I'm Still Excited About The 2018 Chicago Bears

Sunday night's game against the Green Bay Packers was not ideal for the Chicago Bears. It was ideal for the first 35 minutes of the game as they cruised to a 20-0 lead and everything was wonderful in this crazy world that we live in. Then, things went to shit, and um, well, shit, everybody knows what happened, and the Bears are now 0-1. That outcome wasn't ideal, but I'm still pretty excited about the Chicago Bears this year.

First off, there is Khalil Mack who more than lived up to the hype surrounding his arrival in a trade last week. Even in limited time, he was a menace on the field, getting sacks and interceptions and touchdowns too. His meaningful damage came in the first half, but even a tired Mack caused disruption with pressures in the second half. As he gets up to game speed, he's only going to be more terrifying, which is incredibly exciting.

Speaking of the defense, Akiem Hicks was pretty damn dominant as well early on in the game. He was causing havoc by crushing the pocket, and he is creating a pick your poison situation where you can focus on blocking Hicks or you can focus on blocking Mack, but it's going to be really tough to block both.

On the less positive side, Leonard Floyd showed nothing in this game. The athleticism is evident, but I still haven't seen enough in his pass rushing techniques to get excited. He'll get some sacks on speed rushes, but until he can translate that speed into a respectable bull rush move, I don't know how dangerous he is going to be.

But the Bears should definitely play Roquan Smith more. Nick Kwiatkoski is a capable backup, but he simply doesn't have the athleticism to play linebacker as teams will continually expose him. Roquan is a monster who has every physical trait you could possibly want in a modern day linebacker. Give me more Roquan.

Oh, and the most obvious thing to point out on the defense. If Kyle Fuller catches that ball that hit him in the chest, the Bears are not only 1-0, but I can guarantee that people would be talking about the Bears as the favorite in the division. I'm not necessarily saying that people should be saying that, but people love making broad proclamations after one week.

On the offensive side, you're not going to believe this, but I won't start with Mitch Trubisky. Let's instead take a step back and truly enjoy the greatness of Jordan Howard. For some reason, it seemed that everybody wanted to toss him aside to get more Tarik Cohen in the offense. But Howard serves a huge role for this team. He is the bellcow back, and there is no reason that he shouldn't seen the majority of snaps. He did everything he could to win the game for the Bears on their second-to-last drive, and had they trusted him more, he probably could have iced the game away.

Okay, now let's talk about Mitch Trubisky. He showed good athleticism, movement in the pocket, and threw some excellent balls, but in the second half, he tightened up and refused to take chances. I saw him fire balls down the field in college, so I'm hoping this is just an adjustment period to not having a ton of experience and being in a brand new offense. With Allen Robinson being a player who has shown that he can be a top receiver in the NFL, and with all the rave reviews about Anthony Miller, let's hope Trubisky uses those assets to open up the offense in week two.

Right now, the Bears are 0-1, but winning in Green Bay is never easy, and although it seems like one that got away, the important thing is to see how they bounce back, because 15-1 still ain't too bad of a season. Go Bears.

2018 Chicago Bears Preview

As high as I am on Mitch Trubisky, even I kind of realized that the playoffs were likely out of reach for the Chicago Bears this season. Then, the Bears made the blockbuster of all blockbuster trades and got Khalil Mack. Now I am not saying playoffs, but I am definitely whispering it. Let's start with the new addition, because I don't think people realize how good Khalil Mack is.

KHALIL MACK IS REALLY FREAKING GOOD. I know that sounds fairly simplistic, but the Raiders defense was absolutely awful. They had zero impact talent around Mack, so all teams had to do was strategize to minimize Mack's damage, and he still messed up people's worlds. There is actual talent on the Bears defense. Akiem Hicks is one of the more underrated players on defense, and if they put him and Mack on the same side, offenses are going to have some serious issues blocking them. Also, you can't totally key on Mack, because if Leonard Floyd stays healthy, he has shown enough that he could be incredibly dangerous if offenses consistently put a blocker on an island and try to contain him. Mack was incredible on the Raiders, but he is going to be even better with the talent that the Bears have around him.

And next to him, they have Roquan Smith, who, by all indications, is going to fulfill the hype that was set forth before the draft and be a pro bowl middle linebacker who can do a little bit of everything on the defensive side of the ball.

