Patriots @ Bears GDT

[Heinz D.]

2 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

The Bears playoff hope was based on their defense being elite. It is not elite. Therefore, I think the playoff talk should stop.

Ten games to go. Maybe the defense improves. I'm not filling out any playoff brackets, though.

27 minutes ago, TB 1 said:

How do you want Fangio to intervene?  

Forgot to comment on this bit. I want others to intervene with Fangio, to stop him from making as many bad decisions. 

[topwop1]

31 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

The Bears playoff hope was based on their defense being elite. It is not elite. Therefore, I think the playoff talk should stop.

The Bears D will go as far as Mack takes them. What a difference it makes when this guy is not 100% and disrupting the  opposing back field consistently.

It's clear now why they went out and made the move to get him, because without him they'd be pretty average like we've seen these past two weeks.

Might not be a bad idea to rest him up next week if they're just going to continue using him as a decoy and dropping him into coverage.

[Sugashane]

35 minutes ago, topwop1 said:

The Bears D will go as far as Mack takes them. What a difference it makes when this guy is not 100% and disrupting the  opposing back field consistently.

It's clear now why they went out and made the move to get him, because without him they'd be pretty average like we've seen these past two weeks.

Might not be a bad idea to rest him up next week if they're just going to continue using him as a decoy and dropping him into coverage.

 

I'd be fine with him being lined up over the slot and blitzing even. Get a head of steam before hitting the OT.

[Pool]

Ooof another tough loss. We kept it competitive and that's far more than I expected from this game at the beginning of the season.

[abstract_thought]

The Bears were competitive with one of the best AFC teams despite multiple giveaways and special teams gaffes. They need to figure some things out, but I think this game qualifies as a "moral victory."

Trubisky needs to continue to grow and Nagy needs to learn to simplify his playcalling in some situations.

[yomyyo]

I guess that the positive from this game is that while NE was certainly not itself today (and was missing integral parts of its team), the Bears – even with their myriad mistakes – certainly didn't look to be any worse of a team. Of course, they need to figure out how to win; I suppose that is what this season is now about. Playoffs are seemingly an ever distant a goal. 

[pigsooie5]

Done with Fangio. It’s time for the new era. These gunho stuck in their way 65 year old coaches are bunk. BB is the only exception. We have the personnel. Leonard Floyd has 0 sacks in 6 games? And that’s getting the best out of your players? BS. He’s a typical bend don’t break cover 2 off coverage baby boomer. Let’s get with the times!

[beardown3231]

6 minutes ago, pigsooie5 said:

Done with Fangio. It’s time for the new era. These gunho stuck in their way 65 year old coaches are bunk. BB is the only exception. We have the personnel. Leonard Floyd has 0 sacks in 6 games? And that’s getting the best out of your players? BS. He’s a typical bend don’t break cover 2 off coverage baby boomer. Let’s get with the times!

Sadly, I think I agree. Find another 3-4 guy who isn’t stuck in his ways. 

[topwop1]

18 minutes ago, beardown3231 said:

Sadly, I think I agree. Find another 3-4 guy who isn’t stuck in his ways. 

I'm not happy with the defense's play lately either but I think it's way too easy to blame Fangio right now. He's a good D coordinator even though he may have been a bit overrated in the past.

Either way the players on defense have to take some accountability and play better by getting to the QB better, covering better and most importantly tackling better.

[Epyon]

2 hours ago, pigsooie5 said:

Done with Fangio. It’s time for the new era. These gunho stuck in their way 65 year old coaches are bunk. BB is the only exception. We have the personnel. Leonard Floyd has 0 sacks in 6 games? And that’s getting the best out of your players? BS. He’s a typical bend don’t break cover 2 off coverage baby boomer. Let’s get with the times!

Fangio not making adjustments is certainly annoying... But we're seeing glimpses of just how dependent we are on Mack for success, and the defense really isn't all that good without him, because we play too far off coverage too deny the short game, our safeties both forgot how to tackle for 2 straight weeks, and Floyd frankly sucks at pass rushing until he proves otherwise. 

But I think my big concern right now coaching wise is Harry Heistand. Run blocking has been an embarrassment this season. We need to be able to run an offense without putting everything on Trubisky's back...Doubly so when he's rattled until he can settle the hell down instead of missing easy throws, picks, or balls that would be picks if defenders could catch. 

I felt like anytime the pats where 3rd and 3 or less, you could basically garuntee they'd convert... Where I feel very little to no confidence right now in the Bears doing the same..at least not on the ground unless it's a gimmick play. 

[WindyCity]

I don’t like the fact that Fangio stayed soft today.

But some guys on defense have been brutal the last couple weeks.

Trevathan looks like he is running around with a weighted back pack.

