[Elvis]

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

[actionjack]

Guess we will see how the linebackers competition goes, no sure things at ILB

[Elvis]

Hopefully these Zoom press conferences with Staley, O'Connel and AD happening today will be available for us to watch...

[R4L]

The defense will be taking a step back imo. Rookie coordinator, lost there 2nd best pass rusher, no one at ILB has starting experience.

They gave 10 mil a year for a guy who's sack total has went down every year and last season had 3.

We are to believe the defense will be better? Wade Phillips couldn't do it and we are supposed to think a rookie coordinator will? Ok

[CanuckRightWinger]

Some optimism on Leonardo di Floyd from Up North:
Floyd was one of the Big Five Bear defenders per their paycheques along with:
OLB Khalil Mack....great player to be sure
CB Kyle Fuller.....solid CB....but extremely well paid ($17.5 Mil in 2019 )
DT Akiem Hicks....ONLY PLAYED IN 5 GAMES IN 2019 DUE TO INJURIES
CB Prince Amukamara....another overpaid Bear CB ($9.5Mil )
OLB LEONARDO DI FLOYD.....TOP 10 OVERALL PICK 4 YEARS AGO

....with Eddie Goldman and HaHa Clinton-Dix rounding out the starting studs for Bears

Floyd was durable and highly visible in pretty stellar 2019 Bear D IMO.
How stellar you ask?
2019 BEAR DEF. STAT/RANK...........RAMS D STAT/RANK
TOTAL YARDS.....324.1 (8TH)..........339.6 (13TH)
YDS PASSING......222.1 (9TH)..........226.6 (12TH)
YDS RUSHING.....102.0 (9TH)..........113.1 (19TH)
POINTS/GAME......18.6 (4TH .....22.8 (17TH)
OPP. QB RATING...85.2 (8TH)...........86.8 (11TH)
OPP. YDS/ATT.........3.9 (3RD-TIE).......4.1 (8TH TIE)
% 3RD DOWN MADE.....10TH..............14TH

The Stats show the consistency of Bears D rankings led to GREAT PPG ALLOWED of only 18.6 good for 4th best in the NFL. Shows how bad Trebinsky really is....
to have a solid defensive group performance like that, and still miss the Playoffs.....no wonder the Bears brought in Nick Foles for 2020.

But back to our new OLB Leonardo di Floyd.....with Akiem Hicks out for most of the year (did I mention Hicks hails from Regina, Saskatchewan, CANADA???!!! ).....with a stalwart like Hicks out and the Bears Defensive Rushing stats still very solid, ya gotta think that Floyd was just more than a pretty face on that stellar Bear D, no?

I think Staley, as Floyd's Positional Coach in Chicago saw something he really wanted in his first ever D he is fielding.

I think Fowler was solid.....but over-rated and a guy who disappeared in some big games. Mathews could not set the edge.....and BTW remains without an NFL landing spot as an unsigned FA so far. Weddle was always a step too late.......so JJ III, 2-Year-vet Rapp, Burgess and Fuller will be better than Rookie Rapp, Weddle, Marquis Christian, and NRC in my view.

The big question mark for me is ILB and replacing Cory Littleton's 2019 production! I am hoping Staley moves Natrez Patrick back to his original Georgia Bulldog position of ILB and lets Patrick compete with Kiser, Johnston, Reeder et al.

We'll see soon enough

[BobCarl]

Littleton's production will be divided between players who will be maximized by scheme, I believe.

I'm leaning towards your thinking. I think a "sideline to sideline" player is more important in a 4-3 scheme. Where in a 3-4 the edges are assumed to be set by the outside LBs

[BobCarl]

Wade Phillips couldn't do it and we are supposed to think a rookie coordinator will?

Jeff Fisher couldn't do it on offense were we supposed to think a rookie HC could?

I think the disconnect with Phillips was that the players he was given didn't match the "we not me" scheme that he was expected to run.

Gifted press/man-to-man coverage CB's are no doubt offended when being expected to play Zone. "We not me" fits zone ... but it is a complete different mentality for man-to-man talent.

Any experts out there that can explain the difference in man-to-man/zone concepts for 4-3 vs 3-4 ?