2023-24 NFL Season Thread

[Chisoxfn]

1 hour ago, Kyyle23 said:

Ok, however you want to zoom out, this season or his entire career, one final game is in fact immaterial by itself in judging what you are about to do

I put a bigger focus on it - because the scheme the Packers play - is a bad fit on Justin.  It highlights his weakness and you could use it to assess progress.  Can he get through his progression(s) better, can he make the right players. Quite frankly why more teams don't zone Justin is staggering to me.  I get that the pressure was there and that a number of Field(s) sacks weren't on him - but there were also a ton of short runs and times where he had all day to throw and just didn't do it.  

I find it hard to believe that as often as he can extend plays - guys aren't getting open. That is an awful lot of time for NFL defenses to cover a DJ Moore or Kmet (forget the other guys who aren't that great). It also is a ton of time for a running back to get open in the flat for a few yards.  So to me I put more focus on the Packer game because I wanted to see growth in his ability to disect a defense. I wasn't looking for 250 yards and 4 TD's - but to see him make quick reads, and really play in rhythm against the type of defense that gives him fits - that would have been huge from a progress/progression perspective.  

[Chisoxfn]

54 minutes ago, fathom said:

With no announcement yet and participating in exit interviews, does this mean Eberflus is safe?

Or are they waiting to go through the process - a day or two to conduct interviews and get more intelligence doesn't hurt (in my mind).  I don't think you are missing out by waiting 2 more days to let go of someone.  You might also have a clear(er) picture around Harbaugh and Beli's status.  

[bmags]

I think our priors should be that he will likely be retained, but if he's let go, it's because they know who they want.

If you just want to make a change because you feel 100% he's not it (which they clearly don't believe), you fire him immediately and enter new process. 

Potential, however small, of some experienced coaches in Vrabel (a Vrabel + Arthur Smith pairing would be pretty great), and obviously Belicheck. But obviously main guy I'd like is Harbaugh. 

You should be working behind the scenes on them.

For OC only...man that just brings some Bill Lazor stuff. No idea who hitches their wagon to Flus. Still would imagine a guy like Greg Olsen would be the best he could do. But oof we'll end up with Reich.

[Chisoxfn]

43 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

You almost have to either keep them all or get rid of them all, in Eberflus, Getsy and Fields. My thing with keeping them and trading the pick, is if they fail in 2024, they will have the draft capital to get back up top in the draft.

For the Bears - that is a perfectly logical choice - for Poles, I think he basically means this is his only coach to hire.  I don't think I could let him take another swing and miss and than say - you are the guy to run next year's draft.  Said another way - if I'm Poles, starting over now probably gives me my best chance to live out another few years.

If I stick with Flus and Fields and it doesn't work, even if we have the #1 pick a 3rd year in a row - I don't think if I'm Warren/McCaskey I am letting Poles make that choice (even if everything else looks good).  

[Tony]

32 minutes ago, Quin said:

Will DJ's smile save Justin Fields?

I love DJ Moore

[Quin]

16 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

For the Bears - that is a perfectly logical choice - for Poles, I think he basically means this is his only coach to hire.  I don't think I could let him take another swing and miss and than say - you are the guy to run next year's draft.  Said another way - if I'm Poles, starting over now probably gives me my best chance to live out another few years.

If I stick with Flus and Fields and it doesn't work, even if we have the #1 pick a 3rd year in a row - I don't think if I'm Warren/McCaskey I am letting Poles make that choice (even if everything else looks good).  

But at that point, Poles has unlocked the infinite money glitch

[baseball_gal_aly]

 

[Dick Allen]

31 minutes ago, baseball_gal_aly said:

 

That was a different regime. Poles has been, IMO, better than pretty good. He had nothing in the draft his first year yet got Brisker and Gordon who look like they are going to be really good players. This past draft looks really good. He missed on Claypool. He missed on Leatherwood, he missed on Neal, but he moved on. Everything else seems to be a bullseye. 

[ptatc]

1 hour ago, bmags said:

I think our priors should be that he will likely be retained, but if he's let go, it's because they know who they want.

If you just want to make a change because you feel 100% he's not it (which they clearly don't believe), you fire him immediately and enter new process. 

Potential, however small, of some experienced coaches in Vrabel (a Vrabel + Arthur Smith pairing would be pretty great), and obviously Belicheck. But obviously main guy I'd like is Harbaugh. 

You should be working behind the scenes on them.

