The depth chart as it currently stands

[Lake Shore Drive]

Interesting look at who we have on the roster and the guesstimated ranking breakdown for each position. And thankfully the article isn't broken into slides which can be as annoying AF. The one mildly surprise ranking has RRH ahead of Nichols. Can't recall now if at some point last year he ended up taking over as a starter or if this is just the writer's anticipated ranking, especially being the Bears don't officially have the depth chart available yet on their website. In any event, the article makes for decent reading, as well as learning who all is on the roster as it presently stands.

Early look at Bears' position battles heading into 2020 season

 

[richig07]

I expect RRH/Nichols to rotate.

Man, that's such a luxury. Two DT's of that caliber being "rotational".

Provided we're healthy - both will have a chance to eat this season. When Hicks is present, those guys look like studs. Add Quinn coming off of the edge opposite of Mack... Good Sundays are ahead for those two. IMO

 

[beardown07]

I expect RRH/Nichols to rotate.

Man, that's such a luxury. Two DT's of that caliber being "rotational".

Provided we're healthy - both will have a chance to eat this season. When Hicks is present, those guys look like studs. Add Quinn coming off of the edge opposite of Mack... Good Sundays are ahead for those two. IMO

Bears D has the looks of something special this year.

 

[Nelly]

Bears D has the looks of something special this year.

If everything works out well and we have good health, it stands a good chance at being significantly better than last year.

 

[richig07]

If everything works out well and we have good health, it stands a good chance at being significantly better than last year.

And last year was still pretty "elite" despite a barrage of injuries.

I mean, I suppose you can point to our 2nd CB and 2nd safety spots as being "holes". But let's be honest... on paper? We're sitting f'ing pretty on the defensive side of the ball.

 

[Nelly]

And last year was still pretty "elite" despite a barrage of injuries.

I mean, I suppose you can point to our 2nd CB and 2nd safety spots as being "holes". But let's be honest... on paper? We're sitting f'ing pretty on the defensive side of the ball.

I wouldn't even call them holes. Johnson is NFL ready and Gipson has a track record as a better player than HHCD. We're fucking stacked. Now it's just about staying healthy and the defense not getting big heads.

 

[Jiddy]

I wouldn't even call them holes. Johnson is NFL ready and Gipson has a track record as a better player than HHCD. We're fucking stacked. Now it's just about staying healthy and the defense not getting big heads.

We got mauled by the two cream of the crop teams in the NFL we played last year (KC/NO)...and swept by the overachieving Packers. The year before, despite Biscuit playing well, we still got upended by the Pats. Our best output vs an actual bona fide top tier team was vs. the Rams in 2018 ...and that team is f*cking wonky anyway and we "Defensed" them with a whopping 15 points scored yet still a dubya.

Until we actually put up a decent showing vs. a top tier team and/or some consistent success in that department, I'm not getting excited for this iteration anymore.

Being "stacked" in the offseason seems to be a recurring theme for teams and their fanbases...

Not this time. This time the faithful get the FULL skepticism from this corner. I went all in last year and they cut me deep from the first f*cking game all the way through. This year they gotta earn it back on the regular season field before I buy any of it. If they go Biscuit on opening day, I'm going to have to have something worthless to smash near me. Because God help me if we lose our opening game like 14-6 or some sh*t, I may have a stroke.

 

[beardown07]

We got mauled by the two cream of the crop teams in the NFL we played last year (KC/NO)...and swept by the overachieving Packers. The year before, despite Biscuit playing well, we still got upended by the Pats. Our best output vs an actual bona fide top tier team was vs. the Rams in 2018 ...and that team is f*cking wonky anyway and we "Defensed" them with a whopping 15 points scored yet still a dubya.

Until we actually put up a decent showing vs. a top tier team and/or some consistent success in that department, I'm not getting excited for this iteration anymore.

Being "stacked" in the offseason seems to be a recurring theme for teams and their fanbases...

Not this time. This time the faithful get the FULL skepticism from this corner. I went all in last year and they cut me deep from the first f*cking game all the way through. This year they gotta earn it back on the regular season field before I buy any of it. If they go Biscuit on opening day, I'm going to have to have something worthless to smash near me. Because God help me if we lose our opening game like 14-6 or some sh*t, I may have a stroke.

Cool story.

Our offense sucking bawls, has nothing to do with whether our D is stacked or not, and bro...IT IS FUCKING STACKED.


Quinn>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Floyd

His impact will be tremendous.

 

[Jiddy]

Cool story.

Our offense sucking bawls, has nothing to do with whether our D is stacked or not, and bro...IT IS FUCKING STACKED.


Quinn>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Floyd

His impact will be tremendous.

