The Bears 2021 Preseason

[Lake Shore Drive]

Altho technically I guess we can say we're still in the offseason mode, I thought why not kickstart the preseason with a new thread, especially considering we're only days away from Preseason game #1. I like this BearsWire article containing 8 key observations:

8 takeaways from second week of Bears training camp

From Justin Fields’ progression to Alec Ogletree looking like a lock for a roster spot, here’s what we learned after 2nd week of Bears camp.

bearswire.usatoday.com

Fields of course continues to impress and naturally the demands for him starting the season as our #1 QB continue to grow. But one of the other 8 takeaways in the article is the very legit concern as to the state of our OL. It remains one banged up unit, which makes me wonder if starting Fields is really the best strategy. Sure, the argument can be easily made that he'll gain the necessary knowledge and understanding of the game by actually playing in it. I've said from day one that altho logic dictates he'd be better off sitting and learning, emotionally how can we NOT want to see him out there asap? And if the OL was fully intact and healthy, I think I'd now be openly wishing for him to get the nod. But with a patchwork line to protect him??? I don't know, this really does give me pause.

As for some of the other takeaways:

*I'm pulling for Ogletree to make the roster. He's been playing his heart out so far in camp.
*It seems like there's gonna be a real battle for the last couple of WR spots and should be fun watching to see who comes out on top.
*Mooney seems primed for a big year. One thing, regardless whether it's Dalton or Fields throwing the ball, Mooney should have greater opportunities to haul in some of those longer throws, now that Trubisky and his anything-over-20 yards-a-disaster is no longer at the helm.
*The most surprising takeaway is the opinion that we have depth at the edge. Not sure I'm fully on board with this particular take, but the writer says the unit has been making a strong impression so far. Hey, I'm all about the glass being half full.

 

[wood20ks]

Im not much of a preseason guy,actually Im really not at all,but Im in full season mode.....

Lets get this party started........

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Im not much of a preseason guy,actually Im really not at all,but Im in full season mode.....

Lets get this party started........

In a way, I kinda have the same attitude. I never take the games themselves seriously, but I do I like to watch players who are on the bubble trying to make the team and seeing how they perform. To them, this is their Super Bowl of sorts, their time to either shine or bust. And let's be honest, even meaningless preseason football is better than no football at all.

 

[richig07]

Altho technically I guess we can say we're still in the offseason mode, I thought why not kickstart the preseason with a new thread, especially considering we're only days away from Preseason game #1. I like this BearsWire article containing 8 key observations:

8 takeaways from second week of Bears training camp

From Justin Fields’ progression to Alec Ogletree looking like a lock for a roster spot, here’s what we learned after 2nd week of Bears camp.

bearswire.usatoday.com

Fields of course continues to impress and naturally the demands for him starting the season as our #1 QB continue to grow. But one of the other 8 takeaways in the article is the very legit concern as to the state of our OL. It remains one banged up unit, which makes me wonder if starting Fields is really the best strategy. Sure, the argument can be easily made that he'll gain the necessary knowledge and understanding of the game by actually playing in it. I've said from day one that altho logic dictates he'd be better off sitting and learning, emotionally how can we NOT want to see him out there asap? And if the OL was fully intact and healthy, I think I'd now be openly wishing for him to get the nod. But with a patchwork line to protect him??? I don't know, this really does give me pause.

As for some of the other takeaways:

*I'm pulling for Ogletree to make the roster. He's been playing his heart out so far in camp.
*It seems like there's gonna be a real battle for the last couple of WR spots and should be fun watching to see who comes out on top.
*Mooney seems primed for a big year. One thing, regardless whether it's Dalton or Fields throwing the ball, Mooney should have greater opportunities to haul in some of those longer throws, now that Trubisky and his anything-over-20 yards-a-disaster is no longer at the helm.
*The most surprising takeaway is the opinion that we have depth at the edge. Not sure I'm fully on board with this particular take, but the writer says the unit has been making a strong impression so far. Hey, I'm all about the glass being half full.

You beat me to the punch, LSD. I was going to make a long form "Training Camp/Pre-Season" thread and logged in to see you were on top of it already.

I'm pretty excited that the game Saturday afternoon is nationally televised. I still live in South Carolina and Sunday Ticket does not cover pre-season action. It will be on NFLN, though. I'll get to see Fields live for the first time in a Bears game uniform.

All of those bullet points of yours are undoubtedly intriguing. That being said, I only tend to have ONE that really matters to me every year.

STAY. HEALTHY.

For chrissake. If you are one of the top 25-30 players on this roster, avoid hard or risky contact the best you possibly can. It ain't worth it. I don't like the 17 game regular season, but the upside is that the pre-season is trimmed down to just 3 games. Meaning, the starters will only see action in two of those, I am assuming. Hopefully we limit it in a big way like we usually have under Nagy.

 

[wood20ks]

In a way, I kinda have the same attitude. I never take the games themselves seriously, but I do I like to watch players who are on the bubble trying to make the team and seeing how they perform. To them, this is their Super Bowl of sorts, their time to either shine or bust. And let's be honest, even meaningless preseason football is better than no football at all.

This maybe the first year in many years that I may catch some preseason......

Only because of one guy that we are all excited to see play.......And I should have to mention any names on that one.

 

[richig07]

This maybe the first year in many years that I may catch some preseason......

Only because of one guy that we are all excited to see play.......And I should have to mention any names on that one.

Yeah dude, I can't wait to see Marquise Goodwin play either

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

Yeah dude, I can't wait to see Marquise Goodwin play either

He was clearly talking about Darren Williams…

 

[richig07]

And here we go...

