BearFan PHX

we dont need a #1 pick overall this year, we have a QB. I mean dont get me wrong, the "haul" would be fantastic again, but Id rather see us win some games and see Caleb developing than to have a higher pick. Another thing to consider is that if we got a top 4 pick, we'd almost have to use it on a pass rusher, whereas a #8 pick or something would go to OL. There are trade down scenarios too, but QBs and Edge rushers are worth their weight in gold.

Lets go!

Oh and I wanted to say also, lost in all the drama and chaos, Bates had a really good day at guard last week. I watched him on almost every snap. He looked better than anything else out there. Which isnt much of a compliment lol

he was a 3rd round pick in 2023, 4th highest rated center with some project type vibe where he has some talents, and some work he still needs to do. Mostly he had a knee that kept him out of football for the first half of the season. Poles had him in for a top 30 visit in 2023, so he may have been waiting until his knee was healed to give him a look. Smart move, not earth shaking, but still a good move.

I know they are buds, but both of them are expecting Ian to become a GM soon, so theyd be competitors on opposite teams anyway. If Poles gets fired, someone is gonna be the new GM, so I dunno if it's really a problem. It's funny how I preach "don't hang on to something just because it's not terrible, make sure you make the right pick" and I like Cunningham. From what I've seen, he proved himself to be patient and shrewd poker player. Waiting for Odunze to fall to 9, rather than getting panicked and trading up for him with the Giants. To me that was a good, albeit limited, audition. And not just the choice, but how he worked Poles to calm him down and control the direction of the room without negating anyone. That's hard to do. The thing is, I have liked a lot of the moves we've made. We seem to be scouting well. Our pro personnel side has been questionable, but truthfully, free agents are always hit or miss. Every time we sign some new free agent, and I call my Dad all happy about it, he always reminds me "there's a reason the other team didnt keep him" LOL it's like a joke between us. Half the time he's right, and I'm right the other half. For every Davis there is a Sweat. But for sure, missing on free agents is easy for any GM to do - you gotta do it, but it's not the same as drafting good players. So our college scouting seems good. Our draft decisions seem to have been sound. But we've made a few errors in those singular gut call decisions, like keeping Eberflus. You don't get 8 scouts giving you plusses and minusses on that one, with stats and film. I feel like this is where Poles' personality gets in the way, and a more steely eyed Cunningham might be preferable. Anyway, these are just musings. I KNOW Eberflus has to be fired. I suspect Poles should be, but I don't predict it as a certainty at all, and I'm not sure he wont go on to be great for us if we keep him. It's just a gut feeling for me. But I dont NEED the guy gone the way I need Flus gone. If he keeps Flus after this year, then Poles will need to be gone. Also, I'm gonna send a box of dog poop to Trace Armstrong LOL (not really)

Based on almost nothing, I have a hunch that Ian Cunningham is the good one, and Poles is the wrong guy.

LOL I hate this!

Armstrong is a big part of this mess for sure. But Poles' butt is on the line so hopefully he goes beyond that kind of insider loyalty and makes the best possible choice. And that assumes Poles isnt getting fired. I wouldnt necessarily mind replacing him with ian Cunningham based on the little bit of draft room footage I saw. Its too little to be sure, but it looked like Cunningham might be Poles' handler in a way. But yeah, we need a real coach. I dont think Gruden would be OK for this team. I recall the email was something kinda racist. Thats a good way to lose the locker room right away. But I do like Gruden's intensity, so we are on the same page. I like strong coaches, and yellers are ok with me, but Bill Belichick was able to instill fear with a whisper too. So he didnt yell, but he was definitely intense and intimidating. Matt Eberflus is not intimidating at all. And that leads me to... YES. It's freakin' football, not a knitting circle. These modern, corporate, HR approved coaches may be really great neighbors, but it's not what makes a football team win. I can only hope that Kevin Warren is a buffer to the McCaskeys and that he sees this the same way. That we need a tough coach. I also wonder if an intense black coach might be more palatable to the McCaskeys - or harder to reject to Warren. Like you can say "Harbaugh is too much of a personality" but that might be harder for the MCaskeys to say or think, given that they seem interested in DEI and stuff like that. Maybe we can get a Herm Edwards type in here. I'd be all for it. I don't care what color someone is or how it's done but if we can get a disciplinarian in here and the team buys in, I'm for it. On that note, there is a lot of talk that Thomas Brown was being groomed through the ranks as a someday head coach. I remember when we added him in his smaller role that the talk about him was that he would be an excellent head coach some day, but that he was being groomed and learning. Anyway, I heard him speaking on some clip and i gotta say his energy is awesome. I am not saying hes ready to be a head coach or will even be a good OC. I want us to find the best one, and I know next to nothing about him. But I can say that I like his alpha-ness a lot. Maybe that will help some this year. But yeah, let's get an old time football coach in here, and bring back that edge. I want our team to be bullies. Between the whistles of course.

