raw

Yeah, it's going to be interesting. There's some guys that could be traded (Jeudy, Higgins, Claypool) who are in similar boats as the guys traded last year. They will want new deals and have expensive/or soon to be expensive QBs or other expensive WRs on their teams. But the issue here is if they extend Mooney, now you have 2 expensive WRs on the team. Which is fine because they have the space, but 40Mil AAV in WRs who's contracts are up about the same time is probably a bit much.

Trading down could really put the Bears in a great position. Houston, Seattle and Detroit all have 2 firsts and could want a QB. Washington should actually draft one and will likely pick behind the Bears due to Thursdays win. NYG certainly could make a big move up, Jones is a FA and they look ready to compete everywhere else but WR (mainly because of the multiple 1sts they've had recently). If Stroud or Young are on the board (probably have to pick top 3), then I think you'd see a package similar to the 49ers. They are elite prospects. If talking about QB3, then closer to the Eagles package (maybe minus that 2nd). Either way allows the Bears to get multiple high end talents over the next 1-2 drafts. I've never been more pro trading down than I am potentially in this draft.

I think I gave my thoughts on this. Jones- handpicked by GM, "won" starting LT job as a 5th round rookie. Theoretically, should improve as the year goes on. Don't see any chance he's benched this year if healthy. And don't see any chance he's benched next year if he keeps showing promise the rest of this year. Borom- has actually been better than Jones so far, but is upgradeable. Upside similar to Jones but he was picked 1 year earlier and NOT by this regime. Jenkins- is the key. They seem to hate or be trying to motivate him. He's been the best OL at RG. Wonder if he should have ever been moved off of RT. He's been fine there whenever he's played outside of maybe his 1st game after back surgery. That's why I like signing a guy like Elgton Jenkins. He's played LT, LG, RG, RT for the Packers, I'm pretty sure. Add him, add an elite guard prospect or FA and let Jones, Borom and Jenkins compete for 2 spots. LT- E Jenkins/Jones LG- Draft pick/FA C- Patrick (don't think he's cut, think they justify this by saying, "oh this is what we brought him here to play but his hand changed plans!") RG- E Jenkins/T Jenkins RT- Borom/T Jenkins/ E Jenkins/ Jones Jones wins LT, Elgton to RT where he's been most recently in GB. Teven stays at RG. Jones doesn't cut it, Elgton to LT, competition for RT. Teven proves himself enough to go back to his natural RT position, Elgton is an elite guard. Borom likely is swing tackle. Have those drafted guys as backups.

Everyone loves Brown, but my issues with him are: A) he's not that good B) Poles mentioned wanting athletic linemen. He is perhaps the most unathletic lineman there has ever been (based on combine numbers). C) he's looking to be among the highest paid LTs in the league. He turned down a deal that would put him in the top 5 LTs and top 3 RTs. He's not a LT to me and he's not one of the 3 best on the right side either. Not that players get paid based on that, but I don't want Brown if there are cheaper options that fit better (you named 2 much better ones). Brown would still be better then every other option we have. side note, if Bresee is there when the Bears draft do we take him? I think I would if we could get some OL help in FA, and there was a good amount of WR talent available in the 2nd this year. I dont know how the draft looks for WR's. Not really debating how good Brown is. He's not really a fit, if you listen to Poles. And I'd rather pay Jenkins whatever he wants vs. what I already know what Brown wants because he already turned down a deal. I am also not a big fan of Bresee, especially not as high as the Bears will be picking. He's not a top 5 talent, IMO. If picking 6-10, I'm taking WR/OL over him unless someone else is there I don't expect. 10-16, I think is prime WR territory so I'd almost certainly go WR over him as well, whether I have a WR rated higher or not. I worry about his quickness, he also tore his ACL so weary about that. And he's also not a stud run defender like Jordan Jenkins. I'd probably not take him until the 20s, even if I was dead set on DT. I don't see this top 10 prospect that most have him ranked as.

