AZ54

For those who are walking away from Massie who are you looking to put at RT? Coward? Or FA and how much will that FA be cheaper and better than Massie? Draft pick? These are the FA available per Spottrac. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/all/right-tackle/

If you saw the college championship game you'd know that Parkey is a trend setter.

With Gould sitting in the stands with his family watching the Bears lose on a last second kick, I'd say there's a fair chance that will happen. SF may even offer him more money but I could see him returning. Unless SF were to franchise tag him.

Based on Spotrac.com here's the list of Bears who are FA this offseason and their last salary. We have $19.6mil in cap space plus the certain $6.3mil we'll get when we cut Sims gives us $26mil to spend. The only other cut that I think could happen would be Acho giving us another $2.375mil in cap space. Spotrac forecasts Callahan's market value to be 4yr $28mil. I think coming off a broken foot and surgery lowers that. If nothing else, stacked up against all his other missed games in recent years, he'll have difficulty finding a GM willing to commit 4yrs with a big bonus. With $26mil to spend who do you want back, or do you cut Acho and spend $28mil. If you want to cut Parkey his cap hit is $4mil but his dead cap is $5.2mil. You will lose $5.2mil of the $26mil to cut him. Massie $6mil White $4.1mil (he'll be gone) Lynch $4mil Callahan $1.9mil (clear NB starter in the NFL when healthy) Bellamy $1.9mil (core special teams player and Club Dub DJ who played ok at WR in limited spots finished with 14 rec 117yds) O'Donnell $1.5mil (he punted much better this year but is not worth a big contract) Kush $1.35mil Cunningham $1.05mil Witzmann $790k Zach Miller $790k Marcus Williams CB $790k Nick Williams DE $705k Patrick Scales $630k Amos $628k Isaiah Irving $510k ERFA Rashaad Coward $510k ERFA For reference the total of the above contracts is $27.1mil. Our rookie pool for Rd 3/4/5/7 needs to be about $2.2mil (3rd Rd - $700k, 4th Rd - $560k 5th Rd - $500k 7th Rd - $500k)

Among the young players we can look forward to seeing improve I forgot to list Javon Wims.

It's not being discussed but Trey Burton was a very late addition to the injury report and didn't play. At that point the entire game plan is in and practiced and there's no time to adjust. I see a lot of chatter about the play calling early in the game, and to be honest all those short passes outside really bothered me. Last year in the playoffs Nagy lost Kelce in the middle of the game and it basically shutdown the Chiefs offense. He interviewed for the Bears job a day later. On the flight to Chicago he made it clear to Pace how important having a TE who can stretch the field was to his offense. For him losing that player two seasons in a row like that has to feel like a curse. I just wonder how much it impacted Nagy's play calling early in the game or if the boring short plays were all by design to get Trubisky comfortable.

If you had told me In August about this season going the way it did I'd have taken it in a heartbeat, bad kicking and all. I think we got the right head coach for Trubisky. I think we have the right QB for the future and look forward to him improving after a second offseason in this offense. And we get to watch Khalil Mack again next year! I see some of the posts about how the injuries went our way this year but that's in part because they've been so lopsided against us in recent years. We lost a couple key players for this game most notably Jackson, but also Callahan and Trey Burton, plus we had Kyle Long back but he wasn't 100% if you noticed him limping a bit when he was running. Next year should see an improved Kevin Tolliver, Bilal Nichols, James Daniels, Mitchell Trubisky, Anthony Miller ( who will get his shoulder fixed so he can lift his left arm which might have made that one long catch stay a completion), Roquan Smith, Leonard Floyd, and Deon Bush. Bush wasn't Eddie Jackson but can he do what Amos has done this past year? I think so. In doing some quick cap space math and I'm thinking we could sign FA Gould if we let Amos go. It will depend on what Gould wants in a deal but if he doesn't want to break the bank and it's somewhat team friendly we might squeak it in. That could require a little help from Kyle Long with an extension that lowers his cap hit. If we let Coward take over at RT then it's easy to do. I give McManis a ton of credit because he played well in Callahan's absence. With his injury history Callahan's price has come way down but I'd like to see him return. Perhaps we can agree on a 1 or 2 year deal that gives him some bonus but keeps him young enough to really cash in on his next contract if he can stay healthy.

