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I get out tomorrow, the surgery went well, but because it was because of an infection, it takes 6 weeks to retest for infection,so I could possibly have to get it redone it two months. I'm optimistic it works. I'll check with my two friends to see if they are still in play.

I do remember from watching film in context that I was hoping for more from him. If he can do what he did in college Id be happy, and theres no reason he cant.

Nope and I thought about that. Ultimately the best stat is the % inside the 20 from all punts capable of landing there.

does that take into account having to punt from inside our own 30 so much?

His raw inside the 20 was 4th but on 82 punts. His average inside the 20 was actually below league average.

I guess that never crossed my mind. Taylor had the 2nd most punts. Im okay not having a high average as long as he is pinning them at the 20 or less. He was tied for 4th best with 34 punts behind the 20.

I think he gets better because his leg won't be so tired in the 2nd half.

I believe he will improve solely on experience as most rookies do. The ST coordinator was the only retained coach, so it's hard to imagine he will gain much from him. The teams performance and swagger will fuel him helping him the most. He's almost a forgotten weapon.

I remember some pundits saying that if we didnt trade the #1 pick for the haul, that Caleb had to be generational immediately. It's a kind of tough guy argument, but it's unrealistic. It's like kidnapping a stock broker and putting a gun to his head to ask him the price of oil a month from now. He cant tell you, you can push and threaten, but its just impossible. Some things take time. In his first three years, Peyton Manning threw for 3.739 yards, 26 TDs and 28 INTs and a completion percentage of 56.7% 4,135 yards, 26 TDs and 15 INTs and a completion percentage of 62.1% 4,413 yards, 33 TDs and 15 INTs and a completion percentage of 62.5% As a rookie, Williams threw for 3,541 yards, 20 TDs and 6 INTs and a completion percentage of 62.5% And Justin Fields each season numbers for fun 1879 yards, 7 TDs and 10 INTs and a completion percentage of 58.9% 2,242 yards, 17 TDs and 11 INTs and a completion percentage of 60.4% 2,562 yards, 16 TDs and 9 INTs and a completion percentage of 61.4% 1,106 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT and a completion percentage of 65.8% Fields played 10 of 17 games last year, so here are his 2024 numbers pro rated out to 17 games 1,880 yards, 9 TDs and 2 INTs and a completion percentage of 65.8% It's pretty clear that expecting immediate results, from QBs or teams, isn't realistic. But you also need to see that progress. I have Williams breaking 4,000 yards this year. If he does, it puts him pretty clearly on a similar trajectory to Peyton Manning. Despite some weird criticism from the press, you gotta LOVE that 6 INT number from last year with all that chaos going on, and all the pressure to be a hero, he was still careful with the ball. Caleb's completion percentage is better than Manning's two first years already. And Fields is left far behind in the dust across the board. Ben Johnson is the perfect mentor for him to learn to play in rhythm - we already know what he can do when things break down. Let's see him get the ball out a little faster. He has certainly shown on some plays that he can do that. if he does it more, and more guys are open which is a big part of it too, I think he will be a top 5 QB in the league. It all comes down to the whole team now. From OL to CB2. Thank god PFF says we have the 4th best OL in the league right now! lol - and all without knowing who will win the LT job LOL. So yeah, game 4, game 8, game 12 we will need to see improvement, and if/when we do, we will know the trajectory of this team for the next few years.

That seems very wise and reasonable. it's not impossible that we gel quickly, but if it doesn't happen that fast that doesnt mean it wont be great by week 8 or 10 etc. Its all good on paper, but it might take a minute to gel, and some pieces may not be what we hope they are. We will see. But good reasons for excitement for sure!

Jurko was asked about his thoughts for when to expect to see if things are working. He mentioned Johnson's first year with Detroit, they went 0-6 to start the season, then went on a heater. He thinks week 9 or 10 for knowing you have something. Previously, he mentioned week 4 for seeing growth with Caleb. I've thought about it myself and think the game 4 analogy is valid, but the game 10 is a little off. I'm thinking 8.

YES. Its been decades since we were here, and I dont want to blow it over some loyalty to a HB or TE2 or something stupid like that. I am confident that Ben Johnson isnt loyal to anyone on the team right now - and thats a good thing. No matter whether you were great last year or terrible, you have this chance to prove it on the grass and be part of this. But I have no patience for the BS - we have a chance to be great, let's not trade that for coddling players who "just need more time come on guys lets give them another chance" etc yuck

This is my current fandom. As a lifelong fan, you understand the ebbs and flows. In the downtime, you want to know specifically why and that it's building to the flow. Get your life jacket if you don't wanna be in the boat. We ain't docking!

yes, excellent stuff. the Ditka Bears werent really built to win shootouts. Its also why you can get to a point as a team where you can reliably beat the bottom 25 teams, but then youre in the elite level along with other teams that are good too - and sometimes one of those teams is just better than you. That's when you leanr you have to dig down and find something more you didnt think you had to give. ANd thats the point where Champions are made. I think about the Bulls having to get past the Pistons. They just couldnt - until they finally became killers. I feel like it's likely this is the year we get good, but we will learn we need to become killers. And this is why so many of us are not impressed by incremental improvement. I dont want to be excited that we become pretty good with a roster thats giving everything. I dont rejoice at 5th round picks that play like 3rd round picks. Im not looking to go 10-7 every year. I want to be f*cking killers. I want to be dominant - so my bar is higher. But i promise you Ben Johnson feels the same way. So some may root for the mediocre players to stick around and try harder, but i want killiers. Either become one, or get out of the way for someone who can. Feel good home town rah rah stuff is for losing teams and super fans. Lets GO.