That's a good point. But yeah, Quinn and Whitehair are gone to me. Keep Jackson. I'd re-sign Montgomery and tag Roquan. Extend Mooney and Jaylon Johnson. They have to spend on OL and WR and probably pretty big on OL at least (nobody really worth spending on at WR). But they can justify spending some on the DL as well, replacing Quinn and severely upgrading DT would be a need. Brown (KC), Conklin (CLE), and Jenkins (GB) all make sense as far as possible o-line upgrades. Payne (DT) from Washington could also make sense Everyone loves Brown, but my issues with him are: A) he's not that good B) Poles mentioned wanting athletic linemen. He is perhaps the most unathletic lineman there has ever been (based on combine numbers). C) he's looking to be among the highest paid LTs in the league. He turned down a deal that would put him in the top 5 LTs and top 3 RTs. He's not a LT to me and he's not one of the 3 best on the right side either. Not that players get paid based on that, but I don't want Brown if there are cheaper options that fit better (you named 2 much better ones).

It's definitely broken. Gamblers, I'm sure are losing money this year. Some wild results so far. Falcons 3-3, but 6-0 ATS Vikings are 5-1, but 2-4 ATS WTF is San Francisco? 3-3, losses to the Bears, Falcons and Broncos? Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are mediocre QBs now. Russell Wilson is terrible, while Geno Smith is the best QB in passer rating Jonathan Taylor's team leads the league in passing attempts

That's a good point. But yeah, Quinn and Whitehair are gone to me. Keep Jackson. I'd re-sign Montgomery and tag Roquan. Extend Mooney and Jaylon Johnson. They have to spend on OL and WR and probably pretty big on OL at least (nobody really worth spending on at WR). But they can justify spending some on the DL as well, replacing Quinn and severely upgrading DT would be a need.

Yeah, Steelers stuck out as a possibility before the season with them re-signing Diontae Johnson and drafting 2 WRs and having Claypool. They also had a disaster at ILB, but it has since stabilized a bit and now that Pickett is starting, I think they'd want to give him as much support as possible (unlike other teams we know). So at this point, I don't think you're getting anything more than an unproven type (Denzel Mims).

Quinn- trade for anything. Honestly, at this point you aren't going to keep him for an 18Mil cap hit next year. Even though you have the space, he's not worth that dollar amount and the reps he'd take from younger players. He's getting cut and nothing coming in return after the season. If you can get a 5th now, I'd take it. Montgomery- I've said that I would re-sign him. But if anyone wants him, I'd probably trade him for a 4th. That's probably best case scenario for him in the comp pick formula if the Bears don't sign anyone worthwhile....which is a bad idea, so most likely he'd walk for nothing if they don't re-sign him. Roquan- I'd probably keep him. If someone wants to give up a 2nd and 20Mil for him, they can have him. But you can tag him, he'll play on it. I don't agree that he's "not what they want". Think they would have traded him in the summer, if that was the case. He is a guy you can get a 3rd round comp for if he walks, because I don't see the Bears signing anyone that will be among the highest paid at his position like Ro will be. I'd probably franchise tag him for like 17Mil or whatever the number will be. Jackson- interesting one. He has HUGE 17+ and 18M+ cap hits in 23 and 24. I don't really see anyone taking that on (cap hit would be less for acquiring team though). He's also going to be 30 in the next couple months, so IDK that the Bears necessary want to restructure him to lower that cap number and push money out further. But I also don't feel like they'd want to lose him with such a young secondary.

Getsy has actually done a lot more 6-8 man protections that you'd realize. Did it a BUNCH against Washington. The problem is the 2-3 WR routes were being covered by 6-7 people. Guys weren't getting open (understandably), Fields was holding onto the ball (waiting for guys to get open), and 4-5 man pass rushes against 7-8 blockers were getting home. That's the issue with such a lack of talent. Guys aren't good enough to get open consistently, so you need 5 in routes to hope someone beats their man. Guys aren't blocking well enough to consistently protect with only 5. I think Getsy has done a good job mixing things up with protections and routes. He's had multiple TEs on passing plays. He's had WRs stay in to block on pass plays.

The Patriots are another good running team, but like most of the league have a better passing game than the Bears. They are averaging 29 points per game the last 4 games, despite not having an actual offensive coordinator and while playing 3 different QBs, one being a rookie 4th round pick who was at Houston Baptist 2 years ago at this time. This is the primetime finale for the Bears, so the last chance to be embarrassed on a national level. But I'm sure the narratives will continue.

