Pixote

I will be curious if the Bears bring RB Brittain Brown up from the practice squad for the game against Cincinnati. The guy looked good in preseason and would be a good #2 behind KM. I've read reports speculating he will suit up. Fingers crossed.

i was also happy to see the NFL fined Baltimore 100K for playing games with Lamar Jackson's Injury status before our game.

I just read that Hendrikson is listed as doubtful. I really didn't want to see him lined up opposite Theo. I was also pleased to hear Stevenson is starting. This quote from BJ published on SI.com makes me smile. 😉

Mongo, if I'm a spoil sport, I apologize. I love your contributions to the forum and look forward to discussing the Bears with you. I saw Stingers' post aimed at PHX, and was concerned he lit a fuse. All I wanted to do was extinguish it before things got out of hand.

I'm suggesting it is fine to discuss individual game performances of all players, including Caleb. Hell, I encourage it. That is one of the reasons I enjoy posting on this forum. What I was hoping to defer is the evaluation of his growth as a "Franchise" QB under BJ until after the end of the 2025 season. Let's give BJ a whole year to work with Caleb on his offense. So, we have a book with at least 17 chapters. Chapter 8 will be ready for us to read this Sunday. Let's evaluate each chapter as they are published and wait until the end of the season, when the Chicago Bears' 2024 Season is ready for review, before we sit back and have a civil discussion of Caleb Williams' success or failure in proving he is our future Franchise QB.

Let me offer a simple viewpoint. We have beaten this topic to death. It's time to move on. We can revisit it at the end of the year. That would be a better time to evaluate not only Caleb's progress, or lack thereof, but also the entire team, coaching staff, etc. Before things blow up, let's give it a rest. We can continually evaluate individual game performances in the weekly game threads.

I hope we do.

Finally, I was beginning to fear they would have him sit out the year. They waited until the last minute to activate him, even though he was practicing. Now the big question: will he start against Cincy?

You're probably right. I think CJ was signed with the hopes he could play slot, where he played for the Eagles when they won the Super Bowl. Sounds like, from the article, that is his best position. If he can cover for Gordon, and Stevenson can play, that would be awesome.

According to NFL.com, the Bears have signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Here is hoping he can give us a boost over the pedestrian efforts of our current DBs. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson signing is a reunion to help save Bears’ injured secondary

When he entered the NFL, one of the things we all knew needed correcting was his habit of holding onto the ball too long. It showed in week one of 2024. It is still an issue 23 games later. His average time to release the ball this year is 3.06 seconds—the worst of any starting QB in 2025. He still has difficulty with his cadence, which BJ has said is one of many factors leading to presnap penalties. He still has trouble with his footwork, which has led to his poor completion percentage. He still has trouble going through his progressions, causing him to throw into double coverage when he has an open receiver. He still has issues with poor, poor decision-making. Look. Bottom line, I love the kid. I still hope he has a brilliant career. I'm in his corner. I'm a Bears Fanatic. He is our QB. I will wait until the end of this year to see if he shows positive consistency. The only thing he has been consistent with so far is negative traits.

I would have to respectfully disagree. Both Mitch and Justin showed "flashes." However, neither one had the ceiling Caleb has. The potential to be great is there. All I am saying is that after 23 games of being inconsistent, it's time for him to show up. The Caleb I am seeing on the field is not the Caleb I expected to see at this point in his career.

Man, I hope you're right. To be honest, I am sick and tired of hearing all of the excuses as to why he hasn't become consistent. We are about to finish the first half of his second season. It's SHOWTIME!

Couldn't agree more! Every young QB we have had has shown us an amazing pass that we claim proves he is the "chosen one" to lead us to the SB All he has to do is do it consistently. Then he continues to tease us by throwing into double coverage when another receiver is wide open, or by throwing a pass to a wide-open receiver so far off target that, even if it is caught, it puts the WR in harm's way. Here is hoping we don't have to start over AGAIN. We need Caleb to grow up (as an NFL QB)!

