Poles report card

[Stinger226]

Since we're near the  season end, lots of social media talking about the mistakes Poles made this season.

Drafting V Jones - 3rd round wasted pick. 

Paying to much for Claypool. 34th pick. 

Botched the Ogunjobi grab 

Failed to get Ryan Bates as a restricted FA.    Did I miss anything?

Fans have expectations that a GM makes all A+ moves and never makes a mistake. The best in the league screw up a lot, but they do is make enough good moves that makes them winners.

First I think he hired good coaches that teach, probably doesn't look good with a season ending 9 game losing streak. The next few years will show it.

Secondly he created great cap space for next year. 

He added some potential core players ( IMO) Gordon, Brisker, B Jones, T Gill, Sanborn,

Jury still out on: V Jones, J Carter, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones, T Ebner, , E Hicks, Eric Kramer, D Robinson, Sterling Weatherford, Kellin Diesch. 

Some vets who may stick, Morrow, Wesco, Claypool, Justin Jones, Armon Watts.

This draft and Free Agency will define Poles. As with this year, it will be 2 yrs before we know for sure.

I give him a C+ for where he's at right now.

[BearFan PHX]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

Since we're near the  season end, lots of social media talking about the mistakes Poles made this season.

Drafting V Jones - 3rd round wasted pick. 

Paying to much for Claypool. 34th pick. 

Botched the Ogunjobi grab

He needed a WR, and took a shot on a fast guy.

He didnt pay too much for Claypool, there are not a lot of WRs available, and we need some.

Ogun was injured. That's not on Poles.

I think the real judgement on Poles will come after this offseason, but right now, I think he's doing fine, with the big test yet to come.

[lemonej]

All but 2 of Poles 11 picks have received playing time this season. Carter and Kramer both interior OL. The last to receive playing time is Hicks. This is not counting UDFAs that have received playing time, Sanborn, Jones and Blackwell.

FAs Jones has been up and down. Mohamed (sp?) has been nonexistent. Morrow is actually playing above expectations IMO. The entire WR group brought in via FA and trade has been a big disappointment. The OL FA acquisitions have been meh. The hold overs Whitehair, Borom, Mustipher and Jenkins should not be starters next season. I know that Jenkins has grade well per analytics when he has been available to play but availability is the problem.

The in-season trades have been the most scrutinized part of this season. The defense has been a source of frustration for fans but, the trades plus the injuries exposed the lack of experience and depth. What do you do with Eddie Jackson? I say bring him back. Brisker, Gordon(outside) and Jaylon Johnson(Trade candidate) are a base but, a FA and draft pick needs to be added to the mix.

We played a few games without Johnson and he doesn't create turnovers, which is why I think he could be a trade candidate.

This offseason will put Poles in the national spotlight.

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, BearFan PHX said:

He needed a WR, and took a shot on a fast guy.

He didnt pay too much for Claypool, there are not a lot of WRs available, and we need some.

Ogun was injured. That's not on Poles.

I think the real judgement on Poles will come after this offseason, but right now, I think he's doing fine, with the big test yet to come.

Agree

[adam]

I don't know anymore, I am probably going to withhold any judgment until sometime mid next season. This 9-game losing streak, soon to be 10, has really soured my taste with Poles. 

I was hoping that the team would have less question marks now than they did at the start of the season, but it feels like they have more. If you rank his acquisitions from 1-10, it gets pretty bad pretty quick, and outside of Brisker, how many of his acquisition's was an actual upgrade? I feel like the jury is still out on Gordon, way too inconsistent to call a sure thing at this point. Braxton Jones? Rookie 5th round pick playing way better than anyone expected, but is that good enough to start in the NFL? Everyone is hoping he will get better but that is not always a sure thing. Gill replaced O'Donnell, so outside of salary, not really an upgrade. Sanborn looks awesome, but replaced Smith. Again, if anything salary savings. 

It may not be solely on Poles, but it is going to be Week 18 and they don't know what they really have in Velus Jones other than as a kick returner, and that is with how bad the WR corps has been. This may be more on the coaching staff, but the red flags about his age transitioned to other performance things that most hoped would not be there due to his age. 