Hopefully Stinger's surgery went well and he is recovering today. Ice up son, we got some Fantasy Football coming up.

I will add one extra player, but from Special Teams. I think we are going to see an elite Tory Taylor with fewer total punts, but his yards per punt and % inside the 20 will go up.

That 84 Team was wild. The defense held opponents under 10 pts, 7 times. Every win, including the playoff win against WAS, the defense allowed 14 or less. In every loss, they allowed 20 or more. So they were 11-0 allowing 14 or less and 0-7 when allowing 20 or more for the season (including playoffs) What is even crazier is that followed a season where they went 7-0 when allowing 19 or less in 1983, and then followed it up with the 85 team that went 16-0 in those games. Check out how good Dikta's teams were when they allowed 19 or less: 7-0 in 1983 11-0 in 1984 16-0 in 1985 13-0 in 1986 7-1 in 1987 (NO 19-17) Strike season - Bears blew a 17-3 halftime lead. 13-0 in 1988 5-1 in 1989 (GB 14-13) - Bears blew 13-7 lead in 4th quarter. 10-1 in 1990 (WAS 10-9) - Bears blew 9-0 halftime lead. 82-3 when holding opponents to 19 or less from 1983-1990 and led in all 85 of those games. Wow. The team was also highly dependent on McMahon's health. Fuller was the only QB to lose in 1985 and 1986 regular seasons. McMahon was 17-0, Tomczak was 6-0, Flutie was 1-0, Fuller was 4-3. McMahon was 36-5 as a starter from 84-88 but missed so many games. Putting those two together, from 83-88, McMahon never lost a game when the Bears defense allowed 19 or less. In an odd mirror to that, Fields has never won a game when his defense has allowed 21 pts or more, he is 0-22 in those games.

I tend to agree on paper. To those who say i am only pessimistic, I would offer that not knowing until you get on grass goes both ways. This team; roster and coaches - if it works out like it could, might be a formidable team in December. I wont say they cant possibly win a Superbowl this year or go to one, but the more reasonable and likely goal is a playoff berth. I remember the 1984 team destroying opponents, and then getting totally outclassed by the 49ers in the championship game. I could imagine something similar for us this year - having an easier time than we've seen in a long time with the bottom half ot eh league, but still needing to learn hard lessons when they encounter truly great teams. ANd that's a good goal for this year - to learn what it actually takes to win big games. And of course they could be worse than they look on paper too. But there is definitely reason for optimism this year, and I cant wait to see it on grass so we can see what it is we really have here. I'm just put off by all the talking heads telling us what they think are facts at this time of year. Some say Caleb is a bust, some say we are ready to dominate - all are making claims for clicks, because no one knows right now, and anyone who says they do, is selling snake oil. Plenty of reason for hope, but not too many facts are known at this time.

Doing some stat comparisons, it really is hard to find a way for the Bears to not have a top 10 offense. If Johnson's offense only brings last year's offense halfway to his annual totals (for EPA/Play), then when you nudge it further considering the offensive roster upgrades (Thuney, Dalman, Jackson, Loveland, Burden), it could easily be a top 5 unit.

They have the Bears as the 4th best OL

For sure, on the wait-and-see. There are way too many offseason champions that never work out. I remember the Philly Dream Team that flamed out. That was pretty funny. On Davis though. He had a ton of red flags, more so than any FA the Bears signed or traded for this year. I would say the biggest question mark is Dayo and that is just because his contract value. Also, as much as every team has a goal for the Super Bowl, I think the Bears are at least one more year away from being perennial contenders. I think that is where the wait and see is for me. I know they will be improved, but I just don't know by how much.

THe reason I keep saying wait to see it in pads, is that we've made all the moves on paper, and now we have to see if they are what we hope they are. Once we can evaluate everyone, then is the next opportunity to look at free agents and trades. This is true for every team every year. Around this time of year it gets quiet, and then during or after camp, it heats up again, and that makes good sense. So it would be foolish to say that we are riding with Swift as HB1, or that we are happy with our pass rush, or that we are keeping everyone. Albert Breer just said this, and it tracks right along with how teams operate at this time of year. Not just the Bears in 2025, but all of them every year. "They'll get a look at D'andre Swift and Roschon Johnson at running back, and Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo (who plays some inside on passing downs) on the edges when the pads go on, and then maybe consider guys such as Jamaal Williams at running back or Za'darius Smith or Matthew Judon as edge rushers" It makes sense and it's logical, and we see it every year. Also during this period of time the hype machine is all that can get eyeballs, so we hear a lot about how good players are going to be in new situations, but until you see it on the grass, it's not real. Take Nate Davis for example. His film was great, and his measurables were too - but we heard rumors about his heart not being in it. Blog boys would tell you that the Bears OL was SET, but when we saw it on the grass last year, it was anything but. We will know more about who we really have in August, and then changes come with the next trade window and cut days.

here, maybe this helps, since its a sportswriter and not someone this board, since that seems to make a difference? https://sports.yahoo.com/article/jets-reporter-says-bears-steelers-201302283.html its written down! now it must be true!

just as I thought - you got sucked into some ridiculous video where the creators did it for clicks. Use your OWN brain man! Watch some film! Dont let them convince you the Emperor is wearing fine clothes! Anyone simply watching the games can see that Fields is awful. THe only way to come to the conclusion that Fields is good is to turn over control of your own opinions to sports commentators that are trying to generate clicks.