jason

His bullshit reasoning is why McMahon didn’t play longer as a Bear, and why Charles Martin should have faced severe penalty.

You make some solid points, but it's not that simple IMO. Fields lacks confidence, which impacts the slant, etc. You mentioned rollouts, which is odd because that doesn't appear to even be in the playbook. Maybe if it were run a few times then the Bears could actually take advantage of misdirection. There is virtually no misdirection or surprise on the 2023 Chicago Bears' offense. Look at Stroud yesterday. TD #1 - Fake toss right, WR screen left for TD #2 - Fake handoff, naked boot to throwing arm side, dump off and the receiver gets 60yds YAC. TD #3 - Gee, whattaya know? Another fake handoff, naked boot to throwing arm side, bomb to a wide open WR who had a ton of time to run a slow-developing double move. Everyone's blowing Stroud like he didn't make three easy throws. Put Fields in just some of those situations and maybe he looks a bit different.

He looked like a bad backup with potential to be a competent NFL journeyman. I also liked his confidence. And, yeah, he surprised everyone by not being 100% terrible. But when people start saying he should start over Fields because of stat A or stat B, it gets a little ridiculous.

At best, John Doe got help from his wingmen to get two fat Girl’s’ phone numbers. The Bears sucked during his 5-game stretch, only won two games, one of which was a squeaker versus the lowly Panthers, and Bagent averaged less than 200yds per game. I love the story like anyone else, but let’s not get it confused with revisionist history. Bagent sucked. But he did a few things differently than Fields, one of which is getting rid of the ball quickly. That was clearly by design to make up for Bagent’s glaring weaknesses. (Gee, imagine if they game-planned specifically for the things Fields does well.) Comparing the two with any stat is laughable at best given how much the team had to change just so Bagent could look professional.

John Doe says "Hi" to 100 women and only 3.4% reject him. Jim Doe say "Hi baby, you wanna go out?" to 100 women and 10.6% reject him. Takes no nuts or courage to do the first thing. Doing the second thing is going for the win instead. I'd rather have the latter. The former is a recipe for John Shoop dink and dunk, teams that hover around .500, and zero excitement.

This thread is one of the primary reasons why I’ve limited my games to just one or two a year for the last several years.

That’s just a bonus. If you can find studs later than the second round then it’s the cherry on top.

Noting the PFF source is worth triple highlighting. Their stats are steaming dumpster juice as we all have discussed numerous times. I didn't even want to quote reply and leave their data in there. My eye test says the OL isn't very good and the Bears only have one quality WR on the roster. Having said that, I honestly think the stats are deceiving for Fields. It seems like every other play one of the linemen take their turn sucking and letting a guy fly right through. So, that probably makes the Fields stats amplified towards the negative because he's never comfortable. And when they're not rotating being horrible, the pocket collapses faster that that submersible that went to visit the Titanic. (too soon?) Do I think Fields is Peyton Manning? But I think he's a top-10 QB if the Bears ever sorted out out how to protect him, game plan to take advantage of his strengths, and have NFL-caliber talent to catch the ball.

And that's kind of the point. Nobody has the clear crystal ball. Even Bill Polian said the draft is at best 50/50. That's why I'm a huge advocate of trading down just about every year. Before I say this, I know it's not technically how the math works out, but... If the success rate of a first round pick is 35%, and a second round pick is 20%, I'd rather go with two of the second round guys. The second round guys are less likely to turn into HoF players as some other number crunching has shown in the past, but a team full of 2nd round players is more likely a complete team compared to a team that has players littered from 1st through UDFA.

I argue he did not fail with Stroud. No way he could have selected another QB last year.

The most shocking thing today was to find out the Bears had a QB Coach.

Bingo. Rivera would be my choice as DC. As for OC, I just want someone opposite of journeyman Getsy, whose resume is not that impressive. WR Coach, Offense QC, WR Coach, OC, QB Coach (w/ Rodgers as QB), and then hired by Bears. I want someone who has a proven track record of offensive success, preferably at multiple locations with multiple sets of players. My dark horse selection is Ryan Grubb from Washington. Dude is a stud. Everywhere he goes there is offensive success. A huge reason Washington went from "who?" to the National Championship game. Washington 2022-23: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Fresno State 2020-21: Offensive Coordinator/Assoc. Head Coach/Quarterbacks 2019: Offensive Coordinator/Assoc. Head Coach/Offensive Line 2017-18: Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator Eastern Michigan 2014-16: Offensive Line Sioux Falls 2010-13: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks 2007-09: Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator South Dakota State 2006: Wide Receivers 2005: Running Backs

Correct. Love is not tier 1. But look how dangerous even a second tier qb can be in the NFL when given a ton of time to throw. They don’t get to the NFL on looks. Give any of them enough time and they light up defenses.

