Bears Week 18 Against Who Cares

WrigleyField 22 · January 6, 2022

Dannehy writes for the DaBearsBlog with that guy Jeff who has gotten things right before. Hopefull,y he's right. The reasoning is obvious and sound, but as always, Bears.

Probably a completely worthless thing to post, but for whatever it’s worth, my friend lives in Lake Forest and claims to have seen Pace today and said he was visibly angry.
I'll take it! It's the equivalent of seeing Theo at Starbucks or whatever.

I hope.

Waiting for confirmation of Harbaugh in line at a Portillos Drive through.

jersey cubs fan · January 6, 2022

Probably a completely worthless thing to post, but for whatever it’s worth, my friend lives in Lake Forest and claims to have seen Pace today and said he was visibly angry.

Because of Fields' covid results

raw · January 6, 2022

I basically agree with Smitz.

Bowles and Roman prob round out my top 4.

McDaniels is my first choice. The potential upside for Fields is just too great to ignore. We need a coach where we can say: "if he can't get Fields to star status then no one could." That's McDaniels.

The ideal offense for me is maximizing Justin Fields' abilities. Not a groundbreaking analysis, I know. But they say Fields can't read the field fast enough, then build an offense that protects him long enough to make every read. He also likes (and is good at) throwing the ball down the field. That should be the primary design of the offense. I've often compared Fields' play style to Deshaun Watson. So basically, I envision a passing offense that at it's height is similar to the Texans from 2020. That was Bill O'Brien's offense, even after he was fired. Bill O'Brien is from the same coaching tree as McDaniels.

That being said, just in case I am wrong about what offense would best maximize Fields....I want an offense that is adaptable to its personnel, talent and adapts to its opponents. McDaniels also checks that box for me. He has had obviously TONS of success. First started with small WRs, who weren't really #1 guys. Then he had success with a HOF #1 in Moss. He's had offenses where his top receiving options came from small, white slot guys; 1 big burly TE, 2 TE sets, speedy WRs, small WRs, no named WRs, he's had a RB lead this offense in receiving. And the entire time, the Pats have been pretty consistent in producing an above average OL and running game with constantly changing pieces on the OL and a lot of the time with RB by committee. Even his much maligned time in Denver featured 2 top 15 teams in total offense with the likes of Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton.

There's plenty of guys I think can run the offense that I think will maximize Fields. But there's not many that have shown they can adapt if their offense isn't working as planned. Obviously, McDaniels is not the perfect candidate or he'd still be in Denver or Indy. But if he's willing to try his hand at HC again, there's not many I'd rather have outside of the longshots.

WrigleyField 22 · January 6, 2022

I basically agree with Smitz.

Bowles and Roman prob round out my top 4.

McDaniels is my first choice. The potential upside for Fields is just too great to ignore. We need a coach where we can say: "if he can't get Fields to star status then no one could." That's McDaniels.

The ideal offense for me is maximizing Justin Fields' abilities. Not a groundbreaking analysis, I know. But they say Fields can't read the field fast enough, then build an offense that protects him long enough to make every read. He also likes (and is good at) throwing the ball down the field. That should be the primary design of the offense. I've often compared Fields' play style to Deshaun Watson. So basically, I envision a passing offense that at it's height is similar to the Texans from 2020. That was Bill O'Brien's offense, even after he was fired. Bill O'Brien is from the same coaching tree as McDaniels.

That being said, just in case I am wrong about what offense would best maximize Fields....I want an offense that is adaptable to its personnel, talent and adapts to its opponents. McDaniels also checks that box for me. He has had obviously TONS of success. First started with small WRs, who weren't really #1 guys. Then he had success with a HOF #1 in Moss. He's had offenses where his top receiving options came from small, white slot guys; 1 big burly TE, 2 TE sets, speedy WRs, small WRs, no named WRs, he's had a RB lead this offense in receiving. And the entire time, the Pats have been pretty consistent in producing an above average OL and running game with constantly changing pieces on the OL and a lot of the time with RB by committee. Even his much maligned time in Denver featured 2 top 15 teams in total offense with the likes of Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton.

There's plenty of guys I think can run the offense that I think will maximize Fields. But there's not many that have shown they can adapt if their offense isn't working as planned. Obviously, McDaniels is not the perfect candidate or he'd still be in Denver or Indy. But if he's willing to try his hand at HC again, there's not many I'd rather have outside of the longshots.

I'd have to find the articles again, but the Patriots have always used the Erhardt-Perkins coaching scheme. I guess what makes it unique is that it's verbiage is totally based on concepts of design so it's extremely adaptable to changes in personnel. So yea, anyone using this scheme, (which includes Daboll) should be very flexible because they're effectively implementing a language, not a technical strategy.

