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Bears Q&A: Why receivers aren't open downfield, success of the running game and more
Photos of Bears rookie running back Tarik Cohen.
Brad BiggsContact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
The Tribune's Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly.
Will we see Mitch Trubisky in Week 5? We need to understand what we have going into next season. Let's see what we have. — @cevenfollowedu
I understand the “we” who make up the fan base was ready to see Trubisky play weeks ago. The “we” who make decisions for the Bears inside Halas Hall clearly has a different plan for the first-round draft pick.
You need to keep in mind the latter “we” is seeing Trubisky practice regularly and evaluating him on most likely a week-by-week basis. I think the Bears have a pretty good idea what they have in Trubisky and they just want to make sure the time is right (in their mind) to insert him into the lineup.
It’s as if Bears fans are all sitting at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning waiting for Mom and Dad to say it’s OK to come down and see what Santa left under the tree. That time will arrive. It’s just not here yet.
I sense the Bears want to wait until later in the season to turn things over to Trubisky but let’s see what happens Thursday night in Green Bay. I truly believe this is a week-by-week thing, and as I’ve written multiple times, I believe this is more about Trubisky than how Glennon is performing.
Is it Mike Glennon, the wide receivers who can’t get open or the game plan? I’m asking why they’re not going downfield more. — @thegodfathertwo
Plenty of questions about this in the mailbag this week. The idea was the Bears needed to take more vertical shots downfield to open up opposing defenses for the running game. Did you see the Bears rumble for 220 yards on the ground in the victory over the Steelers? The Bears also took some shots downfield in that game. Glennon went deep five times and just missed Markus Wheaton twice. It was the first game of the season for Wheaton, and considering he missed most all of training camp and preseason after having his appendix removed and then breaking a finger on his left hand, it might take a little more practice for him to work out timing with Glennon.
The Bears wanted to go deep on a play that wound up being a checkdown to fullback Michael Burton, but the look wasn’t there. Glennon went deep on a play that resulted in a roughing-the-passer call too. They certainly opened things up downfield against the Steelers. The next step is hitting some of those downfield shots.
Photos of Bears quarterback Mike Glennon.
If Jordan Howard were to go down for any length of time, would Tarik Cohen start? Any chance they bring back Jeremy Langford or Ka’Deem Carey? — @jimgottberg
If Howard were to miss any time, I would imagine the workload would be distributed between Cohen and Benny Cunningham. I don’t know if Cohen would start. The bigger issue is how the snaps would be distributed. There have to be some concerns about Cohen in pass protection, at least in certain situations, and that’s why I hesitate to say Cohen would start. I would guess Cohen would get more carries than Cunningham, but they would have to spread the workload.
I don’t see Carey returning to the Bears anytime soon. He received an injury settlement for six weeks of pay ($273,529), and NFL teams cannot re-sign a player who received a settlement until an additional six weeks after the period of the settlement. In this case, the Bears would not bring Carey back until Week 12 at the earliest. The Ravens placed Langford on their practice squad/injured list, so he’s not an option right now. I’ve received a lot of questions about Langford in the last few weeks and am a little surprised by the fascination with him. He wasn’t very good with the Bears and they can find an equal or better back on the street, in my opinion.
Can the Bears continue to run the ball like this with an offensive line in flux? — @bearfanatic90
That’s a fair question. I would imagine things will improve when Josh Sitton returns to the lineup. He missed the Steelers game with a rib injury, and it will be interesting to see if he can come back in a short week to face the Packers, his former team. The Bears had a lot of moving parts on the line, which is probably one reason why they had some penalty issues -- something I expect they will clean up. I wonder if they will continue with the plan they hatched at the start of the offseason to play Sitton at right guard and swap Kyle Long to left guard. Long played really well at right guard against the Steelers --even after missing so much practice time -- and they might choose to leave him where he’s most experienced. They’re not going to run for 220 yards every week but they have a very nice combination in the backfield with Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, and I think Benny Cunningham can be a decent third-down back.
