Week 8: BEARS vs. San Francisco 49ers

[Tim]

I'm absolutely not saying Fields is Trubisky, but we're not going to do that thing where we pretend the old guy had All The Flaws and the new guy is Completely Different

 

You guys (the ones minimizing the best Fields game of the year) are the ones who even mentioned Trubisky. Nobody is acting like Fields doesn't have flaws. You are arguing against nobody. We also aren't going to do the thing where we act like Fields playing a good game is bad. He played very well today. Maybe the best game of any rookie in this class has played this year (read this on Twitter, haven't seen Daniel Jones much). It doesn't mean there's no looking back and he will continue to linearly get better each game......which is absolutely fine because literally NOBODY is saying that.

 

I couldnt watch today but Mac Jones has looked really good in a couple of games I’ve watched. I have a hard time believing that Fields has a better game based on the stat line but again I didn’t watch so

Are you including the 107 rushing yards?

[Brian707]

We are seeing what Mac Jones ceiling is. I wish people would stop gushing over him.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I won't really worry about Fields play today, but the injury list is concerning

 

If it wasn't for that late throw deep, Fields numbers would have been muuuuch better too

[BigSlick]

It figures the game Fields looks pretty good and the offense moves pretty well the defense utterly collapses

[raw]

We are seeing what Mac Jones ceiling is. I wish people would stop gushing over him.

 

He's definitely in that Kirk Cousins, Nick Foles, young Andy Dalton, Sam Bradford tier of QBs. Very accurate. Will take the occasional deep shot, but more comfortable checking down to short, intermediate area. Of course, unlike those guys, he has the pleasure of playing with Belichick/McDaniels so he may be much more successful than those guys. Not gonna hate though, he's playing pretty well right now. 3rd in the league in passing attempts, so they actually aren't holding him back either. But he's bottom 1/3 of the league in QB rating (to be fair, 3 guys drafted ahead of him that have played are the bottom 3).

[jumbo]

I looked up all the "who could the bears trade" stories. I don't think they'll trade anyone, but the list of players ranges from the reasonable (Robinson and Hicks), to the knee jerk (trade Montgomery because of Herbert), to the even beyond unlikely (Foles to New Orleans, Quinn to some contender, even Graham was listed as a trade target).

 

I don't see ownership giving up on the season after they squeeked into the playoffs last year, and I don't see Pace being cold blooded enough to trade Nagy's guys and then firing him. This team doesn't look like it could beat any playoff team, but I can see ownership and Pace/Nagy thinking they could improve enough in season to do something.

 

I was really most interested in the price for these trades

Robinson was a 2022 2nd and 2023 5th, I would think a 3rd would be a good return

Hicks was a 2022 5th

Foles was a 2022 7th

Montgomery 2022 3rd

Quinn was listed as 2022 3rd

 

There was also some Dalton speculation. I'd trade all these guys except Montgomery given the chance, even if the return wasn't awesome. I'm so sick of going into the drafts short on picks.

[champaignchris]

Wouldn’t Nagy/Pace sign off on any trades only if they thought they were coming back next season? If they think their jobs are on the line, they’re not going to trade any asset that could conceivably help them eke into the playoffs.

[raw]

I looked up all the "who could the bears trade" stories. I don't think they'll trade anyone, but the list of players ranges from the reasonable (Robinson and Hicks), to the knee jerk (trade Montgomery because of Herbert), to the even beyond unlikely (Foles to New Orleans, Quinn to some contender, even Graham was listed as a trade target).

 

I don't see ownership giving up on the season after they squeeked into the playoffs last year, and I don't see Pace being cold blooded enough to trade Nagy's guys and then firing him. This team doesn't look like it could beat any playoff team, but I can see ownership and Pace/Nagy thinking they could improve enough in season to do something.

 

I was really most interested in the price for these trades

Robinson was a 2022 2nd and 2023 5th, I would think a 3rd would be a good return

Hicks was a 2022 5th

Foles was a 2022 7th

Montgomery 2022 3rd

Quinn was listed as 2022 3rd

 

There was also some Dalton speculation. I'd trade all these guys except Montgomery given the chance, even if the return wasn't awesome. I'm so sick of going into the drafts short on picks.