There just one problem with this scheme to block Mack and it is named Hicks. On top of that, if they slide protection this way including with the Center then guys like Goldman, Nichols, RRH, and Floyd will win the day. https://twitter.com/i/status/1080272735140495360

I'm going to call this the Eddie Jackson game. I don't see them being able to run on us so hopefully we can make them one-dimensional. While I expect the Eagles to try to use a lot of screens and quick passing plays to keep our pass rush at bay there will be plenty of times Foles holds the ball to go deep. Foles is playing some good football but the problem for him is this defense practices against the exact same offense. Yes, their defense does too but their DBs aren't in the same class as the Bears DBs. They don't have Eddie Jackson on the backend who knows how to read and cover the route concepts coming at him (they have ex-Bear Corey Graham in his 12th season). Fuller knows how to play Alshon on the perimeter and will largely just wait on his breaks. Amukamara will work to get Agholor off his route timing. LIkewise we have good interior coverage players in Smith, Trevathan, and McManis to take away some of Foles security blanket plays. Hopefully we can get a turnover or two. They have two good OTs and it's hard to say how much pass rush we'll generate off the edge. Will they double team Mack or let the OTs handle him one on one while focusing on shutting down Hicks? We need good coverage to get Foles to hold onto the ball and then I believe the pass rush will be there. This might be a good game to mix in some blitzes as teams have been able to get to Foles and there is no way his ribs won't be bothering him. On offense Trubisky just needs to keep doing what he's been doing and take what the defense gives him. I think their biggest matchup problem might be Cohen. Just looking at some highlights of their last few games their secondary will often give some early wide open looks in coverage for easy 10 yard gains. DeShaun Watson ran quite a bit on them so if they get back into man coverage Trubisky should just do the same. That could also spell big plays for Cohen if he beats the first man. This is a great coaching matchup between old friends who know each other very well. I like the Bear chances at home to win 24-17.

Re-drafting the 2018 picks from Bleacher Report. At #30 the Vikings would pick James Daniels over CB Mike Hughes. I hope they continue to collect DBs early in the draft this year. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2812522-re-drafting-the-2018-nfl-drafts-1st-round#slide30

Fitzmagic. Rodgers was going to run the table because he always wins at Soldier Field. The Vikings (twice) were coming to town to show us who's the boss. Then again on their home field in a win-and-they-are-in scenario, with the Bears mostly locked into playoff positioning, we should lose. In the old days the reporters ripped the paper right out of the typewriter and started over.

Expect more as in the future, or expected more as in this year? For the future I agree and I think that's fair to say. For his first year in this offense, along with a lot of new WRs, I think he's grown tremendously since week 1. Nothing highlighted that more than his 75 yard drive that took up 9min late in the game after the Vikings closed within 3pts. At one point on a third down the Vikings went with a heavy blitz. Trubisky calmly made the hot read and threw it perfectly to Wims for a first down. More importantly than the stats is that he setup that play with 3 backup WRs... on the road in that noisy stadium. Amazingly nobody outside Chicago seems to give him credit for that drive. If his name were Brady or Brees he'd have been cool and efficient dissecting the Vikings top 5 defense to put his team up by two scores late in the game. But he's not, and he can't even get a mention on NFL Network. I'm ok with that. Stay out of the spotlight let everyone jump all over Big Dick Nic in Philly (apparently his new nickname) because he completed 85% of his passes against the Redskins. Ignore the 85% Trubisky completed a week earlier. When I listened to his press conference after the game Trubisky is clearly seeing the field and understanding the offense far better than he ever has.

In the next year or two I think you will be seeing a lot more from Orlovsky. He's already parlayed his little Youtube videos into a job at ESPN. He hung around the NFL for 8 years and you don't do that as a backup QB unless you are working at your craft enough to run the offense in a pinch, or you're an elite athlete and can run like the wind. At least he himself can make fun of that play where he was running outside the endzone.

What Nagy did is take his young QB into what was a home playoff game for the Vikings, and he won without his best receivers on the field. That was against one of the top 5 defenses in the league. Seeing the Rams up as big as they were I would not have played the starters that much in the 2nd half. Nagy, to his credit, wants it all and he wants his team knowing they can beat anyone anywhere.

Yes I'd contribute we need back at the helm of the Vikings next year.

That was some serious butt kicking we did. Missing our two of our top three, then all top three WR for the second half and we still put up 24pts on their turf. I"m glad to have Kyle Long back. What a difference he makes inside. Even our 2nd string D was bringing it late in the game. We have lots of injuries to sort out so hopefully all goes well but I can't see Miller returning this year.

