Da Dos

Tag: Bears

  • Manmas ’26! RD1

    Manmas ’26! RD1

    Draft 2026!

    Matt Miller [correctly guessed Loveland last draft while everyone was picking Dline or TE Tyler Warren]Mock for Bears:

    Initially Peter Woods.

    1. Peter Woods, DE, Clemson.

    Now he’s changed it to OT Caleb Lomu

    Fowler’s intel: Lomu is a popular name in league circles in the back half of Round 1. He is on the radar of the Eagles, Lions, Texans and 49ers, among others.

    Biggsy mocks DE Zion Young
    Fishbain mocks OT Caleb Lomu
    Schrager mocks DE T.J. Parker

    ==The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain== succinctly surveys viable Bear targets using colleague Dane Brugler’s “Beast.”

    Round 1, Pick No. 25

    Positions of need:

    Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon (No. 18)— “A durable, versatile safety who could start in almost any coach’s defensive scheme.”

    Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama (No. 19)— “Boasts an exciting foundation, but needs his discipline and technique to catch up.”

    Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo (No. 23)— “A rangy, wiry safety with impressive speed who may see NFL reps as a rookie.”

    Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah (No. 25)— “Needs more strength, technique and grit, but NFL teams are intrigued with his upside.”

    Akheem Mesidor, edge, Miami (No. 28)— “A disruptive force and likely three-down starter, despite age and injury concerns.”

    Blake Miller, OT, Clemson (No. 29)— “Has the physical traits, football IQ and toughness that NFL teams will bet on every time.”

    T.J. Parker, edge, Clemson (No. 31)— “Still learning some moves, but offers playmaking potential against both run and pass.”

    Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State (No. 32)— “A dominant run defender who will be immediately useful on early downs — if not more.”

    Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State (No. 33)— “Fluid athlete for his size, but may need a year of development before being NFL-ready.”

    Peter Woods, DT, Clemson (No. 35)— “An explosive tackle who must improve his consistency at the next level.”

    Malachi Lawrence, edge, UCF (No. 36)— “A bit older than teams may like, but a skillful pass rusher and tough against the run.”

    Zion Young, edge, Missouri (No. 37)— “Won’t scare too many NFL tackles, but sets a firm edge and may find a starting role.”

    CBs [gawd help us]

    Jermod McCoy, Tennessee (No. 14)— “Missed 2025 with a torn ACL, but looked like an NFL starter pre-injury.”

    Chris Johnson, San Diego State (No. 24)— “Hyperaware with instinctive eyes; should compete for a starting role on day one.”

    Colton Hood, Tennessee (No. 30)— “A balanced, scrappy athlete who can attach himself to receivers; likely an early starter.”

    ====SIMMs’ Top 5===
    LTs:Tier I

    1. LT Monroe Freeling [Georgia]
    2. OG/RT Mauigoa [Miami]
    3. OT Max Iheanachor [Arizona State]
      Tier II
    4. OT Kadyn Proctor [Bama]
    5. LT/OT Caleb Lomu [Utah]

    DTs:Tier I

    1. Kayden McDonald 6’2, 326 (Ohio State)
      Tier II
    2. Christen Miller 6’0, 310 (Georgia)
    3. Caleb Banks 6’6, 327(Florida)
    4. Domonique Orange 6’2, 325 (Iowa State)
      Tier III
    5. 5.Lee Hunter 6’3, 330 (Texas Tech)

    DEs:

    1. Arvell Reese (Ohio State)
    2. Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami):
    3. David Bailey (Texas Tech):

    DEs Bears can actually draft

    1. Zion Young (Missouri):.
    2. Cashius Howell (Tex A&M) 30″arms

    Popularly mocked to Bears:

    A. Malachi Lawrence, UCF
    B. T.J. Parker, Clemson
    C. Keldric Faulk, Auburn

    Schrager’s [national insider]final Mock

    ==========
    Joel Klatt’s Top 50 [starting at 11 for Bears]

    ==========

    1. EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
    2. TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon
    3. CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
    4. WR Omar Cooper, Indiana
    5. OL Spencer Fano, Utah
    6. OG Vega Ioane, Penn State
    7. OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia
    8. OT Blake Miller, Clemson
    9. S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
    10. EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami
    11. S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
    12. OL Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
    13. WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
    14. WR Denzel Boston, Washington
    15. EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
    16. EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn
    17. DT Caleb Banks, Florida
    18. OT Caleb Lomu, Utah
    19. DT Peter Woods, Clemson
    20. LB CJ Allen, Georgia
    21. WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
    22. QB Ty Simpson, Alabama
    23. CB Colton Hood, Tennessee
    24. EDGE TJ Parker, Clemson
    25. CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson
    26. DT Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
    27. OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
    28. DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
    29. LB Anthony Hill, Texas
    30. LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
    31. EDGE R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
    32. EDGE Zion Young, Missouri
    33. RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
    34. WR Germie Bernard, Alabama
    35. S Treydan Stukes, Arizona
    36. CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State
    37. EDGE Malachi Lawrence, UCF
    38. CB Keionte Scott, Miami
    39. CB Brandon Cisse, South Carolina
    40. CB D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana
  • NFL’s Big Stick

