The Quarter Pole - 3-1

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

OK Gents,
Here we are, 25% of the way through the season, heading into the bye with a record of 3-1 and sitting atop the NFC North.

For the next quarter of the season, knowing what you know now, what are you looking for? Keep in mind we play the Dolphins, Patriots, Jets and Bills over the next four games.

Incremental growth, record, statistics, break-out players, etc.?

Q2 here's what I am looking for;

-Bears will be 6-2, and still on top of the division (lose to the Patriots at home).
-I am looking for Trubisky to start recognizing coverages, and handling pressure more confidently. I would like to see him be able to get to the line, clearly identify blitzers, check in and out of plays, and handle man-to-man coverage a little better.
-The Bears defense will continue to lead the NFL in sacks (40) and forced fumbles (13). Khalil Mack will further cement his place as DPOY, and further embarrass Jon Gruden.
-The offense will continue to exploit mis-matches and Tarik Cohen and Taylor Gabriel will be match-up nightmares for the rest of the league, allowing Nagy to run ALL KINDS of misdirection off of their presence (see Bellamy TD).
-My two big breakout players for Q2 will be; Bilal Nichols and Kevin White. We will see Nichols straight ball out from the DT position, becoming a VERY strong rotational DL, and Kevin White will begin making catches, and showing the Chicago fans why he was a 1st round draft pick in 2015.

I see the arrow continuing to point up for the Bears. Very excited for the 2nd quarter.

[Nanky]

I'd like the defense to keep dominating and the offense to be consistently not shitty. Also, I'd expect 3-1 at worst out of those 4 games.

[southdakbearfan]

Consistently not shitty. I think that is my new motto.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Consistently not shitty. I think that is my new motto.

Wow you guys are pretty complex...

[wab]

6-2 is very realistic. The Pats have some warts though that are getting hard to cover up.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

6-2 is very realistic. The Pats have some warts though that are getting hard to cover up.

It seems they are turning a couple things around. But with Gronk hurt. That will be a big problem. I think one of their biggest warts is their OL. We all know how Brady turns into a pumpkin when he gets too much pressure. Hopefully they don't figure that out by week 7.

[GSH]

I know the Phins have been hit by the injury bug to some important players but I dont think thats going to be a walkover. I dont rate Tannehill and think we still get the win.

The Pats is the hardest game on paper and will be the best prepared team to handle what the bear can throw at them.

6-2 and top of the NFC North sounds good to me. Not checked what the games GB have in that same time frame though.

[Knuckles]

Looking for consistency from the offense and more production out of Floyd in the pass rush area. Obviously, the game to watch is Bears VS Pats to gauge where the teams at heading into the 2nd 1/2 of the season. I think if they can come out of that game looking respectable and beat the teams they should beat (Bills, Jets and Dolphins) they'll be sitting in a good spot for the playoff hunt at 6-2 or 7-1. That would be the top of the spectrum...

So long as Mitch and the offense keep improving and the D plays as they have I'd be overwhelmed. Even if they're 4-4 but lose close games while they dial it in for the second half of the season I'm ok with that. I just would like to see the vision of a good team and still believe that our times coming as fans.

[AZ_Bearfan]

Pack has the Rams next quarter and the Pats won't have an answer for our defense. I think 7-1 and a little bit of cushion atop the NFC North is a real possibility.

[Sugashane]

The next 4 aren't intimidating in any way outside of Brady. 7-1 is a realistic opportunity, crazy as it sounds.

Defense is going to dominate, it is really going to just hinge on the offense. We aren't going to beat many teams the way we did in AZ, the offense has to be consistent. If we can put up 20 points then we likely are winning against all but 5-6 teams.

Of course I want to put up 28 PPG but really we just have to see what we will do.

Predictions
- Trubisky starts getting recognition as Most Improved Player (Pro Football Writers, same one Alshon won)
- Mack further solidifies his DPOY campaign, and will end up getting a few votes for MVP
- Howard gets rolling, has over 5 YPC average with more volume
- Daniels takes over the LG spot
- Smith starts making more plays as he acclimates to the speed of the game
- Long stays healthy
- RRH plays more snaps than Bullard, though Bullard might still start but switch with RRH on obvious passing downs.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Pack has the Rams next quarter and the Pats won't have an answer for our defense. I think 7-1 and a little bit of cushion atop the NFC North is a real possibility.

I can't dream that big yet.

[ramentaschen]

After whiplashing through the first quarter of the season (We’re the best!...We’re the worst!...We’re the best!) I am now cautiously optimistic about the next four games.

I see no drop off on our defense, they will continue to dominate and make plays.

Hopefully we will have Miller back, he’s already shown that the game is not too big for him. We should see if Shaheen is ready to play soon too.

