Team notes

[Stinger226]

32 minutes ago, dawhizz said:

Bears do a great job with these videos. Hard not to be fired up after watching this. Of course, I said that last year too . . .

 

I like hype videos, it's gets me excited for football. Poles has made mistakes but I think for him he's learning on the job because he never did this before. 

His first year, people were complaining he didn't have enough weapons for Justin which caused him to reach for Velous Jones and went after Claypool. 

I think he's starting to get it right.

[Stinger226]

26 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

I like hype videos, it's gets me excited for football. Poles has made mistakes but I think for him he's learning on the job because he never did this before. 

His first year, people were complaining he didn't have enough weapons for Justin which caused him to reach for Velous Jones and went after Claypool. 

I think he's starting to get it right.

The draft is only a few weeks away. That's when posts get serious.

[BearFan PHX]

22 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

I like hype videos, it's gets me excited for football. Poles has made mistakes but I think for him he's learning on the job because he never did this before. 

His first year, people were complaining he didn't have enough weapons for Justin which caused him to reach for Velous Jones and went after Claypool. 

I think he's starting to get it right.

In the part where Poles is talking to Thuney, I felt Poles is a little introverted and uncomfortable. Same in press conferences, especially the last one he had with Warren.

But with the new staff in the building, he doesn't really have to be a leader, he can just focus on being GM, and i think you're right he's learning and with the help of the staff we have now in evaluations, I think he'll do fine. He manages the cap very well and has a really good sustainable overall plan and doesn't step over those boundaries. He's been suspect I think in some player choices he's made, but I think he had no coaching staff that could tell him "please dont give us Velus Jones"

I think Johnson has more juice in the building now than Poles, and I think both of them are comfortable with that. Poles feels to me like a team player who wants to make decisions to make everyone happy, give them what they need, while being disciplined with contracts and picks.

On some teams the GM has a strong leader personality, and shapes the team. On others the owner has most input, and on some teams the coach is the leader and has a lot to say about which players are Bear players.

This is a great structure. It plays to Poles' strengths.

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, BearFan PHX said:

In the part where Poles is talking to Thuney, I felt Poles is a little introverted and uncomfortable. Same in press conferences, especially the last one he had with Warren.

But with the new staff in the building, he doesn't really have to be a leader, he can just focus on being GM, and i think you're right he's learning and with the help of the staff we have now in evaluations, I think he'll do fine. He manages the cap very well and has a really good sustainable overall plan and doesn't step over those boundaries. He's been suspect I think in some player choices he's made, but I think he had no coaching staff that could tell him "please dont give us Velus Jones"

I think Johnson has more juice in the building now than Poles, and I think both of them are comfortable with that. Poles feels to me like a team player who wants to make decisions to make everyone happy, give them what they need, while being disciplined with contracts and picks.

On some teams the GM has a strong leader personality, and shapes the team. On others the owner has most input, and on some teams the coach is the leader and has a lot to say about which players are Bear players.

This is a great structure. It plays to Poles' strengths.

Totally agree, he had a soft spot for Flus because they started together but better people in place now , he can let everything evolve. I think Warren interfiled in talking to Harbaugh last year. Don't know if  we would have hired him but obviously with Johnson's contract, money wasn't a problem.

[BearFan PHX]

25 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

Totally agree, he had a soft spot for Flus because they started together but better people in place now , he can let everything evolve. I think Warren interfiled in talking to Harbaugh last year. Don't know if  we would have hired him but obviously with Johnson's contract, money wasn't a problem.

I definitely think that Warren nixed Harbaugh. And the thing is, as much as I love Harbaugh, I get it. He is a meathead. And I like meatheads. I like Vrabel and I like Dan Campbell too. At first i was worried that Johnson was too much of an egghead, but now i see more of his leadership. He's still got some genius boy in him, but he has some Jon Gruden to him too, so I trust him more now.

The interesting question, which no one will ever know the answer to, is whether we could have had Johnson last year. And if we could why we didnt. Loyalty to Flus? McCaskeys saying they wont fire a coach with that many years left on their deal? Maybe Johnson wanted to finish in Detriot. Maybe a combination.

But however the twisted road got here, we have a QB, and we have a coaching staff. I still think Poles has some issues, but they arent part of his job description any more, so, cool.

[Stinger226]

5 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

I definitely think that Warren nixed Harbaugh. And the thing is, as much as I love Harbaugh, I get it. He is a meathead. And I like meatheads. I like Vrabel and I like Dan Campbell too. At first i was worried that Johnson was too much of an egghead, but now i see more of his leadership. He's still got some genius boy in him, but he has some Jon Gruden to him too, so I trust him more now.

The interesting question, which no one will ever know the answer to, is whether we could have had Johnson last year. And if we could why we didnt. Loyalty to Flus? McCaskeys saying they wont fire a coach with that many years left on their deal? Maybe Johnson wanted to finish in Detriot. Maybe a combination.

But however the twisted road got here, we have a QB, and we have a coaching staff. I still think Poles has some issues, but they arent part of his job description any more, so, cool.