    NFL’s Big Stick

    Reg piece via GP

    The NFL’s Leverage: How They Can Actually Threaten McCaskeys

    1. Relocation Vote — The Nuclear Option

    Under the NFL’s relocation policy (last formalized after the Raiders/Rams/Chargers moves), a team cannot relocate without a 3/4 owner vote — 24 of 32 owners must approve. The league could simply tell the Bears: “We will whip the votes against you.” The McCaskeys know how this played out when Oakland and San Diego tried to block the Raiders and Chargers — owners are notoriously unsympathetic to teams that didn’t “exhaust local options.” The NFL could credibly argue the Bears haven’t done that, given Illinois keeps putting offers on the table.

    1. The Relocation Fee

    When the Rams, Raiders, and Chargers moved, they paid relocation fees in the range of $550M–$650M each. The NFL could signal they intend to impose a maximum fee — potentially north of a billion dollars given the Bears’ market size. Chicago is the #3 market in the country. Losing the Bears to Indiana (technically still the Chicagoland area, but still) would set a wildly destabilizing precedent. The fee alone could crater the financial math of the Hammond deal.

    1. Stripping Marquee Events

    The NFL controls Super Bowl bids, Pro Bowls, and Draft locations. A new Bears stadium is essentially being built around hosting Super Bowls and Final Fours — it’s core to Kevin Warren’s whole pitch. The league could quietly signal that a Hammond stadium, built partly as leverage against Illinois rather than through good-faith negotiation, won’t be in the Super Bowl rotation for years. That wrecks the revenue projections in the financing model.

    1. “Chicago Bears” Name/Brand — The Soft Threat

    This one is rarely discussed but has teeth: the NFL could raise the question of whether a team that moves to Hammond, Indiana can still be called the “Chicago Bears.” Technically the NFL controls the franchise, and while it’s never been fully litigated, the league pressured the Raiders to eventually return to Oakland branding history and the Chargers faced enormous blowback keeping “Los Angeles.” It’s unlikely to be a hard block, but the league could make the Bears’ identity in Indiana murky and uncomfortable — and the McCaskeys know the “Chicago Bears” brand is worth enormous amounts.

    1. Scheduling Disadvantages / Primetime Leverage

    Less formal but real — the NFL controls primetime slots. A team that just burned its #3 market on a controversial state-line hop could find itself getting far fewer Sunday/Monday night games. That’s TV revenue. It’s petty but it’s real.

    1. “Exhaust Local Options” Requirement

    The NFL’s relocation guidelines explicitly require teams to demonstrate they’ve made a good-faith effort to reach a stadium solution in their current market before the league will approve a move. The NFL could argue the Bears short-circuited the Illinois process — Illinois was reportedly close to a deal and the Bears themselves asked Springfield to pause the hearing on the megaproject bill to “tweak” it. If the Bears killed their own deal, the NFL has cover to say the good-faith standard wasn’t met.

    OT: Stadium Update

    State representative Kam Buckner, who has been spearheading negotiations on the stadium issues, joined 104.3 The Score’s Mully & Haugh on Friday to discuss the stadium bill, and he believes a resolution is going to come quickly. “As the old church folks used to say, ‘Soon and very soon,’” Buckner said when asked about a possible deadline. “I don’t know exactly when we’re going to get this done, but listen, when I say we’re on the punch list stuff, we are there. We got another day here in Springfield where we’re going to hammer some other things out. Next week is a big week for us…I think we’ll have some good news in short order.”

  • CHI Defeats GB 31-27. NOT the Same Ole Bears!

    CHI Defeats GB 31-27. NOT the Same Ole Bears!

    I don’t even know where to begin! I am ecstatic!

    So I’ll just post a quick victory Saturday thread!

    Bearlieve and Bear Down!

    Bears offense in the 4Q vs the Packers:

    🐻 4 drives
    🐻 3 TDs
    🐻 1 FG

    Outscored Green Bay 28-6 in the second half 😳-PFF

  • Rapid Reax: Bears’ D closes out Steelers. 8-3

    Rapid Reax: Bears’ D closes out Steelers. 8-3

    Seems Mike Tomlin was playing games about Rodgers starting. Though some argue the ‘drop off’ isn’t much to Rudolph at this point in their careers.