Yeah, as much as I'd love to finish with the #2 pick and trade down for multiple firsts to just load this team up with high level talent, ultimately the best thing for this franchise would be for Fields to stay healthy and figure a bunch of things out this year and for them to win some games. The Bears have been in all but 1 game and were a questionable non-TD call away from being in that one. They probably aren't going to be wiped off the field in any game other than Philly and Buffalo. And they won't lose all the games they'll play close. I do have confidence that Poles will attack where they are weak on the roster and add to them. Based on who he's worked under and how KC has done things in recent years, I'd imagine they'll hit OL and WR pretty hard this offseason.

I'm mostly worried about the teams that will want a QB. Granted, everyone in the top 5-10 probably has to consider taking a QB. But IDK if Houston would or not, since Mills isn't terrible. But ideally, the Bears would be a prime trade up target to a team wanting a QB. Or if the QB needy teams are worse, let them take a QB and let guys like Will Anderson fall (and yes, I do take an elite prospect DE over a non-elite WR prospect). Carolina probably finishes pretty close to the top. Right now, Pittsburgh, Vegas, Arizona, Philly (Saints pick), Jags, and maybe Houston (x2- own & Browns pick) are ahead of the Bears of the teams who likely won't take QB. Losing to Detroit a couple times will probably be most important if high pick is the biggest goal.

A hard schedule that was supposed to be 2nd easiest, that ended up being harder because teams in a similar place (Giants, Jets, Falcons, Patriots) ended up much better than the Bears. Ultimately though, I do think some of those teams will come back down to Earth, and I expect the Bears to pick around 6-10.

Guys, Brian Daboll was a package deal with Joe Schoen who was hired as the Giants GM. They both appeared more interested in New York than any other places with open GM/HC jobs. Daboll would have been great, but he wasn't a realistic option.

Why are you talking about lobs and high-points? I didn't say horsefeathers about lobbing or throwing the ball high. Just releasing the ball high. Think sidearm pitcher vs. an over the top delivery. You can throw fastballs for every arm angle. Just like you can throw a football accurately and with velocity from any arm angle. He went with the 3/4 delivery when it should have been over the top. my point about not lobbing or high-pointing the throw is about the play design, I didn't say you were making that argument. He's got one throw he can make to Kmet safely, and he likely threw it from an arm slot that felt the most comfortable to him. He didnt side arm it as you suggest in your baseball analogy, the release point is at the top of his helmet - farther up then 3/4. But theres also the issue of the play call. Getsy has to understand the players he has. He has to understand that his o-lineman are terrible pass blockers up the middle and either wiff or become statues far too often. He also has to understand that Justin Fields inst Peyton Manning and isnt going to stand as tall as he possibly can in the pocket while throwing directly over the top of 6'-5" guys. Why call a play that requires JF to do something he just doesn't seem to be geared up or built to do? You can't design every damn play outside of the pocket. Have you seen how teams are defending him? They are keeping the backside DE from rushing and strictly in contain. Hell, it happened last night that they called a playaction roll out and he couldn't even get the ball to Kmet at the line of scrimmage. He has to throw the ball from the pocket to be an NFL QB. If he isn't comfortable releasing the ball at DL helmets then he might as well quit football right now. The fact that it doesn't happen on every play, leads me to believe he's fine releasing the ball correctly, just didn't on this play. And that's his fault, not Getsy's. Not the DL for being too tall. Kyler horsefeathering Murray throws the ball over linemen or he finds a lane. Fields can do it too, and does most of the time. He didn't this time. And it was bad.

Yes, I thought I was clear that I was calling his arm angle bad, not the throw or the read. He simply can't release a ball that low, especially near the goaline and he did it again later in the game (though that was more of a good play by the DL). If you hit an outstretched hand of a 6'5" dude with 34" arms, that's bad luck/good timing by the DL. But if you hit him in the helmet, that's a bad release. I disagree. hes throwing to Kmet on the under route, he cant lob it and he cant high-point it. It was either a bad decision (which I'm not sure about) or a bad play design/call (which seems most likely) Why are you talking about lobs and high-points? I didn't say horsefeathers about lobbing or throwing the ball high. Just releasing the ball high. Think sidearm pitcher vs. an over the top delivery. You can throw fastballs for every arm angle. Just like you can throw a football accurately and with velocity from any arm angle. He went with the 3/4 delivery when it should have been over the top.

