The Chicago Bears Have FOMO

After another disappointing beginning to the offseason, I was at my wit’s end with the Chicago Bears. I just didn’t know why they did the things they did as it is so frustratingly stupid that I should expect it by now, but yet it never ceases to amaze me. I finally realized that the Chicago Bears issue is that they have a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out). That is the only way to explain how they run their front office.

They find a player they are interested in and instead of recognizing flaws and positional needs of other organizations, they go in thinking that 31 teams are thinking exactly the same thing they are. This causes panic, and it leads to absolutely awful decisions. When you think that everyone is thinking like you, there is no way to have patience, and this has led to so many issues. But they have one goal, get a guy now, by any means necessary, to avoid having to worry about getting a guy later. Now that guy could be worse at times, but patience could sometimes (often, in fact) lead to getting a better guy later on.

The most egregious example is trading up from #3 to #2 to draft Mitchell Trubisky. I have been on record that I did not mind taking Trubisky as I loved him coming out of college and still believe that he will bounce back this coming season. But trading multiple picks to move up one spot when Trubisky was not the consensus top quarterback was insane. Those two third round picks the Bears gave up turned into Alvin Kamara and Fred Warner.

To regain some draft capital, the Bears traded down in the second round, causing them to miss out on talent like Dalvin Cook and Curtis Samuel. Right before the Bears were set to select, the Rams took Gerald Everett. No telling whether this caused the Bears to panic and take Adam Shaheen with the next pick. It’s not like patience could have helped, oh, except for George Kittle going in the fifth round.

I will admit that looking back on a draft and judging things is unfair, especially one where the Bears snagged Eddie Jackson and Tarik Cohen in later rounds, but let’s remember that offseason. The Bears were going into 2017 with no clear quarterback so they signed Mike Glennon to a 3-year, $45 million deal with $18.5 million guaranteed. Why did they need to rush out and sign Mike Glennon? I don’t think anybody on Earth can explain that one, but they bid against themselves for the honor of bringing on Glennon. He was released after one year.

Oh, and don’t worry, the Bears definitely didn’t learn their lesson as they signed Mike Davis last offseason for two years and $6 million because they just had to have a running back to pair with Tarik Cohen. No offense to Mike Davis, but running backs grow from trees in the NFL. They later traded up to draft David Montgomery and Mike Davis didn’t even last an entire season before being released.

Finally, we get to this offseason. Let’s start with the mildly positives. I like Robert Quinn, and you probably think that his 11.5 sack performance last year is a reason to be excited. That’s nice and all, but Quinn was also a state champion wrestler in high school, and I will always support wrestlers, especially along the lines. Would I have rather had Vic Beasley on a one-year deal? Sure, but that’s nitpicking as pass rushers are something that I am fine paying for, because those guys pay off.

Now things go downhill. Jimmy Graham? Seriously? He’s had one productive year in the last five seasons and that was 2016. He did score 10 TDs in 2017, but considering he barely had 500 yards, it’s tough for me to get excited about that. Jimmy Graham used to be awesome, but unless the Bears can rewind time to 2014, this is asinine. He will compete with the other NINE tight ends on the roster.

And now, the main event. The Nick Foles trade. I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but there is no way to not be surprised by this. I understand that the Bears wanted to bring in competition for Mitch Trubisky, but there were plenty of reasonable options available. Also, the Jaguars were DESPERATE to get out from under Foles’s terrible contract. Everyone in the world would have assumed that the Jaguars would include a pick just to get Foles off the team, and yet the Bears, negotiating against themselves, managed to give the Jaguars a fourth round pick. It’s fucking insane. And it doesn’t help that Nick Foles sucks, if they really wanted to give up a pick, they could have probably had Cam Newton for a fourth rounder, or they could have gotten Jameis Winston on a one-year deal for the money they are paying Foles. There was just absolutely no reason to pull this dumbass shit, and yet the Bears NEEDED to get a quarterback as soon as possible. It’s so shockingly stupid, yet still right in line with what the Bears always do.

So now they head into the season with major issues at offensive line, tight end, inside linebacker, and half the secondary. The Bears have two second-round picks and then don’t pick again until the fifth round. An extra fourth round pick would be pretty damn valuable for a team in that situation. Unfortunately, Bears fans will never know what could have been.

The Bears let their fear of missing out hurt them yet again in the long run. I guess it’s good they don’t have to worry about missing out; instead they can worry about missing the playoffs.

I Still Believe in Mitch Trubisky

I was in love with Mitch Trubisky coming out of college. Like way, way, way too much. I had him as my top quarterback as Watson’s inaccuracy worried me, and I had just been burned by a quarterback who makes plays and shines brightest in big games, because that also describes Johnny Manziel. When it came to Mahomes, I saw the talent but like nearly everyone else, I didn’t know how it would translate to the NFL level. This revisionist history on Mahomes is a little insane, because nobody thought that guy was a slam dunk. There were things to love about him but also a ton of uncertainty. Anyway, it turns out Mahomes talent did translate to the NFL level. You may have heard about it.

