jason

100% agree.

Proof Flus made no difference. Hilarious.

100% concur on all of the above. It seems like 3-4 times a game someone comes absolutely clean into Caleb’s face with almost no contact. That’s day one stuff.

Regarding rules, you’re mistaken. It’s more about the intricacy of the verbiage, and how a single word or a comma can make something legal or illegal. Trust me, you don’t really know. For instance, if I said PSK to a fellow official, they know what it is and the implications immediately. For example, the foul in high school is horse collar tackle, which implies the tackle has to happen to get the foul. But that doesn’t hold true in the NCAA or NFL. The rules are FAR from ambiguous, but whether or not the officials call the fouls is different. I used to be the liaison between a large officials group and dozens of coaches, and literally the top two things they wanted and mentioned were communication and consistency. So your consistency argument has some validity. However, consistency also has to do with a variety of factors related to each type of foul. You and all smart fans understand general points of emphasis, but not specifics related to what the league wants, which players the league has identified, techniques for which they are seeing trends. I’ve seen numerous NFL officiating training videos and best believe they narrow down to minute details. As for overturning a call, it really just comes down to one official saying, “Hey Jim, I had a great view of that one. It wasn’t a foul. You should come off of it.” When an official trusts his crew, he would agree to wave off the flag.

I’ve been asking that same question all year. Same goes for a FB or RB. Make the pocket more secure. Add in protection. Make Williams feel safe.

First, I’d say it’s just perception bias. Second, and no disrespect to you, is fan ignorance. Over 99.9% of the fanbase hasn’t read the rule book for the league they’re watching. Third, fans don’t truly understand the mechanics or philosophies of officiating, much less NFL officiating. In other words, the layman doesn’t know what officials are watching, why they’re watching it, how long they’re watching it, and what truly constitutes a foul. Last, no one but insiders understand NFL points of emphasis, and why the NFL decides to draw attention to specific types of fouls. They get directive and scouting reports every pregame. Having said all that, it’s possible that a very small number could be purposely cheating like the NBA scandal. But they get harshly graded every game, and that wouldn’t last long. Further, officials often have overlapping responsibilities, and many bad calls would get overriden by colleagues who challenge the call. Possible? Sure. But so is winning the Powerball.

I know this. It’s a fact. I have officiated with multiple people who are NFL officials. I have talked with several other high level and retired officials. I’m acquaintances with a couple dozen high level NCAA officials who are in the NFL developmental program and their recruiting pipeline. There is no conspiracy. There is no way they’re all in on it. Furthermore, the ones I know are far too upstanding and hyper-critical of their craft to even attempt to purposely cheat. They simply couldn’t stomach it. What I can say, however, is that the NFL can push what they call points of emphasis that benefit certain team’s playing styles. That’s why QBs are more and more protected. The NFL can also point out specific team tendencies they’d like “fixed,” like when a defense back is too handsy and isn’t getting called for it. That naturally leads to greater offensive production.

I once saw someone spin a sharp knife in the air and try to catch it by the handle. He didn’t. He ended up in the ER getting stitches. I also saw a dude jump off 2nd story balcony with a sheet as a parachute substitute. He broke his ankle. I learned from both of those guys. I don’t flip knives or jump of 2nd story balconies.

This dude had the same responsibility as a 6-year old playing freeze tag and he couldn’t do it! There literally wasn’t a snap count and he jumped!! How do you anticipate a snap when there isn’t a snap count?! Cut him; Enterprise is hiring.

100% correct. Part of the reason he has the rookie lack of interceptions record is partially a reason his receivers have so many drops: he throws rockets regardless of route. On probably 9 of 10 passes he guns it in with all his might, like the anti-Greg Maddux.

This is the most peewee, rudimentary, visionless, cowardly offensive strategy I’ve ever seen. There is no misdirection. No creativity. No execution. It’s atrocious.

I don’t care who this guy is, what his potential is, or anything else about him. Cut him tonight. How does an OLineman jump when the entire play is designed to NOT MOVE?! Cut him tonight.

Sold. Bring in Carroll. He’s got the undeniable pedigree. Check the rings. He’s got swag. He controls a room with Pat Riley vibe. Pay him, give him full authority, and get the F out of the way. Poles and Carroll can talk draft. After that, get the F out of the way. Warren? Never heard of her. Get the F out of the way. McCaskeys? Seriously, sign the checks and get the F out of the way for good.

Give me that 1983 draft. Still amazed every time I see it. Hit after hit after hit. Only a random TE sticks out like a festering zit on an otherwise unblemished face.

This one is crazy. Even with moderately successful games, say 200yds a game, he moves into third ALL TIME.

It’s prime time. It’s Thursday night. It’s Seattle. The Bears are in complete shambles. Seattle 30 - Chicago 14

Ugh. When are Bears fans going to stop this mentality? With all due respect, the Bears need to go absolutely all in with Caleb. Absolutely Everything should be for his progression, protection, and advancement. Just good enough for an OC won’t cut it.

Concur. No injury means people will think he was a possible answer, which he wasn’t.

That thread will be far too long on this board. We have decades of plays to choose bad football.

I just can’t justify burning a first on Jeanty considering Swift’s contract, and the other, obvious holes on the team. This team needs huge help on both lines. Until the lines are fixed, the other players considered skill players on each side of the ball can’t fulfill their maximum potential.

I’ve done next to no research this year. This is my first mock and I just went with availability. Formula for success: OL, DL, ad nauseum until fixed. Stick to big schools. Prioritize schools that are winning. I think 4-5 of these guys start in 2025.

Almost forgot, Caleb Williams needs to understand everything can’t be solved with force. Every throw can’t be a fastball. He needs less Clemens and more Maddox. Reminds of a funny line: "It is until a mosquito lands on your testicles, when you learn that force [violence] does not solve all problems"

Hopefully not. The Bears don’t need to Lovie one or two of the meaningless games and ruin draft position.

1. Keenan Allen can leave after this year. His hands are terrible. 2. Whoever is calling defensive plays maybe should have thrown in a blitz or two in the first half when Sam Darnokd looked like Joe Montana. 3. Whoever is calling offensive plays should be fired. The schemes are unimaginative, extremely risk averse, and do not combine routes in such a way as to confuse the defense. If I didn’t know better I’d say it was Shoop. 4. Caleb is holding the ball too long when people are open, but I wonder how often they’re open. 5. Did Kmet get cut? Haven’t seen him play all game. 6. Why did they not go for the early FG? It was long but it set the tone the entire game. 7. Interim HC definitely is in over his head. 8. why didn’t they challenge the Darnold lefty pass? I don’t think it went past the line of scrimmage. 9. Why did they give up so early? The entire 4th quarter has been like molasses. Maybe they forgot about the Redskins game and what can happen late. 10. OL still isn’t very good, but weren’t horrible. The entire offseason should be focused on FA and Draft OL until Caleb Williams can take a nap behind the OL before throwing.

Love this one. Although, I still contend that while Caleb obviously has the “It Factor” as a passer, Justin Fields had a similar presence as an overall threat. He was just good enough as a passer, and absolutely electric as a running QB. What he never received was consistent support via competent coaching or blocking from this trash organization.