Da Dos

Category: NFL, Bears, Twitter, YouTube, GIF

  • Tim Jenkins Reviews Caleb v Puke WK14

    Tim Jenkins Reviews Caleb v Puke WK14

    Haven’t shared some Tim Jenkins Caleb Williams’ breakdown in a spell. Mostly ’cause Caleb gets sliced and diced more than a frog in a Jr. High Science class.

    But here is a thorough analysis of every Caleb throw vs Puke.

    One. It’s a bit frustrating seeing Caleb throw absolute perfect balls to Cole Kmet on the scramble drill, then Olamide Zaccheaus for that TD with a CB draped all over him; then the very first clip Caleb sails badly, or that last INT to lose the game.

    Caleb is at 52.5% for the last 5 games which is actually LOWER than Kyle Orton [in 2nd yr].

    I keep bringing up Kyle Orton on purpose since I don’t think that’s necessarily an insult. He finished his rook campaign at 51.6%, but more importantly, with a 10-5 record showing that a QB can win as a ‘game manager’. Problem is Orton’s D was much better than this ’25 D. OTOH, ’25 Bears’ D is leading the league in TOs, so it’s basically a wash.

    However, unlike Orton, Caleb has a much livelier arm and mobility which has translated into less sacks and more explosive plays. Needless to say, Caleb just needs to ball from the opening bell. We keep waiting for it to happen, but what if this is just who Caleb is?

    Two: Pure progression vs Post/Pre-Snap Look [PSL]:

    Kurt Warner is a PSL believer. He advocates that the best QBs are the smartest QBs [in the pocket], and that the best way to outsmart a D is to actually diagnose it and take advantage of its particular flaws.

    For instance, we all know that a big hole in the Cover 2 is a TE right up the seam [unless you have Urlacher as the MLB]. So, that TE becomes a QB’s #1 option.

    In a pure progression the #1, #2, #3, etc are already predetermined coming out of the huddle. So it doesn’t matter if they’re playing Cover 2, Cover 3, the reads are locked in.

    Jenkins illustrates the pros and cons of using either in his video.

    Pro. When the PS look is super muddy [Think Dennis Allen on 3rd downs]. 8 defenders all lined up close to LOS, a QB has no clue if they’re going zero blitz, some blitz, falling back to Cover 2, etc

    So, pure progression simplifies it since it barely matters what the D is doing. 1, 2, 3 already baked into the play.

    Con. That final Caleb INT where #1 seemed to be Kmet when maybe it could’ve been altered at the line to DJ [or just straight sprint?]. There’s plenty of other examples in this video alone. How many times throughout the season have we been screaming, “Look, he’s open!” Yes, but maybe he was the 4rth option while Caleb was running for his life.

    “Predetermined” is the keyword. From the outside it looks like Caleb just locks onto a target, but maybe that’s what BJ WANTS him to do [for now].

    Either way, Jenkins does an excellent job of showcasing the debate as well as explaining some of Ben Johnson’s playcalling logic.

  • Bears@Puke WK14 Preview

    Bears@Puke WK14 Preview

    Dec 7, GB. [Preview]
    Total O/U: 44.5
    Puke: -5.5 Favorites
    Sunday 4:25PM EA, Fox
    Booth: Kevin Burkhardt/Brady

    Bears: —————/Pack:
    PPG: 26.1 [8th] ——/ 24.5 [10th]
    PPG allowed: 25.6 [27th] /18.8 [4th]
    TO Margin: +17 [1st] /+4 [T-10th]
    3rd Dwn O: 43.9% [6th] /49.3% [1st]
    3rd Down D: 35.2% [7th] /38.5% [17th]

    As one can see, the teams are evenly matched. Nevertheless, the fact that the Bears are outscoring the Puke through 13 weeks boggles the mind. The biggest discrepancies are that the Bears’ D causes way more TOs but also allows more points.

    While the Packers’ D is avg in stopping 3rd downs but are a top 4 unit in preventing scores.

    So, it seems, as always, the Bears’ D must rely on creating TOs.

    I used to believe they were too fluky to count on, but Dennis Allen [much like ’16 Lovie] has made them a feature – not a bug.

    Keep in mind that the Eagles were #1 in NOT turning it over, yet the Bears still managed to literally pry the ball away on their staple Tush-Push as Byard racked-up another INT to lead the NFL. Bears’ D gets gashed, but by hook-or-crook, they pounce on the pigskin.

