Heinz D. Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 21 hours ago, Sugashane said: I've disliked Newton ever since he got booted off the Gators. IT does make me laugh a bit though. Aaron Hernandez, Riley Cooper, and a handful of others who could at minimum be called d-bags survived college under Urban Meyer, but Cam Newton was one that was potentially getting booted still. lol My opinion of Meyer. as a human being, is incredibly low. I was stunned when he got hired by the Jaguars. I have no doubt he'll succeed there, though--provided he can keep his act together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugashane Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 1 minute ago, Heinz D. said: My opinion of Meyer. as a human being, is incredibly low. I was stunned when he got hired by the Jaguars. I have no doubt he'll succeed there, though--provided he can keep his act together. He definitely has the old Al Davis "Just win baby" mentality. To me he is a football coach version of Dennis Rodman. You hate him until he's on your side. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinz D. Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 27 minutes ago, Sugashane said: He definitely has the old Al Davis "Just win baby" mentality. To me he is a football coach version of Dennis Rodman. You hate him until he's on your side. I get the gist of what you're saying...but I want him nowhere near the Bears. Ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugashane Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 5 minutes ago, Heinz D. said: I get the gist of what you're saying...but I want him nowhere near the Bears. Ever. Oh I don't either. I'm a Gators fan so I was speaking from THAT experience. lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 15, 2021 Author Share Posted August 15, 2021 Many college coaches are notorious for protecting players who get into trouble. Bobby Bowden was famous for it but it's also how he became one if the winningest coaches in college history. Ya' can't blame just one or two guys. They all do it because they're paid to and expected to do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 16, 2021 Author Share Posted August 16, 2021 (edited) Training Camp Diary: Preseason Opens, Fields Electrifies, Now What? Jeff Hughes | August 16th, 2021 ____________________ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FIRST LADY OF DBB, SARAH K. SCULLY. I have never approached any preseason game with anticipation. That changed Saturday. Here are notes on what could prove to be an important weekend in Chicago Bears history. (Side note: They should knock off one more of these preseason games. Get that schedule to two games, one home and one away.) The Story is Fields Penalties and drops around him. Losing track of the play clock. Spin move in the open field, taking unnecessary contact, fumbling the football. It was the definition of a slow start. But what did Fields say in his post-game presser? “So after that, I think I’m going to officially retire the spin move.” None of the struggles bothered him. Fields maintained his composure, displayed his command of the offense and let his athleticism take over the football game. Yes, he was playing with backups. Yes, he was playing against backups. But Fields did what he is supposed to do in that scenario: he was clearly the best player on the field. Albert Breer and many around the Ohio State program are taking the “we told you so” approach after the performance. Brett Kollmann is already calling for the team to start Fields. Lebron James was apparently watching preseason football (the NFL is an unstoppable juggernaut) and sending out his praise. From a Brad Biggs tweet: “Justin Fields on adjusting to speed of the NFL in preseason debut today: “It was actually kind of slow to me.” This was my favorite play from Fields on the day. (The 3rd and 9 roll-out. I don’t know why I can’t embed just that play.) Two quotes from Adam Hoge’s excellent game story: On the 8-yard touchdown run: “They were playing man coverage. My man Jesse got tripped up. I was looking to go to him,” Fields said. “Of course, I knew my routes were coming my way backside, but I knew they were in man coverage so I knew nobody really had me so I just went to the left.” Does anyone think this kid isn’t ready for regular season action? “Keep stacking days like he had today and understanding that in this whole process and this plan, as we go, what’s the ultimate goal for us as an offense? Scoring touchdowns, right? So keep leading the team down, keep getting first downs, keep getting touchdowns,” Nagy said when asked what Fields needs to do to be named the starter.” This is Nagy leaving the door open for Fields to be the Week One