BearFan PHX

truth! and this season is just the warm up band. The 2025 season we should be bona fide super bowl contenders. With this roster we can climb the mountain to become a top 5 team, and even get to the super bowl. The real test will be what it takes to overcome and defeat Kansas City. It might take a minute, like the Bulls getting past the Pistons. I could imagine losing a super bowl to KC before going on a run of multiple championships.

it's a good point, but any GM will have their hits and misses. The questions within their control are how quickly they admit they missed on the misses and whether they are able to solve the problem quickly with another solution. I definitely have hope that one of the two center options will be good, but I don't need Poles to hit 100% for us to be successful. It's just extra bad if you keep failing at the same position for sure. Still there is reason to believe one of the two at least will be decent, and perhaps Connor is waiting in the wings. Or a trade deadline solution.

that made me happy

I think the Bears defense in total was top 5 for the last 12 weeks of the season, i.e. once we got Sweat in there. Doesn't mean they will be top 5 next year, or that they will dominate the good teams, but I can see why there is reason to hope they will?

adam, cool and interesting analysis as always. Thanks for that.

me too! never heard of them! I googled it and found that link. Crazy.

who knew? https://jmusports.com/news/2023/11/12/football-jmu-rises-to-18-in-ap-top-25.aspx

We should pick up Connor Williams on a deal with a 3 year contract as our option next year. Let him heal and see where he is in October.

thats how it goes when you have a better than average roster! I couldnt believe Leno got paid too. There is a lot of bad football out there, and we used to be a big part of it.

yup. it's a deep plan and it keeps unfolding with permutations we (or at least I) couldnt see until we came up on them. Poles is a real pro.

for sure they do, yes, but that's not a high bar LOL

well no, you still have your safeties playing their shell, whatever it is. Im not talking about an 11 man blitz, but i am talking about flowing to one side or another, and shooting linebackers into gaps as a guess at the play. The downside of being wrong is a 10 yard play, and then it's just 1st and 10 on the 30 or whatever. The defensive playcalling is different when you have 65+ yards at your back to defend, just like it changes across mid field and again in the red zone when the field gets short. We just havent seen it much because our opponents usually start with better field position than that. Not anymore though, for several reasons. One is our offense, and another is out new punter

I think we have two options at center now in Bates and Shelton. The loser of that competition can compete at guard as well.

I agree we arent an attacking defense per se, although as the roster gets better, we may do that more. I dunno. But being able to guess on first down that its a run to the right for example, rather than playing it all honestly, gives you the chance to guess right, and put the opponent into a passing situation. You cant play those first down guesses as the opponent gets near to midfield where you have to defend everything. Basically, with 65+ yards at your back, you can afford to guess wrong on first down, and you can possibly guess right and get the ball back. That's what a good punter can do for you, even if youre not a blitz heavy team.

One thing about field position that I rarely if ever see discussed is that when the opposing team takes the ball on their own 20 (lets say) the defensive coordinator can afford to gamble on first down. If he guesses right, it puts them into a passing situation where the defense dictates tempo. And if they guess wrong, it's just first and 10 on the 30. By the time you get to midfield, the defense has to play more honestly, defending everything. So if a Punter gives you the field position to gamble on one or two more first downs, it dramatically increases the likelihood that youll get the ball back with good field position. In turn, you want to see Caleb getting the ball at the 40, and not backed up on his own 10. And of course if we can pin other teams inside their own 10 yard line, that gives the defense a real shot at quick stops, safeties, and turnovers. So a great punter can do more than just get you a few more yards in field position, it can allow your defense to get the ball back quickly, and give our offense good field position to start drives, where the opposing defense cant have the same advantage I just described.

and if Fields is not your starter, you can actually let him run with less fear of injury, and as an open field runner, Fields is GREAT, he just cant be allowed to do that AND be the starting QB. I might even experiment with Fields as a kick returner if Im Pittsburgh.

he has off the chart leadership qualities for sure. I think he will bring the leadership fire I wanted from Harbaugh to offset Eberflus' steadier demeanor. And that works well too. On some teams the QB is the "bad cop" leader with the insatiable desire to win. Surely Brady yelled at players and coaches in his single minded efforts to win at all costs.

right, and to continue the mental exercise, it's as if we traded a 5th for Bates that became a conditional 4th if a Booker was available in the 5th LOL

thanks for that. I swear I learn more on this board than I do in the media.

yes, after making a sacrifice offering by burning the 2021 season to the ground.

Well it wasn't a highlight reel, but I saw him shedding blocks, using his hands well, has a non stop motor and a heavy hitter. He has good size, length and bend, and he's athletic. A good prospect, but not like a first or second round pick or ready to be an NFL 3 down starter.

right - the days of finding starters in the later rounds are over for us, because our roster is so much stronger.

So our 2024 draft is: 1a) QB Caleb Wiliams 1b) WR Rome Odunze 2) DE Montez Sweat 3) OT Kiran Amagadjie 4a) WR Keenan Allen 4b) P Tory Taylor 5a) C Ryan Bates 5b) DE Austin Booker not bad at ALL We got major impact blue chippers at important positions QB, WR (x2), DE And depth at important positions OT, DE And added a very good center and punter.

I'll join ya! Smiles across Phoenix LOL

I agree, that would be incredibly frustrating and a threat to everything Poles has built so far.