 

[richig07]

Sloppy game. Would be nice to see a first down. Fields looks comfortable out there, though. That 3rd and 18 throw didn't amount to much, but it was a good looking athletic play.

 

[BearsWillWin]

Special teams are a f'n joke. Really bad stuff.

But Fields looked really good after being a little shaky to start. He's f'n fast.

 

[richig07]

Special teams are a f'n joke. Really bad stuff.

But Fields looked really good after being a little shaky to start. He's f'n fast.

Even when the offense was a mess in those first two possessions. He still looked extremely poised, smooth, and calm in the pocket. Haven't seen him come close to panicking under pressure, eyes always downfield, etc. Mitch didn't look this comfortable out there in his 4th season. Much less his first pre-season game.

 

[richig07]

Fantastic 3rd quarter from Fields. I will continue to try and not get overly excited. It's hard, though.

You can say it's vs backups or whatever. But... A) He's playing with a group of backups along side him. B) It's not the result that makes me excited. It's how mechanically sound, poised, athletic, and comfortable he looks operating out there.

 

[BearsWillWin]

Fantastic 3rd quarter from Fields. I will continue to try and not get overly excited. It's hard, though.

You can say it's vs backups or whatever. But... A) He's playing with a group of backups along side him. B) It's not the result that makes me excited. It's how mechanically sound, poised, athletic, and comfortable he looks operating out there.

What excites me is seeing him do what we were told he couldn't do...scan the field and go through his progressions. He was checking down when he had to and reading what's in front of him. He mishandled the ball a couple times in the beginning but once he settled down he looked smooth back there. Took off and ran when he could and just looked calm.

Side note....I know nothing about Rodney Adams except for the fact I want to see more of him and see Javon Wims cut.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Fields really had an incredible game when you take in all factors. And as good as his numbers were, even they were a bit deceiving. Most of his throws were on target and a number of his early incompletions were more a result of solid coverage by the Dolphin defenders. But what impressed me most was his sense of command, both in the huddle and once the plays got underway. He always seemed to keep his cool, and looked much less like a raw rookie than he did a seasoned veteran.

Other notables:

Rodney Adams (despite one gimme drop)
Kahlil Herbert
Jesse James
Alec Ogletree
Caleb Johnson
Duke Shelley
Mike Pennel

 

[BearsWillWin]

Rodney Adams (despite one gimme drop)

He's a lot more physical than I expected for a guy weighing in under 200lbs.

 

[richig07]

What excites me is seeing him do what we were told he couldn't do...scan the field and go through his progressions. He was checking down when he had to and reading what's in front of him. He mishandled the ball a couple times in the beginning but once he settled down he looked smooth back there. Took off and ran when he could and just looked calm.

Side note....I know nothing about Rodney Adams except for the fact I want to see more of him and see Javon Wims cut.

Wims is a disaster. The three times I saw him - he was taking off 15 yards downfield on a false start. He miss timed a jump on a deep ball and basically fell down on a deep ball. The last time I saw him on TV prior to today? He dropped a wide open 45 yard TD pass that could have changed the entire complexion of our playoff game. Don't let the door hit ya in the ass, kid.

And I agree. You could see he was making his way to his 3rd and 4th progressions at times. Calmly tucking to run and accelerating through that seam for a big play looked effortless. Very impressive. He's as fast as most any DB out there, too.

I don't like the idea of him debuting vs that Rams defense. But... I'm just starting to think "fuck it". Let the kid play. Nagy HAS to know he's the only legit chance you have at making a run and saving your job.

 

[richig07]

Fields really had an incredible game when you take in all factors. And as good as his numbers were, even they were a bit deceiving. Most of his throws were on target and a number of his early incompletions were more a result of solid coverage by the Dolphin defenders. But what impressed me most was his sense of command, both in the huddle and once the plays got underway. He always seemed to keep his cool, and looked much less like a raw rookie than he did a seasoned veteran.

Other notables:

Rodney Adams (despite one gimme drop)
Kahlil Herbert
Jesse James
Alec Ogletree
Caleb Johnson
Duke Shelley
Mike Pennel

Ogletree looked fantastic outside of getting burned by Gesicki on that big play early on. He turned around and made the big play on the goal line stand, though. He's lost 20 pounds since last year. Looks light and quick on his feet. I am starting to hope he unseats Trevathan at some point or takes a majority of his snaps away.

Jesse James was noted at camp by multiple Bears beat guys as a stand out performer. He was always solid in Pittsburgh. Kind of surprised we got him to be our 3rd TE to begin with.

 

[NCChiFan]

Fields really had an incredible game when you take in all factors. And as good as his numbers were, even they were a bit deceiving. Most of his throws were on target and a number of his early incompletions were more a result of solid coverage by the Dolphin defenders. But what impressed me most was his sense of command, both in the huddle and once the plays got underway. He always seemed to keep his cool, and looked much less like a raw rookie than he did a seasoned veteran.

Other notables:

Rodney Adams (despite one gimme drop)
Kahlil Herbert
Jesse James
Alec Ogletree
Caleb Johnson
Duke Shelley
Mike Pennel

Add Tonga to your list... Another late, late round jem from Pace.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Add Tonga to your list... Another late, late round jem from Pace.

Yes, so far, so good. I liked the pick the day it happened and he seems to be a good fit.

 

[NCChiFan]

There are going to be some very very good D linemen on the cut list soon. The 53 man cut down is going to be tough at Wr, DL and OLB.