starter. This is the first time he’s done that, to my recollection. Bears have no choice. Fields should be throwing to Robinson and Mooney today. He’s got to be given a chance to win this job with the folks who will actually be on the roster. Let’s See More Sam Kamara, out of the football hotbed known as Stony Brook University, looked the part of a professional defensive end late in the game. It’ll be borderline impossible for this kid to find snaps at the team’s deepest position, but the Bears should move him up the preseason ladder to get a better evaluation. (And no matter what, stash him somewhere in the organization for 2021.) Artavis Pierce. This kid has a burst. Have the Bears tried him out at all in the return game? Once again this is a player with a ton of potential at a deep position. He’s a playmaker. Find a role for him. Alec Ogletree next to Roquan Smith. Ogletree was all over the field. Penetrating against the role, fluid in coverage. Yes, he got beat deep, but no linebackers can hang with tight ends deep without pass rush. Let’s See Less Javon Wims and Riley Ridley. What exactly do we expect these two players to become? At this stage, the Bears are better off seeing what they can squeeze out of guys like Jon’Vea Johnson, Rodney Adams, Chris Lacy, Justin Hardy…etc. Maybe there’s a diamond in that rough. (With ARob, Mooney, Goodwin, Byrd, Dazz, there ain’t a ton of roster space left.) Trevis Gipson. If Gipson is going to be a contributor on Sundays, he can’t be invisible against third stringers on an August Saturday. He just doesn’t look the part. Joel Iyiegbuniwe profiled as a sort of diet Brendon Ayanbadejo – a player who could contribute at linebacker but make his bones on specials. Iggy hasn’t done much of either and he’s entering his fourth season. If it hasn’t happened by now, it’s more than likely not going to happen. Additional Thoughts Everyone needs to calm down with criticizing coverage units in the first preseason game. Coverage units are comprised, primarily, of the bottom third of the roster and the Bears don’t even know for sure who those guys will be yet. Was that Pat O’Donnell‘s best punting game? He was absolutely sautéing the football. The Bears should keep Brian Johnson as a second kicker. Put him on the practice squad. If another team signs him off, fine. But with the uncertainty around Covid, it can’t hurt having a second kicker available. You know who wasn’t bad Saturday? The offensive line. There was a lot of talk about Jesse James being a contributor this season. (And Fields clearly seems to like him.) If that’s the case, why was he on the field for the game’s final drives with Nick Foles? Duke Shelley has clearly dropped in the cornerback pecking order. DeAndre Houston-Carson is listed as a backup safety but the Bears are crazy if they don’t get him on the field regularly. If you’re ranking this secondary, who is third after EJ and Jaylon Johnson? I think I put DHC in that spot and I’d love to see out there in the slot. There is no reason for David Montgomery to see another snap this preseason. Backs don’t need reps. They need rest. They only have so many carries in their bodies and Montgomery’s style will mean he has fewer than most. His next month should be contact free. Camp practices reopen to the public, today through Wednesday. Edited August 16, 2021 by soulman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dll2000 Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Every rep Andy Dalton takes with first team is a rep Fields is not taking with the first team. Nagy just is wasting time. Delaying the inevitable. You never get wasted time back. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAF-N72EX Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Nagy is playing it smart. He's ignoring our annoyingly impatient fan base and using preseason for what it was made for. Offseason programs were very limited to the public, and none of us know what stage Fields is at in his progression, despite what some fans may think. The staff does. Dalton only played 2 opening drives, so they still plan on starting Dalton until Fields is ready (which is the smart play), whether fans like it or not. I liked what I seen from Fields too, but some of you are getting waaayyy ahead of yourselves. This was a preseason game against backups. First team players are not going to be triple teaming Jon freaking Johnson and let a player like James run free to give Fields an easy look and throw during in the regular season. 2 hours ago, soulman said: There was a lot of talk about Jesse James being a contributor this season. (And Fields clearly seems to like him.) If that’s the case, why was he on the field for the game’s final drives with Nick Foles? Fields likes him because Fields he's been playing with the backups for the last 3 months and we have next no depth at TE. This is also why he was on the field with Foles. Backup QB = backup TE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinz D. Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 On 8/15/2021 at 1:40 AM, soulman said: Many college coaches are notorious for protecting players who get into trouble. Bobby Bowden was famous for it but it's also how he became one if the winningest coaches in college history. Ya' can't blame just one or two guys. They all do it because they're paid to and expected to do it. Meyer's problems weren't about coddling, or protecting, questionable players. The man himself is a top notch scumbag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 17, 2021 Author Share Posted August 17, 2021 3 hours ago, JAF-N72EX said: Fields likes him because Fields he's been playing with the backups for the last 3 months and we have next no depth at TE. This is also why he was on the field with Foles. Backup QB = backup TE. Not my quote but yeah, it would stand to reason that Fields has developed rapport with the guys who are lower on the depth chart. But we do have very good depth at TE compared to the way the position looked two years ago. Kmet, Graham, and James make a good trio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 17, 2021 Author Share Posted August 17, 2021 (edited) Andrew Dannehy pinch hitting for Jeff Hughes today reminds us of what Mitch Trubisky's preseason debut was like (ouch) and how far we've come since those days. Training Camp Diary: Fields Needs to Stay Dominant Andrew Dannehy | August 17th, 2021 The calls for the young quarterback eventually got too loud to ignore; the coach finally opened the door and let the youngster get his run with the starters. The result was underwhelming. Rookie Mitch Trubisky ran out onto the field with the starters to begin the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans in the third preseason game of the 2017 season. The result was two incomplete passes, a negative-four yard run and a punt. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Adam Jahns @adamjahns #Bears rookie QB Mitch Trubisky practiced with members of the first-team offense today. 3:01 PM · Aug 23, 2017 185 18 Copy link to Tweet https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The next series had promise before a sack put them behind the chains. They faced a fourth-and-one, but the young quarterback couldn’t get the snap off in time. A delay of game forced a punt. And there died the argument that Trubisky should start the season over Mike Glennon — who went 11/18 for 134 yards and a touchdown in the game. Trubisky didn’t take advantage of what could’ve been his opportunity to overtake Glennon before the season began. Instead we had to sit through four weeks of Glennon struggling even to hand the ball off. For what it’s worth, if that rookie season proved anything, it’s that Trubisky wasn’t ready. But Andy Dalton isn’t Mike Glennon and Justin Fields isn’t Mitch Trubisky. Unlike Glennon, Dalton has played reasonably well in camp and has been an established quarterback in the league for a decade. Unlike Trubisky, Fields has the physical tools to excel even if he isn’t quite NFL ready. But the crossroads are the same. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Adam Jahns @adamjahns Remember when I wrote that Mitch Trubisky isn't the #Bears' best QB -- yet -- after his camp struggles. Well, maybe "yet" arrived tonight. 8:31 PM · Aug 10, 2017 175 8 Copy link to Tweet https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Justin Fields is said to be getting his opportunity with the starters and he needs to take advantage of it. He needs to show the coaching staff that he can make throws down the field in a messy pocket. He needs to show Allen Robinson that he can trust him. He needs to be efficient and explosive. More succinctly stated, Fields needs to win the job convincingly. Because there was buzz for Trubisky his first summer too. Terrific camp and preseason performances turned what wasn’t supposed to be an open competition into one. The Bears hoped Trubisky would take the job and run with it, but he couldn’t. If they needed evidence that he wasn’t ready, they found it. Now it’s up to Fields to give the current coaching staff the confidence that he can do the job. This week will surely determine who the starting quarterback entering the 2021 season will be. The ball is in Fields’ court. Related Edited August 17, 2021 by soulman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 Training Camp Diary: Teven Jenkins Has Back Surgery; What if Dalton Stinks on Saturday? Jeff Hughes | August 19th, 2021 Teven Jenkins