Bears off-season thread 2022

[WrigleyField 22]

I'm old enough to remember when athletic black QBs were comped to Byron Leftwich.

[Brian707]

Just received our STH invoice for 2022, and only a 6% increase. That is because of an extra regular season game. I was expecting more of an increase.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I'm old enough to remember when athletic black QBs were comped to Byron Leftwich.

 

Warren Moon

Randell Cunningham

[gflore34]

I'm old enough to remember when athletic black QBs were comped to Byron Leftwich.

 

Warren Moon

Randell Cunningham

 

Don't remember but, wasn't Moon more of a pocket passer? Cunningham, on the hand, was certainly mobile and had a big arm.

[WrigleyField 22]

I'm old enough to remember when athletic black QBs were comped to Byron Leftwich.

 

Warren Moon

Randell Cunningham

 

Don't remember but, wasn't Moon more of a pocket passer? Cunningham, on the hand, was certainly mobile and had a big arm.

I'm only old enough to remember pocket passer Cunningham post injury.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I'm old enough to remember when athletic black QBs were comped to Byron Leftwich.

 

Warren Moon

Randell Cunningham

 

Don't remember but, wasn't Moon more of a pocket passer? Cunningham, on the hand, was certainly mobile and had a big arm.

 

I took "athletic" to mean more just a scrambler, and Moon was one of the all time best QB's, period

[jersey cubs fan]

 

Warren Moon

Randell Cunningham

 

Don't remember but, wasn't Moon more of a pocket passer? Cunningham, on the hand, was certainly mobile and had a big arm.

 

I took "athletic" to mean more just a scrambler, and Moon was one of the all time best QB's, period

I believe the comment was more about how people assumed Byron Leftwich was a mobile QB, because of reasons, when he really wasn't much of one.

[David]

 

Don't remember but, wasn't Moon more of a pocket passer? Cunningham, on the hand, was certainly mobile and had a big arm.

 

I took "athletic" to mean more just a scrambler, and Moon was one of the all time best QB's, period

I believe the comment was more about how people assumed Byron Leftwich was a mobile QB, because of reasons, when he really wasn't much of one.

 

this

[minnesotacubsfan]

 

I took "athletic" to mean more just a scrambler, and Moon was one of the all time best QB's, period

I believe the comment was more about how people assumed Byron Leftwich was a mobile QB, because of reasons, when he really wasn't much of one.

 

this

 

I understand, I was making more a comment on my age vs wrigleys

 

in fact I'm almost to young to really remember Vince Evans, but...alas

[WrigleyField 22]

 

Don't remember but, wasn't Moon more of a pocket passer? Cunningham, on the hand, was certainly mobile and had a big arm.

 

I took "athletic" to mean more just a scrambler, and Moon was one of the all time best QB's, period

I believe the comment was more about how people assumed Byron Leftwich was a mobile QB, because of reasons, when he really wasn't much of one.

Yes. Also the "Old enough to remember" joke format typically is meant to be something not that old. Honestly I underdid it.

 

*that's the joke.gif*

[gflore34]

I believe the comment was more about how people assumed Byron Leftwich was a mobile QB, because of reasons, when he really wasn't much of one.

 

this

 

I understand, I was making more a comment on my age vs wrigleys

 

in fact I'm almost to young to really remember Vince Evans, but...alas

 

Vince Evans? I'll up your Vince Evans, I remember Bob Avellini.

[minnesotacubsfan]

... Vince Evans..

.. Bob Avellini.

 

arent they both from about the same time period?

 

I remember Avellini..but not fondly

[raw]

Cohen will be cut.

 

I actually don't think he will. I think the new staff wants all the weapons it can get, and I think they keep him as a true gadget player, especially if they can't re-sign Jakeem Grant.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Cohen will be cut.

 

I actually don't think he will. I think the new staff wants all the weapons it can get, and I think they keep him as a true gadget player, especially if they can't re-sign Jakeem Grant.

 

is he even a weapon at this point?

