How Bout Dem Bears?

Realt Dearg Sec

Hicks on IR. Now there's a disastrous piece of news for our playoff hopes. Probably the second most important player in the defense, and the most important in run defense.

thomond2006

At 3-2, remaining games:

vs Saints
vs Chargers
@ Eagles
vs Lions
@ Rams
vs Giants
@ Lions
vs Cowboys
@ Packers
vs Chiefs
@ Vikings

December's games are a difficult series. I wouldn't want the Bears to need more than two wins from those four games. This Sunday is a huge game, with a home game against the injury wrecked Chargers to come after.

Realt Dearg Sec

thomond2006 wrote: »

At 3-2, remaining games:

vs Saints
vs Chargers
@ Eagles
vs Lions
@ Rams
vs Giants
@ Lions
vs Cowboys
@ Packers
vs Chiefs
@ Vikings

December's games are a difficult series. I wouldn't want the Bears to need more than two wins from those four games. This Sunday is a huge game, with a home game against the injury wrecked Chargers to come after.

It's a tough schedule overall, I can see us getting six wins there maybe (Chargers, Eagles, Lions at Soldier, Rams, Giants, Cowboys) and also possibly the Vikings. I would say predicting those as wins is a pretty optimistic reading of things given our struggles on offense, and it only adds up to 9. I don't think 9 wins will get us to the playoffs the way the division is shaping up. So yeah, no question about it we need a win against the Saints or the path to the playoffs starts to look very tough indeed.

Realt Dearg Sec

What has actually happened to us? This game is as bad as anything under Marc Trestman. Nagys play calling is disgraceful, trubisky is done and dusted now, the offense can't execute.

But look at the defense. After a good opening few weeks, they've completely cratered as well. Roquan is clearly not himself, he's playing really weirdly. Mack, Floyd, etc etc. Nobody is playing like themselves.

Trubisky is a bust, Nagys clearly not the guy we thought he was, we have no identity. Is Pace on the hot seat as well? I can see a good argument why he should be.

Realt Dearg Sec

I take back "as bad as anything under Trestman" actually. Need to keep that in reserve...

thomond2006

Yo Bears. Next time you decide to lose like that, do it on a 6pm kickoff. I'm exhausted this morning.

Next up is the Chargers who love to lose when they shouldn't. Perhaps the Bears win. I don't think it matters. The season ended last night. This year's 3-3 has a different feel to it than last year. The 3 losses at that stage were Packers away (should have won), Dolphins away (awful performance but at least went to OT before Codymania struck) and Patriots at home (no shame in losing and 2 TDs conceded on special teams).

To avoid being completely miserable, I have to give credit to Allen Robinson. In an awful offense he's been immense.

D9Male

Trubisky is dirt. That is your main problem right there. It is demoralizing on the whole franchise when a QB is that poor. A defensive stop is less impactful when you're probably going to be going back on the field again after yet another 2 yard run - sack - 6 yard screen pass - punt by the offence.

Oat23

Roquan is tweeting & retweeting some odd stuff. They need to put him on non-football injury list and get him some help for whatever is going on.

thomond2006

Agreed. He started the season on fire but hasn't been himself on the field since his absence. Bears should take the long term view and sit him if it's the right thing.

Realt Dearg Sec

thomond2006 wrote: »

Agreed. He started the season on fire but hasn't been himself on the field since his absence. Bears should take the long term view and sit him if it's the right thing.

It's the long term view, yes, and his well being is more important than football. But funnily enough it's the short term view as well. Kwitkoski would have jammed up Bridgewater on that first down play; he played better coming in against the Vikings than Smith has since week one. And he never lacks for intensity and effort, regardless of his limits as a player, which you can't say right now about Smith.

Oat23

Where do we go from here? Season is done, obviously. Mitch isn't the guy. I think yesterday finally confirmed it. 3rd year QBs should not be making the mistakes he makes, especially that horrible INT. That was a rookie QB error. Missing an open receiver for a TD (for the millionth time) and then fumbling the game away right after was dreadful.



