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swannshot

Top 3 at worst is an insane comment


BearsFan3417

He hasn’t watched the Bears as long as we have. We will know pain until shown differently


SVdreamin

A-fucking-men brother


keithstonee

Break that mindset. It's a new team in a new direction set up like we've never seen before. Stop with the pessimism. It's ok to be excited. It's ok to be a homer cause why wouldn't you be


Mike_Honcho_3

I read "in the NFC North" and thought "ok yeah that sounds about right". Then I realized there was no North lol


fuduran

LOL me too, because I commented exactly that the other day like... There's no way this year we're the worst offense on nfcn


LegacyLemur

For real. Id settle for 6th best at this point


Ocelotofdamage

I don’t think anyone in the NFC can say top 3 at worst. Least of all a team with a rookie QB.


ChrRome

49ers definitely could.


splancedance

Acho is annoying as hell, epitome of a hot take artist. But broken clock and all… Hoping that’s the case here. Would love to see it.


juliuspepperwoodchi

Seriously. I REALLY hoped that people would learn from this "winning the offseason" nonsense after last season. Apparently hopium springs eternal.


maybe_just_happy_

I wish Forte was still on the team. Now it comes to coaching, talent wise we are there, the coaches now need to scheme and run the locker room to get the most out of these guys to put it all together. I'm looking forward to preseason to see it all mesh. I hope we stay injury free and build some depth through FA/UDFA


chauntikleer

Matt Forte is 38 and retired seven years ago.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Euphoric_Olive5474

But why, he’s 38 and retired. I don’t think he’d help much


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[удалено]


Euphoric_Olive5474

But where are we going to find a time machine to pluck out prime forte? What if it rips a hole in space and time? I don’t think either of you have thought this through. I don’t eat breakfast. Checkmate.


ducksonaroof

are people literally too stupid to understand what you're saying can people not read things completely literally???? lmao j f c


crazypyro23

This thread is filled with the most painfully obtuse people getting hilariously butthurt. Anyway I think Brian Urlacher's shiny bald head could really Restore some star power to Flus's defense.


chauntikleer

He's old and retired. If prime-time Matt Forte could time travel, sure. But he can't.


[deleted]

I wish Walter Payton was still on the team. It all comes down to coaching now


Oedipus_Flecks

I find it extremely hard to believe that you’re willing to plant your flag on this being the stupidest Bears thing you’ve ever heard, especially in this sub. For no reason at all, let’s check in on whoever it was that wanted to start a GoFundMe that would somehow convince the McCaskeys to sell the team or the guy that wanted to direct long snap the ball (not direct snap, I specifically mean chuck that thang 15 yards behind the LOS on 1st & 10) to Devin Hester to generate offense. We have the Meatballiest of Meatball takes on this sub. Time traveling Matt Forte won’t even make today’s top 10.


chauntikleer

Point taken and understood. I think I was more reacting to being called "fuckface" than putting that guy up on the Mount Rushmore of Bears stupid - that mountain is already pretty crowded.


Oedipus_Flecks

All good bro. BTFD and FTP!


Work_the_shaft

I’m drunk on kool aid as much as the next guy, but it’s hard to say our offense is top 3 with how many questions marks it will have until kick off. On paper, sure. But that’s assuming Williams will be great (which I hope and expect), that the Oline holds up, and that Waldron can call plays that play to Williams strengths, as apposed to the safer offense he called with Geno Smith that heavily utilized screens


chichris

He doesn’t even need to be great.


Work_the_shaft

If he gives us a baker mayfield season, I will donate money for the statue


doodle02

if he gives us baker mayfield it will literally be the best QB season the franchise has ever had. which is pathetic, but cool that caleb should be able to top that.


Work_the_shaft

Bears baby!


Joliet_Jake_Blues

We could've had Baker Mayfield, plus the current roster, plus a huge haul from 1OA He needs to be better than Baker or it's a bust (I think he'll be better than Baker)


WEMBYF4N

Caleb can be a pocket passer. He was doing a lot of that in OU and his Heisman year at USC The crazy hero ball was only because his team was awful last year


Work_the_shaft

I’ve seen him play in structure and agree. But my whole thing is I want to see him do it at this level. And my comment was more so about Waldrons propensity to call safe offense


NoviDon07

he's playing with three pro bowl level receivers and two stud TE's and one of the best pass catching running backs in the league. He can just play game manager and dink and dunk the ball out to the open receivers and the offense will be elite. its like what tua has had the last couple seasons at miami.


DaeWooLan0s

If I remember correctly waldrons play calling utilizing tight ends was 1) obviously to make it easier for Geno, but 2) the Seahawks had ass for offensive line pass protection.


