Outshined_One

PTR strikes again.

We could always run a Most Popular Poster contest again.

I was thinking along these same lines with Wright over Fred Miller as another possibility. Nevertheless, blech.

Does Kirk have any more kids or nephews?

The dimwits clamoring for "run da ball and play great deeefenssss" with this team also overlooks a key aspect of the 2006 Super Bowl team: the sheer level of talent they had, particularly on defense and special teams. They had one guy who ended up in the HOF (Urlacher), multiple guys who could end up in the HOF (Briggs, Hester, Tillman, Kreutz), and a bunch of really talented guys on the lines. How many guys on this current team would have been a starter on the 2006 team? Maybe 5?

Dumb scenario time. Minnesota calls inquiring as to a Fields trade. They offer a 2024 2nd and a conditional 2nd in 2025 depending on Fields' performance. Do you take it?

Dat Baguette is such a fighter! He grinds tru da games and you can tell he don't quit, not like dat Fields guy. Whadda a thug he is, tinks he's better dan he is. Dey should convert him to wide receiver where he belongs! Dat would solve da Bearssss offensive woes. I'll hang up and lissen fer yer response.

That's pretty much the only thing left to do at this point. They're not going to win any meaningful games with Bagent, so might as well see if Fields can somehow, some way, by some miracle, flip the switch.

One of the two picks, sure, that's believable. Unless they take two QBs, then both will be guaranteed busts.

So what do we think with the inevitable two picks in the Top 10, QB and Edge? QB and WR? WR and DT?

Man, this White Sox season feels like it'll never end.

That number gets higher the further into the draft you get. Yes, there are exceptions, but you're more likely to find a good QB in the first than in any other round. The only difference is the first round busts are higher profile than others; otherwise, no one cares at the national level if a 5th round QB never sees an NFL snap.

Admittedly, I thought Trubisky was going to have a career rebound when he landed in Pittsburgh. Whoopsie.

I hate how this team is just an extended version of Groundhog Day at the QB position. The team drafts a promising young QB in the first round with questionable decision-making skills to go along with physical talent, only for said QB to regress and frequently crap the bed in meaningful situations, and then a noodle-armed unheralded backup comes along and appears mildly competent, yet unable to throw the ball longer than 15 yards without an empty pocket and a running start. I'd love for Bagent to show out and demonstrate he has the in-game arm strength to be a good quality starting QB in the NFL, but we've seen this story so many times over the last 25 years.

Pretty much spot on, but it needs (1) how old Rocky was when the Bears won in '86, (2) dog whistles regarding Fields' and Bagent's work habits and motivations, and (3) a completely unrealistic and off the wall trade proposal ("Can we trade Fields fer dat Atlanta tight end?") to make it 100% accurate. I also would accept "Bob from Elmwood Park" or "Fred in Antioch" as acceptable caller names.

So you're saying the likelihood of a repeat performance isn't that great.

It's going to be Grossman vs Orton all over again, isn't it?

My inner meatball wants Bagent to pull a Brock Purdy and unexpectedly have a 350/4 TD day out of nowhere. My inner sadist wants the Cult of the Bears' Backup QB to die a painful and horrific death this weekend. Choices, choices.

I'm pretty much fine with the Bears exercising Fields' fifth year option and bringing him back in 2024 regardless of how this season goes. Even if he sucks, he can either be a backup or he can be a placeholder. The idea of a later round QB, on the other hand, has no appeal to me as anything other than a lottery ticket. If Fields gets his act together and can be a competent starter for the remainder of 2023, fine, go for it. However, if he continues to stink, my preference would be to get his replacement with one of their first round picks, especially since the upcoming FA class is not pretty.

I see we're back on track for 1-2 in the 2024 Draft.

Yep, that tracks. We don't know if the Bears would have taken Young or Stroud at #1 overall if they had kept the pick and dealt Fields, but Bears fans would be completely losing their minds right now if the Bears had taken Young and Fields was doing well elsewhere.

I don't think any of us predicted that you thought Murray was so good that he deserved two spots on the list, yet here we are. Also, I toyed with putting Wicks higher based on his ML results (decided against it because I'm pretty set on PCA-Horton-Shaw as the system's Top 3 since I think you can make a really good case for all three being Top 50 prospects in MLB), so I actually dig that you put him #1 overall on your list.

You trade the pick. Unless you're convinced Harrison is the second coming of Jerry Rice, the haul they could get for the #1 overall pick should allow the Bears to be in contention for the next 5-7 years.

Pete Crow-Armstrong Not worried about his struggles in the majors; the defense and speed are there and the hits will come.Cade Horton He ticked every box you'd want out of a high level SP prospect, just has to stay healthy and build up his stamina.Matt Shaw Wasn't a huge fan of the pick in the draft, but his bat is going to play anywhere on the diamond; it's just a question of where.Jordan Wicks He was called up out of need, and he met the challenge. Needs a bit more refinement, but he could be a rotation fixture for years.Owen Caissie The power is there and the profile is exciting. but the Cubs don't have a great history of developing these sorts of guys. Might be better off as trade bait.Kevin Alcantara See Owen Caissie, albeit with injury concerns and more athleticism.Ben Brown The end of season injury was a bummer, but I see him as the Cubs' closer by the end of 2024.Jackson Ferris Possibly the highest ceiling arm in the system? He needs to stay healthy and work on his command/control, but he could be a Top 10 MLB Prospect this time next season.Moises Ballesteros The bat is there, but can he stick at C and maintain a healthy weight?Alexander Canario His MLB callup has been a bit strange, but the power is there and the potential is there, but he might be better off on another team as trade bait.James Triantos This is where my list starts to get muddled. The potential is there, but I'm also getting serious Chase Strumpf vibes if he doesn't start to show elite tools.Jefferson Rojas The intrigue is there and he held his own in Carolina. Just a matter of whether he can hit.Josh Rivera He'll need to prove himself every step of the way, but I'm curious to see how he shows out in 2024.Luis Vazquez I can't say I was expecting this, but he looks like he could be a useful utility guy in the majors, at worst.BJ Murray Jr A strong season at AA, but his value depends on whether he can effectively pick it at 3B.Richard Gallardo Shame about the injury, but he looks like a potential workhorse.Derniche Valdez Excited to see him stateside and in full season ball, but holding back on the excitement for now.Matt Mervis His year was a mixed bag, at best. His callup went poorly, but he showed out at AAA. Another prime trade candidate?Daniel Palencia The stuff is there, it's just a matter of harnessing it.Brennen Davis I sincerely hope he is 100% healthy and hits his way onto the Cubs in Spring Training. It's a shame, and the potential is there, but the injuries are just rough.

Getsy owes DJ Moore his paycheck for this week.