    D’Marco Jackson wore the green dot and racked up 15 tackles!

    That seems to be the theme for the Steelers’ game. “Next Man Up.”

    Theo down, Ozzy steps up
    All the LBs go down, Jackson and Co step up
    Jonah Jackson goes down temprorily, Luuuuke Newman steps up…

    Trapilo specifically seems to have held his own:

    Ryan Fowler@_RyanFowler_

    LT for Chicago has been a weak spot along a rebuilt front five this fall… but not today. Heck of an afternoon for rookie Ozzy Trapilo against a veteran Steelers front (41 pass pro snaps): • 1 pressure • 0 sacks • 0 QB hits ~ 88.4 pass pro effectiveness grade

    The offense had a chance to close it out by getting a measly first down, but they failed to do so, leaving it to the D to save the game. This is both worrying and comforting. Worrisome in that the Offense and not the Defense is supposed to be the strength of this team. Reassuring in that despite the Mash Unit on defense, they did indeed stop the Steelers from even attempting a FG.

    The run game wasn’t dominant, but it did enough. It may have done more if the runs were actually better executed [especially when Monangai tripped].

    The Bears are a somewhat sloppy team. Seems like they pull-off every win with bailing wire and duct-tape. Nevertheless they have WON 8 of 9 and still have yet to produce a complete game.

    One thing though is Caleb Williams’ accuracy must improve. Remember, the stated goal in August was that he reach 70%. No way he sniffs that. It feels that at spells he sleep walks, missing badly, then suddenly wakes up and becomes Marino. No clue how BJ fixes that, but it definitely needs fixing if they don’t want Eagles, Puke or Lions to embarrass them. They’re not going to spot the Bears free QTRs ’til Caleb snaps into action.

    FIRST ROUND MOCK@firstroundmock

    Caleb Williams sub 60% completion percentage…Again.

    Last 8 games:

    • 59.5%
    • 58.6%
    • 57.7%
    • 65.8%
    • 58.8%
    • 55.6%
    • 50.0%
    • 54.3%

      Caleb and Rome particularly seem to be on different pages. Rome needs to play like a top 10 pick.

    Needless to say, Caleb can’t take any more of these.

    Overall however, Caleb’s been productive. He’s not efficient, but he’s clutch in spots which has translated to wins.

    8-3 boys, and top of the NFCN. All that matters. Special shot out to Dennis Allen for MacGyvering the Defense.

    Enjoy victory Monday!

  • 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…

  • Rapid Recap: Bears Beat Raiders

    Rapid Recap: Bears Beat Raiders

    Photo courtesy of AP News

    What a WILD game. I think this was the craziest game since that infamous Zona circa 2006.

    Talk about the Raiders letting Bears off the hook!

    Ashton Jeanty rushed for 128 yds, 1 TD, 6.5 per along with TWO rec TDs

    The #1 key was to stop or minimally contain Jeanty; they failed miserably.

    And before you crown his ass, a 33 yr old Raheem Mostert rushed 4 times for 62 yds at a mindboggling 15.5 per carry. They may as well have been Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl

    Raiders rushed for a total of 240 yds.7.7 avg yet somehow managed to still lose!

    Bears@Raiders Highlights

    I have way too many thoughts on the game to squeeze into one post but few pertinent notes.

    1. The Bears came out slow. I think they had 97 yds total in the first half despite the D spotting them great field position. Four times they started in Raider territory yet flopped.

    This was a combo of Nagyesque small-ball, Crosby scud, dropped passes, batted throws, miscues and way too many stupid penalties. Kmet especially did his best Kellen Davis impression.


    2. Raiders blitzed over 9 times, which was more in one half than Flus the entire game previously; it rattled Caleb. He looked uncomfortable, making iffy decisions [including on RPOs] and off throws. When he did scramble, his cast didn’t help him much. It was all discombobulated.

    3. The run game stunk! 69 yd total, 2.7 avg. Ben Johnson reverted to Nagy-ball of quick screens, flats and dump-offs near the LOS to essentially act as the defacto run game. Only thing missing was empty-set diamond formation. The results were predictable.

    However, all this seemed to change once Braxton was out [benched?], Benedet moved to LT, and Trapilo debuted at RT in the final drive before the half.

    After the half, the oline seemed to settle-in while BJ became more aggressive.

    It appeared BJ just gave up on the run, putting the game on Caleb’s shoulder, and he responded.

    I wrote in real time that Caleb somehow looks more comfortable in the clutch than at the start of games. It’s truly odd. The ‘scripted’ plays didn’t help much today.

    Caleb is a walking Dickenson quote, “It was the worst of halves, it was the best of halves…”

    Then came the final drive where it was all on Caleb.