So now Mitch is the butt of so many jokes, and it hurts me each and every time, because I’m an insane person who still believes in him. Even I have fallen out of love, but I don’t see why he can’t be as good as Kirk Cousins, who is, and will always be, the 16th best quarterback in the NFL. Trubisky should still at least be able to get to that level.

I forgot how good he was in college. I know he didn’t start until his junior year, but he saw time in his sophomore season and completed 85% of his passes. It was over 47 attempts, I get that, but that’s still pretty damn good. His senior year was 68%, and he did it without a lot of talent around him. Ryan Switzer is a nice little slot receiver, but it’s not like he had a big wide receiver or a top-notch running back while there. Also, they were 8-5 with Mitch and promptly went to 3-9, and then 2-9 after he left. Mitch Trubisky was an impressive prospect, and that can never be taken away.

Obviously, things have not gone as planned with the Bears. In 2017, he had to learn under John Fox, and that was a disaster, but he bounced back in 2018 and made the Pro Bowl. He was definitely streaky, but there were some really positive signs in 2018. The man was fourth in QBR in the NFL that season (Kirk Cousins was, unsurprisingly, 16th).

Mitch was a young quarterback who showed plenty of promise and enough production to think that 2019 would be another year of improvement, and instead, everything fell apart. Instead of having more confidence, he had less, way less, and he just wouldn’t pull the trigger on throws. It was so frustrating to watch. Part of this was probably due to Mitch taking way more sacks as the offensive line took a massive step backwards this season, and I also think Trubisky was hurt significantly by the Bears lack of a reliable tight end in the offense. He just didn’t have that safety valve to rely on, especially with Tarik Cohen really struggling early this season. I also think the Bears would have been helped by Jordan Howard who just bulldozes into things, and even if he’s not a great back, he is a reliable option that can churn out a few 100-yard games each season. Still, Mitch SUCKED this year. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. Even with some things working against him, he should have stepped up more than he did. He still showed flashes, but they were fewer and further in between this season.

The Bears need to get some help on the offensive line and they either need to have a healthy Trey Burton or add some help there as well. I think the receivers are good enough, especially since Allen Robinson is a true #1 wideout. I think David Montgomery will be better in year two, and will also benefit from a better offensive line. Also, if they give the damn ball to Cordarrelle Patterson on third or fourth and short, they owe me a brand new television, because I will break mine if I have to watch that plan fail yet again. 

But why can’t he bounce back? Mitch has the talent, and nobody can deny that he’s shown flashes of brilliance in the pros. He seemed to be at his best in the two-minute drill, because he stopped thinking and just fired the ball down the field. If he can get that mentality again, he will be plenty good enough to lead this team. They even brought in John DeFilippo as QB Coach when two years ago, he was being interviewed for the Bears head coaching position because of his strong work in Philadelphia. I think a shakeup for Mitch is good, and I think Mitch is going to shake things up in the NFC North next year. 

I can concede that Patrick Mahomes would have been a better selection than Trubisky, but I still think there’s a chance that he can get on Deshaun Watson’s level (I’m a tad delusional, I understand that), but either way, it’s too early to call Trubisky a bust, because he still has enough time where the next time you mention bust and Mitch Trubisky, you’re talking about his induction into the Hall of Fame. 

Joe Burrow - 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Before I get started breaking down Joe Burrow, I first want to make everyone in Louisiana immediately hate me and think that I’m a total piece of shit and compare him to Mitch Trubisky. Both were Mr. Football in Ohio, both went away from Ohio State to pursue their football dreams with Trubisky enrolling at North Carolina and Burrow transferring to LSU, and they both have one year of production that everyone wants to judge them on. Athletically, Burrow is incredibly similar to Mitch Trubisky. They’re not running quarterbacks, but they are quarterbacks who can run so you need to respect their legs since they have enough juice to get first downs if left unattended.

Now for Trubisky, his one year was his only year as a full-time starter, while Burrow has one incredible year after putting up pedestrian numbers in his first year at LSU. It makes me wonder why it is better to be unimpressive one year as opposed to just not playing that much. I would tend to favor the guy that never played before, because everything I have seen from him has been good, and the big thing that people are asking themselves about Burrow is whether he made massive improvements or whether this year is an outlier that will not translate to the NFL level. 

To break down Burrow, I took a look at his 2018 game against Florida, and his 2019 games against Alabama and Texas. 

Let's get those Louisianans back on my side with a beautiful back shoulder fade from Burrow. I have to say that I was a lot more impressed than I expected to be with Burrow's 2018 performance.

