raw

You're not wrong. Nevertheless, the gap between the haves and the have nots is about to greatly expand. Bama won’t be able to keep up and that’s why Saban is crying; his absurd competitive advantage is shrinking. Bama is like Duke basketball. Don't even have to recruit at this point. The name on the jersey does it all. If you get interest from Bama, you can turn that into going wherever you want to go. And now Saban has to offer more than just being a household name to these kids. And that money won't be there for all 90 of those 5-stars. Kids going to have to decide if they want to go where the money is (other colleges) or where the money will be (Bama pipeline to NFL).

So, Trayce Jackson-Davis is leaving the NBA draft and returning to IU. I kind of wanted him to go to turn over the program to the great recruiting class, but dare I say, IU is loaded for 2022-23? Bring back TJD, Thompson, and Xavier Johnson....top 3 players from this past year. Add a pair of top 30s. Malik Reneau likely off the bench now. Add Jordan Geronimo who has a ton of upside, and you have a very deep front court. And that's not counting Miller Kopp, who started at SF this year. Which, MEH. I'm fine if he doesn't see the floor. In the backcourt, they have Johnson at PG. And incoming freshman, Jalen Hood-Scifino, who has elite wing talent. Tamar Bates will need to step up as a shooter off the bench since Kopp didn't do well enough there and Trey Galloway should continue to slash and annoy me with his really short shorts. ESPN has them 15th in the way too early rankings (ahead of Gonzaga). Returning 4 starters from the top B1G defense, their top 3 scorers and adding at least 2 instant contributors. Should be a fun season in Bloomington. Now this thread can turn into your regularly scheduled Illinois basketball thread.

I know this would essentially be a straight roster change from Coby White to Thybulle, and the defensive upgrade would be phenomenal, but if LaVine is back I think you only need 1 more wing player. I'd prefer that player be a really good shooter over everything else. I do like Thybulle though and he has some potential to take his game up a level.

I was thinking about who Siemian had on offense, did not take the time to look nevertheless, I do not think its beyond the realm of possibilities that Fields will improve. At the very least this coaching staff will make a better attempt at putting him in a position to succeed, this alone should make a positive difference. I am assuming Fields does improve, but improving on his rookie year doesn't necessarily translate to more than a handful of wins this season. If he eclipses 3,000 yards with 60% completion percentage and throws as many TDs as INTs while fumbling only 10 times with this supporting cast he will have shown marked improvement from last year and this team will still suck. I don't think anyone is really expecting more than a handful of wins. But I do think you can see 3500 ish yards if he plays all 17. I'd hope for at least a 2:1 TD:INT ratio, 62-65% completions and 400-500 rushing. The ceiling with the offensive talent is probably no better than bottom 1/3 of the league. But I do think the defense has potential to be decent. Eberflus took a less talented group to a top 10 D in 2018 (his 1st season, taking over a D previously ranked in the 20s). The Bears are probably better than the 2018 Colts at DE and DB for sure, if the rookies live up to the hype quickly. The Colts had a rookie Darius Leonard, so the Bears LBs could certainly be better as well. This was 2 years before the Colts got Buckner, so their DTs weren't anything special either. I won't assume top 10 D right away, but no reason they shouldn't be among the top 1/2 of teams on D. Outside of Rodgers twice, Dak and Josh Allen the Bears play.... Cousins x 2 Goff x 2 Jimmy G or inexperienced Lance Davis Mills, Drew Lock, Daniel Jones, Wentz, Tua, Mac Jones, Wilson, Hurts, and Mariota. That's a very defense-friendly schedule. And I don't see any reason the Bears can't hang around in at least 10 of those games.

