Texans beat Bears - who gets the deflated ball?

Brax wasn't good yesterday, David.  He got beat alot.  I will give him credit in that he did get better later in the 2nd half but he that game wasn't the kind of tape he wants his agent to show Poles for an extension this winter.  Wright was better but he had some whiffs too.  I'll give both OTs the benefit of the doubt as they were both facing elite edge rushers.

The interior guys, Tevin included, again looked like a D2 college unit.  Houston, unlike Tenn, does NOT have elite DTs.  They're average at best JAGs in there.  But the iOL gave up pressure on almost every stunt and blitz even with a RB staying in to assist.  The stats were ridiculous--CW was pressured something like 36 out of 38 dropbacks--don't have the exact number in front of me but saw it published.  Nate Davis literally looks like someone who no longer wants to play football--he whiffed and loafed multiple times.  Shelton looked overpowered again.  The whole interior missed basic assignments and passing off blocks to each other over and over like a high school team.  It was embarrassingly bad and it's gonna get CW killed.  He had the same issues his final year at USC with an iOL that was terrible.

On a larger note, I have been pretty supportive of Ryan Poles during his entire time here but he has egg on his face right now and deservedly so.  I understand you "can't fix everything at once".  I understand this isn't a "win now year".  However, his signings and trades on the IOL have been a total CF and that's 100% on him.  Lucas Patrick, Mustipher, Davis, Shelton, and Bates have all been BAD, HURT, or BOTH.  I was shocked when he traded a 4th for Keenan but it's looking more and more like that should have been for a G.  He had the money to get a good, proven C in FA last March and chose not to.  For a GM with an OL background, he has done a shockingly poor job of building the OL with only 1 pick in the top 2 rounds of the draft.  The guy he drafted in rd 3 this year is a project from a small school was was already pre-injured.  I hated that pick right from the get-go.

Just last month, Poles bragged about having such "good depth" on the OL. So let's see it.  Nate Davis should have been cut in TC when he malingered and didn't want to practice.  The guy got paid and has stopped taking his job seriously ever since.  He needs to be benched (at minimum) right now or even outright released when Bates gets back from IR.  As for C, I'm for giving Kramer a look at this point.  They need to change SOMETHING cuz this isn't working at all.

Bears have a softball schedule coming up.  Next 4 games are all as easy as they get in the NFL.  Indy fkn blows chunks.  Rams are beat to shit with injuries and 0-2. Carolina is the worst team in the league by far and then there's Jax who's also playing like ass and 0-2.  You need to go 3-1 over the next 4 weeks, get to the bye, get Bates back, and reconfigure the iOL for the back half of the season.  Yeah, I'd be looking to trade for a G/C even if you have to overpay a bit.  That 6th we got for Fields looks for sure like its gonna become a 4th now with Wilson sucking and Pitt 2-0.  

You gotta do something.  Patch things up for the next month and make some moves.  The schedule will get a lot tougher in November.

I completely agree Brasil. I did not think they would win either. And to be fair, they could have scored there at the end and actually won the game, but they just could not do anything on offense. I know CW was constantly being harassed and hit. I hated to see that. But one of his lauded skills was to be able to hit targets on the move. Again, he did not have too many opportunities to do so, but when he did.... he HAS to make them. If he had made the ones that he should have, with the D we had, we actually might have won that game. Am I saying the loss was on CW? Not at all, but there is some sort of problem there. When he has the chance to make the completion, why is he so inaccurate? He did have a stretch in college where the OL was shitty. It's not like he has not experienced this before. I don't get it. Is he trying to strictly stay within what he has been told to do (on the coaches then?). I don't pretend to know, but I do know he is better than what he is playing like. Again... I KNOW it's on the OL. But when you have an opportunity and they are few and far between, those opportunities need to be successful. It is just a lot of things that are not working. 

And as much as I like Poles, if he does not throw the kitchen sink at the OL next year, then I am off his hype train. Hire Flus as DC, get another coach in.... hell I don't even know any more. Just throwing spaghetti on the wall at this point. 

Leming 10 points about the game (windycity)

1. Changes along the offensive line need to be coming in short order if they can’t run the ball or protect their rookie quarterback.
2. Caleb Williams's night had mixed results, but his longevity should be the biggest worry for 2024.
3. For as bad as the offense played, the defense was once again a positive story on Sunday night. Head coach Matt Eberflus has this group playing at a high level, despite very little offensive production.
4. Through two weeks, Shane Waldron feels a lot like Luke Getsy 2.0.
5. Despite being labeled as “week-to-week” on Tuesday, Rome Odunze gutted out his second NFL game and played a large amount of the snaps.
6. Gervon Dexter Sr. appears to be taking the next step as a pass rusher. What’s next for this defensive line?
7. When is it time to ditch the orange uniforms?
8. Through two weeks, chaos reigns supreme in the NFL. Upset Sunday came early in 2024.
9. NFC North Lookaround: A (2-0) Minnesota Vikings squad, the Packers dominant victory, and an odd day at the office for the Detroit Lions.
10. Week 3 Look Ahead: The (0-2) Indianapolis Colts.