Some of my post game thoughts.
QB: It looks like when things aren't going Aaron's way he seems to rush. Even when there wasn't much pressure early through the 3rd quarter, he kept moving and getting rid of the ball as there was. I loved how he rebounded somewhere in the 4th quarter. VERY poised down the stretch. Looked calm and made much better throws. Still only one or two bad decisions I could see on the day based on the first watch.
RB: Eh, still not very impressed in this group, but when the holes are there, Ryan can move through them with a lot of momentum. Ryan does look better than last year though, so that's good news.
WR: Lots of drops today from everyone outside of Greg. I expect this unit to get better, especially if they can get in sync more. They were pretty open for most of the game, so that's always a great sign. It's just a matter of concentrating through the catch and making them even when the rest of the offense is out of sync.
OL: Biggest weakness today, but that was pretty obvious. Barbre needs to really improve and fast. His 2nd half looked much better, but that first half he was getting abused every which way. Spitz, Sitton, and Barbre all struggled a bit today from what I could tell with only a semi-concentrated observation of the OL. They struggled to pick up the blitz. Was benching Wells the right move? Especially this year with a new RT? I didn't really agree with it to begin with, but we'll see as the season wears on. I'll leave the more thorough analysis with eyes more trained than mine to make these calls.
DL: I think these guys get my game ball this afternoon. Our secondary was also really good today, but what these guys did was phenomenal. None of them really got moved and were creating constant havoc in the backfield. Cullen Jenkins gets my player of the game award. That simple. Jolly played out of his mind as well. Pickett seemed pretty nice in the trenches as well, though I didn't really watch for him. Considering the Bears were pretty bad against the run today I'm assuming Pickett was pretty immovable. I'll keep a closer eye out for him next time.
LB: These guys swarmed to the football and didn't overpursue very much. INCREDIBLY impressed with this unit. Chillar played a great game as did AJ Hawk. I don't know what to say about this unit other than they all seem to love it and are flourishing in the system which is a HUGE surprise to me.
DB: Pretty good play for the most part, but I don't know how much of it comes from such a great pass rush. Nice to see 4 picks on the day though.
We played a great game and I think this is one we REALLY needed. It was better than a blowout in some senses because our team gets confidence that they can elevate their play in the 4th quarter. It gives them a reason to believe that this year will be different from last year. We're 1-0 and at the top of our division right now. Feels good.