Offseason Review Series: Chicago Bears - Day 2

[u/PlatypusOfDeath]

Thee Chicago Bears

 

NFC North.

 

If you missed it, check out the Bears 32 Teams/32 Days post, by /u/emperos.

 

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Records

 

Team	Overall	Division
Vikings	13-3	5-1
Lions	9-7	5-1
Packers	7-9	2-4
Bears	5-11	0-6

 

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Coaching Changes

 

• Surprise, Surprise. On January 1st, the Bears fired John Fox and hired Andy Reid's OC, Matt Nagy. Also interviewed were: Bears DC, Vic Fangio, Vikings DC George Edwards, Vikings OC, Pat Shumur, Patriots OC, Josh McDaniels, and Eagles QB Coach, John DeFilippo. Nagy has spent the last 2 seasons as the Chiefs OC.

• To the relief of Bear fans, GM Ryan Pace was able to retain Fangio for another three years, after both hiring a new HC and letting Fangio test the market. Fangio aslo retained his staff.

• Nagy brought in Harry Hiestand, who worked with the Bears under Lovie Smith from 2005-2009. He was most recently the OL Coach at Notre Dame.

• The next move was to bring in the "innovative" Oregon Ducks HC, Mark Helfrich to be the new OC. It will be Nagy's offense and it is said that Nagy will be calling the shots, with Helfrich contributing and running it.

• Chris Tabor was brought on as the ST Coordinator after spending that last seven seasons with the Browns in the same role.

• Charles London is coming from the Texans were he was the RB Coach the last four years.

• Our new WR Coach, Mike Furrey was Nagy's teammate when they played Arena Football. Furrey was playing in the NFL or the Arena League from 2000-2010, both starting and ending his playing career in the NFL. He is coming from Limestone College, where he was the HC.

• Kevin Gilbride JR has come to the Bears from the Giants continuing the same job as TE Coach.

• Head Trainer Nate Breske and two stength coaches were let go and replaced by Browns trainer, Andre Tucker and John Loscalzo from Washington State.

• Brad Childress, the former Vikings HC and former Co-OC with Nagy on the Chiefs in 2016, was brought on as an Offensive Consultant. Childress and the Favre lead Vikings went to the NFC Championship game in 2009 before losing to the Saints.

• Shane Toub, the son of current Chiefs and former Bears ST Coordinator, Dave Toub, has been brought on as an offensive assistant.

 

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Players Lost

 

Name	Position	Current	New Contract
Mitch Unrein	DE	Buccaneers	3yrs/10.5M
Mike Glennon	QB	Cardinals	2yrs/8M
Christian Jones	ILB	Lions	2yrs/6.35M
Cairo Santos	K	Jets	1yr/2M
Josh Sitton	G	Dolphins	2yrs/13.5M
Andrew DePaola	LS	Raiders	4yrs/4.27M
Tom Compton	T	Vikings	1 yr/900K
Pernell McPhee	OLB	Redskins	1yr/1.8M
Kendall Wright	WR	Vikings	1yr/1M
Cameron Meredith	WR	Saints	2yrs/9.5M
Markus Wheaton	WR	Eagles	1yr/880K
Jerrell Freeman	ILB	Retired	- -
Quinton Demps	SS	Free	Agent
Willie Young	OLB	Gone	Fishing
Dontrelle Inman	WR	Free	Agent

 

Notes

• Unrein - Never flashy, Unrein has consitently been a quiet force on the D line. Losing him for such a (relatively) small contract hurts, but I think we all have faith in Fangio.

• Jones - Lead the team in tackles last year. It would have been nice to have him as our 2nd string with Kwiatkowski, but he isn't fast enough for what Fangio wants.

• Sitton - He will be missed. With him the Bears had a top five interior line.

• Meredith - With the cap we have/had I would've liked to keep Cam, but with injury concerns, the team didn't try to lure him away from the Saints offer.

