BearFan PHX

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.

So true! I was just saying what Swifty said in the video. I wouldnt hesitate to add a stud pass rusher to our roster just because it might cost Lewis some reps.

Swifty also makes the point that if (when?) we sign a free agent DE, that will force this guys like Terrell Lewis and D'Anthony Jones out to the margins. It may well be that Poles wants to see these guys and get them some reps before he does that?

This is what i keep thinking about every time I load this page during the day. I keep hoping to see the news that we signed someone at DE. I think it's just a matter of patience though. Something is coming, it's just no fun to wait for it. Hunter would be a great addition, but it may be a surprise from left field too.

for yards, yes, but for carries we would just need a feature back that got 23 carries a game and didnt get injured, and TDs is wide open.

Yeah the rushing yards recdord is gonna be there for quite a while. The rest are all possible to break. Youre right tho with a strong rotation, the attempts wont fall either, but it would only take 23 carries a game for 17 games to break it. If Roschon becomes a feature back, who knows what 2024 looks like. Biggest threat to 23 x 17 is injuries.

it's a great connection you made

hahaha youre right! I remember him now too! what black magic did Carolina do?!

PFF is random. sometimes they will get it "right" - so despite PFF, I DO think Davis is extremely underrated. I think Wright is going to be a monster. I hope Jenkins does well on the left side too. I figure Whitehair is an average starter, so 11th, 15th whatever. He will get the calls right, and hopefully he will execute his blocks. I do trust him to get protections right, but I dont think he is a dominant physical presence the way Davis and Wright are going to be.

I see where Davis is practicing with the team now - good sign. I think the right side of our OL is going to be 90s Cowboy-like. Cant wait to see it. You could probably use Davis and Wright instead of bulldozers for the new stadium construction, wherever that's going to be.

I do think this is a real problem, and while you dont want to get a QB thinking too much about his mechanics, it does add to a long release and give defensive players a tell. Its definitely a real problem.

yup, all of that. JJ is not worth a top tier contract, and if someone wants to overpay him, and give us meaningful draft picks to do it, I'm all for it.

I saw him make quick decisions in college, so hes not gun shy. What Id say about the Fields of the past two years, is that while he holds the ball too long, he DOESNT throw interceptions. I think that's why hes holding it. And that could just be because guys werent open. Now a naysayer might say that NFL open is tighter than college open, and he needs to adjust to the pro game, but I looked at film and I saw a lot of guys who just werent open. Now sure you can always find some backdoor guy who was open when you were reading the other side of the field, but in terms of what seems to be his progressions, guys werent open in rhythm when they were supposed to be. I think that's gonna change a lot with Moore. So I think Fields has probably been being a better QB than we realize, by not throwing interceptions, and this year could show much improved passing stats.

some smartest guy in the room types (Pace) take pure athletes to coach up, but forget to make sure they are athletes who love the game i.e. football players. thats the main difference I see. But youre right, we trust them so far because theyve made moves we agree with. So now lets see Flus and the guys coach em up.

I think a lot of previous Bears GMs and coaches thought something similar. We reached on athletes who werent football players and assumed wed coach them up. But this is different, because the word "heart" is on the list, and the culture is an authentic one. If you look for "speed, length and production" you cant go wrong. But there are only so many of those players to go around. By the bottom of the first round, youre taking players with some attributes who lack another. To authentically add "heart" in place of "production" is a really smart way to do this. We definitely executed the plan in the draft, now let's see how Eberflus and this staff coach em up. So far, we are hitting every benchmark. Flus, youre up.