***Chicago Bears Thread*** Ben Johnson hired. The Resurrection Begins! (9 Viewers)

[Max Power]

I don't think RB is the issue. Swift is looking good. Loveland was a bizarre pick, though. How much influence did Johnson have on that one? It matters. I'm hoping for you guys it was all Poles and Johnson tried to talk him out of it.

This might sound crazy, but when does Johnson consider going with Bagent? How much time does he give Caleb? I'm assuming Caleb was one of the reasons Johnson took the job, but it's not like he's tied to him.

Swift is a 1B on a good team. He has some speed, but he's pretty sub-par between the tackles and his tackle breaking is some of the worst in the NFL. Bears need that Montgomery Back for the Ben Johnson Offense to click. Monangai is pretty average all around and we're leaning on that.

 

[Football Jones]

I don't think RB is the issue. Swift is looking good. Loveland was a bizarre pick, though. How much influence did Johnson have on that one? It matters. I'm hoping for you guys it was all Poles and Johnson tried to talk him out of it.

This might sound crazy, but when does Johnson consider going with Bagent? How much time does he give Caleb? I'm assuming Caleb was one of the reasons Johnson took the job, but it's not like he's tied to him.

Swift is a 1B on a good team. He has some speed, but he's pretty sub-par between the tackles and his tackle breaking is some of the worst in the NFL. Bears need that Montgomery Back for the Ben Johnson Offense to click. Monangai is pretty average all around and we're leaning on that.

I disagree on Swift. He looks quite a bit better than your description to my eyes. I'd be giving Monangai fewer touches. He's basically a JAG with a bit of a FF following. Swift didn't get nearly enough run yesterday unless they're managing his groin.

I don't think Swift is a world-beater or anything, but he's one of your better weapons right now. Johnson should be using him more, IMO.

 

[Max Power]

I don't think RB is the issue. Swift is looking good. Loveland was a bizarre pick, though. How much influence did Johnson have on that one? It matters. I'm hoping for you guys it was all Poles and Johnson tried to talk him out of it.

This might sound crazy, but when does Johnson consider going with Bagent? How much time does he give Caleb? I'm assuming Caleb was one of the reasons Johnson took the job, but it's not like he's tied to him.

Swift is a 1B on a good team. He has some speed, but he's pretty sub-par between the tackles and his tackle breaking is some of the worst in the NFL. Bears need that Montgomery Back for the Ben Johnson Offense to click. Monangai is pretty average all around and we're leaning on that.

I disagree on Swift. He looks quite a bit better than your description to my eyes. I'd be giving Monangai fewer touches. He's basically a JAG with a bit of a FF following. Swift didn't get nearly enough run yesterday unless they're managing his groin.

I don't think Swift is a world-beater or anything, but he's one of your better weapons right now. Johnson should be using him more, IMO.

I'd like to see swift get the ball more, but I do think he is less than 100%. Its just the nature of the NFL these days. Teams need 2 backs to rotate if they want to keep them fresh.

not to be a monday morning QB, but I wish the Bears went with Ollie Gordon in Rd 6 over Newman. I think Gordon is a legit #2 RB.

 

[Football Jones]

I don't think RB is the issue. Swift is looking good. Loveland was a bizarre pick, though. How much influence did Johnson have on that one? It matters. I'm hoping for you guys it was all Poles and Johnson tried to talk him out of it.

This might sound crazy, but when does Johnson consider going with Bagent? How much time does he give Caleb? I'm assuming Caleb was one of the reasons Johnson took the job, but it's not like he's tied to him.

Swift is a 1B on a good team. He has some speed, but he's pretty sub-par between the tackles and his tackle breaking is some of the worst in the NFL. Bears need that Montgomery Back for the Ben Johnson Offense to click. Monangai is pretty average all around and we're leaning on that.

I disagree on Swift. He looks quite a bit better than your description to my eyes. I'd be giving Monangai fewer touches. He's basically a JAG with a bit of a FF following. Swift didn't get nearly enough run yesterday unless they're managing his groin.

I don't think Swift is a world-beater or anything, but he's one of your better weapons right now. Johnson should be using him more, IMO.

I'd like to see swift get the ball more, but I do think he is less than 100%. Its just the nature of the NFL these days. Teams need 2 backs to rotate if they want to keep them fresh.

not to be a monday morning QB, but I wish the Bears went with Ollie Gordon in Rd 6 over Newman. I think Gordon is a legit #2 RB.

Agree on Ollie. He's a starting NFL RB, IMO.

I was hoping Dallas would take him or Bill instead of Blue. Both Ollie and Bill are steals where they were taken.

 

[Max Power]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

He's better than what they have. A good tackler and will help stopping the run. Definitely has a nose for the ball. Not great in coverage though.