Here, he starts looking down the middle before shifting to the outside and sets his feet and makes a really nice throw on the slant to pick up a first down. The thing that I really liked about this throw is that Burrow not only throws it between two converging defenders, but he also throws it low so his receiver can avoid taking a big hit.

The biggest issue that I had while watching Burrow is how he handled pressure. He just doesn't have great feel in the pocket and even though he starts scrambling, he is doing it to make a play and does not know that there is a blitzer on his backside.

Two other things that I noticed in 2018 that did not seem to be as much of a problem this past season is that he would often throw short of the first down on third downs despite not facing any pressure. He's firing the ball all over the place this year so that is definitely not an issue.

The other thing is that he wasn’t real comfortable scanning the field when his first read was covered. There were a few times where he did some checkdowns, but rarely was he able to look at more than half the field. As for 2019, it was amazing to see him scan the field with no issues. He was looking left to right, checking down and finding open receivers. 

It's night and day. He’s very quick in his decision making. Here, he is looking down the field, nothing opens up, and he sets and fires to his running back while barely looking because he knows there is nobody over there to cover him. 

Burrow baits the defense on this play as he’s looking to his left the whole way, just waiting for the receivers to cross the field where there is no safety on the right side. It’s about as easy of a touchdown as you’re going to see. 

This is such a great play by Burrow as he stays calm in his pocket. His first option is covered, his second option is covered, his third option is covered, there’s nothing to the right side of the field, so he pivots, sees his receiver on the drag has some space and makes the easy completion. 

Unfortunately, his issues with pressure continued to pop up in 2019. He just doesn't have great pocket awareness or movement. Most of the time, he just doesn't show great feel for pressure, but he can also get moving and make poor decisions.

Here is a case where Burrow tries to force something that simply isn't there and nearly gets it intercepted on second down.

Even with occasional struggles against pressure, he is still willing to step up in the pocket and make big time throws. 

I love how he steps up in the pocket to make this throw. Burrow can fit it in tight windows but was also clearly helped by some very impressive wide receivers.

Overall, there is a lot to be excited about with Burrow. He's very accurate with his throws, shows the ability to scan the entire field and even though it's not a big arm, it's plenty big enough to get the job done. As for the National Title game tonight, Clemson has the studs on defense to pressure Burrow, and tonight may be the most important game to watch if I'm an NFL Scout, because if Clemson is able to pressure him, it will be interesting to see whether Burrow can raise his game and still lead his Tigers to victory.

I personally think that Clemson's defense will provide enough stops for their offense to carry them, but this certainly wouldn't be the first time someone underestimated Joe Burrow and was proven wrong.

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.

Is This Mitch Trubisky's Breakout Year?

As the world's number one Mitch Trubisky supporter as evidenced here, here, here, here, and here, I felt it was about time to weigh in on what to expect from the future hall-of-famer as he embarks on his second professional season. It is a weird feeling for Bears fans, because for the first time since Sexy Rexy was throwing it deep every chance he got, there is actually a buzz about this team, and this may be the first time ever where that buzz is seriously centered around the offense.

With an unbiased opinion, it's hard to say that Trubisky was an overwhelming success in his rookie year. Still, there were some mitigating factors working against him as John Fox and Dowell Loggains coached what was likely the most boring offense in the NFL. It makes sense as the dowel is easily the most boring piece when building IKEA furniture. Trubisky was consistently throwing behind schedule which made his job as a rookie nearly impossible. It didn't help that the Bears best receiver last year was...um, Kendall Wright. And that's bad enough, but Kendall Wright was #1 by a WIDE margin. He had nearly twice as many yards as number two on the list, Josh Bellamy, and Wright still ended up with only 614 receiving yards. This was not a recipe for success.

Although as all of us true football guys know, stats are for losers, I did find an interesting article on Football Outsiders this week that went over quarterback success on a variety of routes. Here is where Mitch Trubisky ranks out of 35 qualifying quarterbacks on each route:

Curl - 35th
Out - 25th
Dig - 8th
Slant - 18th
Drag - 8th
Fly - 29th
Screen - 20th
Post - 9th
Comeback - 33rd
Broken Play - 22nd
Fade - 17th
Seam - 23rd

Now the first thing you will realize is that last year was not a rousing success. His highest finish is eighth best, and he was dead last at the curl route as well as very low in some other spots. The most interesting thing I noticed is that Trubisky had the most success on routes breaking into the middle of the field and struggled when throwing to the outside.

A huge positive to Trubisky having success in the middle of the field is that it confirms something that I suspected when watching him, and that he is able to see the field well. There are a whole lot more bodies around for those in-breaking routes, and Trubisky is able to diagnose and get yards over the middle of the field. He was the literal worst with curl routes, but I think it's fair to assume that part of the blame goes to his receiving targets.