Absent that I've always loved the Shannahan tree. And think Fields would do well in it.

WrigleyField 22 · January 6, 2022

Here's the Grantland article that talks about how the Patriots use the E-P system to have a simple, yet flexible offense.

http://grantland.com/features/how-terminology-erhardt-perkins-system-helped-maintain-dominance-tom-brady-patriots/

David · January 7, 2022

WrigleyField 22 · January 7, 2022

LFG

minnesotacubsfan · January 7, 2022

A blood letting feels good to me

WrigleyField 22 · January 7, 2022

Alright, with the Ryan Pace rumor mill picking up, I'm going to post a little about some general FO ideas and thoughts.

As far as any possible President rumors go, I kind of hope its true Phillips is stepping away or down or retiring or whatever. I don't put a lot of stock into the "President football ops" idea and think the traditional President role is fine as a setup.

That said, if there's been no leak other than the possible Armstrong rumor, I kind of hope they just have an in house candidate ready to go to lead the HC/GM search. Cliff Stein has always made the most sense to me as a possible internal candidate. So unless a new outside Pres is already a done deal and ready to go, I hope they don't have to waste time doing a Pres search, then GM, then HC. And I also really don't want Phillips running the search if he's got a foot out the door either.

So I'm gonna go and place Cliff Stein as my new President and call Phillips the CEO of the team and he can do the stadium stuff. Has experience on both football ops side as the former contract negotiator. Has a legal background and has been serving as Legal Counsel and doing other stuff on the business ops side the past 7 years.

Onto football ops. I've generally leaned more towards thinking the Bears really should strongly consider a FO structure with the HC at the top. I just think based on McCaskey's weakness, putting the HC on top kind of simplifies the evaluation process. And its a proven method with places like NE and SEA having that setup.

Further, this article gave me some inspiration today.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/1/6/22869889/nfl-coaching-carousel-avoid-mistakes

I'm a bit of a cap nerd as it is, but I have also been intrigued by putting more of the contract type at top and not the scouting type. Even though almost every team has gone the scout angle these days. But I kind of like the contract guy at the GM spot and think it pairs nicely with the idea of the strong HC at or near the top of the FO structure. I'm kind of thinking of New Orleans where Loomis is still the top guy, but he isn't a scouting/personnel guy. So Payton is probably the biggest voice when it comes to roster management, but without necessarily with the full day to day responsibility of overseeing the entire scouting department and football ops.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/12/31/future-general-managers-week-17-preview

Good, exhaustive list of GM candidates here. But I'm skipping past all the scouting types, until I get to the operations types;

OPERATIONS SIDE CANDIDATES
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Browns VP of football operations: A lot of smart people in the NFL have bought up stock in Adofo-Mensah—a strong personality who’s brilliant in helping a team pull every lever and set up a smart process. And whereas player evaluation may have once created a gap in his résumé, Adofo-Mensah has been on school calls and done tape work since landing in Cleveland. It feels like it’s not if, but when with him. The Panthers interviewed him last year, and owner David Tepper was intrigued by the idea of hiring him.

Chad Brinker, Packers personnel/football administration executive: The 41-year-old played at Ohio Univ. and was good enough to get into camp with the Jets, before embarking on a career in pharmaceutical sales. He found his way back to football with the Packers 12 years ago and has been a jack of all trades since, while playing a big role in modernizing the Packers’ old-school scouting operation. He also recently got his MBA from Northwestern, so the 41-year-old touches a lot of bases from a résumé standpoint.

Mike Greenberg, Buccaneers VP of football administration: One of the most respected contract negotiators in the sport, Greenberg has become one of Licht’s most trusted confidants—and he more or less frees Licht to be an evaluator because he’s fully capable of running everything else. Tampa’s ability to keep the team together this offseason was in no small part thanks to how Greenberg set up the team’s cap; the Bucs had budgeted incredibly responsibly over the years, which allowed for them to stretch things this year.
Omar Khan, Steelers VP of football and business administration: He first appeared on this list when he was seen as the presumed GM for Bill Cowher whenever Cowher returned to coaching. Cowher, of course, never did, so Khan has stuck in Pittsburgh as a trusted lieutenant of the Rooney family. The Texans took a hard look at him during their GM search last year, and he’d certainly be in line for more responsibility in Pittsburgh if Colbert retires.

