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yeah, its uneven, but we should see great games too. The first two drives this week were amazing, until the red zone. But the penalties are a killer, and good coaches work them out until they arent a problem anymore. It needs to get better, and I believe it will.

This is very well said. Loveland and Burden will be good for us for a long time, but they were the wrong picks. Maybe Burden made sense, but a 5 win team picking a TE at #10? In a draft that had multiple good ones to boot. Trading down for Trapilo, if it was a reach to supplant Braxton Jones was a mistake. And we skipped Areonte Ersery there to also acquire Shemar Turner. I mean, we are super lucky that Benedet has come out of the woodwork, but effectively trading Ersery (at 41) for Trapilo and Turner was a huge mistake. And you STILL could have had Burden anyway at 39!

Yeah - bummer. Hope he recovers quickly and ends up becoming a dude for the bears. I saw where BJ talked about how he played a big part in the run d improving.

Speaking of Turner…

I think Ben is putting some emphasis on players this week - in particular with the penalties. It’s a long season, I hope we see a 4-5 TD outburst and a Bears win on Sunday!!!

It’s interesting - Rome looks open from there.

I think I with this past draft it comes down to best use of draft capital and the Bears just didn’t do it - period. With that said - I expect Loveland and Luther are both going to be good football players - they just weren’t the right picks or right positional value with the Bears. I do think both are very good prospects though at their position. Trapillo was solid value and I haven’t seen any reason to think he couldn’t become a good RT, but like the guys above, not right use of draft capital relative to roster. Bears literally took a guy top 10 at position 2 years earlier. So unless they plan on flipping Wright, it’s bad roster construction. Shemar looks like the worse pick in terms of production - but in fairness injuries - but at least he was a pick on the dline, which was an area of need. Poles did do a good job on both oline trades and Dalman is fine, but good god did he piss down his leg on his defensive free agents, yet again. But it’s his sheer waste of relevant draft capital and inability to hit big in draft with roster construction that leads me to believe he is bad. I hope I’m proven wrong though.

I havent heard him do any of that CYA stuff yet, so I read it differently. I think he means it. We dont have to agree of course.

I don't buy Ben Johnson today. It's nothing but damage control to keep the wolves at bay. I like that he knows that keeping things in a positive light is best for all concerned. I'm on board...

I'm right here. I wouldn't say I loved the Loveland pick but I did like it and I still do. We used a lot of 12 personnel in the Ravens game, but I don't know snap counts. I remember missing one TD early because the 3rd TE whiffed on a block at the goal line. When it is being run it is successful. I can't answer % blocking but I don't care because I like having a TE who can excel in run blocking, route running, and pass catching. I like having a coach who knows how to use that too.

Forget which website this is from, the article, or even the author of the article - just watch the 1 min clip where Johnson breaks down Caleb's performance with Jeff Joniak. I still havent seen the all 22, so I dont have a good opinion yet, but BJ has never been one to give false praise. https://www.sportsmockery.com/chicago-bears/ben-johnson-fiercely-defends-caleb-williams-after-ravens-loss/

Alas, spoken like a true Bear fan. We all feel the pain of past f**kups. Can Ben flip the switch? I will forever be hopeful.

He should and probably will, but I won't hold my breath on continued success for him unless he humbles himself to embrace the position on a professional level.

I thought Rome was a wasted pick last year, so not going to judge the pick. Especially since Loveland missed so much time at the beginning. One thought, I wonder how much Caleb used TEs in college, because he hasn't thrown to them much since he's been a Bear. I am frustrated with this offense, but lets give them time to put it together. Penalties, bad calls from refs, and poor special teams play has put the Bears in tough situations. Eventually it should come together...we hope

One of the worst parts of it was Loveland was injured and missed a good chunk of the offseason. So the Bears knowingly drafted him with the knowledge that they may not get full production out of him until mid season? This goes back to Poles thinking he is the smartest guy in the room, similar to Pace. Then once he makes a bad out of position pick, it has a ripple effect for multiple years. Like Bowers + Egbuka instead of Odunze + Loveland is an example just using two position groups in back to back years. You can do it for more picks from the first year he drafted. So every year, the Bears fall further and further back against the top 12-15 teams in the league who at least draft average every year. The Bears are always in the bottom 3rd.