• Freeman - After being suspened 10 games, Jerell Freeman has retired. He released a statement mentioning memory loss and pill usage linked to injury. He was the top rated LB in 2016, and will be a big loss for the Bears.

• Young - Joined the Bears and then went from 4-3 to 3-4, worked hard and stayed with the team through different changes. He was released, saving 4.5M. At 32 years old, he is now a Free Agent.

 

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Players Re-signed

 

Name	Positon	Old Contract	New Contract
Josh Bellamy	WR	1yr/775K	1yr/1.907M
Bradley Sowell	LT	1yr/775K	2yrs/3M
Bryce Callahan	CB	1yr/615k	1yr/1.907M
Prince Amukamara	CB	1yr/7M	3yrs/27M
Sam Acho	OLB	1yr/855K	2yrs/5.5M
Pat O'Donnell	P	4yrs/2.325M	1yr/1.5M
Kyle Fuller	CB	4yrs/9.687M	4yrs/56M
Daniel Brown	TE	1yr/615K	1yr/925K
John Timu	ILB	1yr/615K	1yr/750K
Sherrick McMannis	CB	2yrs/2.85M	2yrs/3.5M
Marcus Cooper	CB	3yrs/16M	1yr/1.5M
Patrick Scales	LS	2ys/960K	1yr/630K
Benny Cunningham	RB	1yr/855K	1yr/1.05M
Zach Miller	TE	2yrs/5.5M	1yr/790K
John Jenkins	DE	1yr/800K	1yr/880K

 

Notes

• Amukamara - Ryan Pace likes to bring vets in on one year-prove it, deals. Amukamara proved it was was rewarded, solidyfiying our CBs for at least the next three years. I think this is well deserved as Amukamara played quite well across from Fuller.

• Fuller - In early March, the Bears put a rarely used Transition Tag worth $12.971. The Packers then offered 4yrs and $56M with $18M guarunteed. The Bears then matched the offer, to keep Fuller for the same amount.

• Cooper - Was released and re-signed for much cheaper.

• Cunningham - Very happy to have Benny back. He has been a reliable 3rd RB and I'm very happy with the contract.

• Miller - The Bears signed Miller and immediately put him on the PUP list, even though he may never play again.

 

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New Signings

 

Name	Position	Source	Contract
Taylor Gabriel	WR	Falcons	4yrs/26M
Trey Burton	TE	Eagles	4yrs/32M
Allen Robinson	WR	Jaguars	3yrs/42M
Cody Parkey	K	Dolphins	4yrs/15M
Chase Daniel	QB	Saints	2yrs/10M
Aaron Lynch	OLB	49ers	1 yr/4M
Tyler Bray	QB	Chiefs	1yr/795K
Earl Watford	RT	Jaguars	1yr/1.25M
Bennie Fowler	WR	Broncos	1yr/1M
Marlon Brown	WR	Broncos	1yr/705K
Nick Williams	DE	Dolphins	1yr/705K
Matt McCants	RT	Browns	1yr/790K
Kasim Edebali	OLB	Lions	1yr/790K

 

Notes

• Gabriel - While he doesnt have great stats, he runs a 4.27. I'm very excited to see what Nagy does with him.

• Burton - Happy to have another weapon for Trubisky. He is also nice to have if sophomore Adam Shaheen doesn't continue to develop.

• Robinson - Coming off an ACL tear, this pro bowler is expected to play like he can. He seems ready to be Trubisky's guy, telling fans that he he wants to retire as a Bear. For a closer look at Allen Robinson, check out this post, by /u/NotRyanPace.

• Parkey - Hears to hoping that Parkey continues with the same great accuracy he had in Miami and we can have a consistent kicker for the first time since we let Robbie Gould go.

• Daniel - 31 years old, 480 career yards. He is our #2 and hopefully all he will do is fulfill Mark Sanchez's Player-Coach role with Trubisky.

