Camp notes

[AZ54]

The rookie Center is making the most of his opportunity.  His size isn't an issue if he can use it to his advantage and play lower with leverage.  Of course he's got to have the strength for that as well which is how Kreutz excelled.  It'll be interesting to see what he does with this opportunity.   

Mustipher doesn't appear to have a lock on RG and now Schofield is getting reps with the 1s and so is Carter.  With those changes Mustipher moved to C with the 2s.  Kreutz has been promoting Mustipher at C all offseason but now with his son's friend taking the lead at C I wonder what Kreutz will say/do next.  

https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/doug-kramer-the-center-of-attention-at-bears-camp

[AZ54]

1 hour ago, McGowan said:

Nobody has mentioned that Teven Jenkins is injured yet again. 

Another wasted high pick by Pace.

At least Poles is more judicious about injured players. 

Everybody mentions it at the start of camp each day.  Signs were already pointing toward Borom starting at RT but we'll see if that holds.  Eberflus has already said he wants to keep 8 Oline so it's possible Jenkins ends up the odd man out at the end of camp and gets traded.  I don't think Jones is going anywhere and likely won't make it to the practice squad.  Borom and Reiff, can play both LT/RT and Schofield can also backup RT.  If everyone is healthy we don't need another backup OT.  Jenkins has to either win the RT job or show he can move inside and perform well enough there to at least be a backup OG/OT.  

We're only 4 days into a 35 day process and we haven't even had 1 practice in pads.  

[Stinger226]

Someone suggested he may have covid and I don't think the bears can mention that .Which means another day or at the most a week. I think once hitting starts ,  Jenkins will be more noticed. 

[adam]

Velus Jones is fassstttt:

 

Had a 5-yard separation at 20 yds.

[adam]

 

[BearFan PHX]

Let's Go Velus! There is a ton of opportunity in this WR room, go get it!

[AZ54]

1 hour ago, adam said:

 

He needs to stack the DB and push further inside so there is more room for the over the shoulder throw.  All things he can learn.   On the other hand, Kyler Gordon was right there, kept Velus wide on the sideline as he should be doing, and forced that throw into a very tight window.  These two rookies have been going at it early and often in camp so far and think these battles will only heat up.  

[Stinger226]

We have added size and speed in the WR group this year. As much as not proven,  I still think it ends up surprising people. Every day I kept seeing national writers say how bad we will be , some guy on PFN states we will be lucky to win 3 games. With the upgrade in the secondary, it will make these WRs better, it works both ways. An easier schedule, better coaching, a surprising defense, I find it hard to believe we dont beat the hell out of Vegas's projection of 5.5 games wins. 

[Stinger226]

We added a lot of new players in the WR room. Also we Kmet and our RBs that will add to the passing game. If Jones becomes a playmaker and one other WR hits, I think we will have a successful offense. 

Mooney

Kmet

Montgomery, Herbert, Ebner.

One of EQB-Pringle-Harry-Sharpe-Moore

Jones is a wildcard but his ability to separate and speed will translate to the playing field.

I think the upside is huge on this group.

[adam]

Bears are in both of these groups because of Mooney:
18 teams had a WR with 80 or more receptions 
20 teams had a WR with 1000 yards or more

Kmet is also a top 15 TE in receptions and yards.

They both did that with a revolving door at QB and clown for a HC with a Pop Warner offensive scheme.

Mooney was tied for 10th in targets as well and you can expect that to rise this year. He had 140, so expect at least 1 extra per game to 157.

The majority of the targets go to the top WR and top TE. So the WR3 and 4 have a minimal impact on the outcome of a game or the season.

It ultimately comes down to QB-RB1-WR1-TE1-WR2, and that group is not 30th, Fields-Monty-Mooney-Kmet-Pringle is at least a top 20 group.

[killakrzydav]

I like Jones. We need to come up with a nickname for him

[Mongo3451]

1 hour ago, killakrzydav said:

I like Jones. We need to come up with a nickname for him

Velus-a-raptor!

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Evidently Dazz Newsome is turning heads.  (the Tweet from Bears Nation is from last week). 
 

 

[Pixote]

Didn't Newsome impress in preseason last year before sitting the first 14 or 15 games on the Practice Squad? I bought into the hype last year and was disappointed. I will wait to see if I am wrong, but I fear this is just another player who will wind up on another team's PS.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

2 hours ago, Pixote said:

Didn't Newsome impress in preseason last year before sitting the first 14 or 15 games on the Practice Squad? I bought into the hype last year and was disappointed. I will wait to see if I am wrong, but I fear this is just another player who will wind up on another team's PS.

Possibly...but you had Pace and Nagy making those decisions.  So there's that...  

[Stinger226]

I am not sure if after 5 days of practice this is the first  time you heard his name mentioned , that it means a lot. We will see. 

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Thomas Graham Jr out longer than expected.  Bummer…

 

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Saw this today.  Probably (maybe) related to TGjr’s injury.  

And there were a few others of note. 

 

[Stinger226]

I view lots of bears journalist video and Joe Thomas name keeps popping up from several different persons. Obviously he's getting playing time from the Roquan situation, but he is being noticed. Also Q Muhammad has lots of compliments. 

[BearFan PHX]

I think with such a new roster with so many holes, we will see a lot of players being looked at, kicking the tires you know, people with ceilings who might (but probably wont) ascend and become better players than they currently seem to be. If you uncover one or two gems that way, it really helps. Once our roster is more set in a couple of years, there will be fewer opportunities for those kind of lottery ticket players. But for now, it's prudent to do what you can. This is the audition year in Chicago.

[AZ54]

1 hour ago, BearFan PHX said:

I think with such a new roster with so many holes, we will see a lot of players being looked at, kicking the tires you know, people with ceilings who might (but probably wont) ascend and become better players than they currently seem to be. If you uncover one or two gems that way, it really helps. Once our roster is more set in a couple of years, there will be fewer opportunities for those kind of lottery ticket players. But for now, it's prudent to do what you can. This is the audition year in Chicago.

Agreed, and it's also good to get the short-notice list ready now in case there are more injuries.  

[BearFan PHX]

4 hours ago, AZ54 said:

Agreed, and it's also good to get the short-notice list ready now in case there are more injuries.  

exactly, they dont have 4 years of contacts on a rolodex, so they are going to be very active this year, and next too.

[AZ54]

Week 1 impressions:

Defense:  Rookies Gordon and Brisker appear to be good players for us and have shown potential to be better than that.  EJack appears to be working to keep his job but I'll reserve any judgment until the real games start.    Overall the secondary appears to capable of becoming a good unit.  It might take a bit with 2 rookies being out there but by the 2nd half of the season we should see it.  

LBs.   No Roquan but Adams and Morrow seem to be ok and making plays.  Despite the transition to new scheme and players it feels like we'll be ok here once Roquan is back.  Depth behind those 3 is a complete mystery and that could be a big problem if there's a long term injury to a starter.  

Dline.  I hear of flashes from the edge rushers but with an inexperienced (or new) Oline I don't know the level of competition.  Trevis Gipson appears to be ready for a bigger role, Quinn will be Quinn.  AQM probably fits in around Gipson's style as hustle-type players.  That's ok.  Lots of noise about the rookie Dom but this is such a massive leap in competition and a still-new position, and the pads just came on, so he's still on the roster bubble IMO.   

Offense:   

QB:  Fields has improved his mechanics but I really need to see if that holds up under real pressure in a game.  Other than that he's still finding his way in this new offense.  Among the ups and downs I have two takeways:  First:  He is slowly and steadily getting more comfortable with the offense.  New installs (guessing here) seem to really mess things up as we hear things are getting better and then the next day there's a big dropoff.   We need a really good running game for at least the first month of the season to carry this offense.  Second:  Fields makes a few legit NFL-Starting-QB throws everyday in practice.  Not talking about how well he can throw but how well he's reading defenders and receiver and putting ball into tight windows for a completion.  Most passes in a game don't require that but 2min drill to win the game do.   

