Buddy “Big Diesel” Barksdale

With Braxton Jones officially done for the season, #DaBears need to give Taylor Decker a call. Dude allowed just 2 sacks on 551 pass blocking snaps last year with a 6% pressure rate. He’s 32, but we’re not asking him to be the future. Bring in a proven vet, keep #18 clean, and give Ben Johnson a guy he already knows. 🐻⬇️

Really good work here from Jeff Berckes tracking Caleb Williams’ progress against some of #DaBears all-time passing marks. One thing that stands out to me is the TD:INT ratio. Caleb’s ability to protect the football while still pushing it downfield doesn’t get talked about enough. Still a ways to go, but he’s on a great path Worth bookmarking for the rest of the season. 🐻⬇️ infogram.com/bears-stats-tra…

Ben Johnson after beating Seattle: “We didn’t come here to make a statement. We’re still building.” Probably my favorite thing he’s said all year. You go into Seattle, beat the defending champs by 17, and the message is still that there’s work to do. Love the mentality he’s bringing to Chicago. 🐻⬇️

Ben Johnson deserves more credit for last night. Caleb used play action on 47.2% of his dropbacks, his highest rate of the season. That’s not random playcalling. That’s manipulating second-level defenders and creating throwing windows against an elite secondary. We’re witnessing a coaching masterclass. The scheme is starting to dictate terms instead of react to them. #DaBears

Chicago’s defense is allowing a 23.8% third-down conversion rate through 8 games. 19 conversions allowed on 80 attempts. Second fewest through 8 games since at least 1991. 🐻⬇️

THE DIESEL REPORT: UNDER THE HOOD 🔧🐻 Bears 34, Seahawks 17 Couple things I noticed Monday night that go deeper than the scoreboard. 1. Simmons is making everybody else’s job easier. Interior pressure is worth its weight in gold. When a QB can’t step up, the edge rushers don’t have to win clean every snap. Simmons is forcing protection decisions before the ball’s even snapped. That’s how one big bastard changes an entire front seven. 2. Caleb’s best plays weren’t necessarily his biggest. 24/34, 247 yards. What I liked was the willingness to take the boring completion. There’s a time to play backyard ball, but against good defenses, you gotta learn to make your money on schedule. 3. Ben Johnson is making defenses defend every blade of grass. Burden, Odunze, Loveland. Different skill sets, different ways to stress coverage. You can’t double everybody. Somebody’s getting a favorable matchup, and Caleb’s getting better at finding it. 4. The run game needs a wrench taken to it. Swift’s three touchdowns look beautiful on paper. But 27 carries for 69 yards is 2.6 a pop. That’s not sustainable efficiency. Gotta find out whether the issue is blocking, defensive numbers in the box, or play design before January rolls around. 5. Third downs are where the defense earned its paycheck. Seattle went 1/11. That’s not just good tackling. That’s winning early downs, putting the offense in predictable situations, and getting off the damn field. DIESEL’S VERDICT: The encouraging part isn’t that Chicago won by 17. It’s that there’s still plenty to fix and they handled business anyway. That’s what good teams do. KEEP THE TURBO SPOOLING. BEAR DOWN. 🐻⬇️ Big Diesel