DABEARSDABOMB

Desai is a really good coach.

Jenkins hurt his shoulder and didn’t practice. I don’t know why Borom didn’t play but Jenkins not playing was due to health.

Robinson took iv before game just to play. I think it is trendy to say he mailed it in but that doesn’t sound like a guy mailing it in. Dude has not had the season he expected. He dealt with injuries and issues with chemistry with Fields but he lost 10ths from Covid and had multiple Iv in last couple of days including this morning just to get out there. I still think if I ran the team, presuming him and Fields can put in the work this offseason(and I see no reason they wouldn’t) I would be okay bringing him back while also drafting another wideout. If they don’t they have to land another free agent wideout. That said I get it if they want to go with a quicker guy cause Fields isn’t playing like a qb who will fit well with Robinson.

And how is that helping a young QB.

So bears definitely have need at wideout…if new front office and coach comes in I wonder if they might try to keep Robinson / use franchise tag as possible leverage. Just feels wrong if they go with Mooney and have to pay big money in free agency plus use picks. The wr crop is just so thin.

No such thing as too high to pick a tackle if they are good. Jenkins had one game with literally no practice time. The only thing to even note is he played with the nastiness I want an olineman to play with. Glad he will get these few games to get his feet wet and put him in a better position for what he needs to do in offseason to get better.

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/6-bears-head-coach-candidates-if-matt-nagy-fired-including-ryan-day Thought it might be good to start putting a thread together on our general thoughts on who might be a good candidate. Below article from NBC sports seemed like a good starting point. I think the big thing to me is - I think I've gained an appreciation for experience, finding a coaching candidate who has seen the rodeo and understands and has showed a skillset to consistently evolve in the league. When the Bears went with Nagy - I really couldn't argue the hire. Pace went the way the league was going and found a young, innovative, up and coming mind who had the personality to succeed as a head coach. I think Pace got MANY of those traits right - however, what we didn't yet know was how said individual would handle adversity and be able to adapt. The biggest issue with Nagy has been his inability to make adjustments and continue to meld his offense so that it stays ahead of the league. Once the league got the book on what Nagy did - he basically just kept doing the same (but slightly different). He struggled to create a vision / style that went with the team because quite frankly, in his early coaching tenor he hadn't had to go through those challenges. Where he missed was he didn't have the right coaches around him (or trust in those coaches) nor did he have the right skillets (at least not yet) to lean in and pivot and make appropriate adjustments. With that in mind - I think of Joe Brady & Daboll as two people who have yet to show any ability to make real adjustments. Brady is so raw that we really don't know what he is at the NFL level and Daboll, as awesome as his work was with Josh Allen - we have seen the league make adjustments this year and have not YET seen him adjust back. I think it will be interesting to see how he finishes the season - if he can work with the offense to make the necessary adjustments - HE IMMEDIATELY jumps to the top of my list. Other people who fit on my list are Greg Roman - who clearly has demonstrated an innovative way to consistently stay ahead of the league in his ability to optimize the run game, which I think is a really good asset when it comes to developing a young QB. He also has twice shown an ability to adapt offenses around raw, athletic QB's (Kap & Jackson). I don't know whether he has the other traits - but he has also had a chance to work with two elite head coaches (Harbaugh's) which at the very least is a plus. I also am good looking at Dave Toub as well as other defensive coordinators that we think are seasoned and have right fit/personality (Leslie Frazier getting a 2nd chance wouldn't be terrible). The other spot I have no interest in is going to the college ranks. From Ryan Day to Fitzpatrick (Northwestern) - I just see the risk as too great. A few other names that I don't know what to think of, but I could get on board with: Byron Leftwich - Seemed to do a lot to blend the Arians style with Brady. Liked what he did there - but its still Brady so I don't know what to really think of Leftwich. Eric Bienemy (Chiefs OC) - Like that he has more experience than Nagy and I still believe heavily in the Andy Reid tree/system. The plus is there is consistency/similarities that come with Eric, but that is also a potential downside element. Todd Bowles (Bucs DC) - Not much I don't like with Bowles. He may be my favorite candidate. He has had innovative, aggressive defenses everywhere he has been and in hindsight, his tenure with the Jets (given their personal & fact they are the Jets) was a lot better than he initially got credit for. I think he's learned a lot in his subsequent ventures as well and has clearly shown an ability to adapt and evolve in the league and has gotten to spend the past few years working with an offensive guru in Arians, so I think he's positioned to understand what it takes to find the right OC. Josh McDaniels - So this is hard for me to write. The way he did the Colts rubs me the wrong way and I can't forgive it and there is the Cutler fiasco. But this is a guy who has shown an innate ability to adjust his offense to reflect various personell and is doing an amazing job positioning a young QB to exceed. His resume is fantastic - but the intangibles get in the way and as much as I love his performance and how good he can be, its the personality that is making me have an ugly face as I type this. Sean Payton - Obvious answer - but if he is interested - I'd give him a blank check to drive change

