This game was an important stepping stone for Caleb, and there is a method to some of the madness we have seen from Waldron the past 2 weeks with the adjustments, however incremental they may seem. Very few QB's just selected at 1.1 explode out of the gate passing for 4,000 and 25 Td's. Caleb has a chance next week for another 2-3 TD's provided he & Waldron stay on the same page & he gets average blocking like today. And that's really the key to success: sustained growth, learning from your mistakes, and staying within the scope of your system.
I agree. better every week. And it seems he is "getting it" more and more. He threw for a little more than 300 yards this week. Can't complain too much about that.
1. General manager Ryan Poles, after surveying the Carolina Panthers, should feel very good about the chances the final piece in the blockbuster trade he executed in March 2023 will be a very good draft pick.
2. Caleb Williams got a good introduction to some of the wind hazards that come with playing at Soldier Field on Sunday.
3. Whew. We can officially put to rest the social media concern that there is a disconnect between DJ Moore and Caleb Williams. ("And maybe now there will not be so much concern if Moore is seated by himself on the sideline." thank you football gods. Some day we will learn not to swallow the clickbait)
4. There was a huge void in the middle of the Carolina defense with linebackers Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell sidelined.
5. I think Bears GM Ryan Poles was drawn to Roschon Johnson for many of the same reasons former running backs coach Stan Drayton calls Johnson one of the favorite players he’s ever worked with.
6. The Bears have some real home cooking going right now for Matt Eberflus.
7. As the Bears search for more pass-rush options — and they’re always looking to add in this area — it was good to see rookie fifth-round draft pick Austin Booker notch his first sack.
8. Can you imagine an offseason where you’re not hearing about how sharp a team is looking in OTAs, which players have been in attendance and who is missing? Players can.
9. It looks like Nate Davis has dropped a spot on the offensive line.
10. There’s not a better division in football right now than the NFC North.
10a. 10a. Matt Eberflus said the decision to fly to London overnight on Monday is to be best acclimated to the six-hour time difference in advance of the game with the Jaguars.
10b. After DeAndre Carter took a big hit in the middle of the field that aggravated his rib injury, Josh Blackwell replaced him as the punt returner and on kickoff returns.
10c. The Bears have 11 takeaways through the first five games, the most they’ve had in that stretch since totaling 14 in a 3-2 start to the 2018 season.
10d. If you are traveling to London this week and looking for something to do Saturday night, you might want to consider an amiable group of European Bears fans that will be meeting at 7 p.m. BST at The Famous Three Kings (171 North End Rd., London). (On my bucket list of impossible things: Watch a Bears game in London.)
10e. The Bears opened as a 1 1/2-point favorite over the Jaguars for the game in London at Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.The NFL Network crew of Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner, Stacey Dales and Steve Wyche will call the Bears-Jaguars game from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London next Sunday.
10f. The Bears opened as a 1 1/2-point favorite over the Jaguars for the game in London at Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.
This game was an important stepping stone for Caleb, and there is a method to some of the madness we have seen from Waldron the past 2 weeks with the adjustments, however incremental they may seem.
Before the season if you had asked me if I would be happy with a winning record and Caleb getting better and better week after week - I would have said, yep. I think everyone on this messageboard would have said the same thing. If the team and Caleb can keep this going (getting better and better) all season long then we're positioned for being right were we need to be in 2025 for taking a shot at winning the division (a great division) and competing well with the big boys in the post season. It has always been about 2025. The final year of the Poles rebuild after the 2022 tank & teardown year.
w had a great day and is starting to really look like he’s the real deal at qb1.
In 5 games, Williams has progressed far more than Fields has in 4 seasons.
Its true. You can see the difference with CW easily. His pocket awareness and ability to keep eyes downfield is light years better than we ever saw with Mitch or Justin. He's getting better every week and its easy to see. I'd say he still is having some accuracy issues on a few throws per game but I expect that to improve as he continues to gain experience.
But I voted the game ball to the COACHES. I was critical of them to start the season, well deserved as those kinks should have been worked out in August, but I have to admit the turnaround has been impressive. Flus has stopped making stupid decisions and Waldron has stopped his dumbass personnel packages that were killing us. He called a great game, played to his players strengths, and didn't get cute like he used to. They seem to have successfully lit a fire under the asses of Swift, Everett, and the OL. Even Coleman Shelton was trucking guys yesterday. Both the pass pro and run blocking have been MUCH BETTER.