Has Back Surgery. It is now unlikely the second-round selection will see the field this season. Back injuries are bad news for offensive linemen, and pretty much everyone else on the planet. Trading up for a player with known injury concerns, even despite the potential/ability, is a suspect decision. Often times draftniks will argue that players “fall” in the draft but the truth is many organizations don’t touch guys with lingering injury concerns. Ryan Pace has to own this failure, including the decision to release Charles Leno, leaving the club extremely vulnerable on the edge. Once again, I question why Matt Nagy says the things he says publicly. Why say the Jason Peters signing has nothing to do with Jenkins’ health FOUR DAYS before the latter has surgery? Does that give the club a competitive advantage? No. All it does it devalue any other public statements you make. After a while, everyone is going to just tune the coach out. (I’m pretty damn close.) There will certainly be some urgency inside the Bears when it comes to Jenkins’ recovery but their entire focus should be readying him for the 2022 season. If this is a redshirt season, so be it. He’ll still be an immensely talented tackle next off-season. What Do the Bears Do if Andy Dalton Stinks on Saturday? Justin Fields is the future at the quarterback position. Justin Fields has shown command of the offense and composure at every stage of the off-season program. The only thing seemingly keeping the Bears from giving Fields the first-team reps in practice and naming him the starter is the presence, and behavior, of Andy Dalton. (If the Bears only had Nick Foles on the roster, you think he’d be getting starter’s reps?) Dalton was signed with the “promise” of the starting gig and has been a model soldier during his short tenure with the organization. Dalton doesn’t have the resume to keep Fields at bay. He hasn’t lit up training camp. He’s been fine. He’s been…Andy Dalton. And that seems to be enough. But what if he goes out Saturday and does nothing? What if he’s in the game for 3-4 drives, the team gets only 1-2 first downs, he throws a pick, and they don’t score? What if all that happens (or, in this case, doesn’t happen) and Fields follows him with another stellar performance? The question posed to Nagy postgame will be a simple one. Why is Andy Dalton still the starting quarterback? Nagy won’t have an answer. He’ll stammer (read: lie) about what he’s seeing in practice each day. But if Dalton delivers a clunker against the Buffalo Bills, the volume of the chorus calling for Fields will reach eleven on the amp, yours truly already numbering among them. If Dalton is bad Saturday and Fields good, and the latter is not elevated in the days that follow, Nagy will begin to receive serious criticism regarding his handling of this quarterback position. And that criticism will be warranted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 (edited) 35 minutes ago, soulman said: Teven Jenkins Has Back Surgery. It is now unlikely the second-round selection will see the field this season. Back injuries are bad news for offensive linemen, and pretty much everyone else on the planet. Trading up for a player with known injury concerns, even despite the potential/ability, is a suspect decision. Often times draftniks will argue that players “fall” in the draft but the truth is many organizations don’t touch guys with lingering injury concerns. Ryan Pace has to own this failure, including the decision to release Charles Leno, leaving the club extremely vulnerable on the edge. Once again, I question why Matt Nagy says the things he says publicly. Why say the Jason Peters signing has nothing to do with Jenkins’ health FOUR DAYS before the latter has surgery? Does that give the club a competitive advantage? No. All it does it devalue any other public statements you make. After a while, everyone is going to just tune the coach out. (I’m pretty damn close.) There will certainly be some urgency inside the Bears when it comes to Jenkins’ recovery but their entire focus should be readying him for the 2022 season. If this is a redshirt season, so be it. He’ll still be an immensely talented tackle next off-season. While this entire column should be framed in a gilted gold frame we've already discussed the Dalton vs Fields deal to death and most would agree at least to a certain extent with Jeff Hughes take on it. Unless Andy Dalton can show more this week than last it is time to play a what if game with who should be getting starters reps or at least seeing Fields getting far more than he has been getting. But that's next weeks debate. This weeks is and should be how the Teven Jenkins deal and LT have been handled dating all the way back to prior to the