BearFan PHX

you dont have to read their minds, you just have to follow their actions. They choose short term $ over long term winning all the time. I could make a list of all thew wrong moves they've made - keeping thew wrong guy an extra year over and over so that the new GM is stuck with a coach he didnt pick, and the new President has a GM he didnt pick. That's absolutely backwards in any organization. I mean, would they prefer to win? Sure of course they would. But are they willing to let their egos out of the way and open the pocketbooks a little to fix all this? Nope. Not for decades.

right, and it doesnt matter what the ideology is, whether i disagree with it, or wholly embrace it, it still gets in the way of football. For example, i hated the players kneeling for the national anthem, but I wouldn't care if it was for BLM, or to increase veteran's healthcare. Hell it could be to say that people shouldnt torture puppies, regardless of the message, it distracts from winning, and that's my only concern with it. Last summer when people were wondering if Caleb was gay, i posted here that *IF* he is gay, i wouldnt care as long as he was winning. But if it became an issue where his identity was making him play a victims role, then it would be awful, but if on the other hand it made him feel like he had to be the best QB ever to prove something, then it could be a positive. So again, I dont mix my politics with my football, i dont care what a player believes, as long as it helps them win games, or is neutral. The minute it steals focus, i hate it, even if i might agree with the cause they are talking about.

I've seen a bunch of different articles about them being woke. I cant find any right now unfortunately. However, they hired Poles and Eberflus with a panel that included McCaskey, Ted Phillips, Bill Polian, Soup Campbell and Tanesha Wade, who is the team's DEI director. But my problem with it isn't so much that's it's politically left or right, but any time you left some outside idea take momentum from the main goal which needs to be winning, then youre putting yourself at a disadvantage in a league that's already really hard to win in. Whether it be political (on either side) or about being religious (going to church with the McCaskeys) or even if it's just about being a boy scout - all these external concerns muddy the waters for finding winners. Pat McAfee was reporting the other day that some NFL insider told him that some teams (not necessarily the Bears!) are afraid to hire Mike Vrabel because he is so physically imposing! What?! Being a major alpha is a problem in football?! When we get to the point that owners are afraid to put their most potent options in charge because it is more important that they dominate their coach rather than that the coach dominates the league, then you have real problems.

totally agree. sheep running a football team is a bad way to proceed.

I think Bears win by a field goal.

yeah I suppose the upside of McCaskey peeing all over these previous choices is that Poles wasnt responsible for them. Doesnt mean he is good at picking coaches, but it would definitely mean that i have no evidence that he is bad at it either. This team is such a mess. I hope they make the right choice for the next head coach. Also, I just heard Pat McAfee reporting that some NFL guy at the combine thought that Vrabel was too intimidating physically for some teams to consider hiring. LOL Man what is football ABOUT then? It's a weird time.

you nailed it. it's so frustrating. I dunno what the letter would do. Theyre gonna sell when they think it's best for them, and until then, theyre gonna keep meddling. I either feel bad for Poles, or I think he's really bad at his job. And I don't know which it is.

Yes! and if we beat them, then it helps them to want to be rid of him too LOL This is a really strange time!

Yikes. If this is true, then he is just Ted Phillips in disguise. Why is our team always held hostage to non football corporate guys?!! I could imagine Ryan poles quitting and giving a press conference saying that they arent letting him make his decisions, and that he didnt want Eberflus back, and he didnt want Waldron, and they forced Flus on him int he first place, that the Bears are broken, and no one should want to work there as GM as long as ownership isnt letting GMs do their job. Who does Warren think he is? Now I REALLY dont know what to think of Poles. Was it Poles, was it Warren, was is McCaskey?

I think that Waldron was so bad, so stupid, that Brown running the offense competently is a breath of fresh air. He's making sense, he's mixing in the run game, he's matching up protections to routes, hes using personnel correctly. I am not sure whether he has that thing, that Ben Johnson has, to reinvent things and put people on their heels. he looks like a professional, and competent to me, but im not sure hes a superstar, and if we can get a superstar, we should. That said, I think brown has some leadership skills that Ben Johnson doesnt have. I am way early in this, but I'm liking the idea of Vrabel or Belichick right now, but if i could find one who was an offensive coach, Id do that. Maybe Kyle Shanahan. maybe the guy in Cleveland Stefanski (sp?) I can see why Brown looks to be a good blend of all the things Im looking for, but i want him to show me something in the passing game that I havent seen yet. ANd it feels like it might be a couple years early for him. Then again, in the NFL by the time something is certain, it's already too late. That's why teams draft QBs like Trubisky and Fields - because by the time they prove it, they are no longer available. But some do prove it, and if you can get them when they are available, thats not a bad thing either. Eh, Im still thinking this through.

yeah that's what i'm saying, that whatever went down, they presented a united front in the press conference. I dont have a link, but I did hear that Poles wanted to keep Flus and Warren wanted to fire him. It was on a podcast I watch that weve discussed before. It wasnt clickbait, it was kind of snuck in during a conversation, and wasnt the main point. i believe they heard it from internal sources at Halas hall. Whether those internal sources were right i cant say of course. We are hearing that Poles wanted Flus gone after the patriot game and the McCaskeys said no. This I believe. Maybe thats what happened during the offseason too, and the story I heard was generated to give the McCaskeys cover? It's all guesses, no actual proof. But I'm sure you'll all agree, something is rotten. I'm not really sure how to evaluate Poles without more clarity on this, and I doubt I'll ever get any. But the only way I'm cool with it is if Poles really did want to fire Flus this offseason and was told not to, and if that's the case, boy are the Bears screwed up as an organization. Anyway, we all know the 8 names or so that will be in consideration for head coach. We will each have our favorites, but any COULD be good, and any could fail, so hopefully however the decision is made, we get lucky and bring in a winner. I'm starting to soften on Belichik. I dont know if the Bears would give a guy the power he'd want, but he would almost certainly make us a better team.