The Claypool trade was understandable and at the time they were drafting mid-teens. Would you rather have #2 and Claypool or #14 and #47? That is basically what the Bears have now vs what was projected at that time. I would still take #2 and Claypool as pick #2 alone is worth more than #14 + #47. It is just unfortunate because he may have been able to get a better WR if he was bargaining with pick #33 vs #47 (at that time). 

[Stinger226]

10 hours ago, adam said:

I don't know anymore, I am probably going to withhold any judgment until sometime mid next season. This 9-game losing streak, soon to be 10, has really soured my taste with Poles. 

I was hoping that the team would have less question marks now than they did at the start of the season, but it feels like they have more. If you rank his acquisitions from 1-10, it gets pretty bad pretty quick, and outside of Brisker, how many of his acquisition's was an actual upgrade? I feel like the jury is still out on Gordon, way too inconsistent to call a sure thing at this point. Braxton Jones? Rookie 5th round pick playing way better than anyone expected, but is that good enough to start in the NFL? Everyone is hoping he will get better but that is not always a sure thing. Gill replaced O'Donnell, so outside of salary, not really an upgrade. Sanborn looks awesome, but replaced Smith. Again, if anything salary savings. 

It may not be solely on Poles, but it is going to be Week 18 and they don't know what they really have in Velus Jones other than as a kick returner, and that is with how bad the WR corps has been. This may be more on the coaching staff, but the red flags about his age transitioned to other performance things that most hoped would not be there due to his age. 

The Claypool trade was understandable and at the time they were drafting mid-teens. Would you rather have #2 and Claypool or #14 and #47? That is basically what the Bears have now vs what was projected at that time. I would still take #2 and Claypool as pick #2 alone is worth more than #14 + #47. It is just unfortunate because he may have been able to get a better WR if he was bargaining with pick #33 vs #47 (at that time). 

I think the problem with Bears fans , we aren't use to players being developed and need instant gratification because of being bad for so long. I'm inpatient but try to stay positive because, we have a QB and 124 mil in FA and a high 1st round pick , just was terrible our first year of new regime.

[BearFan PHX]

10 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

I think the problem with Bears fans , we aren't use to players being developed and need instant gratification because of being bad for so long. I'm inpatient but try to stay positive because, we have a QB and 124 mil in FA and a high 1st round pick , just was terrible our first year of new regime.

I agree, but for all intents and purposes this wasnt Poles' first year, it was Pace's last one.

The majority of our 2022 salary cap went to: Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith, Nick Foles, Eddie Goldman, Andy Dalton, Jimmy Graham, Tariq Cohen, Charles Leno, Danny Trevathan, Mario Edwards, Germaine Ifedi and many more.

That's not Poles' doing. He has had very little to work with, and has put several starters on the field for not much $.

This coming offseason is when his true grade begins.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

57 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

I think the problem with Bears fans , we aren't use to players being developed and need instant gratification because of being bad for so long. I'm inpatient but try to stay positive because, we have a QB and 124 mil in FA and a high 1st round pick , just was terrible our first year of new regime.

It seems we have been through rebuilds too often. Just  haven't been through one that paid off or worked.  The biggest step is getting QB1 right.  Fields sounds like the right one behind the mic, but he hasn't shown enough.  This is why I want the Bears to gain a future 1st in a trade down.  If Fields don't make the turn next year, they need to draft another.

[AZ54]

For me that's an odd way of looking at his grades with just player focus, especially given the tight constraints he had.   For me it goes this way...

Job 1:  Find the right HC and coaching staff that can build a playoff contender.  I like Eberflus and the staff he's put together.  We've been far more competitive in games where we should have been blown out early.   I think now the players are just mentally fatigued after we saw them put it all on the line against the Bills and Eagles, plus the injuries are just overwhelming the depth on this roster.  Not that we had any depth to begin with.  DONE

Job 2:  Shed overpaid aging talent and finding as many draft picks as possible in exchange, targeting the rebuild to start in 2023.  In other words tear it down in 2022 where it needed to be torn down.  Generate as much future cap space as possible in 2023 to flip this team around.  DONE

Job 3:  Draft 2-3 starting caliber players.   DONE:  Braxton Jones, Brisker, Gordon, and technically 4 if you want to count the punter Gill who has done surprisingly well as a rookie.     