Tony Pastoors, Rams VP of football and business administration: The question with Pastoors, as it has been with Greenberg and Khan, is whether he’s on a GM track or a team president track. Either way, the ex-Dartmouth football player has a bright future. He’s responsible for the team’s salary cap, but really is in on every part of the team’s football operations, working closely with team COO Kevin Demoff.

Catherine Raîche, Eagles vice president of football operations: She’s just 32, and maybe a couple of years away, but she’s now in Berry’s old role in Philly, and Berry tried to take her to Cleveland with him. She has a law degree, ran contracts for the Toronto Argonauts, then became the Argos’ assistant GM and, for good measure, is fluent in three languages. And according to those who’ve worked with her, she’s capable in all facets of personnel. One ex-colleague of hers plainly said, “She will be the first female GM.”

Honestly all sound like they have intriguing traits. And I'll add Pat Moriarty, who comes from a great organization in the Ravens (bio here: https://www.baltimoreravens.com/team/front-office-roster/pat-moriarty). I think I'd strike Brinker and Pastoors, and as much as it would be awesome for the Bears to hire the first female GM, I'll strike Raiche too. So give me Kwesi, Khan, Greenburg, or Moriatry. I'm gonna go Kwesi since he sounds like the biggest nerd from some of the stuff I've ready and the most likely to drive analytics in the org.

As has been discussed in this past page, I'm warming to the idea of McDaniels. Really the question is if he can build a staff after possibly burning some bridges with the Indy situation. If he still commands respect and get a good staff, I do think he makes sense and I'm willing to take the risk. But Harbaugh is still super intriguing. For first time candidates, I'm kind of coming on late to Eberflus from Indy (DC) but still like the hot OC names like Leftwich, Roman, Daboll. Todd Bowles, Dennis Allen, and Raheem Morris are all D side retreads I find interesting to varying degree. But I am really leaning towards a retread coach. I think with the org structure I've targeted too it just makes sense to have someone with experience in the role and understands all the intricacies of HC and roster management.

Underneath Kwesi on the Football Ops side, I think it does also give you an opportunity to create a really attractive Assistant GM/Player Personnel role. Most team's player personnel guy is going to be effectively the number 2 scout in the org behind GM. In this setup, they may be the number 2 FO role, but they have the biggest scouting voice and can really shape that dept. Retaining Champ Kelly still intrigues me from the bits I've read about him.

Coordinators. Ken Dorsey was mentioned with the Frazier rumors, but he'd still make sense. Daboll runs the same E-P system as NE. And Dorsey must get some credit for Allen's rise as he has been QB coach. Only question is since Daboll is a hot candidate, does Dorsey bide his time? Defense, I'm actually going to pull some inspiration from McDaniel's staff he started to build in Indy. He hired Eberflus out of Dallas instead of looking towards NE background. How about the guy who coordinated the Legion of Boom, spent a couple years in DAL under Marinelli and now was the DB coach this year for a Saints D that made two of the all time great QBs look mortal. Kris Richard. Special Teams. I don't know. I'm just gonna go org poaching and say TJ Weist, who is the asst special teams coach in Baltimore the past few years Hopefully he's learned a few things in one of the consistently top ST orgs around.

New Structure (after all my rambling)

CEO: Ted Phillips (go build a stadium and stay there)

President: Cliff Stein

General Manager: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Head Coach: Josh McDaniels

Assistant GM and Dir Player Personnel: Champ Kelly

Offensive Coordinator: Ken Dorsey

Defensive Coordinaor: Kris Richard

Special Team Coordinator: TJ Weist

David · January 7, 2022

I don't think this is much of a report, but it's going around (and of course all anyone is taking away from it is the "buzz about retaining/promoting" narrative that already has been speculated about for weeks, if not months). Buckle up.

Edited January 7, 2022 by David

gflore34 · January 7, 2022

I don't think this is much of a report, but it's going around (and of course all anyone is taking away from it is the "buzz about retaining/promoting" narrative that already has been speculated about for weeks, if not months. Buckle up.

Apparently, McCaskey has a blind spot when it comes to Pace, he cannot see what's plainly visible - Pace is terrible at building a roster. Sure, he's had some late round success but, as mentioned above any Tom, Dick and Harry GM can make the same claim. His initial solution to QB this season was Andy Dalton, that's the best he could do, that alone should have got him fired.

WrigleyField 22 · January 7, 2022

I mean Andy Dalton types are realistically the best you can do if you're in the QB wilderness. Although he definitely overpaid.

That's not a firable offense. Can we stop with the single moves as firable offense takes? To be fair single moves shouldn't be savable either.

gflore34 · January 7, 2022

I mean Andy Dalton types are realistically the best you can do if you're in the QB wilderness. Although he definitely overpaid.

