BearFan PHX

and if you were set on a rookie QB, where does that fit in?

Fully agree. Bringing in a new QB to this coaching staff, that is likely on their last year (if you keep them) is just repeating the same mistake we made with Trubisky and Fields. And what OC worth their salt would want to come here knowing Eberflus was on the hot seat? I think you either keep them all, QB and coaches (with a new OC, and good luck finding a good one) or you dump them all. And I dont see a compelling reason to keep them. We are so used to being horrible that anything that looks like 25th in the league looks like something to keep for some fans. The question to ask isnt are they improving, it's whether that improvement could end in a real Super Bowl contender. Eberflus and Fields are getting better, but neither has shown evidence that they could end up leading a dominant team.

yes, and Im only talking about having him start with a high first round pick rookie QB sitting for a month or two until hes ready? Of course if Bagent shows us he is the man in that time, so much the better, and if the rookie wins out, then Bagent is better prepared as backup going forward. Id rather give Bagent the reps than some free agent who is gone after next year like Glennon/Dalton To those thinking of taking a QB in the 3rd round or later, Id say Bagent is already that guy (at least)

sure, as long as we (the coaches and staff) all know the rookie is the expected winner when hes ready - not that we would hand anything to the rookie, but that the expected plan is that the rookie would take over on merit by midseasonish. Sort of like what we expected with Dalton and Fields. But hopefully they both play much better hahaha meaning no big long deal for Flacco - or whoever plays that role

I agree that if they take a high pick rookie QB, Fields will go. But whoever is in charge next year might want to sit that rookie for a month or more until they are ready. That's pretty normal like you said. We could even sign a reasonably priced free agent like Glennon was as a placeholder for that month that you knew you were going to replace. But i wonder. If we draft a high pick rookie QB, is Bagent good enough to be that one or two month guy? I kind of like that because it gives Bagent a chance to show hes ready, and if the rookie takes it from him with superior practices or bagent failing on the field, that's all good stuff to know. And if nothing else, it gives your backup more reps in case he is needed later because of injury or whatever. Are people comfortable with Bagent being the interim QB while a rookie develops?

If a rookie comes in and starts balling the locker room is gonna love him too.

Ive been looking at Daniels and Penix too. I'm nowhere near ready to put a marker down on any of them, but I do believe that we need a QB and Fields will never be the player to take us to the promised land. And yes I am an idiot couch QB evaluator too But yeah, they all have warts and worries, and I'm not particularly sold on Williams at all at this point either. I also think that if the plan is to build a team around a QB who is less than a franchise star (you called that win in spite of?) then it makes sense to trade Fields because the decision on his 5th year option for the 2025 season is due in may of 2024 right after the draft. And then youre locked into paying him $25Mil a year in 2025. Right now we are still flush with cap space but that's gonna dry up very soon after this season, and some of the younger players start to come due. So for me, you kinda have to decide in or out on Fields now, and if hes just someone to build around and not the man, then a rookie deal probably fits with that way of thinking better?

all good points, but they seem to me to point toward drafting a different QB (not named Williams) to replace Fields?

exactly. a point guard is improvising within a play, and a selfish one isnt distributing the ball enough.

I really like Penix, but he has had a bunch of injuries too. He still may end up being my favorite, but it's a concern.

well said. I dont understand why more dont see it, but well said.

yes. and I wish we were still picking #4 too for similar reasons.

true! Thank god Ryan Pace didnt manage to convince the Seahawks to take our THREE first rounders for him. We begged them to do it, and Pete Caroll said no at the last minute. What a bullet, dodged.

the dance is starting lol everyone wants everyone, everyone doesnt want everyone smoke everywhere

I agree with what youve said about Fields of course, but what kind of OC could you get if we keep Eberflus, knowing hes coming into a situation on thin ice? And are we really gonna take the first year of a rookie QB and saddle him to an outgoing coaching administration again for the third time in a row? We need a new QB and a new offensive minded head coach.

ah, yes, youre right - sorry I missed that. Still I agree. I would love to get something for the #1 pick and still end up with one of the good QBs. Right now I like Daniels and Penix, but i need to do a lot more work yet. Maybe Ill love Caleb Williams, but right now, i definitely dont.