Oline:  I have no clue if the tough love approach for Jenkins will rescue his career in Chicago or if he should just keep his bags packed.  I'm hopeful it will work but the odds are not in his favor right now.  Reiff moving over to RT might just be the team helping him get comfortable in the scheme on both sides while at the same time they get to help Braxton Jones get better prepared to be the backup LT.  Or they might be about to demote Borom who has had some struggles with the pads on.  It's early but if Reiff keeps stacking practices on the right side to close to close out this week we're probably headed to having Borom as the backup swing OT.

On the inside I think RG is still wide open.  Schofield represents the floor IMO.  Carter has shown some good reps with the 1s but I doubt he's ready for the full playbook.  I'm not sure where Mustipher fits in but he's the likely backup RG or C IMO.    

RBs:  This position might be really deep with Ebner already causing issues for the defense.  Who we keep on the 53 could be one of the most interesting battles.   You know Montgomery and Blasingame have a spot.  I expect Herbert too.  Do we keep Evans who has also looked good as a backup, or Ebner?  Or both?  

WR:  Mooney and the gang of Who Dats.  ESB is starting to standout in the redzone as a Fields favorite.  Harry I think makes it on run blocking alone (we must have a good running game) as long as he can provide occasional receptions.  Pringle is likely #3WR but his limitations with his hands are revealing themselves.   That's 4 WRs, who earns the 5th or 6th position is a mystery right now.  

[Stinger226]

I think as far as Fields goes, they aren't going to load him up at the start . Emphasis the running game , scheme designed plays to get  people open. Mix up his options and go downfield a few times a game.

I think Mustifer starts at OC. As much as he played bad last year he keeps hanging around to start somewhere. I think when Patrick gets back, it may be at RG. 

I think the defense will be good and as the DBs get better end up being a top 10 unit. The only question will be against the run, who shines in that area. If I remember, wasn't Lovie's D , A bend don't break crew? With the speed at LB and the everybody to the ball mentality, it will be fine. it's will increase and win us a few more games that's not expected.

The passing game will be fine with our TEs and RB potential. I heard Briggs say this morning, that they will be running out of 12 lineups a lot. 2 TEs . So with good blocking WRs, A fullback and 2 TEs , we should have a loaded running game.

[adam]

I put my comments in yours:

4 hours ago, AZ54 said:

Week 1 impressions:

Defense:  Rookies Gordon and Brisker appear to be good players for us and have shown potential to be better than that.  EJack appears to be working to keep his job but I'll reserve any judgment until the real games start.    Overall the secondary appears to capable of becoming a good unit.  It might take a bit with 2 rookies being out there but by the 2nd half of the season we should see it.  - Don't forget Jaylon! Also, Vildor is now in a better position as a rotational guy. Another player to watch is Hicks. Overall, the secondary, which was one of the worst in the league, is probably going to see the biggest leap of any unit this season.

LBs.   No Roquan but Adams and Morrow seem to be ok and making plays.  Despite the transition to new scheme and players it feels like we'll be ok here once Roquan is back.  Depth behind those 3 is a complete mystery and that could be a big problem if there's a long term injury to a starter.  - With so many sub packages, we will more than likely see 2 LBs more than we see 3 so if we can find a decent 3rd backer in Adams, it seems like we will be set. The rest of the guys will be main STers.

Dline.  I hear of flashes from the edge rushers but with an inexperienced (or new) Oline I don't know the level of competition.  Trevis Gipson appears to be ready for a bigger role, Quinn will be Quinn.  AQM probably fits in around Gipson's style as hustle-type players.  That's ok.  Lots of noise about the rookie Dom but this is such a massive leap in competition and a still-new position, and the pads just came on, so he's still on the roster bubble IMO.  - The Edge group is a top 10 group with Quinn, Muhammad, and Gipson, and Robinson is showing flashes as well. Will be interesting to see how they handle roster spots here. Robinson may have to make the roster so he is not poached. 