That's not a firable offense. Can we stop with the single moves as firable offense takes? To be fair single moves shouldn't be savable either.

You're probably correct however, McCaskey' blind spot when it comes to Pace may still horsefeathers things up, they've chance to get it right I hope they do.

raw · January 7, 2022

Alright, with the Ryan Pace rumor mill picking up, I'm going to post a little about some general FO ideas and thoughts.

As far as any possible President rumors go, I kind of hope its true Phillips is stepping away or down or retiring or whatever. I don't put a lot of stock into the "President football ops" idea and think the traditional President role is fine as a setup.

That said, if there's been no leak other than the possible Armstrong rumor, I kind of hope they just have an in house candidate ready to go to lead the HC/GM search. Cliff Stein has always made the most sense to me as a possible internal candidate. So unless a new outside Pres is already a done deal and ready to go, I hope they don't have to waste time doing a Pres search, then GM, then HC. And I also really don't want Phillips running the search if he's got a foot out the door either.

So I'm gonna go and place Cliff Stein as my new President and call Phillips the CEO of the team and he can do the stadium stuff. Has experience on both football ops side as the former contract negotiator. Has a legal background and has been serving as Legal Counsel and doing other stuff on the business ops side the past 7 years.

Onto football ops. I've generally leaned more towards thinking the Bears really should strongly consider a FO structure with the HC at the top. I just think based on McCaskey's weakness, putting the HC on top kind of simplifies the evaluation process. And its a proven method with places like NE and SEA having that setup.

Further, this article gave me some inspiration today.
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/1/6/22869889/nfl-coaching-carousel-avoid-mistakes

I'm a bit of a cap nerd as it is, but I have also been intrigued by putting more of the contract type at top and not the scouting type. Even though almost every team has gone the scout angle these days. But I kind of like the contract guy at the GM spot and think it pairs nicely with the idea of the strong HC at or near the top of the FO structure. I'm kind of thinking of New Orleans where Loomis is still the top guy, but he isn't a scouting/personnel guy. So Payton is probably the biggest voice when it comes to roster management, but without necessarily with the full day to day responsibility of overseeing the entire scouting department and football ops.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/12/31/future-general-managers-week-17-preview
Good, exhaustive list of GM candidates here. But I'm skipping past all the scouting types, until I get to the operations types;

OPERATIONS SIDE CANDIDATES
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Browns VP of football operations: A lot of smart people in the NFL have bought up stock in Adofo-Mensah—a strong personality who’s brilliant in helping a team pull every lever and set up a smart process. And whereas player evaluation may have once created a gap in his résumé, Adofo-Mensah has been on school calls and done tape work since landing in Cleveland. It feels like it’s not if, but when with him. The Panthers interviewed him last year, and owner David Tepper was intrigued by the idea of hiring him.

Chad Brinker, Packers personnel/football administration executive: The 41-year-old played at Ohio Univ. and was good enough to get into camp with the Jets, before embarking on a career in pharmaceutical sales. He found his way back to football with the Packers 12 years ago and has been a jack of all trades since, while playing a big role in modernizing the Packers’ old-school scouting operation. He also recently got his MBA from Northwestern, so the 41-year-old touches a lot of bases from a résumé standpoint.

Mike Greenberg, Buccaneers VP of football administration: One of the most respected contract negotiators in the sport, Greenberg has become one of Licht’s most trusted confidants—and he more or less frees Licht to be an evaluator because he’s fully capable of running everything else. Tampa’s ability to keep the team together this offseason was in no small part thanks to how Greenberg set up the team’s cap; the Bucs had budgeted incredibly responsibly over the years, which allowed for them to stretch things this year.
Omar Khan, Steelers VP of football and business administration: He first appeared on this list when he was seen as the presumed GM for Bill Cowher whenever Cowher returned to coaching. Cowher, of course, never did, so Khan has stuck in Pittsburgh as a trusted lieutenant of the Rooney family. The Texans took a hard look at him during their GM search last year, and he’d certainly be in line for more responsibility in Pittsburgh if Colbert retires.

Tony Pastoors, Rams VP of football and business administration: The question with Pastoors, as it has been with Greenberg and Khan, is whether he’s on a GM track or a team president track. Either way, the ex-Dartmouth football player has a bright future. He’s responsible for the team’s salary cap, but really is in on every part of the team’s football operations, working closely with team COO Kevin Demoff.

