Epyon Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 58 minutes ago, JAF-N72EX said: 'm curbing my excitement here for a few reasons. 1) Non-contact practices 2) Very little of actual footage to base it on. 3) Mitch playing against a defense without Mack, Hicks, and Quinn on the field at the same time. 4) Have heard very little about OL. This, but I'd add: 5) The one account I've heard mentioning deep balls specifically said Foles was killing Trubisky on them, which holds true to them statistically for their careers, and is also probably a big factor in the success of one vs another. Biscuit needs to not suck pushing the ball downfield or adding speed WRs in the offseason with Ginn and Mooney was meaningless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAF-N72EX Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 5 minutes ago, WindyCity said: 100%. But beats him showing up and sucking. I agree. But on a separate note, god I love our fan base. Why is that I'm usually the one who seems to be the more optimistic between us but now it's being flipped around? LOL. This isn't a shot at you or anything either...just saying that it's perfect example of us Bears fans in general. LMAO. 3 minutes ago, Epyon said: This, but I'd add: 5) The one account I've heard mentioning deep balls specifically said Foles was killing Trubisky on them, which holds true to them statistically for their careers, and is also probably a big factor in the success of one vs another. Biscuit needs to not suck pushing the ball downfield or adding speed WRs in the offseason with Ginn and Mooney was meaningless I don't wanna speak too much on this because again we don't have much video of practice to base it on. But I will say with Mitch's issues throwing downfield, he did get better later on in the year and IMO alot of that had to do with him being more comfortable in his outlet targets ---mainly TE's when all else breaks downs (Which is why Jasper still has a job) . In Mitch's defense, last year, he was stuck with a new HC/OC (who is still learning and adapting), a broken OL, no run game support, no TE to count on and grow a repertoire with, and no WR could create space on deep routes, other than Robinson until the bells finally started to clicked in Miller's head. I'm no Mitch apologist by any means, but he was literally working with some boarded up windows last year. After going back and watching Mooney, I have high hopes for him in this offense man. We needed a player to take the top of the defense and IMO he is that and MUCH more. I don't wanna go off the deep end and claim that he will be the next Tyreek Hill but I see ALOT of similarity in his game and that would help Mitch's confidence alot if he has that sort of outlet to rely on in the slot when Robinson and Miller are covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindyCity Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 My optimism has a cap. I am just glad the Nick Foles propaganda is dying down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 Bears Rookie Cole Kmet already impressing coaches, teammates ByZack Pearson Aug 20, 5:04 PM https://247sports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/Article/Chicago-Bears-Rookie-Cole-Kmet-already-impressing-coaches-teammates-150506000/?utm_source=247Sports%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=200821_150850_ChicagoBears&utm_content=Link (Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski, USA TODAY Sports) LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Fixing the tight end position has been a focal point for the Chicago Bears all offseason after a dreadful season from the group in 2019. The Bears made a few different moves to revamp their tight end group including signing both Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris in free agency. But the move to draft Cole Kmet with their first pick of the second round in April's draft might just be the one that pays off the most. The former Notre Dame tight end has not only impressed his coaches throughout this offseason but his teammates as well, including the veteran Graham who has had high praise so far in training camp for Kmet. “First, his intelligence. His football intelligence and his ability to soak in these plays and understand his assignments and to understand football and defenses is extremely impressive for a young kid," Graham said on Thursday. "That’s been the most impressive thing that I can say I notice with him. Also, he’s every bit of 260. He reminds me of a young me. He’s got big legs and the amount of potential that the kid has and the amount of talent that he has is truly unbelievable.” With the focus of camp and the offseason being on the quarterback battle between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles, it's been the tight end group that has stood out so far through the first four days. Led by the veterans Graham and Harris, the position has come up big in team drills as well as one-on-one drills with defensive backs. Looking at the combination of Harris, Graham, and Kmet, the thing that jumps out right away is just how big they are. Kmet checks in at 6-foot-6, 262-pounds and can play either the "U" or "Y" tight end in this offense. His role very likely could be more of a hybrid, serving as a blocker when Graham is in the game and as a pass-catcher when Harris is in. The skillset of the trio also allows for Chicago to run more 12-personnel, something they were near the bottom of the NFL in both 2018 and 2019. Kmet was an intriguing prospect out of Notre Dame and rated as the best player at his position. Taking him at No. 43 overall, the Bears have some high hopes that he can develop into a legit playmaker at the position. With the limited on-field work so far in this offseason, that might serve as a concern for some rookies in this league. But for Kmet? The Bears don't appear to be worried by the lack of reps as he's caught on pretty quickly according to his position coach Clancy Barone. “I would say based upon the lack of reps that we’ve had — OTAs, and that’s been well established, the lack of reps really that we’ve had during training camp; this is a really strange camp," Barone said. "Yesterday was the 18th and that was our second day in pads, something like that. That’s never happened before in my life. All that being said, if you put all that in there together, I would say Cole is on schedule if not maybe a tick ahead of schedule. Not to make it sound too grand, but I have zero concerns about Cole Kmet. I really do.” The tight end position is so important in the offense that Nagy likes to run and it's intriguing to hear these comments about the rookie. Looking at similar offenses like Philadelphia and Kansas City, a major similarity is that the tight end position is heavily featured. Kansas City has Travis Kelce, San Francisco has George Kittle and Philadelphia has Zach Ertz, the three best tight ends in the game. But the Bears don't need just one star as this trio of Harris, Kmet and Graham might be good