Pixote

Now this is interesting. Behind the scenes, some word is there is agreement that at least three calls were blown by refs. From NFL.com: NFL officials acknowledge refs erred on multiple calls against Bears in Week 9 loss to Steelers From bearswire.usa.com: NFL privately admits to officiating mistakes in Bears-Steelers game

I agree that it is very possible the "Gruden" who wrote those emails a decade or so ago (I'm assuming they are all from his distant past) may not be the "Gruden" we know today. People do change. So I agree with you on those issues you addressed above. As far as his coaching skills in the past, I'd have to disagree with you. He was VERY successful as a HC in Oakland the first time around. Why did they trade him? We're talking about the now deceased Al Davis, who did some very controversial moves as owner. Tampa Bay must have thought highly of him, giving up two first round & two second round draft picks along with millions of dollars to trade for him. As far as his coaching skills in the present? He spent too many years as a commentator and like many HCs wo "unretire" and return to the game, he lost a step or two. I suspect the only reason he was still coaching before this "email" event occurred was because of his friendship with the Davis family and the outrageous 10 year 100 million dollar contract he signed. Eventually, he would have been let go and returned to the booth. Now, he will probably never even be hired as a commentator. He will be on the "do not touch" list. Edit: I just read an article, here is a quote: So, now I see the issues are not all in the past. He certainly still has some ongoing issues.

Well, Green Bay got destroyed by New Orleans 38 to 3. Minnesota lost in overtime to Cincinnati. Detroit lost by 8 to San Francisco. So if the Bears should upset the Rams, we'd have sole possession of first place.

I have always been the "forever optimist." HOWEVER, (and I pray I am wrong), I think we are going to get our ass kicked. 1) Our OL has to be one of the bottom ten in the league. LAR has one of the best DL in the NFL led by Aaron Donald. I think Dalton will get pounded. Nagy will keep him in there to avoid having Fields put in harms way in his first game. 2) I'm not convinced our DBs are as good as billed. Stafford was a brilliant addition for LAR. I think he will pick us apart. The only positive (I pray), I think after what I suspect will be an embarrassing defeat, Fields will start week 2. Again, I hope I am wrong, but I am thinking LA Rams 31 Bears 10.

I sure as hell wouldn't give up Hicks or Goldman for Callahan, that would be outright ridiculous IMO. I also think Fangio is comfortable with Bridgewater/Lock combo at QB. I'd have to agree with DBDB, no more than a pick swap. I might even consider a conditional late pick (6th or 7th)

It's not uncommon for teams to cut late round draft picks. If they clear waivers, I'd be willing to bet Newsome & Graham are signed to the practice squad. I also think they both have a chance to be promoted to the 53 man roster in the future. Yes, Pace is aggressive in the draft. Personally, I prefer that over his predecessor who was always trading back to accumulate extra picks which very seldom resulted in selections that made the team. Pace gambles. Rolls the dice. But I do believe he works his ass off to improve the team's talent level. The current 53 man roster has 52 players brought in under Pace. Pat O'Donnell is the only player left over from our previous GM. The Bears are comprised of some damn good players that were drafted. There are some damn good players on their team that were signed in free agency, This year will be critical in the evaluation of Pace and Nagy.

They will start rookie Mac Jones. I mention this because it will muddy the waters for the Bears as they try to trade Foles. Chances are a team can sign Newton on a cheaper one year deal as a backup.

I also remember hearing, I believe it was on the NFL Network, that next year was going to be a big year for top tier free agent wide receivers hitting free agency. If that be the case, and the market is flooded with top tier WRs, it could be a buyers market.

Totally agree. Did not look good. That first sack of Fields, both of our OTs blew their blocks. Sick!

Well, first off, I wouldn't be surprised if we managed to keep ARob. Second, although there are no guarantees, Mooney certainly looks like a young player on the rise. Then add Byrd, and Goodwin to the mix and you have the foundation of a damn good WR room.

