Bears off-season thread 2022

[UMFan83]

You lost me when you said you watched 0 Bears this year. Also looking at his numbers I don’t see that his junior season is that different from his sophomore year with the notable exception of his INT rate. But even taking that into account his numbers are very similar across the board.

[WrigleyField 22]

I’m not sure this is even a hot take but the Bears should absolutely draft a quality QB prospect this year (non-first prospects like Purdy, who I like some, or maybe this Zappe guy heading to the Senior Bowl)

 

If I were the Bears’ brand new GMident of Football Operations, Fields would be viewed more with skepticism than optimism. Start with his draft season being weaker than his sophomore season in college, lost the bowl game in 2019 to dampen that season, and then throw in a rough rookie year. This (free) piece on FO picking on his sack rate through week 8 is worth a look too:

 

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/loser-league/2021/justin-fields-climbing-sack-leaderboards

 

I’d hate to do it obviously but it’s an interesting sequence of events: plays through injury during his 2020 bowl game and gives a legendary performance, loses the national championship by nearly 30 points soon after, and then maybe plays a little gunshy during his debut (granted I watched zero Bears this year)

 

Don’t close the door on him or anything, he should start next year, but also assume the worst

 

Edit: Of course I get the new page

Need a cheap backup for Fields starting in 2023 (and maybe 2022). Been eyeing Aqeel Glass as a UDFA. But with only 5 picks as of now would probably need to be a real steal to draft one.

[minnesotacubsfan]

...

Would be so Bears to draft what turns out to be the franchise QB they’ve been waiting for only to trade him before he becomes that guy.

 

just dont trade him to GB, Minnesota, Giants or WFT

 

I could see McCaskey ok'ing a trade for Russell Wilson

 

ETA: but other then that RE: your link; it must be a sloooooow newsweek to put out that trash

[itisallpartoftheplan]

Fields completed more passes in 2019 than attempted during the 2020 season. 225 PAs in general isn't ideal for a walk year especially. It's (hopefully) just a nitpick a new FO should feel obligated to make

 

He played 8 games in 2020. 5 B1G games plus B1G Championship. Then 2 playoff games.

[itisallpartoftheplan]

Am I the only one who still thinks of the "I'll eat my laptop" line about the 2005 Bears when they see Charles Robinson's name pop up somewhere?

 

i dont remember that, what was it about?

 

Before the season in a season preview piece he said he'd eat his laptop if the 2005 Bears won the NFC North.

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/read-react-last-call-020000907--nfl.html

 

Hey idiot, how does that laptop taste now? I bet you don't even remember saying that you'd eat your laptop if the Bears ever won their division. Well guess what pal, the Bears won it and they aren't finished yet! How do you feel now buddy?

 

David Montgomery

Chicago

 

8 year old David Montgomery was pissed.

[gflore34]

I take much of the Fields talk with a grain of salt, he had a coach and offensive scheme that did not put him a position to succeed. By doing so it set him up for failure, making it easy to take shots at him. Let's see how he does with a coaching staff that knows what the horsefeathers they're doing.

[UMFan83]

[UMFan83]

I take much of the Fields talk with a grain of salt, he had a coach and offensive scheme that did not put him a position to succeed. By doing so it set him up for failure, making it easy to take shots at him. Let's see how he does with a coaching staff that knows what the horsefeathers they're doing.

 

Plus depending on how you feel about PFF (and not just his grades, but big time throw%, turnover worthy play%, etc.) he made considerable improvement as the season went on

[UMFan83]

Looks like we have a favorite

 

[WrigleyField 22]

Told yall those Eberflus odds were good. Hope one of the gamblers here threw down a bet.

[jumbo]

Looks like we have a favorite

 

 

Can we just draw a name out of a hat for GM and move on to the coach? Joking, of course, but all the GM candidates have been considered top flight and I think any of them would be better than Pace. Just depends on the flavor you want, but Khan is my personal favorite. I have liked what I read about Dodds and the Cleveland guys, too

I'm not crazy about a coaching hire ahead of the GM. Hire the GM and let them choose the coach. Let George tell them these are my 3 favorites, but hire whoever you want.

[UMFan83]

[champaignchris]

With the new GM/HC coming in, this next season is essentially a make or break season for Fields. If he doesn’t firmly establish himself as a quality starter, the new regime will have no choice but to look at other options.