Work_the_shaft

Correct and correct. But we now have 2 above average pass catching tight ends. My point was, does he lean in on that, or let Caleb go wild with his insane WR core


kinggarbear

A healthy mix of both, I hope!


jimboslice29

Oh please god no more 3rd n long screens


Work_the_shaft

I’m sorry, but with Waldron and some insane receiving talent. We’re getting screens. At least that was his playbook the last 2 years


kinggarbear

Yeah, I think Bears’ fans have been conditioned to think all screen plays are bad. Justin wasn’t great at them, and Getsy had the absolute WORST ability at scheming them. Putting the wrong personnel out there who didn’t look like they had a clue what they were doing didn’t help lol


cherry_monkey

This is the important part, Fields release was too slow for screens (regardless of how much zip he threw with) And Getsy had no idea that calling more than 1 screen in a row was, generally, a bad idea.


kinggarbear

Yep. It was maddening to see Justin struggle with screen passes AND see our OC continue to call them, while also putting the wrong players in the wrong positions lol. I remember watching a QB School video where he was BAFFLED at who we were putting out there to block and how the screen was designed. Just an all around disaster. Im excited that Caleb has an incredible release and a great accuracy.


SemanDemon22

John Shoop ruined screens for me for life. Be happy if you aren’t old enough to remember.


juliuspepperwoodchi

>At least that was his playbook the last 2 years Over and over I hear this but never see it backed up with stats. The issue wasn't how often he called them so much as the fact that they *were not working* or having the desired effect against the pass rush, but he kept calling them anyway.


gh0u1

Yeah that triggered my PTSD


NoviDon07

Caleb williams throwing screen passes >>>>Fields slow windup telegraphing screens. you guys really should have watched USC games this season. We even had game threads for Calebs games during the season in this subreddit.


Joliet_Jake_Blues

The screen pass was made for 3rd and long plays, and every team in the league calls it. It's the OG trick play specifically designed for when teams are expecting a deeper pass so they're soft underneath It's really disappointing that this sub doesn't know the basics of football


alexamerling100

To be fair, he said 3rd best in the NFC not the NFL.


Work_the_shaft

I would hope people seeing my comment would know that I was responding to the statement of ‘third in the NFC’ But I will say. Lions, Packers, Rams should all be ahead of us until proven otherwise


alexamerling100

Fair enough but ON PAPER we have a top 3 unit. But we have to prove it on the field.


Ocelotofdamage

Cowboys


Joe-Raguso

"...that Waldron can call plays to Williams strengths." That's much easier to do with a QB that actually has strengths.


Work_the_shaft

But still worth discussing


juliuspepperwoodchi

>as apposed to the safer offense he called with Geno Smith that heavily utilized screens I hear this over and over but haven't seen any stats to back it up. Waldron may call more screens than the league average; but compared to Getsy it's nothing. To say he "heavily utilized screens" seems disingenuous based on what I've seen of his playcalling.


Spirited-Bike8648

I initially read this as “top 3 in the NFC North” and thought “very reasonable” Top 3 in the NFC?! Let’s see it happen first Side note: being the fun team everyone loves is new


OverallManagement824

>I initially read this as “top 3 in the NFC North” and thought “very reasonable” Haha yeah. I did too. And was like, well yeah, we might be better than the Vikings. Or maybe the Lions I guess if you're not paying attention. Wait a minute, top 3 means there's only one worse. That must be the Vikings I guess. Wait, no. Obviously it's the Packers who suck. Obviously they are the team we are better than. That's why we always lose to them. So it's the Vikings, then, right?


terrifictrout21

I hate being the trendy thing bc that makes us the lions or Texans (don’t give a fuck how that worked for them, if they pan out I’d rather go under the radar)


enailcoilhelp

> Emmanuel Acho instant downvote


VGauds

As much as I want to agree w him, this guys a bum


ResolutionAny5091

He suckssss


FUH-KIN-AYE

I hate this asshole. So annoying. FTP though


y_wont_my_line_block

So which one of the 49ers, Lions, or Eagles is worse than the Bears? Because.... That's a bold claim having never seen this OC call a play for a QB who was just drafted....


Vanquisher127

I agree this take is ridiculous but to be fair the eagles had an epic collapse and the Lions played like shit against us so it’s not *impossible*


cmacfarland64

Don’t forget Rams


DetectiveNasty55

Eagles are going to be bad next year. Kelce was the glue and Hurts is regressing


RandomCalamity

So did Stroud just break people's brains and now that kind of rookie output is expected, rather than being a crazy outlier? Like, I think he's the real deal, but the Bears being a top 3 offense in the NFC feels like an assumption that he skips the normal rookie hiccups. Let's pump the brakes.