Wouldn't the Bears be better off by starting Mitch Trubisky immediately in order to determine whether they should draft another quarterback in the loaded 2018 draft class or trade down? If Trubisky is good now, the Bears will likely still end up with a top-three pick that they could trade for a bounty to a team needing a future franchise quarterback. And if Trubisky isn't the long-term answer, the Bears can always draft another quarterback. Either way, wouldn't the Bears be better off playing Trubisky now? — Sanjay A., Chicago
I see where you’re headed with this and answered a somewhat similar question a few weeks ago. There’s very little that could happen that would lead the Bears to pull the plug on Trubisky after this season. In fact, barring something completely off the radar, there’s no way this is happening. The contract Trubisky signed is for just more than $29 million guaranteed and I’m sure you can understand that’s a multiyear (think three, bare minimum) commitment. I’m not convinced the 2018 quarterback class is as good as some believe either. Have you been watching these guys play? Jared Goff didn’t play very well for the Rams as a rookie last season and he didn’t have a ton around him. He has a little more around him now and is off to a pretty nice start, having completed 70.1 percent of his passes with five touchdowns, one interception, 10.1 yards per attempt and a passer rating of 118.2. Sure, it’s a small sample size, but he looks like a completely different quarterback.
Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Brad Biggs recap the Bears' 23-17 overtime win over the Steelers on Sept. 24, 2017.
Why didn't the Bears pull Jordan Howard for Benny Cunningham when they could tell Howard wasn't running the same and on some runs was avoiding contact to his shoulder? His injury stopped play twice in one quarter, suggesting he probably shouldn't play. I applaud him for toughing it out, but the Bears need him for 16 games. With a short turnaround against the Packers this Thursday, could we see a rotation of Howard-Cohen-Cunningham? Or even sitting Howard out? — Haroon Y.
Howard won the game in overtime with consecutive runs of 18 and 19 yards, and the Bears wanted to have their best players on the field against a very good opponent at home. If you’re in a tight game, you have to try to win it. Maybe it’s a different situation if the score is lopsided, but that was a competitive game and Howard is their best back in that situation. The good news is he was not listed on the injury report this week, so I assume he’s full go Thursday night and, of course, Cohen will be sprinkled in. We’ll likely see Cunningham on third down again.
At what point do the Bears trade for an actual wide receiver? The current receivers had a total of one catch compared with 12 for running backs and two for tight ends on Sunday. — @stevemco
I’ve answered this very question several times. The short answer is, the only wide receivers who are going to be available in a trade right now are guys who are not playing for other teams. So, go to fourth, fifth or sixth on a depth chart of another team and start thinking about what you’re looking at. Could a different situation pop up? I suppose. But by and large you’re talking about getting a guy who’s not really playing and then forking over a draft pick. I think the Bears are better off keeping their draft picks instead of getting a player who isn’t good enough to see the field elsewhere. They got hit with two really bad injuries at wide receiver. Even with Cameron Meredith and Kevin White, this was a position group in need of an upgrade looking ahead to 2018, but let’s see what Markus Wheaton can do. He was close on a couple of deep balls and better be able to help out after the team paid him in free agency. I think a lot of the folks clamoring for a trade for a wideout would be wondering in the spring why the heck the Bears dealt a pick away for a marginal player if they took your approach. Just my opinion.
What are you hearing about Leonard Floyd through three games? — @kanebren
Floyd has been relatively quiet and hasn’t produced the pass-rushing statistics everyone has been looking, for but he has been in coverage a decent amount. Part of that stems from the fact the other outside linebackers don’t possess Floyd's athleticism and speed. If the Bears try to drop Willie Young, Pernell McPhee or Sam Acho into space or have them run with a receiver in the middle of the field, that’s going to create a mismatch. That’s one reason why this is a position group in need of new talent come the offseason.
“In the first game, we dropped him a lot,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Tuesday. “They were throwing the ball very quick, so we wanted him in coverage. That happened some, a fair amount, this past week also. So I do think it’s more a product of the games we’ve played so far. I do think he can rush better with his opportunities that he has had, but I don’t see it as an epidemic yet.”
Let’s see where Floyd is after a few more games and see how he’s deployed. I know the Bears would like him to rush the passer more, but if they have coverage concerns against teams that get the ball out quickly, Floyd is the best man for that job. Stay tuned.
