The Great Debate Between Adrian Amos and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Begins and Other Bullets
Is there anything more annoying than knocking in an own goal on an air hockey table? I mean, come on!
- Adrian Amos shared this message as he left Chicago for Green Bay:
- Amos is undeniably one of the bigger success stories of the Ryan Pace era. A fifth-round pick who played his way into a Year 1 starter and developed into a four-year starter (despite being briefly benched by John Fox in 2017) is as good as it gets. Amos was a portrait of stability, durability, and professionalism at the strong safety spot. If Pace and his scouts continue to find players like Amos in the draft, the organization will be better for it.
- Moving forward, there is a lot to like about Amos’ replacement, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. We’ll get to him as the day goes along. In the meantime, check this out:
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is coming to Chicago for 2019. Very talented interchangeable safety. Played under Nick Saban with Eddie Jackson in 2013. He had a better year than people think. There's only a handful of players that can make this play. Two of them now play for the #Bears. pic.twitter.com/xwOO1gtYbI
— Brandon Robinson (@BRobNFL) March 14, 2019
- There is a popular sentiment that the Bears “won” the Amos/Clinton-Dix safety exchange because they are paying Clinton-Dix just $3.5 million for one season. Getting Clinton-Dix at that price is a value, to be sure. HOWEVER, if the Bears don’t make the most of that advantageous situation by spreading those savings elsewhere, then what Player X is making compared to Player Y receives means nothing. You pay to get good players, but you play to win the game. To my knowledge, NFL teams don’t raise banners for saving cap space.
- For what it’s worth, Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic gave the Bears’ signing of Clinton-Dix an “A” grade. And while the Bears look good in the short term for the move, the long-term winner might be Clinton-Dix. Think about it. Someone was going to take a hit in a crowded field of talented free agent safeties and it turned out to be Clinton-Dix. Now he goes to a friendly situation where he’ll play with several All-Pro/Pro Bowl defenders, be paired with a stud safety he is familiar with, and play under a DC in Chuck Pagano who has a reputation for getting the most out of players in the secondary. If Clinton-Dix can play Amos’ role as well (or even better) than Amos, a major pay day will be on the horizon at this time next year when he will be alone at the top of the market.
- This stat is worth filing away:
This is just one stat, so not trying to draw a major conclusion out of it, but: Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix had fewer missed tackles in 2018 (8) than Adrian Amos (9), per @PFF.
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) March 14, 2019
- As is this perspective from Matt Bowen, the ESPN analyst who has game experience playing safety in the NFL:
Safeties have to be interchangeable in pretty much every system. A simple motion across the formation can force the SS/FS to rotate. And, in Chicago, the Bears play a lot of split-safety coverage. https://t.co/bX4ICNWs37
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) March 14, 2019
- That’s some real praise for the coaching staff that’s coming from a real place:
Buster Skrine just said that when the #Jets were at Soldier Field last year, he felt like the #Bears’ offense knew exactly what they were in defensively.
“I just knew the coaching was awesome."
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) March 14, 2019
- On the other side of the ball, this thread of video analysis from Olin Kreutz on new Bears running back Mike Davis has me intrigued about what the new guy can bring to the table:
What did the Bears see in Mike Davis ? Film says a guy who is willing and capable of doing a little of everything. Here he is on inside zone putting his foot in the ground and getting some tough yards . pic.twitter.com/Ex49jDmhvF
— Olin kreutz (@olin_kreutz) March 15, 2019
- If your team isn’t going to invest heavily in a featured back, then the only alternative is to have depth in a backfield with multi-faceted players. The Bears’ running backs room – as currently constructed – is layered with different pieces who can do different things. It will be up to Head Coach Matt Nagy, Offensive Coordinator Mark Helfrich, and Running Backs Coach Charles London to put the puzzle together.
- Speaking of the running back position, Cordarrelle Patterson weighed in on his time playing it in New England: “I’ll be honest, it wasn’t pretty. … It’s hard to be a running back in this league.”
- Good idea:
Cordarrelle Patterson says he's in the process of reaching out to Devin Hester for some tips on how to be great in Chicago. Says he's trying to get his number. #Bears @D_Hest23
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) March 14, 2019
- Be glad you’re not a defensive coordinator who has to game plan for situations when Tarik Cohen and Cordarrelle Patterson are on the field together:
Bears RB Tarik Cohen led the league's running backs by averaging 2.37 yards per route run in 2018 pic.twitter.com/VOY6aB6g4g
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) March 15, 2019
