2023-24 NFL Season Thread

[Milkman delivers]

Before this game, the Bears had just come off of one and a half good games. And listening to sports radio last week was infuriating. Callers constantly talking about how the Bears are back in contention, they could win the next 7 straight, Fields is the QB of the future again, etc.

I’m glad they’ll have to shut up again. Blindly loyal fans aggravate the hell out of me. I’ve come to realize that Bears fans are basically Cubs fans when winter rolls around, even the ones who root for the Sox.

Edited October 17, 2023 by Milkman delivers

[Kyyle23]

42 minutes ago, The Beast said:

How do we know that Fields isn’t their guy and that they are going to give him one more year at quarterback? Should they trade him if he’s not in the plans and they draft Williams?

So what are they going to do with Fields? What if Williams is drafted and we have the same mediocrity we have had for what seems like forever since Smith left?

That’s not what I said. I was talking collectively about depth, specifically in the trenches.

Yep. I’m most concerned with the lack of depth on the offensive and defensive lines. As a team, something is wrong with them and I don’t think it’s primarily Fields. I don’t know if it is coaching, play calling, depth issues or something else. It’s hard to put my finger on it. Maybe Poles will select Williams but I am concerned that they’ll end up in a similar spot to where they are now. However maybe Williams IS the guy and the Bears end up like Kansas City. There are lots of unknowns.

 

If that’s the direction that they take, I hope you are both right and they end up like KC after they took Mahomes instead of the Bears with how bad they’ve been since Smith was gone.

You either make Fields fight for the job or you trade him.  It doesn’t matter though, he had to show out this year and he did not.  We did not see a consistent player and in the nfl when you have a (second) chance at a generational qb you do it and you do not care about the prior guy.

[The Beast]

57 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

You either make Fields fight for the job or you trade him.  It doesn’t matter though, he had to show out this year and he did not.  We did not see a consistent player and in the nfl when you have a (second) chance at a generational qb you do it and you do not care about the prior guy.

Hopefully Williams is generational. I have often wanted to know what Bears fans really expected out of a QB. When it was Cutler it seemed like they wanted Peyton Manning. When it was Trubisky they wanted Mahomes. When it is Fields it is Williams. 

I would be surprised if Fields is dealt since he’s under contract another year unless he comes at a discounted price and they bring in some bum to start over Williams until he is ready to start. If they do have two top picks and select Williams, I hope like hell that they pick a pass rusher or get a tackle. They still need linemen if they go QB. Do what the Texans did with Will Anderson and C.J. Stroud.

[Kyyle23]

I don’t really see the issue with Bears fans wanting the better quarterbacks of the choices you suggest

[Milkman delivers]

49 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

I don’t really see the issue with Bears fans wanting the better quarterbacks of the choices you suggest

I see his point regarding Cutler/Manning. The team had the best QB in the team’s modern history, but the fans wanted better. How spoiled we were at the time and didn’t realize it.

Everyone would want Mahomes when they have Trubisky.

[The Beast]

1 hour ago, Milkman delivers said:

I see his point regarding Cutler/Manning. The team had the best QB in the team’s modern history, but the fans wanted better. How spoiled we were at the time and didn’t realize it.

Everyone would want Mahomes when they have Trubisky.

Fans also wanted Hanie over Cutler at one point too. 

[Balta1701]

1 hour ago, Milkman delivers said:

I see his point regarding Cutler/Manning. The team had the best QB in the team’s modern history, but the fans wanted better. How spoiled we were at the time and didn’t realize it.

Everyone would want Mahomes when they have Trubisky.

"How dare Bears fans want to win a Super Bowl!"

[Milkman delivers]

44 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

"How dare Bears fans want to win a Super Bowl!"

Not sure if you’re referring to Cutler, but I would say it wasn’t him that was preventing the Bears from winning a Super Bowl. Much worse quarterbacks than Cutler have won it all.

[Balta1701]

7 hours ago, Milkman delivers said:

Not sure if you’re referring to Cutler, but I would say it wasn’t him that was preventing the Bears from winning a Super Bowl. Much worse quarterbacks than Cutler have won it all.

True but he was also a factor as he was never as good as you hoped. The entire time he was there, the Bears were in the top 10 of scoring offense once, in 2013 - and that was the year Josh McCown played 8 games and had a 13-1 TD/INT ratio. You can win with a guy doing what cutler did, but you have to pair him with a truly elite defense, which is tough when you gave up 2 first round picks and a ton of cap space for Cutler.