Job 3a:  Add 2-3 players that can be future roster depth for us.  DONE.   Ja'Tyre Carter, Dom Robinson, and Velus(?).   Toss in finding Sanborn who appears to be future MLB starter for us.     

   I preferred there be more Oline or better WR among starters he drafted but the value didn't fall that way.  Poles stayed with his board in Rd 2 and got 2 defensive starters at positions we really needed.  

Job 4:  Put that coaching staff to work fixing Fields mechanics, his ability to read defenses, and his ability to work the pocket.  We must know if he's the QB of the future by the end of this season.  DONE.   Everyone knows Fields is our QB going forward.  However, it's also still a work in progress with the offense.  I'll call it Successful but Incomplete.  

Job 6:  Find a way with limited budget and draft picks to put a 53 man roster together.  Ideally one that helps Fields so we can evaluate him and then we'll fix the D in 2023.  With the limited resources he had Poles tried to get some FA Olineman and lost, not on money but to the better roster.  FAIL   However Fields often rose above the dysfunction and showed he can be the rising tide that lifts all boats. 

 

Now we get to the end of the season and we're focused on the rental players (Pringle, Justin Jones, Reiff).  Grading any rental car is always going to be meh and those players are not really Poles' "roster".   I hoped we'd find a diamond in the rough somewhere among them but alas it was not meant to be.  

He took some chances on some former high draft picks in Harry and Leatherwood.  Low risk high reward... that's ok.    Claypool is his for sure but the mid-season trade leaves that as an incomplete grade because it was actually part of the 2023 roster decision.   

We have to see who he extends this year (i.e. Mooney) to really know who his guys are.  Roquan was his guy then just as quickly he wasn't.   Like the Ogunjobi decision, Poles has his plan and if you don't fit into that he'll move on.  Both times it took some courage to go back on his word but he stuck to his plan for the future.  Down the road we could be in shock to see a good player cut or traded a year earlier than we expect. 

Draft picks are still developing so between that and the Rental FAs roster make up is graded as Incomplete for me.   If we have to put a grade on the 3-win 2022 roster that's easy... it's a big fat F.   

 

[BearFan PHX]

19 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

It seems we have been through rebuilds too often. Just  haven't been through one that paid off or worked.  The biggest step is getting QB1 right.  Fields sounds like the right one behind the mic, but he hasn't shown enough.  This is why I want the Bears to gain a future 1st in a trade down.  If Fields don't make the turn next year, they need to draft another.

smart. Im thinking the extra 2024 first rounder gets Fields his true #1 WR, but you're right, it might also get his replacement.

Im a Fields fan, i think its all coming for him, so Im keeping him. But I mentioned earlier, there is a scenario where you trade Fields this year for 2 firsts and a 2nd or more, and then you take a QB this year with our first, and you still have another first this year, and two next year. Poles didnt draft Fields. I think we all think we should stay with Fields, but this is a scenario you have to do due diligence on.

[BearFan PHX]

19 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

For me that's an odd way of looking at his grades with just player focus, especially given the tight constraints he had.   For me it goes this way...

Job 1:  Find the right HC and coaching staff that can build a playoff contender.  I like Eberflus and the staff he's put together.  We've been far more competitive in games where we should have been blown out early.   I think now the players are just mentally fatigued after we saw them put it all on the line against the Bills and Eagles, plus the injuries are just overwhelming the depth on this roster.  Not that we had any depth to begin with.  DONE

Job 2:  Shed overpaid aging talent and finding as many draft picks as possible in exchange, targeting the rebuild to start in 2023.  In other words tear it down in 2022 where it needed to be torn down.  Generate as much future cap space as possible in 2023 to flip this team around.  DONE

Job 3:  Draft 2-3 starting caliber players.   DONE:  Braxton Jones, Brisker, Gordon, and technically 4 if you want to count the punter Gill who has done surprisingly well as a rookie.     