Catherine Raîche, Eagles vice president of football operations: She’s just 32, and maybe a couple of years away, but she’s now in Berry’s old role in Philly, and Berry tried to take her to Cleveland with him. She has a law degree, ran contracts for the Toronto Argonauts, then became the Argos’ assistant GM and, for good measure, is fluent in three languages. And according to those who’ve worked with her, she’s capable in all facets of personnel. One ex-colleague of hers plainly said, “She will be the first female GM.”
Honestly all sound like they have intriguing traits. And I'll add Pat Moriarty, who comes from a great organization in the Ravens (bio here: https://www.baltimoreravens.com/team/front-office-roster/pat-moriarty). I think I'd strike Brinker and Pastoors, and as much as it would be awesome for the Bears to hire the first female GM, I'll strike Raiche too. So give me Kwesi, Khan, Greenburg, or Moriatry. I'm gonna go Kwesi since he sounds like the biggest nerd from some of the stuff I've ready and the most likely to drive analytics in the org.

As has been discussed in this past page, I'm warming to the idea of McDaniels. Really the question is if he can build a staff after possibly burning some bridges with the Indy situation. If he still commands respect and get a good staff, I do think he makes sense and I'm willing to take the risk. But Harbaugh is still super intriguing. For first time candidates, I'm kind of coming on late to Eberflus from Indy (DC) but still like the hot OC names like Leftwich, Roman, Daboll. Todd Bowles, Dennis Allen, and Raheem Morris are all D side retreads I find interesting to varying degree. But I am really leaning towards a retread coach. I think with the org structure I've targeted too it just makes sense to have someone with experience in the role and understands all the intricacies of HC and roster management.

Underneath Kwesi on the Football Ops side, I think it does also give you an opportunity to create a really attractive Assistant GM/Player Personnel role. Most team's player personnel guy is going to be effectively the number 2 scout in the org behind GM. In this setup, they may be the number 2 FO role, but they have the biggest scouting voice and can really shape that dept. Retaining Champ Kelly still intrigues me from the bits I've read about him.

Coordinators. Ken Dorsey was mentioned with the Frazier rumors, but he'd still make sense. Daboll runs the same E-P system as NE. And Dorsey must get some credit for Allen's rise as he has been QB coach. Only question is since Daboll is a hot candidate, does Dorsey bide his time? Defense, I'm actually going to pull some inspiration from McDaniel's staff he started to build in Indy. He hired Eberflus out of Dallas instead of looking towards NE background. How about the guy who coordinated the Legion of Boom, spent a couple years in DAL under Marinelli and now was the DB coach this year for a Saints D that made two of the all time great QBs look mortal. Kris Richard. Special Teams. I don't know. I'm just gonna go org poaching and say TJ Weist, who is the asst special teams coach in Baltimore the past few years Hopefully he's learned a few things in one of the consistently top ST orgs around.

New Structure (after all my rambling)

CEO: Ted Phillips (go build a stadium and stay there)
President: Cliff Stein
General Manager: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Head Coach: Josh McDaniels
Assistant GM and Dir Player Personnel: Champ Kelly
Offensive Coordinator: Ken Dorsey
Defensive Coordinaor: Kris Richard
Special Team Coordinator: TJ Weist

Interesting stuff. IDK how I feel about Cliff Stein as president. Rather go outside the organization, I think. IDK how realistic Dorsey would be. Especially since McDaniels would likely be the playcaller. Dorsey could probably stay in Buffalo and call plays and run his own stuff there. Not a Richard fan. I would love for McDaniels to pull his DC from New England though as I think Jerod Mayo is a hot DC candidate, who is currently LB coach in NE. Unless you're getting a young coach and an experienced DC (like Nagy/Pagano was supposed to be) then Mayo is one of the few guys, potentially available that I like more than just giving Desai another shot.

Tim · January 7, 2022

I mean Andy Dalton types are realistically the best you can do if you're in the QB wilderness. Although he definitely overpaid.

That's not a firable offense. Can we stop with the single moves as firable offense takes? To be fair single moves shouldn't be savable either.

Does the Mike Glennon / trading up for Trubisky over Mahomes/Watson count as one more or two?

WrigleyField 22 · January 7, 2022

I mean Andy Dalton types are realistically the best you can do if you're in the QB wilderness. Although he definitely overpaid.

That's not a firable offense. Can we stop with the single moves as firable offense takes? To be fair single moves shouldn't be savable either.
Does the Mike Glennon / trading up for Trubisky over Mahomes/Watson count as one more or two?

I don't care how many moves it counts as, it's pretty silly to the degree fans parse out individual moves instead of the big picture.

