Foreman to Bears

[Grizzled]

Not a bad signing but why Homer? He's not really special at anything except for having fresh legs because of lack of use. Why not Jaamal Williams, signed for $4M per year, and draft a guy?

Jamaal Williams: 4.59 40-yd
D'Onta Foreman: 4.49 40-yd
Travis Homer: 4.48 40-yd

That's why.

Not real convincing. I can see Williams or Freeman, Homer leaves me in the dark for being helpful or necessary.

[dplank]

Homer is an upgrade to Ebner. RB3 who can catch, run in a pinch, and play good ST.

Ebner sucked I’m hoping he’s a goner.

I like Jamaal Williams too, but we chose Foreman over him - not Homer.

Plus, plenty of great Simpsons joke opportunities with Homer, bonus.

[UOK]

Homer is an upgrade to Ebner. RB3 who can catch, run in a pinch, and play good ST.

Ebner sucked I’m hoping he’s a goner.

I like Jamaal Williams too, but we chose Foreman over him - not Homer.

Plus, plenty of great Simpsons joke opportunities with Homer, bonus.

Ebner had a pile of opportunities to stand out last year and took advantage of precisely none of them. I'm with you. There's the door.

[Grizzled]

Ebner didn't cut it as a RB3. Poles has his reasons for picking up Homer instead of teying to fill the hole on the draft.

[IE]

Yep. In a year where all disappointment was taken by me with a grain of salt ... Ebner stood out as disappointing with no excuse. Boo.

Homer is the top ST cover guy in the league - so that is also a big part of why they grabbed him.

I knew Foreman was potentially available and am surprised that Carolina let him move on for that price. There has to be something more too it - like Poles promised him a legit chance to win the RB1 job in Chicago, or the concept of proving himself and earning an in-season extension with a team who has the money was attractive to him.

I like RB competitions where every time a guy goes out there he's fighting to win the main job. RB platooning breeds competition. You're only as good as your last carry, or block.

[wulfy]

Compliments Herbert's style well - any 411 on him from a pass protection perspective?

[crueltyabc]

Not discussed here is that the Bears are (in a way) kneecapping the Panthers by signing FAs they maybe wanted to re-sign. Any little bit helps to ensure that round 1 pick next year is a good one

[The Cooler King]

Ebner can clear as a PS probably and might make a few appearances as a PS gameday elevation for special teams. Good role to have and I doubt any team poaches him.

It's a good RB room. The only complaint is it's very role specific. The more Herbert can improve him pass blocking and receiving such that the personnel isn't so obvious to scheme - the better it will be. So hoping he feels the pressure and wants to be great and is working to cover his gaps still.

[The Cooler King]

Not discussed here is that the Bears are (in a way) kneecapping the Panthers by signing FAs they maybe wanted to re-sign. Any little bit helps to ensure that round 1 pick next year is a good one

I feel like that may be a bit too much over thinking. Not raiding a playoff team roster lol

[crueltyabc]

Not discussed here is that the Bears are (in a way) kneecapping the Panthers by signing FAs they maybe wanted to re-sign. Any little bit helps to ensure that round 1 pick next year is a good one

I feel like that may be a bit too much over thinking. Not raiding a playoff team roster lol

Cmon bro this is the season for overthinking and overhoping!

[EricTighe]

Love this pick up.

[BreadNCircuses]

a friend calls him a "B-minus Derrick Henry"

I completely expect us to draft another mid to late round RB. I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen almost every year, and just keep the committee rotation flowing
keep adding a new guy to that room every year and the talent will get on the field. Guys who can't stand out sit on the practice squad and then fall off the team. Rinse and repeat.

[IE]

The more Herbert can improve him pass blocking and receiving such that the personnel isn't so obvious to scheme - the better it will be. So hoping he feels the pressure and wants to be great and is working to cover his gaps still.

We need to kill the narrative that Juice is bad at pass pro. He's just not - he's graded as just slightly worse than Monty. IF Monty is indeed a *good* pass blocker then Juice is respectable too - already.

Compliments Herbert's style well - any 411 on him from a pass protection perspective?

D'Onta's pass pro grade was abysmal in '22. But it was only like 14 snaps - so very small sample and I'm hoping that they saw something in his overall tape that helped alleviate their concerns in the area.

[The Cooler King]

The more Herbert can improve him pass blocking and receiving such that the personnel isn't so obvious to scheme - the better it will be. So hoping he feels the pressure and wants to be great and is working to cover his gaps still.

We need to kill the narrative that Juice is bad at pass pro. He's just not - he's graded as just slightly worse than Monty. IF Monty is indeed a *good* pass blocker then Juice is respectable too - already.

Compliments Herbert's style well - any 411 on him from a pass protection perspective?

D'Onta's pass pro grade was abysmal in '22. But it was only like 14 snaps - so very small sample and I'm hoping that they saw something in his overall tape that helped alleviate their concerns in the area.

If we're going off just PFF grades they were pretty similar last year, but DM has scored much higher in past. But the total pass block snaps must count for something and I think we can give some credence to how coaches use them to tell us who they think was better.

The "eye test" whether it's mine or tape guys who I generally respect I think also say the same thing. Heard plenty of rumblings about it during training camp and such as well.

The good news it's its probably 90% effort and practice. No reason be can't be a respectable blocker if he wants to. Receiving might be slight more skill oriented than just effort, but he should have good athletic tools with the question just being hands. Some guys just have catching yips or something.

[IE]

We need to kill the narrative that Juice is bad at pass pro. He's just not - he's graded as just slightly worse than Monty. IF Monty is indeed a *good* pass blocker then Juice is respectable too - already.



D'Onta's pass pro grade was abysmal in '22. But it was only like 14 snaps - so very small sample and I'm hoping that they saw something in his overall tape that helped alleviate their concerns in the area.

If we're going off just PFF grades they were pretty similar last year, but DM has scored much higher in past. But the total pass block snaps must count for something and I think we can give some credence to how coaches use them to tell us who they think was better.

The "eye test" whether it's mine or tape guys who I generally respect I think also say the same thing. Heard plenty of rumblings about it during training camp and such as well.

The good news it's its probably 90% effort and practice. No reason be can't be a respectable blocker if he wants to. Receiving might be slight more skill oriented than just effort, but he should have good athletic tools with the question just being hands. Some guys just have catching yips or something.

Agreed that usage can be an indicator. But it isn't necessarily "is bad" on the one not chosen. "More established" will almost always weigh heavier with the coaches who want to reduce risk.

Juice's near-Monty level performance in the opportunities he did have to me are encouraging, and certainly don't warrant a narrative that he's not good in pass pro. "We don't know as well"? OK fine. But the narrative has a level of some sort of certainty to it, and it isn't fair to Juice IMO.

The "eye test" IS a problem for Juice, because he had a super-visible and memorable ST whiff on a blocked punt/TD. Personally I believe that colors people's opinion about his pass pro more than how he actually did in pass pro.

[crueltyabc]