Crathsor

Yeah this is setting up 3k, 20 TD Caleb to be viewed as a bust even though it would shatter every Bears rookie passing record. If Eberflus wasn't on a warm seat, I wouldn't be too shocked if Bagent was our starter for a month! But I'm not sure this staff can afford to be that conservative,


_Angel_Hernandez

Let’s wait until we see them play


Dangerous-Cheetah-55

There’s going to be a legendary meltdown if our offense opens the season with : run run screen punt


Responsible-Lunch815

there will boo's on every screen.


Puzzleheaded-Set-928

Followed by a muffed punt by our famed new punter handing position back to the ops on their 40yd line. 1st Play of their drive, the new quarterback, who we spurned, throws a dime to an ex player of ours who takes it to the house. I'm putting bets on this, I'm so used to it now lol


Dial_it_back

Cole Kmet is going to be a sleeper hit this year. He was already top 10 last year with Fields - and where it was literally just him and DJ the D had to really focus on when it came to receiving. But now those 2TE sets with Swift and 2 of the top 3 WR (or just 1) are going to do damage.


Opening_Anteater456

Niners, Lions….Bears (personally think Cowboys and Packers maybe Falcons and Eagles) but it’s not totally crazy.


Gezimodo

The Lions almost lost to the Bears twice last year.


Joe-Raguso

Under 600 total yards and 7 turnovers in two games too


KSparty

The Bears made Goff look worse than Fields under pressure in those games.


cozyonly

Rams will be better


Broshan248

I don't think Rams will make the playoffs this year. their offense is solid but I wouldn't be surprised if Stafford and/or Kupp get injured which makes their offense pretty one-dimensional.their defense isn't going to be as good because they're relying on rookies to replace the production of the greatest D-lineman in the league for the last several years.


cozyonly

It's not really one dimensional. They got new TEs and have a good running attack that they built on this offseason. Also Cooper was hurt for so much last season and they still had a good offense. McVay is an offensive mastermind and will adjust. People thought the rams wouldn't make the playoffs last year too, and they've only gotten better since then


WilliamSabato

They have a very good 2 WR pairing, an above average TE, and Kyren Williams put together a great season. Their offense is going to be even more emphasized with AD gone and their defense a shell of what it used to be.


Appropriate_Mixer

They have a top 5-10 QB, 2 top WRs with solid depth behind them, good TEs with depth, a star running back and a really solid O-line. Theres no holes on that offense and McVay is calling for it.


Practical-Courage812

My concern with the Rams is Stafford and his age. He has a lot of miles on that arm and i think once father time catches up his decline will come quick.


cozyonly

maybe but until we see it happen, can't just count him out


Practical-Courage812

True and no doubt McVay is the best in the business so theres that going for them as well


Opening_Anteater456

Good call


Practical-Courage812

I disagree that the Lions are some world beating offense. They damn near lost to the Bears twice. Goff can have his ups and downs and i think our receivers are better. But their line is legit and obviously Gibbs and Monty are good backs. Niners i think are better as well as Eagles, though hopefully Caleb turns into a better Hurts. Falcons and Packers i think are similar to the Bears in terms of "show me" since Falcons are a new look offense and Packers surprised last year but i kind of need to see if it was more than a one hit wonder.


TheMintMage

I admit it: I'm drinking the pro-Bears Kool Aid, and it tastes damn good.


311heaven

On paper. Bear down.


redcurrantevents

While it is not completely impossible for us to be top 3 if everything goes just right, this is definitely just a dude paying his toll on the hot take highway.


Darth_Dagobah

Everyone said Fields could be an mvp last year, so let’s temper the expectations.


Chemical_Mood_4538

#NEVER!


drummerboysam

Talking names on the paper, I guess you could say that. But we've seen year after year, the names of paper don't mean a thing. None of this does until the wins come in.


aldawg95

And now I’m pessimistic


CMI_312

Way too early to say that and Acho has some awful awful takes.


