Bears upcoming schedule and Opponent QBs

[adam]

This is what the Bears will be facing between now and the next GB game.

QBR Rating:

Week 4 - Jones - 27th - Jones is terrible
Week 5 - Cousins - 20th - it depends on what Cousins shows up
Week 6 - Wentz (TNF) - 24th - Wentz was sacked 9 times by JAX
Week 7 - Jones/Hoyer - 25th - Jones hurt, Hoyer may start
Week 8 - Rush - 3rd - It seems like he has peaked and will only come down once there is tape on him.
Week 9 - Tua - 1st - I don't think he is this good or will be able to keep this up all season.
Week 10 - Goff - 8th - Goff is way too high for who he is, he will come down too.
Week 11 - Mariota - 12th - Surprisingly high for what looked like a career backup after TEN
Week 12 - Wilson/Flacco - 28th - bad young or bad old

At least 5 favorable QB matchups in the next 9 weeks and that does not count Goff, Rush, or Mariota. Possibly 8 of 9 with Tua being the toughest. The good thing is we get Tua and Goff at home. 

[Bill]

The only thing I have seen so far is that Justin is worse that any starting QB right now.  According to most preseason accounts the only thing that mattered this year was the improvement of Fields.  Based on that criteria this season in a failure so far no matter the record.  Lots of games to go to see improvement.  So does the coaching staff stop playing to win or just let Fields live or die by his ability or lack of getting the passing game going?

[BearFan PHX]

1 hour ago, Bill said:

The only thing I have seen so far is that Justin is worse that any starting QB right now.  According to most preseason accounts the only thing that mattered this year was the improvement of Fields.  Based on that criteria this season in a failure so far no matter the record.  Lots of games to go to see improvement.  So does the coaching staff stop playing to win or just let Fields live or die by his ability or lack of getting the passing game going?

almost. the only thing that matters is EVALUATION of Fields. I do not charge this coaching staff with turning Fields into a stud. I charge them with the task of EITHER turning him into a stud OR cutting ties quickly and then acquiring a stud at QB. THAT QB, either Fields kept OR the new one has to be a stud for this administration to successful.

If Fields is a bust (and Im not saying we are there YET) then that is on Pace, and not Poles. Where we go from here is.

[Mongo3451]

I want to mirror what Jalen Hurts career looks like. When he came in as rookie, he looked like garbage.  Three years into it, he's a MVP candidate.  Hurts had the best OL in the league, a stud WR plus depth and good TE and RB.  Hurts is also into multiple years with his OC.  Get to Fields and we see a dumpster fire at OL in the pass game, terrible reciever depth and top end talent.  

There is a dilemma that a coach has between winning and developing.  The is also the talk of the stigma that a lot of coaches coach the aggressive nature out of a QB by harping on turnovers too much.  I wish I were a fly on the wall to see how he's being coached, because he does look lost.  Hopefully, Eberflus and Getsy get together and make a unilateral decision on the path forward.  

I personally believe they need to limit him to two reads with the emphasis on hitting the plant foot with a decision made, they do it.  Yes, he'll miss opportunities, but he already is.  Slowing the game down for him will help him with timing and mechanics.  If I can provide an example: the first time I played 5 on 5 basketball it was a complete disaster.  It got a little better after time, but things improved too slowly.  Then, out of heaven came a 3 on 3 game and my eyes were opened.  It went from a twirling bowl of spaghetti to a beautiful rigatoni.  After getting the most out of 3 on 3, 5 on 5 was much better.  

[Alaskan Grizzly]

I'd like to jump on the Mongo bandwagon here. 

I'll be one of the first to say I'm still glad we drafted Fields.  I haven't felt this confident in a QB acquired by the Bears since Cutler (until years later I wasn't).  What I find funny about Cutler's struggles and to some level Trubisky's, is that it was always someone else's fault, whether it be a porous O-line, a coach that can't call plays (Nagy) or not having the playmakers they need.  Yet Fields is not given the same consideration.  His oline resembles a sieve at times, he isn't surrounded by star players and so far I haven't seen much that says Getsy is calling plays to help him succeed.  Why does just about every pass Fields try to make seem like a 20+ yarder?  Its been asked and it bears repeating, but where are the short crossing patters and play-action calls ? We know the running game is successful so that should be drawing up the coverage.  The short-intermediate range plays should be there for the taking, but so far they aren't.  And like Mongo says, maybe if they condense the options to him it'll slow the processing speed for him and allow him to reset.   