    Flus’ Bears would’ve folded like knock-off jeans from a sweat-shop by the 4rth, but the Bears kept clawing back, including the D that forced the Raiders to settle for a FG late.

    The Bears’ final drive itself was bumpy as well. As Data keenly relayed:

    Bears were shooting themselves in the foot from the 1st drive. I’m shocked they had any paws to stand on by the last.

    Nonetheless, Caleb matriculated the ball downfield, and here we gotta give Swift some love as he finished when it mattered most.

    Naturally, it’s the Bears, so they [badly] screwed up the 2-point conversion making it 25-24 Bears.

    At this point, our Angelo-Emery-Pace-Poles trauma triggered as we were cynically expecting the inevitable, no Vaseline.

    Sure enough, the Raiders waltzed down field like Fred Astaire through the Red Sea, reaching the Kicker’s Promised Land which felt like anything near the 50.

    Like Pavlovian losers, I wouldn’t be shocked if thousands of Bear fans hit the parking-lot trying to beat Strip traffic or make one last all-you-can-eat buffet before leaving Vegas buzzed, broke and bitter.

    Then, the unimaginable manifested.
    Daniel Carslon lined up for a seemingly chip-shot 54 yd FG…

    Boom-shaka-laka!

    It only took 4 TOs, a slew of Raider mistakes, 4 Cairo FGs [including two beyond 51], a Tori coffin corner inside the 1 plus a blocked FG for a Bears’ victory!

    Crown em!

  • Da Miami Bears

    Da Miami Bears

    Watching TNF MIA@BUFF felt eerily familiar. I know a guy whose first two wives were Asian. Met the 3rd, déjà vu, also Asian. To his credit, 3rd time seems to be the charm. Will that be the case for Da Bears?

    It wasn’t for the Miami Dolphins.

    Dolphins were 0-2 playing some horrendous football; they lost to the Colts and Pats. Not exactly SB favorites.

    On a short week travelling to Buffalo, everyone expected them to get curb-stomped; however, they put up a fight, and the score was tied at 21-21 with 10 mins left. Dolphins made a crucial stop, forcing Bills to punt on 4rth and 7.

    Then, Fins Finned, as once the Chargers Charged and the Lions Loined.

    Fins ran into the punter, giving the Bills a 1st down [can you imagine how the schmuck who put down $37K on MIA to win felt?].

    Predictably, the Bills marched down the field and scored a TD.

    Fins clawed back only to end on a Tua INT just the way the universe scripts it.

    Despite the close score, the game felt pre-determined from that start.

    Somehow, someway, I knew MIA was going to lose. The details were nearly irrelevant to anyone outside bettors and FFers.

    Everyone knew MIA would find a way to sabotage themselves, because, well, that’s what atrocious teams do.

    Now they’re 0-3.

    Sound familiar?

    I’m at the point where I simply don’t want the Bears to embarrass the city any further. It’s gotten Trestmanesque, pronto, and if BJ flops, he’ll be the last ‘nerd’ to ever HC the Bears in our lifetime.

    I’ll settle for a MIA-type effort where they come out showing some fucking pride and professionalism, even if I know they’ll find someway to blow the game.

    #MUSH

    Around the twitters…

    The booth showed how Allen changed his mechanics from his rook year. Can get all technical, but essentially Allen’s shoulders are more square while trusting the torque over rifling. He is taller than Caleb, so I wonder if that factors? Also, it’s not as if Prime-Rodgers had picturesque tech, and he’s about the same size as Caleb.

    Here, next time PFF tries to gaslight you that Braxton is actually an above avg LT. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Benedet start over Braxton and Monangai over Swift to send a message.

  • Opening Day Thread! Go Lions?

    Opening Day Thread! Go Lions?

  • Rapid Fire PS#3

    Rapid Fire PS#3

    This will be short since I left the PS Game 3 thread up over the weekend.

    1. Pass-rush was non-existent. Dayo especially to me looked like a JAG. Everyone else disappeared. Watching Billings try to chase down dad-runner Mahomes was like Benny Hill chasing around bikini-clad buxoms.

    2. The first team O struggled vs first team KC D. Granted, Thuney wasn’t in, but it just looked sloppy and, well, Nagy-esque.

    3. Even if “PS wins don’t matter”, I still put forth that win was good for overall morale. They played in a hostile environment, clawing back.

    Bills, Chiefs, Eagles, Ravens, etc don’t need PS wins.

    Poles’ Bears have done little but lose, so even it’s a PS game, it’s some momentum.

    Better than losing.

    On Blog note, the cuts will happen manana. We may see some early rumors and whatnot, so I’ll likely just post a ‘cut thread’ for Tues.

  • Twitter-day

    Twitter-day

    Nothing really to write about for now, so fun tweets!