OT: Bears & NFL Talk 102

Backyard Hockey

Dealing With It
Feb 13, 2015
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Hot prediciton: Bears will get boat raced by the Lions on Thurs. That means 10 days until their next game. Eberflus will be fired after the Detroit game.
 

Romang67

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Jan 2, 2011
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Can you share where you can look at these numbers? Ideally by team by year.

I can’t find anything and am not going to go game by game, but am really curious to see what the Bears and specifically Flus teams come in at % wise.
I got the 50%+ vs 31% from this article: NFL teams have succeeded on just 31 percent of two-point conversion attempts this season.

I got the 40% for the Bears this season from here:


But I don't know if that website is reliable at all. According to ESPN, the Bears have three 2-point conversions this season (Swift, Kmet, Moore), but I'm not sure how many they have tried.

According to that same website, they were ATROCIOUS at it the previous two seasons (which may have to do with the fact that Fields was just not very good at short yardage situations if you take away his legs).
 

GIADF

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Aug 17, 2024
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I got the 50%+ vs 31% from this article: NFL teams have succeeded on just 31 percent of two-point conversion attempts this season.

I got the 40% for the Bears this season from here:


But I don't know if that website is reliable at all. According to ESPN, the Bears have three 2-point conversions this season (Swift, Kmet, Moore), but I'm not sure how many they have tried.

According to that same website, they were ATROCIOUS at it the previous two seasons (which may have to do with the fact that Fields was just not very good at short yardage situations if you take away his legs).


Yeah, that’s same stuff I came across as well. Was hoping Football Reference had a page simply listing attempts and such but couldn’t find one there.
 
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Romang67

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In happier news: Caleb Williams has now broken the passing yard record for a Bears QB held by Mitch Trubisky, and tied the passing TD record by a Bears QB hold by Chuckin' Charlie O'Rourke.

He's still behind O'Rourke in interceptions thrown (16), interceptions made (3), punt returns (2), and punts kicked (23), and I don't think he'll catch him in those categories.
 

ClydeLee

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Mar 23, 2012
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In happier news: Caleb Williams has now broken the passing yard record for a Bears QB held by Mitch Trubisky, and tied the passing TD record by a Bears QB hold by Chuckin' Charlie O'Rourke.

He's still behind O'Rourke in interceptions thrown (16), interceptions made (3), punt returns (2), and punts kicked (23), and I don't think he'll catch him in those categories.
He could do punt returns just as well
 
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bwanajamba

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Apr 18, 2019
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Unsurprisingly, a weak O-line looks a lot better when many of the throws are out of Williams's hand quickly. Fewer pressures, fewer sacks, and some good pass-pro when they needed it.
The unimaginable part is that Waldron wouldn't have been able to diagnose the issue and adjust as the offense fell apart against very mediocre competition. But then it's even more unimaginable that Thomas Brown could take over and re-wire Caleb's brain in four days to make him suddenly willing to get the ball out on time if that was being emphasized beforehand.

Baffling stuff in any case and really makes you mourn those lost weeks where Caleb took some steps back. Not that none of that was his fault but still.
 

Romang67

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The unimaginable part is that Waldron wouldn't have been able to diagnose the issue and adjust as the offense fell apart against very mediocre competition. But then it's even more unimaginable that Thomas Brown could take over and re-wire Caleb's brain in four days to make him suddenly willing to get the ball out on time if that was being emphasized beforehand.

Baffling stuff in any case and really makes you mourn those lost weeks where Caleb took some steps back. Not that none of that was his fault but still.
It's weird. It's definitely not unheard of that a rookie hits a rough patch and then rebounds and just seems like he gets it all of a sudden. But his average time to throw was 3.11 seconds over the Commies, Cards, Pats, and he ate 18 sacks over that period and looked like he wasn't allowed to leave the pocket. It's been 2.42 seconds over the past 2 weeks and he has taken 6 sacks in these two games.

The difference is startling, both via eye test and numbers.
 

ChiHawks10

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It's weird. It's definitely not unheard of that a rookie hits a rough patch and then rebounds and just seems like he gets it all of a sudden. But his average time to throw was 3.11 seconds over the Commies, Cards, Pats, and he ate 18 sacks over that period and looked like he wasn't allowed to leave the pocket. It's been 2.42 seconds over the past 2 weeks and he has taken 6 sacks in these two games.

