BearFan PHX

Flus was a disaster as a leader. He was physically insecure. I didnt see the fire in Johnson's press conferences per se - he didnt seem insecure at all, but he felt corporate to me. But now Im hearing about how demanding he is and how he cusses people out on the sideline, and I am starting to think he does have what i worried about. Does anyone know - was he on the sidelines as OC? If so that's a very good sign that moving to the sidelines isn't going to hamper his playcalling!

good to see. I've been vocal here (can you be vocal typing??) about wondering where his personal energy was at, but the more i read about him cussing people out on the sidelines, the less I am concerned about that aspect. I think there is a very good chance that this is the guy who, along with Caleb Williams, will lead us to being a yearly contender, and SB victories. Let's GO!

I am sure that once the play breaks down, he may be looking around etc. (I am guessing, i cant know the play they were talking about of course) but he doesn't regularly read the field the way some quarterbacks do. And they arent asking him to. I'm not trying to put him down, any more than saying Tom Brady isn't a running QB is a put down. I'm just saying that he makes good clear presnap reads, and then he locks on to his primary receiver, and if they arent open, he runs. He also has a better long ball than Caleb by a good bit. He is extremely accurate, and gets the ball out fast when that WR is open, and he is a good runner. THere is a lot to like about him, and even more to like about him in their offense. But I think Caleb's ceiling is still higher. I suppose this is another way of saying Kingsbury is doing a fantastic job in Washington, getting the most out of Daniels. I wonder how Justin Fields would look with Kingsbury too. He seems to understand how to get the most out athletic QBs who arent full field readers as a matter of course. JF has always been a tremendous athlete. But the next time they play, just watch Daniel's helmet on every pass play; how long he stares at the WR before he throws it to them, whether he looks off safeties, whether he makes multiple reads. And then marvel at how successful that offense is even so. You ask yourself "why are those first WRs always SO open?" You'll see it with your own eyes. I am assuming part of that is really good pre snap reads by Daniels too. Daniels is an athlete with a great arm, and Kingsbury has boiled it down for him so he doesnt have to think too much. It's very impressive.

well thanks very much for the sarcasm. Try looking across a football field while wearing a helmet. Why does every other QB in the league move their head?

yes, this is what Im saying. Daniels doesnt make multiple post snap reads, but he does a good job with presnap reads, and Kingsbury has designed an offense where the first read is almost always open. I'm saying that a guy like Justin Fields probably would have done well with Kingsbury's offense too. I also think it wouldnt necessarily fit Caleb's strengths, because I think he reads defenses better. In the long run, that will be more successful. But I think Daniels has a better and more accurate long ball, and fits the offense he is in really well. This isn't a one guy sucks and the other rules argument, it's more a matter of style.

All Im saying is I watched his helmet and on every pass play (except 2) it doesnt move. It stays locked on one WR the whole time. I think Kingsbury does an amazing job getting his first read open. I do think Daniels makes good pre snap reads, has an amazing arm both strong and accurate.

oh YEAH, this is not something id heard or seen, and that is excellent news. This is my biggest worry with him\ - I will be THRILLED to be wrong!

yeah one of the benefits of new coaches is what they know about players on other teams for sure. And coaches especially. I expect Johnson to bring in a top notch OL coach. That will make a huge difference for us. Johnson really knows run blocking schemes, and has successful run blocking rules, and we have been trash at that for a long time.

I dont think its a matter of him being good so much as teaching Johnson's way of thinking, and i have no reason to think brown is familiar with Johnson's style, terminology and approach? Obviously if Johnson wants him, I'm all for it - whoever he wants. But DBDB is right, it has to be Johnson's call from the beginning

Yeah you have to. The days of the Bears front office thinking they know best have GOT to be over.

having a former HC to advise a rookie HC is a great idea. Also I like that he is so aggressive. Im SO sick of sitting back in a zone on 3rd down. We will get burned sometimes too, but at least the players can compete. He also has a rep for getting into QBs heads, and he has been especially successful against Brady, so thats a good sign too. Having to play a more aggressive defense in practice will be good for Caleb too. It wont all be text book zones.

yeah i think we can say that the 17 candidates were in many cases not actual candidates, but intel gathering, coordinator hunting, intel hunting, favors and/opr Rooney rule interviews. Im glad we acted quickly to demonstrate that we werent lost in the wilderness, but just biding time until our guy came available. I hope they picked the right guy. But yes, you're right, the difference here is Caleb. And Johnson + Caleb will in turn help us find better coordinators and position coaches. There is some argument that the Raiders job is not attractive because they have no QB, no picks to get one, and play in the AFC which is harder to succeed in right now. But Caleb is the big sell, I agree. Lets go!

certainly Poles has demonstrated loyalty. I thought too much last year, and I still think so, but youre right, if you have the right guy to be loyal to, its a plus too. I guess you gotta know when to hold them and know when to fold them, and that's the GMs job, but loyalty isnt a negative or a positive inherently, just depends on when it's applied? I just hope Johnson has the right kind of energy to command the locker room. That's my main concern with him now, and I really hope he can do it. And Poles needs to get us at least three new good starters on the OL and get us a top notch pass rusher too. not easy to do in one offseason. But we have cap money, but of course free agency is a bigger crap shoot than the draft too. There are reasons for optimism for sure.