[UMFan83]

Big part of today's MMQB was spent talking about Eberflus and thought there was some cool tidbits in here that I hadn't read before, like Eberflus spending 90 minutes one-on-one with Fields the day he was hired outlining his vision for the offense with Fields behind center. Here's the link but I quoted the entire section below:

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/02/07/mmqb-super-bowl-week-bengals-scouts-rams-los-angeles

 

Matt Eberflus isn’t an offensive coach. But he does have an offensive philosophy, believe it or not. The new Bears coach wasn’t born yesterday, and he didn’t spend the last 15 years with horse blinders on—so he knew all along, coming up as a defensive coach, how hard it would be for him to find the sort of opportunity Chicago just gave him.

 

“You have eight jobs open, six of them are going to offensive guys, that’s already a given,” Eberflus said over the phone on Saturday. “So you have to be spot on when you’re doing your interviews to make sure that you have a plan in place for the offense. And I wouldn’t say that’s No. 1; I would say that’s No. 2. Because what’s really going to be the one that gets you the job is the type of man you are and the type of leader you are.”

 

Eberflus, of course, went into No. 1 with Bears ownership over the last month, explaining to them how any piece of the team would fit with the next, how he wanted to develop coaches through the program and all of that. But, sure, he knew that he had to sell the people on the other side of the table on his vision for an offense, one that someone else would be calling, and for second-year quarterback Justin Fields.

 

 

His vision was clear when we talked.

 

“I want an offense that’s going to be attacking, that stretches the defense horizontally and vertically, and I want them to be willing to have the ability to punch the defense right where it counts and to be able to move the ball down the field,” he said. “I want the attitude and the style to be right. Are we going to talk about route concepts that hurt defenses, and run schemes that hurt the defense? Yeah, that’s important. But the way in which you play is more important, and that’s what I want in the offense.”

 

And the triggerman is important too, which is why Eberflus spent an hour and a-half with Fields on his first day on the job. He explained his vision to make Fields as efficient as he can be, and to build an offense around, and for, the former first-round pick.

 

“I just see a guy that’s ready to develop. He’s so ready to develop and wants to be sponge,” said Eberflus. “We’ve talked about giving him an education on the defensive side in terms of coverages as well as the offensive side in terms of schemes. He’s ready to develop and excited to get going. Certainly, he has the skill set to move the ball with his legs, and we’re also looking at the concept of him being able to get the ball out of his hands, take what the defense gives you, and not only the underneath throws, but also the deep throw.”

 

 

Which is to say, yes, even though Eberflus is a defensive coach, he not only knows how important Fields’s development will be, he’s also not afraid to get in the weeds of it.

 

Here are a few more things from our conversation …

 

• The Bears also immediately landed Packers pass-game coordinator Luke Getsy, then got most of Eberflus’s defensive infrastructure, led by new DC Alan Williams, out of Indy. And that’s a pretty good sign for how things are getting off the ground. “I pulled out my list that I had when I interviewed, and I’m looking at it and I’m going, ‘Jeez, I wanted to be right around 65 to 70%, and if I could get those guys, I’m doing pretty good,’” Eberflus said. “I told those guys in the interview, I said, ‘Yeah, I think I can give you a little close to that.’ And things happen and guys decide for different reasons what they want to do. But we have a lot of good relationships with these coaches, and they’re all like-minded.” Safe to say the Bears did better than 65 to 70%? “Yes,” Eberflus said, “it’s safe to say that.”

 

• New GM Ryan Poles and Eberflus, who share an agent, were introduced a couple of years back through mutual friends—the kind of matchmaking that commonly happens with rising young execs and coaches—and it didn’t take long for the two to realize something was there. The first conversation lasted over an hour. They talked about style of play and preferences in personnel, and they resolved to keep in touch afterward. “I was just like, ‘Man, that was really good.’ And he said the same thing after talking to him later,” Eberflus said. “And we just kept our conversations going and the relationship going, and sure enough, this year during this cycle, he was up for a bunch of jobs, I was up for a couple jobs and it just worked out.”

 

• Eberflus always says what’s on the tape is a coach’s résumé—it’s one way he’s worked out his staff hires with guys like Getsy whom he hasn’t worked with before. All the same, he correlated Chiefs tape with conversations he and Poles had, and there was a lot he wound up liking. “What I see in terms of their length, the explosive athletic ability, the speed is all over the tape when you watch those guys,” Eberflus said. “And I just love the way they have put together that roster. … The 80-20 rule, to me it’s 80% skill and talent you have on the field, and then the 20% is the other part, the coaching, the scheme, the culture, how we play, the physical style, all that. But really, 80% of it’s the players. This is the NFL. It’s about having the best players you can on the field, and that’s really what Ryan and his group are going to do, is bring those guys in.”