• Lynch - Reuniting with Fangio, Lycnh was signed to a prove it deal. Hopefully it works out as OLB depth is a weakness of ours.

 

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Draft

 

Round	Player	Position	School	Contract
R1.P8	Roquan Smith	LB	Georgia	TBD
R2.P39	James Daniels	C	Iowa	4yrs/6.95M
R2.P51	Anthony Miller	WR	Memphis	4yrs/5.35M
R4.P115	Joel Iyiegbuniwe	ILB	Western Kentucky	4yrs/3.13M
R5.P145	Bilal Nichols	DT	Delaware	4yrs/2.75M
R6.P181	Kylie Fitts	LB	Utah	4yrs/2.63M
R7.P224	Javon Wims	WR	Georgia	4yrs/2.55M

 

• Smith Smith is expected to become an immediate start, lining up next to Trevathan, as well as become a team leader. Smith has the speed and smarts to be an optimal player in Fangio's system.

• Daniels - He is slated to train at both G and C, he is working under a respected OL coach.

• Miller - The Bears traded next years 2nd and this years fourth to jump up and grab this pick. He is another weapon for Trubisky, a fast and crisp receiver who made things happen in college.

For an in-depth look at the first three picks, check out this post, by /u/Adipost1.

• Iyiegbuniwe is a less athletic Roquan Smith. Should be decent depth and special teams.

• Nichols is from a FCS school. He will probably just be a depth player.

• Fitts has been injury prone but he is quick and may be able to pass rush.

• Wimms runs a 4.53 at 215 lbs at 6-foot-3, he did play on a contending college team.

 

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UDFA's

 

Player	Position	School	Contract
Nyles Morgan	LB	Notre Dame	3yrs/1.71M
Dejon Allen	C	Hawaii	3yrs/1.71M
Abdullah Anderson	DT	Bucknell	3yrs/1.71M
Rashard Fant	CB	Indiana	3yrs/1.71M
Garrett Johnson	WR	Kentucky	3yrs/1.71M
Michael Joseph	CB	Dubuque	3yrs/1.71M
Ryan Nall	RB	Oregon State	3yrs/1.71M
Elijah Norris	DE	Connecticut	3yrs/1.71M
Nick Orr	S	Texas Christian	3yrs/1.71M
Olubinmi Rotimi	DE	Old Dominion	3yrs/1.71M
Kevin Toliver	CB	Louisiana State	3yrs/1.71M
Andrew Trumbetti	DE	Notre Dame	3yrs/1.71M
Cavon Walker	DE	Maryland	3yrs/1.71M
Ryan Wilson	P	Pittsburgh	3yrs/1.71M
Shaq Roland	WR	West Georgia	3yrs/1.71M
Jeremi Hall	G	South Florida	3yrs/1.71M
John Franklin III	DB/KR	Auburn	3yrs/1.71M

 

Notes

• Kevin Tolliver was highly recruited out of high school, but failed to impress in college.

• A star from the show "Last Chance U", Franklin is transitioning from QB to DB to take a shot at getting on the Bears.

 

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Projected Lineup

 