    Bears’ redzone O: 58.5% [T-15th] avg.
    Packers’ rz O: 67.4% [3rd] very potent

    Bears’ RZ D: 61% [26th]Need to create TOs
    Puke RZ D: 59.4% [21st] Could be shoot-out

    INJ reports. [Will be updated in comments]

    QB Tale of the Tape:
    Love:———Caleb
    67%-Comp%-58.1%
    2,794–YDs— 2,722
    19/3–TD/INT– 17/5
    164–Rush Yds 306
    0—–Rush TDs 3
    104.3-QB Rating 88.2

    Looks like shadowboxing. Their stats are eerily similar. While Love better than Caleb in comp% and passer rating, Caleb the superior runner, escape artist and off-kilter thrower. In addition, gotta factor-in that GB has spent 5 yrs cultivating Love, including learning from a HOFer from the bench, while Caleb is only in his 2nd year and already with his 4rth OC. I am a little surprised Love hasn’t thrown many INTs given that he has 11 of them in both ’23 and ’24. However, friendly reminder that coming into Black Friday, Jaylen Hurts only threw ONE INT, so Wright, Byard et al don’t give a damn about your stats.

    Run game:

    Obviously, the Bears own a big advantage here. Swift YPC=4.8 and Monangai=4.9 coming off a dominating performance vs a stout Eagles’ Dline

    That being said, the Pack cock-blocked Gibbs, keeping him at 3.4 YPC/68 Total while season long are limiting HBs to under 4.0 YPC, so it’ll be strength-vs-strength. Who is mas macho?

    I hope to gawd Ben Johnson sticks to the run and limits the shotgun formations. You don’t want Micah Parsons [12.5 sks] flying off the edge vs Ozzy Trapilo. As such, I expect lots of TE/HB chipping with a healthy dose of quick screens towards Parsons’ side.

    BJ was also cooking with the misdirections vs Philly. It totally slowed down Zach Baun and aggressive Philly D; added wrinkle, BJ has put enough “trick plays” on tape to make any DC think twice about just teeing-off.

    Goff had a good game vs Packers [if not for some major drops]; ergo, if the O works off that PA, Caleb can likewise strike tactically as he did vs Philly.

    Bears’ run D, despite backup LBs and thin Dline, held Barkley to 4.3 YPC and 53 yds total. O dominating TOP contributed to that no doubt.

    However, most of us watched the Packers-Lions’ game, and Jacobs looked strong with 4.9 YPC /83 YDs total; Jacobs also ran for 5.7 YPC vs Giants, and 5.1 vs Panthers, so he’s picking up steam in chilly weather.

    What worries me more is Jordan Love looked like a top-3 QB vs a stiff Lions’ D in Detroit. He made ballsy throws on clutch downs sans INTs – very reminiscent of his predecessor. Love went off for 234, 4TDs, 0 SKs [in 30 pass attempts] for 124.2 Rating.

    So the key will be two fold. Make sure Jacobs doesn’t get going and force Love to become prime-Rodgers. With any luck, he reverts to drunk-Favre and starts chucking INTs.

    Like with the Eagles, all the pressure will be on THEM. The tighter and later it gets, the better it will be for the Bears since they’re used to being the junkyard dogs no one wants lurking.

    The Bears haven’t been the #1 seed in the NFC this late since…’16!

    Mano de Sweetness

  • Bear-less Sunday WK13

    Bear-less Sunday WK13

    “Taking a Peek into the Holidays”

    Considering the last time two Bears’ running backs rushed for 100+ ea, thought this apropos. When Sweetness was dying, Suhey used to drive by his house to check-in. Sweetness would be lying on his couch, then at a certain time of day, raise his hand, stick up his middle-finger; Suhey could see it through the window, knew he was still kicking and keep driving.

    They would be proud of the trucking this past Black Friday.

    Since Packers and Lions already played, that leaves the Vikings who scare no one going forward.

    Still on a Friday high, so in case you thought you were hallucinating about the Bears crushing the defending world champs in Philly, here’s a great seg from the Eagles’ side.