I see it as one of 2 things: 1) They don't believe in Fields and/or putting him in a position where if he's elite he'll show enough despite being hamstrung by resources or he'll prove to be a bust in which case they can justify dumping him and picking their own QB 2) They do believe in Fields and/or are natural on him and think that having a superior coaching staff/offensive gameplan and their handpicked scrap heap guys they added will make a giant difference. If its the second one, then either they are really smart and have proven they have a strong ability to identify coaching and player talent, or they suffer from the same 'smartest guy in the room' syndrome that has been the downfall of so many other executives and coaches throughout the NFL. I don't believe they are outright sabotaging him though necessarily. If Fields sucks so they trade him off and he becomes a star elsewhere, all the sudden Poles looks like a moron and his seat starts getting warm. You can count on one hand the number of 1st round QBs that fail on their original team and then become a star elsewhere. Brees...Favre...probably 1 or 2 I'm missing. Technically Favre was in the 2nd round but he was one of the first few picks of that round. You can probably count on one hand the number of 1st round draft pick QBs who've been abandoned by a new regime. I think there's a 3rd option in there. They have some level of faith in Fields but not enough to carry this team in 2022, which is what they'd need to contend this year. They aren't giving him weapons because if they did he'd be expected to use them? So they are going into 2022 with the hopes of being a run first, second and third team, maybe throwing 18 times a game just to mix things up. Load up on young depth on the offensive line, pound the ball, create an identity on offense while not actually scoring points, let the defense keep you in the game and maybe you win a couple unexpectedly. There are enough bad teams on this schedule that they can beat a few just with competence and turnovers, and then you load up in the 2023 draft with all the talent you can give Fields to open it up. If Fields stumbles in 2023, you draft your QB in 2024 and hope that guys shows enough in his 2nd year to net everybody a contract extension. Or if Fields survives this gauntlet you get that contract extension even sooner. Because by then you should have the surrounding cast to help a young QB. The other issue though is I don't see how this defense can be anywhere close to dominant enough to keep this team in games this year. I think there's plenty of faith in Fields. But Poles isn't willing to stake his career on his faith that Fields is the guy. If Poles had put all his eggs in on the "Fields is the man" basket and Fields isn't the man, then he's on the hot seat. If he had gone out and gotten involved in all these big WR trades and signed a couple linemen, that'd be a waste of money if Fields isn't the QB they expect him to be. I wanted Armstead once I saw how the OL market went, but if Fields isn't the guy, Armstead would have been too expensive for a team with no QB. He'd also be too old by the time they find a new QB. If they had traded for Amari Cooper or AJ Brown or Tyreke Hill or something, you'd be paying 20Mil+ for a WR with nobody to throw them the ball. And most of all, you'd create expectations. Expectations for the team, for Fields, and most of all for Poles. If you fail to meet expectations, the GM is on the hot seat. And if Fields fails with a ton of resources spent to help him, then the Poles would be looked at as the guy who didn't hire a coach to develop Fields. Nobody would care that Pace is the one that drafted a bust. The way Poles has played it, he's hedging his bets. Like, I believe my wife is forever faithful, but I wouldn't put her in a room with a naked Jason Momoa. He can believe Fields is great, but he shouldn't necessarily bet his future as a GM on a guy he didn't draft. This gives Poles and company 2022 to evaluate Fields, in person. If he is not the guy, then they probably have another similar offseason this time next year, because they are stuck with Fields for for at least 1 more after this one. But if he is the guy, now you have a full allotment of draft picks, potentially a lot of young pieces on defense (Smith, Johnson, Gordon, Gipson, Brisker all 26 or under), and a bunch of cap room in 2023. They are definitely tanking 2022 for the most part. But I don't think they will be as run heavy as you think. I think they will throw plenty. But they will definitely try to get the ball out of Fields' hands quicker and to playmakers. Rodgers has thrown the ball quicker and shorter in the last 2 seasons (under Getsy) than he ever had in his career. And the results were back-to-back MVPs. Obviously, Fields isn't putting up those level numbers, but I do think they will throw short a bunch. And it's something Fields needs to work on so he's not holding onto the ball as long as he's used to and not taking as many hits as he did last year. It allows you to take advantage of his deep ball prowess if the defense also has to respect the short game. And if executed properly, I think this team can perform much better than a tanking season would indicate.