Fine...I'll be positive with this:

In the past 20 years, we have held our opponents under 300 points 7 times. 5 of those times we made the playoffs. Our only 5 playoff appearances in the past 20 years (We're quite consistent). The two times we didn't while hitting that mark were last year and 2012. Each with their own unique story. But yes, if our defense does it again, by all rights we SHOULD be in the playoffs...but last year was so atrocious to watch that I still have a hard time getting excited until we see improvement on the regular field. I'm scarred...LOL...but there is a light in the tunnel, obviously.

 

[beardown07]

Fine...I'll be positive with this:

In the past 20 years, we have held our opponents under 300 points 7 times. 5 of those times we made the playoffs. Our only 5 playoff appearances in the past 20 years (We're quite consistent). The two times we didn't while hitting that mark were last year and 2012. Each with their own unique story. But yes, if our defense does it again, by all rights we SHOULD be in the playoffs...but last year was so atrocious to watch that I still have a hard time getting excited until we see improvement on the regular field. I'm scarred...LOL...but there is a light in the tunnel, obviously.

Oh, the O is a nightmare that needs to end.

Nagy has a lot to prove this year, IMO. Trubisky took a lot of shit (deservedly so) but I really think a ton of blame deserves to go to Nagy too. He may be a great offensive mind, but his game-planning and play-calling leave a TON to be desired.

I know it's only one game, but week 1's gameplan last year was the biggest pile of shit I've ever seen. I don't care how much he thought Mitch had progressed. There were plenty of other examples throughout the season too.

This is a make-or-break year for Nagy, IMO.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I more than understand Jiddy's take. It's great being 'stacked' on defense and I'm not completely against going with the old "defense wins championships" mantra. But to my feeble knowledge, I can only point to two teams in Super Bowl history in which a great defense carried a mediocre/poor offense all the way to the trophy: the 2000 Baltimore Ravens and the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sure, other great defenses won SBs (see '85 Bears), but at least the offenses on all those winners were at the very least competent and often very good in their own right. And of course with a number of SB winning teams, it was the offense that was the dominant component.

If we want to make any noise this season, the year we're supposedly all in, then our O will have to step it up big time. We have a solid to possibly great defense, but I'm not sure it's enough to carry a second rate offense very far. There are simply too many good teams out there to overcome such an obstacle. If we can get some consistency, move the chains, and score in the upper half of the pack, then we'll have a shot. Otherwise, I see little chance of making the playoffs and zero chance of grabbing our second ring.

 

[Jiddy]

I more than understand Jiddy's take. It's great being 'stacked' on defense and I'm not completely against going with the old "defense wins championships" mantra. But to my feeble knowledge, I can only point to two teams in Super Bowl history in which a great defense carried a mediocre/poor offense all the way to the trophy: the 2000 Baltimore Ravens and the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sure, other great defenses won SBs (see '85 Bears), but at least the offenses on all those winners were at the very least competent and often very good in their own right. And of course with a number of SB winning teams, it was the offense that was the dominant component.

If we want to make any noise this season, the year we're supposedly all in, then our O will have to step it up big time. We have a solid to possibly great defense, but I'm not sure it's enough to carry a second rate offense very far. There are simply too many good teams out there to overcome such an obstacle. If we can get some consistency, move the chains, and score in the upper half of the pack, then we'll have a shot. Otherwise, I see little chance of making the playoffs and zero chance of grabbing our second ring.

You know what's scary?

You almost HAVE to believe that we'll be better than 2019...because if we're not...That would be pretty much "start over" type catastrophic. Despite my skepticism, my mind refuses to accept this possible reality.

 

[Nelly]

We got mauled by the two cream of the crop teams in the NFL we played last year (KC/NO)...and swept by the overachieving Packers. The year before, despite Biscuit playing well, we still got upended by the Pats. Our best output vs an actual bona fide top tier team was vs. the Rams in 2018 ...and that team is f*cking wonky anyway and we "Defensed" them with a whopping 15 points scored yet still a dubya.

Until we actually put up a decent showing vs. a top tier team and/or some consistent success in that department, I'm not getting excited for this iteration anymore.

Being "stacked" in the offseason seems to be a recurring theme for teams and their fanbases...

Not this time. This time the faithful get the FULL skepticism from this corner. I went all in last year and they cut me deep from the first f*cking game all the way through. This year they gotta earn it back on the regular season field before I buy any of it. If they go Biscuit on opening day, I'm going to have to have something worthless to smash near me. Because God help me if we lose our opening game like 14-6 or some sh*t, I may have a stroke.

We went 12-4 in 2018 and easily could have won two more of those games. That's in large part to the defense we had. You're nuts if you don't think this defense is stacked. Without Hicks last year and Floyd being a nothing in the pass rush game the opposing offense could scheme to stop Mack without too much consequence. And still the defense carried us to an 8-8 record. We've only upgraded on defense with Hicks back healthy, adding Robert Quinn and upgrading from HHCD to Tashaun Gipson. I wouldn't be all too surprised if Jaylon Johnson is an upgrade on Amukamara even. This defense's starting lineup has it all including a great coordinator that the guys love playing for. That's what there is to be excited about.