Speaking of awful receivers, I can't totally ignore that he struggled to the routes that broke to the outside. I would say that this is a little concerning as these are generally tougher physical throws to make accurately, but this may be another case of his receivers not giving him a whole lot to work with. It may also be the lack of chemistry built with those receivers, especially since Mike Glennon was getting first team reps during the offseason and even for the first month of the season. It's something to keep an eye on, but it's a little early to be worried about it.

The biggest positive out of all of this is that there is hope on the horizon when it comes to the Bears coaching staff. With new head coach Matt Nagy and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, this offense will not only be interesting but is actually getting people excited. This is the reason for all of the buzz around the Bears this season, because if they still had the same coaching staff, Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton, and the epic return of Kevin White wouldn't matter (and maybe that last one still won't matter). With the added weapons and offensive minds that will play to Trubisky's strengths, this offense has everything it needs to put up points.

Now it's time for Trubisky to deliver.

The Bullshit of NFL Draft Scouting

It's NFL Draft season. If you are a fan of a bad team, this may be the best time of the year. As a Bears fan, I understand this better than most. But no matter who you cheer for, it is, without a doubt, the dumbest time of the year. There is so much bullshit being said, very confidently I might add, that some of it may seem believable at first glance. That is why I am here to help you cut through the shit to get to the actual truth.

Experience
This is one that happens again and again when discussing quarterbacks, but I have even heard it with running backs. If somebody doesn't play much in college, they must have not been that good to begin with. At first glance, it makes sense, but if you actually look into the situation, it's pretty clear that there are certain situations where this is patently false. A great example for running backs was Alvin Kamara. Kamara is an incredible talent, but Butch Jones got comfortable with playing top prospect Jalen Hurd who was good but simply never got better as he progressed through college. Hence, it took some time before Kamara got his shot, but when he was on the field, he was incredible, and it doesn't matter that he didn't get a ton of playing time, because it didn't hurt his development, in fact, it really just kept him fresher for the NFL.

My boy, Mitch Trubisky, is a great example at quarterback. Last year, he was ripped into because he had very few starts at quarterback in college, and Bill Parcells came up with a evaluation 30 YEARS AGO that said that you needed lots of starts to be successful. They never came up with any reason that his inexperience affected his play. Well, wait, they came up with one reason, but that was just putting another layer of bullshit on their evaluation.

Clutch/Winning
Clutch and winning seem to go together as areas where you can just throw something out and have it stick without actually watching a single play of football. Great quarterbacks win. If you don't win, you're not a winner, and if you're not a winner you can't be clutch. People looked at some close losses and deemed Mitch Trubisky not clutch. They failed to see how well he actually threw the ball in close games, just that his team didn't win. It was not a clutch problem; it was a North Carolina doesn't have enough talent to beat far superior teams problem. Eight wins isn't going to wow anyone, but after Trubisky left, they dropped to three wins.

This year, people are bringing up the fact that Josh Allen didn't win much in college. And herein lies the problem. Josh Allen didn't win because he isn't an accurate quarterback, but when Josh Allen sucks in the NFL, they will point to an unimpressive win-loss record instead of realizing that he was never good at throwing the football. The former is a symptom, the latter is the disease. Focus on the disease.

Height
Now, don't get me wrong, being tall has advantages over being short. It's easier to see down the field, and you're less likely to have a pass batted down if you have a higher release point. Those are real things. But being short has advantages too. Longer limbs means that it is mechanically more difficult to have clean releases. There is a reason that we don't see any super tall quarterbacks succeed, but nobody has ever claimed that a guy is too tall to play quarterback, because this is the United States so if some of a good thing is good, then a lot of a good thing must be great.

Obviously, this is the one that Baker Mayfield is struggling with. He's only 6'0" so that means he's too short to be a quarterback. Yeah, he's as tall as Drew Brees and taller than Russell Wilson, two guys who have had moderate success (and Super Bowl wins) in the NFL, but Mayfield's too short. And those issues I mentioned for shorter quarterbacks are not things that Mayfield struggled with in college. Will it be tougher in the NFL? Definitely, but that's true of EVERY SINGLE PLAYER EVER. Don't assume issues without any evidence.

Negative Plays
A great running back gains yards. Therefore, a running back who loses yards on a relative high percentage of his carries cannot be a great running back. Even I almost fell for this one as I do think a running back that consistently gets some yards is better than a home run hitter who often gives you negative plays. Luckily the Move The Sticks podcast opened my eyes when it came to Saquon Barkley. I mean, after watching him against Iowa the last couple years, my opinion was never going to tank on the man, but it may have made me a bit more skeptical. The problem with this argument is that Penn State runs a heavy run-pass option offense. If the quarterback is reading the defense correctly, it should be incredibly rare that you would lose yards on the option, so the problem was more that Trace McSorley was trying to force the ball to Barkley instead of taking what the defense gives him. Barkley was stuck trying to make something out of nothing, and yeah, you're going to have some negative plays when that happens. Negative plays are bad, but that's not a real issue. A guy being indecisive in the backfield is an issue, which is something that I do not see in Barkley's game.