In the secondary, there are no stars, but Kyle Fuller has developed into a very good and possibly great corner. Eddie Jackson showed a ton of potential as a rookie, and considering that it was the first year coming off of a major injury, he could take a leap in his second year. The Bears have solid talent and depth around them, so the secondary should be above average at least.

Offense is the big question mark with what the Bears can expect from Trubisky, but as I mentioned last week, I'm all aboard the Trubisky Train. I have seen enough of him to be impressed, and Khalil Mack has already said how impressed he is with him (well, he was talking about how tan he was, but it still counts). The Bears have both the bellcow in Jordan Howard and the change-of-pace in Tarik Cohen. The receiving options are massively upgraded, and the offensive line should show improvement with more experience, better coaching, and hopefully a healthy Kyle Long. Plus, there will actually be a gameplan on offense, so that's going to be incredible to watch.

My overall Bears preview is Mitch Trubisky, can he be great? Probably not this year, but I truly believe he will take a major step forward this season. Also, KHALIL MACK. I cannot stress enough how big of a difference he is going to make. I know he was never with the Bears before, but there's really only way to end this post.

PREDICTION: 19-0, Super Bowl Champions, every starter also named a Pro Bowler.

Marc Trestman And The Future Of The Chicago Bears

The Bears have looked awful this season. It is shocking that they managed to win five games, because the team that has shown up the last two months probably didn't deserve to win a single game. Clearly, there are major issues. I don't think there is a chance that defensive coordinator Mel Tucker survives, and Aaron Kromer's tearful apology may not be enough to save his job either, which leads to the next natural question: Will the Chicago Bears keep Marc Trestman?

I understand that there is a very good chance that many will call for Trestman's head, because the Bears have taken a significant step backwards this season. There is no way to deny this, but how much of that can be blamed on Trestman? Let's take a hard look at the Bears, and yes, any look at the Bears is hard to put myself through.

The offense has looked sloppy, but the skill position players are undoubtedly there to have a potent offense. Forte, Jeffery, Marshall, and Bennett are all good to great players, so you could complain about Bennett's blocking issues and no other receiver emerging as a potent option, but that is pretty nitpicky and nothing to dwell on.

The Bears offensive line is bad; actually, that's not fair; they're simply not good. It's not like anybody stands out as terrible, but the fact that nobody stands out as great (Kyle Long being the closest thing, but he's still working through inconsistency) limits the ceiling of what you can expect out of their performance. They benefited greatly from continuity last year, so even just a single doesn't make one spot worse, it contributes in making everyone worse. The Bears succeeded as a line, because they worked as a unit and knew how to pick up stunts and blitzes. When they got beat, it was getting beaten by talent as opposed to mental lapses. Now they are getting beaten in both ways, and it is really slowing down the offense, especially in the run game.

Then there's Jay Cutler. I have always been anti-Cutler, but let's recognize him for what he is: A perfectly average quarterback. He's Even Steven. He will flash some brilliance, and flash some idiocy. It all balances out, but in the end, he's somewhere around the 16th best quarterback in the league. But his strengths do not fit Trestman's system, which is all about timing and quick decisions. Jay holds onto the ball a little long, but also has a cannon of an arm. Trestman was apprehensive about committing to Cutler when he took the job, because he knew that he had these weaknesses. Still, it is really tough to go from a solid quarterback to a question mark at quarterback, and they decided their best option was to focus on the positive and bring back Cutler for what basically amounted to a three-year deal. It's easy to call this a bad decision now, but it's also hard to blame them for making it as there was no right answer.

And sadly, the offense is the positive side of things for the Bears. The defense is atrocious. The first year it was clear that the Bears didn't have enough talent. This year, they brought in more talent, but it has not been enough to make up for the regression. Let's go through the defense quickly, because it's really depressing to think about.

The defensive line is...fine. They have some intriguing guys in the middle with Ego Ferguson, Will Sutton, Stephen Paea, and Jeremiah Ratliff. The outside guys are solid with Willie Young flashing in games and Jared Allen being playable. They are not the issue.