    “It wasn’t just that they were able to defeat us with physicality; it was scheme. They were putting guys in motion…seemed like the DEs didn’t know if they were going left or right…reverses, jet sweeps…they had no answer for duo [double-teams] while Monangai was just knocking guys out. It was Embarrassing” – Barrett Brooks

    “Most rushing yards against the Eagles since 1973. Most in Philly since 1962. I think today we saw what a real [Bears’] offense looks like, efficient, unpredictable, creative, inventive, keeps you off balance ” – Reuben Frank

    “Philly invested so much in that d-line, and they just got mauled. Power-football, Bully-ball – and we just took it.” – Jaws

    It sounds like the Bears fomented a complete existential crisis for the Eagles. I guess it ain’t always sunny in Philly…

    Enjoy your R&R, boys…

  • Bounceback Bears!

    Bounceback Bears!

    Everyone’s trying to create a great nickname for the ’25 Bears. “Cardiac Cubs” [meh]. “Comeback Kids” [trite]. One I did fancy was “The Cocaine Bears“:

    “They’re never dead, and like a cocaine addicted bear, they self-destruct before wreaking havoc around everyone around them…for the win.” [11:08]

    However, I’ll just go with the Bounceback Bears.

    For starters, they have absolutely bouncebacked from that abysmal ’24 season in which Matt Eberflus found innovative ways to snatch losses from the jaws of victory to the point where he became the first HC EVER in Bears’ history to get terminated midseason.

    Mind you, the Bears have been around since Coca-Cola laced their drinks with actual coke, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, and Prohibition passed. It’s even more impressive when one recalls the clown-car of HCs in that time span[cough, Trestman].

    The disastrous season culminated in THREE different OCs and 68 sacks which ranks 3rd all-time.

    In addition, we must remember the infuriating way Flus called defense: rarely blitzing, playing the CBs 5 yards off, essentially gifting every team free crossers, always reactive, soft, and flaccid which no beard makeover could fix.

    Who can forget when on a key play Flus made a DT cover an athletic TE, or basically bending over vs Washington leading to that infamous Hail Mary?

    Fast forward to now…

    Enter the 2025 Bears. They already have FIVE comeback victories.

    And they’re not your ho-hum, run-of-the-mill, comebacks either.

    They’re crazy catches [Loveland], walk off blocked FGs [Raiders], snatched fumbled snaps [Washington], Duvernay KR [Vikings], 26 YD shanked punt [Giants].

    I still don’t think my heart has recovered from that Bengals game alone.

    How many times did we say to ourselves in the 3rd QTR, “Here we go again. Same ole Bears. It’s over…” Yet it was only beginning.

    Say what you will about the Bears, but they’re dramatic must-watch TV.

    And entertaining!

    Sure, they’re about as fun as massive turbulence, learning how to drive in a stick-shift, approaching a hot girl, or surfing a tsunami…

    But fun nonetheless!

    And in the end, isn’t that the whole point of sports?

    I remember playing at the parks, and some chads were just waaaay too competitive. Don’t get me wrong, I was competitive too [no one who plays sports isn’t competitive to some degree], but I wasn’t going to FIGHT over it – or go to my car to dig for weapons.

    Mostly though, park-ball was an organic energetic activity with tons of synergistic highs: it was jazz.

    Organized sports OTOH was like joining a military marching band. All about winning, structure, PAIN.

    I didn’t begin playing sports to suffer. I never had Tiger Woods’ dad brainwashing me since I was 10 months old, dragging me out to golf at 5AM like some Marine Drill Instructor when I should be eating cereal and watching cartoons in my Spider-Man undies [fast forward to what happens to such ppl like Tiger or Michael Jackson].

    I admit that PRO athletes are indeed getting paid to win; however, I am not getting paid to watch, nor was I getting paid to play.

    I played sports because – it was fun.

    As I’m sure most of us did.

    Winning came later, and don’t get me wrong, WINNING is great, but it’s more like sex in a marriage: the spice, not the meal.

    If I gave it my all, and got beat, well – I got beat. That’s life.

    If a 6’4, 220 college power-forward is posting me up, not much a 5’9, 175 point-guard can do about it – even if you’re Allen Iverson.

    That’s life.

    And because that’s life, many of us turn to watching sports where it’s SUPPOSED to be an even playing field; where players step on the stage to flaunt their athletic prowess and leave us in wonderment and awe.

    For 3 brief hours we are transported to the sublime.

    All I ask every Bears’ season is for them to be relevant by Thanksgiving. That’s it.