Job 3a:  Add 2-3 players that can be future roster depth for us.  DONE.   Ja'Tyre Carter, Dom Robinson, and Velus(?).   Toss in finding Sanborn who appears to be future MLB starter for us.     

   I preferred there be more Oline or better WR among starters he drafted but the value didn't fall that way.  Poles stayed with his board in Rd 2 and got 2 defensive starters at positions we really needed.  

Job 4:  Put that coaching staff to work fixing Fields mechanics, his ability to read defenses, and his ability to work the pocket.  We must know if he's the QB of the future by the end of this season.  DONE.   Everyone knows Fields is our QB going forward.  However, it's also still a work in progress with the offense.  I'll call it Successful but Incomplete.  

Job 6:  Find a way with limited budget and draft picks to put a 53 man roster together.  Ideally one that helps Fields so we can evaluate him and then we'll fix the D in 2023.  With the limited resources he had Poles tried to get some FA Olineman and lost, not on money but to the better roster.  FAIL   However Fields often rose above the dysfunction and showed he can be the rising tide that lifts all boats. 

 

Now we get to the end of the season and we're focused on the rental players (Pringle, Justin Jones, Reiff).  Grading any rental car is always going to be meh and those players are not really Poles' "roster".   I hoped we'd find a diamond in the rough somewhere among them but alas it was not meant to be.  

He took some chances on some former high draft picks in Harry and Leatherwood.  Low risk high reward... that's ok.    Claypool is his for sure but the mid-season trade leaves that as an incomplete grade because it was actually part of the 2023 roster decision.   

We have to see who he extends this year (i.e. Mooney) to really know who his guys are.  Roquan was his guy then just as quickly he wasn't.   Like the Ogunjobi decision, Poles has his plan and if you don't fit into that he'll move on.  Both times it took some courage to go back on his word but he stuck to his plan for the future.  Down the road we could be in shock to see a good player cut or traded a year earlier than we expect. 

Draft picks are still developing so between that and the Rental FAs roster make up is graded as Incomplete for me.   If we have to put a grade on the 3-win 2022 roster that's easy... it's a big fat F.   

 

perfectly said. 100%.

"Down the road we could be in shock to see a good player cut or traded a year earlier than we expect. "

THIS - this is the sign of a roster that isnt playing catch up. Instead of trying to milk the last bit of something you already have, you trade it for picks and keep the pipeline primed. New England has done this for 20+ years. In the end, it really is more like a College team - some of your biggest stars are going to leave. You need to be developing the depth behind them to keep it going. Ride too many horses for too long, and you lose the traded draft picks, and who ever you did draft didnt develop behind them. Thats when you get into the trade next years pick to try to fill a desperate hole this year, and you sink into hell.

This crappy season was the PRICE to get back into rhythm. And the sign that it is working will be when we trade good players we've drafted who are looking promising going into their contract year. Like Roquan, or how we got Akeem Hicks when youre on the wrong side of things.

[Stinger226]

23 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

For me that's an odd way of looking at his grades with just player focus, especially given the tight constraints he had.   For me it goes this way...

Job 1:  Find the right HC and coaching staff that can build a playoff contender.  I like Eberflus and the staff he's put together.  We've been far more competitive in games where we should have been blown out early.   I think now the players are just mentally fatigued after we saw them put it all on the line against the Bills and Eagles, plus the injuries are just overwhelming the depth on this roster.  Not that we had any depth to begin with.  DONE

Job 2:  Shed overpaid aging talent and finding as many draft picks as possible in exchange, targeting the rebuild to start in 2023.  In other words tear it down in 2022 where it needed to be torn down.  Generate as much future cap space as possible in 2023 to flip this team around.  DONE

Job 3:  Draft 2-3 starting caliber players.   DONE:  Braxton Jones, Brisker, Gordon, and technically 4 if you want to count the punter Gill who has done surprisingly well as a rookie.     

