A Few Thoughts About the Bears Game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

If ever there were a game to remind yourself "it's only preseason," this was probably it.  Call it the Trubisky revenge tour or whatever you want, but this was a preseason game that felt like anything but.  To the contrast of our previous run happy game, Daboll came out firing and drastic difference between where the Bills and Bears are as programs was ever apparent.  With that being said...

 

1 - Mitch - Trubisky had a really good game and showed well enough to give comfort to a lot of fans in case Allen should get hurt.  However, as I watched him play, it made me appreciate just how great a talent Josh Allen is.  Overall, Mitch played well.  However, that's not to say there weren't opportunities in how he played.  There were a few passes where the receiver had to adjust to the ball, which cost them a step and extra yards.  Mitch got happy feet a few time and found ways to take unnecessary steps as he escaped the pocket.  There was one play in particular where I wish Josh were on the field as I have zero doubt Allen would have delivered the throw on the run to a dot for the touchdown.  Mitch did show off a strong arm and made quite a few passes in the flat to the sideline.  Preseason or not, 200+ yards at the half is something to be proud of.  Especially in the stadium of the team that didn't want you back.

 

2 - Motor - In another "it's only preseason" thought, it's hard for me to not think the starting running back job is Motor's to lose.  While I understand that Moss is still hurt, Motor is making the most of every carry and is showing a burst to the outside that hasn't really been seen since he got here.  He's decisive, breaking arm tackles, and looks overall like a starting back.  Also, kudos to Daboll for running a lot of misdirection plays that delayed the linebackers just a step slow enough to give Motor a head start.

 

3 - Groot - Okay, I'm officially excited to see this kid play in the regular season.  While I assume it's because he's now locked in as a started, Rousseau played less snaps in this game than he did in the previous.  Even so, Groot was an absolute monster pushing through the right tackle for the Bears and notched another sack.  So far, technique has meant nothing to this kid because he's so powerful that he just runs over people and can sack quarterbacks with just his hands.  For my first painfully wrong prediction of the season, I see Groot getting 10 sacks minimum this year.

 

4 - If you haven't seen the movie "Return to Paradise", I recommend looking it up.  The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix, Vince Vaughn, and Anne Heche.  I don't remember if it was an independent film, but it didn't get a lot of attention.  The plot, acting, and ending are top notch and guaranteed to hit you in the feels as well as telling your friends about it.  It's older, so you may have troubles finding it.  If you do, I strongly recommend it.

 

5 - Epenesa - This is where many of us are about to disagree.  Epenesa logged a lot of snaps in both preseason games so far and I believe it's because the coaches still want to see more from him.  Yes, he had a monster of a sack where he bull-rushed over the 3rd string left tackle and delivered a monster hit.  However, I'm not see Epenesa get the same push against the starters or back-ups.  He gets very close to the quarterback almost every time but he just can't quite finish.  If the coaches were sold on him, I don't believe he'd be out there as much and into the second half.  Same goes for my opinion of Obada, who had a very quite game.

 

6 - McKenzie - I only wanted to see one thing from McKenzie this preseason and that was solid hands in the punt return game.  Unfortunately, he muffed a punt this game and now I'm just waiting to see how long it takes to cost us in a real game.  As a receiver, he was a main target for Mitch and made the most of his catches.  However, as we know, there aren't going to be a lot of snaps for him at receiver and he needs to looks punts into his hands before taking off. 

 

7 - Haack - Speaking of Haack, he didn't get a lot of opportunities in this game, but did boot one off the side of his foot.  His other punt was a beauty and pinned the Bears inside the 20, but I can already see the threads about bringing in some competition for him.  Haack isn't going anywhere and while I didn't like to see the miss, his track record in Miami indicates that's more of a fluke than anything else. 

 

8 - Defensive Playcalling - The Bills ran a lot of single safety with extra coverage in the box.  The Linebackers did a great job of staying close enough to the line to reach to the rushing attack, but jumped back in coverage quickly.  It was the most aggressive defense I've seen Frazier call in recent games and hope it's a sign of things to come.  I'm not sure if this was because Hyde and Poyer sat out or if they wanted to see how the DB's handled man coverage, but it led to many 3 and outs.  Additionally, we didn't play contain when Fields was out there, which gave him a few free scrambles, but I don't believe we cared honestly.

 

9 - Press Coverage - The Bears played a lot of press coverage and I was happy to see the Bills receivers not be phased by it.  Each receiver got off the line fast, ran slants or shallow crosses that didn't allow the defenders to initiate hard contact with them.  Our speed was on display as there was YAC yards multiple times.  Again, it's nice to see the coordinators try new things and be effective.  I personally believe this team is going to be that much more effective with halftime adjustments as we are becoming so much more versatile in our schemes.

 

10 - Hollister - This is hard for me to say, but I believe Hollister should be given the starting job at TE.  Knox had both a drop and a missed block in his limited action while Hollister continues to be effective blocking, catching, and with surprising speed.  He looks like a receiver in the open field and a match-up nightmare for some linebackers and cornerbacks.  I'm sure Knox will continue to get the start and we haven't see what Josh's rapport is with him (should be strong since they played together before), but I think Knox is on a short leash this year.

 

Bonus Question - The Play - After the first Motor touchdown, someone on the Bills made a monster tackle on the Bears kick returner the next play.  Any idea who that was?  There weren't any replays from the homer Bears broadcast.

