BearFan PHX

Great pick by JJ! Im sure the dropped int last week has been on his mind.

some good some bad. 2 sacks, but Fields stood in the heat on that blitz, stayed in the pocket and found Kmet - great job. So far hes played calmer than weve seen. Thats also excellent.

Fields looked really good on that drive, but we always look good with the scripted plays. Let's see if it continues. I had predicted 4 sacks and an INT. But if Fields played like that all the time, I'd be on his side. We're past the script now, so let's see.

Wah. lol

That second throw to Moore was what Im looking for. Fields took his drop and threw the ball in rhythm. Good. Moore was wide open too so that made it easy - but that's the rhythm.

I agree with all of this. Fields has his place in the NFL, but he isn't a franchise QB that will win a Super Bowl. he's not worth what we'd have to pay him, and aiming at a 9-8 season as your goal is ridiculous. People see his big plays and that he IS improving, and I agree, but I think the ceiling on this guy falls short of being a Super Bowl winner. And that's what this is all about. I feel the same way about Eberflus' defense. If we increase the talent a bit more and really play hard, that scheme can elevate to 10th best or something. And as youre going from 30 to 28 to 24, you feel the upward trend. But you gotta look at it and ask what the ceiling is. We can make steady progress to 10th best and then stall out there? Again, not a plan. So I fully validate Fields' freakish athleticism, and the steady increase in his play (nowhere to go but up!) but he still isnt winning games, and the ceiling isnt worth the growing pains, the cap space and perhaps worst of all - the opportunity to draft one of these other guys and develop them. And I guess at some point everyone has to decide whether they are a fan of the player or the team. Clearly DABEARS, from what youve written here, its the team for you. Me too.

It's a great year for QBs, and they all come cheap for 4 to 5 years.

agree with ya both, and adam too. It's not like this is July 2023 - we've seen what we've seen now. The only way we can even make any kind of offense with Fields is having a ton of designed QB runs. It's a joke.

Dude, youre wrong. 16 points! And they LOST. I'm done fighting with you - youre ignorant. Youre a homer in love with everyone on the roster, and as such youre a loser too. In the sense that your guy cant win any games. Even JT Osullivan pointed out that on the scramble when Fields hit Moore, he missed his first read, Mooney for a big gain. What they are saying is that hes making plays when the plays break down. I see that too - I give Fields his props for that. Now I ask - who the hell wants an offense BASED on what the player does after the play breaks? What the hell is that?! I dont care what your experts think either. I have eyes, and I see what I see. And I'll bet you the people who have to live and die by the decision, Poles and Warren see it too. The guy has won like 3 games in two years. What the hell are you even talking about? He's TERRIBLE. He makes great plays here and there, but he is not a QB who moves the chains running the plays as designed, making reads. Hes just an amazing freak athlete that has never learned how to be a disciplined passer. When they trade Fields this offseason, then all your "experts" etc will have been proven wrong. I dont mind that youre wrong though, people can disagree with respect about sports - its just what an asshole you are about it. I've been sitting back with the personal stuff while you take little impudent shots like a child. So like I said, Im not doing that anymore. I am sorry if I'm hurting your feelings criticizing your girlfriends. Get a helmet and deal with it ya big baby.

No way. I am talking about calmly staying in the pocket and making fast accurate reads with anticipation. 3 or 5 step drop and release. Against Detroit, he was running around and creating. Receivers werent getting the ball out of their breaks, they were getting it later, perhaps finding a dead spot in a zone and waiting for Justin to find them. And we scored a whopping 16 points. Come on. Once Fields starts scrambling, that's called a "broken play" - Fields is extremely good at broken plays, and that is not something you purposefully base an offense on. Not if you want to beat the good teams. Could Fields continue to improve at that and eventually lead us to a 9-8 record and an early playoff exit some season? Certainly. That is his ceiling. That's when everything goes well and you surround him with talent. Is that our goal? I want a QB.

Youre right. If Fields balls out, its no problem. But then you dont need that first round rookie. Course that's been true all year, but he hasnt done it. And if Fields plays like he has so far, the good and bad of it, hes not gonna be happy in a competition. So once again youre betting the farm that Fields is gonna be the guy, cuz if he isnt you have unhappy Fields. And then what? So youre not really hedging your bet with one more year, youre doubling down on it. This already was Fields' year to prove it. He hasnt. Now (this offseason) is the time to trade him while he has some trade value. Not after he fails to beat out a rookie. Now please understand, I'm not saying that would happen. I'm saying you're betting he will take the job next year, and if you win that bet, then the top pick QB was a missed chance to get a DE or OLT. And if you lose that bet, you lose all trade value for Fields. And again remember, youre not just betting that Fields will improve, youre betting he will be worth over $40 Million a year, a top 5 QB. We punted the first round pick last year to give Fields this year. In my opinion, his time is done. Get a second rounder for him, and add a dominant OC to the OL or a new FS with the pick. I think the Vikings game is gonna make this much clearer. After Detroit showed the league how to contain Fields with a loaded box, the blitz happy Vikings are going to force Fields to beat them with quick hot reads and fast confident throws. It'll be a great test, and I think everything Im saying is gonna be a lot clearer after tomorrow night. It's exactly what's missing in Fields' game. I see 5+ sacks and at least one INT.

we obviously arent playoff bound this year, so getting Smith more snaps and looks isnt a bad thing at all - especially with JJ's contract looming.

not necessarily to play right away, but to have shown that they deserve the job after 3 seasons. Youre right that the big payday prohibits 6 year developmental cycles. As for egos, all elite players have them in that they want to be the starter. Ask a starter to ride the bench and youll get a holdout and force a trade. better to trade during trading season when you have the most suitors, draft picks are available and the price is as high as its gonna get?

dude. I dunno how it would end, but Id be excited as hell next year if we got Harbaugh, #1 and #2 - my optimism would be off the charts.