I think Huntley proved just how bad our secondary is now, with the injuries taking out all of our top CBs. Flacco cannot be dismissed. With Chase and Higgins against our CBs, if they play as badly as they did against Baltimore, Flacco could easily give us another loss.

I think Warren will finally give the Bears a Stadium we can be proud of, instead of the poorly designed rehab of Soldier Field, which has been an embarrassment compared to other big-market venues. Ryan Poles. (see below) I think we all agree Ben Johnson is our "Franchise" HC—the key to our eventual return to the Super Bowl. Player evaluations can be debated. I'm concerned that Caleb isn't the "Franchise" QB we need to take us to the Super Bowl. I see him as more of a "Jay Cutler" than a "Tom Brady." A QB that will amaze you with his athleticism and fill you with hope, but in the end leave you with just another disappointing year. Maybe it is just my decades of skepticism, born of the disappointments all Bear Fans have experienced. We have some damn good players. We also have some that are overpaid and need to be replaced. By the end of the season, after Johnson completes his first season as HC, we should have a much better grasp of our roster's strengths and weaknesses. This is where we have to decide if Poles is the "Franchise" GM we need to take us to the Super Bowl. Can he get rid of the players who aren't performing and replace them with quality starters? He's made some outstanding moves. He has also failed miserably with some of his others, especially the Draft. Again, we will have a clearer picture by the end of the season. The question is: If we feel we need to move on from Poles, is it even possible with the extension he just received? If ownership took the financial loss of releasing Poles, I believe Cunningham would be an ideal replacement. He has years of experience with this team and has a working relationship with Johnson. It would be "passing the torch" vs. hiring an outsider who has to learn which foods to avoid in the Bears cafeteria buffet line.

Helmet to Helmet not called?

And another wasted opportunity.

They are beginning to allow Henry to run over us. They had best make a correction quick.

If we can put pressure on Huntley, even with our CBs being nothing better than street FAs, we should still wind up with a pick or two. This is the time for two players, who I understand will be making rare appearances this week, Booker and Jarrett, to contribute. On the offense, we will need both the run and pass to work—no more excuses. Caleb needs to step up and help win this one. If he has another game like week 7 against Baltimore, we will probably lose.

Interesting. Could that mean he isn't going to start on Sunday?

A cut-and-paste from SI.com would indicate the Bears should win easily. But what is missing is Jackson and Henry. If they are both playing, it will be a challenging game to win.

I agree. Fields was a gifted athlete who never developed into the QB that he was projected to be. I supported him, as I do all Bears who are signed to play for us. There is no need for me to go into how he was mishandled and didn't benefit from a good HC, OC, OL, and one of the better WR rooms in the NFL. Simply put, the Bears failed Fields. Eventually, we had no choice but to move on. One thing I must say is that, from all accounts, he worked hard, gave 100%, and had the support of his peers. For that reason, I think it's sad that some choose to find it necessary to insult him. I hope he eventually finds success. I also agree with Jason that the jury is still out on Caleb. He's also a gifted athlete, but does he have that extra element —the one that cannot be measured with a stopwatch or tape measure? The QB instincts that cannot be taught. You either possess it or you don't. Only the truly great QBs are gifted with it. I keep hearing excuses. Footwork. Cadence. Etc... How long does it take to learn such basic skills? Caleb is like a beautiful rosebud. But until (or unless) he blossoms, opens up, and uses good QB instincts alongside his physical talents, he will never be a franchise QB. The potential is there. He has started 22 games over a year and a half. It's time. We need him to step forward—no more excuses. I really want him to blossom.

The next two games are against teams that have so far this season struggled against the run. Swift and Monangai should be able to take advantage. Rushing Defense rankings. (Last column is rushing TDs allowed)

I know progress is not always linear. I can accept taking two steps forward and an occasional one step back. It really upsets me when I see us take two steps forward and then three steps back.