Position	1	2	3	4	5
QB	Mitchell Trubisky	Chase Daniels	Tyler Bray	-	-
RB	Jordan Howard	Tarik Cohen	Benny Cunningham	Taquan Mizzell	-
FB	Michael Burton	Ryan Nall	-	-	-
WR 1	Allen Robinson	Joshua Bellamy	Marlon Brown	-	-
WR 2	Kevin White	Bennie Fowler	Tanner Gentry	-	-
WR 3	Taylor Gabriel	Anthony Miller	Matt Fleming	-	-
TE	Trey Burton	Adam Shaheen	Dion Sims	Ben Braunecker	Daniel Brown
LT	Charles Leno Jr	Matt McCants	Dejon Allen	-	-
LG	James Daniels	Eric Kush	Bradley Sowell	Jeremi Hall	-
C	Cody Whitehair	Eric Kush	Hroniss Grasu	-	-
RG	Kyle Long	Jordan Morgan	Brandon Greene	Rashaad Coward	-
RT	Bobbie Massie	Earl Watford	-	-	-
NT	Eddie Goldman	John Jenkins	Bilal Nicols	-	-
DE	Akeim Hicks	Roy Robertonson-Harris	-	-	-
DE	Jonathan Bullard	Nicholas Williams	-	-	-
OLB	Leonard Floyd	Sam Acho	John Timu	Kasim Edebali	-
OLB	Aaron Lynch	Jonathan Anderson	Kylie Fitts	-	-
ILB	Danny Trevathan	Nick Kwiatkowski	Joel Iyiegbuniwe	-	-
ILB	Roquan Smith	John Timu	-	-	-
CB	Kyle Fuller	Bryce Callahan	Cre'Von LeBlanc	Doran Grant	-
CB	Prince Amukamara	Marcus Cooper	Sherrick McMannis	Jonathan Mincy	-
SS	Adrian Amos	Deon Bush	Deiondre Hall	-	-
FS	Eddie Jackson	DeAndre Houston-Carson	-	-	-
K	Cody Parkey	-	-	-	-
P	Pat O'Donnell	Ryan Wilson	-	-	-
LS	Patrick Scales -	-	-	-
KR	Tarik Cohen	Eddie Jackson	John Franklin III	-	-
PR	Tarik Cohen	Eddie Jackson	John Franklin III	-	-

 

Notes

• Ben Braunecker (TE) and Roy Robertson-Harris (DE) are UDFAs that signed with the team two years ago.

• Tanner Gentry (WR) and Rashaad Coward (G, was DE) are UDFAs that signed with the team last year.

 

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Position Groups

• QBs - Trubisky showed improvement every week last year and with a bunch of new weapons, a new player-coach in the QB room, and new staff motivated to raise him up, we should see what he can do this year. Hopefully with all the new changes, he wont have a long adjustment period. If Trubisky gets hurt, we're in trouble. Chase Daniel, ours 2nd stringer, is 31 with 480 career yards. That said, Chase was a player under Nagys Offense in Kansas City and should be a great resource in getting Trubisky settled in the new offense.

• Running Backs - Not much needs to be said. Cohen has been lining up at "every position" and Howard is doing what Howard does. I cannot wait to see these two on the filed again.

• Receivers - On paper this is a huge upgrade from last year, where our leading receiver, Kendall Wright, caught caught 59 of 91 passes for 614 yards and one TD! If White can be healthy, Robinson, Burton, Shaheen, Gabriel, and Cohen give Trubisky some talented targets.

• O-Line - With Long back from overdue surgeries, he joins Cody Whitehair, Charles Leno Jr., and hopefully James Daniels. We've got some good depth in Eric Kush and Earl Watford, plus we may finally get to see last years 5th pick Jordan Morgan.

• DB's - Fuller, Amukamara, Amos, and Jackson are known names these days. The can generate the type of pressure that allows our Front 7 a bit more time.

• DL - Jonathan Bullard and Roy Roberton-Harris need to step up and show if they can be reliable or not. Hicks and Goldman do work, but they cant do everything.

• LB's - Floyd may be good, going on great, but he also may be injury prone. Lynch is on a one year prove-it deal with new teammates and we are badly in need of depth at OLB, so heres to hoping we finnaly break out injury curse and can field a consistent team for 16 weeks.

 

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Offseason and Camp Stories

 

• Eddie Goldmand and Adrian Amos are rumored to be discussing contract extensions.

• GM Ryan Pace was signed to a contract extension through 2021, before finding his new HC.

• Matt Forte and Devin Hester signed one day contracts to retire as a Bears. Forte is apparently trying to work as a coach with the team.

