BearFan PHX

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?).

I dont know that Brown has any set of things he could do to unilaterally take the job. There are other candidates too, but then again i cant imagine him going 5-0 from here. If he did that, it'd surely be impressive. I am leaning toward Vrabel too. He has everything I'd want except he isn't an offensive guy. Honestly there is no one available that I'm 100% on. I'll just have to let it play out, and likely they will make an imperfect hire, and then Ill have to root hard for him to succeed. But if they pick another HR approved McCaskey muppet nerd, I'm gonna be angry

it might just be getting used to cameras, but he hasnt fully landed in himself yet. I cant possibly guess who he will be in 3 years, but right now, hes a little nervous to my eye. But thats for cameras, I dunno how he is in game and with players. agree, and yes. That's the trick to find that blend. I dont have a single name in mind that checks all my boxes. Hopefully in time someone will emerge.

Thomas Brown says the right things. Maybe he is the guy. But they sat him down this time so he wouldnt shift his weight, but he is still compulsively licking his lips. I counted 6 times in the first 2 minutes, and it continued. That's a classic tell of insecurity.

With all the pent up emotion, I think the Bears could well win this one. And that brings us to head coach. A good HC like Dan Campbell makes the team feel the way we do right now every week, even if you're 12-1.

so true. and while I have some early opinions, I dont see a clear answer. this is the hardest decision the Bears have had to make in decades.

OK! fair enough. Im just throwing available names out there. Looking at Detroit as a blueprint, I might be OK with Vrabel as HC, but we'd need the right OC. I tend to think we should have an offensive HC, but moving another nerdy Xs and Os guy up to HC is probably the wrong move. The guy has to be a leader at HC.

I think Ben Johnson is an offensive genius nerd, and doesnt have the alpha quality we need at HC. He is perfect as OC under Campbell, who is a meathead with all the testosterone you could ever want! I think you can add Mike McCarthy to the list too. If you want an offensive guy, I think Kingsbury has the most personal alpha energy. He's kind of an asshole, and thats just what we need. Also, I know brwn has a good chest, and as a former player he has a kind of Mike Tomlin energy, but if you look at his press conferences, he is constantly shifting his weight from one foot to the other and licking his lips non stop - both are signs of insecurity. Now hes new I agree, and he may well become an excellent head coach, but right now he does not have that confident leader of men that they say he does. At least not in front of the cameras. In my past life I was on the Letterman show about 30 times. Sometimes singing background vocals for artists, and sometimes being dumb characters. The first time I did it, I already was friends with the guys in the band from studio gigs, and the theater is pretty small, so I was feeling confident all day. The rehearsals went well, it didnt seem like a big deal. Then, when we did it for real, and the red light came on on the camera the first time, my hands felt like they were suddenly 10 sizes too large and my arms felt like they were attached wrong or something. It was VERY intimidating. I had no idea. After I did for a while it got easier. And eventually you get used to it. Maybe Brown will get used to it, and maybe he really is that confident leader. Its just right now, in early press conferences, he looks nervous as hell. I bet he will be a great head coaching candidate in a few years. But I dunno if he's really ready yet.

I think that's right. Maybe there are things Poles is good at, like drafting DBs, and things he is not so good at, like picking coaches? In general I don't think I'd necessarily have to fire Poles, he's done OK. But he sure has done a poor job with coaches. Hopefully Kevin Warren understands the alpha thing and they get the decision right. There's some luck to it too. But i sure wouldn't want Poles doing it solo at least. If they get the coach right, the rest will probably be OK, assuming he can pick some OL that are actually great. Well Im not hoping poles does poorly at all. I always want him to nail each thing he does. I just think he already screwed up so many coaching decisions that Im not really sure he understands how to make that decision. If he thought Eberflus was a leader, then he isn't reading energy very well. Kevin Warren may be a blowhard, and he may be over his head making actual football decisions, but for all his bluster, i think he understands alpha leadership so maybe he will fill in the missing piece that poles seems to lack? Anyway what I just said sounds so dysfuctional to even say out loud, it makes me want to fire Poles LOL

Well said. I understand what you say about maintaining your fandom. I just think that firing someone who is a 2 out of 10 is easy. But staying with someone who is a 6 is just as destructive. When someone shows you they are average, you move on from them, even if it isn't "fair" - of course you cant know who youre gonna get next time. They all look like 9s until you get to know them. So the point isn't that someone should be able to predict the future, but they need to be able to pull the trigger when greatness is not there. You dont have to wait for failure if you know what your goal is. Mediocrity is enough. So in that way of thinking, giving coaches extra years and hoping they will get better is foolish to my way of thinking. Coaches are grown men who should have lots of football experience already. They would be the best QBs int he NFL if they had the physical talent and youth along with their wisdom and experience. That's why you can tell with coaches pretty quick. Players are different. They get a few years to grow, and they get to make mistakes. If they keep making the SAME mistakes, then you know they are done. FOr example we kept Velus Jones way too long. Yes he had speed, but he wasnt a player. And he was DUMB. But giving Justin Fields a few years to develop made sense. There is no reason to pull the plug on a 22 year old who is new to the league. But after last year, it was obvious that he was making the same mistakes over and over again. And he was the same in Pittsburgh. The reason is he was no longer growing, this is WHO HE IS. Anyway this isnt about Justin, it's about how and when to judge people, and that the same window you give to players should not be extended to coaches. They aren't 21 years old. They are who they are. So on one hand, you talk about the chaos that comes with change, and that is real for sure. But if you know you have a 6 or worse, staying longer with them to hope they change is a bad gamble. The chaos is better than being trapped in the middle, because you can overcome chaos when the right guy leads, but youll never ride a broken horse to a Kentucky Derby victory.

we really have beaten a bunch of good teams, and then Flus gave it away. Our roster is good. We definitely need more in the trenches, and Im sure the offseason will address that. Hopefully, we will be a playoff team next year. Maybe even a contender.