Sounds like Kyle Long is back.. https://bearswire.usatoday.com/2018/12/27/kyle-long-chicago-bears-practice-return-healthy-nfl-playoffs/

Of course I want to win...the Superbowl. To do that we need key players healthy so this cannot be a win at all costs type of game. Players that need less snaps to prepare for the Wildcard game should get the rest. In an ideal world we rattle Cousins (again) and get some big defensive plays early to help build a big lead in the first half. Cousins is under a ton of pressure and there is no way he can ignore the chatter about him not being worth $84mil. We need to get hands on him early and often. Their D is going to play us tough again but I just posted their injury report in the game thread and they have a few key players who cannot practice: Eric Kendricks, Linval Joseph, Mike Remmers, and Xavier Rhodes. They may play but it's unlikely they'll be fully healthy. Trubisky was not very good in the first game agains the Vikings. He'll be looking to turn that around and his new found love of taking what the defense gives him should help him here. Can we take advantage of their defensive injuries? I don't know and we have our own issues with Long and Jackson likely out this game. IMO if we can get Howard going early we win. He'll take the heat off Trubisky on the road. He'll make play action work better. He'll give defenders someone else to worry about running besides Trubisky (see my "What are the Vikings worried about" post in the game thread). He'll make Cohen look that much faster. We have one other ace in the hole and that is Shaheen. Sims went out the week before the first Vikings game and Shaheen, although back, wasn't fully in game shape and he had 0 targets that game. While Shaheen hasn't lit it up in the passing game he's another legit option. More importantly is that Howard has been at his best rushing these last 4 or 5 games since Shaheen has been on the field (after his concussion). It hasn't been mentioned here but I don't think that's pure coincidence.

...and their injury report for this week. For some reason the Bears site didn't list our injuries. https://www.vikings.com/team/injury-report/ Player Position Injury Wed Thu Fri Game Status Anthony Barr LB Shoulder FP (-) C.J. Ham FB Elbow DNP (-) Linval Joseph DT Knee DNP (-) Eric Kendricks LB Hamstring DNP (-) David Morgan TE Knee FP (-) Mike Remmers G Low Back DNP (-) Xavier Rhodes CB Groin DNP (-) Marcus Sherels CB Foot DNP

What are the Vikings concerned about? https://www.vikings.com/news/notebook-vikings-defense-now-well-aware-of-trubisky-s-elusiveness EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings learned the hard way about Mitchell Trubisky’s athleticism in Week 11 at Soldier Field. The Bears quarterback had 10 total rushes for 43 yards in Chicago’s 25-20 win. Most of his damage came in the first half when he had 37 yards on six attempts, and picked up three first downs on the ground. Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer was among those who were a bit taken aback by Trubisky’s ability to elude defenders. “I probably didn’t know he was as fast as he was, running,” Zimmer said. “He had some really good runs on us. We had to adjust during the course of the ball game.” Vikings defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson was also a bit surprised. “I thought he was fast … seeing him pull away from linebackers and shaking guys in the secondary,” Rchardson said. “We knew he wasn’t slow.” Trubisky ranks fifth among NFL quarterbacks with 405 rushing yards, and he also has three rushing touchdowns on the season. But those 10 rushing attempts in Week 11 were a career-high for Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Vikings saw Trubisky in Week 5 of the 2017 season, when the quarterback has made his first NFL start. Minnesota defensive tackle Linval Joseph was quick to point out Trubisky’s growth on the ground since then. “In year one, when he first played against us, that was his first career start,” Joseph said. “Since his first game, and this will now be his third career game against us, he’s picking it up. “He’s done a really good job of reading where he could run,” Joseph added. “We just have to stop him.” The Vikings know that containing Trubisky could give Minnesota’s offense a few extra possessions Sunday at home. If that happens, it could mean the difference between the Vikings getting into the playoffs or not this season. “Just got to get to him, but you can’t change who you are,” Richardson said. “Little things here and there as far as game planning wise, but you still have to go out there and rush him. “You’ve got to win your gap. If you win your gap, he’s got to go on to the next one,” Richardson added. “Hopefully he doesn’t make it.” Added Joseph: “Their quarterback can really run. Really, you just have to do your job and not give him that big play. He’s a very good quarterback and he can run … we can’t let that be the game this time around.”