Decrease in Production
So a guy has a great sophomore year and his stats drop off as a junior. Wait, let's go with great junior year, could go out for the draft, but loves his college experience, wants to get a degree, and stays for his senior season and his numbers drop off. Let's say, oh, just for a totally hypothetical, that he is a cornerback for a prominent midwestern institution, had eight interceptions, won the Thorpe award for best defensive back, but then fell off to three interceptions during his senior season. Just a random hypothetical. Anyway, his drop in production was more for the fact that nobody threw the ball anywhere near his side of the field which should be more evidence for how great of a player he actually was.

Anyway, Desmond King, I mean, random player from Midwestern school, somehow fell to the fifth round, and then had an incredible rookie season where everybody was shocked that he was such an impact player. Anyway, my anger will never cease that the Bears didn't go for Desmond King before the Chargers selected him, because anyone who watched him instead of just believing a bunch of bullshit, knew that the guy was a football player who was always in the right spot at the right time.

Anyway, that's all the time we have for today. I am sure there are a lot of other bullshit reasons that people use to justify disliking a player, so feel free to send them my way, and I can continue this for a part two.

Who Should Be The Chicago Bears Next Head Coach?

The Chicago Bears are in need of a head coach after firing John Fox this week. Although people may not love the John Fox era, it wasn't harmful to the organization as a whole, so I really can't complain with the outcome. The Bears were not going to be Super Bowl contenders during these last few years no matter who their coach was, and Fox was a professional football coach, which was totally fine.

But now it's time to get someone exciting. Most importantly, it's time for the Chicago Bears to put in a coaching staff with a strong offensive mindset that can help develop a quarterback as Mitch Trubisky showed plenty during his rookie year, but two things he was missing was any sort of offensive ingenuity and, oh yeah, talented receivers who could actually get open and catch footballs. The Bears have plenty of money and draft opportunities for the latter, so let's look at who can fill the void with the former.

Without further adieu, here are my top three coaching candidates, unless Sean McVay is available, in which case we should definitely get McVay.

Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels is a retread coach as his first head coaching sting did not go as planned in Denver. But I think it was more a case of too much, too soon as opposed to the guy having no potential as a head coach. He definitely should not have been in charge of personnel decisions without ever proving himself as a head coach; it was simply too much on his plate.

But really, if you take out the head coaching stint, isn't this a guy to be excited about? He's had super successful offenses and has found all sorts of different ways to be successful depending on the talent he had on hand. I understand that Belichick assistants do not have the best track record, but most of his assistants had shorter track records and/or had tons of talent to work with. Admittedly, McDaniels has Tom Brady, but the variety of players that have found success with the Patriots is impressive and shows that McDaniels can adjust to his talent.

But, he also had that Rams stint where they had the worst offense in the league, which makes me think he's not quite a miracle worker. He might be the new Belichick, but he might also be Charlie Weis; that's why he's only third on this list.

John DeFilippo
If you want to look at careers with challenges faced, it might be tough to compete with John DeFilippo and the various places that he has coached. He has been a quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders under Lane Kiffin, New York Jets, San Jose State, Oakland Raiders again before becoming offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2015 where they went 3-13, and although that may not sound impressive, it is triple the amount of wins they have had the last two years.

But his most important stint is his last two years as QB coach for the Philadelphia Eagles where he has overseen the development of Carson Wentz. Wentz was far more raw than Trubisky coming out of college, and he may have won the MVP award this year had he not gotten hurt late in the year. Wentz also succeeded without a superstar receiver, as he spread the ball around and found different impact players every game. This is the type of thing the Bears will likely have to do next year, as even though the weapons will improve, the receiving corps will not be fully fortified in a year.

DeFilippo has faced a number of challenges, and although he only has one year as an NFL offensive coordinator, he is at least worth an interview for head coaching positions. It would be risky, but it also might be the right call.

Matt Nagy
Matt Nagy is the current offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was formerly a quarterback at the University of Delaware. He also played professionally, although never at the NFL level, before getting into coaching as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles. He slowly worked his way up and followed Andy Reid from Philadelphia to Kansas City where he became quarterback coach before taking over as offensive coordinator in 2016.

Andy Reid is a head coach who likes to have a lot of say in his offense. He is known for still handling play calling which would seem to worry some about Nagy's actual input in the offense. But with the Chiefs struggling this season, Reid gave up play calling duties, and Nagy helped guide the team's offense to the success they sustained early on in the season.

