BearFan PHX

I agree our window wont truly open until 2024, but I see 7 to 10 wins possible with this team depending on how they gel. We could well see a playoff game, but I agree with you that I dont think we will see a playoff "run"

Fully agree. Im just saying he resisted the temptation to sign or trade for one of the bigger names thinking he might get there this year, and waited because he obviously didnt think any of those guys were an A. That's discipline that will pay off over time.

Poles has put some real players into important positions and developed a roster with good depth at most positions. He's also been very disciplined, and not pulled the trigger on long term deals for B+ grade players. Sometimes that has meant that we have to ride with less than B+, for example at DE. But it's much better to be lacking at a position, and have a chance to fill it next year (or later this year) with a player who has A level upside, than it is to be stuck with a B+ level guy because youre paying him on a 4 year deal. We've seen that mistake over and over here in Chicago. We may have holes this coming year, although not too many. But imagine, having avoided marrying those B players, what our roster and cap is going to look like in 2024. I think we will be a legit SB contender with the window opening in 2024. We have a bunch of the pieces already. Could they ascend this year? It's possible. Some prognosticators have us with 12 wins. I'm not sure of that, but it is possible. So is 7 wins. But yes, they could make a run early. But we are working toward a 2024 deadline, and that is the way to do it. Poles is the real deal. Of course he will have some swings and misses. Perhaps Claypool will be one of them. But even so, Poles is avoiding so many short term traps, and has made enough good moves to say this guy knows what he is doing. Finally. Finally. Lets go.

I think that QB development is a funny thing. It doesnt happen linearly, so it's hard to see sometimes. Consider a stone archway over a door. Each piece of stone is like a wedge and they all lean on each other. If you're building one, you need a wooden support to hold the wedges until the past piece is in. If even one piece is missing, it doesnt stand together, but put in that last piece, and it's solid and needs no support at all. In a way, it's like that for quarterbacks. They have so many things to master, and if one of them is off, then the entire performance is off. If you take your drop, look off the safety, read the right man, find a throwing lane, release the ball on time but your footwork is off, its an incompletion. Each part has to right for the entire thing to work. So as QBs learn and get better, the coaches see each wedge separately and are able to judge progress in those areas. We really only see the final outcome of all the pieces together. And in truth, we see the outcome of the QB play, the WR play, the OL play and the playcalling. Longwindedly, what I'm trying to say is that Fields could have been making steady progress all last year, and if we only see stats, we wont know that three of his wedges have improved from awful to really good, because another wedge hasnt reached maturity yet. There is every reason to think that Fields will put it all together. And as has been said before, if not, Caleb Williams is out there. Personally, I think Fields is gonna be great.

one of the most fun things about watching football is how much of a team sport it is - especially on defense. everything positive or negative is a multiplier on everything else. Amen to the idea that great DLs make secondaries look great. And conversely shut down corners can gift coverage sacks to linemen. We need some great DEs!

agree. Edmunds is easily the best MLB in the league at doing what we will ask him to do.

i voted for the pass rush, but of course, for any team, in any season, the QB performance is always most important.

I've been thinking both of these things too - I hope we are better off at DE than it appears, and I wonder about a backup OT.

yup I saw that too - I see articles saying he is growing up and then some saying the rumors are he hasnt. Who knows? I want nothing more than for him to prove me wrong. I will gladly eat crow if he has 800+ yards this season!

I didnt know what that was, googled - cool stuff. Here's an article explaining it for people who dont already know, like me. https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2019/8/1/20749103/nfl-offensive-lineman-ol-masterminds-summit-recap-von-miller

exactly. no one would be happier than me (us) to see Claypool dominate. Then the story will be how he turned it around and overcame a bad start to build himself into a competitor. But I also think if the bet was $1,000 will Claypool be the starting WR2 for the Bears in 2025, very few of us would be betting "yes" right now. So in the context of him being soft in other areas, this picture plays a certain way and receives a certain response. Contrast it with how much I love Dennis Rodman, no matter what he wears. That guy is a competitor and his aggressively individualistic presentation just re-enforces his image as a star to me. If Justin had been in that same picture, we'd say "that guy has it all, hes a baller and hes a model, go get it Justin!" But in this pic, in context, Claypool just looks soft.