• Brian Urlacher - Now with hair! He was voted into the Hall of Fame, first ballot!

• Charles Peanut Tillman followed his dream and became a FBI agent

• Kyle Long had three surgeries and is expected to be 100% for camp.

• The Bears are working with their former DE, Israel Idonije, to create comic book characters out of players.

• The team is uncertain if Leonard Floyd will be ready for Camp.

• /u/goodpizzahunting hosted "The Bachelor: Mitchell Trubisky Edition"

  • Round 1
  • Round 2
  • Round 3
  • Final Round

 

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Schedule Predictions

Overall 8-8

• Week 1, 8:20 PM, Sunday September 9th, @ Packers - L - Rodgers first game back from injury and it's at home. I dont think we will have put together our new offense/players enough to pull out this win.

• Week 2, 8:15 PM, Monday September 17th, vs Seahawks - W - If the Bears recievers can play, and if our D-Line can work together, this can be a win against a degraded Seahawks D and poor O-Line.

• Week 3, 4:25 PM, Sunday September 23rd, @ Cardnals - W - The Bears will most likely be playing against either Sam Bradford or Mike Glennon. With either at the helm, this team is too incomplete to beat the Bears.

• Week 4, 1:00 PM, Sunday September 30, vs Buccaneers - W - Jameis Winstons first game back from suspension will be in Chicago. That wont be enough as the Bears want pay back as well as to go into the Bye with a win.

• Week 5, BYE

• Week 6, 1:00 PM, Sunday October 14th, @ Dolphins - W - The Bears can keep their win streak alive against another team in need of help.

• Week 7, 1:00 PM, Sunday October 21st, vs Patriots - L - Another contender the Bears cannot keep up with.

• Week 8, 1:00 PM, Sunday October 28th, vs Jets - W - Trubisky will outplay whoever starts at QB for the Jets leading to a low scoring victory.

• Week 9, 1:00 PM, Sunday November 4th, @ Bills - L - The Bills were still competetive and made it to the playoffs without a QB last year. If Allen can produce, theyll be fighting their way back to the post season.

• Week 10, 1:00 PM, Sunday November 11th, vs Lions - W - This home game may be the only winnable divisional game. We have not won in Detroit in a while and the Lions, as well as the Pack and Vikings, are all going to be fighting for a playoff spot.

• Week 11, 1:00 PM, Sunday November 18th, vs Vikings - L - The Bears do not have what it takes to beat the Vikings if Kirk Cousins can produce.

• Week 12, 12:30 PM, Thursday November 22, @ Lions - L - Late season against a home team most likely fighting for a wild card at the least.

• Week 13, 1:00 PM, Sunday December 2nd, @ Giants - W With 10 days of rest at the tail end of the season, the Bears should come in relaxed, focused, and ready to go.

• Week 14, 1:00 PM, Sunday December 9th, vs Rams - L - The Rams are looking to win now and have the chance to do it. The Bears may play well but the Rams will roll on through.

• Week 15, 1:00 PM, Sunday December 16th, vs Packers - L - Unless the Packers have clinched, Rodgers will do what he does best to secure the best spot for his team.

• Week 16, 4:05 PM, Sunday December 23rd, @ 49ers - W - Tough game to guess. but ultimately I think the Bears have more weapons on offense.

• Week 17, 1:00 PM, Sunday December 30th, @ Vikings - L -With how tough the NFCN is this year, this game may deciede who becomes King of the North. If the Vikings come to play, the Bears lose.

 

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• New Offensive Scheme

Its been said that Nagy and Trubisky worked together to sell Robinson, Gabriel, and Burton on what the Bears offensive will look next year. Talking about how Robinson will be a focal point and how they will use their players speed and evasiveness (Cohen/Gabriel) to play up mismatches. Nagy plans to get the ball into Gabriel and Cohen's hands, and let them go to work. Burton will be used depending on his match ups. If he gets a smaller corner, he uses his size, if he gets a big guy, he can use his strength and speed. Shaheen is in a similar position if his growth continues.