Job 3a:  Add 2-3 players that can be future roster depth for us.  DONE.   Ja'Tyre Carter, Dom Robinson, and Velus(?).   Toss in finding Sanborn who appears to be future MLB starter for us.     

   I preferred there be more Oline or better WR among starters he drafted but the value didn't fall that way.  Poles stayed with his board in Rd 2 and got 2 defensive starters at positions we really needed.  

Job 4:  Put that coaching staff to work fixing Fields mechanics, his ability to read defenses, and his ability to work the pocket.  We must know if he's the QB of the future by the end of this season.  DONE.   Everyone knows Fields is our QB going forward.  However, it's also still a work in progress with the offense.  I'll call it Successful but Incomplete.  

Job 6:  Find a way with limited budget and draft picks to put a 53 man roster together.  Ideally one that helps Fields so we can evaluate him and then we'll fix the D in 2023.  With the limited resources he had Poles tried to get some FA Olineman and lost, not on money but to the better roster.  FAIL   However Fields often rose above the dysfunction and showed he can be the rising tide that lifts all boats. 

 

Now we get to the end of the season and we're focused on the rental players (Pringle, Justin Jones, Reiff).  Grading any rental car is always going to be meh and those players are not really Poles' "roster".   I hoped we'd find a diamond in the rough somewhere among them but alas it was not meant to be.  

He took some chances on some former high draft picks in Harry and Leatherwood.  Low risk high reward... that's ok.    Claypool is his for sure but the mid-season trade leaves that as an incomplete grade because it was actually part of the 2023 roster decision.   

We have to see who he extends this year (i.e. Mooney) to really know who his guys are.  Roquan was his guy then just as quickly he wasn't.   Like the Ogunjobi decision, Poles has his plan and if you don't fit into that he'll move on.  Both times it took some courage to go back on his word but he stuck to his plan for the future.  Down the road we could be in shock to see a good player cut or traded a year earlier than we expect. 

Draft picks are still developing so between that and the Rental FAs roster make up is graded as Incomplete for me.   If we have to put a grade on the 3-win 2022 roster that's easy... it's a big fat F.   

 

I always like to pat myself on the back for being smart ( maybe) but you are very good with words and say them better than me. You put all of my opinions into one post. Cudos. 

He said he was going to build through the draft , hard to do that with only one limited draft ( no first round pick) . The second draft will put more things in better light , if he gets us one blue chip and 4 starters. Plus buys the right free agents. Justin Jones will be back and he paid him decent money, the rest could be gone with small cap hits. Patrick only costs only 1/2 mil to drop.

I like what he added after the season started, Waylon Jones, Wesco, Josh Blackwell, Kellen Dertich, Admin Watts , Chase Claypool, and Sterling Weatherford , so has yet to see the field.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

7 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

smart. Im thinking the extra 2024 first rounder gets Fields his true #1 WR, but you're right, it might also get his replacement.

Im a Fields fan, i think its all coming for him, so Im keeping him. But I mentioned earlier, there is a scenario where you trade Fields this year for 2 firsts and a 2nd or more, and then you take a QB this year with our first, and you still have another first this year, and two next year. Poles didnt draft Fields. I think we all think we should stay with Fields, but this is a scenario you have to do due diligence on.

We are all Fields fans and hope he rises to a top 5 - 10 QB.   Get him great protection and another target and hope he makes that transition.  

[BearFan PHX]

1 hour ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

We are all Fields fans and hope he rises to a top 5 - 10 QB.   Get him great protection and another target and hope he makes that transition.  

we are an expansion team right now. Thats not such a bad place to be either. But nothing is known. We almost certainly have another year to watch Fields grow.

[Lucky Luciano]

22 hours ago, adam said:

I don't know anymore, I am probably going to withhold any judgment until sometime mid next season. This 9-game losing streak, soon to be 10, has really soured my taste with Poles. 