Which free-agent wide receivers would you want to see signed this offseason? Do you think we will sign any? — @lukejfontaine
I anticipate the Bears will target wide receivers in free agency and the draft. They have enough needs at that position that they need to take a multipronged attack to restocking the depth chart while hoping Cameron Meredith can return from the torn ACL he suffered and be of value next season. There is a decent list of wide receivers who are in a contract year. Keep in mind some will be re-signed by their current team before reaching the open market. The best wide receiver projected to be a free agent might be former Bear Alshon Jeffery, though I’m not sure the odds of him returning to Halas Hall. Sammy Watkins will be a free agent, but after the Rams traded for him, it’s fair to expect they will make a solid run at extending him, especially because he’s off to a nice start. The Packers' Davante Adams could be highly sought after if he has a productive season, but again, you’d figure the Packers make a run at extending him. Terrelle Pryor signed a one-year deal with the Redskins. Jarvis Landry of the Dolphins, Donte Moncrief of the Colts and Allen Robinson of the Jaguars are also in the final year of their contracts. Of course, Robinson recently suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season. That's a good list of names. Let’s see how many are left on it in March.
Photos of quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who the Bears selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
Have there been more botched shotgun snaps from Cody Whitehair so far this year? If so, any explanation? — @vhavalad
I think one explanation is the Bears have been moving Whitehair around and experimenting with him at different spots on the line. He started at left guard last week before moving to center and played all three interior positions the week before against the Buccaneers. That means he has been practicing at guard, too, and not working exclusively at center. Versatility is a bonus but moving around a young player comes with a small price. With Josh Sitton at least a decent bet to suit up Thursday night against the Packers, maybe the Bears can have some good fortune on the line and keep that group together for a nice stretch.
With Kyle Fuller playing well, do the Bears consider extending him before the end of the year? It's ironic since they passed on the fifth-year option. — @Rradulski
Passing on the fifth-year option for Fuller was a no-brainer for the Bears, based on his up-and-down performance in 2015 and missing all of last season with the knee injury. The fifth-year option would have put the Bears on the hook for about $8.5 million in 2018 for Fuller, an amount that would have been fully guaranteed for injury. The fifth-year option for players drafted outside the top 10 -- Fuller was the 14th pick in 2014 -- is the average of the third through 25th highest-paid players at his position. Fuller has played well, but it’s premature to think about an extension, in my opinion. They’ve played only three games. As Fuller gets closer to the end of the season, my bet is he will be interested in exploring his value on the open market. Why sign an extension in November or December when you’re that close to truly maximizing your value? Let’s see how he plays. So far, I would call it a bonus, especially after his roster status looked very iffy as recently as the spring.
Do you feel the recent power rankings of the Bears (22-24) are accurate? Where does this team stand among the NFC North? — @Ryan_Walton97
They’re 1-2 after an impressive overtime victory over the talented Steelers. That came after a close loss to the undefeated Falcons at home and a blowout loss at Tampa Bay. I had the Bears 24th in the power rankings I did this week. The rest of the division is tied at 2-1, so the Bears clearly bring up the rear right now.
The Tribune's Bears writers make their game-by-game predictions for the 2017 season. (Brad Biggs, Rich Campbell, Dan Wiederer, David Haugh)
I would have thought one of the "10 Thoughts" would have offered some rejoinder on the lack of a passing game while lauding the resurgent running game. Also, why not explore the “No Sanchez” posture of the team? OK, no rush to see the rookie nor to expose all that money into an early-career serious injury, but c’mon, you hire Sanchez to be an insurance policy only for worst-case scenarios? He is a logical segue or second choice to Trubisky, not a replacement for Trubisky. Why not discuss rather than give the Bears cover? — John M.