Robinson quit on the team. This was just one example but there was a ton of sloppy play from him out there. He isn’t the only one either at this point. That said I want to see the young tackles hopefully grow along with Fields, Mooney and others. Johnson was awesome on Adams and Packers really didn’t get going until they basically schemed away from Johnson and attacked the rest of the non existent secondary. I would like to win at least 2 of next 4…ideally 3 of next 4 through good development of core pieces. Show new front office and coaching candidates the ship is closer than it may appear (partly due to injuries). I wish there was a Brandon Marshall / Alshon Jeffrey combo offseason available haha. Gallup is intriguing though.

And like that - he is starting on Sunday.

Mooney had a weird quote saying if Fields is hurt it sure doesn't look like it. That might be more of just him implying Fields is looking more like himself or maybe the Bears are being extra protective and want to position Fields to really play following GB game (where he has a shot to finish the season on a nice run).

I agree - that is why I kind of said certain positions are what you need to tackle - you still have to follow relative draft board, free agency and trade and figure out best way to go get those items. If a great safety is there and the wideouts aren't good - you draft the safety and find another way to get the wideout.

I am prioritizing the offense - so yeah, I could argue safety is a bigger hole than Center, but you know what, the center protects the biggest investment on this team (Fields) so that makes center more important. Similarly - I feel the same way about wideout and the value it will have on Fields. I also think safety is a position you can change via free agency and other spots too. And Mustipher is not good. I Liked him last year and maybe he will grow as season goes on, but his physical limitations are becoming obvious. He's a good depth/back-up guy, not strong enough to be a quality starting center.