Another huge positive for Nagy is that the Chiefs do not have a traditional number one wide receiver. This has given them a chance to show their creativity. They find different ways to use Travis Kelce, get the ball to Tyreek Hill in space, and provide enough misdirection to make Kareem Hunt look like one of the best running backs in the league despite not being a blue chip talent coming out of college. And he does all of this with a quarterback who has less than ideal physical traits.

The Bears have Adam Shaheen, who is not going to be Travis Kelce but can still provide matchup problems with his size. They also have Tarik Cohen who may not be as explosive as Hill, but he can definitely do some damage in space. And they also have Jordan Howard, who has already showed he can be a stud running back, and this is without much creativity in the Bears play calling. On top of that, the Bears have a quarterback with all of the necessary physical traits who could take Nagy's scheming to the next level.

But let's face it, the Bears are going to bypass all of these guys and go with Jeff Fisher, because sports are dumb, and the Bears will never be good.

NFL Thoughts Going Into Week Two

Since I have been away from the blog for a while, I have not been able to share my suepr intelligence when it comes to NFL Football. I want to remedy that now to make you a smarter football fan.

Because of time missed, you did not get my fantasy football advice that Ezekiel Elliott would provide good value, Tyreek Hill would have a breakout, but I didn't like him as much as Allen Robinson (whoopsies), and DeAndre Hopkins might provide first round value yet again (jury's still out on that one). I also loved the Chiefs Defense more than anything, and even without Eric Berry, they'll still be really good, because they are going to have a great pass rush again, and Dave Toub always creates opportunities for special teams. My second favorite defense was the Eagles, because that defensive line is set to destroy the world this year.

Also, every year, it seems there is one guy that I want to add early in the season but don't quite have the roster space, and this year that man is Tarik Cohen. Last year it was Jordan Howard, as I was super high on both of them, but I just couldn't pull the trigger, and now I'm standing here, looking like an idiot with my pud in my hand. Also, I swear it's not always a Bears running back, as I was always way down on Jeremy Langford.

I also didn't get time to brag about how I was on the Mitch Trubisky bandwagon before everyone else. Seriously, can we just rewind to see my thoughts with these three posts professing my love for Trubisky before, during, and after the draft.

Breaking Down the Quarterbacks of the 2017 Draft
Who Should the Bears Draft at #3?
Why the Chicago Bears Traded So Much for Mitch Trubisky

Also, people are really trying to jump to conclusions after one week of football. The Giants offense is not going to be as bad as they looked in week one, the Falcons are still really good, even if they did struggle with the Bears, the Seahawks will be fine, and the only thing that is correct is that the Patriots Dynasty is over, and they'll be lucky to avoid last place this season. That one is definitely happening.

But most importantly, will the Bears please start Mitch Trubisky's Hall of Fame career already? I need this.

Why the Chicago Bears Traded So Much for Mitchell Trubisky

The Chicago Bears gave up a lot to move up one spot in the draft. All Bears fans lost their shit, and admittedly, I wasn't too happy about the trade either. Then they shocked the world even more and drafted Mitchell Trubisky from North Carolina, hoping to finally solve their quarterback issues. Again, Bears fans erupted in anger, but that part isn't as big of a deal, because most Bears fans are morons (this goes for most football fans in general) and have likely never even seen Trubisky play. I'm never going to stop singing Trubisky's praises, but even I'm still having trouble justifying the Bears aggressive trade to move up just one spot.

Let's get the biggest problem out of the way. The Bears were negotiating from a position of weakness. In their minds, they NEEDED Trubisky, and my guess is that the Bears are as high on him as I am, so I totally get it. Their only thought was, "We can't miss out on this guy." Anytime you have that thought, you aren't going to win the trade on value, and there is no way to say that the Bears got more draft value than the 49ers.

The Bears got their guy, and that has not been a trend in recent years. In 2015, the Bears drafted seventh and were in desperate need for a defensive lineman. Things were working out perfectly as Leonard Williams was falling on down to them, and then at pick number six, the Jets took him. The Bears then drafted Kevin White who has played about as many snaps in the NFL as me over the last two years.

The year before that was even worse. The Bears picked 14th and a stud defensive tackle kept dropping down in the draft. The Bears held their ground, and sure enough, the Rams selected Aaron Donald at 13, one pick before the Bears. They then took Kyle Fuller who, let's be nice, is a cornerback who plays in the NFL. He is not Aaron Donald.

In both of those cases, the Bears have to look back and think, "Man, I really wish we would have overpaid to get those guys." Sometimes you gamble and win. Sometimes you gamble and lose. The Bears may have gambled by trading that much to get their guy, but they got their guy. If he turns out to be a top notch quarterback, then the combination of Solomon Thomas, a third, a fourth, and 2018 third won't equal the value of Trubisky.

