5 hours ago, AZ54 said:

we got two rookies that will make plays this year. Loving will need more time to get ready but it’s not hard to see him taking snaps from Gallimore later this year.

Next year our starting DTs could very well be a 6th round pick and UDFA. As much as Poles misses on 3rd round picks but he does find players. Actually Thomas this year will not be one of his misses.

Strategy time.

Seeing the Panthers give Jaelan Phillips $120mil after a 5 sack season certainly makes me feel better about Dayo's contract. They have a good DT in Derek Brown and they run a 3-4 front. They will be starting rookie Lee Hunter, one of the pundits draft targets for the Bears at DT. They have some good DBs but that LB group seems like the place to attack. Between Phillips and the other starting OLB Patrick Jones II they don't have much pass rush off the edge. Trevis Gipson (remember him) is a backup and his best year statistically was as a Bear in 2021. At ILB they signed Devin Lloyd and he's good but next to him starting is Bobby Okereke who just signed the last week of training camp. I'm thinking we're going to attack the edge of the defense on runs and kick those OLBs out with a TE or pulling OG. None of these OLBs seem like they are the athletic type to be any good in coverage either. If we run the DBs off by sending someone deep then who fills in that intermediate gap on the sidelines 10-20 yards downfield? Loveland destroyed the Packers in the playoffs in that exact location on numerous plays.

I don't have a strategy for the defense other than hoping they can stop the run. Then Jordan VDB can get in Bryce Young's face on 3rd and long.