 

So, I just posted in the other NFL thread that the NFC is terrible re: Saints making it in. But really, the NFC is terrible. The Bears are behind the 8-ball with 5 losses, but they definitely can sneak in again as an 8-win ish team.

 

LA, Arizona, GB, Tampa, and Dallas are for sure in the playoffs. Lions are for sure not making it. The other teams are:

 

Saints- starting Trevor Siemien/Taysom Hill

49ers- always injured, Jimmy G better keep playing like yesterday or they'll be playing a rookie QB

WFT- QB situation is a mess

NYG- Daniel Jones is their QB, team is worst than Bears

PHI- Jalen Hurts is their QB

SEA- Geno Smith is their QB

MIN- Cousins is solid, Bears have a shot to take care of them to get edge

CAR- Sam Darnold is their QB

ATL- Ryan is old and team is worse than Bears

 

And these teams are fighting for 2 spots. Nobody on this list seems like a sure bet to coast toward a wildcard berth. None are probably winning a playoff game anyway, but in the Bears situation, they gotta try to compete. They don't have a 1st so they need to win as many games as possible to make that pick further down in the draft.

 

I honestly don't think they will trade anyone. Even trying to pseudo compete, I would still try to trade Robinson, Hicks, and one of the QBs. If anyone gives anything for Foles, that's a no-brainer. I'd also give up Dalton for a decent offer, though I think he's a guy they could bring back as the #2 next year. Bears got dead money counting for him anyway, may be able to lower that for a guy that Fields seems to genuinely like and learn from. Hicks, to me, is just taking up space. He's not a big difference maker so far this year. They've had good games without him, bad games like yesterday with him. Give the reps to other guys (Nichols, Blackson, Tonga) to see how big of a role they can have in the future. Robinson is a completely different situation though. He's obviously not performing this year, but maybe not completely his fault. May be killing his ability to get a 3rd round comp for him with his non-production. I think he's looking at a 1-year deal if things keep going this way. So, you're maybe looking 4th or 5th round comp. And that's in 2023 anyway. If the Bears can even get a 4th in 2022 for him, they gotta do it. They only have 5 picks (2 difference making picks) next year, another would be nice. 2022 picks are WAY more valuable than 2023 at this point, given the cap issues and like 32 free agents on the roster.

[jumbo]

Wouldn’t Nagy/Pace sign off on any trades only if they thought they were coming back next season? If they think their jobs are on the line, they’re not going to trade any asset that could conceivably help them eke into the playoffs.

 

Yes, I agree. I don't think they're going to trade anyone because ownership/front office wants to complete. I wish they would acknowledge that every better team they've played has blown them out and try to recoup draft capital.

Nagy wouldn't want to trade anyone

Pace would if he was coming back

Ownership could tell Pace he's coming back, then can him after the fire sale. I doubt it, though.

 

I love trade deadlines, but the NFL is never anything like NBA/MLB. This team needs the draft capital to reload but I don't see them taking that route.

[jumbo]

I looked up all the "who could the bears trade" stories. I don't think they'll trade anyone, but the list of players ranges from the reasonable (Robinson and Hicks), to the knee jerk (trade Montgomery because of Herbert), to the even beyond unlikely (Foles to New Orleans, Quinn to some contender, even Graham was listed as a trade target).

 

I don't see ownership giving up on the season after they squeeked into the playoffs last year, and I don't see Pace being cold blooded enough to trade Nagy's guys and then firing him. This team doesn't look like it could beat any playoff team, but I can see ownership and Pace/Nagy thinking they could improve enough in season to do something.

 

I was really most interested in the price for these trades

Robinson was a 2022 2nd and 2023 5th, I would think a 3rd would be a good return

Hicks was a 2022 5th

Foles was a 2022 7th

Montgomery 2022 3rd

Quinn was listed as 2022 3rd

 

There was also some Dalton speculation. I'd trade all these guys except Montgomery given the chance, even if the return wasn't awesome. I'm so sick of going into the drafts short on picks.