I think we agree. I like Daniels, and if he can be had with the second of our first rounders that would be ideal. That would be my first choice of draft outcomes. Unfortunately, because weve been winning games, we wont be picking #4 anymore though. Also, to those who want to wait for a second round QB, isn't Bagent already that guy?

Im not sure they arent being targeted by the play, and Fields just isnt pulling the trigger. For example weve seen a lot of stats that that we dont use the middle of the field(!). But when I look at the all 22, I see receivers open in the pattern in the middle of the field, Fields looking right at them and then not throwing the ball. Later in the same play, Fields may do something amazing and get a first down, and we all call that a success. But the points arent coming, and the wins are against the bad teams. Im not here to defend Getsy, but Im not sure that the lack of middle field passes is on Getsy at all. Maybe Mooney would be better in rhythm.

taking a QB high int he first round is risky. Taking one later is much more risky.

I agree the Bears wont say anything. My "evidence" was what Fields himself was saying, which I assume is a mix of his own beliefs, and what his agent is telling him.

Yeah Lovie was making $5.5 Mil a year, and Eberflus is rumored to be making $4.5 Mil a year over 10 years later! - those McCaskeys... Let's give Harbaugh $15 Mil a year, OK Virginia? Maybe make that $225 Million cap you spend each year worth something?

Im guessing, but I dont actually know anything for sure. Just doing the sportstalk thing where you guess at the unpredictable future

I believe that they are all committed to their internal process. And so, until they've done the year review and heard from everyone that goes into that "no decision has been made" I am sure that is the official status, even if people (Poles?) already know what they think and could predict pretty well where its gonna go - who will say what points and what it will mean. Also if Eberflus is gone, Poles will NEED to have that process with the incoming coach, and so from that point of view, no decision could be certain. But you can bet Poles is, at the very least, doing his due diligence setting up lists of coaches and QBs for every outcome, so it's not as if his mind is a blank. He's well into it. But all that said, I doubt very much that Poles would tell anyone what he is thinking right now - least of all Fields or Eberflus. You never know who is gonna get hit by a bus or what and so you don't tell any employee they are getting fired in the future. You wait until the moment you fire them. So I suspect this is coming from Fields' agent to Fields. This is probably his guess at what Poles will do. And I'll bet his guess is a pretty educated one. he will have inside sources too. But they wont know anything directly either, cuz Poles surely isnt telling anyone else in the building what hes doing without telling the people hes gonna do it to first. No proof, just more dots to connect.

what is JF's 4th quarter rating for this season only? I have been giving JF and Eberflus a total pass on last year.

Fields definitely knows it - and thats a huge clue as to whats gonna happen. And I dont mean he knows it because he must know it because he must agree with my analysis. I think he knows it because of answers he's been giving in press conferences and interviews recently. This past week he said (paraphrasing) "I dont care about people who love what I can do, I only care about people who love who I am" - that's the kind of philosophical answer you never want to hear coming from the mouth of a 24 year old professional athlete. It's true, and a great thing for a 60 year old man to think as his power in the world may fade a bit, and he starts to consider what's truly important in life. It's also the kind of thing someone going through a divorce might think. It's definitely mentally healthy, but it's also a resignation of someone who is losing something. A 24 year old athlete oughtta be competitive and maybe even angry. Perhaps not to the TV cameras, but imagine Tom Brady or Mike Tyson saying something like that when they were 24. No way. And I dont fault him for it. I actually think it's healthy, I just think it comes from his agent telling him which way the wind is blowing. I see it as evidence that his camp doesn't think he will be retained. And if that's a fact to add to the puzzle, what does it say for Eberflus' future? Would you bring a rookie QB in to what might be the last year of a coaching staff AGAIN for the third time in a row? And what kind of OC can you really get when it looks like Eberflus might be gone after next year? I think the odds are that Fields and Eberflus are gone. I definitely dont know anything for sure. I just think it's a pretty good guess.