One more point - but as everyone on here knows - I think if Fields proves to be good - this franchise is on the way up and big time and is much closer to being a pretty good football team vs. a terrible team. But I do think there are some very clear needs that have to be addressed: - Center (prefer via draft, but type of position you can affordably fill in FA - not sure the candidates out there) - Wideout - EARLY DRAFT PICK - Mooney has an elite skillset (NOT AN ELITE WIDEOUT but he has speed in spades and is good with a true plus skill that is actually useable). He is the only one under contract that is worth anything. Even Robinson - as good and productive as he is, his skill is his skill...pure talent and seperation skills are limited and Bears CLEARLY need a massive upgrade at this position to help wideouts. In an ideal world - Arob and Fields would show a connection (my guess is neither play this week and than we have them both back starting next week - would be massive if they can show real chemistry and growth). In a perfect world - Arob/Fields show that growth and you get Arob and extension, have Mooney continue his upward path and DRAFT another receiver with upside (ideally you have an extra 1st or 2nd from a Mack trade that can be deployed here - so high investment). You also SIGN a slot type of guy too (no more of these sign random dudes with speed and call them wideouts - get me guys who can get open and play football). - DB - EARLY DRAFT PICK - We clearly need to find another good CB. I suppose they could go FA route here, but I feel like big money FA DB's are risky propositions. Plus I want more money invested on the offense as to surround our young QB with as much as possible to succeed. I would actually be okay if they picked up a young DB and went back and grabbed Fuller (who I think would be available at a much cheaper rate and probably hungry and sometimes guys just fit in better in different places). But this is a clear area of need that has to be addressed and my gut says with a 2nd rounder (I am hoping we can acquire at a minimum a 2nd rounder in a trade - so one can be WR and the other DB). - LB - We need to upgrade our speed next to Roquan. I think this is something that could be filled via a combination of mid-range FA signing + mid round draft picks. Playing next to Roquan should make any other LB better and Ogletree has been fine, but reality is Ogletree/Trevathan both are way past their primes and these are not expensive positions and they should be able to upgrade. They also need to PAY ROQUAN. - Safety - Ugly position, probably have to see if you can sign a mid-range type guy to make things better and i don't know cap situation with Ejax. They may be stuck one more year with Ejax, hope you can find a mid-range guy. If somehow you trade Mack for a 1st & 2nd - than things get interesting. At that point - I'd prioritize taking a CB, Safety, and WR (in no particular order). Note: I AM IGNORING TACKLE AND GUARD. I want to see what Borom / Jenkins can do plus I will live with Whitehair/Daniels in the interior. That means extending Daniels. Center is the weak link and than if Borom/Jenkins don't work, that becomes a critical area of need via FA / Draft in '23 (the good news being if you have moved at least Mack, between him being off the books, having a rookie contract QB, having all of your draft picks, plus quite a few other aging vets gone - they will have MASSIVE cap space in 23 to upgrade line and fill other parts).

I see ZERO scenario where they win this game. Quite frankly - no need to start Fields or Robinson here. Focus on getting them both at 100% in a week and than see how they can finish the season from that point forward. I'd actually probably just treat this as a mini-bye week and not rush Hicks or Roquan either. I will caveat - if Hopkins/Murray don't play, than I think it gets a bit more intriguing as it makes the game more "winnable" and technically a win here would be huge at restoring playoff hopes (which I don't really care about but if you are Nagy you probably do).

I think the worse case scenario is they do nothing in the front office and Pace stays pat. It means he'll be under a lot of win now pressure and may be way too short-sited. To me they either promote him and bring up Champ, extend him (least favorite option - but it at least gives him the security to manage in the long), or you can him and just start fresh. I am fine with scenario 1 (promote and leverage Champ) or scenario 3 (new guy). The one thing I like about scenario 1 - it might be the best path to get the right segregation with a football president established so even if Pace isn't the guy I would pick - it sets the precident for the future. A big example I would have is: if a GM is on a super hot seat, would they take the short term pain to move Mack and/or Quinn for assets (while knowing it limits '22 cap flexibility). The plus is it gives the front office more assets to deploy on the offensive side of the football - helping set the foundation for Fields and his development + it creates a TON of long term cap flexibility (23/24/25). But I would say in the near term - it certainly doesn't make the team more likely to be a playoff team. I want a GM who can make a decision that effectively balances impact on 22 vs. impact on 22-25 type of horizon. I can live with a HC that is on a shorter tenure, but with GM's, they have to have security to, otherwise they have way too much power to completely mess up a franchise.

One other point - I think you are right - if they are going to get rid of Pace - than they may actually wait on removing Nagy until the end of the season, unless they are looking at switching the dynamics and hiring the coach first and letting the coach have more say in who the GM / front man will be. I still think Pace will be back and I kind of buy into the rationale of him moving up a level and them promoting from within (Champ Kelly - who is pretty darn well respected in league circles).

People get crazy - maybe he just got awful advice and took a bad report. And sometimes someone super respected goes off the deep end at some point. What he wasn't is a pulitzer prize winning SPORTS reporter. HE was a non sports journalist wading into sports...and he got burned.