The difference is startling, both via eye test and numbers.
It's almost like getting the ball out of your QBs hands quickly helps when the O line is dogshit eh? Who would have thought? Obviously not Waldron.
 
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Romang67

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It's almost like getting the ball out of your QBs hands quick helps when the O line is dogshit eh? Who would have thought? Obviously not Waldron.
Not only does it help with not taking sacks, which feels obvious, but it also just opens up the the field. Every player on the field other than the DTs becomes less likely to pin their ears back and rush the passer. And the O-line doesn't get exhausted having to block for 3+ seconds every other play.

I mean, look at Braxton Jones when gets to get out in open space and block instead of just having to eat a bullrush 20 times per game.

It's really weird. I understand that some QBs struggle with throwing quick WR screens and slants, but it never really looked like Williams did. So why not use it?
 

Sarava

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May 9, 2010
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It's weird situation. This team has risen greatly in talent in a few short years, thanks to Poles. Obviously expectations came up short this year. But Poles made what probably is the greatest trade in Bears history. I'd think it would be awfully hard to can him.

That said, if you keep Poles, you stay on this circle jerk of firing the coach after the prized rookie QB's first season, and then bring in a head coach with a potentially lameduck GM. That will scare off the Ben Johnson caliber candidates most likely.

At this point, I'd say the situation seems to be pointing to Thomas Brown as Flus's replacement, maybe as soon as Friday or next Monday.
 

hawksrule

Lot of brains but no polish
May 18, 2014
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It's weird situation. This team has risen greatly in talent in a few short years, thanks to Poles. Obviously expectations came up short this year. But Poles made what probably is the greatest trade in Bears history. I'd think it would be awfully hard to can him.

That said, if you keep Poles, you stay on this circle jerk of firing the coach after the prized rookie QB's first season, and then bring in a head coach with a potentially lameduck GM. That will scare off the Ben Johnson caliber candidates most likely.

At this point, I'd say the situation seems to be pointing to Thomas Brown as Flus's replacement, maybe as soon as Friday or next Monday.
But he’s really done next to nothing good other than that trade. It’s not enough.
 
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GIADF

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Backyard Hockey

Dealing With It
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Lots of discussion about this but the sad reality is that we are in the exact same spot with the Bears and the Hawks. 'Let them lose out and tank so we can get the higher draft pick and get the coaching staff fired' and 'this season is a loss and we are no longer about wins and losses, it's about seeing the development of this one guy'.

That is the reality of the Bears and Hawks right now. And it's a sad one.

The simple reality is that keeping Eberflus was his decision, and that has set this team back two seasons minimum.
Yep and a fun thing? The Bears have lost 3 of their last 4 games on the last play of the game.

They always say 'NFL games usually come down to 3 or 4 plays'. In this case, the entire season did. That Fail Mary changed the entire season. It did it for the Bears as a team, it did it for Eberflus' future and it did it for one specific player (Stevenson). I don't think ever seen anything like this in my 40 years of watching the Bears. ONE play decided the entire season.
 

EbonyRaptor

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I'm more encouraged than discouraged after the game yesterday because I think Caleb is learning and getting better - despite the line being below league average, pre-snap penalties curtailing drives, receivers dropping passes curtailing drives, and offensive play calling deficiencies. That said, Caleb still has a long way to go to be the "next Mahomes" - the start of the OT being exhibit-1. Taking a sack and then a delay of game penalty kind of encapsulates the season - but - he's learning and will get better and I still believe he will be "the man" and will put to bed all those graphics the networks like to display showing all the Bears QBs since the 40's when Sid Luckman was playing.
 

Romang67

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I don't expect Poles to get fired, though I'm fine if he is because I'm not enamored what he's done other than The Trade, and I think his choosing to retain Eberflus SHOULD be viewed as his getting to pick his coach.

But if he doesn't get fired, he can't only get one more year. No desirable coach is going to sign up for a likely one-year opportunity. If they retain him, it needs to be for the likely minimum number of years for a new head coach (probably 3 years).
 

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