The weather outside makes me want to throw a football around with friends. But then I realized that (1) I don’t own a football to throw around and (2) my friends have jobs, kids (and in some cases, both) … so spending the afternoon throwing the ball around probably isn’t in the cards. Maybe I should get one of those old-school vortex footballs that you could throw over the moon?
- For all the talk from Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus wanting explosive plays, seeing where the Bears rank on this chart is tremendously disappointing:
- For all of the investments on offense (Caleb, Rome, Keenan, Swift, etc.), there is no reason for the Bears to rank where they do when it comes to explosive plays. And with the way Coach Flus talks about protecting the ball and taking check-down throws, it feels like he is talking out of both sides of his mouth.
- On the one hand, Chase Daniel isn’t wrong to say that it is OK for Caleb Williams to be a game manager…
- … but on the other hand, I think the Bears want more from Caleb than to be a game manager. And I know this fan base wants more than a game-managing quarterback. I’m old enough to remember when Tom Brady was a game-manager quarterback. Considering Caleb’s admiration of TB12, I feel as if he knows that it is OK to go down that path if it means winning.
- I saw this bouncing around the timeline the last couple of days and wanted to get to it before fully flipping the page to Week 5:
- Firstly, the Bears chose to use money that would’ve been allocated to Roquan Smith to sign free agents Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. They also had Jack Sanborn waiting in the wings to fill in any gaps. Don’t get me wrong. Roquan is a great linebacker. But would you rather have Roquan or the Edmunds-Edwards tandem? I’m not sure there is a right or wrong answer here. Instead, I think it is more of a preference thing. Some people like Starbucks coffee. Others like Dunkin’. Me? I’ve got home-brewed Cafรฉ Bustelo.
- Secondly, we don’t talk enough about Roquan’s public battle with GM Ryan Poles (and vice versa) in terms of why Smith is playing in Baltimore. In Poles, the Bears had a first-year GM wanting to show he was in charge. And in Roquan, the Bears had a linebacker who wanted to show he didn’t need a traditional agent to get the big-money contract he deserved. The result is what you’d commonly see when two stubborn people who think they’re right (but don’t know any better) square off. I think both sides have grown since that thing fell apart.
- Another thing we don’t take enough about: Why wasn’t Roquan Smith a fit for Matt Eberflus’ defense? Furthermore, why wasn’t this defensive-minded head coach who is known to be a teacher able to impart his knowledge to make Roquan a fit? Was the position change too much to handle? Should he have even been moved outside? There are fascinating conversations to be had on this topic from a football X’s and O’s standpoint (as well as from a place of player and personality management). But those discussions deserve nuance and I’m pretty sure this fan base is over it now that we’re two years removed from the deal that sent Roquan to the Ravens.
- For what it’s worth, the Bears defense seems to be managing fine without Roquan. And he seems happy in Baltimore. It’s a win-win for all parties, right?
Understood the assignment 🫡 pic.twitter.com/nTi97JGuSu
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 30, 2024
- After four games, the Bears defense ranks 8th in yardage, 10th in scoring, and 12th in DVOA. That unit has allowed the third-fewest passing touchdowns and has notched the fourth-most interceptions. Those dudes are doing the damn thing all over the field.
- According to Pro Football Focus’ grading, Chicago’s defense has the No.7 highest-graded cornerback (Jaylon Johnson), two safeties ranking in the top half of the league (Kevin Byard is 13th, Jaquan Brisker 28th), a pair of interior defensive linemen who grade out in the top third of the league in that position group (Andrew Billings is 28th and Gervon Dexter Sr. is 32nd), and a pair of edge rushers who grade out in the top half (Darrell Taylor is 36th, DeMarcus Walker 43rd). The D is good. We don’t need to re-hash the Roquan trade anymore.
- There is also a case to be made for rookie punter Tory Taylor being the defense’s biggest weapon โ and he is a special teams contributor. Adam Jahns (The Athletic) has more on the fourth-round pick.
- I can’t believe I missed sharing this yesterday:
- That wild Alabama-Georgia game from over the weekend was the most-watched college football contest of the season. If these two square off again in the SEC title game, I’d bet a dollar to a donut that there will be more folks watching that one. And if they meet again in the expanded college football playoff? Boy, howdy! (Awful Announcing)
- From the “ain’t no fun when the rabbit got the gun” department, the Green Bay Packers have some LOL-worthy kicking problems. Considering all the guff those cheesedoodles have given Bears fans over the years, you won’t get the tiniest bit of sympathy around here. Green Bay felt the need to host a pair of kickers for tryouts because its current one has missed four field goals (it’s five if you want to be extra petty and count the one miss that was negated by a penalty). That’s a real shame. If you need me, I’ll be playing the tiniest violin. (Pro Football Talk)
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- Our friends at BN Cubs have MLB Playoffs highlights โ which include wins by the Mets, Tigers, Royals, and Padres.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have two unfortunately familiar problems. (BN Blackhawks)
- Mark your calendars, Bulls fans: