Roster optimism

[Stinger226]

I like what Poles has done. Stuck to BPA ( good teams do that) , not what I wanted but what's best. He hasn't bogged the team down with high priced contracts like Pace did. Traded Mack for cap relief. Mack hasn't been Mack for a few years, so that was a good decision.  

He has rebuilt the roster but I think  with the possibility of winning this year. 

DEFENSE: This defense will be better than last year. Our first two picks should start and I think they bring Ogunjobi back.

DE: Q Mohammed- Quinn-Gipson-Snowden- Robinson. ( with Mack hurt) better than last yr.

DT: Ogunjobi?-Jones-Edwards- Tonga-Blackson   (Hicks was hurt , Goldman sucked) better

LB:Smith Morrow- Adams-Calieb Johnson- Mack Snowden. ( may still bring in FA at SAM) more speed, A push because Ogletree was good.

CB: Johnson- Gordon-Young--Graham- Vidor-Stroman. Definitely better

S:  AJAC-Brisker-Cruikshank-HCD   definitely better

With the new coaching staff, the added speed and change in scheme, I think this will a 10-12th ranked defense with an uptick in TOs.

OFFENSE: The key is Fields improvement this year. I think with the new coaching staff , better play calling, it looks totally different.

QB: Fields-- Sieman. Fields will look like a different QB, better play calling, better use of talent

RB: Montgomery--Herbert's Evans --Blasingame. strongest group on team, adding a FB much better.

WR:Mooney--Pringle--Jones Jr-- St Brown--David Moore--Newsome. IMO much better (AROB was bad) IMO Jones JR is the surprise of camp,( Deebo Samuel Clone )and Pringle will be good

TE:Kmet--O'Shannessy--Griffin-Horsted.  I think Kmet takes a step forward and Hosted gets a shot Better

OT:  Jenkins Borom--Davenport--Jones  This is still a question mark but I think Jenkins is the real deal. Jones could surprise

OG :  Whitehair--Dozier--Thomas--Carter--Eiselen  still a question mark. IMO JaTyre Carter ends up being a surprise and starts.

OC: Patrick--Mustifer--Kramer. much better. 

ST: Santos--Gill Trenton-- Winslow

KR: Jones--Ebner

I think with better play calling, Fields takes a step, better coaching, Jenkins shines, Jones JR surprise playmaker, and Kmet and Hosted step up, we have an offense that can score points.

 

Change my mind

[Stinger226]

I wrote this without including any thoughts on UDFAs . They have added 35 so far. There has to be a few surprises in that group that will be added to the roster.

[Stinger226]

I'll put this here, love this pick.

[AZ54]

2 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

I like what Poles has done. Stuck to BPA ( good teams do that) , not what I wanted but what's best. He hasn't bogged the team down with high priced contracts like Pace did. Traded Mack for cap relief. Mack hasn't been Mack for a few years, so that was a good decision.   Agreed here

He has rebuilt the roster but I think  with the possibility of winning this year. 

DEFENSE: This defense will be better than last year. Our first two picks should start and I think they bring Ogunjobi back.   Foot injuries are always difficult for athletes to return from.  If this happens I'd still be cautious with him early in the season.    

DE: Q Mohammed- Quinn-Gipson-Snowden- Robinson. ( with Mack hurt) better than last yr.   Considering when Mack was out last year yes we'll be better simply because Gipson will be better.   Q will be a solid performer, nothing special but if Snowden is ready to pick up some snaps the rotation should keep Gipson and Quinn from wearing out like last season.   

DT: Ogunjobi?-Jones-Edwards- Tonga-Blackson   (Hicks was hurt , Goldman sucked) better.    This is a big weak spot and needs to be addressed.  Hoping for Ogunjobi is not a good plan.  I wouldn't mind bringing Hicks back at this point if his price is low enough but it is telling that neither he nor Goldman have been signed yet.  

LB:Smith Morrow- Adams-Calieb Johnson- Mack Snowden. ( may still bring in FA at SAM) more speed, A push because Ogletree was good.   I like Caleb Johnson's potential and in this scheme even more so.  I think we're good here.  

CB: Johnson- Gordon-Young--Graham- Vidor-Stroman. Definitely better.   It was a low bar last year but I agree we are much better now. 

S:  AJAC-Brisker-Cruikshank-HCD   definitely better.  I like Elijah Hicks too in this mix but just adding Brisker makes this better period.  

With the new coaching staff, the added speed and change in scheme, I think this will a 10-12th ranked defense with an uptick in TOs.    I don't see that with the Dline issues.  

OFFENSE: The key is Fields improvement this year. I think with the new coaching staff , better play calling, it looks totally different.

QB: Fields-- Sieman. Fields will look like a different QB, better play calling, better use of talent.    Should be better given all the reps Fields will get in camp and I expect better playcalling as well.  

RB: Montgomery--Herbert's Evans --Blasingame. strongest group on team, adding a FB much better.  Agreed 

WR:Mooney--Pringle--Jones Jr-- St Brown--David Moore--Newsome. IMO much better (AROB was bad) IMO Jones JR is the surprise of camp,( Deebo Samuel Clone )and Pringle will be good.   I think we'll be ok here with Mooney as the anchor but there's not much behind him to rely on if he is injured.  Velus is not the best route runner and he'll be very limited in what he can do this season.  

TE:Kmet--O'Shannessy--Griffin-Horsted.  I think Kmet takes a step forward and Hosted gets a shot Better.  I think this group has to carry the offense, at least in terms of consistency in blocking and providing easy receptions for Fields.  We have veterans who have been productive and hopefully Getsy knows how to use Horsted's skillset.  Just do enough to take some pressure off the WRs. 

OT:  Jenkins Borom--Davenport--Jones  This is still a question mark but I think Jenkins is the real deal. Jones could surprise.   Agreed still a question mark.    There are limitations for Borom and Braxton at least for this year with Braxton.   His length and familiarity with the position might win him the job putting Borom inside which helps there.   

OG :  Whitehair--Dozier--Thomas--Carter--Eiselen  still a question mark. IMO JaTyre Carter ends up being a surprise and starts.  Don't see Ja'Tyre starting, maybe Thomas earns the job as he's been in a similar blocking scheme for years but he's still more of a get-in-your-way blocker than he is someone who will move somebody around.  Both need a year to add NFL strength and conditioning.  

OC: Patrick--Mustifer--Kramer. much better.  Again low bar when the other team's backup becomes your starter but yes it's better.  

ST: Santos--Gill Trenton-- Winslow.  

KR: Jones--Ebner

I think with better play calling, Fields takes a step, better coaching, Jenkins shines, Jones JR surprise playmaker, and Kmet and Hosted step up, we have an offense that can score points.

 

Change my mind

I'm not as optimistic as you are, my comments are bolded above.  Oline are both a work in progress.   

[Stinger226]

20 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

I'm not as optimistic as you are, my comments are bolded above.  Oline are both a work in progress.   

I could do a negative post and list all the potential pitfalls but that's not me. I am hoping for Ogunjobi to come back, odds aren't in my favor, so if not, definitely a weakness. Edwards and Karama can back up Jones but not sure what you get.  .Free agency is pretty thin for 3Ts, maybe Nick Williams, he had 7 sacks as a backup when with us. Maybe a UDFA surprises us. I think after the draft Poles will evaluate the OL and bring a vet in if he needs to. My love for Carter comes from the regional scouts opinion on Carter, based on nothing else.i do wholeheartedly believe Jones becomes a playmaker for us, watch a ton tape on him.

[killakrzydav]

I wonder when Master T will take that bums Montgomery roster spot

[dawhizz]

I think you need one more starting caliber, veteran OL.  Whether it's an IOL or OT probably depends on where you see Jenkins & Borom fitting.  I assume Jenkins will likely be at RT.  You have Whitehair at one of the starting guard spots and Patrick at either guard or center.  That probably puts Mustifer at the other IOL spot (yuck) or you put Borom there and have a hole at LT.  Tretter would solve a lot of problems, giving you a solid veteran at center shifting Borom to LT.  Maybe you wait to see who shakes loose this week after the draft or even wait until training camp, but I don't think you can wait too long before you lock guys into their role heading into the season.  

You probably also need another veteran at WR (even though I think if Ebner is active he can give you slot snaps at WR), but I think given what's out there right now, I'd just as soon wait.  TY Hilton is the only one that would even moderately interest me, but I think better guys will be available later and a receiver is easier to plug in and integrate than OL.

[Mongo3451]

1 hour ago, dawhizz said:

I think you need one more starting caliber, veteran OL.  Whether it's an IOL or OT probably depends on where you see Jenkins & Borom fitting.  I assume Jenkins will likely be at RT.  You have Whitehair at one of the starting guard spots and Patrick at either guard or center.  That probably puts Mustifer at the other IOL spot (yuck) or you put Borom there and have a hole at LT.  Tretter would solve a lot of problems, giving you a solid veteran at center shifting Borom to LT.  Maybe you wait to see who shakes loose this week after the draft or even wait until training camp, but I don't think you can wait too long before you lock guys into their role heading into the season.  

You probably also need another veteran at WR (even though I think if Ebner is active he can give you slot snaps at WR), but I think given what's out there right now, I'd just as soon wait.  TY Hilton is the only one that would even moderately interest me, but I think better guys will be available later and a receiver is easier to plug in and integrate than OL.

Good thoughts.  Completely agree on OL, as I believe we still don't have starting LT on the roster.  We can get by as we did with Peters last year, but who does that develop? Hilton would be a good pickup if affordable.  He absolutely will miss games, but he's a great route runner and locker room guy that would valuable in implementing the offense.

[Uncle Buck]

Spring hopes eternal; every year I hope my Cubs will win it all. So goes the Bear’s draft for me. There are players I do some pre draft research, I read as much as I can, I listen to shows filled with the experts. At the end of the day, I place my trust in the guys hired to do the job. Booms or busts, it all happens every year. I really just get a kick out of watching these young guys have their dreams fulfilled, even if just for a little while. Good luck to them all and I hope they can contribute to making the Bears better this year.

[scs787]

Just add Brown or Fisher....hope a better OG gets cut.... and add back Larry O and I'll be happy. 

 

Idk what to think of Borum or any of the lineman they brought in as a guard, so I prefer they bring in an at least somewhat accomplished vet to compete there. 

[Alaskan Grizzly]

6 hours ago, killakrzydav said:

I wonder when Master T will take that bums Montgomery roster spot

I saw him get picked up as an UDFA.  He will be an intriguing player to watch.  Seems more fit for a FB role…maybe?  If not for injuries (blown Achilles in 2020 being one) he’d have probably gone higher.  

[Mongo3451]

For the record, I believe this is a 6 win team.  Believe it or not, I look forward to the growth and an optimistic that we finally have the correct approach to building a roster.  Things should get exciting 2023 season.

[AZ54]

I'm optimistic but for 2023.   At this point given the challenges of the roster overhaul both from a talent and new scheme fit perspective he's done well to set us up for 2023.  That is largely a factor on how well he traded back and what he did with all those extra picks.  Oline is in better shape at least in terms of depth for this new scheme and I feel confident at least one and possibly two of these picks will turn into starters.  Hopefully it's Braxton at LT.  

WR is still missing another go-to piece.  I think guys like Pringle and Velus are good complimentary guys you want, maybe Dazz can get into that category.   I'm ok if we go with an army of 2's to spread the field.  

The defense has totally changed in terms of talent in the back 7 which was the gap I was thinking we'd carry in 2022.  We have several young guys at the edge with very good long term potential.  A stud 3-tech is the glaring piece we're missing.   

I think we'll be competitive in a lot of games but not against playoff caliber teams.  The scheme changes on both sides of the ball will take time for the players to learn, not to mention we're going to rely on several rookies this year.  He's avoided over-committing on long contracts to FAs so far.  Even the contract to Ogunjobi was just 3yr.  The first big contracts he completes will be Mooney and Roquan.  Next year they'll be able to evaluate the roster and then use all that cap space and a full draft to help close remaining gaps. 

The one caveat is that Fields needs to take a big step up this year.  Do that and I'll be very optimistic about what we can put on the field in 2023.  With the new coaches the odds this happens have gone up.  

[Connorbear]

1 hour ago, Mongo3451 said:

For the record, I believe this is a 6 win team.  Believe it or not, I look forward to the growth and an optimistic that we finally have the correct approach to building a roster.  Things should get exciting 2023 season.

I'm good with 6 wins or less this year. I'm looking for a top-10 pick in 2023. That is where we will start trending up. 

Peace

[BearFan PHX]

14 minutes ago, Connorbear said:

I'm good with 6 wins or less this year. I'm looking for a top-10 pick in 2023. That is where we will start trending up. 

Peace

I agree. But I want to see development. If we have a few holes in the roster, and teams exploit them over and over to beat us that's fine, as long as other positions are looking solid and growing - looking at you Fields

[killakrzydav]

I rather win 9.

[killakrzydav]

1 hour ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

I saw him get picked up as an UDFA.  He will be an intriguing player to watch.  Seems more fit for a FB role…maybe?  If not for injuries (blown Achilles in 2020 being one) he’d have probably gone higher.  

Definitely. I hope he sticks.

[Lucky Luciano]

29 minutes ago, killakrzydav said:

I rather win 9.

agree. i think this is where it's going to end up. 8 or 9 wins which is A-OK with me.

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, Lucky Luciano said:

agree. i think this is where it's going to end up. 8 or 9 wins which is A-OK with me.

I agree with that. I think Poles assessment after the draft will cause him to  get Duane Brown and move Borom to RG. I find it very hard this team will be as bad as last year. If you changed no personal, better coaching and play calling is a net positive. Fields will improve. Better Def, more TOs, ( Flus did that every where he coached), the defense is a Ogunjobi away from being very good. The WR will grade out better than it looks on paper.

