NEWSLETTER
Despite going from worst-to-first in the NFC North, there are some nonbelievers out there, who think the Chicago Bears are destined to take a tumble. Just don’t tell that to ESPN NFL insider Louis Riddick, who sees big things in the Bears’ future.
Check it out:
https://twitter.com/LRiddickESPN/status/1139317837154181120
The Bears offense catching up with the defense? Watch out, now!
There are plenty of legitimate reasons Chicago’s offense can continue its rise up the charts. Most notably, it’ll be just the unit’s second season in Matt Nagy’s offense. Which means rather than dwelling on installation, learning, and terminology, the Bears can finally shift their focus to reading and reacting within the offense. With a year under their collective belt, the players should be comfortable within the confines of the system and another step up in the ranks should be on the horizon.
Of course, offenses don’t score points without playmakers, which brings us to point #2. Not only do the Bears have returning playmakers such as Tarik Cohen, Anthony Miller, Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton, they have since added to that group with rookie draft picks David Montgomery and Riley Ridley, as well as free agent running back Mike Davis. There should be no shortage of go-to options for Chicago’s offense, which was streaky – at best – last season.
Of course, playmakers wouldn’t be able to do their thing without protection on the front lines. Fortunately (here comes point #3), the Bears are returning all five starters from one of football’s highest-graded units last year. It’s possible that group could be that much better with Cody Whitehair and James Daniels returning to their original positions. But I think the biggest factor could be Kyle Long, who is set to enter training camp healthy for the first time in a long while.
And then, finally, there’s the quarterback (a.k.a. point #4), of whom big things are expected this coming season:
From the Bears to the Colts to a very important NFL offseason topic: the NFL's top beer chuggers. @JayGlazer is back with another NFL mailbag for y'all: https://t.co/vEBZqpT1tN
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) June 14, 2019
NFL on FOX insider Jay Glazer is as plugged in as anyone. So when Glazer speaks — or in this case, opens his mailbag and answers question — he should have your full attention. Glazer was asked for if the Bears are set to fall off in 2019 after their breakout 2018. After all, one prominent league insider pegged the Bears to be the “poster boys of regression.” But Glazer doesn’t see that happening.
“I don’t think the Bears are set for a falloff at all! All I keep hearing this offseason is that Mitch Trubisky is making big steps and improvements. They’re thinking he’s going to take a big leap forward this year.”
BOING!
Trubisky already stepped his game up from his rookie season to Year 2, improving his completion percentage, touchdown rate, yards per attempt, adjusted yards per attempt, passer rating, and QBR in his first season under Nagy’s tutelage. Those notable improvements helped raise his profile and even aided in him joining 2017 NFL Draft classmates Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson at the Pro Bowl. If Trubisky has another breakout in him, then the rest of the league better be worried about the Bears.
Offseason hype is one thing, but all it will be is hype if the players on the field don’t build on the foundation they set last year. In that vein, Allen Robinson doesn’t sound like someone who is going to settle for marginal improvements:
#Bears WR Allen Robinson today after practice: "We're not out here to just manage the game or anything like that. We're trying to score points. We're trying to be the best offense in the NFL."
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) June 13, 2019
JUST HOOK IT TO MY VEINS, ALREADY!
