WrigleyField 22

No not here so much, but I believe him when he says he gets that pushback on Twitter based on what I've seen. So, I don't know I guess I wasn't trying to convince anyone here, but thought it was an interesting thread nonetheless.

A good, short thread on Mitch the bumslayer.

Oh and it's so cool when teams are named after birds and widdle baby mammals.

Okay so now it's the Leonard and Oladipo sweepstakes for 2021 free agency?

I don't see Stafford as getting in the way of making QB investments. Sure maybe you're not reading up for Lance/Wilson like you've suggested, but they can play the market over the next few years too. I'd assume a Stafford contract for 4 years would have an out after year 2. I certainly wouldn't trade for him, but I'd consider him in the FA market.

I'm dubious of all QB options. They all suck to some extent, but not trying one of them will lead to the same thing the Bears have had since the T formation was revolutionary.

If the cap is flat, I think you could fit Stafford with modest back loading and modest cuts. If it were Dak, just more aggressive back loading, but still modest cuts. It just so happens I just posted about the Stafford hypothetical on another board:

He's allowed to trade up if its his own mess he gets to clean up lol. That's the pull for any GM mortgaging a future away. If he's signed through 2022 instead of 2021 he's basically still on the hot seat, which is just slightly better than being a true lame duck. I'm 90% joking. I could live with a trade up, but it really has to be smartly done and the guy he chooses had better be a perennial pro bowl player. As he is now, Trubisky is average to a hair above average, so anyone Pace replaces him with has to be better. I'd say he's pretty firmly in the below average category. It's just good scheme can mask below average, even over a fairly long span.

...and you all want to trade up He's allowed to trade up if its his own mess he gets to clean up lol. That's the pull for any GM mortgaging a future away. If he's signed through 2022 instead of 2021 he's basically still on the hot seat, which is just slightly better than being a true lame duck.

Unconfirmed by very interesting rumor: https://twitter.com/ZimmermanSXM/status/1338545531992338432?s=19 I said in last week's thread that a Black Monday trifecta wouldn't make sense. A potential pres replacement can't operate at the same time as a coach and GM search. If this is also in a scenario where Phillips is quietly "retiring" they could also be kicking the treads on his possible replacement now (though I wouldn't be surprised if it was internal too, just cuz McCaskeys). But this would make some sense. Just have to make sure Pace doesnt GM like he's trying to save his job and trade away like 3 future 1st round picks.

Its mostly Mitch I think. But I think the Allen success is an interesting case study. Shape your game plan to your players and not vice versa. Isn't that what a quality coach does? Put his players in the best position to succeed and thereby, put the team in the best position to succeed? In theory everyone says that, but there's definitely a spectrum of system guys verse non system types.

I don't think a hypothetical Wentz trade necessarily stops that. It's basically a cap dump like the Osewiler trade, hence the draft pick inclusion. Just one with perhaps a bit of upside attached to it. Granted that's cap you're not allocating to the OL, but I suppose it matters who's running the ship in 2021 and whether they have a win now mandate or not. It's theoretically doable though, and there's a legit argument for the Eagles to do it, it's just very hamstrung by basically being a 3 day window because of the roster bonus due. Obvioiusly there's a handful of teams with much more cap space that could offer the same deal.

I think the Blackhawks could conceivably just ditch the Indian head logo and tomahawk logo and keep the name, and even the gist of the imagery (basically this.) and avoid any further "issues". But I do think it's only a matter of time. Fwiw though the relationship they used to have with a local NA org is no longer so at this point their outreach is basically informal and not affiliated. Eta - the Hawks also are slightly different in that the name is inspired (granted by way of the military) by an actual person. Not sure if there's any descendents, but his people, in some form, make up a federally recognized tribe in the Sac & Fox Nation, so there would be the possibility of them more legitimately authorizing their use of any imagery in a similar way to colleges that use local tribal imagery with their support and consent.