 

So, I just posted in the other NFL thread that the NFC is terrible re: Saints making it in. But really, the NFC is terrible. The Bears are behind the 8-ball with 5 losses, but they definitely can sneak in again as an 8-win ish team.

 

LA, Arizona, GB, Tampa, and Dallas are for sure in the playoffs. Lions are for sure not making it. The other teams are:

 

Saints- starting Trevor Siemien/Taysom Hill

49ers- always injured, Jimmy G better keep playing like yesterday or they'll be playing a rookie QB

WFT- QB situation is a mess

NYG- Daniel Jones is their QB, team is worst than Bears

PHI- Jalen Hurts is their QB

SEA- Geno Smith is their QB

MIN- Cousins is solid, Bears have a shot to take care of them to get edge

CAR- Sam Darnold is their QB

ATL- Ryan is old and team is worse than Bears

 

And these teams are fighting for 2 spots. Nobody on this list seems like a sure bet to coast toward a wildcard berth. None are probably winning a playoff game anyway, but in the Bears situation, they gotta try to compete. They don't have a 1st so they need to win as many games as possible to make that pick further down in the draft.

 

I honestly don't think they will trade anyone. Even trying to pseudo compete, I would still try to trade Robinson, Hicks, and one of the QBs. If anyone gives anything for Foles, that's a no-brainer. I'd also give up Dalton for a decent offer, though I think he's a guy they could bring back as the #2 next year. Bears got dead money counting for him anyway, may be able to lower that for a guy that Fields seems to genuinely like and learn from. Hicks, to me, is just taking up space. He's not a big difference maker so far this year. They've had good games without him, bad games like yesterday with him. Give the reps to other guys (Nichols, Blackson, Tonga) to see how big of a role they can have in the future. Robinson is a completely different situation though. He's obviously not performing this year, but maybe not completely his fault. May be killing his ability to get a 3rd round comp for him with his non-production. I think he's looking at a 1-year deal if things keep going this way. So, you're maybe looking 4th or 5th round comp. And that's in 2023 anyway. If the Bears can even get a 4th in 2022 for him, they gotta do it. They only have 5 picks (2 difference making picks) next year, another would be nice. 2022 picks are WAY more valuable than 2023 at this point, given the cap issues and like 32 free agents on the roster.

 

Agree, I am not expecting any trades even though I want them to happen. Robinson and Hicks seem like possibilities and should be traded if a trade is out there. I expect the team to keep everyone to try to be the 7 seed again.

 

If all those trades in the original post were made the bears would have:

2022: 2, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7

2023: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7

But we'll end up with

2022: 2, 3, 5, 5, 6

2023: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

 

Pace said the team would be aggressive, so hopefully they don't trade more picks away to patch their holes

[gflore34]

I looked up all the "who could the bears trade" stories. I don't think they'll trade anyone, but the list of players ranges from the reasonable (Robinson and Hicks), to the knee jerk (trade Montgomery because of Herbert), to the even beyond unlikely (Foles to New Orleans, Quinn to some contender, even Graham was listed as a trade target).

 

I don't see ownership giving up on the season after they squeeked into the playoffs last year, and I don't see Pace being cold blooded enough to trade Nagy's guys and then firing him. This team doesn't look like it could beat any playoff team, but I can see ownership and Pace/Nagy thinking they could improve enough in season to do something.

 

I was really most interested in the price for these trades

Robinson was a 2022 2nd and 2023 5th, I would think a 3rd would be a good return

Hicks was a 2022 5th

Foles was a 2022 7th

Montgomery 2022 3rd

Quinn was listed as 2022 3rd

 

There was also some Dalton speculation. I'd trade all these guys except Montgomery given the chance, even if the return wasn't awesome. I'm so sick of going into the drafts short on picks.

