DJ’s Frustrations, Philly’s Collapse, Caleb’s Week-to-Week Improvement, and Other Bears Bullets

Luis C. Medina Luis C. Medina
Sep 17, 2024
Sep 17, 2024
bears quarterback Caleb Williams
bears quarterback Caleb Williams

I woke up and did a beginner’s yoga session for the first time in years and hope to make it a regular occurrence moving forward after remembering how good it made me feel.

  • If Sunday was Caleb Williams’ “Welcome to Chicago Bears Football™️” moment, then Monday was DJ Moore’s “Welcome to Chicago Bears Fandom™️” one. DJ Moore became one of us on Sunday. His facial expressions are ones we know all too well as Bears fans:

  • Never has a Bears wide receiver been more relatable to this fanbase. Like Moore, Bears fans have cycled through more quarterbacks than we care to remember in hopes of one day finally finding The One. This could’ve been an awful moment, but DJ threw water on any potential fire : “I’m more frustrated with myself than anything. I got to make some plays, and it’s a different ballgame.” Introspective thoughts are key. I’m looking forward to seeing how DJ Moore bounces back.

  • This DJ Moore quote () drives home a point I made in Sunday’s post-game post about how far the Bears are from being what they want to be: “Right now, we’re still building — what can I say? — we’re building a puzzle together. Until we get that puzzle fully complete, it’s going to be an up-and-down road.”

  • No wonder Bears Chairman George McCaskey was preaching patience in August.

  • You might need to squint to see it, but this tweet is for you if you’re desperately looking for silver linings:

  • It’s not much, but it is better than the alternative of taking a step back after a disappointing Week 1.

  • On the one hand, it is frustrating to think about needing to wait until Week 3 to potentially see Caleb Williams’ first touchdown pass. But on the other hand, I might get to see it in person. More than anything, I’d like to see a win. A well-rounded effort led by an offense that sustains drives and scores touchdowns, a defense that forces turnovers, and a special teams unit that wins at the margins that often get ignored. No pressure, gang.

  • Patrick Finley () explores how pre-snap penalties and a disappointing run game are a threat to Caleb Williams’ development. I should add “penalty-free” to my list of components that are part of the well-rounded effort that it takes to bring home a win.

  • A friend was trying to make me feel better about Caleb’s situation and brought up Josh Allen as a comp for rookie quarterbacks who rebounded after rough starts. For the sake of perspective, these are the numbers from Allen’s first five starts: 69/124 (55.7%), 758 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT, 62. 5 passer rating. And it’s not like he finished strongly as he posted a 51.9 percent completion rate, 1,242 passing yards, an 8-7 TD-INT ratio, and 72.6 passer rating in six starts at the end of the 2018 season. All of this is to say that development isn’t always linear when it comes to quarterbacks.

  • Now, I won’t predict Caleb Williams will be the next Josh Allen. That would be foolish. But what I am saying is to not discard your QB1 stock just yet.

    • bears qb Caleb Williams
    © Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

  • At the top of Brad Biggs’ 10 Things story is a simple statement: “The Bears have not reached crisis mode. Not yet.” This isn’t to say that the Bears don’t have problems. They certainly do. My list of concerns is growing. But I can’t bring myself to be in full-blown panic mode right now. ()

  • This is a tremendous piece of production:

  • I dozed off at halftime when Kirk Cousins looked like how you’d expect Kirk Cousins to look when facing a Vic Fangio defense. Waking up as the Falcons made their final rally had me shaken up. What the heck happened?

  • It sounds like Tom Brady had a better time in the booth in Week 2 than he did in Week 1. We should use this as a reminder that there is always an opportunity for a bounce back if you allow for space to make it happen. ()

    • MORE BLEACHER NATION:  | 

  • EVERYTHING Chicago Blackhawks fans need to know about Training Camp 2024 is here, via our friends at BN Blackhawks.

  • Do you agree with where Billy Donovan ranks on this NBA coaches list? (BN Bulls)

  • The Chicago Cubs knocked around the Oakland Athletics on Monday. It is starting to settle in with me that this is the last time we’ll see the Oakland A’s come to Wrigley Field. Sigh:

    • written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarte๊rbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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