But fwiw if I magically became an NFL owner I'd definitely want my GM to feel secure they won't be fired for trying to find a QB and failing. The idea that GMs should get one swing at a QB and that basically seals their fate is one of the most utterly brain dead sports takes in existence.

jersey cubs fan · January 7, 2022

I mean Andy Dalton types are realistically the best you can do if you're in the QB wilderness. Although he definitely overpaid.

That's not a firable offense. Can we stop with the single moves as firable offense takes? To be fair single moves shouldn't be savable either.
Does the Mike Glennon / trading up for Trubisky over Mahomes/Watson count as one more or two?
I don't care how many moves it counts as, it's pretty silly to the degree fans parse out individual moves instead of the big picture.

But fwiw if I magically became an NFL owner I'd definitely want my GM to feel secure they won't be fired for trying to find a QB and failing. The idea that GMs should get one swing at a QB and that basically seals their fate is one of the most utterly brain dead sports takes in existence.

That was two swings, Foles was a dropped foul tip and Dalton was the strikeout.

UMFan83 · January 7, 2022

I mean Andy Dalton types are realistically the best you can do if you're in the QB wilderness. Although he definitely overpaid.

That's not a firable offense. Can we stop with the single moves as firable offense takes? To be fair single moves shouldn't be savable either.

I know the story is Pace didn't think one of the 1st round QBs was going to be available coming into the draft, but he clearly was looking to pull the trigger if the opportunity presented itself. Even if he doesn't get a 1st round QB is he looking to take Davis Mills or Mond later in the draft? If so, is it a smart use of resources to have a QB room of Dalton, Foles, Rookie QB? Foles was not great last season but even when accounting for perception at the time is Dalton really that big of an upgrade over Foles? Enough to sacrifice other areas of the roster? Could that $10m have gone to other areas of the roster and provided a bigger upgrade than Dalton over Foles? Just throwing hypotheticals out there. In reality, George forced Pace and Nagy back for a win now season and they scrambled to make sure they got any marginal upgrade they could at QB even if it meant investing $26m in 3 QBs when they probably get similar production with $17m or so.

WrigleyField 22 · January 7, 2022

I mean Andy Dalton types are realistically the best you can do if you're in the QB wilderness. Although he definitely overpaid.

That's not a firable offense. Can we stop with the single moves as firable offense takes? To be fair single moves shouldn't be savable either.

I know the story is Pace didn't think one of the 1st round QBs was going to be available coming into the draft, but he clearly was looking to pull the trigger if the opportunity presented itself. Even if he doesn't get a 1st round QB is he looking to take Davis Mills or Mond later in the draft? If so, is it a smart use of resources to have a QB room of Dalton, Foles, Rookie QB? Foles was not great last season but even when accounting for perception at the time is Dalton really that big of an upgrade over Foles? Enough to sacrifice other areas of the roster? Could that $10m have gone to other areas of the roster and provided a bigger upgrade than Dalton over Foles? Just throwing hypotheticals out there. In reality, George forced Pace and Nagy back for a win now season and they scrambled to make sure they got any marginal upgrade they could at QB even if it meant investing $26m in 3 QBs when they probably get similar production with $17m or so.

I personally would have brought in another vet yea. It just would have been like Brissett or Taylor at like half the price.

I mean I don't know to what degree Pace convinced George they were still in a competitive window, but if in 2021 you believed in Paces ability to lead a rebuild many things would have looked differently. Obviously they weren't gonna full tank with what they had. And any non first round QB would be huge flyer territory.

jumbo · January 7, 2022

I basically agree with Smitz.

Bowles and Roman prob round out my top 4.

McDaniels is my first choice. The potential upside for Fields is just too great to ignore. We need a coach where we can say: "if he can't get Fields to star status then no one could." That's McDaniels.

The ideal offense for me is maximizing Justin Fields' abilities. Not a groundbreaking analysis, I know. But they say Fields can't read the field fast enough, then build an offense that protects him long enough to make every read. He also likes (and is good at) throwing the ball down the field. That should be the primary design of the offense. I've often compared Fields' play style to Deshaun Watson. So basically, I envision a passing offense that at it's height is similar to the Texans from 2020. That was Bill O'Brien's offense, even after he was fired. Bill O'Brien is from the same coaching tree as McDaniels.