LOL yeah well we are all frustrated, but I am still more optimistic about the Bears than I have been in many years. We just need to get the head coach right and then we should ascend and compete. I know some people are always positive about their team, and others are always negative, but i like to think that i am realistic, and just want to chase greatness. And I think most or all of us here are the same way.

Allen's been battling a heel injury too all year. Since his game is cutting and not speed, that makes it really hard on him. i think he's got a role on this team, but i also think you have to think about replacing him next year. He may have one more year left in him, but youll want someone with those possession type skills in the pipeline at least. A Tom Waddle type who gets open on short routes on 3rd down and makes tough catches to move the chains, even if he doesnt threaten the deep part of the defense.

Totally agree that we should be a coveted destination. I just hope we are willing to choose the right guy if he is a bit rough or not an HR dream. We have to stop the endless supply of palatable meek muppets. We need leaders. Sometimes leaders get angry. Sometimes they actually say when things are going poorly. Sometimes that helps! If Poles makes a good pick and stays, so be it. I dont hate the guy. Hes done some good things and some not so good things. I just want to be sure we get this head coach right. I read an article today that said that poles wanted to fire Flus as early as the Patriots game. Apparently McCaskey wouldnt let him. So the McCaskeys still cast a large shadow over this organization. But WHY did Poles keep Flus after last year? It was obvious that he had all the same flaws that he showed again this year. it makes it harder to trust Poles will get it right. But maybe with some help he will - getting the next coach right is all that really matters.

Nothing personal meant by this: I just think you're too forgiving if people are already part of the team. And thats your fan thing, so I respect it from that perspective. But i think building a real winner that bullies other teams on the field means being tough and harsh in evaluations as well. If someones doing OK, thats good for regular life, but it doesnt win championships. I want greatness. And the fact that i think it is possible is my version of optimism. I believe in the Bears future, but not everyone currently part of the organization. I also think you have to look at long term trends and what you learn about players and coaches. I dont agree with you when you say if someone does something good the next 4 or 5 weeks that they save themselves, if they already have years on tape of subpar performance. The games come down to the last minute, but these kind of decisions really shouldn't. I dont really give up on anyone right away. I didnt blame Flus for year #1. I didnt blame Fields at first. Rookie players need time to grow. And if they make lots of different mistakes, that's easier to ride with. But when they make the same mistakes over and over, then that's who they are. Justin is a good example. Justin Fields is a hell of an athlete. He's probably in the top 40 QBs in the world. I recognize that he is immensely talented. But I want to be the #1 team in the NFL. So I'll move on from a guy who is really damned good, but not good enough to win superbowls. And let's face it - there are probably less than 10 Qbs in the world that can do that. And none are available. So you draft, and try and when you know he isnt that guy, you move on. Not because he doesnt have positive aspects, but because if your goal is truly multiple superbowl victories, then the 15th best guy isnt enough. That's why I move off of guys sooner than you do. I dont need to think they are terrible, just to know they arent going to be top 5. ANd you know that sooner than you know if they are never going to be top 20.

We've had such inept coaching, we have to be careful we don't fall in love with simple competency. Based on small sample size, Thomas Brown has looked competent for sure. He is an obvious upgrade in every way. But I want us to do a comprehensive coaching search and make sure we get the best option from everyone that's out there and get the absolute best coach (and staff) for this team. We've done too many internal arranged marriages, like keeping Morgan as OL coach and run game coordinator. Let's get the best coach we can, and let that guy pick his staff without pressure to keep anyone we currently have. If it turns out that for example, Hoke is the best DB coach out there for us, then great, let's keep him, but not out of loyalty, but simply because he is the best option.

it's a pink picture with hearts that says "Afraid of what could go wrong? Start being excited about what can go right!" basically it's an enticement to be a fanboy and not criticize anything, to promote from within and not have any accountability. It assumes that if someone wants to fire the people who are doing their jobs poorly, that theyre a hater, instead of an optimist that believes that things could get better with some changes. Personally I think we have the best QB we've ever had, and the roster has a lot of talent on it. I want a new better coaching staff, and a GM that I can trust to get that decision right. I have optimism that we could find those guys.

yeah, especially for a team that acts like a corporation worshipping HR, they sure dont actually know how to organize anything do they? This whole things feels like a home spun bake sale. I wish we had a competitive owner with some vision. I do think if we get the head coach right, we can win with this structure, but it isnt the best for sure. Can it pick the right head coach?

Belichick is too old and needs full control - not that he wouldn't be better than what we have, but he wasn't so great the past few years. Belichick was a genius, but he's too old now I think.