Everyone doesnt keep getting better. Poles is not now some sort of coach hiring genius just because he was terrible at it last time. Hopefully it doesnt take a genius to just pick Johnson, Kingsbury or Kubiak etc. Im not saying I predict that Poles will blow the pick, just that we have to get it right, and keeping Eberflus because Thomas has shown promise as OC is not the way to go.

You can interview Thomas Brown for the job in the offseason if you want, but they cannot give him ANY extra credit points for being friends, or already familiar with Caleb or ANYTHING. You ask yourself, right now, who is better. And when you bring in a new Head Coach you absolutely do NOT push Brown on them. You let them decide who they want. Or else the whole thing is a joke doomed to fail. If Kliff Kingsbury wants to be the HC and offensive playcaller, and WANTS Brown to be his Nagy, then fine. But not as a favor to Poles. Not because the Bears want it. ONLY because Kingsbury thinks hes the best option out there.

This is my fear. he couldnt be worse than Waldron. So he will be better. And everyone will think "oh good we can build on this" and we will miss out on a stellar candidate who isnt available until in the offseason because he is actually doing GOOD things on an NFL team right now. When I was 5, I was a very poor basketball player. By 13, I was mediocre compared to the kids on my block. That trend line, if followed would have made me Michael Jordan by senior year of college. My 13 year old self was SO much better than my 5 year old self. I mean like a LOT better, especially by percentage. That does not mean that any NBA team would even briefly consider me as a player no less a championship winning player. Literally anyone who played high school basketball would be better. ANYONE. Saving the little pieces that aren't that bad from the last iteration is the disease that's brought us here. The arranged marriages. Oh we ran OK last year, so lets force Waldron to keep Morgan. Etc. Or why did we even choose Waldron?! We need to find a real leader. A Ben Johnson or a Kliff Kingsbury or someone of that stature. And we need to let them pick ALL their underlings. They need to bring in their vision, not have to massage the McCaskeys pocketbook and ego along the way. My fear is we beat GB and the Vikings once each, and keep Flus, because Thomas Brown in the new savior. Please no. No no no. Go get a real high value prospect, and then left him do his freakin job.

Like I thought, Thomas Brown was promoted within to be new OC. We'll see if it makes a difference. Also, Stinger, can you share a link to the source that says they gave Williams too much independence?

theyll probably start off with something lame like Waldron is still OC,and makes the gameplan, but Thomas Brown is gonna do the in-game play calling. Like thats gonna make any freakin difference.

yeah, the record isnt really what matters this year - its how we look doing it. and it aint pretty right now.

Hes a rookie with a playcaller who doesnt help him and an OL that has him running for his life. And no matter the reason his development is being stunted so hes not good enough (yet) either. I also had high hopes for the season. I was a little under you at 9 or 10 wins, but it wasnt silly to think that was achievable. The coaching has been horrible.

I agree with all of this. I even agree with "As talented as he is, he is also lost in his emotions and pouty on the sidelines. " - Im not sure it is a bad sign for the future since he obviously cares and is competitive, unlike, say, Jay Cutler's response to adversity. And the chaos he is reacting to is not all of his own making as well. But youre not wrong that Caleb has to play better too, and he is not at all happy right now. But some of this should rightly come on Caleb. Im not giving up on him at all, I still think he is the bright future of our franchise. But everything has to get better on this team, and that includes Caleb.

Yeah I always enjoy watching good teams no matter who they are each year. I can even admit that i thought Brett Favre and Aaron Rogers were great QBs, and I enjoyed watching them as well. But in my heart I am only a Bears fan. To me it's like a long story, and all this trash will just make the super bowl victory of the future (whenever that happens) all the better. In the meanwhile if we had gotten the coach right this offseason, we would probably be already on our way. All is not lost, but Eberflus, Waldron and Morgan suck, and by extension, you gotta question Poles.