Its not just the photo. We are hearing rumors that Claypool isnt a hard worker, that he isnt really pushing himself, so then, when he shows up dressed like that, its natural that we think hes soft. But youre right - not just from a picture.

sexuality aside, I see ego. I see someone who is more obsessed with celebrity than with developing their game. I understand why Poles did what he did at the time. It was a calculated gamble. He probably paid too much for it, but it was also probab;y his best option. We were needy and trying to do something for Fields, something to make evaluating Fields possible, and that has value beyond just adding a WR. I will forgive Poles this mistake too. He has absolutely made up whatever draft capitol he overpaid by with this offseason. If they need to cut the guy, so be it. He does not look like a Bear in any way to me. And it'll be a good object lesson for other players. We are here to work. We are here to improve.

Ive seen a bunch of film on Davis, and he is a monster in the run game - a real road grader who can move. Once he gets his hands on someone, they dont come unglued, and he has great body control. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I think Davis and Wright will be better than that. I think the right side of our line will be a legitimate team strength, especially in the run game. Your point that it will be a huge upgrade, i agree even more so.

There are many more people with RB, LB, SS body types in the world than there are with OL, DL body types. Also elite speed is rare, so WR & CB are hard to find too. So if football talent is distributed evenly regardless of body size across the population, then it stands to reason that there will be more NFL ready RB, LB and SS than any other position. So of course those positions are gonna be devalued. Now there is always an elite game breaking generational talent type and that player could arrive in any body type and take over games from any position. Troy Palumalu, Jim Brown, Ray Lewis all won games from these positions. If Barry Sanders is there in the draft, you take him even at #1. But those rare demigods aside, LB, RB and SS have more decent players available than guys who have to also be 6' 6" 330 pounds, and move like a gazelle, or conversely have top end speed. It makes sense. But if you're a pretty good RB, like David Montgomery, it kinda sucks, and if you're a solid but not exceptional journeyman defensive end, it's a pretty good deal.

yeah, I think you got most of the real news Pix. no DE yet, lots of stupid camp in shorts stories, but nothing real.

yeah that's that quickness, rather than speed. Barry sanders had it too. Going full speed in one direction and WHOOP (Chris Berman) he's going in a different direction. John Madden once said famously of Barry Sanders "he was never it in tag at school" Justin Fields has it too, although he needs to run less and throw effectively more. Nonetheless, Fields changes trajectory so suddenly it's incredible to watch.

Oh gosh Pix, that's awful. Best wishes for a fast recovery with as little pain as possible. I'll leave the update to others who will probably be more complete than I could be, but I hope you heal well and fast.

Yeah, but it's late and Ngakoue will likely not get that kind of money for a long term deal at this point in the offseason. He may have to settle for a one year deal, even if it is a generous one, which we could afford. My point is that now having Drew Rodenhaus to explain the situation he's in makes it more likely than it was before.

I agree with this. Also I read where Yannick Ngakoue just signed to a new agent, so maybe that bodes well for progress if thats our target

If QBs get 5 seconds, we are toast. If a rotation of players is able to pressure the QB consistently, then that'll be great. But if they can stand back there and look at the field, any QB looks like a MVP with 5 seconds.

It's hard to say. The team really does look good at a lot of positions, excitingly so, but in the NFL, if you give even a mediocre opposing QBs 5 seconds to throw, youre gonna lose a lot of games no matter how good everything else is. I see the momentum we are building, and i think we will be solid in a lot of areas. But we need a pass rush. One way or another, we will have one in 2024. Hopefully sooner.

Just watched Fields mic'ed up at OTAs. He has some serious leadership skills. You can feel just feel it - it leaps off of the screen. This bodes very well for the future of this team. Last year he was OK, but felt a little uncomfortable in interviews, a little bit "young". He feels like he has really matured and is ready to become a fierce leader. I wish we had a pash rush but otherwise I don't see putting any cap on what this team could do. We say 6 wins, 8 wins, 10 wins. But this is a Super Bowl contender in 2024, so it's just a matter of chemistry and when these guys gel. And if Fields has really taken that next step, and it sure looks like it in his personal energy in this video, who knows how soon that could be. (and we need a DE)

I dont think Poles is waiting for margin players either - I was saying that Swifty said that in the video. I also agree that Gipson is the one on the bubble. We have a lot of interesting options, but none is a sure fire top pass rusher. I still think we sign someone, maybe by trade, sometime this offseason.