draft. Putting in my two cents it seems to me that when Jenkins slid to round two even knowing about his back issues was not enough to stave off Pace's greed to send yet another 3rd round pick off for the opportunity to once again draft "damaged goods". He did the same thing last season drafting Jaylon Johnson albeit without paying a premium to trade up. Johnson had a history of shoulder injuries. Johnson missed 3 regular season games and a playoff game due to.....wait for it.....a shoulder injury. This years 2nd round pick will miss his entire rookie season if not his career. There are no minor back problems and surely not for a lineman. If it required surgery it's even worse. Let's not be gilding the Lilly here. We used to gripe about John Fox being as closed mouth as he was. Matt Nagy actually needs to be more closed mouthed. I can't for the life of me understand why he chooses to give pressers and then says such inane things like bringing in Peters had nothing to do with Jenkins when by then he had to know surgery was likely and that his only other LT prospect might be Larry Borom and only after he returned from his concussion protocol. It was obvious after last weeks game that they days of Wilkinson at LT were over. Is there some kind of a penalty handed out at Halas Hall for stating the obvious? And don't even get me started on his nonsensical blabs about Fields development and his "big picture" approach. I can't even listen to it. Ryan Pace's error in handing Robert Quinn the kind of deal he did has really compounded itself as a result of the reduction in salary cap. It not only forced him to release Kyle Fuller before we knew we had an adequate replacement but Charles Leno as well. Leno is no more than an average LT overall but he was a reasonably dependable pass blocker who never missed a game. With a rookie QB in the fold and a less than fully mobile vet designated as the immediate starter it would have made far more sense to protect ourselves against just what has happened especially when he knew Jenkins had back issues. Peters may be a reasonable sub for Leno provided he can play and recent history would say he'll never make it through 17 games. In the process of trying strengthen OT Pace has actually weakened it. We can all wish Jenkins well and a speedy recovery but hey, let's also take off the rose colored glasses. An OT with what may well be a serious and chronic back condition is not a guy you want the future of your LT position to be built around. Maybe it can be repaired but then maybe it can't be or there's even a slight chance surgery will make it even worse as most orthopedic surgeons will admit IF they're being honest about it. The bottom line is this. Count Jenkins out for 2021 as far as being able to make a meaningful contribution. Then hope like hell a full offseason of rehab and conditioning will help him overcome any lingering problems with his back. But.....be prepared for the worst. This could end his career. Edited August 19, 2021 by soulman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 15 minutes ago, soulman said: While this entire column should be framed in a gilted gold frame we've already discussed the Dalton vs Fields deal to death and most would agree at least to a certain extent with Jeff Hughes take on it. Unless Andy Dalton can show more this week than last it is time to play a what if game with who should be getting starters reps or at least seeing Fields getting far more than he has been getting. But that's next weeks debate. This weeks is and should be how the Teven Jenkins deal and LT have been handled dating all the way back to prior to the draft. Putting in my two cents it seems to me that when Jenkins slid to round two even knowing about his back issues was not enough to stave off Pace's greed to send yet another 3rd round pick off for the opportunity to once again draft "damaged goods". He did the same thing last season drafting Jaylon Johnson albeit without paying a premium to trade up. Johnson had a history of shoulder injuries. Johnson missed 3 regular season games and a playoff game due to.....wait for it.....a shoulder injury. This years 2nd round pick will miss his entire rookie season if not his career. There are no minor back problems and surely not for a lineman. If it required surgery it's even worse. Let's not be gilding the Lilly here. We used to gripe about John Fox being as closed mouth as he was. Matt Nagy actually needs to be more closed mouthed. I can't for the life of me understand why he chooses to give pressers and then says such inane things like bringing in Peters had nothing to do with Jenkins when by then he had to know surgery was likely and that his only other LT prospect might be Larry Borom and only