Hairyducked Idiot

People are burnt out from Trubisky/Fields. It's frustrating and scary to be going through this process *yet again* and knowing that the bust rate at the position is high. It would be amazing to have an Elway/Manning/Luck level prospect, but we don't, so we're scouting scared as a fanbase. In the last 15 years,, the QBs taken 1 overall were Stafford, Bradford, Newton, Luck, Bortles, Winston, Goff, Mayfield, Murray, Burrow, Lawrence, Young. That's a *good* list on average, but it's not a list that makes you think "OK it's definitely our turn to have a Mahomes/Brady/Manning/Rodgers/Brees type."

This looks a lot better than I expected. I'm sorry, but I don't hate it. I really don't hate it. Obviously, you can't be a franchise QB if you can't throw more than 16 yards past the LOS, which he literally did not do all game. And which he utterly failed at twice in the Vikings game. And apparently it's so bad they have to bring in Captain Clipboard to throw his hail marys. This sort of performance *only* works when your defense is having a good game and you're nursing a lead, which won't always be the case. But if you just look at the throws he actually made on Sunday, I don't see a weak arm. He's got plenty of zip, he's not letting defenders close by throwing muffins. If you told me this was a former second-round pick with two years in the league, I'd believe it. The execution on quick throws is immaculate, the ball placement is *really* good, the ability to work through his progressions is solid (he did turn down a couple of deeper throws that I think could have been made, but nobody's perfect). Pause the video at 5:55 to see him already in his throwing motion while the receiver still has his back to him, the kind of anticipation throw we've been begging for. He's completely unafraid to throw balls to a receiver's leverage even if the defender is right on their back, the elusive "NFL open." Honestly I wouldn't hate it if he dialed that back a bit, there was one or two that he got in there but seemed awfully risky. And he was completely fearless about calling checks and modifying plays at the line, and he was usually right when he did it.

Getting an early lead and milking clock is the dream scenario for Bagent. Having to come from behind or play in any sort of shootout will be much tougher.

Yesterday was a perfect case study for showing how Fields was dragging everyone else down. The offensive line stopped bleeding sacks, a variety of WRs got targets, plays were being adjusted and checked at the line appropriately. I keep coming back to this video and the play at 8:07 Where fields lets a pitch go to a rb into two unblocked run blitzers instead of either checking at the line or pulling and running the alternate execution baked into play. How many times did that happen yesterday? Few if not zero. Bagent consistently put the rest of the offense in a position of succeed. Now, all that said, Bagent only had to make one throw over 15 yards and had to be subbed out for the hail mary. That's not sustainable. Getting the lead and nursing it home was a dream scenario for him because he was never forced to risk any more 20-yard air punts. Defense continues to look kinda ok since the Denver game. This team has the potential to really screw up their draft position. I don't think we beat many good teams, but there's plenty of bad teams left on the schedule.

The checklist of bad QB cope. It's ok, you guys aren't used to it yet

Well, Fields is out for at least one more game, so there's no controversy next week. But if Bagent goes out and does something similar, I think so. I don't know how you look your offensive line in the eye and say "you know that guy who causes you to give up 4 sacks a week on average? We're going back to him." Or the same thing with the receiving room and only targetting about 2 different receivers per game.

jordan love kinda sucks

There were so many times Bagent checked to a run at the line and it worked perfectly that the TV announcers started commenting on it

Career starts with 0 INTs and <2 sacks Tyson Bagent: 1 Justin Fields: 0

Now, it's just one game. He will have games where they fall behind and he'll be forced to throw downfield. Teams will identify what he's doing and try to take it away. But if he does something similar the next game or two while Fields is hurt, I don't know how you can look the locker room in the eye and tell them that Fields is going back in, sorry about your sack totals and reception numbers guys.

You draft one and hope for the best. That's life in the NFL without a good QB, it sucks but that's what you have to do.

Well to be fair, he led the team to such a resounding victory that he had very little chance to throw in the second half and pad his stats. But I think I'm more excited that he proved that many of the other pieces of the team are adequate and being held back by QB play.

I'm not saying we have to start Bagent even if Fields is healthy, but thinking it might happen feels like less of a meme than it did.

Defense has seriously been getting a bit better every week since the Chiefs debacle.

Now imagine this offense with a competent QB who can also throw down the field.

Supposedly Bagent's arm strength measured crazy good in combine situations, he just can't translate it onto the field. I think if you managed to overhaul his footwork over an offseason, it might emerge.

My theory is that the fact that running backs can be of relatively normal height compared to other positions means that there's a much larger pool of athletes to choose from and thus more guys who can fill the job competently for nfl teams.

I'm weirdly proud of Stevenson for not celebrating the third down incompletion after he got completely cooked and bailed out by a stone drop.

That's gotta be overturned.

You can't call deep balls for him because he won't throw them. He's got a great deep ball when he throws it, but you're gonna eat about 5 sacks trying to get there.

And again I'm forced to ask - what is that? What Fields does best is use his legs to salvage plays that he failed to execute properly to begin with.

My estimation of bagent is going up.

Because he does his job and it allows them to do their job.

Six different Bears have caught passes today.

Running backs are so fungible.