Yeah, I’d like to see more of Howard and see just what White can do as a receiver. Also maximize the time that Daniels is on the field.

Less sideline screen passing please, thanks.

[Richie]

I really, really would like to see Howard get rolling

Would like to see Roquan making some plays

I think we COULD be 7-1 and believe we match up well with the Pats. However, I would certainly not complain about 6-2 (which should be the expectation).

I want Daniels playing LG full-time... like most everyone else

Trubisky to throw better to his left side and to pass better when under pressure. He has a 112 QB rating with a clean pocket and 74 under pressure. I believe. I saw the graphic on a PFF video - don't quote me on that being 100% accurate. However, they're within a few digits, at the very least. Trubisky was also 0 for 4 under pressure vs TB - despite his big day.

STAY. HEALTHY.

[The Marshall Plan]

3-0-1

The NE game is a toss up. I can see our pash rush giving Brady fits, but we're talking about the GOAT.

The other key is for Biscuit to keep throwing more TDs than INTs. Have consistent games of 2-0, 3-1, something like that.

Agreed with Richie, STAY HEALTHY.

[HurricaneBear]

Like many I see this stretch ending with the Bears at 3-1 or 4-0.

Miami is not as bad as their game vs the Pats suggests, but they are closer to that team then the team that showed up earlier in the season. Chicago stops Old Man Wake and the rest of their pass rush and it's game over for Miami. I've always been a Tannehill fan, but he is no Aaron Rodgers. By games end his jersey will be filthy and he will have turned it over multiple times. The Bears offensive success continues as Nagy out schemes Gase and co.

The Bills and Jets definetly feel like trap games. Fox would have dropped one or boh of these. This is a great test for the mental toughness of this team and their ability to focus on the current game. I think this team passes both tests. The Bears D, possibly looking for redemption after NE, terrorizes the rookie QBs. Both the Jets and Billls coaching staffs suck imo, and have no answers for their young signal callers. If Chicago is not first in D ranking they are after these 2 games. Trubisky also has two of his better games statistically this season.

New England. This is the tough one. In years past this would be a defenite loss. Even this year, the Pats compare to Green Bay, and we know how that ended. I think New England is a better team than the Packers, but the Bears are a better team than the week one Bears. Nagy will be out coached this game, but he is the type that will learn from it so I am ok with it. Trubisky will struggle in this one. The Pats D will confuse him and he will turn the ball over. Can our D disrupt Brady enough to give us a chance? Honestly, I am not sure. New England should have Edleman up to full speed and this could be Gordon's breakout game. However, I am an optimist. Jordan Howard shows up to play and finally gives the masses what they've wanted with a dominate day. Bears win this one on a last second field goal 13-10.

So the Bears go 4-0 this quarter, halfway on the journey to 13-3.
Bears leave this stretch as the talk of the NFC along with the Rams.
They are undefeated at home.
The offense seems to be shaping into a top unit and the D continues to be a wrecking ball.
Daniels replaces Kush and the o line really improves. People begin to talk about how they didn't realize just how bad Kush was truly playing until Daniels replaced him.
Mack is in talks as midseason MVP and of course DPOY.
Floyd continues to play well in coverage and starts to gst some sacks as well.
Smith starts to flash more as the game begins to slow down.
Prince has a strong second quarter with 2 ints.
Jackson Trevathian and Hicks continue their Pro Bowl play,
Nichols steps up more and more and looks like a starter for next season.
Special teams remain strong and consistent.
Coaches continue to grow and Nagy begins to really take off as a play caller.
And MOST importantly, we stay HEALTHY!!

[Otis Day]

Well this will be a ramble as I am at work and need to get to Court.

Brady will provide a game like the 2nd half Rodgers, quick passes, no huddle that will tire the D. The D will be caught off guard a few times and the GOAT will lead the Pats to Victory.

The other 3, all iffy IMO. The Bills took care of Minny and we have noticed Minny's warts. I think the Bears beat the hell out of Josh Allen and the D dominates that game.

I believe Jets and Fins will be close and winnable. It is all about consistency and health.

If this team stays healthy, lord knows what can happen.

Howard will get back on track and there will be games he gets his 20 carries.

The D will march on whether Floyd comes around or not. If he comes around.......holy shit I feel sorry for QBs playing this D.

I can see 3-1, but would not be surprised by 2-2.

[Boris13c]

I'm going with 3-1 over the next 4 games

even though Brady has aged, he is still able to get rid of things quick enough to negate a pass rush and will still be capable of giving the Bears secondary fits ... so at this point, I think Brady will still have enough magic to beat Trubs in this duel

[Bad Flanders]

I think 3-1 again feels likely with that schedule. They are also young... meaning a couple of them we need might be partying during this off week after a win like that rather than putting their noses to the grindstone.