At the time he was drafted I remember saying here that Pace would live or die based on that pick, but I think he has done enough good things aside from the Mitch pick to have earned a chance to fix it. His willingness to be aggressive and trade picks to get his guy might not always work, but it's a breath of fresh air when compared with Emery and Angelo.



His & Nagy's heads are on the chopping block though and if they decide to ride with Mitch beyond 2019, they are finished. They need to recognise he isn't the guy and do whatever they can to fix the position. No camp competition or any of that bullsh*t. If we enter 2020 with Mitch having a shot of being the starter, they have failed and we are f*cked.



Who do you go after though?

Alex Smith if he can play?

Bring Kaepernick in for a workout?

Teddy Bridgewater will probably draw interest given his performances for the Saints.

Nick Foles might demand a trade if the Jags decide to go with Minshew.


Literally anyone who can run an NFL offense would be an upgrade on the FBS QB we have under center right now.


There are also other things that need to be fixed of course. We need at least 2 new o-linemen, a new TE and Nagy needs to give up the playcalling duties to someone who knows what they are doing. It's not all on Mitch.

Going to be an interesting off-season with all that is needed and the limited cap we will have. Pace will have to work some cap magic to make it happen.

thomond2006

Lots of Matt Ryan to Bears talk. I call BS.

He was excellent last year in a team wrecked by injury but he hasn't looked good recently. The Bears have problems other than QB and the remaining schedule is brutal. Last year's Bears would struggle to make the playoffs from here.

Realt Dearg Sec

I hate football so very, very much.

Oat23

I'm so relieved I learnt from the Trestman era and never got too high. They burned me so bad in 2014 I refused to every get onto the superbowl bandwagon this off-season.

It still sucks to suck again of course.

Badabing

What does Nagy do with Trubisky? Stick with him or play Daniel. Who's a viable quarterback for us to get next year?

Realt Dearg Sec

Badabing wrote: »

What does Nagy do with Trubisky? Stick with him or play Daniel. Who's a viable quarterback for us to get next year?

The problem is we also know Daniel is not the answer, and he is only there at all because he "knows the offense". It's an indictment of Pace, really, that he managed to go five years and only draft one QB. He went all in on that guy, as we know, which isn't necessarily a bad idea (though it turned out to be) but even if trubisky had worked out, what was the plan if he had gotten injured during our wonderful super bowl run?

For next year we are now pretty much obliged to draft someone in the second, and I have absolutely no faith that anyone in halas is able to evaluate one

Christy42

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

The problem is we also know Daniel is not the answer, and he is only there at all because he "knows the offense". It's an indictment of Pace, really, that he managed to go five years and only draft one QB. He went all in on that guy, as we know, which isn't necessarily a bad idea (though it turned out to be) but even if trubisky had worked out, what was the plan if he had gotten injured during our wonderful super bowl run?

For next year we are now pretty much obliged to draft someone in the second, and I have absolutely no faith that anyone in halas is able to evaluate one

Very few teams have two QBs better than Daniels to be fair. Can't see that as a knock on them.

thomond2006

@ Rams
vs NYG
@ Lions

7-5 isn't an insane possibility, all those teams are also struggling. The problem comes with the 4 remaining games.

ArnoldJRimmer

Another depressing game

thomond2006

thomond2006 wrote: »

@ Rams
vs NYG
@ Lions

7-5 isn't an insane possibility, all those teams are also struggling. The problem comes with the 4 remaining games.

I apologise for making anyone read this rubbish.

thomond2006

https://twitter.com/TarikCohen/status/1202824588398338048?s=19

Tarik is the best.

Foxtrol

thomond2006 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/TarikCohen/status/1202824588398338048?s=19

Tarik is the best.

Is that a new thing for Tarik or has he done for a while in victory formations?

Richie James has been doing it all season for the 49ers and I now must know if my love for it is tainted by him stealing it from Tarik

https://twitter.com/edpalmo/status/1175851053906108421

Foxtrol

Tarik answers

https://twitter.com/TarikCohen/status/1202995988337745920

Realt Dearg Sec

Packers week!

