2021 NFL Season Thread

[soulfly]

I'm so glad Nagy took play calling back.  Didn't work the previous time that tool did it, but I guess suddenly it will this season?  Team is in a real bad spot.  Even if Fields is the real deal, this team has so many other holes, it isn't even funny. 

[Dick Allen]

7 hours ago, HOFHurt35 said:

Did Eddie Jackson change his number so we thought it was a different person whiffing on tackles? 

God he sucks . ?

He was great as a rookie. Now he couldn't tackle anyone in a Pee Wee game. What a waste of money.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Dick Allen

[Balta1701]

8 hours ago, chw42 said:

This team is incapable of completing a pass longer than 15 yards. 

Well, that’s literally one of the things we noted about Dalton in Dallas last year.

[CentralChamps21]

8 hours ago, HOFHurt35 said:

There might not be a vertical pass in the playbook for Andy Dalton. 

Gonna be a LONG year if he keeps playing. 

How much of that is Dalton and how much of that is the O-line? Doesn't seem like they can keep him upright long enough for a receiver to get 15 yards.

[Balta1701]

27 minutes ago, WhiteSoxFan1993 said:

How much of that is Dalton and how much of that is the O-line? Doesn't seem like they can keep him upright long enough for a receiver to get 15 yards.

I mean, like all things it’s some of both. The O line is weak, but Dalton isn’t great at moving around to buy time, and with no ability to throw deep, the safeties and corners can be more involved in stopping the run and blitzing the QB, which also makes it easier for the defensive front to focus on getting to the QB, which makes things worse for the O Line.

[bmags]

I think the Rams have something to do with it, this is what their defense does. It is theoretically what ours does too, but we have a knack for grabbing the worst disciples of a coaching strategy to lead it. Oh and the rams are doing it with a very good secondary not a bunch of corners so bad that nobody bothered picking them off waivers when we cut half of them.

[Kyyle23]

I don't think I can recall more than one or two games where I felt that Nagy found and maintained an offensive rhythm.  There isn't anyone who fucks up momentum more than him

[Dick Allen]

I'm between 300 and 400 on the Bears season ticket waiting list. Looks like next year is a lock. Pace needs to go. Nagy needs to go. The McCaskeys need to go.  Ted Phillips needs to go. This team is awful. I didn't expect them to beat the Rams, especially in LA, but that defense is horrible.

They might be the only team who can downgrade an offensive line that had Leno Jr. and Massie as its starting tackles. I know, injuries. They draft a guy who is only available because he has a bad back. He has back surgery. Shocking.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Dick Allen

[StrangeSox]

NFC North going 0-4 to open the season

 

Will we see a 6-win divisional winner?

[Dick Allen]

1 minute ago, StrangeSox said:

NFC North going 0-4 to open the season

 

Will we see a 6-win divisional winner?

If Father Time is finally catching up to Aaron Rodgers, this division is going to make past versions of the NFC East look like juggernauts. 

[ptatc]

2 hours ago, WhiteSoxFan1993 said:

How much of that is Dalton and how much of that is the O-line? Doesn't seem like they can keep him upright long enough for a receiver to get 15 yards.

This is the correct take. The game plan had nothing to do with Dalton not being able to throw down field. It has everything to do with the poor tackle play and that was BEFORE they lost Peters and Borom. 

[bmags]

1 hour ago, Kyyle23 said:

I don't think I can recall more than one or two games where I felt that Nagy found and maintained an offensive rhythm.  There isn't anyone who fucks up momentum more than him

What he says he wants and what he continues to deliver are just two different things for way, way too long.

[ptatc]

52 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

If Father Time is finally catching up to Aaron Rodgers, this division is going to make past versions of the NFC East look like juggernauts. 

I think it's more that he didn't play at all in the preseason. He just needs to get his timing back.

[ptatc]

Just now, bmags said:

What he says he wants and what he continues to deliver are just two different things for way, way too long.

I actually thought it was a good game plan. They ran the ball and stuck with it against the best defense in the NFL. Everyone one of the drives went into Rams territory. There were games last year where they didn't even get into the opponents territory the whole game. They had kept the ball quite a bit. The defense is the group that really screwed this one up.

[Two-Gun Pete]

Let me first eat some crow:

I was pretty certain that the reasons for the loss would be FIRST, Nagy’s shitty play calling, THEN the shitty defensive play. 

Instead, I'll actually credit Nagy for not abandoning the run in the first 5 minutes of the game. Ill also credit him for using Fields fairly appropriately, IMO.

 

Rather, this loss is on Ryan Pace, his stoopid squandering of resources, and his panic buys in FA and in trade. You've got some $22MM in dead cap money, brought about by previous stoopid signings in FA. You've also got another $25MM wrapped up in Quinn and Foles, two panic buys that can't fucking play dead.

 

In sum, why can't the offense work? Because the O-Line sucks, because they simply don't have enough cash to spend on better players. Why can't the secondary cover? Because they've had to cut good players, and sign shittier ones.

Pace is a fucking turd. This team will be shitty for awhile, because he sucks at his job.

[CentralChamps21]

Do Pace and Nagy need to go? Yes.

However, every GM and coach that Ted Phillips has hired has needed to go, so I don't really hold out hope that firing Pace and Nagy are going to help.

[Chisoxfn]

18 hours ago, MexSoxFan#1 said:

Sean Payton is a true offensive genius, he can make any QB look decent.

Winston isn't any QB.  He was so smart taking the lower pay to really rebuild his game -> he has such physical talents and now he's getting to unleash them in such a great system. And Sean Payton is a GOAT.  

