CHIBears
[PFF on X] The Bears built the best OG duo in the NFL this offseason. Joe Thuney & Jonah Jackson 🐻
![[PFF on X] The Bears built the best OG duo in the NFL this offseason. Joe Thuney & Jonah Jackson 🐻](https://external-preview.redd.it/9g9H1dSl9-oY5tk03emBV2gKyFQIPs7_D-uEcM_wkRE.jpg?auto=webp&s=e8d6fb172f13faad1c6ec2ec9b589a243bdcb151)
Discussion
I hope this works
For once, if it doesn’t work out it won’t be for the lack of trying
For real at least we pulled the trigger and tried feel like we have been very gun shy for too long
Im ready to be hurt again
Better us than Jackson =). Thuney will be fine.
I mean it this time. If a generational QB with the hottest head coach candidate on the market, 5+ solid receiving threats on the field, a good to great offensive line, and a decent run game can’t figure out how to field a top 15 offense in the league…. I will officially believe we are cursed!
We were 25th in the league last year in rushing. Hoping the OL help and Ben Johnson can make us at least average
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-2025-running-back-unit-rankings
Pff ranks our running back room 30th in the league for this upcoming season. Maybe I was wrong to say we have a “decent” run game but I still think it can be solid with better offensive line and play calling though.
30th well at least not 40th.. there's a joke in this
At least part of the reason it was ranked so low is because they were running behind a bad line in a non-functional offense.
We also flipped Chris Morgan for Dan Rouscher as the OL coach (I believe this was a big upgrade but don’t know if it is) and Chad Morton for Eric Bienemy as the RB coach. I liked Morton but Bienemy is supposed to be the gold standard at RB coach. We’ll see what happens, but even without upgrading the RB room we should be a lot better running the ball.
Because the Bears pass game effiency is was bottom 5. Passing sets up the run.
Curse of the Honeybears. They were fired after the Super Bowl victory and we’ve only been back once in the 40 years since.
If all of this doesn’t work we’re going to have to bring the cheerleaders back even if it means we are haunted by Virginia’s ghost forever.
You had me until decent run game lol.
Has anybody seen that fucking Billy goat lately?
I won’t believe we are cursed necessarily but I will go all in on the idea that the bears should stop trying to build a passing roster and just commit full send to the running game and defense roster building philosophy. If you cycle cheap qbs, it can work.
This has not worked in over 15 years. The last time it did was in 2007 with a historically great defense and a HOF returner. There’s no such thing as a “passing roster”, only a good one
This team has been constructed to run the ball and play stout defense for the last 40 years and it has got them nowhere
For the last 8 years we have attempted to build around qbs and we keep failing. Our best seasons have been from good defenses every time.
I say stop investing premium assets in qbs and wrs. You stumble into one with a later round pick or something sure. But stop spending premium picks and FA dollars on them.
Tbh I feel like it could work if teams committed to it.
Or perhaps I have aged into a true meatball.
I’m very excited about Thuney but Jackson could definitely end up being a whiff. I’m choosing to trust Johnson knows what he’s getting, I don’t think they would’ve traded for him if they didn’t think he was healthy. But Jackson feels very boom or bust to me
On Paper. I'll start cheering when Caleb has more than 1.5 seconds to scan the field and make a decision which doesn't result in him having to run for his life every play.
Specifically, on PFF’s paper. Which is notoriously bad at grading O line
I need to see how Jackson plays first before I believe the hype.
Yeah I'm not sold on his talent or availability to play a full season.
Jonah Jackson I think is so much further than a sure thing than some have suggested, and thats even if he stays healthy. A member of the "best guard duo" doesnt get traded for a 6th round pick. Hes likely an upgrade, but Im not sure its that big.
Thuney I have little doubt on unless father time suddenly comes for him. Bottom line is the interior saw a significant upgrade and should give reason for optimism (also new coaching helps)
“The best” first, I will believe it when I see it on the field. Second, can we just have a competitive team instead of this garbage hyperbole offseason crap?
Jonah Jackson barely played last year and it only took a 6th rounder to get him. this is insane.
This is as much an issue of very few good Guard pairs in the league as it is how good Thuney/Jackson are. Also a lot of projection in Jackson returning to Pro Bowl form after injury and a position switch hampered him in LA (not to mention returning to Ben Johnson's offense).
Shut the fuck up, PFF
Ones 33? The other can’t stay healthy. The real probability is they will have a rotating door there given the back ups and how injury prone they are too
I cannot overstate how blindingly stupid it is to celebrate the quality of an offensive line before they've ever played a single snap together.
The best lines aren't just the ones who have all of the guys with the biggest paychecks. The best lines tend to have multiple guys who have played together for years, because cohesion, continuity, communication and knowing how the guys on either side of you are going to play matter a whole fucking lot. Are we building a group of guys who can become one of those stalwart lines? Absolutely. But it's absolutely crazy to say we have the best guard duo in the NFL when, not only did they not play together last year, but neither of them even played on this team last year.
The depth along the interior really worries me.
Why? The depth is our starters from last year who are finally playing the string they should be, plus a rookie in Newman. I feel like people just want to worry at this point
Bill Murray & Newman/Stromberg were not starters from last year.
And majority of the year we had Shelton/Pryor starting who are both gone.
I think its very fair to worry about a unit that gets oft injured when the backups are Ryan Bates, Bill Murray & a rookie.
The depth is our starters from last year
Our starters from last year got Caleb sacked 68 times.