    They don’t have to become a juggernaut, go undefeated, or remake the ’85 season [would be awesome!]…

    Simply be a viable playoff contender every Thanksgiving instead of the butt of jokes [don’t get me started on the Bear memes] or worse, my friends putting their hands on my shoulder offering condolences for 30 years straight.

    The ’25 Bears are relevant in late November.

    Bill Parcells used to say that the real season starts after Thanksgiving, but you know, we’ll get to that.

    For now, I’m going to take a moment of zen and cherish this wild season. They don’t strike very often [last one may have been the Dick Jauron 13-win season 24 years ago].

    So let’s all appreciate the 7-3, NFCN leading, Bounce Back Bears!

    And pass the statins…

  • Bears@Vikings Game Preview

    Bears@Vikings Game Preview

    Minny leads series 69-58-2

    By the numbers:

    Bears’ O 26.6 PPG [7th] Can you believe it!

    Week 1 Vikes beat Bears 27-24

    -JJ 143 YDS, 2TDs, 1 INT, 1 Rush TD, 98.5 Rating
    -Caleb 210 YDS, 1 TD, 86.6 Rating

    Vikings’ Pass D allows 102.7 Rating to opposing QBs [24rth]. They only have 3 INTs the whole season. In addition, they have also allowed 24+ points in past 4 games.

    So in theory, this should be a favorable matchup for Caleb through the air.

    Despite this, they boast an athletic front which held Lamar Jackson, arguably the most efficient QB, to 58%, 176 YDs, 1 TD

    Their run D seems a bit more stout holding King Henry to 75 yds, 3.8 ypc. Season long they concede 4.2 ypc [16th].

    JJ McCarthy has been held to a sub 83 QB rating in last 3 games [54.5 vs Ravens] and is going to play with a bruised hand that has limited his practice.

    He has also been sacked 11 times in previous 2 games. Bears have racked up 3+ sacks in back-to-back games, but the key will be if JJ holds on to the ball.

    What should worry Bears more is Vikings rushed for 167 YDs [6.7 ypc] vs Ravens as JJ contributed 48. Given how Dart – darted around – hopefully the D practiced setting the edge, contain, and RPOs.

    Season-long Bears’ D is giving up 5.2 ypc [29th], and if Edwards remains out, you bet your ass the Vikings are going to want to limit JJ passing as much as possible and attack Jarrett/Chris Williams/Sewell every chance they get.

    This is where the Caleb gauntlet begins. Like Hercules and his 12 Labors, Caleb will need to prove himself in order to relieve a lot traumatized Bear fans.

    X-Factor

    Bears played a relatively clean game vs Gmen [3 accepted flags], but will this carry over on the road in a raucous stadium? The Bears NEED to start winning some of these div games [they’re 0-2 currently] in order to stay atop the division or ahead on the WC race with tie-breakers.

    Let the labors commence!

    Overtime. Michael Franzese is a former Columbo cappo who was heavily involved with athletes gambling. If you even watched ONE mafia flick, you know that gambling is YUGE in that culture, so this is his take on what’s rocking the NBA and MLB.

    “My dad told me there’s three things that can kill you: wine, gambling, and women. Watch all three of them.“

  • The Promised Land

    The Promised Land

    “Charlie Wilson’s War” is a criminally underrated movie. It’s about the CIA funding the Mujahideen in Afghanistan; it’s so absurd, it has to be true. Spoiler alert – it didn’t end well!

    Well, one scene specifically is cinematic magic in the hands of the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

    This is how I feel about the Caleb Williams’ journey.

    Rookie year was up and down as Caleb definitely held on to the ball for too long resulting in a whopping 68 sacks [3rd most all time], but he did steer Bears to some late-time heroics including defeating GB in the finale.

    Nevertheless, the whole fiasco of going through 3 different OCs and Flus mid-season firing made it impossible to objectively evaluate.

    Up and down. Up and down.

    “We’ll see.”

    2025. First game he essentially gets outplayed by a raw JJ McCarthy. Then crushed by the Lions.

    He sucks!

    “We’ll see.”

    Later Caleb goes off on toothless Dallas.

    He’s great!

    “We’ll see.”

    Tyler Huntley comes off the Practice Squad and outduels him.

    Heck, often this rollercoaster spins us through loops in a single game.

    Bear games should come with the same warning: do not ride if you have a heart condition or abnormal blood pressure.