 

We’ve all seen this movie. If Fields struggles in year 2, the Bears will bring in someone to “compete for the position” in year 3. The team will spend his year 3 going back and forth between Fields and Gardner Minshew or whomever, and the Bears will fully move on ahead of year four. They decline to pick up his 5th year option and draft the new regime’s choice to be the franchise QB. There will probably be some offensive coordinators fired in there, too.

 

It really doesn’t have anything to do with Fields’ talent or potential. He’s been set up to fail from the start and the only thing he can do to prevent it is have something close to an All Pro year next season.

[David]

Grain of salt warning

 

 

Interesting nugget from a “source” claiming that some of the people they’ve brought in haven’t been overly high on Fields.

 

Would be so Bears to draft what turns out to be the franchise QB they’ve been waiting for only to trade him before he becomes that guy. I’m not saying that’s going to happen though.

 

i'm as open minded as it gets as far as being willing to believe these guys may have real sources sometimes, but lambert/sports mockery ain't it. that guy definitely just makes horsefeathers up. take it with a huge ass boulder of salt.

[UMFan83]

With the new GM/HC coming in, this next season is essentially a make or break season for Fields. If he doesn’t firmly establish himself as a quality starter, the new regime will have no choice but to look at other options.

 

We’ve all seen this movie. If Fields struggles in year 2, the Bears will bring in someone to “compete for the position” in year 3. The team will spend his year 3 going back and forth between Fields and Gardner Minshew or whomever, and the Bears will fully move on ahead of year four. They decline to pick up his 5th year option and draft the new regime’s choice to be the franchise QB. There will probably be some offensive coordinators fired in there, too.

 

It really doesn’t have anything to do with Fields’ talent or potential. He’s been set up to fail from the start and the only thing he can do to prevent it is have something close to an All Pro year next season.

 

I sort of agree with the premise but suggesting he has to be an all pro I think is a bit of an exaggeration. He needs to show legitimate improvement with continued flashes of stardom but if he has a perfectly average passing season with additional production with his legs that’s more than enough to keep him through his rookie contract with his 5th year option picked up IMO. The Bears have many holes to fill so having an average QB with upside on a rookie deal makes improving other areas easier.

[gflore34]

With the new GM/HC coming in, this next season is essentially a make or break season for Fields. If he doesn’t firmly establish himself as a quality starter, the new regime will have no choice but to look at other options.

 

We’ve all seen this movie. If Fields struggles in year 2, the Bears will bring in someone to “compete for the position” in year 3. The team will spend his year 3 going back and forth between Fields and Gardner Minshew or whomever, and the Bears will fully move on ahead of year four. They decline to pick up his 5th year option and draft the new regime’s choice to be the franchise QB. There will probably be some offensive coordinators fired in there, too.

 

It really doesn’t have anything to do with Fields’ talent or potential. He’s been set up to fail from the start and the only thing he can do to prevent it is have something close to an All Pro year next season.

 

 

With Nagy and Co. coaching yes, I don't believe it's correct to just assume that under the new regime. Unlike, that previous stubborn dumb horsefeathers, I think the next HC, etc. are going to look to cater the offensive and scheme to things Fields does well. In complete contrast to the statement above that would be setting him up for success. I don't think the bar is set at All Pro either, marked improvement with the Bears scoring a horsefeathers ton of points and handing one to the Packers and Rodgers would do it for me.

[jersey cubs fan]

[Bertz]

With the new GM/HC coming in, this next season is essentially a make or break season for Fields. If he doesn’t firmly establish himself as a quality starter, the new regime will have no choice but to look at other options.

 

We’ve all seen this movie. If Fields struggles in year 2, the Bears will bring in someone to “compete for the position” in year 3. The team will spend his year 3 going back and forth between Fields and Gardner Minshew or whomever, and the Bears will fully move on ahead of year four. They decline to pick up his 5th year option and draft the new regime’s choice to be the franchise QB. There will probably be some offensive coordinators fired in there, too.

 

It really doesn’t have anything to do with Fields’ talent or potential. He’s been set up to fail from the start and the only thing he can do to prevent it is have something close to an All Pro year next season.

 

I sort of agree with the premise but suggesting he has to be an all pro I think is a bit of an exaggeration. He needs to show legitimate improvement with continued flashes of stardom but if he has a perfectly average passing season with additional production with his legs that’s more than enough to keep him through his rookie contract with his 5th year option picked up IMO. The Bears have many holes to fill so having an average QB with upside on a rookie deal makes improving other areas easier.

