BearFan PHX

right. he was already susceptible to bull rushes, and without an offseason to train, hes not gonna come back stronger than he was last year before the injury. You kinda have to proceed on the idea that his time as a starter is over for us.

I've been thinking similar things. I know Roschon doesn't really have explosiveness as a home run hitter, but hes a tough runner in the mold of David Montgomery, Raymont Harris and similar backs. I've always loved those kind of players. So far, RJ hasnt shown the vision that the other two have/had but with a proper blocking scheme, that could all change. I still wish we had Kaleb Johnson or Cam Skatebo.

yes, and this is all gonna be predicated on being able to run the football too. The OL seems like it's gonna be OK, now who is gonna get those tough yards?

Interesting. I cant really say i know anything about DA's defense other than that it is aggressive and he has presided over several highly ranked defenses. Oh and I know he likes his DEs a little heavier to set the edge so LBers flow. ANd i suppose that if you like bigger DEs, then youre not expecting as much speed rush from those DEs. Interesting, thank you for that.

good point. I should probably say Burden & Zaccheaus = 600 yards.

there is no doubt this roster and staff are VERY different from what we've seen before. There are lots of reasons for optimism. I am very much looking forward to seeing it on the field. I do expect great things, but there have been teams that had a lot of talent before that just didn't gel, so there's a reason they play the games, it's not won during the offseason. But if I had to bet, i would bet that the bears will be significantly improved, and the window should open for Caleb to lead us deep into the playoffs and hopefully a championship in the coming years. I am very excited for this coming year, and it sure feels like we are on the right path! I do think we still need a dominant pass rusher, so that will probably limit how far we can go against the really good teams. I wonder about our RB room, and while I have hope, i worry about LT too. Im VERY much looking forward to seeing how the LTs look in pads. If Trapilo (or any of them) ascends to become not just serviceable but actually GOOD, then that will help a lot. There are certainly more reasons for hope than we've had in a quite a while. And like you said here - the coaching staff looks to be elite. That is amazing, and should help all the players ont he roster reach their best potential. Dont forget Dan Roushar - he's gonna make that OL better too - including Trapilo and Wright!

If Burden gets playing time, it could make it hard to feed so many mouths. This is still my prediction, from April: My total guess, assuming LT isnt a total disaster, and Caleb isnt running for his life: Caleb Williams 4,050 yards passing DJ Moore 800 yds receiving Rome Odunze 1,050 yds receiving Luther Burden 600 yds receiving Colston Loveland 750 yds receiving Cole Kmet 350 yds receiving HBs 500 yds receiving

Yeah Flus sucks! Something that's also lost in all this is that apparently it was Caleb's Dad who told the ESPN writer that Caleb told him that - thats a 3 man chain of telephone now. Who knows exactly what the nature of Caleb's complaint was? One thing we can be sure of is that the Bears offensive staff SUCKED at preparing the team, so whatever it is that Caleb actually said to his dad, it was probably true.

totally agree, or yell at Cleveland and Houston for making those deals.

Look I cant help it if you dont make sense and dont even remember what you said a day earlier. Youre the one calling out people for not being "optimistic" and saying that we need to form an opinion right now. That was you. Also, one of the funniest things in this thread is in your previous post you said that you werent saying the roster was perfect while you simultaneously said that me calling that silly was disrespecting your opinion LOL You have a long history of lecturing us all on how we need to love every current player and coach. From Leno and Fields to Eberflus and last years offensive line, you call anyone who says they arent good enough a hater or a pessimist. It's like we are insulting your family or something. And as you stack up the losses, the times it turns out you were totally wrong over and over, you just keep going. I said wed have 4 new starters on the OL this year, and you were all over me about that. You got all butthurt that I said Kmet is on the bubble. If all you want is sunshine and rainbows, there are plenty of boards for that. The thing I really like about this board is that pretty much everyone is smart, and knows the rhythm of the NFL year, and what makes good football. I've learned lots from a bunch of members here, recently and over the years. And you are the one who omits qualifiers like "I think" and "probably" more than anyone. And Ive called you out on it, so you come back trying to find instances where I might have missed one. Youre a "right fighter" but your arguments are usually wrong. So that makes you annoying. Anyway, it doesnt matter. You'll just have to deal with reality as it comes like the rest of us.

I can see Burden being an issue about this, but i suspect Trapilo wants that starting job more. And I cant really predict Turner.

LOL ooooh boy. If I missed writing "I think" once then my DEEPEST apologies. Coming from you tho, it's a joke. No matter what you say, we will see what we have when the pads come on. Looking forward to that.

the first two got fully guaranteed contracts for the first time, so #3 wants it too, and it will fall all the way down the list until someone signs without one, and no player wants to be the "ah*le" that ruined it for everyone, so everyone is stuck waiting. But yes, the arrival of training camp will loosen some.

I think all signs are pointing to Ben Johnson becoming one of the top head coaches in the league. In a sense, being head coach is "pads on" all the time, so we've already gotten a glimpse of him in action. But yeah, from everything I've seen so far, it sure looks like he is gonna be great for us.