That being said, just in case I am wrong about what offense would best maximize Fields....I want an offense that is adaptable to its personnel, talent and adapts to its opponents. McDaniels also checks that box for me. He has had obviously TONS of success. First started with small WRs, who weren't really #1 guys. Then he had success with a HOF #1 in Moss. He's had offenses where his top receiving options came from small, white slot guys; 1 big burly TE, 2 TE sets, speedy WRs, small WRs, no named WRs, he's had a RB lead this offense in receiving. And the entire time, the Pats have been pretty consistent in producing an above average OL and running game with constantly changing pieces on the OL and a lot of the time with RB by committee. Even his much maligned time in Denver featured 2 top 15 teams in total offense with the likes of Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton.

There's plenty of guys I think can run the offense that I think will maximize Fields. But there's not many that have shown they can adapt if their offense isn't working as planned. Obviously, McDaniels is not the perfect candidate or he'd still be in Denver or Indy. But if he's willing to try his hand at HC again, there's not many I'd rather have outside of the longshots.

Came here to drop this article and it matches up to a lot of what you're saying here. The section below in particular. I am for McDaniels at this moment

https://ontapsportsnet.com/2022/01/05/josh-mcdaniels-future-head-coach-nfl-chicago-bears-patriots/

"McDaniels’ offense has shown to be unpredictable, diverse, and adaptable over the years. This is because the Patriots’ offense changes week-to-week, tailoring to each specific opponent. You do not get the constant approach with McDaniels that you might when looking at Stefanski, Roman, or Shanahan. Here are a few different examples from the last few seasons:

Bills vs. Patriots – Week 16, 2019

On the Patriots’ second possession of the game, they elected to use a fullback for seven of the 11 play-calls. Five of the first six play-calls were runs, along with one play-action pass. On all six of those plays, including the play-action pass, TE Matt LaCosse was used to block OLB Lorenzo Alexander from an in-line position. On the seventh and final play to include the FB, LaCosse lined up against Alexander again. Once Brady was able to identify man-to-man coverage using motion, he knew that he was likely to have a mismatch in LaCosse.

Off the snap, LaCosse started to block Alexander before taking off on a delayed route. Because Alexander had seen this look and personnel grouping many times on this drive, he let his guard down just enough for Brady to drop the ball on a back-shoulder throw to LaCosse. That is a perfect example of marrying the pass and run game through personnel, blocking, and play-calls.

Patriots vs. Bills – Week 13, 2021

The Patriots ran the ball all but two plays in this game, largely due to poor weather conditions. But they averaged 4.0 YPC on their way to a 14-10 victory. How did they pull that off? I am glad you asked. To open the game, the Patriots called seven different run concepts on the first seven snaps.

Over the course of the game, New England called at least 12 unique run concepts, the most effective of which was “G-Lead”. The Patriots had not put “G-Lead” on tape much before this game, so it was a look Buffalo had not scouted. Although this may not be the most opportunistic example of McDaniels’ creativity, it speaks to his ability to coach up and perfect a run concept the team has not used heavily.

Browns vs. Patriots – Week 10, 2021

Myles Garrett is a game-wrecker, and with a rookie starting at QB, you need to create a scheme that helps him go up against game-wreckers. McDaniels did just that, using screens, cut blocks, chips, draw plays, end-arounds, and reverses to slow Garrett down. The Browns struggled to defend misdirection, and New England threw misdirection at them all game on their way to a 45-7 victory.

The Patriots asked Jones to get the ball out fast on short throws, but he also was able to get some deeper shots in because of the complementary game plan that kept the Cleveland pass rush on their heels. The power run attack kept the pass rush honest, while the misdirection and play-action made them hesitate. In addition, offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn was rarely asked to hold up one-on-one against Garrett, which always helps."

mias_tisg · January 7, 2022

DaBearsBlog has no sources. He guesses based on what the public wants. Pace will be back and promoted and Leslie Frazier will be the new head coach.

Soul · January 7, 2022

DaBearsBlog has no sources. He guesses based on what the public wants. Pace will be back and promoted and Leslie Frazier will be the new head coach.

A promotion for Pace is utterly ridiculous to me. It's so blatantly rewarding failure.

WrigleyField 22 · January 7, 2022

One of the rare "Football Pres" takes that at least makes some sense:

Unless I'm way off on what Pace's actual strengths are, if he's being kept, it should be in the GM seat, and the "Pres" doing more org building.

Maybe with the Halas Hall stuff and the enhancements that Pace has done they do think his strength is more in org building, but I'm extremely skeptical the guy who's spent his whole career in player personnel can focus on the broader picture stuff and hand off the team building aspect.

UMFan83 · January 7, 2022

McDaniels is my first choice. The potential upside for Fields is just too great to ignore. We need a coach where we can say: "if he can't get Fields to star status then no one could." That's McDaniels.

