Pixote

Every day, we read about players who have stood out from others on and off the field. Caleb, Rome, Burden, Loveland, Kmet, Davis, Thomas, Wright, Booker, ... the list goes on and on. You would think half of our roster is made up of Pro Bowlers. Of course, we know preseason hype means nothing. What worries me is that over a dozen players are getting so much hype, yet, with the exception of a few comments solicited from players when asked, little is said about Thieneman. He has never been singled out in press reports as someone who was a top performer in one of the practice sessions. I know he is a rookie, learning the defense, but it seems we should be hearing more positive feedback on his performance than we have. It worries me.

I thought I heard we had $ 7-8M next year before roster adjustments were made. They had to do some creative accounting to give Wright this contract. I hope I'm wrong. I like your figure better.

You beat me to it, LOL. They definitely went all in. bearswire.usatoday had an article giving all of the details. WOW! I'm curious how it breaks down as far as cap hits. We have an even bigger contract to negotiate with Caleb after this year.

Thanks, Paid. Now to get ready for the draft.

Hicks is still out, so it was Lewis today. We need to pick up a FA safety. Need better depth.

bearswire.usatoday said he was extremely upset, slamming his helmet to the ground, when he was unable to walk off the field and had to be carted off. Odunze and Loveland claimed, when asked, that he'd be okay, but that is what you'd expect.

I will be open to any day/time within that window. Please let me know how to pay my dues. I'd like to ante up.

You also have to consider that every projected starter on offense, with the exception of OC, was with us last year and is showing that continuity, whereas the defense has 2 new safeties and multiple FA signings and questions remaining about players returning from injuries.

Good catch! It is one of many reasons I am all-in with Johnson as HC. He accepts that he also needs to be accountable for not only the team's success but also its failures. Accountability applies to coaches as well as players.

I read an interesting article about a film study session Caleb had with BJ. They sat down together and watched every incomplete pass Caleb threw during the 2025 season (238 passes). Did he throw it away? If so, was there a receiver he could have thrown to? If thrown to a receiver, was it a catchable pass or did the receiver simply drop the pass? Was there a different receiver open that would have been a better option? Was his pass in the optimal position to allow the receiver to not only catch the pass but also to allow him a chance to maximize YAC? Damn, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall and watched them go over the plays. I also read where Caleb lost 15 pounds. Looking good, especially with losing the beard and now with chin whiskers and a mustache.

I have to believe Ben Johnson is fuming over Kyler's soft tissue vacation. BJ likes players who are dedicated, with a balls-to-the-wall attitude. Kyler reported to camp last year with soft tissue issues. He was basically lost for the season, and now, 6 months after last season ended for the Bears, he still has soft tissue problems? I never heard of soft tissue issues taking a year to rehab, unless the soft tissue they are talking about is Kyler's brain.

Zavion should be fun to watch. I think he will have an impact during the season. He won't get a ton of reps as a WR, but he will also be lined up in the backfield. Add his role as a punt &/or kickoff returner, and you have our toy for Ben Johnson to play with, and Ben loves gadget guys.

Not I; however, it wouldn't surprise me if Malik is a starter against the Panthers in week one. The question is, will he replace Stevenson or Gordon? If Gordon finally shakes the injuries, I could see Malik starting opposite Johnson, giving us Johnson, Muhammad, and Gordon as our starting three. If Gordon cannot start due to injury, I could see Malik taking his place and either Smith or Stevenson opposite Johnson.

I agree with you guys. I could never understand a coach who refuses to play a rookie just because he might make "rookie mistakes." As an example, I'd prefer to have a rookie with the potential to be great as my starter, making a few mistakes as expected, over a veteran who makes stupid mistakes (like not paying attention and allowing a Hail Mary completion by Jayden Daniels).

I'm happy we are in a position to move on from his "potential" with players who are more reliable. I hope he has a killer year, and the Bears use his "contract year" success to get a better return when we trade him. Saying that he will probably have another year of mixed-bag production and be cut without getting any return on investment.

I'd love to see us find a FA as good as one of my favorite FA signings, Akiem Hicks. If we had Hicks in his prime, he would elevate our defense big time. Hey Akiem, have you been working out? Want to come out of retirement? LOL Hell, at 36? He'd probably outperform our current DTs.

Bearswire.usatoday is reporting TE Sam Roush signed his rookie contract today. Great to have that out of the way so the team can concentrate on getting ready for the season without any holdouts.

I agree with your analysis. I dread this time of year, the month before the players report to put their pads back on to prepare for the season to begin. I truly believe we are going to improve over last year. Should be "Super" ;-)

Schlereth will be exposed as an idiot when Caleb is in the running for league MVP for 2026. Caleb has been quoted as saying that criticism doesn't bother him and that he uses it as motivation. If that is true, with all of the jerks questioning his ability, Caleb should be well motivated.

Yahoo actually finally recognized me, LOL. Before, it was acting as if I was unauthorized to make changes. Now it allowed me to change my email addy, Team Name (Caleb's Nail Salon), and logo (Now you can finally see who you have been talking to for over 2 decades. ;-)

Thanks. I was trying to change the email address Yahoo uses to send notifications, but it will not allow me to do so without explanation. I think it is because it is showing what I believe is your email address for my team. Could you please change it for me or tell me how? I'm also getting an error when I try to change the image for the team logo (I need to change my team name, I didn't check names already used before I edited. Sorry.)

Sent you my addy to use.

Adam, thanks for taking the time to give me the league setup. I will have to familiarize myself with Yahoo Sports; it has been well over 10 years since I last used their site for fantasy football. I didn't care for their draft room, but I'm sure things have changed a lot since I last used it. I tried using the links you provided, but because I wasn't a member of the league, I couldn't view those pages. Question: How many rounds is the draft, and how long does it give you to make your selection? I will need to get in the groove. When I played redrafts, I could tell you the names of every skill player on every team. Now, I might be a bit lost during the draft, as I haven't followed the other teams' rosters while being a homer. If you and the other managers allow me, I would appreciate the opportunity to join your league.

I have played a ton of redraft leagues in the past, but never a Keeper League. I "MIGHT" be interested in filing an opening for a manager position, but would love to review your league's rules and the details of the team I would inherit before committing. I once ran a redraft league for this site many years ago. It was a 12-team league, free to join, played for bragging rights only. (I never had a chance to brag. LOL) Interest in the league dropped, so it was unfortunately discontinued. I really enjoyed engaging in the competition with forum members.

Great to hear from you. I always worry when someone in a forum goes silent. I look forward to discussions about our amazing Bears with you.