I'd hate to move on without a solid backup plan because he MAY have recurring knee issues for the rest of his career. I mean, obviously the knee will affect his play somewhat, but I think he can still be very effective as an on-ball defender and a spot up 3 shooter. If he can't run the offense and get the team going on the break, it would make him a lesser player, but he'd still be pretty valuable without that ability. It wouldn't really be on the table for me to trade Lonzo. Worst case, you keep drafting true PGs and play him off the ball like a Desmond Bane type.

Part of that is that you have to be willing to shoot it from the outside once in a while if you want people to go for ball fakes so that you can drive past them. If you never shoot from the outside, it makes defending you easier. He does shoot, mid range, that I could live with it, maybe, it's he shoots too many three's, he's a career 29% 3-pt shooter so, its safe to say he's not very good from the beyond the arc. Nevertheless, he is amazing and fun to watch, heard Boston fans yelling - "..Giannis it's not football.." - last night, thought that was funny. 3.6 attempts from 3 per game, same 2 years in a row. So, I think he's shooting just enough to keep teams honest and not enough to make his 29% kill his team. He's probably not getting any better at it at this point in his career, so as long as his numbers stay in that range, he should be fine until his athleticism starts to go and he either needs to shoot better or just become a pure low post guy.

He is freakishly long, is my best explanation. And you can tell it's been drilled in his head to keep the ball high in traffic so smaller guys don't steal the ball. So, the contact I do believe is incidental, but for sure it happens a bunch.

Yes, but he's going to get paid a lot. But assuming Vooch, Coby, etc. go in exchange (straight up or 3-way), the Bulls are kind of all-in on Ayton and LaVine (assuming he signs a max to stay) as the guys to build around for the next several years. If you don't sign Zach to a max, then Ayton probably wouldn't be necessary or interested.

Yep. I've heard Bears consistently draw well on prime time viewers too. Makes sense as its the largest 1 team market in the NFL but man recent Bears primetime games have been so incredibly awful and unwatchable with the exception of the Steelers game last year. And that game was awful for almost 3/4 of it.

Week 1- v 49ers Week 2- @ Packers (SNF) Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6- v. Washington (TNF) Week 7- @ Patriots (MNF) Week 8- @ Cowboys Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14- BYE Week 15- I've heard both Philly and Miami here, which are home games Week 16- v Buffalo Week 17 Week 18- Vikings (not confirmed if home or away)

Week 1 isn't til Sept 18th.

I don't understand the point of the last year and a half if you let Zach walk for nothing. Of course, ESPN seems to think this sign and trade is a good idea. LOL.

G- Magic $4 G- Jordan $5 G- Curry $2 F- Garnett $3 C- Ewing $1 I honestly considered Bosh over Ewing, because IDK that Jordan and Ewing would mesh well together as both did a ton of damage in the post. But Ewing >>> Bosh. Curry and Garnett are no brainers at those costs. Don't know why anyone would ever pick Giannis at $4

