BearFan PHX

PFF is a joke. Of course the offense needs to show it on the field, but even when PFF says things I agree with, theyre still a joke, so whatever they say means nothing. It will be interesting to watch this group, see how theyu play, and if they add any more players to the room. I still think there is a decent chance for a WR or OL (or both) in free agency too. Not for big money, but after the music stops on June first, and everyone grabs the nearest chair.

so true. they drank their own kool aid. I think Pace is a good guy, a good team player, but thats the problem, he buys in on too much enthusiasm, and didnt have the guts to fire Nagy the prior year. He isnt someone to shape an organization, he'd be a great assistant GM.

totally. if the team we have now can play that would be amazing. I suspect we will need one more draft class to really fill out the team, and hopefully, while the players show improvement and ability, we find dumb ways to lose games so we have a good draft position next year to really build a team that can dominate for years. now, if the guys we already have can come together and do that this year, that'd be even better and should get Poles a GM of the year. And he'd deserve it. (looking at you Pace)

Looking at some tape today, and Morrow really looks good. I think he will be a positive surprise for us on D.

not sure what youre saying. in a one gap front, each DL fills a gap and penetrates, in a two gap front, each DL holds his OL in front of him and plays both gaps. the responsibilities of the DL are totally different. SO in a one gap or a two gap front the DL responsibilities are not the same as you said.

some 4-3 defenses are one gap defenses, and some are two gap defenses. Even within a cover 2 scheme. When Ted Washington glommed up the middle to allow Urlacher to flow, that was a 2 gap defense. When Warren Sapp penetrated his gap, that was a one gap defense.

good one!

yeah, but we all saw it, there was NO blocking. It's not like Monty goes down easy - he finishes his runs. This isnt Monty's fault at all.

very true. either the talent is lacking, or the price is too high, but with all that cap room, if they want to pay a lot for someone who is really good they can.

I dont think he will be thrifty or not thrifty, I think he just doesnt want to sign stop gap free agents to longer term deals. If the right free agent comes along, that you think is your best option to fill the position for a few years, then i dont think he will hesitate. The main thing is not to sign a guy on a 4 year deal because you have a hole this year, and end up married to a guy who is less of a player than you could have ended up with if you'd waited a year or two. Thats all.

I think Montgomery is going to be there too. Maybe i don't understand how he doesn't fit into the scheme, but I see a really talented back with vision who finishes his runs. He hasnt seen a hole his entire time here, and now he will. I think he is going to be a star.

It's just shocking. That is football 101. how would anything work if the timing won't sync. Nagy is a fraud. Ernie Accorsi is a moron.

Just because he slept with her, doesn't mean he raped her. I have no idea what happened. I could imagine him being a total monster, and I could imagine him being the most innocent victim. I wouldn't want to guess. The legal system will have to sort it out. And it can't even know 100%, but it's the best we have. Until something like that or a video of him overpowering her or something becomes available, I'm not going to assume anything about Roquan. No point in guessing. Keep in mind i guess her online name where she released this is @monsterqueef so...

I agree, and after all we've been through, we should be of the same mindset. I really like the changes Ive seen. It looks like they are making good choices. But I need to see it on the field.

This. Plus we signed new directors of Strength and Conditioning who are proteges of Rusty Jones. I said long ago when we got rid of him that injuries would become a problem, and they have. Now with the new approach, I hope to see fewer injuries, and that means more wins. In a lot of ways we are gooing back to the Lovie Smith (Tony Dungy) model, and that's fine with me. This time the cover 2 wont be on the tail end of a trend, but on the front end of it coming around again. The answer to all the tricky motion and RPO? Two deep safeties LOL everything old is new again. In other words, Ernie Accorsi screwed us.

Love the writeup. Lots of good facts, presented very clearly. Thanks! Of course there have been other 2nd year QBs who didnt have 3,500 yards passing, who did perform better in year 3nd beyond too. I do have high hopes for Fields, but I'll wait to see it on the field first. I'd like to see growth, even if he doesn't get all the way there this coming year. That said, your purpose here - to debunk the argument that Fields couldnt possibly succeed in year 2 with this talent around him - is very well made. Fields certainly could do that, and it all depends on his development, not some external ceiling he can't get past. Again, well done on this post.

is Cliff Stein back for us? If so I agree thats very good. EDIT: Answering my own question - YES! https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2022/3/29/23000944/cliff-stein-back-chicago-bears-lead-contract-negotiator-salary-cap-manager-ryan-poles-ryan-pace

I agree. But I want to see development. If we have a few holes in the roster, and teams exploit them over and over to beat us that's fine, as long as other positions are looking solid and growing - looking at you Fields

I agree with both of your last posts. I also think that Poles is looking for upside in second tier FA players, almost like a small time free agent draft. I dont expect him to hit on all of them, but if they are good at this, and bring in a lot of young players, maybe a few will hit and grow into larger long term roles. One thing you do have the luxury of when you're in this position, is to bring in young guys and give them the time, attention and snaps to grow that teams with solid starters can't. We really are building from scratch at a lot of positions, and that is much better than being married with long term deals to guys that are failing.

Yes. I expect that this is the conversation, said or implied. I can also imagine that some players werent throwing their bodies around for Nagy. Eberflus will know if Jackson is performing or not, and make changes accordingly.

I think this is spot on. Poles is still getting his feet, and getting punched a bit - I agree I think any young GM has to go thru that, like missing checking the box on Roosevelt Colvin that would have given us a compensatory pick etc. The good news is he isnt compounding any of that with overpaying to fix it. Cool.

Yeah, it's true. A QB cant be their best without a great supporting cast. But at the same time, it is rare for a team to be stocked everywhere, so it's always an issue, and some quarterbacks seem to make the best of what they have. That said, if you have a crap OL and no one to throw to, that's a big problem too. I hope we can protect Fields, and give him something decent around him to work with, but if he has some time, makes the right reads and gets the ball to the right places, even if there are more drops and covered receivers than youd like, and we dont end up with as good a record, the QB can still develop. And as we add pieces, the whole offense hopefully will grow over the next few years with the addition of more talent around him. It's a good concern, because it's a fine line to walk.

agree. we'd love Poles to swoop in and make big wins, but in this case, either other teams would lose big (not likely to happen), or we'd overpay, and we have all agreed that poles is right to stay disciplined and build through the draft. I cant speak for all Bears fans here, but at least among the thoughtful on this board (all of us) we have patience to do this the right way, and there is no pressure to try to win now with the current roster and overpaid free agents. He surely has a year or two grace period, and as long as we see improvement, I think he will be supported by the fan base.

yes, although if they do that, then the roster bonus he just got paid was wasted money? Poles is betting $4 Million that Foles is worth something in draft picks that makes that $4M worthwhile. If Poles ends up cutting him outright, that's a $4M bet he made and lost. So we can see how Poles did. I expect he will be able to trade him so Poles will win the bet. But it'll be out there for us all to see, so we'll know if Poles is a good gambler or not.

Right. Foles will be cheaper, which increases his value in draft picks. I think it's great if Poles can convert this years cap dollars into draft picks - kind of like how the Cubs signed free agents, and then traded them for draft picks a few years back before winning the World Series. Its a good strategy.