The They Lost Thread 2022

This team needs to start winning at least a few of these close games. No excuse for losing at home to a team that hasn't won on the road in 2 years. Fucking pathetic.

If we can't beat the Lions at home, we aren't building a winning culture. Zero bright spots to take away from yesterday's game, even the draft positioning. Ugly sucky and pathetic Sunday.

 

I agree with you that this team needs to turn these performances into wins but the officiating was not going to allow that yesterday. Yesterday was worse than the Miami game. Yea you want to see Fields and company come up with a game winning drive but if you go back and look at those calls, especially the second hands to the face on Johnson, they were robbed. You can clearly see that Johnson’s hand go nowhere near the receivers face. He hits him in the chest and he goes down. Takes a dive. Negates the pick. Then the BS holding call on 84. I watched that play 100tines in slow mo. How the fuck you call that holding??? Looked more like the Line judge had it in for the Bears man. It was really ducked.

 

Can we talk about Jaylon Johnson. He's been really bad. QBs are targeting him for over a 100 QBR. PFF rated him something like a 28 for yesterdays game. It's been this way for most the season. Not good.

No QB hits by a defensive end....no passes defended by a DB.

Fields has to improve on obvious passing downs where running isn't really a viable option or the defense is taking it away.

Bears receivers still can't get separation consistently.

Bears offensive line still can't pass block reliably.

The last Chicago Bears before Fields to rush for at least 147 yards in back to back games was Walter Payton.

Since 1940 the Bears are 50-5 when they rush for at least 250 yards. Two of those losses have come the past 2 weeks.

Bears currently hold the #6 pick in the draft.

I am not okay with Pettis being active and getting reps and Velus Jones not. I know Jones fucked up twice as a return man but he's rookie with obvious physical size and talent that can do some things on offense. He can't be labeled a bust yet....he's barely played. Pettis has been in the league with multiple teams now....we know exactly who he is. There's no benefit to playing Pettis.

This team sucks. But at least there's something to tune in and see every week. It's like watching the Bulls in the mid 80s or the Blackhawks when Toews and Kane were first breaking into the league. Or for me the 2014 Cubs when you knew it was building something. Not saying this is destined for a SB anytime soon.....there's a massive offseason that Poles has to nail to get on that track....but these games no longer feel completely meaningless.

 

Like Roquan JJ is a good not great CB. And he is playing hurt behind probably the worst pass rushing d line in the NFL. Like Mooney he is slightly better than a 2 but not a 1.so when the rest of the defense is shit he doesn’t look so great.

 

Justin Fields is a *ridiculous* runner. They had that whole thing on "Little one" vs. "Big one" after Okudah does the pick six, and what does Justin do? Rips off that run to the endzone with Okudah is trailing behind. Take that shit, "little" one.

We've talked about the refs, and yeah, they were horrendous, but by the same token, the wheels absolutely came off after that. You all have nailed the Eberflus concern there, and it's legitimate. Like Fields, he's growing into the role, but gotta be better there.

The 2 minute offense. That's twice in two weeks we have the ball and timeouts and do shit all with it, refs notwithstanding. Nowhere near good enough.

I already mentioned how much I hated the second to last drive where they just try to bleed the clock. No need to get that conservative, attack what the defense is giving you.

There were I think two plays I saw where the line gave Fields a good amount of time, and both resulted in big throws and completions. Other than that, garbage. We need better talent.

We need talent on defense too. I know Pat thinks we can accomplish it all in FA, which maybe, but man, that front 7 generates zero pass rush.

Kmet? I needed to see more from him, and I finally am. He might NOT be a bust, and he's starting to be Justin's most reliable target, surprisingly.

Sanborn? His name sure was getting called a lot. Obviously need him to keep growing as well, but that's what this kind of season is for. Either he clicks and puts it together given the opportunity, or he is shown the door.

 

Bears second-leading rusher Herbert goes on IR

The tank continues. The higher the pick, the better the player right. (Desperately tries to forget Kevin White, Cedric Benson and so many others). Right?

 

Thats crap news. I guess Monty will get back to lead back status for now then. It felt to me during the Lions game that Herbert had maybe unofficially overtaken him. The amount of usage and the times in the game they were used suggested that.

I wonder if this will also mean Velus gets activated and see carries this week....

 

Oh boy. Taco Charlton claimed off New Orleans’ PS. That solves the pass rushing problem!

So apologies if this is out of context because you posted this Monday, fresh off a shitty loss so thoughts may have changed or this was just venting, but I disagree with this 100%.

We can't have it both ways. We can't say 'this team is going to be bad this year/its a rebuilding year' then question why they can't win close games and give them the whole 'there's no excuses.' This isn't Matt Nagy in year 4 trying to instill an offense he doesn't even know yet.

We forget this team is bad and bad teams find ways to lose game/snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And I don't want to hear that 'a young QB needs to develop by learning how to win!' when reality is that's a crock. Troy Aikman went 1-15 to start, Peyton Manning 3-13 before treading water ~500 ball for 3 more seasons.