Remainder of picks I would've made. 5) Braxton Jones - I actually kept the same pick. I still think Borom ends up at G. My favorite pick of the draft. 5) Matthew Butler -DT Tenn Athletic quick can play 3 or 5 technique. 6) Malcolm Rodriguez LB OK St Fast Athletic former S undersized 6) Quinton Lake S UCLA 6) Curtis Brooks DT Cincy 7) Dareke Young WR Lenoir Rhyne Big WR deep threat. 7) Marquis Hayes OL Oklahoma 7) Samori Toure WR Nebraska This is my "what I would have done draft". Some is done with knowing where guys went in the draft, so while I liked a guy like Perrion Winfrey enough to take him at 39/48, he didn't go til the 4th, so if I wanted him, I would have picked him later with the benefit of hindsight of knowing that I could wait for him (for example). 39- Andrew Booth Jr., CB Clemson I like Kyler Gordon a lot, but Booth was considered by some that evaluate prospects for a living as CB1. Gordon's probably the better fit, but Booth is the better prospect, IMO. 48- George Pickens, WR Georgia This is a hindsight one, I would have just taken him at 39 and secured my WR. But he didn't go til 52, so I'd have taken him here. Booth was also rated higher IMO, so waiting til this pick would have been a toss up, but I likely would have hoped Gordon was here at worst. 71- Bernhard Raimann, OT Central Michigan I said on Twitter or something that I didn't want him at 39, because of his age and rawness, but this is about where I had him graded. The Bears ended up taking an even older guy, LOL. Could compete with Borom at LT, and given the Bears a good swing (or could move Jenkins to RG). 168- Matthew Butler, DT Tennessee I also just assume the trade downs still happen even though I wouldn't necessarily do them all if it were my choice. Butler has some potential as a 3T. Typical underachiever based on talent in the Vols program. 174- Dominique Robinson, DE Miami Ohio This pick was dead on. I would get him on about half my mocks in the early 5th the Bears had before trade down. I thought there's no way he'd even make it to 148. Potential steal like Gipson was. 186- Cade Mays, OG Tennessee I was a big fan of his for a couple years. He's not super athletic like the guys the Bears drafted, but Chiefs got a steal with his teammate Trey Smith last year (who I also loved) and I think he'd fit in the offense. Former 5 star who started at Georgia. 203- Bo Melton, WR Rutgers I'm not a huge Melton guy, but too good to pass up right here. Kind of similar to Velus in that he has good speed and the ability to do damage underneath and get RAC. 207- Isaih Pacheco, RB Rutgers Double up at Rutgers. Just watched him recently, great speed that he didn't get to show off much in a bad offense. But I was really impressed with his pass blocking and receiving honestly. 226- Chris Oladokun, QB South Dakota St Don't know much about him, but the Bears brought him in for a visit. Looks like a good athlete with an electric arm. I'd love a camp body with some upside for the practice squad 254- Dohnovan West, C, Arizona St Again probably not as athletic as the guys Poles actually drafted, but fits as an undersized zone blocking OL. A lot of Bears fans liked him more than I did. I think he's just too small, but at one of the last 10 picks in the draft, worth a shot. 255- Kevin Austin Jr, WR, Notre Dame Another potential X WR that the Bears met with. They brought in like 5 UDFA WRs, so drafting 3 wouldn't have been a stretch. This he's more talented that any UDFA they brought in, by far.

I said in the Bears thread (I think it was that one and not this one) that I used to listen to that original podcast (Chicago Audible). I was completely turned off by Olin joining the crew. Not a big fan of Hoge either, but I preferred the fan perspective over "I'm an ex player and I know everything". And I knew out of respect they would basically defer to Olin, who probably also insisted they do. I didn't think he'd go this far with it, but I knew this wouldn't end well. Haven't watched the show since the debut week on CHGO because he was already smirking at the guys for only playing HS ball and being WRs or something.

I will say this. On paper, this team has a chance to 2019 Bills or 2019 Ravens their way into a surprise playoff berth. Also, the team I compared the Bears to, the 2016 Titans, went 9-7 but didn't make the playoffs. Eberflus has shown so far he can roll out of bed and turn a defense into a top 10 group. The Bears have a talent advantage over the 2018 Colts D he had 10th in points and 11 in yards allowed. That team didn't have a pass rusher as good as Quinn. They had Al-Quaddin Muhammad as a young player, not the polished pass rusher he is now. Darius Leonard was a rookie, compared to Roquan already playing at a high level. And the defensive backfield is much more talented. I think if this defense is a top 10 unit, the offense, like those 3 teams I named, just have to run the ball well, take advantage of turnovers, and avoid mistakes to put together a decent season against the 2nd easiest schedule on paper. I'm not predicting it to happen, but if Eberflus and Fields are the right guys, it's certainly possible.

