BearFan PHX

I dont mind the dynamic kickoff, I get the safety issues. But bringing the ball out to the 35 on a touchback etc is insane for all the reasons given above. You should be able to kick it out of the end zone and then the receiving team gets the ball on the 20. I understand the NFL wants close games and last minute victories - but that also makes the allocation of victories more random and less about who was the better team, and thats awful. I mean, why not just not play the game at all and have a huge hyped up coin toss that determines who wins instead? Sheesh.

I think Caleb took a step backward, not fully trusting the pocket on that one, and because his feet were wrong, he underthrew the ball. The more he gets his feet right, the more his accurate he will be I think.

so to speak LOL

100% on both

OUCH

If Swift keeps playing like he did this week, it's easy to say we keep him. But I've never seen him look like that before, so let's see what the rest of the season looks like. It is possible, that because Braxton Jones was not a good run blocker on the edge, we were running power gap, and Swift doesnt fit that as well. He doesnt seem to have the vision you need for that. But as soon as Benedet got in there, now the blocking assignments change, and we see Benedet and Wright out on the edge moving people, and Swift looks like a different player. It's such a team game - what looks like Swift's fault might be the scheme, which in turn might be the limitation of an OT which in turn causes the coach to call different plays. Wild to see Swift look So different. Let's hope it continues.

Right. And more than rah rah and feelings, or tough statements in press conferences, THIS is what creating a culture means - its all about accountability.

I thought it was a kidney, or lower back / side issue, but I dont know for sure. Thats just what it looked like after he got hit to me. EDIT: Heard Ben Johnson speak about it - and it is in fact a groin ASHKUM you were right.

of course I agree. He needs to work on some footwork issues, and that is a big part of the accuracy issues too. There are other parts to it too, but yeah youre right he needs to be more accurate, and more consistent in general. And youre also right that it's all about his potential - we can all see it now clearly. Will he reach it? Obviously it has to be proven ont he field before we can say yes, but I think he couldn't have a better situation now, and I see growth every week too, so it's a pretty safe bet he will get a lot better. But, he still has to walk that path before it's real. This is the year to gain consistency. That's probably the biggest goal overall for this season for the team - for Caleb to grow into a consistent and really good pocket QB.

he is VERY safe with the ball. I truly think we have a top 5 QB in the making here. He's showing all the traits he had pre-draft, and he's learning the things he needed to learn. He's not done by any stretch, but you can see the progress, and I know Ben Johnson knows what to do with him too.

good catch. Im not one for conspiracy theories, but the refs were brutal on us last night.

It really starts to put into perspective what an amazing job Caleb did last year in all that chaos. Of course he got sacked way too much, and the team overall was a mess, but to put up the stats he did last year in all of that is incredible, and speaks to his innate talent alone, because the scheme and OL sure didnt help any. But what's even better news is how much Caleb is growing each week as a pocket passer under Johnson. Last night, even with the drops and missed balls, you could SEE where this is going. You could see what we are trying to do, and even as we fell short a bunch of times, it was right there - we are close to becoming something special. We just need to be more consistent. And that's the whole thing for this year - becoming consistent, moving the chains, learning to eliminate penalties, finding out what our identity is, especially in the running game. And all those things are getting better each week. It should also be said that the defnese was flying around yesterday, playing with a lot of heart. These are all good signs that we have the right coaches and QB.

I hope Moore is OK too. He is a baller, and perhaps still the best WR on our team. But that doesnt mean at $20M a year that he isnt trade bait with Burden on the roster ready to take his place. Good teams trade good players when the cheaper and younger replacement is on the roster.

right Caleb played a good game, but rushing touchdowns dont go into the QBR stat. Maybe they should!

i agree. Braxton was bad at pass pro, but he was worse int he run game. But also, Johnson changed the blocking scheme during the bye week. The first 4 games, we were a power gap team mostly. Now we had big bodies on the edge, and as you say, both Benedet and Wright are made for that. And since Johnson already knew Swift before, I wonder if the change wasnt based more ont he OL skill set than Swifts. That said, Ive never felt this good about Swift before.

I think because Daniels threw for 3 TDs and Caleb only threw for one. Thats why the discrepancy. Otherwise I think Caleb had the better game.

ha! yes

Great game by Swift, and mostly on outside zone plays. If he keeps playing like that, Im gonna ease up on him a lot. Great bye week adjustments by BJ and the staff!

OK, weve got an 8 minute game, any score puts us ahead. We should be able to do something with this position. Whatever Johnson's been keeping and setting up, time to see it, and plenty of time to not have to give up on the run.

no I knew you meant Nashon, and you were right too!

I think the change in scheme is really helping Swift - probably his best game as a Bear.

It looks like we shifted from a power scheme to more of an outside gap scheme, which lets Benedet and Wright get out on the edge, and Swift has been much more successful doing that. Cool.

So true. I dunno how realistic it is with our defensive line this year, but yes this is one of the next important goals. First comes flashes - we've seen that. The rest of this year is to gain consistency - make first downs, win time of possession. Then, if we can get a proper pass rush and can stop the run up front, our window to compete opens. Soon we should be able to beat the bottom 20 teams consistently - then we have to learn what it takes to beat those really good teams. So yeah, I totally agree with you. That's whats in front of us.

This coming offseason we need Pass Rusher LT Run Stopper? Safeties Running Back And we also will probably look at also drafting TE CB LB I wont make a guess on the first list as to who is drafted and who is free agent or trade.

No doubt you can put any player in a bad situation and they will underperform, so it is hard to try to scientifically compare players, I agree. And you're also right that winning is the best deodorant! lol I just don't like a lot of the decisions Poles has made. At the same time I completely trust Ben Johnson 100%. I think that he will eventually build a winner here, no matter who he has to get rid of to do it. I also believe in Caleb Williams' future too. I think he's gonna be a top QB. But he is obviously still a work in progress, so we have to see him take that journey for it to be real, and nothing is guaranteed,b ut Ive seen enough that I believe in him. And I believe Ben Johnson has to have all the juice in the building at this point - over Poles and Warren for sure. If he makes Poles take the guys he wants, then I think Poles is gonna be fine, and eventually we will be a winner. I think this season is about installing the offense, and turning the flashes of greatness we've already seen into consistency. Then next year, with upgrades on defense, I think the window to contend will open.