Bears Training Camp News and Stuff

[AZ_Bearfan]

[AZ_Bearfan]

This kid is going to be a handful to deal with. Our running game is going to surprise some people.

[AZ_Bearfan]

[dplank]

N’Keal Harry hurt today, leg injury and had to be helped off the field. Not good.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

It's not looking too good on the WR injury front right now.

Bears WR Byron Pringle out extended time with injury, but expected back for season opener

The Bears will go without wide receiver Byron Pringle for a while because of a quad injury, but coach Matt Eberflus said he believes he’ll be back for the season opener.
...
In addition to Pringle getting hurt, Jones was out of practice Saturday with a day-to-day injury, and Harry got hurt during the session.

Full article: https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2022 ... ener-stats

A little more on Harry:

Bears evaluating WR N’Keal Harry after injury

Bears wide receiver N’Keal Harry left practice Saturday with what appeared to be a left leg injury. He was unable to put weight on the leg, and needed help getting back inside Halas Hall.

Head coach Matt Eberflus would only say that the Bears were in the process of evaluating him after practice.

“I saw him go down,” he said, “but I don’t know much.”

Eberflus said the team had concerns about wide receiver depth given the injuries to both Harry and Byron Pringle, who will be out for an extended period with a hamstring injury.

Curious that one article states that Pringle has injured his quad and the other his hamstring. I guess it doesn't matter too much as long as his recovery time remains the same.

Also, the following reportedly did not practice yesterday but reasons aren't known:

DE Robert Quinn
CB Kyler Gordon
CB Kindle Vildor
DT Khyiris Tonga

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2022 ... en-jenkins

Does anybody know whether they were back practicing today?

[Middleguard]

Quinn has an excused absence. Gordon, and I believe Vildor, are day-to-day. Tonga, I haven't heard about

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Thanks for the update Middleguard.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Nice article on how tough Bears camp is this year:

Coach Matt Eberflus making Bears practices ‘the hardest thing you’ve ever done’
...
Eberflus’ coaching ethos is built on hustle and intensity, and his practices reflect that.

‘‘If you want to be a good football team, you have to have mental and physical stamina,’’ Eberflus said. ‘‘And to build that callus, to build that stamina, you have to go through hard; you can’t do it by going through soft.’’

Tight end Cole Kmet considered Friday ‘‘the hardest practice I’ve ever been a part of.’’ Receiver Darnell Mooney was laid out in the Bears’ locker room afterward, soaking in all the fluids and air conditioning he could find.

Practice Saturday was warmer — ‘‘It’s so humid here, you walk outside and you just want it to rain,’’ linebacker Nicholas Morrow said — but no less intense.

‘‘The intensity going from period to period, having to run to the ball . . . it’s a lot harder than what I have usually done,’’ Morrow said.

It’s by design.

‘‘That’s just what our practices do,’’ Eberflus said. ‘‘So the tempo which we practice, how we execute with speed and what we’re asking our players to do, that builds that mental and physical stamina.’’
...
The laundry list of banged-up players who sat out practice Saturday shows the line Eberflus is walking by having such intense sessions.

The Bears stand around less during camp this year than they did under former coach Matt Nagy.
...
‘‘The last two days have been tough,’’ running back Khalil Herbert said. ‘‘But we needed them.’’

There’s reason to think the uptick in practice intensity is more than your typical camp narrative. Eberflus is trying to set a culture — he said he plans to be this way every year — and to allow his coaches to teach.

Mooney hinted that wasn’t always the case last year. This year, receivers practice where to go when quarterback Justin Fields scrambles, making sure to break out at different levels of the defense. Last year, Mooney said, the Bears’ coaches talked about what to do but rarely put it into action on the back fields at Halas Hall.

‘‘We had the system, but we just never worked on it,’’ he said. ‘‘You have to work on things, even though it’s just scramble drill: ‘We just scramble — everybody run around.’ You have to work on it every now and again.’’
...
‘‘He said, ‘It’s gonna be the hardest thing you’ve ever done,’ ’’ Morrow said. ‘‘And he’s not joking. . . . He’s keeping his promise, that’s for one. And then two, he wants to make it hard enough that when you get to the game, it is not as hard. Or maybe you’ve had that intensity before and then you can adapt to it.’’

Full article: https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2022 ... ell-mooney

Perhaps the most notable comments are the comparisons with Nagy. A comment like "less standing around" doesn't reflect well on our former HC but Mooney suggesting the receivers were not prepared for the QB scrambling, especially when the Bears had Justin Fields, is frankly damning. Another indictment to add to the many already levelled against 'Coach' Nagy.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

And an encouraging article on the defense:

Bears’ defense taking hold: ‘Right now we’re just flying.’

The Bears are installing new schemes on both sides of the ball, but the defense already looks like it has a solid foundation that could be an anchor. ‘We have the right guys that want to buy in and want to do it,’ defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad said.
...
Asked if the Bears’ new-fangled defense under Matt Eberflus and Alan Williams had made an impression on him, running back Khalil Herbert didn’t hesitate.