Yea, that’s why they’re not starters and they’re second stringers who shouldn’t have been put into that situation. They also didn’t even have a natural center, which is an overlooked and undervalued position for a rookie qb especially. Multiple changes over the season and lack of good coaching. I think the line was ass last year but they’re serviceable to step in. Any lineman who has the ability to play a full game in position is almost assuredly already a starter.
An offseason of guys playing one specific line position with a clear scheme will make them serviceable backups
Numbers and data guys always get trumped by real world chemistry in regards to an offensive line. It’s why they are so hard to build. Data is great at looking at certain positions like RB or WR but OL you just never know. With that I’m excited to see how the far more talented players jell.
PFF is not data so please do not insult the number nerds with the PFF BS. PFF is "watching film" and with OL specifically its a stupid rigid formula that as often misses the reality as the situation as it does to describe it.
Prove it
If the line is as good as I think it is and Coach B is the genius I think he is then Caleb is going to break out in a big way
That pretty much guarantees that one or both will get injured/die in training camp
Gimme more of that hopium!
I hope he’s amazing for us but I’m concerned that Jonah Jackson is being incredibly overhyped
if this thing doesn't work i'm 100% sure that there's a curse on this franchise
Plus Dalman at C. Massive upgrade from what we had last year. Add Ozzie and Newman and we’re cooking with gas.
Newman is a 6th round pick with one year of legit college experience.
And He’s already better than Lucas Patrick or Nate Davis
Caleb is going to have so much time that its going to break our route system.
This feels like the type of firepower at offensive line that you lose a Superbowl with.
[Cries in 2006 Bears]
If healthy
Thuney should still have a few elite years left in the tank, but Jackson couldn’t even keep his starting job last year. This is very wishful thinking.
The Rams stay sending us questionable linemen lol, but it’s the best Bears duo in a long long time
sold on Thuney. i mean, all-pro sells itself. im believing in Jackson
therefore
best OL in football
Pff own grades ranked Jonah 40th at guard last time he played it. He was the 3rd Detroit guard listed as his backup out performed him
Jonah is worse than Jenkins with more cap and more same inability to stay on the field.
Thuney is a great stop gaps. Jonah is one of the worst contracts in the nfl.
Kinda agree but one would hope a healthy bates along with other capable backups like Murray mitigate the risk
Johan Jackson was benched much of the season in LA last season.
As much as I want to chug the Kool-aid here, this statement is laughable. I get that he was playing out of position and banged up, so there’s reason to be hopeful, but saying we have the best duo in the league is just dumb.
Thuney was not awesome last year also playing out of position at LT. Him returning to form is a safer bet when he shifts to his natural position, but because of his age I wouldn’t say it’s a certainty.
Overall I’m happy with our situation going into camp, but any superlatives need to be seriously questioned until we see some live action.
While I am excited about our new interior, dont put a ton of stock in PFF rankings lol
I mean Thuney is Thuney. So I don’t think anyone would disagree on him.
But yeah on Jonah Jackson, PFF is kinda ignoring his season last season and using it as a mulligan. Which is fair to an extent cuz he was injured and playing out of position. But I’m gonna wait and see on him.
Totally agree. My point is that in general I dont have a ton of faith in simply using PFF grades. But we sorta have to for offensive lineman because there are very few metrics to evaluate them
I’ve always said PFF is legit and knows what they are talking about when grading players and teams. Don’t look at my history…the PFF slander you may see was because I was hacked.
Ok I know its not fair at all, but when I found out Chris Collinsworth is the principle owner of PFF, it lost a lot of stock in my eyes lol
Is that really a fact? If so, that confirms my PFF hatred
Its why its been pushed so much lately. Chris has a lot of sway in NFL circles. PFF is nice for their advanced metrics but their grades are basically worthless as there is zero consistency.
It’s why he shills it so much on Sunday Night Football. He has done that for years.
What’s crazy to me is I feel like he plays the dumb jock on the broadcasts. I would’ve never guessed he would be behind this elaborate group of people who grade things based on analytical criteria they made up
Its in his wiki page 🤷
I think we’ve actually talked about this before, but if you haven’t seen the Lions ST coach talk about PFF you’d enjoy it.
I def remember it and I did check it out after you mentioned it.
So good.
On one hand, sure, on the other hand, at least we know Chris Collinsworth doesn't like numbers larger than 19, so we can at least know his influence is limited.
I mean its very much within the realm of possibility that Collinsworth would have them game the ratings a little bit to generate discussion and engagement the same way Madden does
Sorry, I was more just joking about Chris Collinsworth's history of skirt chasing underage women.
My B my brain doesnt work on Mondays lol
I think ignoring Jackson’s last season makes the most sense.
There’s still definitely some injury concern there, but last year’s injury was a broken shoulder. That’s not a repeat injury, and shouldn’t have long lingering effects with proper rehab and healing.
The Rams signed him to big money and then were surprised a rookie was looking so good and wanted to try Jackson at C. I get the logic. Get your best 5 out there and trust a vet to be able to adjust.
He only played one week then broke his shoulder, and was out until November.
New scheme, no chemistry with OL teammates, and an injury that prevented him from working out and (I assume) lifting heavy weights, and it’s no wonder he didn’t look great coming off of IR.
When the greater body of evidence (his time with the Lions) runs counter to an exception of a season under exceptional circumstances, it’s safer to get on the greater body of evidence.
I’m a little leery of the extension and they’re showing a ton of trust in Ben Johnson, but you don’t sign a $13 mil coach (or whatever the exact number is) to ignore him.