I’d be okay going .500 the next quarter as long as they don’t look just terrible doing it I guess. Just as long as, if they start cold, they get better and don’t just fall apart if they start that bad.

I think I agree with all of you more though, chances sure feel better for 4-0 rather than 2-2 right now. Just have to hedge that with caution about a young team and coach still figuring things out.

And has anyone seen Lovie this year?!?! Is that dude in witness protection or something? I can barely recognize the guy!

[malk]

Trubisky remains the big variable. Much as everyone has rightly loved the performance last week I don't see anyone getting too high on him. That said, 6 TDs is a feat that very few have accomplished and it came from a performance that wasn't flawless. That's incredibly promising.

This team should go 4-0 over the next quarter. We're too conditioned to second guess, be cautious, wait for something Bearsy to happen. The Bills are still the worst team in the league and the Jets are an average at best team with a bad offence. We'll eat both of those up.

Miami had a ridiculous start but are now regressing to their mean. Pretty good defensively so far and very average on offence. We won't need to score much to get the win here.

Then we have the aura of Brady, but he's getting old and we're just better than they are. It won't be easy but we absolutely should be winning that game. Their offensive line has been holding up pretty well but let's see how they do against our monster line, quick passes or no.

7-1, it's got a nice ring to it.

[thunderspirit]

I'm expecting 2-2 and hoping for 3-1.

[bearsfaninaz]

My biggest takeaway from this season is for the most part we are healthy and that's such a huge change from years past it's incredible. Miller should be coming back soon as will Prince. Shaheen should be eligible I think in a few weeks not sure how the rule is if he has to sit out until week 6 or can come back early if he's recovered.

Offensively we have now seen what Nagy was preaching plays within plays and wow it was amazing to see last week.

Defensively minus the head scratching Packers game to me of not blitzing the crap out of a wounded QB we have been great. Basically two weird 4th quarters but they've been dominate.

Great start to season and I hope it continues.

[wab]

I look at the matchups with two variables. Talent and coaching.

Overall the Bears are more talented than the Dolphins, Bills, and Pats. Overall.

Obviously the Pats have one of the best coaches ever, so they get the edge. It's too early to say whether Nagy is a better coach than McDermott or Gase, so for me that's a push - so pure talent give the Bears an edge in those two games.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

I look at the matchups with two variables. Talent and coaching.

Overall the Bears are more talented than the Dolphins, Bills, and Pats. Overall.

Obviously the Pats have one of the best coaches ever, so they get the edge. It's too early to say whether Nagy is a better coach than McDermott or Gase, so for me that's a push - so pure talent give the Bears an edge in those two games.

What about the Jets?

[Middleguard]

Based on the Patriots' performance so far this year, rather than on their reputation, I see the Bears with a comfortable win. But history should not be ignored. The Patriots started 2-2 last year as well, then won 8 straight. They also started 2-2 three years ago, then won 7 straight. The last time they lost game 7 was 2013 in overtime @ Jets.

I see the Dolphins as a tossup based on this year's performance, but historically, the Bears do not perform well in Florida, and they almost always lose the first game after their bye.

If the Bears lose to either the Bills or Jets... words fail me and I cannot think of anything awful enough to say.

[southdakbearfan]

The patriots seem to muddle around a bit the first 1/3 of the season, figuring out what bits fit, getting their line settled and then bang get hot.

They also get edleman back tonight, which will make their offense totally different as well. Edlemen will make the LB's and/or nickle-backs think a lot out there.

[Umbali]

Until the Pats actually really fall apart and arent a contender....then they are. Thats history.

That being said...I love this thread. This thread provides hope.

So my prediction is:

6 and 2.

I think we lose to the Pats in a close game that hopefully teaches us something.

I would like to see 3 things develop.

An impact by Floyd

Roquan being the stud he will eventually be. Wont mind early growth

White stepping up..and being use and producing. I cant hate on him..he works hard...would love to see him have some success.

[KOP_Snake]

I'd rather not see the entire Bears franchise go 0 for 5 against Tom Brady. This is probably the last time he'll play against the Bears.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

I'd rather not see the entire Bears franchise go 0 for 5 against Tom Brady. This is probably the last time he'll play against the Bears.

Well he is the GOAT.

[MoFugger]

I have them finishing 10-6. I believe I do know what kind of a team the Bears are going to be this year, I'm just still uncertain about the teams they are playing.
I have an unusual amount of optimism right now

[docc]

Bears getting a lot of love from Joe Shmuck and Acheman..near the end of Thursday night game..

And rightly so..