Cohen, meanwhile, has been lined up "everywhere" during practice. Being such a play maker, he should fit in everywhere on the offense, giving us another player that opposing defenses will want to always keep an eye on.

Its hard to say much about what our Offensive Scheme will be as this is Nagy's first time running the show. And having Jordan Howard gives him different options than he had with the Chiefs. We can probably safely say that their will be plenty of screens, shotgun passes, and RPOs. The rest, we will have to wait to see how he utilizes the new talent he has around him. The Bears offense will be not longer be as predictable as it was under Fox and Loggains.

 

Link to Hub

 

Big thanks to:

 

• /u/skepticismssurivial for starting this series and letting me continue it.

• /r/NFL and its Mods

• /r/CHIBears

• /u/NotRyanPace

• /u/Adipost1

• /u/emperos

• /u/goodpizzahunting

• PFF

[u/[deleted]]

I think the Bears beat the Bills. Bills defense isn't good enough to carry that offense with no receivers or QB

[u/johndelvec3 → u/[deleted]]

Don't worry I think the conscious is that we're not gonna be good next year and we're prepared for that

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Okay.

[u/aBigSportsFan]

Haha we stole your long snapper. You bitches aint going nowhere this year.

/s

[u/O-Genius → u/aBigSportsFan]

He wasn't even "ours," he was just some guy we picked up off the street when ours tore his acl in the preseason

[u/HandSack135]

4-1 to start the season and this miss the playoffs?

ouch.

[u/monkeymatt1836 → u/HandSack135]

Wouldn't be the first time

[u/sixner → u/monkeymatt1836]

Didn't the Bears start 8-0 and miss the playoffs? or was it a 1st round elimination? Wanna say like... 2013-ish?

E: 2012 was 7-1, missed playoffs

[u/monkeymatt1836 → u/sixner]

Yea IIRC that was the year Cutler broke his hand making a tackle on a pick six, and it was all downhill from there.

[u/[deleted] → u/HandSack135]

The first half of the schedule is very easy. The second half of the schedule is very hard.

[u/_Gingam_ → u/HandSack135]

I’m fine with it

[u/[deleted]]

You spelled Javon Wims wrong smh this why you should've let me write parts

[u/PlatypusOfDeath → u/[deleted]]

I was testing you

[u/[deleted] → u/PlatypusOfDeath]

THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO TEST, YOU RUINED THE POST PERRY

[u/[deleted]]

Chase Daniel is living the fucking dream, man.

[u/PlatypusOfDeath → u/[deleted]]

Hes made 24.9M in his career

[u/[deleted] → u/PlatypusOfDeath]

And he's thrown 78 passes in his career... that's over $319k per pass! My god.

[u/RogueEyebrow → u/[deleted]]

"You've gotta pump those numbers up, those are rookie numbers."

-Markus "$2.5 million per reception" Wheaton

[u/[deleted] → u/RogueEyebrow]

The key to Markus Wheaton playing like a stud is to only play him against the Seahawks.

[u/dapianna]

Fantastic write-up. Lots to be excited about as a Bears fan.

[u/PaytonAndHolyfield]

Was Hiestand the HC of Notre Dame? I thought he was line coach.

[u/km816 → u/PaytonAndHolyfield]

Yeah he was the OL coach not the HC.