[AZ54]

19 hours ago, killakrzydav said:

I wonder when Master T will take that bums Montgomery roster spot

What is with all the affection for Master Teague?  This guy has no jump cut, he's stiff and struggles to turn upfield when forced to move laterally, and he needs an alley to get up to speed.  Once he's going he's good.   His best season at OSU where he should be able to run up stats on much lesser opponents in the Big 10 schedule, was 789 yds.   His ypc is good but he wasn't getting many snaps, partly due to his injury history.  Montgomery has been durable in college and the NFL even when he was the primary focus on defenses.   On top of that MasterT has a whopping 11 receptions in his career and his draft profile says he's not a receiving threat.   Your calling Montgomery a bum, and IIRC a "plodder"  but he's outproduced MasterT college stats in every NFL season behind a much less talented Oline (proportionally to what OSU has in the college ranks) and with much less talented QBs although both played with Fields.    

The FB role might be ideal for him but even there I prefer having a FB who can at least catch on occasion.  If he gets his burst back his one-cut style might fit well into the outside zone as a change of pace back.   If he is to be a RB I'd ask him to drop down to 210lbs so he could get some quickness and agility back, or stay bulked up and be our FB.  Having a FB with his long speed is a really nice compliment in the backfield.   Once he's up to speed DBs want nothing to do with him.     

https://www.landgrantholyland.com/2022/3/17/22982362/ohio-state-football-draft-profile-master-teague-work-ethic-versatility-find-place-in-nfl

NFL Traits

Teague is a throwback type of running back, built out of 1990s lab of football players. His size and style are not the traits NFL teams are looking for in their number one running back. Where Teague adds value is his experience as a special team player and his ability to come in as a change of pace back. The NFL has become a league that relies on smaller more athletic personnel, this means having a bigger, more explosive type back should be a major priority. Teague has great vision, he has decent burst at the line of scrimmage, and his physical makeup gives him the ability to play as a modern-day fullback.

[Stinger226]

The more you read and look at film of these draftees, the more you like  Brisker and Gordon. In the last two years,   combined, only gave up one TD on pass plays and no penalties. Leaders on their teams and big hitters. Besides being day one starters, could be pro bowl types. I hated not taking offensive players but those were good picks. I think they find a role for Jones similar to Deebo. Deebo's first year, had 57 catches, 802 yards and 3 TDs. Also ran for159 yards and 3 TDs.  I can see similar numbers. He has been KRer of the year in two different conferences, Pac12 and SEC. A big IF, they use him right, could have a big impact on offense.

Another player I watched  on film was Elijah Hicks, A SS out of Cal,  has got game to. Kramer, Thomas, and Braxton Jones all could eventually be starters. The punter could end  up taking that job, and Robinson has a ton of potential. Ebner could make the  roster this year as as KRer and specialty player out of the backfield. A excellent receiver with4.42 speed.

This could turn out to be a foundation builder for the bears at the start of the Justin Fields era.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mongo3451]

Kind of a continuation of what my thoughts yesterday.  I like that we drafted 11 guys in THIS draft.  We needed the youth infusion.  These guys will be foundational culture pieces as well as being properly scouted players.  Remember, is talking about how important out was to maximize this draft due to all the intell we had from several good scouting departments.  I don't doubt for a second that our guys were licking their chops when the opportunity to get more picks presented themselves, with the deepest draft in decades and mega intell.  All of this trickles into UDFA, knowing our needs and potentially having to stick with the original 6 picks.  My guess is that we went from the 2nd oldest roster in the NFL, to the youngest in one year.

[scs787]

Teague is not the guy we should be thinking about as the guy taking over for Monty. A Abnar is not getting the love he should be here. The more I watch of him the more I love. Dude is dynamic.

 

I'll never get the Monty hate, from anyone either. 

[Stinger226]

I love Monty, fights for every yard, can catch the ball well. I've been watching tape on Tristan Ebner and he's got game. If people got hurt , would have no problem him being our #1 for a few games. He can play, reminds me of T. Cohen on his skat type running. They say he is 4.42 40 guy but looks faster on film. He could beat out Evans as the third back. On film all he does is run away from people. 

 

[Pixote]

2 hours ago, scs787 said:

I'll never get the Monty hate, from anyone either. 

When I first saw someone post that Monty was trash, I thought he was joking. Or that it was sarcasm. Or he was baiting to get us riled up. Or ?????? LOL Seriously, Montgomery is solid. I love him in a Bears' Uni. Unfortunately, teams are reluctant to award RBs with big contracts after their rookie deal expires. He will probably be allowed to walk. Trestan Ebner could be his eventual replacement ????