The linebackers are the worst in football. They are not only the worst linebacking corps, they are probably the worst unit in football at any position. Lance Briggs doesn't have it, we can comfortably call Shea McClellin a bust, and I was unfortunately correct about Jonathan Bostic.

In the secondary, Kyle Fuller has flashed, but rookie cornerbacks always look like garbage, so there is no need to worry yet, but I also don't feel nearly as good about him as I do about the guy taken one pick earlier, Aaron Donald. Tim Jennings is okay for now, but a little known fact about Jennings is that he is a human, so every year, he gets older...by a year. The safeties put their pads on correctly every week. If the linebackers weren't so bad, this unit would be in the running for one of the worst units in football.

So this brings us back to Marc Trestman. Clearly, the Bears have taken a step back this year, but I still think that he should stick around. Continuity is key for most successful franchises, and giving Trestman two years isn't really fair to him or the franchise as a whole. Three years is a minimum that I personally set for any coach, and I would usually lean towards four. In all honesty, I don't see any realistic way that the Bears can be a Super Bowl contender next year. There are just too many holes on the roster. Because of that, there is no real benefit in bringing in a new coach without giving Trestman another chance.

The Chicago Bears may have a good coach in Marc Trestman, but it's going to take at least another year to find out. 

Scouting The 2014 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears Selection Kyle Fuller

A lot happened in the NFL Draft last night, and instead of recapping that here, check out my Twitter feed where I gave lots of thoughts on just about everything that happened last night. One thing that I wasn't able to give much of an opinion on was the Bears selection of Kyle Fuller. I think that defensive backs are the hardest position to scout from regular game tape. They aren't on the screen a whole lot, so that makes things pretty difficult. Still, I would rather watch some game film than no game film, so I checked out Fuller's game against Marshall from Draft Breakdown to get a better idea of what the Bears acquired with the 14th pick.

The first thing that is easy to see is that he is a very solid tackler for a defensive back. He closes quickly on receivers and wraps up nicely.

Marshall tries the smoke screen, but it goes for minimal gain as Fuller is quick to close the distance and doesn't give the receiver enough room to make a maneuver for a larger gain. He's not a hitter, but his form is good enough to make tackles in the open field.

I was kind of surprised he only had six career interceptions when watching tape of him as he showed an aptitude to jump out routes. He couldn't quite get in position to pull off the interception when doing it, but he showed the skills necessary to make quarterbacks a bit hesitant when throwing the ball towards the sideline.

He also blocked a punt in this game and came close on another. He showed a very clean rout to the punter, but they sent an overloaded rush, so he wasn't really forced to beat a blocker. Still, I would rather have a guy who did block punts than a guy who didn't, although I have my doubts that those skills will translate to anything in the NFL.

He primarily played in off-man coverage, so he could backpedal and break on any route in front of him. He really believed in his recovery speed when guys tried to go deep on him, and looking at this game, his speed didn't look all that great.

On the first play, the wide receiver gets about three yards on him which is obviously not good. Still, there was a safety on that side of the field, whose job was likely to be over the top of that route, but I can't say for sure. On the next play, the ball doesn't go anywhere near him, but it looks like the receiver again gets behind him, and it doesn't appear that he has help over the top on it. I would say this is the most worrisome part of his game. He is going to get beat for big plays if he doesn't make some serious changes to his coverage strategy.

The good news is that he's a sure tackler who puts himself in positions to make big plays. The bad news is that his risk taking has some pretty extreme adverse effects. He was getting beat by Marshall receivers, so pro receivers are going to give him a lot of trouble, especially on double moves. It's one game, but he really reminds me of Prince Amukamara when he was coming out of Nebraska. All the tools are there, but that belief in his recovery speed is going to cost him. Amukamara has been about an average cornerback when healthy, and that's not the impact a team should be looking for in the first round. The good news is that this was only one game, so he very well may have done a better job of containing receivers down the field in some of his other games (there is also the chance that the safeties are as much to blame as Fuller). The other good news is that the Bears have a cornerback who takes chances for interceptions without having great recovery speed in Tim Jennings. Still, with the uncertainty the Bears have at safety, it's going to take a lot of things to go right for Fuller to have much positive impact in his rookie season.

I would have rather taken Calvin Pryor to fill the gaping hole they have at safety, but, I must remember my mantra, "In Emery We Trust."