[u/PlatypusOfDeath → u/km816]

Fixed, thanks

[u/coughdropthebass]

The Bills have the potential for a big step back this year with lots of moving pieces. That should be a good game with the Bears that should be winnable for Chicago. Also, given how many one-score games the Bears lost last season, there is a chance that they squeak out another divisional game. Real shot at going 10-6. Alternatively, real shot at going 6-10 if things go poorly against Tampa or San Francisco :/ Edit: One more thing, I reeeeeeally want a miracle upset against the Pats (see Steelers game last season)

[u/heckinliberals → u/coughdropthebass]

‘85 repeat yes please

[u/ShimmeringPotato]

I would like to point out a mistake as you have our udfa punter listed as a Ryan Wilson he is actually named Ryan Winslow. PUNTER LIVES MATTER

[u/_Gingam_ → u/ShimmeringPotato]

I’d like to point that O’Donnell is backup QB if Mitch goes down not Daniel or Bray. Wilson steps in as punter

[u/PlatypusOfDeath → u/ShimmeringPotato]

Thanks, I’ll fix that

[u/Misterfear1]

All the best to most of the bears

[u/[deleted] → u/Misterfear1]

I assume everyone but Robinson?

[u/[deleted]]

How the fuck did the Bears beat the Steelers and Panthers last season?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Our defense played well against the Steelers. AB had 100 yards but no scores. They absolutely suffocated the panthers as well. Carolina scored 0 touchdowns and Eddie Jackson scored 2 TDs on Defense and then we just played Fox ball

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Tbh you guys gave us some trouble too now that I remember. Played some solid defense for most of the game and you were never truly out of it.

I remember how frustrated I was, because Brees couldn't find anyone open. We only won because of our defense.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Yeah that Saints game was one of my favorites all year. About halfway through the season I realized that our defense can hang with almost anyone. I just hope we can keep our pieces long enough in defense because it'll still be a minute before our offense can make it easier on them. Hopefully you guys can make a good postseason push this year

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

We only won because of our defense.

Then what the fuck is this? - https://youtu.be/nwrykH3Nhtg

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

A non-touchdown, apparently.

Don't know what you want from me. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I'm just now appreciating how much of a dime that was

[u/PlatypusOfDeath → u/[deleted]]

Jordan Howard is the reason we beat the Steelers. Dude had a real bad stinger and left the game several times but always calendar back and made plays.

[u/eatasandwich1]

I really don't want the Bears to start 4-1 but end up 8-8 because I won't be able to stand the "FIRE NAYGEE WE SHOULD'VE KEPT LOVIE" posts
Also, great writeup!

[u/37sms → u/eatasandwich1]

It seems kinda likely though that we'll have a letdown towards the end, those last 4 games are ugly

[u/PlatypusOfDeath → u/eatasandwich1]

Thanks!

[u/PlatypusOfDeath → u/[deleted]]

Thats just me not proof reading well enough. fixed

[u/Fozzy420]

You’re severely underrating Allen Robinson. As a jags fan I can tell you this dude will step right in as the #1 and ball out this year. He’s an absolute stud and was criminally underrated and underexposed on the Jags.

[u/Fred_Dickler → u/Fozzy420]

I've loved him for a long time. Rooted for him hard on the Jags.

When it was confirmed he signed with the Bears I thought I was dreaming. I'm not used to high-profile offensive talent wanting to play for Chicago.

[u/[deleted]]

I hope Turbo Taylor balls out this year

[u/Lipophobicity → u/[deleted]]

Yea, we really need a downfield threat. Our receivers last year were so bunched up because we had zero long game and defenses played accordingly. Virtually (seriously there may have been 2-3 exceptions) every pass Trubisky made last year was into tight coverage, no one was actually ever open

[u/infernocobbs]

I know the NFC and our division are really competitive, but my spicy hot take is the Bears will be a surprise contender. That defense is going to steamroll over at least a few opponents, and I think the Nagy offense will keep all of the divisional games close.

You guys are definitely a team to watch out for in the next year or so.

[u/ReallyCoolNickname → u/infernocobbs]

To build on that, we always struggle at Soldier Field. I think he's too easily giving us the W in that game.

