Three Quick Player Thoughts
- Adam Shaheen. He’s not getting a ton of attention from those circling the barren wasteland of Bourbonnais but I’m told by highly reliable folks Matt Nagy is as enamored with the potential of Shaheen as any other offensive player on the roster. The young TE had an almost-impossible transition from Nowheresville, Ohio to the NFL last season and it made harder by an offensive coaching staff uninterested in aiding that transition for a raw rookie. This staff sees big play potential from their big tight end. Immediately.
- Mitch Trubisky. His early camp results? Up and down. Throwing too many picks but displaying all the explosiveness and ability that made him the second pick. It’ll be very interesting to see how much of this new offense Nagy rolls out in the preseason, especially with Green Bay in primetime to open the campaign. But the most important thing happening to Tru this summer is simply being allowed to BE the damn quarterback and make the important mistakes.
- Kevin Toliver & Kylie Fitts. The Bears are a very strange roster right now, with a ton of potential up and down it. But these two players, both off to impressive starts, have the ability to elevate an already good to elite level if they make a significant impact in 2018.
It’s Cold. Put On Your LongJahns.
In Adam the Legend’s camp takeaways column, there was a passage that caught my eye:
From Allen Robinson to Marlon Brown at receiver and from Trey Burton to Colin Thompson at tight end, every skill player has gotten a chance to play with Trubisky or backup Chase Daniel. Running back Tarik Cohen has even caught passes from third-stringer Tyler Bray in camp.
At some point, the constant rotations will end. Robinson, Burton, Cohen and other starters will settle in for more advanced work with Trubisky.
But those rotations are part of the learning process for all players right now. Nagy wants it that way. Kevin White seemingly has benefitted from it. He has been targeted plenty throughout camp by Trubisky and Daniel.
“Right now, there’s zero game-planning going into this thing,” Nagy said. “It’s, ‘Everybody learn everything,’ and then what we do as evaluators and coaches is we see who does what well.
“There might be somebody that runs a route really well but can’t run another route to save his life, so we don’t do that. We put those guys in the right spots, and then we try to time it up with the quarterbacks.”
Hallelujah. Too often new coaches come to an organization with their pre-designed cargo pants and try to fit players into the pockets. They acquire a player who can do X, a player who can do Y, a player who can do Z. Matt Nagy and Mark Helfrich, along with Ryan Pace, went out this offseason and acquired a ton of offensive talent. Guys who can do a ton of different things. Now they’re allowing that talent to show them what works and what doesn’t. Rather ingenious if you ask me.
Team Trubisky
There was a quote in Adam Hoge’s 10 Bears Things column that made me very happy. It is bolded below:
Trubisky’s passion for the game of football and eagerness to win over his teammates was evident even a year ago in Bourbonnais, despite being forced to work with the third-stringers in practice. Now that he has 12 starts under his belt and is the clear-cut QB1, he appears to have won over the entire group — offense and defense.
“Mitch doesn’t look like a rookie. He looks like a veteran,” cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “I’m just looking at his stage presence, just how he coordinates everybody, how he calls plays, his presence in the pocket and everything like that.”
After years of storylines about the locker room’s support or lack thereof for Jay Cutler, it doesn’t appear that will be a major topic during the Trubisky era, no matter how long it lasts.
The theatrical allusions continue! Maybe this will be a new trend in football writing!
James Fox Tweets From Camp
Fox has does an excellent job communicating his camp experience but these two tweets stood out for me.
8. Eric Kush would be a capable starter for the #Bears but I think it’s only a matter of time before 2nd round pick James Daniels takes over the LG spot. He has been stonewalling DL in one-on-one drills and looks as agile as advertised with the 2nd and 3rd unit offense.
— James Fox (@JamesFox917) July 24, 2018
Meet James Daniels
One of the early reports I’ve been given from Bourbonnais is just how easily Daniels is transitioning to the professional game. He very much looks the part and it’ll be a surprise if he’s not starting on day one (and for years to come).
Links
- Anthony Miller is not going to be surprised if/when he breaks out as a rookie. He basically told the world he’s going to in this blog post on his website. (Side note: he’s been the Bears best camp player thus far.)
- Jerry Jones has insisted upon every one of his players standing for the national anthem, while at the same time criticizing Trump’s involvement. Jones is a dunce who has employed known criminals for years, while turning a blind eye. (I’m staying away from this topic moving forward, as I’ve said what’s needed to be said.)
- A young Chicago Bears fan’s reaction to getting tickets went viral. You won’t be wondering why when you see it.