I am with you 100%. I think it was a bad scoop, a bad rumor from somewhere, I don't know, but I don't believe the Bears had any intention of letting go of Nagy or had formally made that decision. Maybe in there mind George was like - if we get routed by Detroit on Turkey day that is it - but that is very different than the report and I could at least plausbily understand that. But I expect Nagy will be here through Week 15 - at that point, either he has literally won out or Fields is on a huge hot streak and we are going - nope, keep him, or they are in same place as today and he is probably gone at that point so they can officially get a head start. Bears have literally zero history of axing guys sooner and I also will say - I don't like Nagy as a HC, but the guy handled a really bad situation WITH A TON of class this past week.

I don't think that a report going out a day early changes the ownership's plans. I think there was zero truth to the rumor and the Bears just bungled it. If there was truth - they would have just went out and made the announcement the next day and actually accelerated the move. Once you have decided to let someone go, they aren't going to go, oh wait, I'm not going to do it now that a report leaked - you just accelerate it and get done.

So he was one of the biggest reasons i ripped Pace last year. This year he has been spectacular and it turns out that whole drop foot/injury he had was real. His bend is elite and he has a special ability to get to QB and is playing good on the run. Dude is dominant and dare I say it, presuming he stays healthy this year, if Bears wanted to he would be a dynamic trade asset or just a really good player opposite Mack in next years D (yes Quinn is old - but pass rushers, especially guys with that bend, have an ability to have pretty long and effective careers).

The Stafford dael was a gross overpay at the time and still is. Rams have mortgaged everything. Best thing that could happen is McVay depends out and comes to Chicago with a fresh restart

I actually think 4-2 might work, presuming both wins are against Minnesota. The Steelers, Niners, and Ravens games were just brutal losses - they should have won all 3 (quite frankly) but at a minimum 2 of those 3 games. We would actually be 50/50 at this point. That said - I am focused on development right now, most notably Fields but really want to see Borom, Jenkins, Mooney, Johnson, Kmet, Gipson and the other young guys development as those players arrows pointing up and showing real growth is way more important to the franchise being closer to the promise land than a true rebuilding mode. If in that path they make it interesting from a playoff perspective - great, but development is most important and I do want to temper my expectations given how many injuries the D has had.

I tend to agree with you. I think Matt Nagy will get another shot and be successful in future, having grown from his experience as previous HC and some more OC type of work. I think highly of Nagy's ability to be more of a CEO - but he didn't have enough experience leading/play calling and doing some of those other things and I think he'll learn from that. But there are many plus(es) I tie to Nagy too, even how professionally he handled such a tough week and being put in a situation no HC should be (in terms of that press conference where he had to deny the report that he was gone - really so strange). I like Frazier - as long as he has some good ties to some offensive minds. I kind of like going with a more defensive coach who can be a CEO and really entrust the offense to a good coaching staff. The reason being - I think new HC's who also handle all the offense just have a TON to be asked of. There is only one Sean McVay. I like Daboll from Bills a ton - but I wonder - how much can he truly learn to be the CEO and do that job while trying to build up and develop a rookie QB. If he does - he needs a super savvy/experienced DC.

I get it - but I don't like it. I still think Fields would have benefited from a bit more time on the bench - but I get how Dalton's injury forced the timeline to accelerate and I also get the point that McCaskey wants to see some of Fields, but its a long season and they could have accomplished that in a different manner. That said - I think FIelds has the right mentality to manage through lumps / early struggles and game action is still most critical to development.

Jones can read D's. He has special accuracy and throws guys open. I've seen enough to know Mac is going to be good - whether he'll be very good/elite, no idea, but he's got a high floor and its why I liked him a ton coming out of the draft. I also really liked Fields. Mac was the surer thing, from a downside perspective, Fields has ability to be elite if he can learn to process D quickly and clean up some of those items that quite frankly will be learning efforts given what he was asked, or more notably, wasn't asked to do at Ohio State (OSU was a 1/2 read offense - but Fields ran it much better/with more complexity than others). I've also seen Fields shown an ability to get through progressions better than Mitch did at early stages of his career. So that gives me optimism.