[KD in CA]

10 minutes ago, Virgil said:

Bonus Question - The Play - After the first Motor touchdown, someone on the Bills made a monster tackle on the Bears kick returner the next play.  Any idea who that was?  There weren't any replays from the homer Bears broadcast.

 

They were busy running down the hotel options for Justin Fields' HOF induction weekend.

Edited August 23, 2021 by KD in CA

[Virgil]

5 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

 

They were busy running down the hotel options for Justin Fields' HOF induction weekend.

It was ridiculous listening to them.  

[IDBillzFan]

32 minutes ago, Virgil said:

10 - Hollister - This is hard for me to say, but I believe Hollister should be given the starting job at TE.  Knox had both a drop and a missed block in his limited action while Hollister continues to be effective blocking, catching, and with surprising speed.  He looks like a receiver in the open field and a match-up nightmare for some linebackers and cornerbacks.  I'm sure Knox will continue to get the start and we haven't see what Josh's rapport is with him (should be strong since they played together before), but I think Knox is on a short leash this year.

 

 

On one of his catches, Hollister had the benefit of busted coverage, which made it look a lot better for Hollister than it actually was. I agree Knox starts and is on a short leash, but I want to see more Hollister before I get wood. There was talk about seeing his chemistry with Josh, but it looks like that will have to wait for the regular season since it sounds like Josh won't play vs. GB.

[IDBillzFan]

19 minutes ago, Virgil said:

It was ridiculous listening to them.  

 

I wasn't as down on the Bears announcers as others, but that may be because I think Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller are probably the best team on Sirius/XM NFL channel. They actually reported from Bills camp on the day Josh got his big contract.

 

Miller really knows rosters, but in the end, it's their job to hype the new quarterback.

[GG1]

 

50 minutes ago, Virgil said:

5 - Epenesa - This is where many of us are about to disagree.  Epenesa logged a lot of snaps in both preseason games so far and I believe it's because the coaches still want to see more from him.  Yes, he had a monster of a sack where he bull-rushed over the 3rd string left tackle and delivered a monster hit.  However, I'm not see Epenesa get the same push against the starters or back-ups.  He gets very close to the quarterback almost every time but he just can't quite finish.  If the coaches were sold on him, I don't believe he'd be out there as much and into the second half.  Same goes for my opinion of Obada, who had a very quite game.

 

FWIW, it was their starting LT Elijah Wilkinson, who'll probably lose the job any day to Jason Peters.

 

50 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

 

Bonus Question - The Play - After the first Motor touchdown, someone on the Bills made a monster tackle on the Bears kick returner the next play.  Any idea who that was?  There weren't any replays from the homer Bears broadcast.

 

Hard to see both numbers, but pretty sure it was Neil

[Ann]

Thanks for another terrific write-up, @Virgil

[Taro T]

16 hours ago, GG1 said:

 

 

FWIW, it was their starting LT Elijah Wilkinson, who'll probably lose the job any day to Jason Peters.

 

 

Hard to see both numbers, but pretty sure it was Neil

 

It looked like Neal & that's who Catalon credited with the tackle.

[Figster]

In many ways Virgil I feel like Josh Allen is the mentor here over Trubisky and the results so far are fantastic for the young signal caller Mitch Trubisky. Love of the game is a very important aspect of a QB's development and success that need not be forgotten by the coaching staffs in the NFL.

 

QB burn out happens and I'll use A Luck as a great example...

[Augie]

On 8/26/2021 at 12:55 PM, Figster said:

In many ways Virgil I feel like Josh Allen is the mentor here over Trubisky and the results so far are fantastic for the young signal caller Mitch Trubisky. Love of the game is a very important aspect of a QB's development and success that need not be forgotten by the coaching staffs in the NFL.

 

QB burn out happens and I'll use A Luck as a great example...

 

He was beat up and burned out from the rehabbing. You made me look, and he’s still only 31 years old  having retired in 2019. That’s so young these days!  The ever-reliable internet reports he has a net worth of about $40 million, so less than what Josh will gross on an annual basis.

 

I’m sure he can “get by” on what he has, but I have to wonder if he’s ever wondered seriously about coming back? He’s a super smart guy (and funny!) so his life is full of options. I just wonder how much he loves/loved the game. I just can’t see Josh just walking away like that while still in his 20’s. 

[Nanker]

Luck was never the same after he ripped up his throwing shoulder. Same thing happened to Bengals phenom Greg Cook in 69-70.
 

He had the sickest play action fake I’d ever seen. He just couldn’t throw after that injury. Too bad. NFL fans were denied some spectacular plays no doubt. 

Edited August 27, 2021 by Nanker

[Figster]

38 minutes ago, Nanker said:

Luck was never the same after he ripped up his throwing shoulder. Same thing happened to Bengals phenom Greg Cook in 69-70.
 

He had the sickest play action fake I’d ever seen. He just couldn’t throw after that injury. Too bad. NFL fans were denied some spectacular plays no doubt. 

Always been a big fan of A Luck

[Figster]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

 

He was beat up and burned out from the rehabbing. You made me look, and he’s still only 31 years old  having retired in 2019. That’s so young these days!  The ever-reliable internet reports he has a net worth of about $40 million, so less than what Josh will gross on an annual basis.

 

I’m sure he can “get by” on what he has, but I have to wonder if he’s ever wondered seriously about coming back? He’s a super smart guy (and funny!) so his life is full of options. I just wonder how much he loves/loved the game. I just can’t see Josh just walking away like that while still in his 20’s. 

perhaps after the Bills finish getting Trubisky back on track Beane should give Luck a ring to see how his shoulders been feeling