The 49ers may have gotten better draft pick value, but that misses the point, the Bears got their guy. If he turns out to be what the Bears think he can be, there is no way to overpay on that.

What the Chicago Bears Should Do on Day 2 of the 2017 NFL Draft

Nobody was talked about more than the Chicago Bears last night as they shocked the world and traded up to take Mitchell Trubisky to fill their quarterback need. I thought they gave up a bit too much draft capital to do it, but they at least did it for the right guy. I LOVE Trubisky, and most of the hate came for two reasons: 1. They never saw him play and just thought he sucked, because they have been told by the media that he isn't worthy of a high first round pick. 2. They are overly concerned that he didn't start enough games in college. The first group are just morons; no need to focus on that. For the latter group, I understand the concern, but I think it says far more about the coaching staff at UNC than it does about Trubisky. I wanted to hate Trubisky, but he's got everything I value in a quarterback prospect. Because of that, it was still a great night for the Bears.

Now, for some quick analysis of what the Bears should do on day two. This is important, because they actually listened to me on my advice for their first pick. 

5. Desmond King - Defensive Back - Iowa
Obligatory Iowa advice. But seriously, King is a football player who makes plays. The Bears need all of the help in the secondary, and King is a guy who could fit in a variety of ways. I still think he's a cornerback, but even if you had to make him a safety, he has the instincts to make big time plays.

4. Kevin King - Cornerback - Washington
Dude is a freak of an athlete. Still could use a whole lot of polish at the cornerback position, but the raw materials are there for him to become a stud.

3. Malik McDowell - Defensive End - Michigan State
The Bears still need a defensive end since they passed on Solomon Thomas to fill their quarterback need. This guy is a polarizing prospect, because his production definitely doesn't match his talent, but many blame that more on the scheme of Michigan State as opposed to anything wrong with McDowell. It's a high ceiling, low floor pick, but the Bears don't seem to be afraid to take chances.

2. Cam Robinson - Offensive Tackle - Alabama
I can't believe a three-year starter at the best program in the nation slipped to the second round, but it would be incredibly difficult for the Bears to pass up on Robinson if he is sitting there when they pick. I think this is a guy who gets picked apart because of too much tape on him, but he has all of the tools to be Pro Bowl offensive tackle.

1. Trade Down
It's the least sexy option, but it may be the best moving forward. If they're not in love with one of the guys at the top of round two, maybe trading down, picking up a third and / or fourth rounder might be the prudent choice. The Bears have a lot of holes on this team, so accumulating talent has to be one of their big goals to come out of this draft. And the best news is that they could probably still draft Desmond King and make my dreams come true.

Who Should the Bears Draft at #3?

The draft is almost upon us. Hopes and dreams are alive. Will they be dashed this weekend? Most likely, but right now, I am feeling great about the future. The Bears are going to make smart trades, take great players, and build a Super Bowl contender. Okay, so even if they do the first two, they have so many holes that the latter simply ain't happening. But how can they get off to a good start? Let me break down the three best options.

3. Solomon Thomas - Defensive End - Stanford
You know what gets me excited? Guys who sometimes don't look as if they're human. And Solomon Thomas has a lot of those plays. It seems that when he decides he's going to destroy the world, he goes out and destroys the world.

Although Solomon Thomas's build is more ideally suited for a 4-3 defense, I think he's big enough as a 3-4 end to hold up against the run while absolutely causing havoc in the passing game. Also, from what he's shown on the field, he's so good that he can be good no matter your put him.

Before I really started looking at guys, I had Jonathan Allen ahead of Thomas, but after watching tape, I just loved the explosion that Thomas showed. That put them close, and honestly the deciding factor was Allen's abysmal combine numbers. It's rare for someone with those sort of athletic numbers to make a big impact, and with the third pick in the draft, I don't think it's worth the risk.

2. Malik Hooker - Safety - Ohio State
Malik Hooker is the most sure-thing Pro Bowler in this draft. He is ideally built for today's NFL, and his skill-set is one that will make an immediate impact on the team that drafts him. He's got incredible range in the secondary, and he has the instincts to be an ideal ball-hawking Safety. He's already learning to bait quarterbacks into throwing it his way. Oh yeah, and when he does get an interception, he is looking to score, as he is dynamic when he gets the ball in his hands.

The skills he has translate to any level for any team. The biggest reason the Seahawks have a dominant defense is Earl Thomas, and that is what Malik Hooker could be for the team that drafts him. I know that Safety is nowhere near the Bears biggest need as they actually have solid options, but you don't pass up on the next Ed Reed because you have solid options. I would be ecstatic to see him join the Bears.