    Jaxson Dart, a rook on an awful team with a walking-dead HC, looked better than Caleb. Blame drops, BJ, wind, Tall Whites…don’t matter, Dart still looked sharper passing and running than Caleb [Flacco didn’t look too shabby in comparison either].

    Then Comeback Caleb dons his cape, and we know the rest.

    So where does that leave us?

    “We’ll see.”

    One thing is certain: through 10 weeks, the Bears have played some of the softest defenses.

    Jared@CinnamonJared
    ·
    The bears strength of schedule is .351 (next closest is Buffalo at .407) and their strength of victory is .272 (next closest is the jets at .278)

    Both easiest in the entire league

    Our very own Zombie posted this in-depth commentary:

    —————
    I know we’re all excited about being relevant this “late” in a season. Perhaps some perspective?

    Here are the records of Bears opponents thus far, not including the games against the Bears.

    The teams that beat the Bears
    Detroit: 5-3
    Minnesota: 3-5
    Baltimore: 3-5
    Aggregate: 11-13 (.458)

    Teams the Bears beat:
    Cowboys: 3-4-1
    Bengals: 3-5
    Commanders: 3-6
    Raiders: 2-6
    Saints: 2-7
    Giants: 2-7
    Aggregate: 15-35-1 (.304)

    Grand aggregate: .353

    In other words, bottom feeding. If you add the Bears games, the winning percentage of the opponents is 29-54-1, a mighty .351.

    Of course, you can only play who is on the schedule.

    But, clearly we ain’t done nothin’ yet.

    ———-
    Zombie is not alone. Twitter is brimming with [illiterate] doomers:

    Needless to say, the future SOS doesn’t get easier.

    “Front-runners” is a word floating around the Bears like Drakkar Noir at a gaudy discotheque.

    The other standard ‘slander’ on Caleb is that he wouldn’t need to be Captain Comeback if he actually played well for the other 3 QTRs.

    Or that despite the D spotting him 3 extra possessions, he still barely beats horrendous defenses.

    Common counters – Caleb only in his sophomore season, new to BJ-system, LT is some Canadian walk-on, he’s cut down his sack rate from 10.8 to 4.6 , unfair to compare to Maye, ‘this is a hit piece!’…

    And round-n-round we go.

    A lot of us may live in a Bear echo-chamber, but perhaps the sole good thing about Twitter is that one can see the haters from every echo-chamber!

    So what does this all mean?

    Simple. Caleb must prove the doubters wrong down the stretch.

    It won’t be about stats, comp %, EPA, “4K!” or other nerdanomics.

    Maybe not even about wins and losses.

    Caleb’s rating could hit 158.3 the rest of the way, and it won’t matter in the win column if the defense gets lit up by SB contenders like the Lions, Eagles, 9ers, Pack [2X]…while Specials continue to struggle as flags fly.

    Of course, we’re all going to be pulling for Caleb. How awesome would it be for him to rise above the criticism – to grow before our eyes and totally dominate from anthem to fade to black…

    To transfigure into that mythical elite QB we’ve all been waiting for so long…

    The franchise-messiah to finally lead us to the SB Promised-Land…

    Will he deliver?

    “We’ll see.”

  • Overtime Giants

    Overtime Giants

    Update. Bears are now tied for #1 with the Lions in the NFCN!

    Few additional take-aways from Sunday.

    1. Bears seemingly always get shafted with penalties.

    The refs didn’t hesitate to throw a roughing passer on Sewell when it was basically against the laws of physics for him to avoid the hit.

    Yet same refs, same games, didn’t throw the flag on Giants’ defender doing his best Sagat Tiger Knee to Caleb’s head.

    The crowd let the refs know it too. Think it was collectively getting the red-headed step child treatment for seemingly forever. I don’t know what Ben Johnson can do without getting fined, but SOMETHING must be done about this apparent unfavorable treatment. This game was relatively flag-less for Bears, but history says It could cost the Bears a playoff spot, or even a WC win down the line.

    2. Caleb scrambled more

    Cbear said he’d like to see Caleb run it more when it’s not there [+ to get down quickly], and BJ must’ve heard as Caleb seemed to scramble more.

    It wasn’t accidental either.

    Courtney Cronin
    DJ Moore on why the Bears are seeing an increase of critical scrambles from Caleb Williams: “I think he got the green light to go ahead and use his legs more because teams are playing 2-mans, quarters and man-to-man, so he can just be able to get out with his legs and be another weapon.”