Me too. I think we will see some decent games yet this year, and I hope our decision makers are not dumb enough to see it as a reason to keep the coaches. That has to already be clear in their minds no matter what happens next. I seriously dont care if they go on an improbable winning streak and get back into the divisional race. If Flus proves that he is not a 2 and is instead a 6 i dont care! I want a 9 or a 10. I want to try to find a 9 or a 10, and Ill consider keeping that guy if he turns out to be an 8. better than before is not the measure. Greatness is - giving your team an ongoing active edge in winning - not just managing not to step on your own dick 2 weeks in a row.

well he deserves to be gone. It makes sense to make the decision now that hes not back next year - but then you need to figure out what youre going to do between now and the offseason, and Im not sure firing Flus is the answer right now. But yeah, you have to be proceeding as if you will fire him and get a new coach next year. *IF* the new coach buys in on the defensive coaches we already have, then I would be for keeping them *BUT* no more arranged marriages. No pressures. The ehad coach is the head coach and should do whatever they want with their staff. Make it a complete vision for once. THere is nothing that is SO worth saving that is more important than a coach having their entire vision. now if the new coach realizes that we have some really good position coaches on defense and wants to keep them himself, then FINE GREAT but no more arranged marriages!!

I think part of why the frustration is so high is because expectations were high, and expectations were high because our roster is in better shape than it's been in decades. So while the current disaster is extra heartbreaking, it's because we are closer to being good than we've been. So maybe now isn't the time to find another team, but to hang on. This is the part of the story where Cinderella is cleaning the flue and can't go to the ball. This is the part that makes the ending so sweet. Im here for the ride!

right

Basically, it proves that Eberflus as a motivator is not a good head coach.

I think the most predictable next move, and maybe the wisest, is to fire Waldron. Flus bears a ton of responsibility for all of this and deserves to not be back next year, but i dont think firing him now does anything to really help. Firing Waldron sends a message, and hopefully lets this team get into some rhythm, even though i think we all know this season is very unlikely to end in a playoff appearance. I was listening to Flus with David Kaplan, and he said a few things that shed some light on all of this. First off he did his typical positives thing. And while I think it's tone deaf not to start with accountability and even show some emotion at losing at this point, he wasnt wrong. Every week we see individual offensive plays that work, and even small 5 minute windows of rhythm and then chaos again. I would say that the team has talent and Waldron and Morgan are the biggest culprits. I think it's fair to say that the offense isnt really Eberflus' fault. He's been a defensively oriented coach the whole time. His issues are situational, and failing to know how to help the offense. But the offense has failed under Waldron and Morgan, and Flus has not really been part of that - which is it's own criticism of Flus as well. Still, what happens if we bring in a new OC or promote someone and talent shows up and we split our games with the NFC north? Do we all say "wow maybe this can work?" and stay with Flus and the new offensive coaches? If the new coaches are like a 6 out of 10, does that mean we wouldnt find better under Ben Johnson or Kliff Kingsbury etc? I think we have to be careful of doing something now and then sticking with a 6 because its better than a 2. I think we need to find a 9 or a 10 and nothing less should do, even if a 7 doesnt stink. I want superbowls, not to be slightly better than average! So Id be careful and cynical about any improvements we might make with an in season move right now. The other things Flus said made it clear to me that by wednesday there would be some shakeup on the offensive side of the ball. Flus actually put a time limit on it, and not only admitted they were looking at it, but something about getting it right. So I think you can hang your hat on the idea that there will be changes. But here's my warning - the changes will almost certainly make a difference. THe offense may well improve, even win some games. But we shoult not fall in love with incremental change. We should still want Flus gone, and we should still want to pick our leaders fromt he full menu of available options during the offseason, and not now from the limited list.

I think our best (and only?) hope here is Kevin Warren. Im not saying I have any reason to have faith in him for this, just that he is heretofore unknown on these questions, other than a rumor that he was fighting with Poles last offseason, and wanted to get rid of Fus while Poles wanted to keep him. If Warren can be a buffer between ownership and these decisions AND if he sees things more the way we do, then maybe he can make a new kind of choice. I sure hope so, but I cant say its likely just because he is unknown.

your argument about not overreacting is a good one in general. the problem is that sticking with just anyone doesnt produce results either. they have to be good. Flus has proven over and over that he is not good. sticking with him will not make us better. also to your point about hindsight, a lot of us saw this last year so it wasnt hindsight then. it was 3 historical losses that were 97% to win in the last minutes. its endless situational errors with timeouts, going for it on 4th and 1 in the wrong places. its a lack of a fundamentally sound scheme through multiple coordinators. its a string of presnap penalties that reveal a lack of discipline. We could all see that. when you know what you have is substandard, thats not the time to double down for consistency. I think we need to hire based on successful characteristics instead of safe HR hires. Then we can ride with someone for a few years and see where it goes. But if hes making consistent repeated unforced errors, there is no reason to stay with that guy.