 

[Max Power]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

He's better than what they have. A good tackler and will help stopping the run. Definitely has a nose for the ball. Not great in coverage though.

I'm fine with it. The interesting angle I've heard discussed is how this isn't a typical Poles move. He has routinely passed on talent for character issues and CJGJ is one of the biggest red-flags in the NFL. It's highlighting or speculating that Poles might not be making all the personnel moves currently and the coaching staff has more power in these situations than in previous years.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

He's better than what they have. A good tackler and will help stopping the run. Definitely has a nose for the ball. Not great in coverage though.

I'm fine with it. The interesting angle I've heard discussed is how this isn't a typical Poles move. He has routinely passed on talent for character issues and CJGJ is one of the biggest red-flags in the NFL. It's highlighting or speculating that Poles might not be making all the personnel moves currently and the coaching staff has more power in these situations than in previous years.

I suspect this coaching staff has more input and bigger voices than the Flus/Waldron regime. Look no further than the Loveland pick in the draft. That is NOT a Poles pick. It's a Johnson pick.

 

[Max Power]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

He's better than what they have. A good tackler and will help stopping the run. Definitely has a nose for the ball. Not great in coverage though.

I'm fine with it. The interesting angle I've heard discussed is how this isn't a typical Poles move. He has routinely passed on talent for character issues and CJGJ is one of the biggest red-flags in the NFL. It's highlighting or speculating that Poles might not be making all the personnel moves currently and the coaching staff has more power in these situations than in previous years.

I suspect this coaching staff has more input and bigger voices than the Flus/Waldron regime. Look no further than the Loveland pick in the draft. That is NOT a Poles pick. It's a Johnson pick.

I know he's dealt with some injuries, but Johnson needs to start using him. The TE production on this team for the amount of resources invested is terrible. Kmet a top 8 paid TE and Loveland a top 10 pick. They have 20 catches for 1 TD combined.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

He's better than what they have. A good tackler and will help stopping the run. Definitely has a nose for the ball. Not great in coverage though.

I'm fine with it. The interesting angle I've heard discussed is how this isn't a typical Poles move. He has routinely passed on talent for character issues and CJGJ is one of the biggest red-flags in the NFL. It's highlighting or speculating that Poles might not be making all the personnel moves currently and the coaching staff has more power in these situations than in previous years.

I suspect this coaching staff has more input and bigger voices than the Flus/Waldron regime. Look no further than the Loveland pick in the draft. That is NOT a Poles pick. It's a Johnson pick.

I know he's dealt with some injuries, but Johnson needs to start using him. The TE production on this team for the amount of resources invested is terrible. Kmet a top 8 paid TE and Loveland a top 10 pick. They have 20 catches for 1 TD combined.

Curious use case, for sure. I suspect that Loveland's route share will increase as the season goes on. He's still learning NFL quality blocking, which was never Kmet's strong suit.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

Santos can't be their kicker next week. I would much rather see Moody.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

The Loveland pick was still dumb...

 

[Deranged Hermit]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

Looking good so far. Looking really good

 

[Max Power]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

Looking good so far. Looking really good

He does and sort of annoys me that a guy off the street has been our best defensive player for a couple weeks.

Happy to see Booker out there too. He's a player. We threw all that money at the DL and it isn't very good.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

Looking good so far. Looking really good

He does and sort of annoys me that a guy off the street has been our best defensive player for a couple weeks.

Happy to see Booker out there too. He's a player. We threw all that money at the DL and it isn't very good.

They're really playing to his strengths. CJGJ always has a nose for the ball. Yeah, not the greatest in coverage, but he's been at least passable so far.

 

[Max Power]

Happy to be winning games, but this team isn't as good as their record. I'm thrilled about the culture change. Instead of finding ways to lose, they find ways to win. That is a the mark of a good team/franchise. I think the future looks bright with Ben Johnson.

Caleb is still a concern to me. The potential is clearly there and I think he gets better in year 2 under Ben. His accuracy and vision aren't elite and I don't know how fixable that is. He still might be the best QB the Bears have ever had, but I don't know if he'll ever be a League MVP guy.

I think it's time for DJ Moore to go. LBIII will be ready for the #2 role next season.

This team is a pass rush away from being good. An Elite LT away from being Great.

 

[rschroeder1]

Happy to be winning games, but this team isn't as good as their record. I'm thrilled about the culture change. Instead of finding ways to lose, they find ways to win. That is a the mark of a good team/franchise. I think the future looks bright with Ben Johnson.

Caleb is still a concern to me. The potential is clearly there and I think he gets better in year 2 under Ben. His accuracy and vision aren't elite and I don't know how fixable that is. He still might be the best QB the Bears have ever had, but I don't know if he'll ever be a League MVP guy.

I think it's time for DJ Moore to go. LBIII will be ready for the #2 role next season.

