BearFan PHX

well reasoned. I agree that would be the move. Of course it all depends on what they think of Bates and Connor Williams' state of health and continued ability. But from what we know now, I totally agree.

I agree with you about us not signing Bakhtiari, and possibly resigning Ngokoue. I do think there is a decent chance we sign Connor WIlliams though. Especially if we have increased concerns about Davis and need bates to fill in there. Dont forget Williams is a true stud at center, and when you can add those kind of players, you dont let stopgaps stop you.

true. I dont know if he has accuracy off of the tee?

I dont think its a negotiating problem, I think Hard Knocks wants to film them signing, just like the league asked us to wait 5 minutes before making our #1 pick. I will be shocked if Caleb holds out.

I do hear some writers resurrecting the old "Caleb is selfish and wants to break the system" stuff, and i think that's an old narrative that proved not to be true when we finally met the guy in interviews etc. I feel like because Caleb didnt have an agent (and doesnt need one) he also didnt have a PR person, and so for a few months before the draft rumors flew wildly unchecked and unanswered. But now, now that we have "met" him, I think those narratives are shown to be nothing more than negative clickbait, and stories planted by lower teams hoping to wiggle him loose from us. I would bet strongly that Caleb wants to play and win more than he wants to fool with his unchangeable rookie deal? That doesnt mean that Stinger is wrong about his second deal though. He's gonna want the moon. And if he's earned it, we should consider ourselves lucky to pay it. Hopefully Caleb can bring us at least one Super Bowl victory on his rookie deal. Two would be better LOL

Daniels' contract in Washington is fully guaranteed. I think they will give that to Caleb too. Theres really nothing for them to argue about. The Bears should just give it, and they still get a bargain for the next three or four years, so I agree with you.

if it is that language, the Bears can just give on that point. It only applies if we cut him in the first four years. He cant leave, we'd have to cut him. Even a trade wouldnt trigger the language, just a straight cut and then he signs with someone else. I mean if Caleb wants to go, all a team has to do is offer a 6th round pick for him and wed take that over cutting him. Youd have to imagine that no one wanted him, but then someone DID want him, and paid him enough that itd make a difference to what we wouldnt pay. So youd need to have a scenario where 1) we agreed to cut him 2) no team offered even a 7th rounder (to pick up his rookie deal! theyd actually pay more if they dont trade to sign him) 3) they then paid him large enough money that the cap offset would matter to us it's such a tiny niche and so unlikely. I think it's much more likely that Hard Knocks wants to film the contract signings.

our back 7 are stacked, and we have Sweat and hopefully Dexter as impact players. We still need one more pass rusher, but this defensive roster is pretty damn solid.

I agree with all of this. The reasons to meet Williams are: In case he falls (not likely) In case a trade is available start your book on him for free agency in 4 or 5 years scout the player you want to go into the draft knowing everything, even if it's not likely, and you want to open your pro personnel file on the guy too Im watching episode 2 right now and there's lots of good Caleb and Rome stuff youll love.

Theres only three things they could disagree on in the contract. The rest is mandated. 1) When they get paid their money 2) whether we can recoup if they get arrested and cant play 3) whether they can double dip salaries if we cut them Honestly, if any of those is a hold up Id blame the Bears. Lots of players get all three their way. I did hear a rumor that they asked them to wait until Hard Knocks is filming to sign their contracts. That sounds more likely to me. Just like they asked us to wait 5 minutes before making our pick for TV. Also, if Caleb was trying to change the rules, he'd have an agent to do that. The reason he doesnt have an agent is that there is almost nothing to negotiate. ANd to the $100M or whatever the going rate for the best QBs is when his second deal comes along, if he's earned it, we will be lucky to have him and pay it.

Theres only three things they could disagree on in the contract. 1) When they get paid their money 2) whether we can recoup if they get arrested and cant play 3) whether they can double dip salaries if we cut them Honestly, if any of those is a hold up Id blame the Bears. Lots of players get all three their way. I did hear a rumor that they asked them to wait until Hard Knocks is filming to sign their contracts. That sounds more likely to me. Just like they asked us to wait 5 minutes before making our pick for TV. To the rest - YES - I cant wait!