Floyd is a ghost.

the safeties won’t tackle

[beardown3231]

RT @AdamHoge: Roquan Smith only played 55% of the defensive snaps yesterday. Vic Fangio opted to use Mack/Floyd in coverage more, keeping an extra D-lineman on the field instead of Smith. Safe to say McDaniels/Brady took advantage of those mismatches.

[beardown3231]

^^So either Roquan isn’t good yet (or at all) or Fangio’s losing his mind.

FWIW, it’d be nice to see the Bears DL tip a pass at the LOS one of these games.

[WindyCity]

Special Teams


-I feel the need for this to have it's own category for the first time ever. This was about as pathetic a performance from special teams as you can imagine, both from players and coaches.


-Chris Tabor should be saddled with some of the blame. Kicking short and forcing Patterson to return the ball worked out on the strip, good for you Chris, then it blew up in his face with the return TD. What does Chris do? Continues to kick short and force a return, which is stupid, and becomes even more stupid when down 7 and Patterson returns the ball to the 40 giving the Patriots great field position. Hubris, idiotic coaching, whatever you want to call it, it was on display.


-Pat O'Donnell needs to kick the ball faster. He is slow as hell to get the thing off his foot. We see every week how close the rush gets to him, and this time it caused a huge issue.


-Ben Braunecker was de-maned on the punt block by Donte Hightower. He says his feet got tangled with the guy beside him, well move your damn feet. Also, when you are in the midst of having your soul ripped out, perhaps take a holding penalty.


-On the kick return Benny Cunningham gets destroyed by a block and takes out another guy, who's number I cannot make out, so epic fail Benny. Kevin Tolliver has a legit chance to tackle him and does not even slow him down a little. 3/4 of the kick team ends up outside the hash, which totally blows my mind and might be the stupidest part of the entire play and should fall right on the desk of special teams coordinator Chris Tabor.


-Benny Cunningham is worthless as the kick returner. He should never be allowed to take the ball out of the endzone.


-If I had told you before kick off that the Bears would give up 2 special teams TDs, you would predict a 28 point loss, so it is hard not to look at these losers as the main culprit.

[WindyCity]

Defense


-Khalil Mack should have never played. That was a bad organizational decision. He was hurt and looked bad and was providing no pass rush. 


-Leonard Floyd looked lost all game. Nothing even resembling a pass rush, destroyed in pass coverage although that is more on Fangio for some horrendous match ups. He is not having the impact of the 9th overall pick in the draft, which is killing the Bears in the last 2 games when Mack has been banged up.


-The bloom has been off the Aaron Lynch rose that last couple of games. Becoming apparent he was a creation of the pressure and disruption that Mack was creating.


-We are back to Akiem Hicks playing way too many snaps, getting tired, and then not being as effective. It is good to be back, I kid. He had some really nice plays in the run game, but I am not sure where the pass rush has gone. I think he is being doubled a lot more now that Mack is injured.


-Eddie Goldman needs to step up the disruption on the pass plays where he is in the game.


-Bilal Nichols can play ball. He has really impressive explosion for a big man and he seems to have a knack for finding the ball. He seems to have wrestled away some reps from RRH and Bullard.


-RRH had a few nice plays, Bullard was largely invisible.


-I am going to try and re-watch this game early this week because I think Trevathan has sucked in back to back weeks. On a number of outside runs he was slow to react and was blocked by his inaction to the outside. I thought he was super soft in the passing game and simply dropped, allowed Edelman and Hogan to run to the 1st down marker, turn and make the catch. I am hard pressed to believe that Roquan is not a better option in the 1 LB set in pass coverage.


-Roquan played 55% of the snaps. In a short passing game, with a ton of zone being played, your fastest and best coverage LB was on the bench? Listen, I do not think that Roquan has looked like the 8th overall pick in the draft, but he gives you a better chance of success than Trevathan.


-I thought Kyle Fuller did pretty well against Josh Gordon. He did not look great on the 4th and 1, but Gordon is an elite WR and at a minimum he was there to contest and put on a brutal hit. Fuller with 3 INTs is what we needed to see after the big contract. He had so many chances last year and simply could not hall them in. Now, outside of GB, he is making the play and seems to be gaining confidence.


-Prince is so solid, unspectacular, but solid.


-Bryce Callahan probably should not have played. He had a rough day in the slot, against good players, but he seemed to lack the burst and change of direction that we are use to seeing.


-If I was Eddie Jackson I would stop missing tackles. If I was Eddie Jackson's agent I would make sure my client is not tweeting with fans about his tackling. Jackson has so much talent, which makes these horrendous tackling attempts so frustrating.


-Adrian Amos has been exceptionally pedestrian the last few games. We are not even seeing the physical tackles and run fills that we have always seen, even when the coverage was suspect.