For OC only...man that just brings some Bill Lazor stuff. No idea who hitches their wagon to Flus. Still would imagine a guy like Greg Olsen would be the best he could do. But oof we'll end up with Reich.

Personally, I would not want harbaugh. He is such a volatile guy that I don't see him lasting anymore than 4-5 years. I'm sure he'll do all for that time but he will not be a long term fix for consistency. 

[ptatc]

1 hour ago, Tony said:

I love DJ Moore

He knows he is in a position of leverage. 

[ptatc]

44 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

That was a different regime. Poles has been, IMO, better than pretty good. He had nothing in the draft his first year yet got Brisker and Gordon who look like they are going to be really good players. This past draft looks really good. He missed on Claypool. He missed on Leatherwood, he missed on Neal, but he moved on. Everything else seems to be a bullseye. 

Agreed. No one is going to be 100%. But his early track record is looking good. I would add Wright to the positives as he already looks the part. 

[Kyyle23]

59 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

That was a different regime. Poles has been, IMO, better than pretty good. He had nothing in the draft his first year yet got Brisker and Gordon who look like they are going to be really good players. This past draft looks really good. He missed on Claypool. He missed on Leatherwood, he missed on Neal, but he moved on. Everything else seems to be a bullseye. 

Honestly wouldn’t put Leatherwood in the miss category.  They claimed him in  his rookie deal to see if he could find what made him special, and cut him when they found out he wasn’t worth the trouble.  Last season those kind of claims were ok imo.  Claypool was bad because of the asset 

[bmags]

36 minutes ago, ptatc said:

Personally, I would not want harbaugh. He is such a volatile guy that I don't see him lasting anymore than 4-5 years. I'm sure he'll do all for that time but he will not be a long term fix for consistency. 

You know...Trent Balke didn't come out looking great in San Fran. He made the program in his image in Stanford. He burned bright and burned out in San Fran. And despite the outside noise, as he figured out the recruiting game and staff at Michigan he now would definitely be there a decade plus.

He reminds me of Thibs except without the player burn out. He also is extremely lucky to be able to lean on his brothers NFL knowledge for staff.

[MexSoxFan#1]

2 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

We’ve seen this song and dance before, and it always ends the same way.  Awful.

Clean house, bring in a new coaching staff, and let them give their thoughts and advice to Poles on which QB they want.

The Bears are cheap, they're not gonna fire Eberflus and pay the rest of his contract and hire an expensive HC like Harbaugh even if Harbaugh wants to go to Chicago, as much as we want that to happen, it ain't happening. 

[WhiteSox2023]

2 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

Honestly wouldn’t put Leatherwood in the miss category.  They claimed him in  his rookie deal to see if he could find what made him special, and cut him when they found out he wasn’t worth the trouble.  Last season those kind of claims were ok imo.  Claypool was bad because of the asset 

Yes, Leatherwood was a waiver claim that they just cut and all it cost them was some money.  He was a first round OT and the Bears OL was terrible so he was worth the try.  The Claypool trade was awful because the pick they ended up trading became the 32nd overall.  The Steelers drafted CB Joey Porter Jr. with the pick.

[Chisoxfn]

3 hours ago, bmags said:

You know...Trent Balke didn't come out looking great in San Fran. He made the program in his image in Stanford. He burned bright and burned out in San Fran. And despite the outside noise, as he figured out the recruiting game and staff at Michigan he now would definitely be there a decade plus.

He reminds me of Thibs except without the player burn out. He also is extremely lucky to be able to lean on his brothers NFL knowledge for staff.

He is a home run hire for anyone that gets him. 

[The Beast]

10 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

I just don’t think you ask anyone how long they take until they are elite.  You draft a guy who you believe is close or there, and you support him.  there is no timetable on elite, guys just show out when it clicks

But I think there needs to be some level of which to measure Williams if he truly is generational like they say he is. It can’t be just that his numbers are better than Fields. It has to be about results and I think if we are thinking higher than what we have now and where the team is now, Williams needs to be held accountable on a high level. 

6 hours ago, fathom said:

With no announcement yet and participating in exit interviews, does this mean Eberflus is safe?

Brad Biggs reported that Eberflus is set to talk with ownership mid this week. He also believes Eberflus is safe.

[WhiteSox2023]

9 minutes ago, The Beast said:

But I think there needs to be some level of which to measure Williams if he truly is generational like they say he is. It can’t be just that his numbers are better than Fields. It has to be about results and I think if we are thinking higher than what we have now and where the team is now, Williams needs to be held accountable on a high level.