Well, I don’t feel I give the Bears a whole lot of cover. I did see Sanchez in preseason and training camp, and he didn’t look very good to me. That’s where I’d start. He didn’t look good last year, either, and that’s a primary reason why he has bounced around the league pretty quickly since losing the starting job with the Jets. I don’t believe Sanchez is the answer to the passing-game situation right now and I’d remind you, like I try to remind most, the cast of wide receivers is quite limited. Also, the Bears won, and while winning with 101 passing yards is nothing to get excited about, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find NFL teams that swap healthy starting quarterbacks coming off wins. I looked up the records of teams that passed for 90-110 yards since 2007. Out of 148 instances, those teams were 60-88 (40.5 percent winning percentage). That’s not good but maybe not quite as bad as you would have imagined. Let’s be real, though: The only thing that is going to satisfy Bears fans this season is seeing first-round draft pick Mitch Trubisky play. I believe his turn will come this season and I also firmly believe 99 percent of those clamoring for Trubisky to take the field have failed to wonder if there’s a chance – just a chance – he’s not ready. I thought Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had some really insightful stuff to say on the subject Tuesday during a conference call with Chicago media. Rodgers sat three full seasons as a first-round pick before given his opportunity. Unfortunately the Bears don’t have Brett Favre ahead of Trubisky right now.
“There’s a lot of growth that can happen sitting on the bench,” Rodgers said. “You can really gain in confidence every single day of practice. You can kinda come along at your own speed. You’re obviously not dealing with the pressure every week of having to perform, which is a real thing. You kinda come along and learn the league, learn how to be a professional and learn how to take care of your body, and know at some point you’re going to get an opportunity, like he obviously is. And when he does get the opportunity, be ready to make of the most of it.
“I valued all of it at the time. In 2005, I don’t think the quarterbacks were as ready to play as maybe some of the guys are now. There’s better coaching, better awareness, there’s better coaching at a younger level. If you’re not in a ‘raise-you-foot-up, look-the-sideline, let-the-coach-call-the-play offense,’ you’re doing some more stuff now at the college level. You’re seeing some more defenses. And so for me it was just about learning, talking some more time, getting my body in great shape. I was very thankful for the opportunity, now as I look back, to grow, but I was never bitter in the moment. I was always excited about every day of practice and excited about going through my preparation during the week to try to give maybe one little nugget to Brett that might help him play better on Sunday.”
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BradBiggs
https://mobile.twitter.com/BradBiggs/status/913045261659885568
Photos of Bears rookie running back Tarik Cohen.
Brad BiggsContact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
The Tribune's Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly.
Will we see Mitch Trubisky in Week 5? We need to understand what we have going into next season. Let's see what we have. — @cevenfollowedu
I understand the “we” who make up the fan base was ready to see Trubisky play weeks ago. The “we” who make decisions for the Bears inside Halas Hall clearly has a different plan for the first-round draft pick.
You need to keep in mind the latter “we” is seeing Trubisky practice regularly and evaluating him on most likely a week-by-week basis. I think the Bears have a pretty good idea what they have in Trubisky and they just want to make sure the time is right (in their mind) to insert him into the lineup.
It’s as if Bears fans are all sitting at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning waiting for Mom and Dad to say it’s OK to come down and see what Santa left under the tree. That time will arrive. It’s just not here yet.
I sense the Bears want to wait until later in the season to turn things over to Trubisky but let’s see what happens Thursday night in Green Bay. I truly believe this is a week-by-week thing, and as I’ve written multiple times, I believe this is more about Trubisky than how Glennon is performing.
Is it Mike Glennon, the wide receivers who can’t get open or the game plan? I’m asking why they’re not going downfield more. — @thegodfathertwo
Plenty of questions about this in the mailbag this week. The idea was the Bears needed to take more vertical shots downfield to open up opposing defenses for the running game. Did you see the Bears rumble for 220 yards on the ground in the victory over the Steelers? The Bears also took some shots downfield in that game. Glennon went deep five times and just missed Markus Wheaton twice. It was the first game of the season for Wheaton, and considering he missed most all of training camp and preseason after having his appendix removed and then breaking a finger on his left hand, it might take a little more practice for him to work out timing with Glennon.
The Bears wanted to go deep on a play that wound up being a checkdown to fullback Michael Burton, but the look wasn’t there. Glennon went deep on a play that resulted in a roughing-the-passer call too. They certainly opened things up downfield against the Steelers. The next step is hitting some of those downfield shots.