    In other words, unlike Trubisky and Fields, Caleb‘s arm is forcing Ds off the LOS which opens up runlanes for him and the HBs. It’s also worth noting that they’re scrambles not designed Dart-runs which gets him killed every week. Caleb seems to only really resort to scrambles when absolutely necessary [unlike Fields].

    3. BJ needs to cut Olamide Zacchaeus‘ snaps and give them to Burden and Loveland.

    • Find some alternative to Sewell. Teams are just gonna keep attacking him in the pass which also stresses the run D
    • Jarrett snaps also need to be reduced. Seems like every time he’s in, a big play pops. Problem is Chris Williams ain’t it either. Bears may just be stuck here.
    • More run por favor, BJ

    Game balls.

    1. Caleb Offense
    2. CJ Gardner-Johnson Defense

    Shot out to Montez Sweat for his 4.5 sack in last 4 games; he’s absolutely not Dayoing it.

    On that note some are saying Ryan Poles needs to revamp the D. I’m not sure he’s CAPABLE of it. Dayo and Jarrett are going to cost the cap in ’26 $20M/$19M respectively.

    The wind was a big factor in the game. It forced both teams to go for it instead of settle for FGs.

    Result? They were a combined 2-8 in successfully converting a 4rth down which I think is least efficient 4rth down conversion rate in a few years. They essentially turned it over a combined 6 times on downs alone.

    Maybe Darnell Wright needs to start a political podcast named, “No Spin Zone”!

  • Mid-Term Grades ’25

    Mid-Term Grades ’25

    It’s halfway through the Bears’ 2025 season; as such, it’s enough of a sample size to grade.

    TLDW2R:

    A dynamic team on O and D with subpar specials.

    Now, “dynamic” doesn’t necessarily equal “excellent.”

    1. Dynamic:(of a process or system) characterized by constant change, activity, or progress.


    Offense:

    The Bears score 26.9 PPG [6th]
    YDs per game. 378.4 [4rth]
    Rush Yds per game. 144.4 [2nd]
    Sacks allowed. 14 [T-6th fewest]

    For me scoring [and preventing scores] are weighted heavily. I don’t care if they run 60 times a game, pass it 60 times, operate a wishbone/rpo/statue of liberty offense.

    This ain’t the Olympics. No style points. Results are results.

    Grade: B+

    Nevertheless, Bears need to absolutely clean up the presnap penalties.

    We should also keep in mind the strength of schedule [SOS] as it’s going to get significantly harder down the stretch.

    Caleb Williams’ watch:

    He looks to be improving even if marginally. I’ll share a bunch of stats on him, but my take thus far –

    Caleb seems more comfortable in the pocket [esp with the opening scripted plays]but still needs to improve with ball placement, anticipation, and decision making.

    A reg posted Caleb in wins/losses, so here’s what I found.

    I was also curious what Caleb’s rating is vs Dallas/Cincy and what it is vs every other team. It’s important because both Dallas and Cincy are historically awful defensively.

    It’s like Trubisky facing the Bucs twice that season and could totally throw off reality in such a short sample size.

    vs CIN/DAL. Pass Rtg=131
    vs Others. Pass Rtg=81.5

    [the latter is worse than Fields, Penix, Tua, Rattler, Wentz, and Flacco…]

    One MAJOR difference between Caleb and his predecessors [Trubisky/Fields] is that I don’t turn-off the TV if the Bears need a final 2-minute drive. Caleb seems to thrive in the crunch, and that can’t be quantified by stats.

    Eli, Flacco and Hurts aren’t exactly first ballot HOFers, but they were money when it counted and now own SB rings; heck, if Grossman and Cutler were that clutch, they would own SB rings too. So arrow pointing up.

    I’ll post the D/Specials manana.

  • Welcome, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka!

    Welcome, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka!

    DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is now a Bear.

    Details.

    I honestly never even heard of Shoyinka, so I’m not going to pretend to be a Shoyinka expert. Here’s what cold hard stats and some scouting eyes input.

    I’m relieved Poles didn’t throw a 2nd for Jermaine Johnson. The ‘rumors’ were about him, but apparently the Jets stuck to demanding a 2nd, and Poles didn’t cave.