I actually like both Pace and Nagy. Pace just had the best draft that I can recall for decades. The only thing he needs to do now is to patch up our OL for this year and then go for a more permanent fix next year. I have to believe there will be OTs available after cuts on Tuesday. He has put together a fantastic group of WRs, TEs, RBs, and QBs to make this a legit offense. I think the defense is solid, although I worry a bit about DBs. I'm anxious to see what out new DC does with this group. (Making tackles would be nice. LOL) Nagy hasn't had the players to run his "KC" offense until this year. I like him as a person. I like him as a HC. Now he needs to step up as a play caller with the skill players in position for him (hopefully the OL will come together.) His weakness, IMO, was he was unable to shift away from his "KC/Andy Reid" style offense to adjust to what he was given to work with (previous rosters). He was a one trick pony. He now has the speed and skill at RB, WR, and TE to implement his game. He as a decent QB in Dalton and a dynamic rookie in Fields. The time is NOW!

We got him on the cheap. Fantastic deal for the Bears.

The lack of transparency in regards to T. Jenkins 'stiff back' is really pissing me off. I cannot think of one good reason why Pace/Nagy cannot just tell the fans what is the reason for his problem. Does he have a problem with his spine/a disc? It's been 2 weeks +. Time to inform us about what the hell is going on.

Now we need this make-shift offensive line to step up and protect our QBs. I'm sure Nagy will have max-protection schemes in place!?

Foles was Wentz's backup in Philly with the now HC of Indy their Offensive Coordinator in Philly. Wentz & Foles are probably good friends. Foles knows their system in Indy. It would be a perfect scenario. Does it mean it will happen? NO. But I wouldn't rule it out.

As always, results of preseason games are almost impossible to predict or to evaluate after the fact. This year I suspect it will be even more so. Nagy has indicated he will be playing his starters far more in all preseason games. (Let's pray no one gets injured.) I doubt other teams will necessarily mirror the Bears. Therefore, I suspect we will see many of our #1s matched up with opponents #2s. I actually hope other teams play their starters longer. I want to see Fields against #1s on defense, not backups. (I'm assuming Dalton gets first reps?) As far as your analysis, I agree, I like our players/roster better then Miami's. On paper, we certainly have an advantage, IMO.

I just pray Jenkins turns out to be another Jimbo Covert and not a Gabe Carimi. Fingers crossed.

Sounds like the reports of Green Bay's demise were greatly exaggerated. Simply false hopes for Bear Fans. Baring injury, they will be a contender once again. That means we need to wake up, get Fields in the starting lineup, and beat the crap out of the Pack. We HAVE the players on this roster to take charge of our division! Win the NFC title. And return to the Super Bowl.

I like the signing. Good #3 TE to add to the mix. I'm sure he was a cheap add.

I think they wanted to make sure they had a suitor. Let's face it, they had tried to trade him for the six months with no takers. He hits free agency next year. We save 1.2 million on cap and only suffer 500k dead money. I wonder what we got in return? Anything is better than letting him walk. I read on one site a swap of late round picks. One said we receive a late round pick. Two are totally different. I'm hoping for a 5th for a 7th? It's truly a shame. I had high expectations for him. I honestly thought he'd develop into a legit #1 WR.

New article up stating Goldman has confirmed he is anxious to join the Bears on the practice field. Seems his absence was do to family related issues. Good news, Bears fans! Eddie Goldman plans to report to training camp next week

I agree. I'd love to know: What the Bears offered / What Robinson was asking for. I'm disappointed we might not have him after this year.

The term "Talk is Cheap..." certainly applies when listening to off-season NFL analysis. However, I found this article encouraging, and would like to believe it is true: No, Matt Nagy does not hate running ball, that's fake news I truly believe that Montgomery will easily surpass 1000 yards rushing, despite Fields joining him with 500+ yards rushing to compliment his 4000 yards passing. (And no, I don't drink alcohol, take drugs, or smoke pot. I do consume a lot of Bears' Kool-Aid. )

You mean like all of us. If for no other reason, I can't wait until training camp and preseason games start so we will have fresh topics to discuss. If it hadn't been for the kick-ass draft we had this year, this board would be a ghost town waiting for the season to start.

Last year I would have been concerned but with our current group of RBs, I think we will be fine. Hopefully this will allow him to recover fully without a need to return to action before he is ready. I like our FA signing from KC and our draft pick at RB sounds promising.