[Kyyle23]

9 hours ago, Milkman delivers said:

I see his point regarding Cutler/Manning. The team had the best QB in the team’s modern history, but the fans wanted better. How spoiled we were at the time and didn’t realize it.

Everyone would want Mahomes when they have Trubisky.

Cutler being the best we ever had just doesn’t feel good when all I remember is the picks.  I’m not ashamed I wanted better when he was the quarterback, and Bears fans had every right to want better

[Kyyle23]

8 hours ago, The Beast said:

Fans also wanted Hanie over Cutler at one point too. 

Yea that’s what happens when the guy who was supposed to win doesn’t win, fans move on and hope the next guy is better.  The results didn’t change much either

[Milkman delivers]

45 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

True but he was also a factor as he was never as good as you hoped. The entire time he was there, the Bears were in the top 10 of scoring offense once, in 2013 - and that was the year Josh McCown played 8 games and had a 13-1 TD/INT ratio. You can win with a guy doing what cutler did, but you have to pair him with a truly elite defense, which is tough when you gave up 2 first round picks and a ton of cap space for Cutler.

 

33 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Cutler being the best we ever had just doesn’t feel good when all I remember is the picks.  I’m not ashamed I wanted better when he was the quarterback, and Bears fans had every right to want better

Valid points all around. Let’s just hope Williams or Maye turn out better for us than literally everything before them haha.

[Tony]

12 hours ago, The Beast said:

Hopefully Williams is generational. I have often wanted to know what Bears fans really expected out of a QB. When it was Cutler it seemed like they wanted Peyton Manning. When it was Trubisky they wanted Mahomes. When it is Fields it is Williams. 

I would be surprised if Fields is dealt since he’s under contract another year unless he comes at a discounted price and they bring in some bum to start over Williams until he is ready to start. If they do have two top picks and select Williams, I hope like hell that they pick a pass rusher or get a tackle. They still need linemen if they go QB. Do what the Texans did with Will Anderson and C.J. Stroud.

 

11 hours ago, Milkman delivers said:

I see his point regarding Cutler/Manning. The team had the best QB in the team’s modern history, but the fans wanted better. How spoiled we were at the time and didn’t realize it.

Everyone would want Mahomes when they have Trubisky.

 

8 hours ago, Milkman delivers said:

Not sure if you’re referring to Cutler, but I would say it wasn’t him that was preventing the Bears from winning a Super Bowl. Much worse quarterbacks than Cutler have won it all.

These can’t be real posts. Are you both inferring Bears fans have been “unfair” in wanting a Top 5 QB in the league? Something every other NFL team has had at some point? They are the charter franchise of the NFL and have NEVER come close to having a true franchise QB. Bears fans were SPOILED with Culter?!!?? 

Get fucked 

[Milkman delivers]

11 minutes ago, Tony said:

 

 

These can’t be real posts. Are you both inferring Bears fans have been “unfair” in wanting a Top 5 QB in the league? Something every other NFL team has had at some point? They are the charter franchise of the NFL and have NEVER come close to having a true franchise QB. Bears fans were SPOILED with Culter?!!?? 

Get fucked 

Spoiled in comparison to everything they had before and since. He’s the best they’ve had by a wide margin.

The issue for the Bears, as with the Sox, is that they have arguably the worst owner in the sport. Nothing changes until that does. They’ll trip over a good season here and there, but that’s the best you’ll get.

Edited October 17, 2023 by Milkman delivers

[Tony]

38 minutes ago, Milkman delivers said:

Spoiled in comparison to everything they had before and since. He’s the best they’ve had by a wide margin.

The issue for the Bears, as with the Sox, is that they have arguably the worst owner in the sport. Nothing changes until that does. They’ll trip over a good season here and there, but that’s the best you’ll get.

That may all be true, but that doesn't mean, for a second, Bears fans can't have the same expectations as everyone else in the league.

Bears fans are a lot of things. Spoiled is NOT one of them. 

[bmags]

Cutler was not a top 15 QB but ended up in a situation needing a top 15 salary when it was our defense pulling the slack. The defense collapsed before it happened. All in all, team was pretty close to a super bowl in 2010-11, and it showed that they just needed a top 20 qb to get near there. Unfortunately we replaced cutler with a bottom 80 QB in Caleb Hanie.

Trubisky was a bad QB. He got replaced in Pittsburgh with Kenny Pickett, who is a bad QB.

Fields is interesting, his highs and lows probably balance out to a mid tier QB you probably could keep committing to, but his payday is coming soon.