No one can answer this question for Fields after 3 years, but you expect a prediction for a QB that hasn’t played one NFL game yet?

[Kyyle23]

9 minutes ago, The Beast said:

But I think there needs to be some level of which to measure Williams if he truly is generational like they say he is. It can’t be just that his numbers are better than Fields. It has to be about results and I think if we are thinking higher than what we have now and where the team is now, Williams needs to be held accountable on a high level. 

Brad Biggs reported that Eberflus is set to talk with ownership mid this week. He also believes Eberflus is safe.

The level of accountability is NFL.  That’s it.  I don’t even really know what you are asking, nobody can project exactly when a player becomes elite.  Do you feel like Williams will somehow evade accountability?

[almagest]

Man, watching this national championship game and so far Penix looks pretty bad. Had Odunze wide open and blew the throw.

Edited January 9 by almagest

[The Beast]

12 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

The level of accountability is NFL.  That’s it.  I don’t even really know what you are asking, nobody can project exactly when a player becomes elite.  Do you feel like Williams will somehow evade accountability?

 

13 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

No one can answer this question for Fields after 3 years, but you expect a prediction for a QB that hasn’t played one NFL game yet?

No, I expect that if the Bears draft him, that he’s the guy that they’ve needed. And that if he’s so great as I’m reading, Williams better be on point with throws, reads, passes to where receivers are going, overcoming shitty offensive line and wide receiver play because the quarterback is supposed to overcome all of that. I’m not asking for a prediction as much as I’m asking what people expect out of a highly drafted quarterback in Williams or Maye. Maybe Mahomes level stats after year one or two is what people should expect. I have never understood what Bears fans really expect from their quarterbacks (think Grossman, Orton or Cutler) when they’ve been here. Probably Peyton Manning or Tom Brady level of performance.

Edited January 9 by The Beast

[Tony]

1 minute ago, The Beast said:

 

No, I expect that if the Bears draft him, that he’s the guy that they’ve needed. And that if he’s so great as I’m reading, Williams better be on point with throws, reads, passes to where receivers are going, overcoming shitty offensive line and wide receiver play because the quarterback is supposed to overcome all of that. I’m not asking for a prediction as much as I’m asking what people expect out of a highly drafted quarterback in Williams or Maye. Maybe Mahomes level stats after year one or two is what people should expect. I have never understood what Bears fans really expect from their quarterbacks (think Grossman, Orton or Cutler) when they’ve been here. Probably Peyton Manning or Tom Brady level of performance.

Why don’t you hold Fields to those same standards? Because if you did, you’d want to make a change at QB

[The Beast]

5 minutes ago, Tony said:

Why don’t you hold Fields to those same standards? Because if you did, you’d want to make a change at QB

I’m echoing what people want that Fields apparently can’t do and making that the measuring stick for Williams or Maye. I still think Fields can put it together and don’t think we’ve seen him at his best yet. I don’t know what system is going to be the best for him, but I would like to see what a Getsy getting canned and adding more talent around Fields would do. But I am also accepting the fact that the Bears could move on from Fields.

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

21 minutes ago, The Beast said:

 

No, I expect that if the Bears draft him, that he’s the guy that they’ve needed. And that if he’s so great as I’m reading, Williams better be on point with throws, reads, passes to where receivers are going, overcoming shitty offensive line and wide receiver play because the quarterback is supposed to overcome all of that. I’m not asking for a prediction as much as I’m asking what people expect out of a highly drafted quarterback in Williams or Maye. Maybe Mahomes level stats after year one or two is what people should expect. I have never understood what Bears fans really expect from their quarterbacks (think Grossman, Orton or Cutler) when they’ve been here. Probably Peyton Manning or Tom Brady level of performance.

Is the Bears OL really that bad or does Fields’ style of play make them look much worse than they are? I’m in the camp of the latter but that’s just me.

 

[ptatc]

10 minutes ago, The Beast said:

I’m echoing what people want that Fields apparently can’t do and making that the measuring stick for Williams or Maye. I still think Fields can put it together and don’t think we’ve seen him at his best yet. I don’t know what system is going to be the best for him, but I would like to see what a Getsy getting canned and adding more talent around Fields would do. But I am also accepting the fact that the Bears could move on from Fields.

This is fields after 3 years though. Maybe where fields is now after 2 is realistic for a franchise QB.