Surprising. Disappointing, Intriguing

[WindyCity]

Biggest Surprises

1. Shea McClellin

I was one of the bigger Shea McClellin haters in the offseason, but I am left admitting that McClellin is important to the Bears. Shea McClellin has not been special, he has not forced big plays, but he has been solid in his run fits, has been a reliable tackler, and gotten the defense lined up properly. Against the Lions the Bears struggled to adjust to what the Lions were doing, allowed a ton of rushing yards, and missed a season high 10 tackles.

I am surprised at how solid he has looked, and how much the coaches and players seem to respect and value him.

2. Jarvis Jenkins

I expected nothing but rotational run stuffing and a few reps a game. Jenkins has come in and put up 18 tackles. 3.5 sacks, 1 PD in 6 games. He has been a strong interior pass rusher and decent against the run. He has not been dominant, but he has been better than I think anyone could have expected. He seems to fit in this system perfectly.

3. Adrian Amos

In the Emery and Angelo eras I have given up on mid round picks really showing anything early, or anything at all. But to have Amos come in and start, play well, and seemingly improve each game has been such a pleasant surprise. Safety has been a waste land for the Bears and it seems they may have found a player in the 5th round. Amos' rapid development seems to make the Marshall trade less of a value issue.

Biggest Disappointments

1. Kyle Fuller

He has been bad, maybe mediocre at times, and as a 1st round pick that we were hoping would take a step it is disappointing to see.

2. Lamarr Houston and Willie Young

They were both coming off injury, but they both have done little if anything on the field and continue to struggle to generate any pass rush opposite of McPhee. The money tied up here, specifically in Houston, for what they are getting is a big disappointment.

3. Kevin White Injury

Ryan {ace's first draft has been solid and there are players that look like they are going to be long term fixtures in Goldman and Amos, but it is difficult to really assess the draft without seeing their top 10 pick. It is no ones fault, but disappointing that we can not see how good, or how far from contributing the Bears highest pick in a decade is.

Most Intriguing

1. Charles Leno

The Bears are on to something here. Leno has played 3 strong games against elite rushers and continues to improve each week. After the pre-season that Leno had I was surprised he was not cut and now he looks like an actual LT. It would be huge for the Bears to steal some value from anything that Phil Emery drafted and it would be a nice off set to Fuller continuing to spiral the drain if Leno could be a player. I need to see more, but early returns are nice.

2. Jay Cutler

Before the season I would have said that the Bears need to move on from Cutler no matter what because of the disaster that it was becoming. But he has looked solid this season and seems to be playing his best football. Also looking at the lack of QB talent around the league I am not ready to ditch Cutler to rush a rookie onto the field or sit and watch Brian Hoyer for a season. Cutler may be providing the Bears with the best thing he can at this point, time, time to find his replacement and not have to rush it.

3. Hroniss Grasu

The Kevin White injury sucks and makes it difficult to assess the draft class of Ryan Pace, but if Grasu can show he is a player I think this draft class is a success regardless of what happens with White. Goldman can play, Langford can play, Amos can play, if the Bears can hit on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th round picks that is a good draft. Great teams are arguably built in the middle rounds and that was a weakness of late Angelo and Emery.

 

[mecha]

GMs don't hit on every single pick. I'm willing to bet White will pan out though, making it a good draft. I think Pace has done some good personnel moves considering how awful of a state the team was in going into this year.

for all intents and purposes, the offensive line they've been fielding the last few weeks could probably be most accurately described as PATCHWORK. and the amazing part is it's working. I'm sure there's areas they can improve more, but these are noobs. Slauson and Long are the only experienced players they have. compare this to the revolving door of FAs the Bears ran when Lovie was with the team; at least these are the Bears guys and they're super young and can improve more.

the defense is all young guys too. interesting that Shea's the leader. they've cut a lot of guys and replaced them with young kids that actually have upside.

I'm really impressed with all the moves they've had to make, most due to a multitude of injuries. it's strange but they're plugging in the backups and either getting equal or better play out of them. all the bitching about Fox since the last game, you have to admit this is an awesome situation for a young team to be in.

 

[dabears70]

Biggest Surprises

1. Shea McClellin

I was one of the bigger Shea McClellin haters in the offseason, but I am left admitting that McClellin is important to the Bears. Shea McClellin has not been special, he has not forced big plays, but he has been solid in his run fits, has been a reliable tackler, and gotten the defense lined up properly. Against the Lions the Bears struggled to adjust to what the Lions were doing, allowed a ton of rushing yards, and missed a season high 10 tackles.

I am surprised at how solid he has looked, and how much the coaches and players seem to respect and value him.

2. Jarvis Jenkins

I expected nothing but rotational run stuffing and a few reps a game. Jenkins has come in and put up 18 tackles. 3.5 sacks, 1 PD in 6 games. He has been a strong interior pass rusher and decent against the run. He has not been dominant, but he has been better than I think anyone could have expected. He seems to fit in this system perfectly.

