Pompei: Observations From Bears-Browns
By Dan Pompei--
(CBS) The Bears-Browns game on Thursday night was a compelling argument to shorten the preseason. How can charging fans for that game be justified? There was no purpose for the game, which was reflected in the lineup and the end result, a 25-0 win for the Browns.
On to Atlanta.
Here are my other observations:
1. I see nothing wrong with Mitchell Trubisky dropping back to pass in the closing minutes of the game. I see something wrong with Trubisky not dropping back to pass in the opening minutes of the game. Football players play football.
2. The objective with Trubisky at this point should be player development, not player preservation.
3. However, if Trubisky is going to be in the game in the fourth quarter, so should the best available blockers.
3. Connor Shaw didn't distinguish himself Thursday and I can't say he ever will be an NFL starter, but I'd like him on my team.
4. It looks like coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace had their minds made up on most of the cuts prior to the game.
5. The Bears have very few tough cuts to make. Injuries made a lot of the tough cuts for them. I can't foresee many surprises. However, there's room for additions from the waiver wire.
6. What does it say that Jeremy Langford is second string behind Benny Cunningham when Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen are taking the night off and Ka'Deem Carey is injured? Langford was the starting running back at this point one year ago.
7. Linebacker John Timu might not make the 53-man roster, but if you could put his instinct on every player on the Bears, they'd be a Super Bowl contender.
8. Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski looks like a different player from a year ago. I'd like to see him get a chance to play on defense in the regular season.
9. Roy Robertson-Harris is a testament to scouting and player development. The development needs to continue and he could become a solid NFL player.
10. The preseason showed the Bears' depth is significantly improved. This team is better suited to withstand injuries than the Bears of a year ago.
11. We also learned the defense is strong up front, but the secondary remains unproven and a potential problem area.
12. On offense, we learned the passing game is questionable. We thought the running game was a strength, but it's probably even better than we thought with the way Cohen has played.
Dan Pompei has been covering the NFL since 1985 and is a regular contributor to 670 The Score and a host on 670's Bears pregame show. He writes for Bleacher Report and theathletic.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Dan Pompei.