 

So, I just posted in the other NFL thread that the NFC is terrible re: Saints making it in. But really, the NFC is terrible. The Bears are behind the 8-ball with 5 losses, but they definitely can sneak in again as an 8-win ish team.

 

LA, Arizona, GB, Tampa, and Dallas are for sure in the playoffs. Lions are for sure not making it. The other teams are:

 

Saints- starting Trevor Siemien/Taysom Hill

49ers- always injured, Jimmy G better keep playing like yesterday or they'll be playing a rookie QB

WFT- QB situation is a mess

NYG- Daniel Jones is their QB, team is worst than Bears

PHI- Jalen Hurts is their QB

SEA- Geno Smith is their QB

MIN- Cousins is solid, Bears have a shot to take care of them to get edge

CAR- Sam Darnold is their QB

ATL- Ryan is old and team is worse than Bears

 

And these teams are fighting for 2 spots. Nobody on this list seems like a sure bet to coast toward a wildcard berth. None are probably winning a playoff game anyway, but in the Bears situation, they gotta try to compete. They don't have a 1st so they need to win as many games as possible to make that pick further down in the draft.

 

I honestly don't think they will trade anyone. Even trying to pseudo compete, I would still try to trade Robinson, Hicks, and one of the QBs. If anyone gives anything for Foles, that's a no-brainer. I'd also give up Dalton for a decent offer, though I think he's a guy they could bring back as the #2 next year. Bears got dead money counting for him anyway, may be able to lower that for a guy that Fields seems to genuinely like and learn from. Hicks, to me, is just taking up space. He's not a big difference maker so far this year. They've had good games without him, bad games like yesterday with him. Give the reps to other guys (Nichols, Blackson, Tonga) to see how big of a role they can have in the future. Robinson is a completely different situation though. He's obviously not performing this year, but maybe not completely his fault. May be killing his ability to get a 3rd round comp for him with his non-production. I think he's looking at a 1-year deal if things keep going this way. So, you're maybe looking 4th or 5th round comp. And that's in 2023 anyway. If the Bears can even get a 4th in 2022 for him, they gotta do it. They only have 5 picks (2 difference making picks) next year, another would be nice. 2022 picks are WAY more valuable than 2023 at this point, given the cap issues and like 32 free agents on the roster.

 

Agree, I am not expecting any trades even though I want them to happen. Robinson and Hicks seem like possibilities and should be traded if a trade is out there. I expect the team to keep everyone to try to be the 7 seed again.

 

If all those trades in the original post were made the bears would have:

2022: 2, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7

2023: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7

But we'll end up with

2022: 2, 3, 5, 5, 6

2023: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

 

Pace said the team would be aggressive, so hopefully they don't trade more picks away to patch their holes

 

The realistic plan is pretty clear - trade any non-building blocks of value for draft picks, play those young building block players now, focus on Justin Fields improvement, fire Nagy - all with an eye on 2023 being the year to start dominance of the NFC North. Rodgers will be history by then, think there's a real good chance both Packers and Vikings will be in downward spirals, 2023 the year to shoot for.

[UMFan83]

lol at everyone here talking about a sell off when you know Pace is going to make a reckless move to buy. I mean I know a lot has changed since then but like a month ago they traded a 6th for a kick returner who is a FA after the season

[gflore34]

lol at everyone here talking about a sell off when you know Pace is going to make a reckless move to buy. I mean I know a lot has changed since then but like a month ago they traded a 6th for a kick returner who is a FA after the season

 

Reason #999,999,999 Pace needs to be removed as the Bears GM.

[champaignchris]

lol at everyone here talking about a sell off when you know Pace is going to make a reckless move to buy. I mean I know a lot has changed since then but like a month ago they traded a 6th for a kick returner who is a FA after the season

 

Right. He’s not selling when he’s a game out of the playoffs in a weak conference.

 

He absolutely, totally should. But he won’t.

[Soul]

lol at everyone here talking about a sell off when you know Pace is going to make a reckless move to buy. I mean I know a lot has changed since then but like a month ago they traded a 6th for a kick returner who is a FA after the season

 

Right. He’s not selling when he’s a game out of the playoffs in a weak conference.

