BearFan PHX

The more I see and read about Claypool, the more I like him. He needs to prove it on the field to get his big deal, but I can absolutely see him becoming a major force in the league. He has Megatron / Moss like attributes, and if he reaches his potential he is going to be a monster for us. I'm a "show me" kind of guy, but I'm surely not betting against it.

agree

I was thinking the same thing. We have tons of cap room going forward - we can afford to allocate WR money at a high level if we have a proven high level WR. No need to be cap crafty right now - now it's time for talent evaluation. The best thing you can have is great players on long term deals. The next best thing you can have is picks and cap room to find great players. The worst thing you can have is not great players signed to long term deals. Anyone on this team is replaceable right now, but if you ball out, you're gonna get paid.

I think to have any shot in this game, it's going to be about our defense getting pass pressure, which is something they haven't done at all this year. We have a screen and draw game as well as a running QB to punish pass rushers for being too agressive, but without the Bears generating any pass pressure, we will get blown out again. And for this year, if our offense keeps putting up 30+ points for the rest of the on good defenses, I dont mind losing the games because the defense cant get pressure. That almost sounds ideal for this year. Then again, if someone on the Bears D line starts to flash, so much the better.

Morrow will stay at MLB, he is very fast and routinely takes TEs deep down the middle to take away the deep middle hole of cover 2, just like Urlacher used to. Sandborn is another Kwitkowski - TONS of heart, but a step too slow. If we can scheme him from having to take anyone in man coverage, he will be ok, but as soon as formation dictates man coverage, he will get burned on drag routes, just like Kwitkowski. But if we can keep him in zone, and tackling at the WLB spot, he can do that well. Eventually, he will be replaced, but he might be OK as a starter for the rest of this season.

and he's cheap! $680K this year, and $1.5 Million next year total against our cap! The Steelers pay the rest! Every year, every GM finds a free agent to fill all positions of need before the draft so they arent locked into a need that might not get filled. Often these Free Agents arent the best players, and drafted players will supplant them. Sometimes you have to overpay to cover a position, like Glennon for example. But you offset it knowing the replacement is going to be on a rookie deal, so youve allocated the dollars to the position, just sort of inside out - who cares. But this doesnt even cost us much. If we drafted a WR with the 2nd round pick, theyd be no better, and this guy has experience and is proven. And hes still on his rookie deal! This kills a whole flock of birds with one stone: 1) add young WR talent with our 2nd round pick 2) sign a proven free agent at WR so youre covered going into the draft without risking having to reach 3) add talented young players on rookie deals to your roster 4) provide weapons to help Fields develop 5) get it done with minimum cap costs going forward 6) get ahead of the draft by 10 games to develop the WR and QB chemistry now, this year 7) add help in the red zone and gold zone 8 ) add blocking help for the run game 9) add chess pieces to the offense that force the defense into mismatches (LB = too slow, DB = too small) 10) audition young talented players in your system for a couple seasons before rewarding them with larger deals (or not) This is a hell of a 2nd round pick, and 10 games early

100%

I agree with most of this. For sure there are many different ways to play football, and when you take up the style that isn't the most popular, you have more draft and Free Agent choices at cheaper salaries in general. The Patriots are geniuses at this. One year they have randy moss and throw all the time, the next year they play defense and run the ball. Theyve won Super Bowls both ways. So youre definitely on to something. The cover 2 bend but dont break style of defense that we employ absolutely pairs with an offense that eats clock and can run the ball. Of course if the offense is putting up 40 points a game, it doesnt matter how they do it as far as complementing the defense, but this staff is clearly committed to the run, at least as long as Fields is still learning. Our taste for larger, physical WRs is definitely part of this, and we lead the league in rushing for a reason. So you're definitely right, Mongo. However, I dont think you can survive in this league without being able to throw the ball too, so the OL does need to pass protect as well. So you cant go all the way to zone run blocking OL and not have them able to protect as well. But besides that point, I think in general youre absolutely right. And running a wide zone system means OL that can move, so they are pretty much doing exactly what youre saying, and when we get some better athletes to do it, it'll look even better. Also, that 90s Dallas line sure did open holes, but they kept Aikman clean too!