This team is bad and devoid of talent, and Justin is elevating it and needs to continue to elevate it. That's what matters. This team is going to look a lot different in a year, should be improved. A slew of guys on the 53 man wont have jobs here next year. I'd rather focus on the ones who will be here for a while.

There's got to be more to this. Its an indictment during practices and things we don't hear that this kid can't get on the field. We know exactly who Dante Pettis is, and this kid, for as shift and speedy and "mature for his age" as he was sold to us on draft day can't beat out a guy on his 3rd team in 5 years is pretty damn telling.

Does this mean we have to see another version of Cordarrelle Patterson? With Herbert out, I’d plug Jones in at rb2 or gadget back or whatever you want to call it this week. Tristian Ebner hasn’t looked fast, quick, good, or anything more than a dime-a-dozen decent college halfback looking like everybody else at the next level is faster than him—his one fan may not agree with that though.

You can buy multiple good DL every year. Poles almost got Ogunjobi. There will be good ones this spring and there’s no reason Poles can’t come away with at least 2.

You can’t buy good OL, especially good OTs. Teams don’t let them hit the market without reason. See Armstead for the saints last year. Wanted big $ but through 9 years he’s got 89 starts. Dude couldn’t stay on the field and the Phins still paid out the ass for him and he’s on the wrong side of 31.

So if KC wants to take the ‘L’ and let Orlando Brown walk a year after trading a 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th round picks for him (they have the cap to tag/pay him comfortably, so no reasonable person should be counting on it) then prepare to pay him Trent Williams money (6 years 138 mil.)

Jack Conklin would be nice but the bears aren’t the only team in dire need of OT help with cap room, even RT.

I’d love to draft the C from Michigan round 3 after Skoronski round 1, but that’s just a pipe dream because this is the bears and they just don’t value the OL like that. I’d be down to steal Minnesota’s C Bradbury. 27, (will be 28 by next season) having a great year, and Minny walks into the off-season needing to shed cap/in the red.

Anything that gets Sam Mustipher off of television.

 

I'm not going to go look it up now, but there was a reddit thread that quoted someplace having the Bears pick 7th, and picking Skoronski. And the redditors for the most part were up in arms, get a WR, DL, etc. LT is way too important. Some of those jokers also said he was a candidate to slide in? I'm less excited about the prospect of drafting him and sliding him inside. The Bears haven't a legit, drafted world class LT that I can remember. I would love for that to happen.

All the mocks I see have Skoronski going pretty high now. Top 10 for sure. You don't draft that high for a guard prospect.

 

If he is there and they don't take him, I can't, and I won't take this rebuild seriously. Skoronski wouldn't be a sexy pick, but it goes a long way in telling me that this team is serious about rebuilding instead of creating the illusion of one just to sell tickets/merchandise.

 

QB is the hardest position to get right in the game. LT is a close second. If they decide that they don't need an elite LT because they've got a "promising player" in Braxton Jones, I will be unhappy.

 

It’s hard to reach and hit on a player. When you go BPA you usually hit but not in a position of need.

 

Have you seen the Bears roster? lol Nearly every position could be upgraded, but my point was if Skoronski is there it wouldn't be a reach and it tells me they are serious about trying to fill the team's biggest need at this point.

 

Skoronski doesn’t have arms longer than 34 inches. He’s 33.5 or something like that. Now for context, Joe Thomas, Joe Staley, Donald Penn, Rashawn Slater, Taylor Lewan, and Mitchell Schwartz all have arms shorter than 34 inches. Do any of these guys have/did they have problems at left tackle?

Didn’t fucking think so.

That’s why when people get really lazy (probably from watching draft pundits) and say he’s got to move inside, I ignore them because they’ve demonstrated they’re too stupid to see the forest for the trees. These are the same people who thinks QBs and baseball starting pitchers need to be prototypically sized at 6’4 in order to be effective top of the line QB/baseball pitcher, and that’s just not true. It’s fans looking for a reason not to like someone.

 

He probably can't jump out of a swimming pool either for what that was worth.

 

Does he have a pre-existing injury that could flare up again in future? That would help his odds with this team.

The Bears are LT stupid almost as much as they have traditionally been QB stupid and offense stupid.

Since John Tait(the last capable Bears LT) left in like 2008 this is roughly who i have playing the position, full time starter basis, not including the odd replacement for a game or 2 to injury. Braxton Jones, Old Man Peters, Leno, Jermon Bushrod, J'Mukous Webb, Chris Williams. There's like 14years of LT play there spanning i think 4 GMs. Organizationally, if that doesnt scream "we don't get it" then i dont know what does. Hell i remember me and dline smashing the desk calling for them to take Laremy Tunsil when he fell in like 2016 or 17. Even when an elite talent falls right in their laps these guys or too stupid to make the right move.