Yeah FWIW, I dont disagree with what ASHKUM or Mongo are saying in general. Especially about how much easier it is to play OG because you dont have to worry about the sides so you can get into your anchor quickly. As you say Mongo, facts are facts, and i do not dispute anything youre saying about that. I'm just saying i think Braxton Jones doesnt hold up well against the bull rush, and he would have a harder time with DTs bringing that. Could he be taught? I cant say he couldnt be, but I wouldnt put him in as a starter at OG until Id seen that he could do it. My issue here is with Braxton's specific toolset and not with the general points you guys are making about the positions. i agree with all of that entirely.

Hard to know whats true and whats spin though. If Poles wanted Flus but Warren was arguing against it then they didnt have a united opinion. If Poles wanted to fire Flus but Mccaskey wouldnt allow it, then they didnt have a united opinion. And yet int he press conference, they presented a united front. So I personally dont know what to believe!

I agree it's easier because you don't have to move laterally too. So for sure, it's easier. But if you're being consistently beaten by the bull rushes, and being overpowered by strength, then a DT is gonna be even harder to deal with than a DE? There is no doubt that you're correct that a lot of failed OTs make it as OGs. We've certainly seen it on our team a bunch of times. But I dont know if Braxton Jones has the strength to make that adjustment. Youre also right that it's not just brute strength but getting into your anchor, and youre also right that not having to worry about lateral movement means you can get right to your anchor, so those are reason for optimism. Im just saying that I see Jones get bullied and manhandled with the bull rush a lot more than outside or inside moves, and so i wonder if he personally has what it takes to make that transition to OG. But in general terms, i fully agree with what you've said.

I have not heard that NFL teams pay PFF for info. Do you have a link for that?

The thing is, we really dont know what Poles wanted. We've heard rumors from people who are consistently right about what goes on in Halas Hall telling us that Warren wanted to fire Flus during the offseason, and Poles was loyal to Flus. We've also recently heard that poles wanted to fire Flus in the offseason and McCaskey wouldnt let him. They cant both be true. I wish I knew which was true. And I dont. My GUESS is that the insider info was correct and Poles kept him, and the rumpr now that it was McCaskey is meant to give Poles an out. Whatever it is, it isn't good.

When you have an OT who lacks lateral quickness, you can put them inside to play guard. That way they dont get beat around the edge. But guards handle bigger men than tackles do, so if your weakness if the bull rush, youll be worse at guard. Also, I don't think Jones' problem is just brute strength, he also plays too high, and doesnt get under the pads of the rusher. I think he will be a swing tackle, but i dont see him making the transition to guard the way a lot of other failed tackles are able to. exactly. and the defense keeps the bull rush in their pocket for the right moment, that's why Caleb is always being sacked at critical moments in the last drive. I truly dont understand how comparing players with inaccurate information is helpful? I could say that Velus Jones is a 99 and DJ Moore is a 22. Easy numbers to compare! Velus is a LOT better than DJ. Except the numbers arent correct, so just because you can easily compare them doesnt mean that there is any information there?

OK, so just look at a few minutes of this. he's not an offensive guy, but this is what we need isnt it?

I think Halas would hire Vrabel. And if he cant do better, you can always keep Thomas Brown as OC, and groom someone under him as one option for continuity. If there's a better choice out there, then so much the better. Shanny is a good name if he comes free. I'm still scared of Johnson and Kingsbury. I see the talent at OC, but I have concerns. I'm still keeping an open mind at this point, maybe as I learn more I'll get an opinion.

I think it all comes down to how much Poles actually wanted Eberflus this offseason vs being told he had to keep him. I've heard that the McCaskeys wouldnt let him fire Flus, and Ive heard that Warren wanted to fire Flus and Poles fought to keep him. Both can't be true, and I have no idea which if any are real. I'd need to know inside info I just don't have. As for the assistants, I have been a loud voice about letting a coach fill his staff, but sheesh those were bad choices. And it seems like Trace Armstrong had way too much sway with our decision makers whoever they were. Now we hope that Warren gets this right, and I dunno if he's even qualified for that. Seems another sh*tshow. The good news is we are all looking at the same names, and none of us really know which ones would work out and which wouldnt so theres some luck to it, so maybe we will get lucky and hit the right answer!

I hope one of them is actually a legendary head coach in the making, and we pick the right one.

This is just how insane PFF is. They claim ZERO pressures on Braxton Jones? Now watch only the last drive of the Lions game. On almost every play Braxton has been driven back to be right next to Caleb. There was other chaos going on too, so maybe they said someone else gave up the hurry on that play. But no way Braxton kept the pocket or allowed Williams room to not feel pressured. Remember the one that would have won the game with Moore ont he crosser and Caleb threw it to his feet? Why did that happen? Because Caleb was being pressured. And one of the players pressuring Caleb was the guy Jones was trying to block. You could realistically give Jones 3 or 4 pressures on that drive alone. PFF is just silly. I understand the seduction because it feels like stat but it isn't - it's random nonsense! That was my anti PFF rant of the day LOL You have to click "watch on youtube" to see this one...

I agree. The window is open, but this is not an easy decision. In time I am sure i will have a strong opinion about it, but i sure am glad Im not the one making the choice. Right. We are not looking for a team that wants to play a gentlemanly game of football. I want a team that enjoys bullying their opponents, and stands for team pride.

I totally agree. But mostly Poles biggest strikes have been in choosing coaches?

an offensive Vrabel would be best. But who is that? I'm open because no one looks perfect to me (yet?).