Oh, one other cool thing. According to Jeff Hughes, DaBearsBlog, who has been first with a bunch of info about this search, Ben Johnson asked McCaskey if he and Warren would stay out of football decisions, and leave it to Poles, and McCaskey told him they would. That's a very good sign, but if true, it also puts the failure of not firing Flus last year more on Poles' shoulders?

as long as they werent actually considering 17 candidates, then yes it was smart. If they had let this drag on another week while they had lots of second interviews and mulled their options, then they should have all been fired. But they didnt, so alls well. Also, I head Cunninghim was less involved, so he could go do his GM interviews, and i suppose with the idea that he wouldnt be here next year. Seems like we have him for one more year which I think is a good thing, although that 3rd rounder would make a nice center or guard.

well yes we are all reading tea leaves, none of us KNOW, certainly not me.

the loudmouth is an ahole for sure, but he does excellent film analysis and player analysis pre draft. And he doesnt just give you his opinion, he shows you the film, and of course then we are free to see things the same way or think he is wrong. I find myself agreeing with him a lot. Also youre right, they rarely have inside info. That's not their thing. So when he said what he said about Poles and Warren fighting, it got my attention, especially because it wasnt a headline, but buried deep in a podcast - I got the feeling it was just true that he'd heard that. I do know he has connections in Halas Hall, and Adam Rank and Courtney Cronin both respect him. The McCaskeys know them too, because they are always talking to them at events and stuff, but they dont give them a press pass, because they arent team friendly enough at all. But your feelings about him as a loudmouth are 100% right. He is difficult to listen to - huge ego, extremely defensive and self promoting. BUT, his film analysis is the best I've seen - better than the ex NFL QBs I see on youtube etc. Epecially when it comes to OL analysis, run fits etc. I have learned more from him than anyone. I dont necessarily take his opinion just because it's his, but when he illustrates the film, it is very enlightening. Also, I think you have to pay the $7 a month on patreon to see the analysis stuff. The regular podcasts are long, and half the time he just talks about how smart they are and how they dont follow trends, and that is unpleasant and boring to me too.

I agree. So all the extra interviews were not a clown show, just maximizing small advantages while they bided their time. Good.

right. no team is invincible. our roster has some talent. if we fix the OL, and add a pass rush, and the coaching is as advertised, we should be playoff bound for sure.

yes, locker room culture is important, but that doesnt mean not swearing and being really nice.

yeah, I am sick of always sitting back in a zone on 3rd down. if you have a fearsome front four, that can work, but then again anything works in that case.

well first of all I cant ask my insiders anything, I pay $7 a month and receive their content, I am just another guy in the audience! They did say last year that Warren was yelling at Poles, Warren wanted Flus fired, and Poles defended him. I also agree that it has been widely reported that Kevin Warren rejected Harbaugh, so I think it is true as well, and it makes sense, given their tumultuous big ten relationship. I'm not even sure I blame Poles for hiring Eberflus in the first place, but he definitely deserves blame for not firing him last year. If he was told he wasnt allowed to, and didnt put up a fight asserting his position, then he deserves blame for that. And that seems odd if he was able to hold back Warren's desire to fire him. So I do blame Poles for keeping Flus. So in my mind Poles is not blameless, but neither is he all bad. I can see plusses and minuses and so it all rests on how he fixes the OL, the pass rush, and whether Johnson has the leadership chops to be a successful head coach.

I dont believe the first half. I think Poles deserves blame for keeping Flus. He also deserves credit for what he does right. He went out and got us the most highly sought after coach candidate. He will also deserve the credit or blame depending on how Johnson does. I hope he does well of course. For me Poles is in the middle somewhere. Some big mistakes, some eh moves and some really good moves. If he can put together a real OL this year and improve the pass rush, and Johnson does well Poles will deserve the credit he gets, and Im hoping for that.

it's so funny we are all nervous that it'll fall through. Any other franchise we wouldnt be this way, but the Bears have been SO dysfunctional, it makes concerns like yours valid. Let's hope this is the beginning of a new era where we expect the Bears to do the right thing. Wouldnt that be nice?!

It's not signed sealed or delivered yet, but it sounds like Dennis Allen is our likely DC. He's been a head coach twice, so it's not likely he will get another head coaching job soon. He's an aggressive coach who wont sit back in zone all the time. We will live and die by this, but at least our players will get the chance to compete and dominate. Here's an article about his scheme that goes pretty deep in details. https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-new-orleans-saints-dennis-allen-defense-buccaneers-tom-brady-week-15-2021