Photos of Bears quarterback Mike Glennon.
If Jordan Howard were to go down for any length of time, would Tarik Cohen start? Any chance they bring back Jeremy Langford or Ka’Deem Carey? — @jimgottberg
If Howard were to miss any time, I would imagine the workload would be distributed between Cohen and Benny Cunningham. I don’t know if Cohen would start. The bigger issue is how the snaps would be distributed. There have to be some concerns about Cohen in pass protection, at least in certain situations, and that’s why I hesitate to say Cohen would start. I would guess Cohen would get more carries than Cunningham, but they would have to spread the workload.
I don’t see Carey returning to the Bears anytime soon. He received an injury settlement for six weeks of pay ($273,529), and NFL teams cannot re-sign a player who received a settlement until an additional six weeks after the period of the settlement. In this case, the Bears would not bring Carey back until Week 12 at the earliest. The Ravens placed Langford on their practice squad/injured list, so he’s not an option right now. I’ve received a lot of questions about Langford in the last few weeks and am a little surprised by the fascination with him. He wasn’t very good with the Bears and they can find an equal or better back on the street, in my opinion.
Can the Bears continue to run the ball like this with an offensive line in flux? — @bearfanatic90
That’s a fair question. I would imagine things will improve when Josh Sitton returns to the lineup. He missed the Steelers game with a rib injury, and it will be interesting to see if he can come back in a short week to face the Packers, his former team. The Bears had a lot of moving parts on the line, which is probably one reason why they had some penalty issues -- something I expect they will clean up. I wonder if they will continue with the plan they hatched at the start of the offseason to play Sitton at right guard and swap Kyle Long to left guard. Long played really well at right guard against the Steelers --even after missing so much practice time -- and they might choose to leave him where he’s most experienced. They’re not going to run for 220 yards every week but they have a very nice combination in the backfield with Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, and I think Benny Cunningham can be a decent third-down back.
Wouldn't the Bears be better off by starting Mitch Trubisky immediately in order to determine whether they should draft another quarterback in the loaded 2018 draft class or trade down? If Trubisky is good now, the Bears will likely still end up with a top-three pick that they could trade for a bounty to a team needing a future franchise quarterback. And if Trubisky isn't the long-term answer, the Bears can always draft another quarterback. Either way, wouldn't the Bears be better off playing Trubisky now? — Sanjay A., Chicago
I see where you’re headed with this and answered a somewhat similar question a few weeks ago. There’s very little that could happen that would lead the Bears to pull the plug on Trubisky after this season. In fact, barring something completely off the radar, there’s no way this is happening. The contract Trubisky signed is for just more than $29 million guaranteed and I’m sure you can understand that’s a multiyear (think three, bare minimum) commitment. I’m not convinced the 2018 quarterback class is as good as some believe either. Have you been watching these guys play? Jared Goff didn’t play very well for the Rams as a rookie last season and he didn’t have a ton around him. He has a little more around him now and is off to a pretty nice start, having completed 70.1 percent of his passes with five touchdowns, one interception, 10.1 yards per attempt and a passer rating of 118.2. Sure, it’s a small sample size, but he looks like a completely different quarterback.
Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Brad Biggs recap the Bears' 23-17 overtime win over the Steelers on Sept. 24, 2017.
Why didn't the Bears pull Jordan Howard for Benny Cunningham when they could tell Howard wasn't running the same and on some runs was avoiding contact to his shoulder? His injury stopped play twice in one quarter, suggesting he probably shouldn't play. I applaud him for toughing it out, but the Bears need him for 16 games. With a short turnaround against the Packers this Thursday, could we see a rotation of Howard-Cohen-Cunningham? Or even sitting Howard out? — Haroon Y.
Howard won the game in overtime with consecutive runs of 18 and 19 yards, and the Bears wanted to have their best players on the field against a very good opponent at home. If you’re in a tight game, you have to try to win it. Maybe it’s a different situation if the score is lopsided, but that was a competitive game and Howard is their best back in that situation. The good news is he was not listed on the injury report this week, so I assume he’s full go Thursday night and, of course, Cohen will be sprinkled in. We’ll likely see Cunningham on third down again.