1. Mitchell Trubisky - Quarterback - North Carolina
Is this a risk? Without a doubt. In fact, it's by far the biggest risk. But there is no such thing as a perfect quarterback prospect. At first, I was a hater. Mitchell the Bitchell were what all the kids were calling him. Why did he only start on year? I mean, that's a pretty big red flag that he couldn't beat out Marquise Williams. But I kept my ears open and heard that Coach Fedora kept Williams as the starter, because of his leadership. As an Iowa fan, that sounds like something Kirk Ferentz would definitely do, so I believe it. And when Trubisky did play in 2015, he was 40-47 for 555 yards and 6 touchdowns.

But really, it's what I saw on tape. Nobody is really pointing out deficiencies in Trubisky's play. He wasn't as good against the top notch competition, but yeah, that makes sense, because those teams are better on defense. The only game where he really struggled was Virginia Tech. That was a game with heavy rain, and even though Trubisky was not at his best, his teammates didn't help him out at all.

Really, the best teams that he faced last year were Florida State, who he absolutely torched, and Stanford, where he may have not had pretty stats, had a couple picks, but he was also dropping some dimes that receivers were not helping him out on.

There is also the argument that he can't come through in big moments. I mean, just look at this last drive (starts at 6:28) against Stanford.

Here's what happened.
44 yard strike down the sideline.
Nails his receiver between the numbers in the end zone but it's dropped.
Drops the ball into his receivers hands in the end zone but it's dropped.
Nails his receiver between the numbers to put it at the 1-yard line.
Throws a beautiful back shoulder fade but it's dropped.
Rolls to his right, nothing is there, so it's a broken play. He spins past a defender, ends up 18 yards behind the line of scrimmage and then throws across the field a strike that hits his receiver between the numbers for a touchdown.

What more do you want from the guy? He has all of the traits you would look for in a quarterback. Accurate throws, good arm strength, excellent pocket presence, and an ability to quickly scan the field. The consensus is that #3 is too high to take a quarterback in this draft, but fuck consensus. Trubisky has game changing skills, and the Bears would be lucky to have him with the third overall pick.

Breaking Down the Quarterbacks of the 2017 NFL Draft

I love the NFL Draft. As a Bears fan, it is the one time of year that I have hope. And since the Bears haven't had a reliable quarterback since...Sid Luckman? I take particular interest in the gunslingers. I watched some tape on all of the top guys in the draft to give my quick thoughts on who have the potential to be stars at the next level.

CJ Beathard - Iowa
Okay, so he probably doesn't belong on this list, but you can see all of my thoughts on CJ Beathard here. 

DeShone Kizer - Notre Dame
Good arm, but no pocket presence or ability to scan a field. I just don’t see a path to success for him at the next level.

Patrick Mahomes - Texas Tech
An undersized gunslinger with a rocket arm from a school in Texas. Why does that sound familiar? Still, this makes his ceiling Johnny Manziel without off-field issues, but there is no way to judge a quarterback out of the Big 12, because there isn’t a single team in that conference that is even competent at defense. I know Mahomes is good at flag football. Beyond that, I didn’t see enough for me to take a risk on the unknown.

Mitchell Trubisky - North Carolina
I don’t trust anybody who changes his name before the draft. I wrote that sentence before watching any tape on Trubisky, and then I started watching the guy play, and I have done a 180 on him. He does so many of the things that I look for in a quarterback. He scans the field quickly when going through reads, and he knows how to use his mobility to buy time to make a throw down the field instead of immediately abandoning the pass game when he gets flushed from the pocket; he always keeps his eyes down field and looks to make something big happen. Did he build up some impressive stats against less than impressive opponents? Definitely, but the dude can play. He has excellent pocket presence and the ability to make all of the throws. People love quarterback wins, but when it came down to crunch time, he did everything he could to put his team in a position to win in every game but Virginia Tech. He didn’t have a great statistical game against Stanford, but man, you watch the throws on that final drive, and it gives you something to dream on. I’m all in on Trubisky.

Deshaun Watson - Clemson
I don’t understand why people aren’t higher on Watson. I just keep thinking back to last year, and is there any way that the Rams take Jared Goff over Deshaun Watson? I just cannot imagine that scenario ever playing out. So Watson goes back to school, wins a National Title, and now people aren’t sure if he should be taken in the top 20. The interceptions are an issue, but not a deal breaker. I am more worried about his offense which tended to get him locked onto one side of the field, and he was always a little slow in going through progressions when that first option wasn’t open. Although he’s a good athlete, his pocket presence isn’t great, so he isn’t able to fully utilize those skills to create plays.

Davis Webb - California
I don’t like the footwork; I don’t like the lack of pocket presence. He does throw a nice deep ball, but he’s still worse than Jared Goff, so it’s pretty tough for me to get excited about that.

QB Rankings:
1. Mitchell Trubisky
2. Deshaun Watson
3. Patrick Mahomes
4. Davis Webb
5. DeShone Kizer
6. CJ Beathard