I am assuming this is the wheel route you're referring to, the last play of the game. Fields said that Montgomery was his 5th read on the play and there's only like a 5% chance he gets to the point where he's looking his way. Here is a breakdown of the play with the person arguing Fields made the correct read and throw. Mooney ran a short route (should have been in the end zone not barely on there), and should have caught it. Fields recognized man to man isolated on the right side and threw it to a position where he had his hands on the ball at the goal line. yea, this is one of those "run routes short of the goaline" calls I hate. its 4th down, every route except is last check down should have been IN the endzone Eh. It's fine. Mooney catches the ball cleanly it's a TD. It didn't require him to break any tackles to score. No reason to limit yourself to inside the end zone when you just have to break the plane. The further in the endzone you are, the smaller it gets.

heres a view of it from the endzone, he's got Kmet in the middle with pretty close coverage, and had he not hit the commanders helmet, would likely have hit Kmet in the numbers. it wasnt a stupid throw, believe it or not;. If he lofts this, its likely picked Patrick and SM both get stood straight up and blown back several yards on the play. Washingtons DL played it exactly the way they should have. It was a predictable outcome and not a great play design by Getsy I think the point is not that Fields should have lofted it, but in that situation you need to be able to throw a strike that isn't released below your own helmet level, because that outcome is exactly what can happen. Yes, I thought I was clear that I was calling his arm angle bad, not the throw or the read. He simply can't release a ball that low, especially near the goaline and he did it again later in the game (though that was more of a good play by the DL). If you hit an outstretched hand of a 6'5" dude with 34" arms, that's bad luck/good timing by the DL. But if you hit him in the helmet, that's a bad release.

It's uncanny how it's never, ever Fields' fault. Yea, the helmet throw was 100% on Fields. Not sure how that's even arguable. My first thought live was, "damn, what dumb luck that the ball gets tipped up that high in that spot". But seeing the replay, I have no idea how a 6'3" QB thinks he's going to throw the ball over a 6'5" DT with a release at 5'11". Just a ridiculously bad arm angle attempt.

I think this will happen. But it remains to be seen if they'll be any different. Jones Jr has played 3 games, and the only things he's done is run endarounds and WR screens....which was basically all he did in college. Harry has not consistently separated at the NFL level, which is the same problem everyone else in this offense has save from Mooney on occasion.

I've seen a lot of people blaming the TE on this throw, because he did lumber out of his break and was moving way too slow. Even "experts" are saying Fields threw it to a spot and the TE has to get there. And ya'll know I love Justin, but there's 0 way I'm buying that. All that may be 100% true. Fields may have thrown it to a spot that a slow TE stumbled slowly to try to get to, but that's a fast break slam dunk. It simply has to be complete, doesn't care how flashy the throw, give the guy a chance to catch it as easily as the throw was thrown.

IWA and CHICAG cuz ain't no O

Wasn't really a defense of the GM. Just a comment on the disconnect between what fans want and what the GM wants to do. Point is, we wouldn't be upset if Poles started last year and Dalton was supposed to be his QB while Fields developed. But we saw Fields wasted for a year and don't want him wasted and possibly ruined after 2 years. There's 0 defense for intentionally getting a 23 year old QB killed on the field each week. But Poles clearly doesn't care about that as much as we all do.

People were bitching that the Bears ran too much in the redzone. Well, they got what they wanted and Getsy called pass plays it 8 of the last 10 redzone plays. Granted, the ones at the end had time constraints, but again I say....if Fields is working with a bad supporting cast, how can you fault Getsy who's working the same bad cast, plus what may be a bad QB? I see your point but don’t you think saying the Bears have a good run game is too broad a statement? They break out some fantastic long runs and I love that, but I also feel like the dives up the middle often fail. I mean, statistically I can prove the Bears have a good run game. It's not too broad. It's a fact. 3rd in yards, 7th in YPA. "They break out some fantastic long runs and fail on dives up the middle" is not something you can probably prove. Even if you could, they still do in fact have a good run game. And a team that averages 5.2 yards per carry, should have pretty good odds of getting 1/2 a yard middle, outside or otherwise.