I was hoping that the team would have less question marks now than they did at the start of the season, but it feels like they have more. If you rank his acquisitions from 1-10, it gets pretty bad pretty quick, and outside of Brisker, how many of his acquisition's was an actual upgrade? I feel like the jury is still out on Gordon, way too inconsistent to call a sure thing at this point. Braxton Jones? Rookie 5th round pick playing way better than anyone expected, but is that good enough to start in the NFL? Everyone is hoping he will get better but that is not always a sure thing. Gill replaced O'Donnell, so outside of salary, not really an upgrade. Sanborn looks awesome, but replaced Smith. Again, if anything salary savings. 

It may not be solely on Poles, but it is going to be Week 18 and they don't know what they really have in Velus Jones other than as a kick returner, and that is with how bad the WR corps has been. This may be more on the coaching staff, but the red flags about his age transitioned to other performance things that most hoped would not be there due to his age. 

The Claypool trade was understandable and at the time they were drafting mid-teens. Would you rather have #2 and Claypool or #14 and #47? That is basically what the Bears have now vs what was projected at that time. I would still take #2 and Claypool as pick #2 alone is worth more than #14 + #47. It is just unfortunate because he may have been able to get a better WR if he was bargaining with pick #33 vs #47 (at that time). 

first... for me it is WAY to early to say poles is any where near a bust. this year we broke this team right down to the bare ground. it needed to be done for once in the last 40 plus years. we have struggled every year trying to plug the individual supposed blue chip player in to make us a contender. this has NOT worked and in reality unless you get really lucky it won't work for any sustained credibility.

even if you let this season slide, we are NOT going to contend for a S.B. in 23. there is just to much to do with what poles has been left with. what we should expect is not a super bowl run but see the bricks laid for a solid foundational team going on from 23. that said... if the foundation starts to crumble and we can't see a light at the end of the 23 tunnel then it's time to be concerned about poles. just not yet.

second... lets get back to reality on our draft picks and free agents. nearly every player drafted needs a three year window to really evaluate what his potential is going to be going forward. you should see improvements each year, that is a given. but traditionally the second year is the let down for most draft picks because more is expected from them than as rookies. that has been my observation.

speaking of rookies, that these players are not performing like pro bowlers at season end is completely understandable. they are going to wear down quicker than seasoned vets. the season is considerably longer (now 17 games compared to 16)  than college and the practices and conditioning is or should be more intense also. they are physically and mentally wearing down in the last quarter of an nfl season.

what you should be seeing is how much potential is really there for each rookie during the next 3 years and what role he is going to play with the team if he sticks.

[Stinger226]

Poles deserves an A+ for getting us 115 mil in cap and setting us up to get the #1 pick. Been listening to the SCORE and some Bears fans want Poles fired. This is what you have to do to rebuild the proper way. We just are use to developing players and rebuilding the roster completely.

[Connorbear]

On 1/4/2023 at 8:45 AM, Lucky Luciano said:

first... for me it is WAY to early to say poles is any where near a bust. this year we broke this team right down to the bare ground. it needed to be done for once in the last 40 plus years. we have struggled every year trying to plug the individual supposed blue chip player in to make us a contender. this has NOT worked and in reality unless you get really lucky it won't work for any sustained credibility.

even if you let this season slide, we are NOT going to contend for a S.B. in 23. there is just to much to do with what poles has been left with. what we should expect is not a super bowl run but see the bricks laid for a solid foundational team going on from 23. that said... if the foundation starts to crumble and we can't see a light at the end of the 23 tunnel then it's time to be concerned about poles. just not yet.

second... lets get back to reality on our draft picks and free agents. nearly every player drafted needs a three year window to really evaluate what his potential is going to be going forward. you should see improvements each year, that is a given. but traditionally the second year is the let down for most draft picks because more is expected from them than as rookies. that has been my observation.

speaking of rookies, that these players are not performing like pro bowlers at season end is completely understandable. they are going to wear down quicker than seasoned vets. the season is considerably longer (now 17 games compared to 16)  than college and the practices and conditioning is or should be more intense also. they are physically and mentally wearing down in the last quarter of an nfl season.

what you should be seeing is how much potential is really there for each rookie during the next 3 years and what role he is going to play with the team if he sticks.

Agreed 100%. It's way too early to judge. If we are at the same place at the end of next year then we have a serious problem. 

Peace