This team is a pass rush away from being good. An Elite LT away from being Great.

The game at Philadelphia will put all the Bears' weaknesses to the test. Should be a pretty good gauge of what the Bears are. I agree this is a flawed team.

I thought Caleb's play was mostly positive yesterday. It's great to see him hitting checkdowns/open receivers in the short passing game, as it feels like those easy plays have been missing from the offense. I thought his accuracy was OK yesterday?

With that said, there are some problem areas, in my opinion:

• Entering Week 11, the Bears ranked #2 in rush yards per game. This is exactly what Ben Johnson wanted, and we all know the Ben Johnson offense relies on play action off a solid rushing attack. What is notable is that the Bears basically have no deep passing game to speak of. Whether this is receivers failing to get open, Caleb not seeing openings, or something else, I couldn't really say, but something is off here.
• The intermediate pass game is very sporadic. There were two very bad drops (Moore, Burden) and nearly another very bad drop (Moore), but those 15-20 yard passes feel like events still, rather than a regular part of the offense.
• Caleb avoiding sacks is cool and all, but there's something fundamentally broken on these plays. Nothing ever comes of it. You can predict what happens almost every time - Williams eventually gets forced to the sideline and tries to throw a miracle pass that is incomplete. Again, from a TV viewer's perspective, hard to say what's going on, but are receivers routinely not getting open on the endless scrambles?
• Yesterday was the first time that I would be critical of Johnson's play calling. It felt like he was caught between "we're a team that goes for the win on offense" and "McCarthy is very bad, let's be conservative here." The play-calling felt like it kept vacillating back and forth - deep passes on 3rd and 1, then passing up chances on 4th and short to kick long field goals. In particular, Johnson seemed wedded to the run game despite near-constant run blitzes from the Vikings in crunch time. Kmet and Loveland both had solid games working underneath - would have loved to see their involvement as an extension of the run game.

 

[Statorama]

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are signing defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to their active roster after visiting with the team on Tuesday.

Looking good so far. Looking really good

He does and sort of annoys me that a guy off the street has been our best defensive player for a couple weeks.

Happy to see Booker out there too. He's a player. We threw all that money at the DL and it isn't very good.

They're really playing to his strengths. CJGJ always has a nose for the ball. Yeah, not the greatest in coverage, but he's been at least passable so far.

Loved him as a Saint - good hitter/tackler. Dennis Allen coached him at NO - he knows what his plusses / minuses are.

 

[Max Power]

Happy to be winning games, but this team isn't as good as their record. I'm thrilled about the culture change. Instead of finding ways to lose, they find ways to win. That is a the mark of a good team/franchise. I think the future looks bright with Ben Johnson.

Caleb is still a concern to me. The potential is clearly there and I think he gets better in year 2 under Ben. His accuracy and vision aren't elite and I don't know how fixable that is. He still might be the best QB the Bears have ever had, but I don't know if he'll ever be a League MVP guy.

I think it's time for DJ Moore to go. LBIII will be ready for the #2 role next season.

This team is a pass rush away from being good. An Elite LT away from being Great.

The game at Philadelphia will put all the Bears' weaknesses to the test. Should be a pretty good gauge of what the Bears are. I agree this is a flawed team.

I thought Caleb's play was mostly positive yesterday. It's great to see him hitting checkdowns/open receivers in the short passing game, as it feels like those easy plays have been missing from the offense. I thought his accuracy was OK yesterday?

With that said, there are some problem areas, in my opinion:

• Entering Week 11, the Bears ranked #2 in rush yards per game. This is exactly what Ben Johnson wanted, and we all know the Ben Johnson offense relies on play action off a solid rushing attack. What is notable is that the Bears basically have no deep passing game to speak of. Whether this is receivers failing to get open, Caleb not seeing openings, or something else, I couldn't really say, but something is off here.
• The intermediate pass game is very sporadic. There were two very bad drops (Moore, Burden) and nearly another very bad drop (Moore), but those 15-20 yard passes feel like events still, rather than a regular part of the offense.
• Caleb avoiding sacks is cool and all, but there's something fundamentally broken on these plays. Nothing ever comes of it. You can predict what happens almost every time - Williams eventually gets forced to the sideline and tries to throw a miracle pass that is incomplete. Again, from a TV viewer's perspective, hard to say what's going on, but are receivers routinely not getting open on the endless scrambles?
• Yesterday was the first time that I would be critical of Johnson's play calling. It felt like he was caught between "we're a team that goes for the win on offense" and "McCarthy is very bad, let's be conservative here." The play-calling felt like it kept vacillating back and forth - deep passes on 3rd and 1, then passing up chances on 4th and short to kick long field goals. In particular, Johnson seemed wedded to the run game despite near-constant run blitzes from the Vikings in crunch time. Kmet and Loveland both had solid games working underneath - would have loved to see their involvement as an extension of the run game.