after he returned from his concussion protocol. It was obvious after last weeks game that they days of Wilkinson at LT were over. Is there some kind of a penalty handed out at Halas Hall for stating the obvious? And don't even get me started on his nonsensical blabs about Fields development and his "big picture" approach. I can't even listen to it. Ryan Pace's error in handing Robert Quinn the kind of deal he did has really compounded itself as a result of the reduction in salary cap. It not only forced him to release Kyle Fuller before we knew we had an adequate replacement but Charles Leno as well. Leno is no more than an average LT overall but he was a reasonably dependable pass blocker who never missed a game. With a rookie QB in the fold and a less than fully mobile vet designated as the immediate starter it would have made far more sense to protect ourselves against just what has happened especially when he knew Jenkins had back issues. Peters may be a reasonable sub for Leno provided he can play and recent history would say he'll never make it through 17 games. In the process of trying strengthen OT Pace has actually weakened it. We can all wish Jenkins well and a speedy recovery but hey, let's also take off the rose colored glasses. An OT with what may well be a serious and chronic back condition is not a guy you want the future of your LT position to be built around. Maybe it can be repaired but then maybe it can't be or there's even a slight chance surgery will make it even worse as most orthopedic surgeons will admit IF they're being honest about it. The bottom line is this. Count Jenkins out for 2021 as far as being able to make a meaningful contribution. Then hope like hell a full offseason of rehab and conditioning will help him overcome any lingering problems with his back. But.....be prepared for the worst. This could end his career. Hahah, while you're were writing this I was writing it's less eloquent hungover cousin in another topic, so let me just say "yup." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 Training Camp Diary: OL Gets Some Bodies, Bears Get Ready for Bills, Q Brothers! Jeff Hughes | August 20th, 2021 Thoughts on Thursday’s Practice (Closed to Public) Jason Peters practiced for the first time and Larry Borom returned to practice. Strong chance these are the starting tackles Week One, if Ifedi is unable to return on time. Andy Dalton is slated to play a quarter and a half Saturday, per Nagy. That means Justin Fields will see a ton of useless action. Having Fields play with backups, against third stringers, achieves nothing. (I hope my disappointment is resonating in those sentences.) Looking Ahead to Saturday’s Practice Game Dalton is the story. The Bears could name Justin Fields the starter right now and that decision would be entirely warranted. Fields has done everything a rookie quarterback needs to do in the off-season to start on day one. The reason he’s not the starter is the presence of Dalton but that presence has to come with production. If Dalton plays poorly Saturday, the volume of the Play the Kid Chorus will grow louder, and louder, and louder. There really aren’t that many positional battles to watch on this roster, but there are a few areas possibly worth looking at: With Khalil Herbert receiving Matt Nagy’s praise this week and having a strong camp, his roster spot is safe. Will they end their open call for kick returners and let Herbert settle into the gig this week? Does Artavis Pierce have any path to this roster? Is Dazz Newsome ready to start returning punts? If not, this is a battle worth watching. Robinson, Mooney, Goodwin, Byrd and Dazz are locks for this roster. Is there space for another wide receiver? Are these the final days in a Bears uniform for Wims and Ridley? Can Adams or Johnson make their way onto the practice squad? (You would think an endorsement from Fields would almost guarantee it.) Is Nick Foles really going to be on this roster? With the interior of the offensive line – Mustipher, Daniels, Whitehair – returning, where do the Bears deploy Alex Bars? He’s clearly one of their five best, healthy offensive linemen and those are the five that should be playing. The defense feels like it’s ready for Week One. They just need to stay healthy. Q Brothers & Chicago Children’s Choir My buddy JQ of the Q Brothers Collective asked me to check out Long Way Home, their collaboration with the Chicago Children’s Choir. After battling technology for the better part of an hour, I found the entire piece on YouTube stayed awake well into Thursday morning listening. It’s brilliant. You can access the entire piece via the YouTube clip below or by visiting the show’s page here. 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.