I agree. I think Caleb hits high marks, and with so much talent around him, the ball gets spread around, so we might not be able to judge the dominance of our receivers and tight ends on stats alone, but also how they get each other open.

it's an interesting question. I've been thinking outside the box (which probably means a bunch of silliness) about this and I have a few ideas. 1) I wondered about whether they might expand the rule to include a punt style kickoff choice, like after a safety, but i realized that hang time means nothing in this case because no one can move before the ball hits the ground or the receiver. So hang time, however the ball is kicked is meaningless. 2) Accuracy seems to be the main point here, so if our new punter can kick more accurately from a tee, then by all means yes, but i think they are such different motions it's unlikely. 3) I have heard some thought that having a linebacker kick the ball might work because you dont need so much leg strength, and maybe having a surer tackler on the field is more important than kicking skills? 4) You still need a placekicker for field goals and extra points, so you cant really free up a roster spot with any of the ridiculous ideas I've put above lol 5) I expect a lot of innovation and trickery on the returns. Throwbacks, reverses etc. If it ends up meaning that talented players score or gain better field position then great - but if it ends up meaning that randomly, teams get free touchdowns or superior field position because the play is too chaotic, then i will hope they change it. I want the best team to win, not the luckiest. Whatever occurs, it's going to be interesting.

amen!

totally agree. I dont know how the year will start out, but I wouldnt want to put a ceiling on this team in December after a year's experience. This feels to me like 1984, when we lost to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. I think we will be a good team, but we will likely need to learn a lesson about how deep you have to dig in order to win those important games against good teams. We might be playing well and just not match the energy of a more experienced team that knows how deep you have to go to get to the Superbowl? But like I said, if things are clicking, we will certainly have the talent to go far, and if they have gelled and faced enough adversity during the year, I wouldnt necessarily put a ceiling on it.

and thats without Connor Williams

I think it depends on a lot of factors. If youre looking at the roster long term, and really think Connor Williams is a true stud, and dont think either of the two guys you got is a top 5 center, then you absolutely do it. Also if Nate Davis wants to keep playing primadonna, they may be looking at Bates over there, and that increases the need for Williams too. But I think Williams wont really be fully healed until mid season, so you wait as long as you can to sign him as prices fall this time of year, and if you can pick him up cheap, or with a contract that is mostly incentives or team options at higher prices in future years, I think you do eventually do that. Before he was injured, a lot of people were predicting Williams would be our first free agent acquisition. Now he's hobbled, but the long term picture is still there too. Imagine a team with guys like Booker who are a little too early, and players like Connor Williams who are gonna take a minute to get back to form, and a rookie QB and WR - it's like planting seeds that will grow to significantly enhance your roster as time goes on. If they all hit, you're sitting strong having paid a bargain.

they added him back in January, but just now got him signed. Hes a camp addition, unlikely to make the squad though.

Absolutely. He seems to have ridiculous "bend" and we seemingly got him a little "cheap" for being willing to take him on in his early stages. Then again, it also means we can be the ones to teach him those foundational habits without having to unlearn other set in patterns. All in all, I think Booker has a real chance to be great, and to not have to spend a 1st or 2nd round pick to get him is just more winning from our scouting department. Imagine if Williams and Booker are both peaking in December, we might be like a 2nd year team when the playoffs come around this year. THen we'd be a year ahead on the schedule, and that would be fantastic.

lol

I was just watching an epidsoe of 1920 Football Drive from last year, and I remembered this chart that got caught on camera. I remember we all talked about it, and myself included. It looks so different now a year later. The three Bears top "A Score" (athletic score) were Justin Fields, Chase Claypool and Velus Jones Jr. Two are gone and one is competing for WR5. You always need to draft football players, not athletes. Thankfully, Poles seems to get that right a lot, so maybe this A score isnt the most important component of their decision making. Anyway, I laughed when I saw it, and thought you guys might too.

They surely saw the explosion in his lower body from his vertical, broad jump and 3 cone, and his upper body strength has been obvious to everyone the whole time. But youll recall a lot of pundits and football people at the time saying he was a NT or 1T and not fast enough off of the ball to be a real 3T. And there are not a lot of examples of players who went from slow off the ball to having a fast trigger. But obviously, Dexter had that in him, so of course youre right, because by about week 8 or so last year he was getting off with the rest of the line. So Im just saying the staff did a great job of uncovering someone for a 3T who was not obviously going to be that kind of player. I dont think a lot of people ever saw him being this agile, and i think that's a big win for the scouting staff. And in general this staff has done a great job of finding hidden value in later picks and UDFA that average teams might have missed. For example, if other teams knew that he would look like he did in December of last year coming off the ball, back in March of last year, he would have certainly been drafted higher. So Im giving a point to the Bears staff for the win.

totally agree, but from who he was in college, I think most would have projected him as a NT / 1T, That they saw a 3T in him was impressive I think. And wholesale change rarely happens like that? From slow and strong to fast, agile and disruptive.

of course, yes, but it is very rare that a player changes so much. Most cant. For example, you dont take a regular guy off of the streeet who runs a 5.5 second 40 yard dash and turn him into an NFL cornerback. Im saying this transformation is really rare, and Im impressed that our scouts could see past what he was to what he could be - thats not normal.

totally agree. Since you posted that article ive watched some film on him, and he is probably a 5th or 6th round pick we stole as an UDFA. As I was watching film from the senior bowl, I saw more Tvondre Sweat, and damn that guy is a bowling ball.