On INT, Loveland 6 yards downfield being held by Roquan, literally on his back, prevented him from moving. Another missed call.

No real pass rush and 3rd string DBs is likely to make Flacco look like Brady. We’ve seen this movie many times over, where a journeyman is initially doubted, then torches the Bears for one of his best games of the year, and the people say, “Wow! Look at Player X! What a great day he had!” Whenever I expect good things from the Bears my heart is broken. So, I expect Flacco goes for 300+, puts up better numbers than Williams, and the Bears likely lose in excruciating fashion. In reality, Williams should have a breakout day, with 3+TDs - or passes that set up a few short running TDs - and make us all think he is still the man on which this franchise should rest its shoulders.

Where is Everyone who loved the Loveland pick? Where is the 12 personnel? Is it even being run? When it IS being run, is it even successful? When it IS being run, what’s the percentage of time the first round TE is blocking? Horrible pick at an unnecessary position. I know it’s early, but what a waste. He is underutilized, and so is the other good TE on the team.

Yes. No. No. Dude can make all the throws that mere mortals can’t, but can’t make the throws a garden variety NFL starter can. The things that’s crazy is, I’m still seeing guys WIDE OPEN. And many of them are wide open because of the scheme. For years I’d ask myself, “How the hell did GB receiver (insert name) get so wide open against our D?” Now I see it happening and the #1 overall QB reads defenses like someone who just started playing Madden.

yes its sloppy and undisciplined. Its not fun to see. Johnson needs to keep kicking asses. And its possible that some players need to be replaced next year too. Not saying who, just they will do whatever it takes until this team is good. On the same thread, I was surprised to see Henry score near the end, when he should have gone down just shy of the goal line to eat more clock.

BINGO! Every damn person with the Bears thinks they’re the smartest guy in the room. They reach. They trade. They go with “their” BPA 🙄 And the whole time everyone else is screaming otherwise. 90% of the fans say something different. Like this year with OT, DE, and RB. So what do the Bears do? TE and WR. 🤦🏻‍♂️ This has happened for literal decades now. I have said this for many years in a row: True BPA is stupid. You don’t draft Marino if you have Montana. At a certain point you must draft for need. It’s 100% necessary because a team is only as strong as its weakest link. The Bears should focus on huge names for football powerhouse programs, especially with a history of pumping out studs at a specific position. Want a WR? Start with Bama or LSU players. Want OL? Maybe focus on a kid from Iowa who throws hay bails for fun. It’s really not that difficult. That strategy may not find the hidden gems, but it’s got a lot better chance of avoiding catastrophe. But you do you, Poles. Cut Kmet at the end of the year and find another Shaheen.🙄

Both Caleb and DJ not running out of bounds when they could gained like 4 yards but took 40+ seconds off the clock when time was more important than yardage. Between net yards lost on penalties and special teams the Bears would be 6-1 right now, and the DET game would've been a lot closer.

Holy crap, how bad have the penalties for and against been? The worst since at least 2009. I could not find another team within -10 yards per game. The Bears are -39.9 YPG in penalty differential. The worst team since 2009 was 2017 SEA with -29.0 YPG. Just think about those numbers, 32 teams x 17 seasons, and the Bears are 544 out of 544 in Penalty Yard Net Differential. It is actually a miracle this team is 4-3.

The Bears are getting screwed at an unprecedented rate this year. The bigger number is the Bears have a net -279 yards on penalties. The 2nd and 3rd worst teams in the NFL COMBINED do have that many negative net yards (DEN -142, JAX -134 = -276). The Rams on the flip side have a net positive of +209, so there are 488 yards difference between the Bears and Rams on just penalties, which equates to roughly 50 POINTS!

yes, and you can bet BJ is well aware of it too! I think we will be fine, in time, but after the experience weve all had for the last 30 years, I get why people think "Oh no not again!" but I do see significant differences with Caleb and of course with Johnson.