Week 11 Official Game Thread - CHI @ MIN, Nov 16th, 12PM CST, FOX, CHI +2.5

[BearFan PHX]

3 hours ago, adam said:

I don't think everyone is sold on him, and that's ok. I just think he is a lot closer to figuring it out than some may think. 

Not only him, but the entire team has not played a full clean game yet. To be 7-3 and that be the case really makes this a dangerous team going forward. 

Sold? oh for sure youre right. No one is sold. He isnt top 5 until he's top 5, I think we all agree that.

I just meant sees the talent, the ceiling.

[BearFan PHX]

For me, I can see the road ahead for Caleb - I see him improving every week in the mechanics of being an NFL QB. His footwork, his eyes, his timing get better each and every week.

For example, Tim Jennings and Chase Daniel both praised multiple plays this week from Caleb that were incomplete.

I think some people just watch the game, and count completions and the like, and others watch things like footwork etc.

I think we all see an incomplete package, both in Caleb and the offense as a whole. And that's fair. I see that too, and I agree with it.

But if you look at Caleb's trajectory week to week and the mechanics of playing the position, you see he is making steady progress every week. So if you trust in Ben Johnson, all the evidence says we are on our way to something special.

Of course at each level, you have to reach it before anyone can say you've arrived there. But it can also be seen that so far, the progress has been steady, so it's a pretty good bet that Caleb will get there.

As for comparisons to Trubisky - I really don't see it. Not if you look at the mechanics, and the growth curve. Not if you look at what's happening, and WHY.

The media narrative is shifting on him, soon they'll be overpraising him. Maybe some already are. And maybe that will change some minds, but it shouldn't. You've got a young QB here who has all the tools to be one of the greatest ever. He's obviously not there, but I can't think of another young QB I'd rather ride into the future with.

The guy is special. It's hard to miss. It's just not consistent yet. But it's getting better every single week.

[AZ54]

2 hours ago, Pixote said:

There is no reason to spend a lot of time trying to convince someone they are wrong in their opinion.

They have a right to voice their opinion. Let it be. Move on. 

There is no reason someone cannot have a different opinion without being called a moron.

Just because someone doesn't agree with the majority does not reflect on their intelligence or knowledge of football. They have a difference of opinion and shared it. Just that simple.

 

 

Some people prefer a longer honeymoon to believe the marriage will work out long term.  Others just prefer a longer honeymoon. 

[Pixote]

1 hour ago, BearFan PHX said:

for sure unpopular opinions can be true. I've had some here, and they turned out to be true. So have other people. But if anyone thinks Caleb and JF are similar players, that's like arguing that a football is square? Or that we should fire Ben Johnson right now. Its CRAZY.

There are some similarities between the two when the Bears first drafted them.

They both had accuracy issues.

They both had to correct their footwork to address those accuracy issues.

They both would miss opportunities to hit wide-open receivers.

They both had trouble going through their progressions, which led them not to see the wide-open receivers.

They both tended to take flight rather than step up in the pocket when the opportunity presented itself.

They both tended to hold the ball too long, hesitant to throw even when there was ample opportunity.

I could list more similarities, but it is really not necessary.

The bottom line is that Caleb is slowly correcting those issues with the help of an outstanding HC and his staff and is proving to be the franchise QB we drafted. It is a slow process. But he is progressing.

In contrast, Fields has yet to show any progress in eliminating those issues and will eventually be an overpaid journeyman backup QB. I can't believe a GM/HC hasn't considered converting him to a RB/KR to use the one thing he does exceptionally well.

 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Sounds like Caleb/BJ talked about his timing and roll outs today. Caleb keeps rolling because he feels he can see the field better. They want him to try to get away from that and find a spot he can step up and make a throw before getting to the boundary.  They are always challenging him and he is willing to work.  

I enjoy that the reporters can ask concerning questions and get real answers back.

[BearFan PHX]

2 hours ago, Pixote said:

There are some similarities between the two when the Bears first drafted them.

They both had accuracy issues.

They both had to correct their footwork to address those accuracy issues.

They both would miss opportunities to hit wide-open receivers.

They both had trouble going through their progressions, which led them not to see the wide-open receivers.

They both tended to take flight rather than step up in the pocket when the opportunity presented itself.

They both tended to hold the ball too long, hesitant to throw even when there was ample opportunity.

I could list more similarities, but it is really not necessary.

The bottom line is that Caleb is slowly correcting those issues with the help of an outstanding HC and his staff and is proving to be the franchise QB we drafted. It is a slow process. But he is progressing.

In contrast, Fields has yet to show any progress in eliminating those issues and will eventually be an overpaid journeyman backup QB. I can't believe a GM/HC hasn't considered converting him to a RB/KR to use the one thing he does exceptionally well.

 

Yeah but Caleb had 3,500+ yards his rookie season with nothing around him and coaches being fired.

Justin has never exceeded 2,562 in ANY season.

You might use some of the same words to describe what they need to work on, but they were never at the same level of that? Caleb made plenty of in rhythm throws every week, even as a rookie, Justin rarely did, ever.

They are both athletic, but Fields has never shown the ability as a pocket QB that Caleb started with right out of the gate.

So I don't think they really compare at all? But i do agree with your point that Caleb is progressing and getting better.

[AZ54]

The thing that I see each week with Caleb are the incredibly difficult throws he can make dropping the ball over coverage and into a tight coverage space.  Plus he's starting to lead his receivers away from big hits by safeties.  Subtle things that aren't obvious at first but when I see the film study I'm very impressed.  Especially the way he's reading coverages fast now.  I never saw those throws from either Trubisky nor Fields.  Never seen them from Bagent either, he doesn't have the arm strength but also a lot less reps.   These are things he wasn't doing in college that I complained about during the draft process.  

Seeing that gives me more patience for him to get the fine tuning down on deep passes and even the shorter throws.  Adding simple stuff to a player's porfolio when he already has the elite throws down is far better, and far more likely to happen, than hoping the (former) QBs who can make the simple throws can learn how to make the elite throws.