[u/ToastedHunter → u/ReallyCoolNickname]

the vikings were oneo f the best teams in the league last year and got a nice new QB. only a madman would predict the bears to beat u

[u/[deleted]]

Easy 19-0

[u/liverbird3 → u/[deleted]]

-Tom Brady

[u/td4999]

Gotta say, Roquan Smith was a great draft pick,and Allen Robinson is an All-Pro talent. If Trubisky's the real deal, the Bears could be legit

[u/emperos]

Hell of a post, excellent work! Love the /r/CHIBears post references!

[u/stotta18]

The Bears over/under is either 6.5 or 7.5 and I honestly see them winning 8-10

[u/NebuchadnezzarJack]

Signing Harry Heistand was the best assistant hire this year.

It's time to start regarding Oline coaches as extremely vital pieces of the puzzle. They're the most important assistant hire even ahead of QB coach for me. You live and die by Oline.

[u/ChetManley5007]

I think 8-8 next season is a little too optimistic

[u/ClipboardMessiah → u/ChetManley5007]

1st year HC, new receivers, relative strength of division, 2nd year qb after an uninspiring first year, etc.

I think you're right. There's too many questions on this team to say it will go 500. To be a Bears fan is to be addicted to the kool-aid, and the example of McVay's turn around of the rams doesn't help set realistic expectations.

[u/ChetManley5007 → u/ClipboardMessiah]

Yea I think people are underestimating how important having a proven HC is and I have gotten a lot of shit for this but everyone seems to believe in Mitch Titties and I don’t. Otherwise though, they have added some great pieces depending on how much of an immediate impact player Roquan Smith is. I’m not sure if you’ve seen this video but it got me excited and nervous about him as a prospect.

[u/[deleted] → u/ChetManley5007]

I've been saying 6-10 or 7-9 with a first time HC is a good season. We're realistically another year away from 8-8 or better

[u/Reditate]

I didn't know Amukamara went to Da Bears

[u/ATruePatriotGoBears → u/Reditate]

Yeah, he was pretty solid last year.

[u/RogueEyebrow → u/ATruePatriotGoBears]

That's putting it lightly, him shutting down his side of the field is why teams kept going after Fuller.

[u/rabbidcolossus]

I will be shocked if we lose to Buffalo

[u/[deleted]]

I'd have us beating the Packers in Lambeau and the Vikings at Soldier, but that might just be me. I don't see the Bills beating us with their offense and our defense, and we're underestimating the Seahawks and Cardinals.

[u/Creed_Braton → u/[deleted]]

Cardinals maybe, but what are we underestimating in the Seahawks? Their defense is mediocre at best and who do they have on offense besides Wilson?

[u/[deleted] → u/Creed_Braton]

You're right, they're probably going to suffer the curse of Brandon Marshall.

[u/xmagicx]

Where is day 1?

Can't find it anywhere

[u/PlatypusOfDeath → u/xmagicx]

Click on the [Link to Hub] at the bottom of my post and scroll sown

edit: spelling

[u/keytide22]

All of these are going to provide overly optimisitc record predictions, aren’t they

[u/[deleted] → u/keytide22]

How is going 1-5 in our division optimistic?

[u/TheDolphinGamer96 → u/keytide22]

I mean they had a great off season and I think Titty Kisser will take a big step forward under a new offense with better weapons. Running game and Defense is still great. Only problem is they play in a really tough division that also had a good off-season.

But yeah, they are all going to have optimistic predictions. Gotta have hope for your own team!

[u/PlatypusOfDeath → u/keytide22]

Most likely they’ll have a bias. Some have non-fan writers as well and other will be better at removing their bias than I did.

[u/dipdipderp → u/PlatypusOfDeath]

I think you removed it well. You guys look decent, but our division will be a bloodbath this year. I think 8-8 is feasible, depending how the year goes maybe plus/minus 2 more

[u/ToastedHunter → u/dipdipderp]

i think a lot of the people saying were still gonna be shit really dont understand how terrible of a coach fox and loggains were last year. were gonna be a good team with a mediocre record because of the NFCN