 

Doing that would build on an already good start for the new Bears brain trust, which was manifested in all the staff hires Poles and Eberflus made. And from there, yup, getting the quarterback going would be a pretty good next step.

[raw]

Cohen will be cut.

 

I actually don't think he will. I think the new staff wants all the weapons it can get, and I think they keep him as a true gadget player, especially if they can't re-sign Jakeem Grant.

 

is he even a weapon at this point?

 

Maybe, maybe not. But only 2Mil savings if they cut him. That's not a difference making amount. Might as well see if he is healthy this summer. If not, cut him then, no harm, no foul. But he's only 27 and was a dynamic player as recently as Sept 2020.

[jersey cubs fan]

Cohen will be cut.

 

I actually don't think he will. I think the new staff wants all the weapons it can get, and I think they keep him as a true gadget player, especially if they can't re-sign Jakeem Grant.

I don't know. An ACL injury forcing him to miss nearly 2 full seasons, when a lot of people were thinking he'd be back at some point in early 2021 has to make them question his commitment. He's an easy cut, and not like he was that much of a threat before the ACL. Yeah, they may be desperate for talent enough to keep him. But that's a big price tag for an unproven entity and a chance to put their own stamp on the roster.

Edited February 7, 2022 by jersey cubs fan

[minnesotacubsfan]

 

I actually don't think he will. I think the new staff wants all the weapons it can get, and I think they keep him as a true gadget player, especially if they can't re-sign Jakeem Grant.

 

is he even a weapon at this point?

 

Maybe, maybe not. But only 2Mil savings if they cut him. That's not a difference making amount. Might as well see if he is healthy this summer. If not, cut him then, no harm, no foul. But he's only 27 and was a dynamic player as recently as Sept 2020.

 

 

I thought I read they would save $5 mil if they cut him in June? I'd agree, $2 mil savings is probably worth taking a flyer on him.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

is he even a weapon at this point?

 

Maybe, maybe not. But only 2Mil savings if they cut him. That's not a difference making amount. Might as well see if he is healthy this summer. If not, cut him then, no harm, no foul. But he's only 27 and was a dynamic player as recently as Sept 2020.

 

 

I thought I read they would save $5 mil if they cut him in June? I'd agree, $2 mil savings is probably worth taking a flyer on him.

Cash savings vs salary cap savings?

[minnesotacubsfan]

 

Maybe, maybe not. But only 2Mil savings if they cut him. That's not a difference making amount. Might as well see if he is healthy this summer. If not, cut him then, no harm, no foul. But he's only 27 and was a dynamic player as recently as Sept 2020.

 

 

I thought I read they would save $5 mil if they cut him in June? I'd agree, $2 mil savings is probably worth taking a flyer on him.

Cash savings vs salary cap savings?

 

$2 mil cap savings if cut, $3.5 dead cap - I think I misunderstood the what $5 mil meant. In total, the Bears are in pretty good shape cap wise, but Cohen feels somewhat redundant with Grant, Herbert and Monty

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-bears/tarik-cohen-21861/

[jersey cubs fan]

I’ve been dying to know the answer

[UMFan83]

I’ve been dying to know the answer

 

Where does Assistant to the Strength &/and Conditioning coach fit in?

[minnesotacubsfan]

well, we should have some really strong heads, that Loscalzo dude looks all business

[WrigleyField 22]

 

Maybe, maybe not. But only 2Mil savings if they cut him. That's not a difference making amount. Might as well see if he is healthy this summer. If not, cut him then, no harm, no foul. But he's only 27 and was a dynamic player as recently as Sept 2020.

 

 

I thought I read they would save $5 mil if they cut him in June? I'd agree, $2 mil savings is probably worth taking a flyer on him.

Cash savings vs salary cap savings?

Aka real savings vs fake savings. But I think it's actually 4M v 2.25M. Unless there are some injury guarantees which there might be, but maybe not.

[gflore34]

... Vince Evans..

.. Bob Avellini.

 

arent they both from about the same time period?

 

I remember Avellini..but not fondly

 

I believe so, throw some Mike Phipps in there as well, jeez, our Bears have had some shitty QB's.