I think the Philly game will be ugly, but I'll be happy if the Bears show heart and keep it close.

Caleb needs to put some touch on his throws. He had at least 3 plays where the receiver was open and he overthrew a deep pass. One was a broken play where swift turned up field and beat a LB. Ball was still 5 yards in front of swift from being catchable. I don't recall a lot of bad throws yesterday, but his stat line was 50% completion rate, which is pretty bad.

I didn't like Ben playing for the field goals either. He did have a couple WTF calls in the second half. I hated the handoff to Homer (missed facemask) play.

Also totally agree about getting Loveland and Kmet more involved in the short cross, underneath game. They are huge weapons and this offense is outfitted to dink and dunk down the field.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

Happy to be winning games, but this team isn't as good as their record. I'm thrilled about the culture change. Instead of finding ways to lose, they find ways to win. That is a the mark of a good team/franchise. I think the future looks bright with Ben Johnson.

Caleb is still a concern to me. The potential is clearly there and I think he gets better in year 2 under Ben. His accuracy and vision aren't elite and I don't know how fixable that is. He still might be the best QB the Bears have ever had, but I don't know if he'll ever be a League MVP guy.

I think it's time for DJ Moore to go. LBIII will be ready for the #2 role next season.

This team is a pass rush away from being good. An Elite LT away from being Great.

Sometimes you gotta fake it til you make it. I think that suites this team very well right now. Faking it (and winning) is building a culture where losing isn't acceptable. How many of these close games would the Bears have lost under Flus and co? I think the staff, admin and players are buying into Johnson's schtick. I see a path to 3 more wins and at least a wildcard spot. The thing to watch for will be how this team reacts to the 4 losses that are likely to come. If they keep their heads high and fight, it'll be a sure sign that things are turning around.

Yesterday's gameplan was to run the football. There will be games that he's not asked to carry the burden like yesterday. His demeanor on the sideline was still upbeat and didn't get pouty at all. In my mind, for a young QB, that is a win.

DJM seems hurt to me. Also the gameplan didn't help his production. I expect he'll be shopped in the offseason, but for selfish reasons, I hope he is able to stay.

Agreed on the pass rush and LT. Those two positions are by far the biggest need in the offseason. I'd like to see a LT taken in the 1st and an Edge pulled in free agency, but we'll see how Poles decided to work the 2026 draft.

 

[McBokonon]

Looking forward to my first trip to Soldier Field this Sunday.

 

[Chreesto]

I am loving the wins, though my heart is nearing its breaking point every game, but something doesn't feel right. I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth but will we have even one game where everything (or most things) click? Realistically this team is going nowhere in the playoffs, even with the return of Johnson, Edwards, and Gordon UNLESS - Caleb and Ben can get the offense more in sync.
As I am watching I don't find myself frustrated with Caleb. I DO think that he is maybe too afraid of turnovers and always puts a little more on deep balls, for fear of an interception. When I get a chance to see the all-22 I can sometimes see receivers open, but more frequently the timing seems off between the dropback and the routes. I think it is reasonable for the timing to take some time to develop, IF Caleb figures that out, this team could make noise in the playoffs this year. At this point the most likely outcome seems like continued erratic play on both sides of the ball, maybe squeaking into the playoffs, and an early exit. The important thing for me is to think back a year ago and realize how happy I would be to be in this position right now. The Bears will be playing meaningful games late into the season.

 

[rschroeder1]

I am loving the wins, though my heart is nearing its breaking point every game, but something doesn't feel right. I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth but will we have even one game where everything (or most things) click? Realistically this team is going nowhere in the playoffs, even with the return of Johnson, Edwards, and Gordon UNLESS - Caleb and Ben can get the offense more in sync.
As I am watching I don't find myself frustrated with Caleb. I DO think that he is maybe too afraid of turnovers and always puts a little more on deep balls, for fear of an interception. When I get a chance to see the all-22 I can sometimes see receivers open, but more frequently the timing seems off between the dropback and the routes. I think it is reasonable for the timing to take some time to develop, IF Caleb figures that out, this team could make noise in the playoffs this year. At this point the most likely outcome seems like continued erratic play on both sides of the ball, maybe squeaking into the playoffs, and an early exit. The important thing for me is to think back a year ago and realize how happy I would be to be in this position right now. The Bears will be playing meaningful games late into the season.

In particular, Caleb seems extremely hesitant to throw any 50/50 balls, particularly on his scramble escapades. It's one of the big "visual" differences between Caleb and Mahomes on those scramble plays.

 

[Max Power]

All three LBs are out this weekend. No Edmonds, Edwards or Sewell

 

[flapgreen]

Well, well, well...

 

[Max Power]

Well, well, well...

Don't jinx this ****