At what point do the Bears trade for an actual wide receiver? The current receivers had a total of one catch compared with 12 for running backs and two for tight ends on Sunday. — @stevemco
I’ve answered this very question several times. The short answer is, the only wide receivers who are going to be available in a trade right now are guys who are not playing for other teams. So, go to fourth, fifth or sixth on a depth chart of another team and start thinking about what you’re looking at. Could a different situation pop up? I suppose. But by and large you’re talking about getting a guy who’s not really playing and then forking over a draft pick. I think the Bears are better off keeping their draft picks instead of getting a player who isn’t good enough to see the field elsewhere. They got hit with two really bad injuries at wide receiver. Even with Cameron Meredith and Kevin White, this was a position group in need of an upgrade looking ahead to 2018, but let’s see what Markus Wheaton can do. He was close on a couple of deep balls and better be able to help out after the team paid him in free agency. I think a lot of the folks clamoring for a trade for a wideout would be wondering in the spring why the heck the Bears dealt a pick away for a marginal player if they took your approach. Just my opinion.
What are you hearing about Leonard Floyd through three games? — @kanebren
Floyd has been relatively quiet and hasn’t produced the pass-rushing statistics everyone has been looking, for but he has been in coverage a decent amount. Part of that stems from the fact the other outside linebackers don’t possess Floyd's athleticism and speed. If the Bears try to drop Willie Young, Pernell McPhee or Sam Acho into space or have them run with a receiver in the middle of the field, that’s going to create a mismatch. That’s one reason why this is a position group in need of new talent come the offseason.
“In the first game, we dropped him a lot,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Tuesday. “They were throwing the ball very quick, so we wanted him in coverage. That happened some, a fair amount, this past week also. So I do think it’s more a product of the games we’ve played so far. I do think he can rush better with his opportunities that he has had, but I don’t see it as an epidemic yet.”
Let’s see where Floyd is after a few more games and see how he’s deployed. I know the Bears would like him to rush the passer more, but if they have coverage concerns against teams that get the ball out quickly, Floyd is the best man for that job. Stay tuned.
Which free-agent wide receivers would you want to see signed this offseason? Do you think we will sign any? — @lukejfontaine
I anticipate the Bears will target wide receivers in free agency and the draft. They have enough needs at that position that they need to take a multipronged attack to restocking the depth chart while hoping Cameron Meredith can return from the torn ACL he suffered and be of value next season. There is a decent list of wide receivers who are in a contract year. Keep in mind some will be re-signed by their current team before reaching the open market. The best wide receiver projected to be a free agent might be former Bear Alshon Jeffery, though I’m not sure the odds of him returning to Halas Hall. Sammy Watkins will be a free agent, but after the Rams traded for him, it’s fair to expect they will make a solid run at extending him, especially because he’s off to a nice start. The Packers' Davante Adams could be highly sought after if he has a productive season, but again, you’d figure the Packers make a run at extending him. Terrelle Pryor signed a one-year deal with the Redskins. Jarvis Landry of the Dolphins, Donte Moncrief of the Colts and Allen Robinson of the Jaguars are also in the final year of their contracts. Of course, Robinson recently suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season. That's a good list of names. Let’s see how many are left on it in March.
Photos of quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who the Bears selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
Have there been more botched shotgun snaps from Cody Whitehair so far this year? If so, any explanation? — @vhavalad
I think one explanation is the Bears have been moving Whitehair around and experimenting with him at different spots on the line. He started at left guard last week before moving to center and played all three interior positions the week before against the Buccaneers. That means he has been practicing at guard, too, and not working exclusively at center. Versatility is a bonus but moving around a young player comes with a small price. With Josh Sitton at least a decent bet to suit up Thursday night against the Packers, maybe the Bears can have some good fortune on the line and keep that group together for a nice stretch.