3. Adrian Amos

In the Emery and Angelo eras I have given up on mid round picks really showing anything early, or anything at all. But to have Amos come in and start, play well, and seemingly improve each game has been such a pleasant surprise. Safety has been a waste land for the Bears and it seems they may have found a player in the 5th round. Amos' rapid development seems to make the Marshall trade less of a value issue.

Biggest Disappointments

1. Kyle Fuller

He has been bad, maybe mediocre at times, and as a 1st round pick that we were hoping would take a step it is disappointing to see.

2. Lamarr Houston and Willie Young

They were both coming off injury, but they both have done little if anything on the field and continue to struggle to generate any pass rush opposite of McPhee. The money tied up here, specifically in Houston, for what they are getting is a big disappointment.

3. Kevin White Injury

Ryan {ace's first draft has been solid and there are players that look like they are going to be long term fixtures in Goldman and Amos, but it is difficult to really assess the draft without seeing their top 10 pick. It is no ones fault, but disappointing that we can not see how good, or how far from contributing the Bears highest pick in a decade is.

Most Intriguing

1. Charles Leno

The Bears are on to something here. Leno has played 3 strong games against elite rushers and continues to improve each week. After the pre-season that Leno had I was surprised he was not cut and now he looks like an actual LT. It would be huge for the Bears to steal some value from anything that Phil Emery drafted and it would be a nice off set to Fuller continuing to spiral the drain if Leno could be a player. I need to see more, but early returns are nice.

2. Jay Cutler

Before the season I would have said that the Bears need to move on from Cutler no matter what because of the disaster that it was becoming. But he has looked solid this season and seems to be playing his best football. Also looking at the lack of QB talent around the league I am not ready to ditch Cutler to rush a rookie onto the field or sit and watch Brian Hoyer for a season. Cutler may be providing the Bears with the best thing he can at this point, time, time to find his replacement and not have to rush it.

3. Hroniss Grasu

The Kevin White injury sucks and makes it difficult to assess the draft class of Ryan Pace, but if Grasu can show he is a player I think this draft class is a success regardless of what happens with White. Goldman can play, Langford can play, Amos can play, if the Bears can hit on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th round picks that is a good draft. Great teams are arguably built in the middle rounds and that was a weakness of late Angelo and Emery.

Not sure how anyone can not like what Pace has done in his first draft and free agency as a GM and he went out and hired some of the top coaches that were out there to be had. I believe K.White will absolutely be a good maybe a great WR for us and even without K.White he had a good draft.

 

[WindyCity]

Not sure how anyone can not like what Pace has done in his first draft and free agency as a GM and he went out and hired some of the top coaches that were out there to be had. I believe K.White will absolutely be a good maybe a great WR for us and even without K.White he had a good draft.

I agree I think he had a nice first draft, but I still want to see Kevin White.

My disappointment is not with the pick, but with not getting to see what he is.

 

[Enasic]

Biggest Surprise

Shea Mac

Pretty much all the reasons Windy listed.

Adrian Amos

This guy looks like a legit NFL safety.

Disappointing

Kyle Fuller

Was expecting him to take the next step...which would be pretty easy to do considering his rookie year.

Lamar Houston

I expected him to be good in this defense and it's tough to say how close to 100% he is but he looks worthless out there

Intriguing

Tracy Porter

This guy came in and has taken on the best WRs every week. He's made numerous big plays, and looks to be our best CB by a considerable margin.

Harold Jones Quartey

It's still a little early and he hasn't looked great per say, but he hasn't looked bad either in limited time with the team.

 

[BringBackDitka54]

I agree I think he had a nice first draft, but I still want to see Kevin White.

My disappointment is not with the pick, but with not getting to see what he is.

Any news on if Kevin White will play at all this year?

 

[Space Invader]

Report: Small chance of Kevin White playing in 2015

• By Chris Wesseling
• Around the NFL Writer
• Published: Oct. 23, 2015 at 01:36 p.m.
• Updated: Oct. 23, 2015 at 08:05 p.m.

Out of sight, out of mind since undergoing surgery in August to repair a stress fracture in his shin, Chicago Bears first-round pick Kevin White recently graduated to light running.

​

Although the Bears have at least three more weeks to activate White from the reserve/physically unable to perform list, the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs reports the chances of the wide receiver playing this season "remain remote."


The team will have to decide by the end of Week 11 whether to activate White to the 53-man roster or shut him down for the remainder of the season.


The Bears will approach White's return with caution, as his long-term health is the No. 1 priority. He has yet to participate in even one practice with pads since being drafted, which is another reason not to rush him back.


Even if White is a long shot to play this season, receivers coach Mike Groh is optimistic about the future.


"He's engaged in all the meetings," Groh said earlier this week, via the Chicago Sun-Times. "He's doing everything that he can. Certainly, he's getting all the treatment that he can. It's encouraging for him as he sees his injuries start to heal and see maybe a little bit of the light at the end of the tunnel."

 

[Enasic]

It's unfortunate about White's injury. Not only for him, but from an organizational standpoint. It would be easier to address Jeffery's contract situation if we knew what we had in White. I think at this point, it would probably be best to shut him down for the year, give him additional recovery time and not have him feel like he needs to force anything or do too much in what's in all likelihood a losing season. Next year we will essentially be adding two 1st round picks to the roster.