On offense, different story. There's reason to be hopeful to an extent. Allen Robinson is a legit #1 and Miller really turned it on at the end of last season. We figure to have not one by 2 functional tight ends next year. Foles has a track record of some stellar play in this same system which could make a huge difference. All goes well, i think we'll have a middle-of-the-road offense which is enough to complement the defense and make a run. It could be a dumpster fire again though if the O line shits the bed again as well and Foles looks like a backup.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

If Bears commit to the run this year they could be pretty scary. Just keep the ball out of Mitch Trib'INT'sky's hands... and I think the Bears have a strong chance to win the NFC North.

I still think they should've made a play on Dalton... (maybe they did and just lost out)

 

[Jiddy]

We went 12-4 in 2018 and easily could have won two more of those games. That's in large part to the defense we had. You're nuts if you don't think this defense is stacked. Without Hicks last year and Floyd being a nothing in the pass rush game the opposing offense could scheme to stop Mack without too much consequence. And still the defense carried us to an 8-8 record. We've only upgraded on defense with Hicks back healthy, adding Robert Quinn and upgrading from HHCD to Tashaun Gipson. I wouldn't be all too surprised if Jaylon Johnson is an upgrade on Amukamara even. This defense's starting lineup has it all including a great coordinator that the guys love playing for. That's what there is to be excited about.

On offense, different story. There's reason to be hopeful to an extent. Allen Robinson is a legit #1 and Miller really turned it on at the end of last season. We figure to have not one by 2 functional tight ends next year. Foles has a track record of some stellar play in this same system which could make a huge difference. All goes well, i think we'll have a middle-of-the-road offense which is enough to complement the defense and make a run. It could be a dumpster fire again though if the O line shits the bed again as well and Foles looks like a backup.

Yes yes...Our defense is super stacked and even better than last year. But that says to me we should probably IMPROVE our PPG allowed stat based on our improved pass rush alone, right?

We gave up 298 points last year...Meaning, at worst, we'll probably end up in the 250-285 range for points allowed, right?

If so, that means we'd be approaching lock cinch category for the playoffs statistically. (I roughly looked up how many teams have given up 285 or less and went back to 03...64 teams by my count...54 of them made the playoffs at 285 or less (85% and like it approaches 100% as you go lower).

Seems like everyone should be all over our nuts right?

And yet, here I am scouring power rankings for fun....And of about 20 or so of them I've skimmed over, only a couple have us ranked in the (high) teens...The vast majority of them have us in the low to mid 20s. And I can say with certainty that the fans of the higher up teams like KC/NO/SF don't even have us on their radar.

Soooo...

Why is everyone else missing this great potential of ours? If we are improved defensively to the point where it's nearing statistical improbability for us to actually miss the playoffs, then why does not one ranking have us in the top 14? Or anyone see us as anything but a joke? (Thanks Biscuit...or Nagy/O-line if you are noon/beardown/whoever else is on that train lurking)

Does this meme apply?!?

As with every offseason, hope springs eternal. But we're an odd f*cking team going into 2020. I look forward to the dark horse sh*t, because that has to be coming our way as the season approaches...

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

Mack - Hicks - Goldman - Nichols - Quinn

That’s 3 or 4 double team caliber players. Mack, Hicks, and Quinn are going to see 1 on 1 Match ups a lot if they all stay healthy. That’s going to be trouble for opposing QBs.

 

[richig07]

We got mauled by the two cream of the crop teams in the NFL we played last year (KC/NO)...and swept by the overachieving Packers. The year before, despite Biscuit playing well, we still got upended by the Pats. Our best output vs an actual bona fide top tier team was vs. the Rams in 2018 ...and that team is f*cking wonky anyway and we "Defensed" them with a whopping 15 points scored yet still a dubya.

Until we actually put up a decent showing vs. a top tier team and/or some consistent success in that department, I'm not getting excited for this iteration anymore.

Being "stacked" in the offseason seems to be a recurring theme for teams and their fanbases...

Not this time. This time the faithful get the FULL skepticism from this corner. I went all in last year and they cut me deep from the first f*cking game all the way through. This year they gotta earn it back on the regular season field before I buy any of it. If they go Biscuit on opening day, I'm going to have to have something worthless to smash near me. Because God help me if we lose our opening game like 14-6 or some sh*t, I may have a stroke.

I mean, the two teams who made the SB in 2018. We annihilated the Rams and lost to NE literally by one yard. Despite giving up two SPT's TD's in that game and not having Khalil Mack.

Each game we lost in 2018 was decided on our final play. All 5 games GB, MIA, NE, NYG and PHI. Definitely nothing to be ashamed about with the performances we had vs elite teams that year.

Last year, yeah... I mean.... we slayed bums. We weren't good. We were an 8-8. 8-8 teams tend to beat bums and lose to teams better than them.