In just a few weeks…
…You’ll find yourself wondering…
…Are the Bears good now?
(And the answer is yes)
In just a few weeks…
…You’ll find yourself wondering…
…Are the Bears good now?
(And the answer is yes)
It’s been a busy week for me in real life, so thanks for putting up with two audio posts back to back. Hoping to dig into some film by the end of the week.
Nick and I had a blast recording this last one — we talk through…
With Justin Fields officially traded, it feels like the Chicago Bears are at the dawning of a new age. That means change — some good, some bad, and a whole lot of ‘New’.
That means new additions around DBB as well — Jeff & I will be hosting a show we’re calling Saturday Spaces (creative, I know) that you can expect weekly starting the weekend after Easter. The two of us recorded similar shows throughout this last Bears season, and I think they turned out well.
I recorded this last weekend’s show for your listening pleasure — check it out at the link below and let me know what you think.
— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) March 23, 2024
Your Turn: What Bears-related topics will you focus on over the next month?
The Bears showed out in force for Caleb Williams’ USC Pro Day. Their contingent included Ryan Poles, Matt Eberflus, Ian Cunningham, Shane Waldron, and even Chicago’s newest WR…
Keenan Allen showed up to USC’s Pro Day in some Bears gear to watch Caleb Williams pic.twitter.com/AHM5QWg44h
— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) March 20, 2024
What does it all mean? Probably what it looks like — Chicago is gearing up to select Williams #1 overall in late April.
And just in case the Bears had any concerns, Williams left the contingent without anything to be concerned about on the field. Each of Caleb’s throws looked easy and the ball leapt off his hand. It’s easy to wax poetic about a throwing motion like his, but we can save that for another day — for now, excitement seems to be building for the 22-year-old Washingtonian. If getting excited is your thing, don’t be afraid to get swept up in the fervor.
Your Turn: What’s your take on Williams these days? Did anything change after the Pro Day?
Your Turn: How impactful do you think Keenan Allen will be next year?
See you later this evening for tonight’s stream.
Dreaming: Double slant with Keenan Allen against single high coverage. LB and NCB squeeze Keenan, Caleb pushes to DJ Moore. Hits him in stride.
Suddenly one of the league’s most dangerous YAC threats is 1 on 1 with the Safety at full speed.
Inject it into my veins.
— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) March 18, 2024
Your Turn: How are you feeling today?
Late last night, the Chicago Bears acquired Chargers all-star WR Keenan Allen for their 4th round pick (#110) in the 2024 NFL Draft. I’ve got some quick thoughts on the move:
My overall grade? I like it. The fun factor is ~10/10. I’ve also already assumed that Matt Eberflus begged Poles to let him draft a 1st round defender anyways, so if this move is Poles’ way of making sure Chicago has weapons for a key 2024 season? I dig it.
This does make me wonder what the Bears’ plan is at WR going forward, but we can cross that bridge later. I’d love to draft a 2nd or 3rd round WR to develop throughout the year (Keon Coleman, Roman Wilson, Ricky Pearsall, etc), but I don’t know that the Bears will prioritize that. Also, is Keenan getting extended past 2024? I could see it, but he’ll be 33 next season. We’ll have to wait and see.
For now… Chicago added a 6-time Pro Bowler that’s a god amongst chain-moving WRs. He pairs perfectly with DJ Moore’s ability to threaten all levels of the field as well — those two should be monsters in 12-personnel.
I’m excited to see how this plays out — what an exciting time to be a Bears fan! What will Poles do from here? We’re just going to have to wait and see,
Below I threw in some of my favorite clips from a light film study last night — check it out and let me know what you think.
Kevin Byard, D’Andre Swift, Gerald Everett, and Jonathan Owens are now Chicago Bears! But how good are they? What do they bring to the team? And who remains unsigned that Ryan Poles may target? Robert & Nick review all this and more on the latest episode of Bear With Us!
Your Turn: Who’s left out there that you’d like to see signed?
According to a PFF metric called “True Cap Space” (shown below), your Chicago Bears have the 3rd most cap space to make use of over the next few days.
Does that mean we’ll see splash signings? I really don’t know — Ryan Poles’ cagey approach to the Bears’ Free Agency plans has left me grasping at straws when looking for future moves. But with cap space like this to burn, I’d be surprised if Chicago doesn’t have at least one major signing by the time Monday’s dust has settled — who will it be? Let’s find out together.
The fact that we heard a lot about coaches willing to take over LAC was either
– a sign that those coaches have little idea which teams are well-prepared for the mid-term future
– a sign that ressources don't matter when coaches want to work w/ Justin Herbert.
Probably both. pic.twitter.com/cTQFsbXxF4
— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) March 10, 2024
As if he’s anticipating a big week, Ryan Poles got the Bears’ Free Agency party started early with the signing of former Titans and Eagles safety Kevin Byard — my brief thoughts on him are listed below, but we’ll have more on each of the signed Free Agents later throughout the week.
Kevin Byard's tape has Eberflus written all over it. I can see why the #Bears felt they needed to move quickly with him.
Handles deep space well in both half-field & center-field roles, but his eyes stand out to me — he reads the offense with confidence & breaks accordingly.
— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) March 11, 2024
The latest episode of Bear With Us is out — give it a listen below!
In it, we talk through:
Check it out and let me know what you think!
Your Turn: What moves do you want to see made in the upcoming Free Agency window?