With 5:45 left in the game and the Bears protecting a 14-9 lead Trubisky took over the offense at the Chicago 14. Against a SF defense that was playing well at home he led the Bears on a game clinching drive that would have killed the clock. Until Robinson fumbled. That drive included forcing SF to burn their last timeouts by running the ball when everyone knew they'd run the ball with about 3:30 left in the game. Prior to this Trubisky had scrambled for a first down and took a big late hit. This led to the sideline fight that resulted in the Bears having only two WRs in the game. With offsetting penalties Trubisky was back to 3rd and 5 at the Chicago 31yd line. He hit a quick pass for 4 yds. Then Nagy, with confidence in his young QB, called for a QB sneak. Remember when everyone said he couldn't handle snaps under center? Trubisky runs for 2 yards netting another 1st down. Now with less than 4min left in the game the next two plays are runs designed to run down the clock or make SF burn timeouts. SF chooses to use timeouts. With a 3rd and 4 Trubisky hit AR12 for 6 yds and a first down. Now with 3:14 left in the game, and SF with no timeouts remaining, the Bears need one more first down to win the game in victory formation. Nagy appropriately calls two Jordan Howard run plays for 8 yds taking the clock to the 2min warning. On the next play Trubisky hits AR12 for what should be the game winning first down and he then fumbles. Reporters subsequently change the narrative to the defense wins the game and, just like that, history erases what should have been one of Trubisky's best drives in his young career. Certainly one of the best on the road in a critical game clinching situation.

I still can't get over the NFL giving the 49ers a free timeout and time to get their FG unit on the field. First off the 49ers clocked the ball so that was 4th down. If they are going to do that crap they should make them run on their offense run off the field and the FG unit run onto the field while the clock is running. We won and that matters most and I always take 'em however I can get 'em. The team overall looked out of sorts early on. When Robinson went out early on the offense seemed to just fall apart. I'm not sure exactly when he returned but it was noticeable once he was back on the field. Ball control will be a big topic of discussion this week in practice. Far too many fumbles. Trubisky was ok. Then he was bad. Then Nagy yelled at him and he was good again. Maybe even really good because he did exactly what you want from your franchise QB with the last 4 min in the game until Robinson gave up the football. He finished 25/29 for 246yards. Khalil Mack may not win DPOY award but he is the best DPOY because he's everywhere. On one play he ran 20 yards downfield to tackle a wide receiver. Say whatever you want about Aaron Donald but he does not defend sideline-to-sideline and downfield (regardless of where he lines up) like Mack does.

Love it and best wishes for Andrew.

I'm not that worried about keeping this team together. We still have reasonable amount of cap space to work with in FA and some options to get more. We won't be top tier FA targets but we may be able to grab that 2nd tier who aren't commanding what they think they are worth and prefer a 1yr deal with a winning team. When you get to the 3rd tier we can compete with the winning teams now, and that's especially true because our "window" just opened. Whereas Pittsburgh is likely to lose Big Ben this offseason. If you are a 4th WR looking for a place to call home for a year or two which would you choose? Plus we have the mad scientist in Nagy cooking up all sorts of wacky plays and then partying afterward in Club Dub. If you are a 3rd tier defensive player like a DB you absolutely know that Khalil Mack will give you opportunities for INTs and passes defensed like few other teams. Better stats can lead to a better next contract if on a 1yr deal, and you might pickup a nice ring in the process. We can easily re-sign Amos, or Callahan, or RRH, or Floyd, or Coward, or Bullard in the near term. I don't think we can sign them all in the next two years. I was an advocate for extending Amos this past offseason like we did with Goldman but I suspect he'll get at least 1-2 mil/yr more now. He's a good player who I'd like to keep but tell me how many big highlight plays he's had this season? Plus I think he's peaked so we will be paying for the same performance for years. Instead I now prefer to gamble on Floyd's upside because he's still not as good as I think he'll become in another year or two. I also think Callahan, even with his injury issues, is a better target to keep around. Anyway whatever or whoever Pace decides are the key players he can keep them around and the one or two on the outside we have to find a replacement for. I think we'll be able to do that via draft or FA. What I'm worried about more is the front office losing talent as other teams start seeing all these late round gems, and even UDFAs, Pace is finding (Jackson, Cohen, Nichols, RRH). That won't go un-noticed and others will want in on his system and success. Two years ago he was to be fired for his draft and was at least laughed at by many for his small school signings. Now? There may be one or two guys in his scouting units that are really key to this success and losing one or both could change our good fortune. Not to mention that Pace went out and got Nagy. While we know he "hired" Fox everyone in the league knows that was much more recommended for him as a young GM. I think Pace will correct any issues if we lose front office personnel but that might not come on his first replacement hire, or in their first year working in a new role. None of this chatter has hit the streets yet but wait as we see more GMs losing their jobs like is rumored to be happening in AZ. OTOH if he can somehow string together another strong draft in day 2/3 this year and find a few players who can contribute or grow into a starting role down the road then we are going to be in a really good position with depth.

Kyle Long practiced today. We'll see what tomorrow brings and if he's able to string together a couple days of work that's a very good sign. https://twitter.com/kfishbain/status/1076192177317994497