So yeah, i'm still in believe it when i see it mode with Poles/this team. I'm not the guy to talk about draft prospects, but from the bits i've read this Skironski guy is billed as a near lock top 10 pick, at a premium position of need AND he went to pat's alma mater which is very cool, so i'd love for that to be the pick. But im not holding my breath. It would be Bears beyond words for them to pass on that guy cos "they're invested" in 5th round turd LT who shouldn't be out there.

 

Nope. Started 12 games at C in 2020. 12 at left tackle in 21, and every start this year (11 after Saturday) with one more to go next weekend. I think that bodes well because he’s finishing the year strong when other prospects would have stopped playing weeks ago when they know they’re established.

That’s just been the ‘bears’ thing to do. Or they play him out of position then wonder why he doesn’t work.

But this is the problem. Go everywhere but here and the vast majority of bears fans think Braxton is just fine and him being a rag doll in pass protection is ‘a strength and condition problem’ that can be simply fixed in an off-season of heavy weight training and that for a 5th round rookie he’s exceeded expectations and if he were a 2nd round pick he’d still be a steal and he’s effective the same way Charles Leno was when the qb is rolling away from him so his bad technique is forgiven!

Meanwhile, Minnesota’s LT darrisaw is the highest graded OL in football per pff. He didn’t need excuses of ‘but he needs conditioning’ or ‘he needs to get better acclimated’ or 'he needs more strength' or everything else Jones has gotten because at its simplest, he goes out and wins his battles/protects his QB and Braxton doesn’t.

For once, it’d be nice if the bears could do the boring, unsexy thing and just get it right. Instead, Im left to wonder which Mike linebacker they’ll probably take because ‘rah rah bearz tradition.’

 

That all sounds great, really does. Protecting Fields blindside needs to be a huge priority, really for me its priority 1, so im on board.

Question for you tho, and i know you're a Skironski guy and all, but in trying to look objectively im curious what you think about the top2 defensive players that are gonna be in this draft(seems virtually a lock who they'll be). I ask because the Bears are doing such a good job of being shit, and may struggle to win another game this season, they're gonna be picking far higher than i thought at the start of the season or a month ago. They could easily be picking top3.

Is Skoronski a better prospect than say a Jalen Carter? Because while i dont know as much as some on college players, Carter feels to me like he has Bears written all over him. I'm not saying i want that, but that high i would just be dumbstruck to see the Bears go OT. You?

 

The latest projection of "if the season ended today" would have the Bears picking #3, which I do think makes Skoronski a less likely pick, and the QBs are projected to go 1/2 but if they don't and a QB hungry team needs them, maybe we can trade down and grab some firsts in return and still get Skoronski.

 

So Jalen Carter—for me, others who are sold are sold—has a big question mark and possible red flag. He wrecked everything and everybody last year. He was next to Jordan Davis who got drafted and is wrecking shit in Philly but got hurt. Carter’s production this year isn’t near as good, but he entered this college season with ‘blue chip’ status and pundits have just given him that which at the beginning of the year was warranted but now with 2 sacks and 10 tackles in 5 games I don’t think should be. He’s been hurt this year with a knee injury/mcl sprain, another reason some still give his lack of production a pass.

But you watch his film last year, looks like a young Tommie Harris. Hard to argue against that. No reason to imagine in a similar situation with another solid DL he’d go back to cleaning up 1 on 1s.

I believe Skoronski is better than Jalen Carter as a prospect right now. If both were there and I had the power, it’s no question who I’m taking a chance on.

The other defender, Will Anderson I actually like better than Carter and have a significantly tougher time with your question. He’s a 3-4 edge which I don’t like because Shame is a reason I don’t like square pegs in round holes but that hasn’t stopped Flus. I figured Trevis Gipson was a goner because he played a 34 here and a 34/335 in college but he’s still here.

6’4 245 lbs and he’s excellent as a pass rusher AND against the run. That’s a combo you haven’t seen since Myles Garrett coming out of college, but Garrett coming out of college IMO was a better/faster athlete than Anderson with more length. His ‘knocks’ are really ticky tack—in that he likes to finish a tackle/sack on a QB instead of going for the ball. 1 forced fumble in 3 years/almost 42 college games but 33 sacks? When you saw Khalil Mack go for the ball, we all thought it was smart because 1–possible turnover at best and a busted offensive play for a loss at worst and 2–no stupid penalty for roughing the qb by tackling the guy. Really shouldn’t be worried about the latter, but zebras gonna retard.

I don’t know if Flus likes a guy who won’t go for the ball, or he thinks he can teach him to be a down DL and go for the ball when he beats the OL across from him.

If they pass on my guy for Anderson I’ll understand. I’ll hate it. I’ll cheer for him if he wrecks things here and forgive it. I’d need to see some great medicals on Carter on top of him getting into a groove as Georgia plays its last regular season game, SEC champ game, and Nat championship if they get there.