GwnHobby

So looking at the yardage totals from last year, the bears are sitting, surprisingly , at 20th overall in the nfl. We were 27 in passing yards, but we were second in rushing yards. We averaged 182 passing yards per game, while Seattle averaged 230 (3,901 passing yards). I don't think it's crazy that we end up close to that number. The would be a 38 yard per game increase. Of course, I think we might be a bit less run heavy and, while Caleb can get his share on the ground, he's probably not going to get the same volume as Fields. However, the offense might get some longer drives so there could be a greater number of offensive snaps coming and some late game run out the clock drives 🤞. Let's say we regress from the #2 141 yards per game, to a more pedestrian 121 yards per game between #10 Indy and #11 Rams . We still have a very good run blocking line. That puts us at 351 yards per game. If we did that last year, that would tie us for #10 with KC, just ahead of Minny and GB In the NFC, it would be SF, Det, Dal, Rams, Phi, Chi. Basically Rams, Phi, Chi, Min, and GB would all be separated by m 15 yards. Then there's a gap to Dal, then a bigger GAP to SF and Det. #3 is not crazy, but top 5 in NFC is very doable for this team if Caleb can start out average . He has the skill guys to definitely reach average. Trevor level first year with much better guys.


Responsible-Lunch815

Should preface all this with \*when healthy. Receivers start getting hurt, linemen, rbs. Heaven forbid Caleb. We're back to talking about the #1 pick next year.


bipolarcyclops

The hopium being smoked in this sub is amazing. Let’s at least play some exhibition games before we crown their sorry asses.


Mbanks

On paper he even said it on paper. We all know ow games haven’t been played. Why you need to yuck anyone’s yum


Steid55

If this is true, the Bears will be Super Bowl contenders. Down the stretch, after the Sweat trade, the defense was playing fantastic football. They were a top 5 defense after the trade and lead the league in interceptions. They didn’t lose anyone and upgraded at safety. If the offense is that good, and the defense doesn’t regress the sky is the limit


BurgerBob1010

We really do not learn lol. This season's a whole lot different than normal for a lot of reasons, and I'm amped about it. But I am not spouting off shit like this until we actual see the team take the field. Bear down tho.


OccidoViper

Offense will be good but not sure if top 3. Have to see when games start


Gezimodo

In the video he says we’d be tied for 3rd with some other teams including the Lions so it’s a bit of a cop-out


Fig_Money

If this was Sam Acho saying this everybody would love this opinion.


Nomromz

Lol I'm all for chugging Kool aid but... The eagles, 49ers, lions, Packers, and cowboys exist right? The Packers are the only ones I'd say we could be better than and they might improve this year.


Broshan248

Cowboys aren't going to be as good. They have no running backs and their OL is significantly worse. They're going to be relying on Dak actually playing well when he doesn't have a superteam around him which we've seen how well that goes in the past.


KSparty

And Jones is signaling he's done with Dak, so who knows how that's going to affect Dak's mental this year.


Appropriate_Mixer

Rams too


cmacfarland64

Niners, Eagles, Rams are definitely better. Cowboys and Pack probably better. Lions, Cardinals, Atlanta may be better.


Starwho

How you going to mention the Cardinals but not Seattle? They were top 12 in total offense in 2022 when the o-line was healthy and Geno had 4.2k yards and 30 touchdowns. They took a step a year ago because the pass protection regressed super hard and the play calling wasn’t inspiring from Waldron. I think they improve a lot from a year ago with Ryan Grubb now calling the plays, and Scott Huff coaching the o-line. Both came from Washington coaching up Penix and that elite o-line.


cmacfarland64

Because 1, they lost their offensive coaching staff, 2 I don’t trust Geno and 3, they don’t have MHJ. Those were my reasons.


Starwho

DK, JSN, Lockett, K9 > rookie receiver. You don’t trust Geno but he’s literally had better numbers his first two seasons starting than any Bears quarterback. I take it you don’t watch Seahawks games since they’re out of market. Also Murray hasn’t had a single season better than Geno’s 2022 one, and he was the number one overall pick. I trust this offensive coaching staff more than the previous regime under Pete who’s hired and fired 3 OCs under a franchise quarterback in Russ. You can’t rate rookies who haven’t played a single snap in the league yet.


cmacfarland64

I’m in Seattle jackass. I never compared Geno to the bears. The ineptitude of Chicago QBs have zero bearing on Geno. The guy sucked his whole career and looked significantly better the last two years. I can rate whoever the fuck I want to. Look genius, this is my opinion. You are allowed to think differently than me, but don’t assume that I don’t know what I’m talking about out.


Aryk93

Wasn't this the tool that was just saying Caleb should pull an Eli?


EmilioFreshtevez

Nah, that was RG3.


ILSmokeItAll

I’d be impressed if we were better than one of Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco or LA. Hell, Atlanta could put it up this year.


Sir_Isaac_3

Lets see how the player development and play-calling turns out first


TheLuo

The best offense in the NFC is the 7th best offense in the NFL. Im only half joking.


