Chicago Bears Offseason Thread (the tank must payoff)

[jersey cubs fan]

47 minutes ago, minnesotacubsfan said:

People who have watched Fields seem to feel otherwise. Fields has his flaws; the short game, holding on too long, but he also sets QB records. And he isn't an idiot. the franchise does pivot on him right now, but hes already showing competency

A lot of people have watched fields. Fans have plenty of reasons to have high hopes and detractors have plenty of reasons to scoff. Most people are indifferent to the bears’ fortunes and have no reason to believe in or be scared of them. There is a reason the over under for wins is way under .500 and the bears would be considered dogs against the teams that aren’t expected to be good. 
 

 

[Brian707]

Bears over under win total is 7.5 with juice to the over. I think there will be a lot of games this season that resemble the Dolphins game. This defense is absolute trash

[gflore34]

6 hours ago, Brian707 said:

Bears over under win total is 7.5 with juice to the over. I think there will be a lot of games this season that resemble the Dolphins game. This defense is absolute trash

Upfront, until someone emerges, they're absolute garbage, however, the secondary and linebackers, not so terrible.  They may end having one the best defensive backfields in the NFL, they'll have to cover receivers for an infinite amount of time - which probably isn't possible - nevertheless, there will be moments where they'll really shine.  And adding anyone who can get to QB along with stuffing the run will make them look that much better.  Of course, we'll have to wait for 2024 for any type of impactful upfront defensive help.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

An offense that can actually pass and thus operate a two-minute drill should win a few more of those high-scoring games 

 

I keep coming back to it:  if fields is the guy people keep insisting he is, this team should win football games.  If they don't, he isn't.

Edited May 13, 2023 by Hairyducked Idiot

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Agree or disagree with this statement:

Gipson is better at being a DE than either Patrick or Whitehair are at being C's.

[WrigleyField 22]

37 minutes ago, Hairyducked Idiot said:

Agree or disagree with this statement:

Gipson is better at being a DE than either Patrick or Whitehair are at being C's.

Disagree. 

[jersey cubs fan]

38 minutes ago, Hairyducked Idiot said:

Agree or disagree with this statement:

Gipson is better at being a DE than either Patrick or Whitehair are at being C's.

None of them are any good at anything 

[minnesotacubsfan]

On 5/20/2023 at 5:22 PM, jersey cubs fan said:

None of them are any good at anything 

eh, anything is a strong word. they could be good at checkers, or maybe dominos

 

 

[Old Style]

Cardinals released DeAndre Hopkins. 

[UMFan83]

30 minutes ago, Old Style said:

Cardinals released DeAndre Hopkins. 

Bet the Patriots grab him.  I have no interest for the Bears unless he was willing to take a 1 year deal to help us get to the floor and even then if it affects our ability to sigh a pass rusher then nevermind.

[Magnetic Curses]

yeah, i'd rather have Chase Brown that DHop. I think Fields is good enough to excel with what he has.

[Tryptamine]

So forgive the ignorance, but as I understand it, the Bears still have to spend a good chunk to get to the lower limit. Is that even feasible with what's left out there? Is it unusual to add that much money at this point in the year where camps have already started?

[Rex Buckingham]

15 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

So forgive the ignorance, but as I understand it, the Bears still have to spend a good chunk to get to the lower limit. Is that even feasible with what's left out there? Is it unusual to add that much money at this point in the year where camps have already started?

Extensions seem the most likely option.  Mooney? Kmet? Re-work Eddie Jackson's deal?  Jaylon Johnson?

[raw]

On 5/31/2023 at 1:57 PM, Rex Buckingham said:

Extensions seem the most likely option.  Mooney? Kmet? Re-work Eddie Jackson's deal?  Jaylon Johnson?

Yep. And the spending floor goes until the 2024 league year starts.

So any signing bonuses from guys re-signed already on the team, restructures giving more money upfront, free agents added, trades made, anyone cut and signed between now and March 2024 all count toward that floor. 

[jersey cubs fan]

It’s so depressing talking about spending floors for the bears and Blackhawks. We should be talking about ceilings and ways to finagle the cap instead of collectively bargained mandated spending levels not yet reached 

[CubinNY]

1 hour ago, jersey cubs fan said:

It’s so depressing talking about spending floors for the bears and Blackhawks. We should be talking about ceilings and ways to finagle the cap instead of collectively bargained mandated spending levels not yet reached 

It’s the curse of Chicago professional team ownership. 

[Hairyducked Idiot]

1 hour ago, CubinNY said:

It’s the curse of Chicago professional team ownership. 

It's mostly ownership, but I blame fans a bit too.  Fandoms have gotten way too easily sold on the idea that the virtuous thing to do is only try to win about half the time.

[WrigleyField 22]

45 minutes ago, Hairyducked Idiot said:

It's mostly ownership, but I blame fans a bit too.  Fandoms have gotten way too easily sold on the idea that the virtuous thing to do is only try to win about half the time.

I blame Sam Hinkie

[David]

4 hours ago, WrigleyField 22 said:

I blame Sam Hinkie

Theo didn't do any favors.

[WrigleyField 22]

6 hours ago, David said:

Theo didn't do any favors.

I'm not gonna complain about ending the Cubs drought haha

[WrigleyField 22]

But the delusion is crazy. I've legit seen people think that the tank and build foundation thing is actually some simple and foolproof process.

 

Example:

You all just aren't willing to SACRIFICE

Edited June 2, 2023 by WrigleyField 22

[Magnetic Curses]

1 hour ago, WrigleyField 22 said:

But the delusion is crazy. I've legit seen people think that the tank and build foundation thing is actually some simple and foolproof process.

 

Example:

You all just aren't willing to SACRIFICE

I hate Deeks's sentiment. To me, it's sports virtue-signalling.

These players we're waiting for will just be ready to produce when the 2022 2nd rounders are reaching FA. It's not that simple.

 

I'll applaud Poles for making some skill-player acquisitions, I still like Claypool, and Moore is a stud, but I'm not ready to forgive him for what he put Fields through last season. This isn't a rebuild in a bubble, Fields is our most important player in the last 30+ years, and maybe ever. If he's not developed right, this whole rebuild is for nothing. Subjecting him to snap after snap of Mustipher at C and Patrick at G (in place of Jenkins even when he was healthy) was a war crime.

[CubinNY]

Jon Greenberg had a great 1/2 column comparing and contrasting the Chicago owners with the owner of the Warriors. 

[jersey cubs fan]

A lot of the problem is so much sports media is sycophantic. The beat writers can’t help but write things line “the $100 million hitter struck out”, but everyone else in the sports media/blogosphere arena wants to have their connections to the people who make decisions. It’s nothing new, but the austerity porn of the aughts led everybody to praise cost cutting as a concept. It’s a lot like the baseline of the press presenting church goers as automatically good. Spending less is better. Paying players less is by default better than paying more. The criticism of overpaid players vastly outweighs the criticism of overpaid owners. 
 

the owner class has done a good job of melting the brains of fans, it’s not much different than other aspects of the entertainment industry. 

[UMFan83]

LMAO the Bears are so bad at this.  No one believes you are thinking about building in Naperville and everyone knows you are crying for public money for a stadium/district that is going to drastically increase your profits/franchise value.

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by UMFan83