“I’ve got a lot of impressions — especially the linebacker group,” Herbert said. “We have some really athletic linebackers — a lot of guys that can cover and hit and come downhill and hit. Especially from the one-on-ones, seeing the different things they can do in pass pro and us running routes out of the backfield and we try to make them miss in certain drills. We have a really athletic group. The defense as a whole I feel like is going to be really solid.”
...
“One thing I’ve understood is that in football, you can talk scheme and that’s fun,” linebacker Nick Morrow said. “I’ve been a part of scheme-heavy defenses. [But] defensively, you have to win with effort. That’s been shown time and time again. Running to the football creates turnovers — punching the ball out, picking it up, recovering. I think effort is definitely No. 1. He’s putting that on his plate for us for sure.”
...
Safety Eddie Jackson, one of two holdovers from the 2018 defense that led the NFL in scoring defense,already can see chemistry building and the “buy-in” to Eberflus’ demanding requirements paying off.

“I feel like we built the chemistry early on in OTAs, so right now we’re just flying,” Jackson said. “This year, we haven’t heard one person complain about anything — not about a day, not about a period, not about how hot it is. We’re still going.

“And I’ve been on a bunch of teams where you have guys who don’t complain and just do the work; and then you have guys who complain about everything. You don’t have those types of guys [on this defense]. That’s helping us because … everyone knows that this man next to me, he’s gonna go out and fight these same minutes that I’m gonna fight.”

Full article: https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2022 ... ust-flying

[Calle]

Injuries is starting to piling up, hope its nothing to bad. Injurie free players are key to a good season. Cross fingers.

Hope Tevan Jenkins is fine and everything is okay with him. Need him on OL.

[RichH55]

He's an elite athlete. He has absolutely not flashed enough blue chip qualities - that's why he was terrible as a Rookie. I know, I know "Heroically" bad

He has skills though. They just need to translate

“terrible”

You’re such a card RichH.
You’re not going to be allowed to live this nonsense down

Projecting him going forward is a very different - I certainly hope my doubts are overblown

But he was terrible as a Rookie - he shouldn't have been on the Field (Insert Nagy shouldn't have been on it either type stuff here)

Rookie year is a done deal. It is what it is - and it wasn't good

I think best case is Steve McNair- thats damn good if the franchise can pass the marshmallow test

[Heinz D.]

Braxton Jones is back, and taking all reps with the first team. Reiff is at RT.

[Shadow]

Jones and Borom may be the bookends by seasons end.
Reiff is a nice veteran pick up, but is not the future at tackle.
Re-Builds are painful to watch at times, but the pain won't last forever. (Saying this after the 2012 Reset/Rebuid that has lasted 10 years)

[dplank]

He's an elite athlete. He has absolutely not flashed enough blue chip qualities - that's why he was terrible as a Rookie. I know, I know "Heroically" bad

He has skills though. They just need to translate

“terrible”

You’re such a card RichH.
You’re not going to be allowed to live this nonsense down

He will never admit it so it won’t matter, and card is not how you spell cunt.

[Heinz D.]

Jones and Borom may be the bookends by seasons end.
Reiff is a nice veteran pick up, but is not the future at tackle.
Re-Builds are painful to watch at times, but the pain won't last forever. (Saying this after the 2012 Reset/Rebuid that has lasted 10 years)

Howdy there, @Shadow !

And yeah...Reiff isn't the future at tackle. I like the addition, but truth be told, he may not even really be the present at tackle, either. He was injured the last two seasons, I believe. We'll see what happens.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

“terrible”

You’re such a card RichH.
You’re not going to be allowed to live this nonsense down

Projecting him going forward is a very different - I certainly hope my doubts are overblown

But he was terrible as a Rookie - he shouldn't have been on the Field (Insert Nagy shouldn't have been on it either type stuff here)

Rookie year is a done deal. It is what it is - and it wasn't good

I think best case is Steve McNair- thats damn good if the franchise can pass the marshmallow test

*beep* *beep* *beep*
“This vehicle is reversing”

only joking with you RichH, don’t be so harsh on Fields, he speaks very highly of you

[wab]

“terrible”

You’re such a card RichH.
You’re not going to be allowed to live this nonsense down

He will never admit it so it won’t matter, and card is not how you spell cunt.

Let’s not push it.

[Heinz D.]

Is anybody else worried these "toughest" practices may be a little TOO tough?

I mean, there's a boatload of injuries already...

[artbest01]

The Steelers under Mike Tomlin have practices this tough/aggressive - they have live tackling every time pads come on.

[Moriarty]

Is anybody else worried these "toughest" practices may be a little TOO tough?

I mean, there's a boatload of injuries already...

Yes, I have some misgivings about him possibly going too far in the opposite direction, just not willing to put in the time to lead that charge.