[Chisoxfn]

15 hours ago, The Beast said:

Their secondary is so weak. Eddie Jackson is still underachieving. Too many explosion plays and not enough sacks, interceptions or turnovers. Same shit, different day. I’d grade the defense lower than the offense in this game.

Eddie Jackson went from one of Pace's best moves to handing him an extention after a poor season and turned it into a massive disaster cause Eddie Jackson flat out SUCKS. 

[Chisoxfn]

15 hours ago, SoxAce said:

They desperately need to get younger and build around Fields. The issue is not only the dead money they're gonna have to eat, but the lack of draft capital they have thanks to Pace.

They should have traded Mack when they could have still got some value for him and should be moving any older piece for picks etc.  Once they got Fields teh entire focus had to be shifting the resources to the other side of the ball and maximizing that investment and than hope you can build the d back up over time (cause its old and decrepid now).  

[StrangeSox]

Just thinking about how we had to keep trash on the roster and couldn't keep Fuller. 

[Chisoxfn]

3 minutes ago, StrangeSox said:

Just thinking about how we had to keep trash on the roster and couldn't keep Fuller. 

I wanted fuller and thought it was a poor use of resources - that said - if the intent was start shifting resources to offense and start finding younger pieces than go ahead and try Vilder and others to see if you got something...or if you don't. You don't learn anything by playing Fuller.  I feel the same way across other places -> but that is because I think this is a total rebuilding program.  

[ShoeLessRob]

3 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

I wanted fuller and thought it was a poor use of resources - that said - if the intent was start shifting resources to offense and start finding younger pieces than go ahead and try Vilder and others to see if you got something...or if you don't. You don't learn anything by playing Fuller.  I feel the same way across other places -> but that is because I think this is a total rebuilding program.  

The issues is they are NOT committing  to a rebuild. For some asinine reason they think they can contend with no offensive line, mostly old players on defense, and bloated contracts given to poor performers (Quin, Graham, Foles, ETC).

Even if Fields turns into a elite QB we will be struggling to field a competent team around him for the next 2-3 years since we have no depth due to lack of past draft picks and future picks. 

 

 

[Chisoxfn]

9 minutes ago, ShoeLessRob said:

The issues is they are NOT committing  to a rebuild. For some asinine reason they think they can contend with no offensive line, mostly old players on defense, and bloated contracts given to poor performers (Quin, Graham, Foles, ETC).

Even if Fields turns into a elite QB we will be struggling to field a competent team around him for the next 2-3 years since we have no depth due to lack of past draft picks and future picks. 

 

 

I dont' know that they aren't committing to a rebuild. I think they are just trying to bridge the gap -> but reality is the money is going to be coming off the books prety significantly in next 1-2 years, so outside of not having that 1st round pick -> they should have a lot of opportunities to start enhancing the team and injecting youth.  And they have invested in some young olineman so I'm not going to jump on the line just yet...and I dont' think the line was that bad given the Rams have a really good line. 

I do think the Bears inability to stretch the field is just brutal in this modern NFL because you allow teams to shorten everything. Maybe this was by design given who the Rams are at generating a pass rush -> but not something that is sustainable.  This looked a lot like the "game manager" offense they put around Mitch last year and I would have expected a bit more out of Dalton given he is much better at reading defenses. I should caveat - other than a brutal red zone pick (bad decision) I didn't think he played poorly -> but the thing with Dalton is, he just can't go out and win you games.

If they had an elite defense -> fine, it works...but the Bears are shifting away from that and FIelds is a guy who if things work out, he absolutely CAN win you games. He has that "it"..that special talent to make everyone better and do things even when everything else breaks down.  

[ShoeLessRob]

44 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

I dont' know that they aren't committing to a rebuild. I think they are just trying to bridge the gap -> but reality is the money is going to be coming off the books prety significantly in next 1-2 years, so outside of not having that 1st round pick -> they should have a lot of opportunities to start enhancing the team and injecting youth.  And they have invested in some young olineman so I'm not going to jump on the line just yet...and I dont' think the line was that bad given the Rams have a really good line. 

I do think the Bears inability to stretch the field is just brutal in this modern NFL because you allow teams to shorten everything. Maybe this was by design given who the Rams are at generating a pass rush -> but not something that is sustainable.  This looked a lot like the "game manager" offense they put around Mitch last year and I would have expected a bit more out of Dalton given he is much better at reading defenses. I should caveat - other than a brutal red zone pick (bad decision) I didn't think he played poorly -> but the thing with Dalton is, he just can't go out and win you games.

If they had an elite defense -> fine, it works...but the Bears are shifting away from that and FIelds is a guy who if things work out, he absolutely CAN win you games. He has that "it"..that special talent to make everyone better and do things even when everything else breaks down.  

Prior to Fields falling, they went into the season going all in with Dalton as their starting QB. They believe they have a playoff caliber team as is, which is far from the truth. 

[bmags]

6 minutes ago, ShoeLessRob said:

Prior to Fields falling, they went into the season going all in with Dalton as their starting QB. They believe they have a playoff caliber team as is, which is far from the truth. 

See I don't think this is fair even as I think they've sucked. The recent article came out showing bears were heavy in on stafford. They went after russell wilson. They went into draft extremely likely to get a QB, they just happened to be able to get one of the best ones expected to go. They were clearly trying knew nothing mattered until they had a QB.

And if they just wanted to make this year be fantastic, they would have kept fuller and restructured even more of quinn and mack's deals to make it work. They tried to get by.

Really though you could point to a number of things why pace should not still be leading the f.o., but the 2020 offseason he sought to extend this core's window and signed quinn, graham, and traded for foles, and re-signed cohen and trevathan. Those players cost you fuller, kwiatkowski, leno, and soon to be Arob.