Preach. Same thing that ruined Cutler. Even a tough guy in the NFL starts to hear alarms more and more quickly when constantly hammered or pushed by dudes the size of gorillas. Confidence goes away. Failing confidence is then the anchor on the footwork boat. After that it’s just a matter of self-preservation.

I still don’t think Fields is the primary problem. Coaching is horrendous. And the OL never let him get comfortable. Maybe once or twice all game he got to make a 5 or 7 step drop and work progressions.

I think he might come up a bit short.

Be careful with that logic. If their defense sucks, it's likely pulling any good players down with it. Could be Carter, or maybe not. But if the Bears have shown us anything over the course of the last 30 years, it's that a very good player can come to a horrible situation and look much worse. We've seen it over and over again.

This right here is the cement on the issue. No way they piss off DJ and the rest of the locker room. Fields is staying.

Hell yeah. I love it except Rattler. That dude is a Grade A dirt-bag. Using those same picks, I'd go with this: 3. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State - Perfect fit. 10. Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State - Stud OT for years to come. 44. Pe(Nix), QB, Washington/Oregon - Whichever is there. I'd rather it be Nix since I officiated some of his games in HS. 68. Sedrick Van Pran, C, Georgia - Solid all around, quick feet. 76. Blake Corum, RB, Michigan - I don't care if he's short. He ripped Alabama apart, and that jump cut was incredible. 79. Xavier Truss, G, Georgia - Back to back UGA OL. 81. Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE, Minnesota - Some might think this is too high, but I love this guy. I swear I was watching blurry eyed and thought he ran similarly to Gronk. 107. Zak Zinter, G, Michigan - I'd like the Bears to take a flyer on a guy who broke his leg at the end of the year. Day 2 floor, Day 1 upside if he comes back from injury. **BONUS** - I wouldn't mind a small trade to pick up a "meaningless" 7th rounder or two. 7th Round - Isaiah Davis, RB, South Dakota State - If you watched the FCS Championship, you understand.

Serious question. The idea here is if the Bears decide to go all-in offensively. What do they need to be a top unit?

And if all goes well, it works perfectly as the peak year. 2024 should see Fields have his best season yet, get re-signed, DJ and new offensive weapons gel, the defense gets even better, and the Bears make the playoffs. Then 2025 is the make it or break it year, where the Bears fill one or two holes by drafting blue chips and/or trading for a mega-FA.

Excellent point. Why would Poles want to start over on something he’s been carefully building? He should trade the #1. And again if necessary. Load up on picks, get talent everywhere, increase the odds of someone panning out, and build a total team.

That's one of the primary reasons I want to stick with Fields. When he has a competent team around him, maybe even a good team, he excels. And he it against some of the best teams in the NCAA, as you mentioned. Meanwhile, Caleb Williams has elite talent all around him, and he struggles in the garbage-ass PAC12, a conference that's imploding before our eyes. When Fields has nobody threatening at RB, a single WR that can get open, and OLinemen taking turns impersonating turn-styles, how in the world can the dude consistently be good? Stick with Fields, trade the #1 for a haul, build the team. Makes the most sense. Drafting a QB #1 and then giving him the same, flawed options Fields has is a recipe for disaster that will set the franchise back another 4-5 years. Again.

Disagree. If they get that massive haul from Washington, you could do something like this: 3 - MHJr, WR, OSU 9 - Olu, OT, PSU 35 - Penix or Nix, QB That would be great. Gives Fields one superstar weapon, one elite blocker, who together should reshape the offense. Meanwhile Pe(Nix) sits for a year and matures. If Fields pans out, great. If not, hand the reigns to Pe(Nix) and draft another Day 2 QB in 2025 for insurance.

This is the most intriguing answer to me. Could give the Bears back-to-back picks in the first round.