I havent seen enough yet to know if I think Eislen should be starting, but Id love to see him kick ass and make that obvious.

Ha! Seeing it all there together in such a compact list, it seems all too easy. Go Poles!

When we come out in 3 and 4 WR sets, if the defense goes nickel or dime, we can run like a double TE set (or more) because these guys can surely block DBs. Come out in base, and we will throw deep. I like where this is heading.

I agree. WWBBD (what would Bill Belichick do?)

it wasnt that though. it wasnt Roquan for Claypool for only this year. Or even Roquan the player for Claypool the player. It was "the rest of this year only with Roquan and then you get nothing" for Claypool for a couple years and a possible longer term deal if he works out, a 5th rounder and a depth linebacker / special teams player.

Imagine, the offense is starting to gel, but the defense loses games for us. top two goals for this season: develop Justin Fields get a high draft choice mission accomplished

zactly

Mongo - here's more. I just found this video that argues well the same thing. ^5

good point, and even if they dont call him a TE, they can use him that way in some formations. All in all, he runs a 4.4 and has good hands, so he is definitely a WR. I also want to add that the guy only costs like a Million dollars against our cap the next two years. We dont need to extend him this year, we can wait until after 2023 for that - so hes a cheap and good piece to see how he fits with Fields.

well, they certainly are trying to put pieces around Justin Fields.

This article really nails it, I think. And they don't mention the game week he didn't show up for still undisclosed reasons. Or his rookie holdout. But most damning are these lines : "Truth be told, he is closer to Briggs than Urlacher at this stage of his career — more of a highly potent tackle machine than a destructive game-changing Hall of Fame[r]." and "Smith had every reason to think he should be the highest-paid inside linebacker in football —he’s accomplished and still young. And Poles has a case for not splurging on an off-the-ball linebacker who — even if he is the best inside linebacker in football — is not a dominant, destructive, $20 million-a-year force." $20 Million a year players are game changers. Whatever Roquan is, and it's a lot, it isn't that. And in the end, that's what matters at that price, or you've overpaid. https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/2022/10/31/23433861/bears-never-fell-in-love-with-roquan-smith

We have so many holes to fill. Even next year, with a huge infusion of talent, we are still going to have to roll with 5 or 6 of these guys. We need to identify which ones those are, and that means giving younger guys more reps. That's the hidden gem in losing the two best players on this years defensive team. You gotta give Poles credit for having balls. He's tripled down on his ability to win the offseason. If he does it, we will be on the way to being a team that's competitive every year. And we really deserve that. If they can get a 2nd for Ejax, I'd take it. Montgomery is a tougher call because I am a huge fan of his, so Im biased. I just try to imagine wearing a wristband that says WWBBD (what would Bill Belichick do?). lol

interesting. I was thinking they might like what they have with EJax, but he is still not the player he was, and if you can get a 2nd rounder for him, do it. At that point next years cap would be insane. The problem then would be that there simply wont be enough blue chip free agents in one year to be worth all that money. And you dont want to make long term deals with players who dont warrant their cap number. Poles is being bold. If he really is a superior talent evaluator, then we are going to be a much different team than weve been in decades. If not, this could be a tough ride. A lot is riding on Poles, you cant say it isnt his team next year.

for sure. you can afford to build around Fields, and if for some reason he dies in the offseason between 2023 and 2024 in a bizarre gardening accident, youre still in perfect shape to draft a new QB and have a team with depth.

I am very happy with this. Id hoped for a first rounder, and we might have gotten that for Quinn and Smith before the season started, but I know they wanted to see what they had in these players. We saw. Good move. I love David Montgomery, but he has to be wondering if he is next right now. He has to wait 26 hours to find out.

100% right

I think in part this is a test of Roquan's leadership skills - can he lead in Quinn's absence? $20 Mil has to buy more than just a player on defense, but it has to buy a leader too. Roquan has been a head case. I think it's hard to say what his cap worth really is exactly.