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I think Bagent's head is fine. He is definitely learning what is Ok to throw and what isnt - normal rookie learning curve there. But he has tons of confidence, and knows who and where he is. But yes, the staff called a VERY conservative game. They are trying to win from the sidelines despite the players, instead of creating a situation where the players they have can do what they do well and win it for themselves. And the results are obvious. A close barely-win against the worst team in the league. It should have been 28-13 at least.

Honestly I don't think hes that good of a DC either. I get the idea behind cover 2 defenses, and there is a time and place for it, but last night, we almost lost. If they had moved the ball 3 yards more on our zone before the field goal the game might have gone very differently. We were facing an unsure rookie QB, and there was talk that he could be confused with hidden coverages. Aside from one fake blitz where Sandborn almost had the interception, where was the creativity? Also I see a roster that's getting better. But does it matter whether it's Nicholas Morrow and Matthew Adams or Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards if they are always 2 steps away in zone coverage? I think we have more talent on defense on this roster than people realize, and it's being used so predictably, and so vanilla it's not showing. How many 3rd and longs have to be converted in a row? And we're playing safe on offense too. This staff coaches scared. They try not to lose, they aren't trying to WIN. On occasion youll see some foolhardy show of aggressiveness, usually where it doesnt belong, like 4th and 1 in range for the go ahead field goal against the pack and instead you TE sneak. "Look how aggressive we are!" - but thats just taking a dumb chance at the wrong time. It isnt trusting your key players to do their normal jobs well. Everything about this staff screams trying to win the game from the sidelines like a video game. Put the ball in the players' hands. Find out who is good. Ride them. It isn't rocket science.

So I'm reading all of this, and I have come to the conclusion that you guys would make excellent friends and neighbors. Youre optimistic, forgiving, hopeful and loyal. All excellent personal qualities. I like to think Im the same. I regularly help my neighbors, Im a good father, I treat people with respect etc. But when it comes to football, if you want to win, you have to be willing to do what's best for the team, even if it means moving on from people you like. People who are good, and tried their best. People who had a mix of success and failure. No one is 100% terrible. But if you want a winning team, decent isnt good enough, and I dont think Eberflus is quite decent. He's made so many mistakes and poor judgement calls. I dont blame him for last year's record. Last year he was a caretaker of a tear down - fair enough. But he has made so many unforced errors this season. I wont even bother to list them all here. I like Matt Eberflus as a man. He looks like he'd be a great neighbor, teacher and role model. But he is never going to win a Super Bowl for the Chicago Bears, and that alone is enough reason to fire him. Not in anger, but just because you think someone else has a better chance to be the winner we are looking for.

This 100%

Carolina is the worst team in football. That's how bad we are. But I DO see the increased talent out there. I do see the players getting better and flying around, and yet we still cant get off the field on 3rd and 4th downs. We still cant get rolling on offense. THIS is what terrible coaching looks like. You've got players, but they're not in the right places. Every success looks like it was hard to manage. Nothing but Foreman running the ball looks easy. We've got some dogs on defense, and that passive constant zone is putting them out of the play. I cant stand Eberflus.

HITS my ass. Let's see some tackling sheesh

You know, these days during the rebuild, I've been rooting for good play. I want to win games we deserve to win, but i don't want any accidents giving us undeserved wins. I'm not rooting for unforced fumbles etc. But this game counts, and I'm all in on winning this one no matter how it happens. I feel like I do in a year where we are playoff bound tonight. Win by any means necessary. Let's go Bears!

yeah Im not saying any of the QBs are generational - I dont know. Im just saying, we passed last year, and the idea of finding a super bowl winner as a developmental project in the 3rd round is a longshot and a half.

I agree with some of this, but having a top 5 in the league QB is what this league is all about. Sometimes you find them later down the draft, sometimes top picks bust, but the odds are clear that your best chance, even if it's only 50/50, of finding a top 5 NFL QB is in the top half of the first round of the draft.

That's what Im thinking too. And if you dont want Williams or Maye, you can trade it down to 2 or 3 for a fortune. I want to win this one more than I want to win any other remaining game this season, and we should be able to.

We absolutely need to beat CAR. I want the best shot at the number one pick. But it might lower our pick too. So I wonder, would anyone rather have #2 and #3 instead of, say, #1 and #5? Im pretty sure I want #1 no matter what it does to our other pick. Thoughts?

are those PFF ratings?

Moore has met my expectations for talent and ability, but his production should be a lot higher, but I dont really put that on him.

amen

right, if Fields or Bagent or a rookie next year TAKE the job, prove it belongs to them, and make you think you be CRAZY not to play them - then and only then will we stop looking for a QB. This "he needs another chance" and "give him more time" all that is good - no one comes out of the gate NFL ready, and you have to develop players - but even as you are developing them, you are still thinking about adding competition until one of them TAKES the job in a clear and obvious way. For example, last year, we chose to develop Fields, but we got a second first rounder for 2024 as an insurance policy to get another top QB if necessary. I understand the seduction of using both first rounders on non QBs - it would do a lot for us - but this is a QB driven league, and unless you KNOW you have one, you still need one.

between the two of em, yes. but its likely neither of them is our starter by mid season 2024

unless they're apple, youre totally right.

OK, the stage is set for Justin. We've seen what good rhythm looks like, but we are not in a full blown QB controversy. If Fields can move the chains, no one will be calling for Bagent. Fields has to take the job. 50/50 isnt gonna do it. He needs to clearly take the job and make sure EVERYONE knows it's his. If there are still questions, and a mixed result, we are drafting another QB. I think Fields will be OK, maybe even better than he was, but I am not betting on him demonstrating unquestionably that we'd be foolish to move on from him. That's what it's gonna take.

why even bother. he's just a dummy. I saw some film during preseason of a coach talking to him about punts. The coach said "Ok when the punter is right footed, the ball drifts right, when hes left footed, the ball drifts left" and Velus repeated it out loud like he was trying to memorize that. This year, not his rookie year. How hard is it to remember "Right is right, Left is left" Seriously, the guy is NOT smart. Too dumb for the NFL, no matter how fast he is.

Velus again. All he does is hurt us. Cut him today. Right now. Last week.

Let's see Bagent rebound.

agree, I amended my post to include that ball location can be fixed. But for example, if the ball velocity was higher, and the ball was thrown to the same spot at the same time, it would have arrived in place instead of behind (late).

So Bagent's arm strength may be coming into these INTs. I LOVE the way he processes and gets rid of the ball fast, but he may not have quite the velocity to thread those small windows. WRs can help by fighting back to the ball, but I think now we know why a guy who is so talented went undrafted. Maybe he can build arm strength in the weight room. Ball location IS something he can fix quickly tho.

Kmet having maybe his best game. For all his experience, people dont realize hes still only 24 years old, and still improving.

Hes a great player, and maybe a step too slow to be a top MLB. A Hunter Hillenmeyer / Nick Kwiatkowski type. Great in zone, good tackler, a step late on drag routes in man. But hes definitely a Rudy player with a huge heart - a good WLB, who comes off the field in nickel.