I dunno, I think whoever you're developing next year as #1 needs the #1 reps, and an offense tailored to what they do best. And there are egos involved too. It seems like it could blow up.

hahaha it sure has been a great week, and happy holidays!

preach!

I think this is right. We put off the #1 pick by one year last year. We are getting lucky and seem to be getting it or something like it again in a year with many QB options. I dont think you can close the door to those possibilities based on the hope that Fields style of play completely changes and he does things he hasnt done consistently well. Justin is exciting as hell to watch, but I want a surgeon out there, not a magician. The surgeon calmly dissects the defense, the magician does amazing things that make highlight reels. But how can you think to have your core identity to be that plays will break and your guy will scramble around and make something happen? The whole reason it makes highlights is that it is so implausible. That means that a fair percent of the time, a good defensive line will punish you for it. If you needed a heart transplant would you want the guy who calmly does it all doay, or someone amazing who keeps somehow miraculously pulling operations through right when they look like the patient is going to die? I get the excitement, and why people love it. They see him as a hero, defying odds and somehow finding a way to be successful in a storm of adversity. But the thing is, he isnt even doing that. We are losing games. Its not as if hes not out there improvising 35 points a game. But while my opinion on Fields' future remains just that - only my opinion, I think it is fair to say that keeping Justin for another year is more than just seeing things through - it also costs you a top pick QB and the development of that player. So the decision isn't a free no brainr one year more to see what hes got - it also costs you the opportunity cost. And in that light, youre 100% right. THIS was his year to show that and take the job in an undeniable way. And I dont think anyone can say he has done that yet.

I agree with a lot of this, but I think you have to consider the opportunity you have to draft a QB, which you might not have next year or the year after. So if you keep Fields, you have to figure in opportunity costs too. If you wait and see with Fields, and pass these opportunities, you're pretty much betting that he will be worth $40 Million a year in two years. If you bet right, its a home run. If Fields does eventually become that top 5 guy, then of course the bet paid off, and youre Super Bowl bound. But if he is just decent or pretty good, then you wasted this window, and passed on getting one of those top QBs. So the bet isn't just "can Fields get better?" it's also "will he be worth $40+ Million in two years" because if he isnt, then youre back to square one, with no Fields and without 2 top picks in one of the deepest QB drafts in memory. I dont think throwing a mid round developmental QB is a likely strategy for finding a great one. It has happened, but the odds are low. So while people may disagree fairly about what Fields will become, it's pretty clear that if you keep him this year, you're putting all your eggs into that basket vs a bunch of other options. I cant say what Fields would become, all I can say is that keeping him isnt a "wait and see" bet, its functionally an all in on Fields bet. And in that light, I don't have enough faith.

can you imagine having #1 and #2? Wow. With all that salary cap room, and an already improving roster? I would imagine any coach or GM would love to step in right now. I wonder what Kevin Warren has up his sleeve.

I like McCarthy and Daniels, but by the time all the draft hype is done, I wonder if either of them slips past, say, pick 15.

It's not a stat, for all I know it's 90%, I was speaking figuratively. I didn't intend it to be taken literally. But it's easy to see while watching that we are in Cover 2 on most snaps. And the opponent knows it too.

I think you can also take MHJr at #1 and then get one of the top QBs at 4 or 5?

Thanks for that - I thought Dungy was first, but youre right! I also appreciate and agree about the difference between the Cover 2 and the Tampa 2. I thought when we got Edmunds that he would be playing that deep middle Urlacher style, but Eberflus couldnt even get that right. Also, Edwards plays the Will of course, and thats the position that the cover 2 funnels tackles to. I had mistakenly typed SLB, and then I realized I meant WLB, and went up and fixed that.

I dont know why you want to fight about specifically everything I say. Thats up to you. Im really not interested in returning fire. Its dumb. Im not even talking down Edwards. Hes great. I said so. In fact the whole reason we are talking about him on this thread right now is because *I* posted that he is leading the league in tackles and praised poles for dumping Roquan and getting the same production without him for a lot less $. I also said, in addition to scheme funneling tackles to that position, that we have too many plays on defense in general, so that also inflates numbers. Leading the league in tackles isn't necessarily the sign of a great defense. Somehow you took this as criticism of Edwards, of you, I dunno what. But its really getting old. I cant help it if your feelings are hurt by these facts. I couldnt have even imagined that they would have. I figured you were gonna agree. Naive I guess. But I am going to continue to talk about the Bears here. I keep trying to ignore this one way fight you seem to be in with me. Soon Im just not gonna respond to you at all if you cant sort out your emotions. Either that or Im gonna stop being so polite about it and be more direct. Not mean, but direct. Can I ask you, and I mean this seriously, NOT as a dig: do you drink while youre posting?