competitor, I don’t expect him to get worse at his job in Year 2. There was also a tremendous learning curve for all involved this last year. The offense looked terrible in the preseason and to start the season. Ben said all along he thought they would be playing their best football in December and January, and he was right. For the first time in a while, there will be continuity from the coaching staff going into next year, and Caleb talked today about working on his accuracy being the biggest focus in the offseason. 
 

I know Bears fans aren’t used to any sort of sustained success, but to quote Stacey King…”If you’re scared, go buy a dog” 

7 minutes ago, Tony said:

I mean, do you think they are going to spend the offseason looking to make the team worse? If there is one thing everyone is on the same page on, it’s right now is the window. The next three seasons before Caleb’s rookie deal is up. Doesn’t mean they can be successful after that, but it’s a lot easier when your QB is still on his rookie deal. 

You say “there is a feeling the Bears may be in store for a huge letdown next season.”   You can feel anyway you want, but the expectation for this team will be to reach the Super Bowl, as it should be. They took a huge step forward this year, and the next step will be expected when the new season starts. Will it result in 11 wins next season and some of the most thrilling games we can remember? No idea, but they need to win multiple playoff games next year, end of story. 

And lastly, while good fortune certainly seemed to be on their side this season, I don’t know why just straight up growth is being overlooked by so many. Ben Johnson has never been a HC before. Given what we’ve seen from him as a competitor, I don’t expect him to get worse at his job in Year 2. There was also a tremendous learning curve for all involved this last year. The offense looked terrible in the preseason and to start the season. Ben said all along he thought they would be playing their best football in December and January, and he was right. For the first time in a while, there will be continuity from the coaching staff going into next year, and Caleb talked today about working on his accuracy being the biggest focus in the offseason. 
 

I know Bears fans aren’t used to any sort of sustained success, but to quote Stacey King…”If you’re scared, go buy a dog” 

You need a good head coach, good coaching staff and a franchise QB to keep sustained success in the NFL. It looks like we have them now. I like our odds to sustain continued success.

3 hours ago, Goober said:

Anyone know whether Caleb Williams chose a one-piece or a two-piece swimsuit for the beach in Cancun today?

Loser ass thing to say. 

I wanna give a shoutout to @Kyyle23 for sharing all the "good better best" locker rooms videos each week. Helped make a really fun season and an engaging soxtalk community even better. 

5 hours ago, Goober said:

Anyone know whether Caleb Williams chose a one-piece or a two-piece swimsuit for the beach in Cancun today?

I don't care if this is bait.

 

 

This is a spot-on realistic look at the Bears season and what they have to do this off season for next year to prevent a regression:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/01/19/bears-rams-bemoan-missed-opportunity-cole-kmet-ben-johnson-caleb-williams-offseason-improvment-nfl-very-wishful-thinking

 

Things like this remind me that I have no idea how the NFL cap works.

 

It really sucks that it looked like they hit on a left tackle and he got hurt in January, and they are saying at best he could be ready mid December but likely this is a upcoming lost season for Trapilo.  And that put the bears in a situation that they have to explore drafting another or sign/trade for one

30 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

This is a spot-on realistic look at the Bears season and what they have to do this off season for next year to prevent a regression:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/01/19/bears-rams-bemoan-missed-opportunity-cole-kmet-ben-johnson-caleb-williams-offseason-improvment-nfl-very-wishful-thinking

 

I mean, this same article has been written for months on this site. They need a pash rusher, find a solution at LT with Ozzy hurt, and figure out what they want to do a safety. 

Finley didn’t exactly re-invent the wheel with this one. 

 

 

Crowd went nuts for Caleb (oh and some other guy was next to him).

15 minutes ago, SoxAce said:

 

 

Crowd went nuts for Caleb (oh and some other guy was next to him).

PCA wishes he's as clutch as Caleb.

2 hours ago, Tony said:

I mean, this same article has been written for months on this site. They need a pash rusher, find a solution at LT with Ozzy hurt, and figure out what they want to do a safety. 

Finley didn’t exactly re-invent the wheel with this one. 

Try this one then which looks into the cap situation and how the bears may have to replace/revamp almost the entire defensive secondary:

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/whats-next-for-bears-nfl-playoffs-offseason-caleb-williams/

This is pretty awesome 

15 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Try this one then which looks into the cap situation and how the bears may have to replace/revamp almost the entire defensive secondary:

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/whats-next-for-bears-nfl-playoffs-offseason-caleb-williams/

The cap is complicated and requires a pretty in-depth understanding of each teams situation. Which is why I prefer getting information from people who actually cover the team, rather than national writer who is painting with broad strokes

 

 

I love the standard he sets and the directness in how he speaks and he doesn’t without naming names but still being very clear. 

On 1/19/2026 at 6:31 PM, Quin said:

Things like this remind me that I have no idea how the NFL cap works.

 

the NFL cap is largely fake unless you get incredibly in the hole like the Saints have done

 

 

Gonna be some tough losses for the Bears staff and hopefully some interesting hires. 

 

Also Poles confirmed it was a compete tear. People saying "Well Josh Simmons came back even better" his was a partial tear. I'll still trust @ptatc on this one but a likely 10-12 month recovery from this injury for an O-Lineman is going to be brutal. 

Will the Bears be heavy favorites to win the division? Any NFL experts want to predict how many playoff appearances in the next 10 years?

13 hours ago, SoxAce said:

 

Also Poles confirmed it was a compete tear. People saying "Well Josh Simmons came back even better" his was a partial tear. I'll still trust @ptatc on this one but a likely 10-12 month recovery from this injury for an O-Lineman is going to be brutal. 

Yeah, we were all caught in the glow of beating the Packers in the playoffs (rightly so) but that injury was a massive blow for the future. LT is incredibly important and now that position has to become a priority in the offseason, for a team that already is going to have to fill a bunch of holes. 

15 hours ago, SoxAce said:

 

Also Poles confirmed it was a compete tear. People saying "Well Josh Simmons came back even better" his was a partial tear. I'll still trust @ptatc on this one but a likely 10-12 month recovery from this injury for an O-Lineman is going to be brutal. 

Yep, it should be most if not all of theyear  i still think he will return though.

Feel like Shemar Turner is not discussed at all regarding the 2026 Bears. Bears found a lot of success with their other two second round picks (Ozzy and Burden) and while Turner basically didn't play in 2025 because of the ACL injury, I still think there should be some potential for him there to make an impact next season. Certainly not going to "solve" the DE problem, but hopefully he can contribute. 

Go Broncos!