With Kyle Fuller playing well, do the Bears consider extending him before the end of the year? It's ironic since they passed on the fifth-year option. — @Rradulski
Passing on the fifth-year option for Fuller was a no-brainer for the Bears, based on his up-and-down performance in 2015 and missing all of last season with the knee injury. The fifth-year option would have put the Bears on the hook for about $8.5 million in 2018 for Fuller, an amount that would have been fully guaranteed for injury. The fifth-year option for players drafted outside the top 10 -- Fuller was the 14th pick in 2014 -- is the average of the third through 25th highest-paid players at his position. Fuller has played well, but it’s premature to think about an extension, in my opinion. They’ve played only three games. As Fuller gets closer to the end of the season, my bet is he will be interested in exploring his value on the open market. Why sign an extension in November or December when you’re that close to truly maximizing your value? Let’s see how he plays. So far, I would call it a bonus, especially after his roster status looked very iffy as recently as the spring.
Do you feel the recent power rankings of the Bears (22-24) are accurate? Where does this team stand among the NFC North? — @Ryan_Walton97
They’re 1-2 after an impressive overtime victory over the talented Steelers. That came after a close loss to the undefeated Falcons at home and a blowout loss at Tampa Bay. I had the Bears 24th in the power rankings I did this week. The rest of the division is tied at 2-1, so the Bears clearly bring up the rear right now.
The Tribune's Bears writers make their game-by-game predictions for the 2017 season. (Brad Biggs, Rich Campbell, Dan Wiederer, David Haugh)
I would have thought one of the "10 Thoughts" would have offered some rejoinder on the lack of a passing game while lauding the resurgent running game. Also, why not explore the “No Sanchez” posture of the team? OK, no rush to see the rookie nor to expose all that money into an early-career serious injury, but c’mon, you hire Sanchez to be an insurance policy only for worst-case scenarios? He is a logical segue or second choice to Trubisky, not a replacement for Trubisky. Why not discuss rather than give the Bears cover? — John M.
Well, I don’t feel I give the Bears a whole lot of cover. I did see Sanchez in preseason and training camp, and he didn’t look very good to me. That’s where I’d start. He didn’t look good last year, either, and that’s a primary reason why he has bounced around the league pretty quickly since losing the starting job with the Jets. I don’t believe Sanchez is the answer to the passing-game situation right now and I’d remind you, like I try to remind most, the cast of wide receivers is quite limited. Also, the Bears won, and while winning with 101 passing yards is nothing to get excited about, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find NFL teams that swap healthy starting quarterbacks coming off wins. I looked up the records of teams that passed for 90-110 yards since 2007. Out of 148 instances, those teams were 60-88 (40.5 percent winning percentage). That’s not good but maybe not quite as bad as you would have imagined. Let’s be real, though: The only thing that is going to satisfy Bears fans this season is seeing first-round draft pick Mitch Trubisky play. I believe his turn will come this season and I also firmly believe 99 percent of those clamoring for Trubisky to take the field have failed to wonder if there’s a chance – just a chance – he’s not ready. I thought Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had some really insightful stuff to say on the subject Tuesday during a conference call with Chicago media. Rodgers sat three full seasons as a first-round pick before given his opportunity. Unfortunately the Bears don’t have Brett Favre ahead of Trubisky right now.
“There’s a lot of growth that can happen sitting on the bench,” Rodgers said. “You can really gain in confidence every single day of practice. You can kinda come along at your own speed. You’re obviously not dealing with the pressure every week of having to perform, which is a real thing. You kinda come along and learn the league, learn how to be a professional and learn how to take care of your body, and know at some point you’re going to get an opportunity, like he obviously is. And when he does get the opportunity, be ready to make of the most of it.
“I valued all of it at the time. In 2005, I don’t think the quarterbacks were as ready to play as maybe some of the guys are now. There’s better coaching, better awareness, there’s better coaching at a younger level. If you’re not in a ‘raise-you-foot-up, look-the-sideline, let-the-coach-call-the-play offense,’ you’re doing some more stuff now at the college level. You’re seeing some more defenses. And so for me it was just about learning, talking some more time, getting my body in great shape. I was very thankful for the opportunity, now as I look back, to grow, but I was never bitter in the moment. I was always excited about every day of practice and excited about going through my preparation during the week to try to give maybe one little nugget to Brett that might help him play better on Sunday.”
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BradBiggs
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