Flus/Waldron have shown more ability to adapt and adjust the last two weeks than Nagy and Getsy did in two whole seasons. Credit where credit is due--Bears coaching staff has outcoached the opponent lately.
Oh and btw, Billings and Dex are quietly playing at a Pro-Bowl level.
In 5 games, Williams has progressed far more than Fields has in 4 seasons.
Its true. You can see the difference with CW easily. His pocket awareness and ability to keep eyes downfield is light years better than we ever saw with Mitch or Justin. He's getting better every week and its easy to see. I'd say he still is having some accuracy issues on a few throws per game but I expect that to improve as he continues to gain experience.
But I voted the game ball to the COACHES. I was critical of them to start the season, well deserved as those kinks should have been worked out in August, but I have to admit the turnaround has been impressive. Flus has stopped making stupid decisions and Waldron has stopped his dumbass personnel packages that were killing us. He called a great game, played to his players strengths, and didn't get cute like he used to. They seem to have successfully lit a fire under the asses of Swift, Everett, and the OL. Even Coleman Shelton was trucking guys yesterday. Both the pass pro and run blocking have been MUCH BETTER.
Flus/Waldron have shown more ability to adapt and adjust the last two weeks than Nagy and Getsy did in two whole seasons. Credit where credit is due--Bears coaching staff has outcoached the opponent lately.
Oh and btw, Billings and Dex are quietly playing at a Pro-Bowl level.
We have a real shot to be 4-2 going into the bye.
I agree MPB, but as I noted in another thread we still need a massive influx of talent on the Oline. How we survive Detroit, Minnesota, & GB in part depends on the Oline becoming a stable unit (however that may be). I fully expect us to be 4-2 going into the bye week when we should be 5-1 were it not for terrible playcalling & Oline performance.
Its true. You can see the difference with CW easily. His pocket awareness and ability to keep eyes downfield is light years better than we ever saw with Mitch or Justin. He's getting better every week and its easy to see. I'd say he still is having some accuracy issues on a few throws per game but I expect that to improve as he continues to gain experience.
But I voted the game ball to the COACHES. I was critical of them to start the season, well deserved as those kinks should have been worked out in August, but I have to admit the turnaround has been impressive. Flus has stopped making stupid decisions and Waldron has stopped his dumbass personnel packages that were killing us. He called a great game, played to his players strengths, and didn't get cute like he used to. They seem to have successfully lit a fire under the asses of Swift, Everett, and the OL. Even Coleman Shelton was trucking guys yesterday. Both the pass pro and run blocking have been MUCH BETTER.
Flus/Waldron have shown more ability to adapt and adjust the last two weeks than Nagy and Getsy did in two whole seasons. Credit where credit is due--Bears coaching staff has outcoached the opponent lately.
Oh and btw, Billings and Dex are quietly playing at a Pro-Bowl level.
We have a real shot to be 4-2 going into the bye.
I agree MPB, but as I noted in another thread we still need a massive influx of talent on the Oline. How we survive Detroit, Minnesota, & GB in part depends on the Oline becoming a stable unit (however that may be). I fully expect us to be 4-2 going into the bye week when we should be 5-1 were it not for terrible playcalling & Oline performance.
OL is definitely our achilles heel right now, no question. It wouldn't surprise me to see Poles make a move at the trade deadline and we have Bates coming back after next week's game.
Just being realistic here--this season isn't about a SB run. It's about getting ready to make a run (hopefully many). We have another offseason with 3 top picks coming to shore up the OL.
Meanwhile I like what I am seeing from our younger players -- Tyrique, Brisker, Gordon, Odunze, and Caleb most of all.
I agree MPB, but as I noted in another thread we still need a massive influx of talent on the Oline. How we survive Detroit, Minnesota, & GB in part depends on the Oline becoming a stable unit (however that may be). I fully expect us to be 4-2 going into the bye week when we should be 5-1 were it not for terrible playcalling & Oline performance.
OL is definitely our achilles heel right now, no question. It wouldn't surprise me to see Poles make a move at the trade deadline and we have Bates coming back after next week's game.
Just being realistic here--this season isn't about a SB run. It's about getting ready to make a run (hopefully many). We have another offseason with 3 top picks coming to shore up the OL.
Meanwhile I like what I am seeing from our younger players -- Tyrique, Brisker, Gordon, Odunze, and Caleb most of all.