I've given up on these types of moves a long time ago. At this point, I'd rather go with Borom, Jenkins and the dude they drafted with the first 5th rounder than add Fisher, who is on his very last legs. Tretter I like, but I feel like they value Patrick's knowledge of the O at center. But they still have 13Mil in cap space, that will go up after Goldman and Trevathan's money becomes available June 1. They gotta bring in somebody, I'd imagine.

Right or wrong he's treating it like a re-do of Fields rookie year. Sometime rookie QBs are built around because there is no certainty they will even be in a position to draft a rookie. But even in cases where it's obvious a rookie is being drafted, the big investment often comes in year 2. So Poles is basically the GM who knew he was gonna draft a QB first overall, but didnt go agressive in building around them for year 1. Basically everything is reset for Fields new "year 1" I still don't agree with that approach, but I think that's basically what's happening. Yeah, I'm not saying he lied at all. I think they completely believe in Fields. But this is the NFL there's no sure things. Like I believe Fields will be a star QB in this league, but I'm not willing to bet my house, life savings, and 401K on it. That's basically where Poles and crew are. While I agree, it doesn't make any sense to just throw him out there with nothing....I think the logic here is, "well I don't want to spend all this money and high draft picks on players and be locked into them for 4 years, if I find out in the next 2 years that the QB isn't good enough". It's one thing to see all these tools Fields has on tape. It's another to see how he does in person, everyday in OTAs, minicamp, training camp, preseason and during the season. It's seeing how he takes to the new coaching staff, and new offense. They used him to look at tape to help determine what guys to draft, so I don't think he necessarily lied. Like I said earlier, there's definitely a middle ground I would have taken. Having a good RG on a 3-4 year deal is still good even if you do have QB issues. Obviously, QB is the most important piece, but it's not all or nothing w/ a QB. You can actually add good players to the unit before you have the sure thing at QB. I'm guessing the logic here is that they don't want a bunch of talent masking how good Fields actually is. LOL. Guys like Mayfield, Jimmy G, maybe even Cousins are guys who got paid (only 5th year option in Baker's case) and are not quite good enough because the talented supporting cast carries them a bit. I guess that's what they want to avoid. Makes no sense to me, but I sorta get it.

I think there's a couple things at play here. I have said since the hire that new GMs just don't make big splashes. Because big splashes = expectations. Poles is at a place where he can claim this team was just so devoid of talent that he had to take a lot of time to fix it. To be fair, he didn't inherit a good team, but the team wasn't devoid of talent. They potentially have building blocks at QB, RB, WR, TE, both tackles, CB, LB and DE (Gipson) that Pace left Poles with. Honestly, even a modest attempt at helping the offense with a couple lesser known signings (a step up from Patrick and Pringle, his 2 biggest signings) or even just simply re-signing Daniels, could have meant this team was a threat to a wildcard berth. One sure thing on offense would go a long way. But I think the other issue is they aren't 100% sure on Fields. I know they are "sold" on Fields, but they aren't putting their futures in his hands, simply because it's not their pick. For all they know, Fields could be ruined from Nagy's horsefeathers show last year. So, I think they aren't throwing all their chips on the table for him. That doesn't mean they don't love him or don't think he's going to be a star. But they are hedging their bets. They are making sure Fields is the guy before they go all-in on him. I think there's a middle ground between "not going all-in yet" and the bare minimum roster filling they've done on offense. Because it's kind of weird to say, "OK Justin, prove you're good enough to build around" without giving him the tools to prove it. I don't know what they need to see from Fields to go that next step, and don't imagine they'll throw around money and draft picks like a combo of the Rams and Jags if Fields does show them what they need to see. But I wonder if the draft was about getting some defensive guys in place before going O heavy next year. Fields is good in 2022, now you draft your version of Jamarr Chase and sign a big time stud lineman. And if he's not good, they can continue to turnover the roster. Tag and trade Roquan, cut/trade Quinn, don't extend Mooney or whoever else. Add players in the 2023 draft, then 2024 draft your own guy.