Ditka's ill-fated "Fit to Hit" season quickly comes to mind.



(And, yes, I'm well aware that the hardest training camps now are easier than the softest ones of Yesteryear. Not the point. You're competing against other 2022 teams, and if you rack up more injuries and practice time lost than them, without generating offsetting benefits, then you're losing.)

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Latest news...

Bears close Sunday’s practice to fans

Thunderstorms forecast for Sunday caused the Bears to close their training camp practice to fans.

The team figures to instead practice inside the Walter Payton Center, which has very little room for observers.

There was at least a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Practice at Halas Hall was scheduled for 10 a.m.

The Bears’ next practice will be at Tuesday’s “Family Fest” at Soldier Field.

Full article: https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2022 ... mp-tickets

The article also mentions that the Bears waived linebacker C.J. Avery with an injury designation and signed linebacker Javin White.

It's also been reported that N'Keal Harry has a high ankle sprain, which will likely keep him out for the remainder of the preseason.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2022 ... on-pringle

[mmmc_35]

Is anybody else worried these "toughest" practices may be a little TOO tough?

I mean, there's a boatload of injuries already...

I'm not. I would need a breakdown but I remember injuries from Nagys camp and it seemed a ton during the season.

So far most of the injuries dont seem to be contact related. Other then Harry. Watching clips it isnt like they are crushing eachother either. Most of the problems seem to be running related. I could be completely wrong that's just what it seems.

[RichH55]

Projecting him going forward is a very different - I certainly hope my doubts are overblown

But he was terrible as a Rookie - he shouldn't have been on the Field (Insert Nagy shouldn't have been on it either type stuff here)

Rookie year is a done deal. It is what it is - and it wasn't good

I think best case is Steve McNair- thats damn good if the franchise can pass the marshmallow test

*beep* *beep* *beep*
“This vehicle is reversing”

only joking with you RichH, don’t be so harsh on Fields, he speaks very highly of you

Putting up with me is what makes him so darn Heroic!

[Yogi da Bear]

Is anybody else worried these "toughest" practices may be a little TOO tough?

I mean, there's a boatload of injuries already...

I'm not. I would need a breakdown but I remember injuries from Nagys camp and it seemed a ton during the season.

So far most of the injuries dont seem to be contact related. Other then Harry. Watching clips it isnt like they are crushing eachother either. Most of the problems seem to be running related. I could be completely wrong that's just what it seems.

I get the impression that the "toughness" of the practices are "endurance" related and NOT contact related. From what I understand, Eberflus makes them run.

[Heinz D.]

It's also been reported that N'Keal Harry has a high ankle sprain, which will likely keep him out for the remainder of the preseason.

Wow.

As weird as it sounds...what awesome news. Every early report on Harry's injury was VERY gloom and doom. Why? I dunno, after hearing this.

Breathing a sigh of relief, now.

(And I'm still not convinced these "toughest" practices aren't too extreme.)

[AZ_Bearfan]

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

(And I'm still not convinced these "toughest" practices aren't too extreme.)

I guess we have to trust Flus in knowing the level of toughness he requires from them.
He’s been in the game long enough to know what he can expect from players without pushing it too much. I’m feeling very positive about it.

[Atkins&Rebel]

It's a long season and I understand the concern that we might be pushing too hard. I lean towards working them hard in camp though. You need a period of intensity to condition the body for a long season.
Most of the tears are non contact in camp and they would have gone at some point anyway. These guys over train to reach the NFL and there's only so much some bodies can take before they go kaput.
Lingering muscle strains usually come from guys not getting ready for camps and then trying to just jump in full speed. (Kinda like not doing enough to get ready for hiking 2400 miles and then trying to keep up with guys that did).
Then you have freak injuries that will happen in camp and during the season. They can't be planned or prevented because of the nature of the sport. Odd tackling angles, blind collisions, feet getting stuck in the field, etc.

[dplank]

Is anybody else worried these "toughest" practices may be a little TOO tough?

I mean, there's a boatload of injuries already...

I'm not. I would need a breakdown but I remember injuries from Nagys camp and it seemed a ton during the season.

So far most of the injuries dont seem to be contact related. Other then Harry. Watching clips it isnt like they are crushing eachother either. Most of the problems seem to be running related. I could be completely wrong that's just what it seems.

I agree that I’m not worried about it, but want to note that non contact injuries have as many “season enders “ as contact injuries. The torn ACL for example, typically non-contact.

[Grizzled]

Healing time for a high ankle sprain is 6 weeks to 3 months. Might be he's put on IR, from which he'd be eligible to return after 4 games. Pringle has a quad injury, it's thought he'll miss several preseason games. Not looking good for Fields being able to work with these guys and establish an early chemistry. Still a few free agent WRs out there: Fuller, DeSean Jackson, Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley. Might be time to look at one of them, they're signing guys to play D.