 

[Urblock]

I'm not surprised by Shea but it is nice to see how he has changed so many minds.

 

[WCL]

Why is there a period after surprising and a comma after disappointing?

 

[Enasic]

I thought Shea would be serviceable but I didn't think he would be this valuable calling plays and lining everyone up. I still think he's an average starter and needs to play next to an elite player.

That reminds me, Christian Jones could be added to the "disappointing" list. I had higher hopes for him.

 

[Larsonite]

If Kevin white becomes a stud wr, this draft will be one of the best I've ever seen. To early to compare to a hof player draft with Urlacher but this draft is beyond solid atm. White could make it crazy bonkers good! That and pace's free agent moves and coaching hires, wow, we got a great young gm for the next decade. This season sucks but the future is so bright. One more offseason like the last and i see no reason we aren't competitive next year. Amazing turn around awaits Bears fans!

Sent from a spaghetti monster circling the earth

 

[bufordht]

I know it doesn't matter, but imagine if the raiders had not drafted Cooper and he fell to 7. This draft would be great. Hopefully white turns out to be just as good.

 

[BearsFan51]

The Shea McClellin anomaly can be explained in one simple sentence:

Who else on the fucking roster was better than Shea McClellin at the start of the preseason?

 

[Monk]

The Shea McClellin anomaly can be explained in one simple sentence:

Who else on the fucking roster was better than Shea McClellin at the start of the preseason?

Wat? How does that explain how solid he's been? It explains why he (and every other starter in the NFL) is starting. But that's about it.

 

[WindyCity]

The Shea McClellin anomaly can be explained in one simple sentence:

Who else on the fucking roster was better than Shea McClellin at the start of the preseason?

Mason Foster was coming off of 54 starts and 245 tackles for the Bucs.

I get that there was not a lot of options, but even then he has been better than I expected when on the field.

 

[hyatt151]

]If Kevin white becomes a stud wr, this draft will be one of the best I've ever seen. [/B]To early to compare to a hof player draft with Urlacher but this draft is beyond solid atm. White could make it crazy bonkers good! That and pace's free agent moves and coaching hires, wow, we got a great young gm for the next decade. This season sucks but the future is so bright. One more offseason like the last and i see no reason we aren't competitive next year. Amazing turn around awaits Bears fans!

Sent from a spaghetti monster circling the earth

So it's safe to assume you were not alive in 1983?

 

[BearsFan51]

Wat? How does that explain how solid he's been? It explains why he (and every other starter in the NFL) is starting. But that's about it.

How in the hell has he been solid? Tackles are over inflated all the time by the coaches. He's not done anything remarkable all season. The defense is atrocious is 30th in total defense by FootballOutsiders metrics, it's 28th against the run by the same metrics. The Bears can't stop the run and the defense is a mess, Shea has led a remarkably bad and overrated defense.

McPhee has made plays, Jenkins has made plays, Amos has been solid which hopefully can be a god send, McClellin has been a player in the defense that hasn't made a single fucking remarkable play. Hell the two guys who came in and started in his place both made a remarkable play, plays that Shea hasn't made all season. There was a key third down and short in the Detroit game and instinctively Anderson attacked downhill and made a huge play. He made a play linebackers are supposed to make when they know where to go and how to get there in a key situation. McClellin hasn't made a play like that all season because he doesn't know where to go or how to for that matter.

 

[Bearly]

It's unfortunate about White's injury. Not only for him, but from an organizational standpoint. It would be easier to address Jeffery's contract situation if we knew what we had in White. I think at this point, it would probably be best to shut him down for the year, give him additional recovery time and not have him feel like he needs to force anything or do too much in what's in all likelihood a losing season. Next year we will essentially be adding two 1st round picks to the roster.

I doubt it will change Alshon's self worth or what the Bears will do. Nice to know that there's a fall back but I don't see this team being held hostage in it's current form.

 

[Monk]

How in the hell has he been solid? Tackles are over inflated all the time by the coaches. He's not done anything remarkable all season. The defense is atrocious is 30th in total defense by FootballOutsiders metrics, it's 28th against the run by the same metrics. The Bears can't stop the run and the defense is a mess, Shea has led a remarkably bad and overrated defense.

McPhee has made plays, Jenkins has made plays, Amos has been solid which hopefully can be a god send, McClellin has been a player in the defense that hasn't made a single fucking remarkable play. Hell the two guys who came in and started in his place both made a remarkable play, plays that Shea hasn't made all season. There was a key third down and short in the Detroit game and instinctively Anderson attacked downhill and made a huge play. He made a play linebackers are supposed to make when they know where to go and how to get there in a key situation. McClellin hasn't made a play like that all season because he doesn't know where to go or how to for that matter.

If you don't think the defense is better with Shea (which is surprising as the OP said) you really don't watch the games. He may not be making big plays, but he is getting everyone else in position to make plays. And he has improved in coverage as well.