Bears overreactions: Kyle Monangai was a better NFL draft pick than Ashton Jeanty

The Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles soundly by almost every metric. Check the stats. The 24-15 victory wan even more resounding than it looked in real time. Chicago dominated on both lines of scrimmage. Yep, even on the defensive side.

Now they’re 9-3 and rank among the NFC’s elite. The Bears belong there, no matter what you might here on national morning talk shows. The Black Friday win was certainly a catalyst for conversation with those who haven’t been really paying attention to this Bears season.

That’ll lead to some wild Bears overreactions. That’s what these morning-show producers do. They create crazy topics and demand talent to freak out about it. Nobody tell ‘em we’ve bee overreacting all year. Let’s continue that in our weekly segment what’s worthy of freaking out about in this super fun Bears season.

Kyle Monangai was a better NFL draft pick than Ashton Jeanty

Overreaction?: Maybe

Let’s address this issue head on. Ashton Jeanty is an elite talent. He was drafted by a Raiders organization in Las Vegas who is building the wrong way, with skill players before linemen.

Jeanty remains awesome and will probably be a good player for a long time. But the value Ryan Poles received from a seventh-round pick is insane. If we’re talking value, it’s hard to argue against the Monangai selection. The Bears did it the right way, though, with a crazy investment in the boring positions. They went big at guard and center, and Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson are borderline elite right now.

But, back to Monangai. He doesn’t fumble. He runs hard. He doesn’t have elite, breakaway speed, but his follows blocks and his tracks are consistent and he’s productive as heck in this system.

He has bested Saquon Barkley of late, thanks to two massive games against the Bengals and Eagles. He is not even close to Barkely in terms of talent, but he is damn good.

Even if that’s not sustainable over a longer term and Monangai doesn’t turn into an elite back, he doesn’t fumble and his welcomes contact. Most seventh-round picks don’t turn out. He has been excellent and an unreal value from a draft perspective. He fell into a good system with Johnson and a next-level offensive line but Monangai’s attention to detail and ability and unwillingness to fumble makes him a true draft steal.

[READ: How Bears’ Nahshon Wright beat Tush Push, stripped Jalen Hurts on pivotal play]

Ben Johnson should be NFL coach of the year

Overreaction?: I don’t think so

Ben Johnson is a rookie head coach. First time ever doing this job. If you can believe it. And in time he has been in Chicago, Johnson has completely turned things around. The Bears’ culture has changed.

They have learned how to win. Notice the tense on all those verbs. They’re in the past. There’s no more learning how to win. There’s no more changing the culture. It has been changed.

That happens throw positive reinforcement and proof of concept. Ben Johnson is a tough dude and, at times, a task master. But his player know that hard work pays off, to the tune of nine wins in 10 tries. Does that mean the Bears will finish strong and make the playoffs or win the division? We still don’t know that. In terms of what Johnson has done within Halas Hall, it almost doesn’t matter. He has energized this Bears team in a way that no one has recently.

That still might not win NFL coach of the year. Mike Vrabel is a popular guy. And the New England Patriots are on a roll, no matter what happens on Sunday (Note: this story was published before New England played the New York Giants). Odds are good that Vrabel wins the award, unless the Patroits tank. That doesn’t change the fact that Johnson has turned things around and has ushered in a period of what should be a period of sustained success.

That’s the big picture outlook, but how about the micro version? His run scheme is elite. This guy is so fun to watch and cover. An award won’t change that.

[READ: Bears report card: Team grades in NFL Week 13 victory over Eagles]

Caleb Williams is what keeps the Bears from being elite

Overreaction: Yes

Caleb Williams is developing as a quarterback in Johnson’s system. He is getting better, even if his progression is not linear. And we’re not here playing comparative politics. We’re not measuring him up to Drake Maye. This is a focused look at the Bears quarterback.

His completion volume is too low. There’s little debate about that. Add five-ish completions and 40 yards to his game-day totals and you feel a lot better about the Bears’ fortunes. You also look at that touchdown throw to Cole Kmet, or his finishing ability as a runner and a passer and there’s no guarantee that the Bears win all the games they have without him.

Williams is unfinished clay, someone who will be better with time. The fact that the Bears are winning despite the hiccups in his developments is impressive. Williams has an NFL-best five game-winning drives. The Bears are winning games because of (and in defiance of) Williams. Overall, though, the Bears are a net positive with Williams and have tremendous upside with him as quarterback.

[WATCH: Bears postgame interviews: Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams]

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