I like Meatheads too and was afraid Ben Johnson was to much a nerd type but he has proven to be a red ass. I think Johnson didn't like the Jobs that were open and thought they get to a SB which would have looked good on a resume. So now he chose Caleb to live with and it's history now.

[Mongo3451]

4 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

I like Meatheads too and was afraid Ben Johnson was to much a nerd type but he has proven to be a red ass. I think Johnson didn't like the Jobs that were open and thought they get to a SB which would have looked good on a resume. So now he chose Caleb to live with and it's history now.

This!  Johnson is a hard driving bastard that gives zero F's what anyone thinks.  That's exactly the type of person he's coaching.  Team Flus neutered alphas, I believe Johnson will ignite them.

[dawhizz]

On 4/7/2025 at 10:00 AM, dawhizz said:

Feels like we have gotten a lot less intel on Bears 30 visits this year as opposed to past years. I didn’t go back to see what we knew this time last year, but as far as I can tell, the only visit that have been reported are RB Ashton Jeanty, OT Josh Conerly, RB Brashard Smith, LB Nick Martin, WR Isaiah Bond, OG Dylan Fairchild, and WR Jaylin Lane. There are conflicting reports on if TE Tyler Warren had a visit with Bears - I saw someone (maybe Tony Pauline) say that he had one scheduled then Greg Gabriel said that wasn’t true and I saw someone over the weekend say he only had one visit scheduled so 🤷‍♂️. Not only do we not have much intel but there really isn’t much to be gleaned from the positions for the visits - we’ve got two RBs and two WRs, but it one projected early round pick and one late. Martin and Conerly make sense as guys who were injured last year and the team might want to check out medically. Poles seems to be keeping things very close to the vest. 

A few more Bears meetings/visits I’ve seen referenced online:

- Anthony Benton, OT, NC State

- Jonah Savaiinaea, OT/OG, Arizona

- Addison West, OG, Western Michigan

- Dontae Fleming, WR, Tulane

- Kelly Akharaiyi, WR, Mississippi

So, seems like mostly mid round O-linemen (unless Conerly goes round 1) and late round/undrafted WRs (although I’m intrigued what saw from Akharaiyi in the highlight videos I was able to find). 

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, dawhizz said:

A few more Bears meetings/visits I’ve seen referenced online:

- Anthony Benton, OT, NC State

- Jonah Savaiinaea, OT/OG, Arizona

- Addison West, OG, Western Michigan

- Dontae Fleming, WR, Tulane

- Kelly Akharaiyi, WR, Mississippi

So, seems like mostly mid round O-linemen (unless Conerly goes round 1) and late round/undrafted WRs (although I’m intrigued what saw from Akharaiyi in the highlight videos I was able to find). 

I think who they are looking at tells you what round they're planning to draft a position.

[BearFan PHX]

10 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

I think who they are looking at tells you what round they're planning to draft a position.

Or it means they know they want an OL, and they wanna know scenarios in case their guy is gone in the first, trade down offers occur etc.

And they could be looking at depth pieces too.

Its hard to tell what they are actually up to this year more than most i think.

[Stinger226]

3 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

Or it means they know they want an OL, and they wanna know scenarios in case their guy is gone in the first, trade down offers occur etc.

And they could be looking at depth pieces too.

Its hard to tell what they are actually up to this year more than most i think.

They only get 30 visits so I think it just shows interest in a player. They also met players at pro days, all star games also. 

Here's a podcast with Greg Gabriel that explains the process at this time of year.

https://www.youtube.com/live/xa0I_fmIS_0?si=w8WmEBxHjsutmsUr

[BearFan PHX]

13 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

They only get 30 visits so I think it just shows interest in a player. They also met players at pro days, all star games also. 

Here's a podcast with Greg Gabriel that explains the process at this time of year.

https://www.youtube.com/live/xa0I_fmIS_0?si=w8WmEBxHjsutmsUr

It is interest for sure, even if the scenario I described is what's happening. There have been years where the Bears drafted a player they didn't visit with, even as they visited other big names at the same position.

We agree that they meet with players to gain information on them as possible picks. Thats for sure. They dont just waste the visits on nothing, we are agreed. But it doesnt follow that the pick is more likely to come from the list of visits?

They may have their eye on a big name player they hope to get in the first round, and if things fall another way, the player is gone, or some amazing talent drops that cant be overlooked, then they want to know their options in later rounds, and these visits help that a lot. Also, they can be looking at depth pieces.

So yes, a 30 visit absolutely shows interest, but not visiting with someone doesnt imply no interest, and if they are taken at pick 10, then the same position is much less likely to go in the 2nd round, rendering the visit moot.

So the value of the visit is to scout guys you might take, but not necessarily will take. And of course, in a few years when they become free agents, if they were guys you liked for a reason, they might still be on your list and the extra info from the visit comes into play again too.

[Stinger226]

2 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

It is interest for sure, even if the scenario I described is what's happening. There have been years where the Bears drafted a player they didn't visit with, even as they visited other big names at the same position.