I dunno about you but regardless of how spectacularly long a shot our playoff hopes are, it's nice to be playing relevant football in December. I didn't expect this game to be anything other than a pride game, and one to dread at that, a couple of weeks ago.

I know the teams we've played have not been good, but I don't care what anyone says, a run of good form like that can't just be dismissed. I don't think we win Sunday, but you wouldn't say it was some massive shock if we were to do it either.

Shame Roquan is out for the season, after a run of bad games he had come roaring back for us. Good news is Hicks looks likely to start, and if he can hit the ground running I think we can do plenty of damage on that side of the ball, as we're a different team when he's playing.

Offense has been steadily improving, against admittedly poor opponents, but opponents they would have been humiliated by earlier. I think they will give a better account of themselves than our last meeting with The Enemy anyway. I'm especially impressed by the improvement in our running game, and our HC's willingness to lean on it. Along with the huge strides forward made by Miller, I think we're not to be taken for granted, at least.

However mediocre the Packers have been lately though, history tells us games against the Bears are often when they tend to find their feet after a bad run, and breaking our spirit is a bit of a Rodgers specialty. I think in the end they beat us by three or four.

I have been reading about the permutations and while there's some miniscule chance of getting a WC spot if we lose this week, the basic reality is that we either win out or we go home. So basically our playoffs begin Sunday.

adrian522

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

However mediocre the Packers have been lately though, history tells us games against the Bears are often when they tend to find their feet after a bad run, and breaking our spirit is a bit of a Rodgers specialty. I think in the end they beat us by three or four.

3 or 4 points or 3 or 4 TD's?

thomond2006

Decision to be made in May on Trubisky's 5th year. I imagine it's taken up.

Oat23

Kyle Long's time in Chicago is over, unsurprisingly. Perhaps he'll take a season off and try to get back in the league for 2021. Only just turned 31 a few weeks ago.

https://twitter.com/Ky1eLong/status/1213974044497924099

Realt Dearg Sec

Well lads, what's the verdict? I'm not much of a draft guy to be honest, but I do watch notre Dame and I'm happy with that pick, and from reading around we did well with the other too. Main thing is we didn't 1) give away the family china to trade up 2) draft some Last Chance U type weighing 100lbs with a "high ceiling". Seems like two good picks that weren't cute and we're in positions of need.

Would have been nice to get a tackle or a guard but they're not ten a penny in the second round anyway. Good ones at least, looked the man in the last post here, who sadly isn't returning...

Oat23

Watch ND too and I'm happy with the Kmet pick. I was hoping for either Kmet or Winfield at 43 and leaning towards Winfield, but I'll take Kmet. He has the potential to be a great TE in the pros. He's also from IL and a Bears fan all his life which is nice. He liked Greg Olsen when he was growing up and hopefully he can be as good a pick as he was (before we stupidly traded him away for nothing..)


Don't know a lot about Jaylon Johnson but the reaction from people on twitter that you'd expect to know seems positive. Both should hopefully be day 1 starters.


When Goodell said "Jaylon" I was thinking "oh for f&ck sake". I was certain Pace took Jalen Hurts.

Realt Dearg Sec

Oat23 wrote: »

Watch ND too and I'm happy with the Kmet pick. I was hoping for either Kmet or Winfield at 43 and leaning towards Winfield, but I'll take Kmet. He has the potential to be a great TE in the pros. He's also from IL and a Bears fan all his life which is nice. He liked Greg Olsen when he was growing up and hopefully he can be as good a pick as he was (before we stupidly traded him away for nothing..)


Don't know a lot about Jaylon Johnson but the reaction from people on twitter that you'd expect to know seems positive. Both should hopefully be day 1 starters.


When Goodell said "Jaylon" I was thinking "oh for f&ck sake". I was certain Pace took Jalen Hurts.

I think everyone had that same moment of panic.