Offense:   

QB:  Fields has improved his mechanics but I really need to see if that holds up under real pressure in a game.  Other than that he's still finding his way in this new offense.  Among the ups and downs I have two takeways:  First:  He is slowly and steadily getting more comfortable with the offense.  New installs (guessing here) seem to really mess things up as we hear things are getting better and then the next day there's a big dropoff.   We need a really good running game for at least the first month of the season to carry this offense.  Second:  Fields makes a few legit NFL-Starting-QB throws everyday in practice.  Not talking about how well he can throw but how well he's reading defenders and receiver and putting ball into tight windows for a completion.  Most passes in a game don't require that but 2min drill to win the game do.  - Just think where Fields would be if he was getting #1 reps last offseason? It was criminal what Nagy did to him. Such a weird situation and even weirder now looking back. Fields and the offense need as many reps as they can get. We will know after this season if Fields is it or not. For me, the biggest issues were pocket awareness (taking sacks and fumbles) and not taking the checkdowns when they were there. If he does that, his turnovers are cut in half. 

Oline:  I have no clue if the tough love approach for Jenkins will rescue his career in Chicago or if he should just keep his bags packed.  I'm hopeful it will work but the odds are not in his favor right now.  Reiff moving over to RT might just be the team helping him get comfortable in the scheme on both sides while at the same time they get to help Braxton Jones get better prepared to be the backup LT.  Or they might be about to demote Borom who has had some struggles with the pads on.  It's early but if Reiff keeps stacking practices on the right side to close to close out this week we're probably headed to having Borom as the backup swing OT.

On the inside I think RG is still wide open.  Schofield represents the floor IMO.  Carter has shown some good reps with the 1s but I doubt he's ready for the full playbook.  I'm not sure where Mustipher fits in but he's the likely backup RG or C IMO.    - Reiff and Schofield are both upgrades regardless of their ceilings. Whatever combination works out at tackle allows the 3rd tackle to end up as the swing tackle with minimal drop-off. That is a good problem to have. I am not worried about Patrick unless the injury return extends beyond Week 2. Jones may end up being the pick of the draft. To find a starting LT in the 5th round with all of the analytics and film today is unheard of. This unit just needs as many reps together as possible. They will only improve from here. The Jenkins thing is so bizarre. There are so many theories going around. Either way, I hope it gets resolved quick. He is clearly the odd man out right now.

RBs:  This position might be really deep with Ebner already causing issues for the defense.  Who we keep on the 53 could be one of the most interesting battles.   You know Montgomery and Blasingame have a spot.  I expect Herbert too.  Do we keep Evans who has also looked good as a backup, or Ebner?  Or both?  - Another good problem to have. It will probably come down to special teams for the RB4 spot as they won't see any carries. I could see them keeping Evans and putting Ebner on the PS.

WR:  Mooney and the gang of Who Dats.  ESB is starting to standout in the redzone as a Fields favorite.  Harry I think makes it on run blocking alone (we must have a good running game) as long as he can provide occasional receptions.  Pringle is likely #3WR but his limitations with his hands are revealing themselves.   That's 4 WRs, who earns the 5th or 6th position is a mystery right now.  - No mention of Velus? He is a lock as well. Right now Mooney, Pringle, Jones, and St. Brown seem like roster locks. Depending how many other WRs they take, the remaining WRs will have to play special teams. Also, not many WR4/5/6s play a big role in any offense. So I am not too worried about the remaining WRs as they won't get enough targets to matter.

You forgot TEs? No love for Kmet? He has been one of the best receivers so far and has looked faster than ever. He seems poised for a breakout year. From reports, Griffin has also looked better than just a blocking TE. By keeping a FB, I think they keep one less TE than normal. So we may only see 3 TEs make the roster.