I think this turned out to influence the Velus Jones pick. 4th best 40. I think they really wanted Tyquan Thornton, but the Patriots grabbed him at 50. Jones was the only other WR with top 5 speed, the others were all CBs, which they obviously took with Gordon. With a huge gap in picks, they didn't want to miss out on the last huge speed guy at WR, so they reached fit a guy that probably would have at least made them sweat, if he even made it there.

My top available (somewhat in order, needs not considered) Andrew Booth Jr Nakobe Dean George Pickens Perrion Winfrey Malik Willis Logan Hall Skyy Moore David Ojabo Jaquan Brisker Christian Watson Bernhard Raimann Dylan Parham Desmond Ridder Jalen Pitre Kyler Gordon Pickens obviously still my primary target, but if they could potentially wait to get him at 48, that opens up a whole lot at 39. Obviously, not interested in taking Willis, but if the Bears have to choose from a couple of Booth, Dean, Winfrey and Hall....that'd be nice, especially if you have Moore and Watson still on the board with Pickens. My nightmare is they love Raimann at LT (moving Jenkins or Borom to RG) and then take Alec Pierce at 48. Be a huge letdown for me, and I don't hate either guy, just don't like their fits.

This was my pre-free agency mock. Obviously, I thought the Bears would do more in free agency on the OL. Now, they pretty much have to take OL with one of the 1st 3 picks. I do still think a lot of these guys could be targets, though may need to be in different spots. 39- I honestly think George Pickens is the target here. Can't get Fields' old Ohio St teammates (Wilson, Olave, Williams). Pickens was his 7 on 7 teammate, and was one of the reason Pickens chose Georgia and considered changing his commit when Fields transferred before Pickens' freshman year. Bears didn't really visit with him, but could be a meeting that wasn't publicized or one they didn't have to do much research on due to Fields knowing him well. A guy that Mooney singled out by name, last week, as a potential add to the WR room. If he's gone: Winfrey, Logan Hall at DT are options (Winfrey measurements, met with Hall). They haven't really been connected to any other defensive position early, though I'd imagine if a top CB or S falls they'd be in on that. Other than that, I think it's watch who falls from the 1st. Treylon Burks, Tyler Linderbaum, Kenyon Green, Nakobe Dean have all been rumored fallers. 48- If not Pickens at 39, the Bears have shown interest in Christian Watson as well as Alec Pierce. Not a huge fan of either as THE big move at WR of the offseason. Both have a long way to go to be #1 types. But I think they have to go WR at one of these 2. Even moreso than OL, which is a bigger need with no capable starter at RG. WR, Hall, DB, or OL like Tyler Smith or Bernhard Raimann are options here if on the board. Prime trade down spot as well. 71- Obviously depends on the first 2 picks. I do think they'll take defense at least 1 time in the first 3 picks. This is a good spot for every defensive position, except DT.....which is why I have that position as 2nd round options. 39/48 both on O- this is still the sweet spot for LBs. Tindall, Brian Asamoah, Troy Andersen. 39/48 one on O, other on D- this has to be WR or OL, whichever they pass on earlier. Cole Strange, Jamaree Salyer, Dylan Parham, Zach Tom, several options here. 5th- again trade down from one of these picks to get more late picks is possible. But this is where I think you see the athletes. Guys who blew up the combine or pro day. High RAS scores, especially CBs, WRs, Front 4 players. 6th- they'll take someone that most haven't heard of, probably a UDFA type who they really like or maybe a RB if they get an extra pick here or later.

This is Zach's GOAT origin story. Jordan had Monopoly with his college roommate. Zach has Tic Tac Toe with DeRozan.

Think that's too much to ask. Bears are the ones trading up here. Hard to get an extra pick out of that scenario. If they wanted an extra pick at that point, they'd probably have to trade down from 71, though a 4th would be hard to come by unless it's a trade down probably to the 90s.