We agree that they meet with players to gain information on them as possible picks. Thats for sure. They dont just waste the visits on nothing, we are agreed. But it doesnt follow that the pick is more likely to come from the list of visits?

They may have their eye on a big name player they hope to get in the first round, and if things fall another way, the player is gone, or some amazing talent drops that cant be overlooked, then they want to know their options in later rounds, and these visits help that a lot. Also, they can be looking at depth pieces.

So yes, a 30 visit absolutely shows interest, but not visiting with someone doesnt imply no interest, and if they are taken at pick 10, then the same position is much less likely to go in the 2nd round, rendering the visit moot.

So the value of the visit is to scout guys you might take, but not necessarily will take. And of course, in a few years when they become free agents, if they were guys you liked for a reason, they might still be on your list and the extra info from the visit comes into play again too.

Anything goes in the draft. I didn't realize until a few days ago that we added 8 players from last year's draft were visits. Just saying odds are some of our draft picks will be on that list. Poles keeps information tight, he's not even letting visit information out . 

[Stinger226]

We visited with ND WR Beaux Collins today. 4.52 speed at 6.4. Not a speed guy. Seems to be a lot of late round, UDFA types we are taking visits with.

[AZ54]

34 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

We visited with ND WR Beaux Collins today. 4.52 speed at 6.4. Not a speed guy. Seems to be a lot of late round, UDFA types we are taking visits with.

Is he local within 50mi of Chicago?  If so this visit doesn't count against the 30 limit.  They can use these visits to help figure out how they'll fill out the 90 man roster for the opening of camp.  

 

[Stinger226]

6 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

Is he local within 50mi of Chicago?  If so this visit doesn't count against the 30 limit.  They can use these visits to help figure out how they'll fill out the 90 man roster for the opening of camp.  

 

ND is considered a local school.

[AZ54]

7 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

ND is considered a local school.

More to do with where he lives.  Kenneth Grant for example lives within 50mi of Chicago so if we meet with him he won't count against our 30.  

[Stinger226]

6 hours ago, AZ54 said:

More to do with where he lives.  Kenneth Grant for example lives within 50mi of Chicago so if we meet with him he won't count against our 30.  

I'm trying to find the list, they had 40 prospects in today with the local label on them. https://www.youtube.com/live/D_mkjGOvJns?si=KEnMOc2LwZouOLiC

[Stinger226]

So far 11 top 30 reported. 

Jeanty is the only first round pick.

4 OL no 1st round type,  Conerly and Savaiinaea the only bigger names. 

I have seen Campbell reported but not sure that has been verified. Lemmings is pretty on top of things.

I heard they had 2 zoom calls with a couple but want to see it verified first. Warren has not had a visit yet and seen that reported. 

[AZ54]

Interesting there’s so few reported.  There’s really only a little over a week left.  Last week before the draft is finalizing the board and gaming various mocks.  

[ASHKUM BEAR]

5 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

So far 11 top 30 reported. 

Jeanty is the only first round pick.

4 OL no 1st round type,  Conerly and Savaiinaea the only bigger names. 

I have seen Campbell reported but not sure that has been verified. Lemmings is pretty on top of things.

I heard they had 2 zoom calls with a couple but want to see it verified first. Warren has not had a visit yet and seen that reported. 

I mentioned Campbell, but noticed later it was at the combine. 

[Stinger226]

We have  enough players to go to war with right now but I think Johnson wants at least one more weapon ( RB - TE-WR), more OL depth, more DL depth and future players at S and LB.

The outlier is the evaluation of the current roster, we don't know there opinion. 

Maybe Johnson thinks Scott can excel. Maybe Allen thinks Jamree Kronah is our 4 th DE. 6'4" 275, 4.77 speed 

I think how the draft falls will determine what they address first. 

Example A: Mason Graham drops ( no brainer) 

Example B: chance to trade back 

Example 😄 they have a certain player rated as a blue we don't expect ( Mathew Golden)

[AZ54]

On 4/7/2025 at 8:56 PM, Stinger226 said:

I like hype videos, it's gets me excited for football. Poles has made mistakes but I think for him he's learning on the job because he never did this before. 

His first year, people were complaining he didn't have enough weapons for Justin which caused him to reach for Velous Jones and went after Claypool. 

I think he's starting to get it right.

 I had a lot of issues with how Caleb played last year holding the ball too long and missing or bypassing the easy gains.  However, this video gives me hope he's The One.  Rookies can at times look good between the 20s but to execute in the redzone is really where the elite QBs shine.    This video gave me hope for a bright future..

 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

21 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

 I had a lot of issues with how Caleb played last year holding the ball too long and missing or bypassing the easy gains.  However, this video gives me hope he's The One.  Rookies can at times look good between the 20s but to execute in the redzone is really where the elite QBs shine.    This video gave me hope for a bright future..

 

Good clip that shows some glimpses of what Caleb can do. 

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

Good clip that shows some glimpses of what Caleb can do. 

The one thing you seen from Caleb was RedZone presents. Holding the ball to long was a bad habit he learned in college. Johnson will change that for him