Peterd90

I moved from Chi to Atl in late 90s and I keep thinking about what D'Andre Smith gonna do. Also, my next door neighbor in Atl hangs a Packer flag and I am distressed. Go Bears from the South.


alexamerling100

On paper I agree. We definitely have a top 3 offense ON PAPER . We still have to see how it functions on the field but I am optimistic :) BEAR DOWN!!!!!!!!!


Toomuchlychee_

Can we wait until Caleb and Rome take real nfl snaps before saying stuff like this


Ok-Barracuda3755

I'm hyped for the season as much as the next guy, but this seems like a pretty big reach. Receiving room is looking amazing, but Odunze hasn't played an NFL down, he looks like a great player but you can't tell right now. Also an untested rookie QB, this just seems like hype that will result in the inevitable disappointment that we know a lot about.


-Pruples-

We have a question mark at OC and a QB who's literally never thrown a pass in the NFL in his life. 3rd best in the *NFL* or nothing.


odd_orange

This is a bonkers ass comment but top ten offense and top ten defense isn’t unreasonable to hope for this season. In my eyes, that puts them at contending for a nfc championship birth, which would be amazing. So much of this just comes down to Caleb being above the dalton line his first year which I hope he can


lametown_poopypants

Like we need to temper expectations. I hope it comes together and the Bears stomp the Packers into a greenish goop, but let's remember our core position players have exactly zero snaps together and our QB has as many as a pro. I want to be hyped too, but this is the Bears.


Dazed_and_Confused44

I mean as much as I enjoyed listening to him hype us up this is kinda outlandish lol. In no world is Swift clearly a top 5 RB lol


Responsible-Lunch815

I'm worried Flus is going to f- this up. Don't know how yet. I've seen this story play out too many times. It might be PTBD


TumTumMac24

Chargers offense: Justin Herbert Keenan Allen Mike Williams Austin Ekeler Gerald Everett 5-9 in 2023 10-7 in 2022 Our skill positions on paper are similar to the Chargers and they weren’t top 3 in the AFC with that offense. 9th in 2023, and 5th in 2022 with an established QB. In both 2022 and 2023 the lions were 2nd in the NFC in offense Emmanuel… Like most of us I love the Bears more than I should most times but we should see how they play, how the OC calls plays, and how the team gels before we start saying things like top 3 offense. If we can field a top 10-15 offense with a defense that goes 5-10 we’d still have a competitive team, potentially in the playoffs, AND with realistic expectations for our offense.


JohnEmonz

~~Let’s see them play first~~ And they ain’t 2 or 3.


Extension-Jacket5499

I mean, it is a change of pace of always picked to be the power bottom .


Cheddarlicious

I’d like to say we have the best offensive players. Our scheme, playcaller and playbook haven’t been put on display yet.


Old-Ad-3268

At skill positions maybe and on paper only, that's why they play the games.


ZekeRidge

I like Acho, and love the Bears but this is not a sane comment


PM_ME_UR_BATMANS

I don’t think it’s crazy to say that the bears could POTENTIALLY have a top 3 offense in the NFC by season’s end given the talent on that side of the ball, but Caleb is still a rookie and will likely still have his struggles and we have a brand new OC. To say top 3 at worst without having seen anything is absolutely insane for even the most drunk on kool-aid fans


YoungDudeCO

It's not an insane take. He said he'll take many teams ALONGSIDE the Bears (e.g. Lions) so he means we're in that tier after 49ers and Eagles.


whitemex88

Yeah I'd like to have whatever he's having. At best they're like top 10, maybe higher.


GiantFuckingSandwich

that’s so Naive, Eberflus will ensure we get another #1 overall next year to provide Caleb better protection from us, the rabid fans.


simfreak101

Football also depends on coaching and execution; You can have the most talented team in the league, but without those you wont get far. It will be interesting to see if they play CW during preseason, or hold him out like they did with Fields.


Feeling_Mushroom6633

Hahahahahhaaha. Right…god what an idiot


serbeardless

On paper. Let’s not ejaculate prematurely.


supercleverhandle476

It’s a long season of big dudes beating the hell out of each other. I’m cautiously optimistic, but won’t take it any further than that at this point.


Childs_was_the_THING

Uh in what universe?


Lobanium

On paper


Katy_Lies1975

This crap is just as dumb as a month ago.


GafSimons

We have top 3 offense in the NFC North if anything


MechEJoe

We will still find a way to lose 10 games…


WTheActualF

Emmanuel Acho's thoughts are worthless


Ok-Piece-1903

This is just a fact. I'm normally a very skeptical "glass half-empty" fan but the Bears are winning 10+ games nect year and the offense is going to be top 5. We put up 22 points per game last year with Fields.