The Chicago Bears have been allergic to effectively passing the football for most of the modern era. There are multiple reasons that go into this. It starts with their quarterback situation. They’ve fielded mostly scrubs during the many previous decades. When they’ve had decent signal callers, the problems manifested elsewhere. They rarely fielded an adequate offensive line or surrounded the quarterback with second-rate receivers. Last but not least, the coaches they’ve hired to run the offenses often lack the organization know-how.
There have been a few instances where everything seemed to come together. Once in 1995, again in 2013, and a final time in 2018. Beyond that, it’s been a mix of meh or really bad. Maybe this season might be different. Sports Illustrated insider Matt Verderame thinks so. He believes the Bears have put together a passing attack that people should take notice of. He went so far as to call it a strength of the team. His reasoning for this stance comes from two key factors. An improving quarterback and reinforced arsenal of receivers.
“This is a stark change from last year, when the passing game was a disaster. This season Fields has the look of a dramatically improving quarterback, and he now has a true top-end receiver on the perimeter in Moore.
With Moore joining the fray, Darnell Mooney will go from an underwhelming No. 1 to a quality second option. Going further down the depth chart, Chase Claypool makes more sense as a third pass catcher, with Velus Jones Jr. and Equanimeous St. Brown filling out the room.
It’s not the Greatest Show on Turf, but the Bears have a real group with upside.”
It’s okay to believe the Chicago Bears will be better.
Good? That is up for debate but definitely improved. GM Ryan Poles did everything in his power to make sure of that. Adding D.J. Moore is huge. He’s one of the 10-15 best wide receivers in the league. Maybe not Justin Jefferson or Tyreek Hill but certainly a Stefon Diggs-type. Everybody saw what he did for Josh Allen in Buffalo. Moore immediately takes the pressure off guys like Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, and Cole Kmet. That should lead to easy completions for Fields.
The big question is the offensive line. Poles did most of his work there. He signed Nate Davis to play right guard in free agency. Then he added right tackle Darnell Wright in the 1st round. This enabled the Chicago Bears to shift Teven Jenkins to left guard and Cody Whitehair to center. On paper, this group looks much improved from last season. If they play up to their potential, Fields has proven he can be lethal when protected. So what Verderame says isn’t crazy.
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@Ghost – Chill … enjoy the season, it’s gonna be a whole more fun this year!
Unless JF1 gets hurt we’ll know by the end of the season if JF1 is the real deal or not. I’m already 75-80% there.
So. Chill.
Ghost just because you say it’s true doesn’t make it true. He’s obviously not a 1 read and run QB. He showed that last year if you actually watched the games. He still has to prove himself but you’re reason is wrong.
There is still a hole on offense.
Fields
Until he PROVES he can be a QB and not a 1 read and run player… he’s the weak link. You don’t have to like it but it’s true. This has to be sustainable change too. Not just for 1 game or spells during a game.
I’m not a believer until I’m shown. Fields hasn’t shown anything to make be believe he’s anything more than an athlete who can throw far.
The video shows Fields throwing a pass during practice with no pressure. I could do that in my 20’ s. He and the passing game might be better. Showing the above video in that context means absolutely nothing. You’re trying to sell hype .
The bottom line is there are no holes on offense. Now they can just cook. The running backs have depth and versatility. Same with the wideouts. Two solid weapons at tight ends but no depth. An improved o-line that can do damage but once again, the depth is questionable. If the QB makes the leap, this could be a top 10-15 offense this year. And maybe, even more lethal than that.