Speaking for myself, Im not sitting ont he fence, or worried about being wrong. Im saying it is June, and this is the time of year where the draft and first wave of free agency is over. This is the time to see what you have before you do anything else - that's the rhythm of the NFL every year. The next step is to see it on grass in pads. Then after you see what you really have, you make adjustments. This isn't optimistic, pessimistic or fence sitting. It's just what June is. For example, I am very excited to see Trapilo take the LT position and dominate. That's what i hope happens. So far, everything points in the right direction. We havent heard any negative stuff about him in OTAs, he seems to be int he right positions and understanding the blocking assignments. Cool! But i cant tell you that Amagadje isnt better, or Braxton Jones for that matter. Now I know what Jones has on tape, so i think I can predict what he can give us, but who knows what Roushar might unlock? But to start saying Trapilo is the guy, or Amagadje is the guy etc is foolish until you see them in pads. That's not pessimistic. That's not fence sitting. It's just the truth. I dont understand this idea that you have to proclaim that we are great right now in order to be "joyful" or "optimistic" - thats homer fan stuff driven by Podcasts during a month when nothing is happening. It's the kind of dynamic where we build all sorts of outcomes out of a single time that Johnson corrected Caleb for being late. i mean, dont get me wrong i LOVE that, but it's just a tiny data point. So podcasters and their viewers can wrap themsevles in narratives all they like, but it's not a question of morals. It's just rah rah fan crap. I am very excited to see this team on grass in pads. I am optimistic about our near future. But I'm not counting chickens until they suit up and knock some people around. Not because I doubt them, but just because words arent actions. I dont need to declare my love for the Bears - we ALL spend hours on this site, it's obvious we all love them. But let's see what we've got before we claim any championships or even wins in June.

Oh i don't think anyone thinks this is just another Bears team. I think we ALL see the difference. The roster looks much better, and the coaching is an obvious and stark upgrade. I just think some of us are saying we are looking forward to seeing it in pads so we know if every piece is really up to par. For example, we have no idea who will play LT. There are lots of reasons to believe that between the three candidates we have, one will ascend. Cool. But I want to see it, and not just assume it? But that doesnt mean we are pessimistic and think its NOT going to happen. It just means we want to see it to know what we've really got. We arent predicting failure, but we also arent assuming this is a Superbowl team, having never played a single down yet is all. We just want to see. What if one of the OL is weaker than expected? Or what if Roschon Johnson lights it all on fire and becomes HB1? What if Burden holds out, or Kmet is suddenly amazing? This is the month of podcast hype, where people say things like "the roster is complete" and that's just silly. But none of that means that we are pessimistic or think the Bears will be terrible! We just want to see it on the field so we know what we have!

You're missing the point entirely. I am NOT saying the team will be bad! I'm saying on paper they actually look really solid, but it's all projection, and I want to see it on grass in pads. I even said maybe someone will OUT-perform our expectations and look even better than Greg Gabriel says they will LOL The comment was made in the context of making roster moves. And I think right now, except for tweaks in depth, or if a major talent becomes available at a discount price, that we will sit on the hand we have right now, and wait to see it next month in pads. THEN we will have new opinions and that would be the time to reevalute the roster if necessary. But no one is saying "yeah sure they look good on paper, but theyre going to suck in reality" I thinkt hat's what you're hearing? But no, we're just saying, "yes, looks good, let's see if it still looks the same in pads" not saying we exepct it to look bad, or good for that matter, just we will see it when it happens. It's not pessimism, it's just we've made all the theoretical moves, now let's test the theories? And you're the one saying these are known quantities? But the strawman argument youre creating of these pessimistic thoughts is not in our comments. Thats not what we are saying at all.

yeah or even who is going to play LT. There are LOTS of podcasts about it, but they haven't played a down in pads yet. Or how the DE rotation is looking. Or even who will be the main HB for this team. How Kmet will be. Whether Williams is improving. Etc Etc. I think just because we hear some guy on the internet who has a "show" say it, doesn't mean it's true. This is hype season, but the truth is coming in a month or two.

I think his point is that we cant assume pieces we think are going to be great, are actually going to be great until we see them. From our current understanding of the roster, we have holes at DE and HB. But when we see it with the pads on, some players may show us that they arent going to work out like we hoped, and some may show us that they are ready to fill the holes i just mentioned too. I think you're counting chickens before they hatch, and he's saying that we will know when we know. And I think that has to be how Poles is thinking too? or any GM? So it's not the right time to make a trade, we agree, since we don't fully even know what we have yet, for good or bad. The only exception to that is something that's a clear deal on a real stud, or minor moves monkeying with depth. So when it comes to starters, we will probably roll with what we've got and the next likely window for making changes is the cuts at end of training camp, and the one after that is the trade deadline. But that doesn't mean boxes are checked and everyone is certain that what the podcasts are saying is REAL. We need to see it in pads, under live fire, and into the season as well.

well said. unless someone comes loose from some really bad contract holdouts and we get an obvious DEAL, we probably won't be upgrading starter positions until we know what we currently have. But I wouldnt be surprised at all if we are active at the trade deadline. Any time you have a new coach, a lot of guys are possible trade bait. Some will grow into the new situation, and some will go. That's always what happens with new coaches. And as much as we have seemingly filled a LOT of holes in the past two years, that also means a lot is new, and isn't proven yet. For example, we all seem to be sure the OL is fixed, but until we see it on the field, who really knows. Players could be past their prime, lazy (see Davis), or just unable to gel. I'm not predicting that of course, but it is unknown. We will know more as each month passes. And that's very exciting. But I think what you've said here is probably how Poles is feeling too.

Burden has always been known as a head case and a me first kind of guy. Hopefully BJ can get his attention and straighten him out. FWIW, a lot of good guys taken in the second round also dont want to be the first player that accepts a non guaranteed contract and breaks the chain for every player behind them.

yeah, and Luther Burden is a likely problem for the same reason. Hope whatever it is gets done quick, and Burden is willing to be coached.

yeah, out of shape is MUC worse than a contract holdout that seems to be Cinci's fault. Im on Shemar Stewart's side in this, but Graham? That's inexcuseable. Glad we dont have to deal with that!

I dunno - Cinci is asking Stewart to accept a contract with different language than they had in their last two first rounders. I think it's possible that Cinci is the one to blame and not Stewart? It's not like he's holding out over money - those contracts are already slotted for $.

LOL ALL of us!