 

He absolutely, totally should. But he won’t.

This is a nightmare. Is firepace.com domain taken?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[UMFan83]

 

Ok I’m sold on it being an impressive game. Sorry sometimes box scores don’t do justice even with 100+ yards rushing

[mias_tisg]

Mac Jones has been a lot better than Fields this year. Fields has 3 TD's, 7 INT's and a QB rating that's worse than everyone but Zach Wilson. Doesn't mean Fields can't be better going forward but Mac has looked pretty legit.

[jersey cubs fan]

Mac Jones has been a lot better than Fields this year. Fields has 3 TD's, 7 INT's and a QB rating that's worse than everyone but Zach Wilson. Doesn't mean Fields can't be better going forward but Mac has looked pretty legit.

Mac Jones was always the NFL ready but not much upside guy. Don’t think it means much that he’s had a better start. I still much prefer Fields.

[jumbo]

lol at everyone here talking about a sell off when you know Pace is going to make a reckless move to buy. I mean I know a lot has changed since then but like a month ago they traded a 6th for a kick returner who is a FA after the season

 

I did say in every post that I don't expect them to make any trades. I'd like it, and I think the valuation part is interesting, I even acknowledged that Pace could aggressively buy

[BigSlick]

The most important thing the most important thing is that Fields looked fantastic on Sunday. The fact that the Bears lost is almost incidental. (perhaps good, if it gets people to understand what the priority is for the season rather than do reckless insane things to win a handful extra games)

 

This year is entirely a developmental year for Fields and whatever pieces you think are young and you want to keep around in the future. That’s it.

[WrigleyField 22]

Okay I'm just gonna say it: Fields looked great, but I feel like there's still a little to much lift behind the nothing else matters talking point (everywhere)

 

Is Fields the overwhelming most important piece? Yes.

 

Do other things/players matter? Also yes.

 

It's okay to want multiple things guys. I know we're all QB starved, but this isn't normal.

[Tim]

Okay I'm just gonna say it: Fields looked great, but I feel like there's still a little to much lift behind the nothing else matters talking point (everywhere)

 

Is Fields the overwhelming most important piece? Yes.

 

Do other things/players matter? Also yes.

 

It's okay to want multiple things guys. I know we're all QB starved, but this isn't normal.

I thought Borom looked great under the circumstances. Only three practices since camp, rookie, going against Bosa? That's a tough road right there. Overall, I thought he played really well.

 

That mattered, too. :D

[UMFan83]

Okay I'm just gonna say it: Fields looked great, but I feel like there's still a little to much lift behind the nothing else matters talking point (everywhere)

 

Is Fields the overwhelming most important piece? Yes.

 

Do other things/players matter? Also yes.

 

It's okay to want multiple things guys. I know we're all QB starved, but this isn't normal.

 

I'm not sure what you mean? The Bears are going nowhere this year. I'll take games where Fields looks great the rest of the way over games where he looks like crap and everyone else looks good.

 

Clearly there is a lot more needed than the QB and the Bears are far away on both sides of the ball. It's just that when the QB situation is settled, everything else because a lot easier and we can actually build a balanced team around him instead of allocating 70% of the cap to an elite defense that can get you to 10-7 and a first round playoff loss at best.

[BigSlick]

Okay I'm just gonna say it: Fields looked great, but I feel like there's still a little to much lift behind the nothing else matters talking point (everywhere)

 

Is Fields the overwhelming most important piece? Yes.

 

Do other things/players matter? Also yes.

 

It's okay to want multiple things guys. I know we're all QB starved, but this isn't normal.

 

Other players matter - but really only the ones you think are going to be significant pieces in the next few years. Khalil Herbert really coming into his own matters, I've been pretty impressed with Darnell Mooney as well. Seeing what you can get out of your young lineman matters.

 

What sucks is unfortunately the defense is largely old except for some stand outs. Having that mismatch is not great.