 

Yeah I think it really depends on exactly what we mean when we say things like "struggles" or "quality starter." Are we talking Trubisky in year 2 (or Tua this year)? A roughly average QB on the whole with some high highs and some low lows? I don't think the seat gets particularly hot under Fields. Maybe he gets some backhanded compliments from the coaching staff or whatever, but nothing serious, unless there's some big opportunity for bringing in a vet (e.g. Russell Wilson).

 

If he's more like Sam Darnold or Dwayne Haskins in year 2? Yeah, I think we see this scenario play out. That said, I don't necessarily think it's wrong to happen. Josh Allen was terrible in year 2 and turned into a star, but who was the last guy to do it? Kirk Cousins maybe? (And he didn't get full playing time until the latter part of year 3 so it's not a great comp). Most QBs who outright suck in year two never don't suck. The exceptions are like once or twice a decade.

[UMFan83]

With the new GM/HC coming in, this next season is essentially a make or break season for Fields. If he doesn’t firmly establish himself as a quality starter, the new regime will have no choice but to look at other options.

 

We’ve all seen this movie. If Fields struggles in year 2, the Bears will bring in someone to “compete for the position” in year 3. The team will spend his year 3 going back and forth between Fields and Gardner Minshew or whomever, and the Bears will fully move on ahead of year four. They decline to pick up his 5th year option and draft the new regime’s choice to be the franchise QB. There will probably be some offensive coordinators fired in there, too.

 

It really doesn’t have anything to do with Fields’ talent or potential. He’s been set up to fail from the start and the only thing he can do to prevent it is have something close to an All Pro year next season.

 

I sort of agree with the premise but suggesting he has to be an all pro I think is a bit of an exaggeration. He needs to show legitimate improvement with continued flashes of stardom but if he has a perfectly average passing season with additional production with his legs that’s more than enough to keep him through his rookie contract with his 5th year option picked up IMO. The Bears have many holes to fill so having an average QB with upside on a rookie deal makes improving other areas easier.

 

Yeah I think it really depends on exactly what we mean when we say things like "struggles" or "quality starter." Are we talking Trubisky in year 2 (or Tua this year)? A roughly average QB on the whole with some high highs and some low lows? I don't think the seat gets particularly hot under Fields. Maybe he gets some backhanded compliments from the coaching staff or whatever, but nothing serious, unless there's some big opportunity for bringing in a vet (e.g. Russell Wilson).

 

If he's more like Sam Darnold or Dwayne Haskins in year 2? Yeah, I think we see this scenario play out. That said, I don't necessarily think it's wrong to happen. Josh Allen was terrible in year 2 and turned into a star, but who was the last guy to do it? Kirk Cousins maybe? (And he didn't get full playing time until the latter part of year 3 so it's not a great comp). Most QBs who outright suck in year two never don't suck. The exceptions are like once or twice a decade.

 

Yeah the list of late bloomer QBs is very short. You have guys like Alex Smith, Josh Allen, Drew Brees and umm....Troy Aikman? At least among guys that started in their first 2 years, not guys like Rodgers who sat multiple years before playing.

[WrigleyField 22]

I love that DBB is breaking Bears Twitter today lol.

 

I take DBB commentary with a grain of salt still, but people out there doubting he has good sources aren't paying attention. But the spin is questionable.

[jersey cubs fan]

I love that DBB is breaking Bears Twitter today lol.

 

I take DBB commentary with a grain of salt still, but people out there doubting he has good sources aren't paying attention. But the spin is questionable.

The "this isn't a surprise after a terrible interview" response is quite convenient.

[WrigleyField 22]

I love that DBB is breaking Bears Twitter today lol.

 

I take DBB commentary with a grain of salt still, but people out there doubting he has good sources aren't paying attention. But the spin is questionable.

The "this isn't a surprise after a terrible interview" response is quite convenient.

Exactly.

 

But on something where he knew the Adofo-Mensah and Champ interview combo before anyone else... Its like less than a 5% chance he could guess that combo right based on how many candidates there were. Adding that onto to the Pace/Ted stuff and he isn't flinging guesses around.

 

He might just be a Ted Phillips psyop.

[Bertz]

[jersey cubs fan]

I've never had the cake shake

[Bertz]

I've never had the cake shake

 

It can be hard to finish, both because of the sheer richness and also because your straw starts clogging once the cake:shake ratio gets too high, but it's incredibly delicious.