enough to make an impact. So far, even the defense has been impressed with what the tight ends have brought to the table in practices, including Kmet and they can provide a challenge for the defensive backs and tight ends. 2COMMENTS "They pose a great threat. That's a great opportunity to find out who can cover and who can't," said Chuck Pagano. "We match them up in one-on-one situations, you guys saw that yesterday. We were down in the red area. Those are two big-time players. Cole being a rookie coming out, he's gonna be a phenomenal football player. I think we can all see that." It's early and easy to get excited about a player in camp but in this case, the praise has lasted throughout the offseason from the film room and now onto the field. And that's certainly good news for what this Bears team could have in Kmet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epyon Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 fwiw other camp news snippets I've heard over the week: -Graham has been absolutely dunking on the defense all week. I'm actually getting a bit hyped up about the reports... Not necessarily because I think he can stay healthy the whole season, but more because he's also apparently got the ear of the rest of the TE room, and has a wealth of things to teach them about the position while carrying the load. He still is the most talented TE we've had in over a decade. Hopefully it both translates to the season, and he can also stay healthy. -Mooney has gotten a number of positive mentions. -Ginn, however I haven't heard a single thing about, which is actually concerning, since he's the presumed 3rd starting WR. -I've heard Wims and Horstead mentioned, still nothing about Ridley. -Bush might have a leg up on Gipson for the spot opposite Jackson (surprising to me)... He did drop a blatantly bad throw from Mitch that was by all accounts a gimme interception -Bilal is doing really well at NT -Castillo has a somewhat interesting coaching method in that from what I gather he's blaming Whitehair when other OL screw up assignments, in order to force Whitehair into a more vocal leadership role on the OL.... I found this account interesting from a team building perspective.. will it improve Leno/Massie's play when they know Whitehair is going to get chewed out for their bad plays? -I've heard absolutely nothing about Cohen.... -Ditto Montgomery (aside from showing up in great shape) -DeFilipo has been reportedly frustrated with the high level of Safety play we have, trying to work with the QBs. -Skrine has apparently been taking reps outside at corner -Nothing on Shelly, Vildor, or Johnson (other than speculative, "he needs to step up to claim the #2 corner spot" articles) -Coward hasn't been taking any reps "with the 1s"..... that battle doesn't actually seem to be a competition. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dll2000 Posted August 22, 2020 Author Share Posted August 22, 2020 HIcks as a quad injury, but they hinted it wasn't too serious. Hopefully they are being honest about that. Woods "has a groin." Good to know. Darion Clark is out for year. Still not exactly sure who he is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindyCity Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 Some positive reports on Ifedi are good to hear. He is one of the top 3 most important guys to step up on offense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardown3231 Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 Spriggs left today's practice with a knee injury. Severity unknown. Hicks remained out. Robinson sat with an ankle. Graham had a vet day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dll2000 Posted August 23, 2020 Author Share Posted August 23, 2020 Horsted was at receiving end of a nice throw from MT apparently. All the talk is about the throw. I still think people are sleeping on Horsted. Nagy went on to point out that Foles had a nice ball to Ginn. Wims had a drop at some point. Not good as he is definitely on far end of bubble with Ginn and Mooney additions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindyCity Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 I think we are seeing from Kmet what I wrote about in that breakdown thread. He isn’t fast or particularly explosive. But he is so damn big and athletic for his size he is a major problem. He is very smooth for a 6’6” 260lbs man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardown3231 Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 29 minutes ago, WindyCity said: I think we are seeing from Kmet what I wrote about in that breakdown thread. He isn’t fast or particularly explosive. But he is so damn big and athletic for his size he is a major problem. He is very smooth for a 6’6” 260lbs man. I agree with what you said. I'm trying to think of an NFL TE who he reminds me of. Martellus Bennett perhaps? If he has a career like Martellus' minus being a complete a**hat, I'm good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindyCity Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 26 minutes ago, beardown3231 said: I agree with what you said. I'm trying to think of an NFL TE who he reminds me of. Martellus Bennett perhaps? If he has a career like Martellus' minus being a complete a**hat, I'm good It isn't flashy, but bully ball works. I think we are seeing in camp that a good defenses is struggling with the size of Graham and Kmet. Kmet should also be a blocking upgrade immediatley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G08 Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 On 8/22/2020 at 3:11 AM, Epyon said: -Castillo has a somewhat interesting coaching method in that from what I gather he's blaming Whitehair when other OL screw up assignments, in order to force Whitehair into a more vocal leadership role on the OL.... I found this account interesting from a team building perspective.. will it improve Leno/Massie's play when they know Whitehair is going to get chewed out for their bad plays? I thought this was a risky move but it sounds like the rest of the OL actually comes to his defense when Castillo is tearing him a new one. Clever approach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dll2000 Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 16 hours ago, beardown3231 said: I agree with what you said. I'm trying to think of an NFL TE who he reminds me of. Martellus Bennett perhaps? If he has a career like Martellus' minus being a complete a**hat, I'm good Mark Bavaro is the hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G08 Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 16 hours ago, WindyCity said: I think we are seeing in camp that a good defenses is struggling with the size of Graham and Kmet. This. I can't remember the last time our offense was kicking the defense's ***. Feels ******* good. Hearing coaches and players talk up Kmet has me smiling. Curious to see what the young man can do in this league. 20 days!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.