In a quick look at similar offensive schemes (taking into consideration former GB OC Hackett is now HC at Denver) I see that the Denver offense hasn't really been blowing the doors off opponents either.  And that's with Russell Wilson as their QB.  According to ESPN so far Denver is

• 16th in Total yards / game
• 18th in total passing yards / game
• 11th in total rushing yards / game (Chicago is 2nd)
• 30th in total points / game (Chicago is 21st)

So maybe its the scheme they're running?  Maybe Rodgers is THAT good that he made both Getsy and Hackett look good enough to get promotions?  I have to think that part of Denver's relatively better success is having Russell Wilson as their QB and the remnants of a Vic Fangio constructed defense (they rank top 6 in almost all categories). For now and for the foreseeable future I'm definitely wanting to see more progress out of Fields and am nowhere ready to say he's a flop.  

 

[adam]

On 9/26/2022 at 10:12 AM, adam said:

This is what the Bears will be facing between now and the next GB game.

QBR Rating:

Week 4 - Jones - 27th - Jones is terrible - LOSS
Week 5 - Cousins - 20th - it depends on what Cousins shows up  - LOSS
Week 6 - Wentz (TNF) - 24th - Wentz was sacked 9 times by JAX  - LOSS
Week 7 - Jones/Hoyer - 25th - Jones hurt, Hoyer may start  - UPCOMING LOSS
Week 8 - Rush - 3rd - It seems like he has peaked and will only come down once there is tape on him.  - UPCOMING LOSS
Week 9 - Tua - 1st - I don't think he is this good or will be able to keep this up all season.  - UPCOMING LOSS
Week 10 - Goff - 8th - Goff is way too high for who he is, he will come down too.  - UPCOMING LOSS
Week 11 - Mariota - 12th - Surprisingly high for what looked like a career backup after TEN  - UPCOMING LOSS
Week 12 - Wilson/Flacco - 28th - bad young or bad old  - UPCOMING LOSS

At least 5 favorable QB matchups in the next 9 weeks and that does not count Goff, Rush, or Mariota. Possibly 8 of 9 with Tua being the toughest. The good thing is we get Tua and Goff at home.  

3 losses and 6 upcoming losses before the loss to the Packers. What a great way to go into the buy, with a lot of momentum (down).

[ChileBear]

3 minutes ago, adam said:

3 losses and 6 upcoming losses before the loss to the Packers. What a great way to go into the buy, with a lot of momentum (down).

But think of the great draft slot we're earning. 

[BearFan PHX]

Just keep telling yourself: 1/3 of the cap is going to 2 QBs and a Pass Rusher who arent even on the team anymore. We didnt even have a first round pick! That's Pace screwing us from the GM grave. Poles agreed to take this year on so he could make real decisions next year. We are lucky he did. Let's not be all over him for it. The roster is terrible, but Poles is doing the right thing.

There is no possible way to have been more competitive this year UNLESS we signed medium talent guys to long term deals. We didnt have the cap space to sign to short term deals.

So here's the NFL: The best thing is to have great players on long term deals. The next best thing is to have draft picks and cap space to find great players to sign to long term deals. The WORST thing in the NFL is to have not great players signed to long term deals.

That's what the last 20 years have been - optimists coming in saying they could take what we have, and add a few pieces to win. Thats how you end up with not great players on long term deals. The ONLY way to get out of that cycle is to sit a year out, and clear your cap space. That's the uncomfortable disciplined approach. Poles is right on schedule so far.

Now, next year he has to make decisions, and then he will be judged on whether he can find talent etc.

This year, he has taken a flyer on a bunch of castoffs. The ideas is that maybe a couple will have a rebirth. Like Leatherwood for example. Is he a bust? Maybe he will find himself. Maybe not. But this is the year for taking those chances.

The result is the awful terrible product we are seeing right now, and it would be much better if we had a solid roster to develop a young QB with. But that wasnt the choice, that wasnt possible. So do you want to save this year with whatever you can cobble together, weak with cap dollars, and long term promises? Or take it on the chin, and then be in the drivers seat next year?