    Nevertheless, why didn’t Poles offer a 3rd, which would’ve been higher than an Eagles’ 3rd, for Jaelan Philips?

    It also appears that Poles’ #1 target was Jeffery Simmons; however Simmons had a shortlist Bears weren’t on. I don’t fancy the rejection, but I very much like that Poles coveted Simmons. Shows he’s active and eagle-eyed.

    All-in-all?


    Shoyinka is merely a Dennis Allen [6’5 260 + wingspan] body. A young former first rounder with upside who cost practically nothing.

    His stats are actually eerily comparable to Dayo Odeyingbo but at least he’s not costing the Bears $48M.

    This feeling is like being at a car dealership. You’ve done all your research, calculated your budget, cross-priced, and settled on buying a used Toyota Camry.

    You get to the lot and right next to your Camry is a spanking brand new cherry red convertible sport’s car with plush leather bucket seats, electric everything and glowing…

    You drive off with your beige Camry telling yourself, “I didn’t overspend…I didn’t overspend…”

  • Bears Sign C.J. Gardner Johnson

    Bears Sign C.J. Gardner Johnson

    Yes, THAT C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Besides Javon Wimms punching him, C.J. also got the immortal Anthony Miller ejected from a playoff game.

    C.J. Gardner-Johnson most definitely has been productive when on the field.

    He’s big [5’11, 210], long and rangy. Still relatively young [27]. Versatile: can cover, tackle, blitz – play FS, CB, and NB. This helps with the uncertainty of both Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson [NTM J.J.]. Playing for Dennis Allen on the Saints also greatly expedites his learning curve which is, uhhhmm, about 4 days.

    He absolutely contributed to the Eagles’ SB run; they still love him in Philly [fits right in], but now C.J. has become a journeyman, and it isn’t for lack of talent, so what gives?

    Character flags.

    He’s a mouthy agitator on the field, and who the hell knows what off it, but Allen [who greenlit drafting him] and Ben Johnson apparently believe they can manage him.

    I like this signing. It’s a high upside-immediate need move that didn’t cost any draft capital or major cap.

    If C.J. wears out his welcome in a month, well, hopefully by then Stevenson and Gordon are healthy.

    This also is more evidence that B.J. seems more in charge of roster build than Ryan Poles. As we all know, most Bear GMs only want Boy Scouts. Now, this could simply be ‘any swinging d*%k’ desperation at DB, but it could foreshadow that future Bears may not have to be Ned Flanders.

    In addition Bears signed DE Jonathan Garvin to PS [probably because Shemar Turner was put on IR with a torn ACL while Dominque Robinson is sidelined for a few weeks with a high-ankle strain].

    Garvin’s 6’4, 257, 26 yrs old and was the 242nd overall pick in ’20.

    Chicago signed native CB Dallis Flowers. 6’1, 196, UFDA, 28 who also returns kicks [ran a 4.43].

    TE Steven Carlson [mostly a blocking TE/FB] also back.

    Overtime:

    ‘Caleb won’t bust. He’s too talented for that. The bigger fear is that he turns into Kyler Murray or Trevor Lawrence – a QB who fails to live up to expectations but still starts. A guy who’s going to cost $45M/yr to be the 15th best QB’ – Danny Parkins

    I honestly don’t know what’s the best solution to get Caleb Williams out of this funk. Y’all know my M.O.

    Sit them as rooks for as long as humanly possible, preferably a whole year like Mahomes. Needless to say, this assumes competent coaching and continuity which Poles failed to provide Caleb.

    However, plenty of QBs who started day 1 have prospered [Peyton, Burrow, et al], so playing through the rough times is equally viable.

    I sorta suspect the benching Caleb so he can learn ship has sailed [like his accuracy. Zing!]

    In for a penny, in for a pound, comes to mind.

    That being said, if B.J. decides Caleb needs to sit for a few games, then fine. For those arguing Caleb can’t learn anything from a brief sabbatical or a younger player, Sam Darnold partially credited his turn-around to learning from a younger Brock Purdy, specifically about being more of a point-guard as opposed to an ESPN highlight. Sound familiar?

    Most likely outcome will be Caleb keeps taking his lumps and hopefully progressing.

    Either way, I just want Caleb to ball.
    It would suck major azz to know Maye, Daniels and Bo were better options.

    Helllllooo drafting Cendrunk instead of Rodgers, Trubisky over Mahomes….

    With that in mind