How badly will Chicago miss Amos and Callahan?

[GSH]

Ever since they were let go all I've seen are articles and youtube vids talk about how the bears D will regress not just because Don Fangio left but because we also lost 'key pieces' in Amos and Callahan.

Correct me if wrong, but no one who has watched every bears game the last few seasons is that upset about losing those 2. Had a good season and they got a boost from being schemed well by Vic.

Im not saying Haha and Buster are the future, but damn, is losing those 2 as much of a hit as outsiders seem to think or are they tripping? Are Haha and Buster really as much of a liability in comparison to Adrian and Bryce?

[The Marshall Plan]

If the wheels come off the wagon because we lost those two then we've got bigger problems. The core of the defense is Mack, Hicks, Trevathan, Roquan and Eddie Jackson. IMO, the pressure created by the front seven instantly makes the four people in the secondary that much better. So if there is a talent drop off moving to Ha Ha and Buster it could get masked. Losing Fangio is a bigger deal than losing Amos and Callahan. However I think Pagano is up to the task.

[Mikefive]

I think we'll miss Callahan, but have hope that Shelley will emerge quickly. But even in the likely event that we're going with Skrine, it won't be terribly bad.

With Amos being replaced by Ha Ha, that's a style change with plus and minus. Ha Ha isn't the physical force or tacker that Amos was. That could lead to some big plays against us. If Zeke Elliot breaks free and is 1-on-1 with Amos, he probably doesn't go the distance. If it's Ha Ha, much greater chance. OTOH, Amos was not a ball hawk. His interceptions were right place right time things. Ha Ha is more aggressive going after the ball and we should have more interceptions from him than Amos by 3x, so more big plays for us.

Players report to camp in 9 days!

[thunderspirit]

Amos and Callahan are pretty good players, but they're the sort of players that good teams let go because their salary begins to outpace their production.

Time will tell if the Bears were correct in their assessment of them. I suspect they were.

[AZ_Bearfan]

IMO Callahan and Skrine is a wash. Haha is a former Pro-Bowler who had a down year.... I'm hoping that had more to do with the culture in Green Bay than his abilities. Sure Amos was a great tackler and sound in his assignments, but I think Haha is going to feast behind this d-line. Out of the starters on defense, if I had to choose 2 to axe.... it would have been those two all day long.

[GSH]

If the wheels come off the wagon because we lost those two then we've got bigger problems. The core of the defense is Mack, Hicks, Trevathan, Roquan and Eddie Jackson. IMO, the pressure created by the front seven instantly makes the four people in the secondary that much better. So if there is a talent drop off moving to Ha Ha and Buster it could get masked. Losing Fangio is a bigger deal than losing Amos and Callahan. However I think Pagano is up to the task.

I agree but didnt we also lose our secondary coach with Fangio?

For the record, im not at all concerned about losing amos and callahan, im optimistic with our front 7 that its an ideal situation for HaHa to come in and get back to pro-bowl form. I havent seen enough of Buster but to get paid what he is, people with much better player assessment than me seem to like what they see.

[The Marshall Plan]

If the wheels come off the wagon because we lost those two then we've got bigger problems. The core of the defense is Mack, Hicks, Trevathan, Roquan and Eddie Jackson. IMO, the pressure created by the front seven instantly makes the four people in the secondary that much better. So if there is a talent drop off moving to Ha Ha and Buster it could get masked. Losing Fangio is a bigger deal than losing Amos and Callahan. However I think Pagano is up to the task.

I agree but didnt we also lose our secondary coach with Fangio?

For the record, im not at all concerned about losing amos and callahan, im optimistic with our front 7 that its an ideal situation for HaHa to come in and get back to pro-bowl form. I havent seen enough of Buster but to get paid what he is, people with much better player assessment than me seem to like what they see.

Yes, I believe Ed Donatell went to the Broncos to be the DC. The front seven is the key to this defense. We might have the best safety in football with Eddie Jackson and Clinton-Dix is a former pro bowler. Our secondary is going to be awesome.

[G08]

Skrine can be a little handsy so that's something he will have to address... I do like the idea of him blitzing from the nickel quite a bit though. Should be interesting.... as for HCD, will his "soft" reputation precede himself or will he come up in run support and stick his nose in there when needed?

Personally, I think they'll both be fine and I'm excited at how Pagano should be able to disguise coverages with Bojack and HCD both being able to play single high.

[snake95]

My single biggest concern has been whether Pagano is the schemer and being able to put in game plans to lay waste the way Fangio did. I know we're hearing he's aggressive and I love that, but Fangio's football IQ is strong. All that being said I like Pagano and feel like he'll do well with this talent.

[KhalilSackDaddy]

I think it's important to look at what Pagano is going to do compared to Fangio. Fang used Amos at the line and sometimes a CB to blitz, taking advantage of Floyds ability to drop into coverage, even Mack at times which doesn't make a lot of sense. With that Amos and others didn't need to be strong in coverage as they were at the line and tacklers.
I think you'll see Pagano use a more classical approach to the OLB and have Floyd and Mack will be used rushing a lot more then the SS/DBs, so I think HaHa is going to be asked to actually cover more, something Amos was never great at; and also something the Bears liked w/Buster last year.
So I don't think they'll miss Amos at all, and I think Skrine will not be a drop off from Callaghan. Fangio/Pagano also come from almost the exact same coaching tree, so I don't even think they'll be much of a drop off in how the Def is played, other then it being more aggressive, and a bit more traditional.

[BR0D1E86]

I think Callahan is better than Skrine, but I also kind of factor in that Callahan is basically counted on to miss a quarter of the season every year.

I don’t think the S spot is really a drop off at all. It’s a different style of player, but I don’t think it’s really a drop off one way or the other.

[ursamagnus]

I think we'll miss Callahan, but have hope that Shelley will emerge quickly. But even in the likely event that we're going with Skrine, it won't be terribly bad.

With Amos being replaced by Ha Ha, that's a style change with plus and minus. Ha Ha isn't the physical force or tacker that Amos was. That could lead to some big plays against us. If Zeke Elliot breaks free and is 1-on-1 with Amos, he probably doesn't go the distance. If it's Ha Ha, much greater chance. OTOH, Amos was not a ball hawk. His interceptions were right place right time things. Ha Ha is more aggressive going after the ball and we should have more interceptions from him than Amos by 3x, so more big plays for us.

Players report to camp in 9 days!

I think it's telling that apparently, even with Ha Ha's inconsistency, the Bears have graded him out better than Amos every year. Different strengths and weaknesses, sure.

Also, I think Skrine is likely the nickle this year unless shelley blows us all away, but probably bumps outside next year with the release of Prince (or at least gives us someone with that flexibility to play inside and outside, even if we end up replacing Prince with someone else)