The Spiders were a different team altogether. They were an NL team. The Cleveland AL team was only ever: Naps Broncos Lake Shores Bluebirds Rustlers I know they were a different team, but they're also a totally defunct franchise. So they can surely get their hands on those trademarks I'd think.

Yea I think a Tyrod Taylor type deal is the max for Trubisky, Call it 2/10 in consideration of the cap crunch. I'm not sure I would really love that verse just going through whatever else the backup QB market spits out at like half that cost, knowing you still really need to put resources into the draft to find a franchise play caller. Although I also don't really see any point to having Trubiksy and Foles. In this scenario, just see if you can trade Foles for like a 6th rounder in 2022. Mitch + Rookie, and if you feel you need another vet and need to carry 3, just wait on the market and get the scraps from the likes of Fitz, Flacco, etc who don't get signed elsewhere and are teamless come July. Or here's a wild idea. Foles for Wentz + a pick (say a third?). It has to go through within the first 3 days of the league year to be really cap beneficial for Philly, but they are in cap hell and could use the help. They take a big hit in 2021, but by accelerating all his other dead cap, they can play with other contracts to free up the space they desperately need in 2021 by deferring some guaranteed money into signing bonus and pro-rating it over several years. Critically, they get out of $25m in guarantees, which the Bears take on. The Bears take on the rest which would basically be a 100/4 with the first year guaranteed @ $25M. If he still sucks in 2021, they walk away free and clear. Obviously the Bears have tight cap as well, but if the cap stays flat, its doable. They could also always restructure part of his 2021 guarantee as well to defer some as well.

I like Spiders best if they go former team names.

Its mostly Mitch I think. But I think the Allen success is an interesting case study. Shape your game plan to your players and not vice versa.

I'm not sure NFL hell really exists like it does in basketball. It may be that I'm just in general very emotionally detached from the Bears these days, but I just don't care. The draft slot between 8 and like 15 isn't gonna end up being the difference maker.

OTOH the lack of Neil Funk left for a net upgrade in audio experience

Uh, no. How about for the Jets though.

Given enough time and a new surrounding I even think Mitch has an inexplicable "2017 Case Keenum" in him. It will just be in like 4 years and he'll be on the Vikings and come to Chicago and clobber them. Probably in a crucial win or go home playoff game. I mean, I don't think its out of the realm of possibilities for him to have an Alex Smith like second half to his career and be a starter for some time to come, albeit not with this front office and coaching staff Alex Smith career arc for anyone is deep into the netherworld of any realm.

He's been a terrible starting quarterback. He'd be fine as a backup. He can provide a spark in a game if your starter goes down, and maybe play good for a start or two. Given enough time and a new surrounding I even think Mitch has an inexplicable "2017 Case Keenum" in him. It will just be in like 4 years and he'll be on the Vikings and come to Chicago and clobber them. Probably in a crucial win or go home playoff game.

Kordell Stewart, Matt Leinhart. very different situations, however Stewart was a second rounder. And was still the starter when he resigned for a new deal. Leinart did not resign with AZ for a second deal.

I very much doubt it would happen too. Has a first round bust QB ever resigned with his team to be the backup?

One of the surprising rate statistics for me was Miller's strong sack%. It's one of those things thats less O-Line dependent than you think, and ANY/A takes Sacks into account whereas passer rating doesn't, which is IMO it's biggest improvement over it. And Mitch, despite his legs, has crappy pocket awareness which passer eating doesnt dock him for. So even not adjusting for era, Mitch is still behind Kramer and Cutler in ANY/A and just barely ahead of McMahon. that's not surprising. Its clear Trubisky cant read defenses, and that alone could account for him spending too much time staring down the field and not paying attention to the pocket he's in and/or making sound decisions with where to throw the ball. you have to wonder if better coaching could have helped him with that, or maybe not Probably some combination of more college experience and better college coaching and better rookie year coaching. But a lot (most?) is probably just the player still. As far as Nagy is concerned, I'm somewhat skeptical it's a coaching issue, but it's obviously hard to know.