The ideal offense for me is maximizing Justin Fields' abilities. Not a groundbreaking analysis, I know. But they say Fields can't read the field fast enough, then build an offense that protects him long enough to make every read. He also likes (and is good at) throwing the ball down the field. That should be the primary design of the offense. I've often compared Fields' play style to Deshaun Watson. So basically, I envision a passing offense that at it's height is similar to the Texans from 2020. That was Bill O'Brien's offense, even after he was fired. Bill O'Brien is from the same coaching tree as McDaniels.

That being said, just in case I am wrong about what offense would best maximize Fields....I want an offense that is adaptable to its personnel, talent and adapts to its opponents. McDaniels also checks that box for me. He has had obviously TONS of success. First started with small WRs, who weren't really #1 guys. Then he had success with a HOF #1 in Moss. He's had offenses where his top receiving options came from small, white slot guys; 1 big burly TE, 2 TE sets, speedy WRs, small WRs, no named WRs, he's had a RB lead this offense in receiving. And the entire time, the Pats have been pretty consistent in producing an above average OL and running game with constantly changing pieces on the OL and a lot of the time with RB by committee. Even his much maligned time in Denver featured 2 top 15 teams in total offense with the likes of Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton.

There's plenty of guys I think can run the offense that I think will maximize Fields. But there's not many that have shown they can adapt if their offense isn't working as planned. Obviously, McDaniels is not the perfect candidate or he'd still be in Denver or Indy. But if he's willing to try his hand at HC again, there's not many I'd rather have outside of the longshots.

Came here to drop this article and it matches up to a lot of what you're saying here. The section below in particular. I am for McDaniels at this moment

https://ontapsportsnet.com/2022/01/05/josh-mcdaniels-future-head-coach-nfl-chicago-bears-patriots/

"McDaniels’ offense has shown to be unpredictable, diverse, and adaptable over the years. This is because the Patriots’ offense changes week-to-week, tailoring to each specific opponent. You do not get the constant approach with McDaniels that you might when looking at Stefanski, Roman, or Shanahan. Here are a few different examples from the last few seasons:

Bills vs. Patriots – Week 16, 2019
On the Patriots’ second possession of the game, they elected to use a fullback for seven of the 11 play-calls. Five of the first six play-calls were runs, along with one play-action pass. On all six of those plays, including the play-action pass, TE Matt LaCosse was used to block OLB Lorenzo Alexander from an in-line position. On the seventh and final play to include the FB, LaCosse lined up against Alexander again. Once Brady was able to identify man-to-man coverage using motion, he knew that he was likely to have a mismatch in LaCosse.

Off the snap, LaCosse started to block Alexander before taking off on a delayed route. Because Alexander had seen this look and personnel grouping many times on this drive, he let his guard down just enough for Brady to drop the ball on a back-shoulder throw to LaCosse. That is a perfect example of marrying the pass and run game through personnel, blocking, and play-calls.

Patriots vs. Bills – Week 13, 2021
The Patriots ran the ball all but two plays in this game, largely due to poor weather conditions. But they averaged 4.0 YPC on their way to a 14-10 victory. How did they pull that off? I am glad you asked. To open the game, the Patriots called seven different run concepts on the first seven snaps.

Over the course of the game, New England called at least 12 unique run concepts, the most effective of which was “G-Lead”. The Patriots had not put “G-Lead” on tape much before this game, so it was a look Buffalo had not scouted. Although this may not be the most opportunistic example of McDaniels’ creativity, it speaks to his ability to coach up and perfect a run concept the team has not used heavily.

Browns vs. Patriots – Week 10, 2021
Myles Garrett is a game-wrecker, and with a rookie starting at QB, you need to create a scheme that helps him go up against game-wreckers. McDaniels did just that, using screens, cut blocks, chips, draw plays, end-arounds, and reverses to slow Garrett down. The Browns struggled to defend misdirection, and New England threw misdirection at them all game on their way to a 45-7 victory.

The Patriots asked Jones to get the ball out fast on short throws, but he also was able to get some deeper shots in because of the complementary game plan that kept the Cleveland pass rush on their heels. The power run attack kept the pass rush honest, while the misdirection and play-action made them hesitate. In addition, offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn was rarely asked to hold up one-on-one against Garrett, which always helps."

I'm sold. Just trying to imagine Nagy actually crafting an effective game plan against an opponent and I can't

WrigleyField 22 · January 7, 2022

I'm sold. Just trying to imagine Nagy actually crafting an effective game plan against an opponent and I can't

Stick route/flat. 60% of the time it works all the time. Don't need to adjust for opponent.

Bears Week 18 Against Who Cares

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