I feel like we are talking crazy sometimes about this. We are in a good situation to potentially draft a QB WITHOUT sacrificing much.

We traded two third rounders to draft Trubisky. We traded a fourth and another first to draft Fields. We traded two first rounders for Cutler.

While there is certainly a high opportunity cost given the value, but we could just use one of our TWO first round picks this year to take a swing at a very good QB prospect, and have 4 more years to avoid paying a top QB salary.

Unlike Fields, or Cutler, or Trubisky, he'd enter an offense with a pretty damn good receiver...and the team could easily either prioritize a Tee Higgins or draft from a strong draft with the good amt of picks we have.

They could also hand him a very good OT prospect in Fashanu or Alt.

But best of all - they would not be at a deficit for selecting him. We'll still have a surplus of picks for a while.

I don't know if you fire Poles. But he made a horrendous mistake with Eberflus. But we shouldn't deny what is an absolutely stellar table setting moving forward, and get in some hermit crab posture because we feel bad that our previously bad regime swung big for a QB that had some issues this team didn't do well to overcome and he didn't either.

Hell...keep fields next year and make him earn it. Tom Brady certainly thinks some of his greatness was from never being handed a starting job

[Milkman delivers]

20 minutes ago, Tony said:

That may all be true, but that doesn't mean, for a second, Bears fans can't have the same expectations as everyone else in the league.

Bears fans are a lot of things. Spoiled is NOT one of them. 

For sure, but I don’t think many teams had a Manning or Brady. Those are best of all time contenders, so every team would want them. But yes, the Bears take it to an extreme by almost never having anything better than a league average QB.

12 minutes ago, bmags said:

Cutler was not a top 15 QB but ended up in a situation needing a top 15 salary when it was our defense pulling the slack. The defense collapsed before it happened. All in all, team was pretty close to a super bowl in 2010-11, and it showed that they just needed a top 20 qb to get near there. Unfortunately we replaced cutler with a bottom 80 QB in Caleb Hanie.

Trubisky was a bad QB. He got replaced in Pittsburgh with Kenny Pickett, who is a bad QB.

Fields is interesting, his highs and lows probably balance out to a mid tier QB you probably could keep committing to, but his payday is coming soon.

I feel like we are talking crazy sometimes about this. We are in a good situation to potentially draft a QB WITHOUT sacrificing much.

We traded two third rounders to draft Trubisky. We traded a fourth and another first to draft Fields. We traded two first rounders for Cutler.

While there is certainly a high opportunity cost given the value, but we could just use one of our TWO first round picks this year to take a swing at a very good QB prospect, and have 4 more years to avoid paying a top QB salary.

Unlike Fields, or Cutler, or Trubisky, he'd enter an offense with a pretty damn good receiver...and the team could easily either prioritize a Tee Higgins or draft from a strong draft with the good amt of picks we have.

They could also hand him a very good OT prospect in Fashanu or Alt.

But best of all - they would not be at a deficit for selecting him. We'll still have a surplus of picks for a while.

I don't know if you fire Poles. But he made a horrendous mistake with Eberflus. But we shouldn't deny what is an absolutely stellar table setting moving forward, and get in some hermit crab posture because we feel bad that our previously bad regime swung big for a QB that had some issues this team didn't do well to overcome and he didn't either.

Hell...keep fields next year and make him earn it. Tom Brady certainly thinks some of his greatness was from never being handed a starting job

Completely agree on your draft statements.

Regarding Cutler, maybe my memory is way off, but you think he wasn’t even a top 15 QB? Off the top of my head, I would think he was a top 10 for at least a few years on the Bears. Certainly not the best, but better than most. But I honestly can’t recall most of the starting QBs from that timeframe.

[bmags]

2 minutes ago, Milkman delivers said:

For sure, but I don’t think many teams had a Manning or Brady. Those are best of all time contenders, so every team would want them. But yes, the Bears take it to an extreme by almost never having anything better than a league average QB.

Completely agree on your draft statements.

Regarding Cutler, maybe my memory is way off, but you think he wasn’t even a top 15 QB? Off the top of my head, I would think he was a top 10 for at least a few years on the Bears. Certainly not the best, but better than most. But I honestly can’t recall most of the starting QBs from that timeframe.

I don't know, the turnovers in the red zone were such a drag.

But i'll do 2010-11 QBs i'd take over Cutler (not explicity in order, just counting):

1. Peyton Manning
2. Eli Manning (I know I'm complaining about turnovers but no doubt we win in 2010/11 with eli, obvs)
3. Tom Brady
4. Philip Rivers
5. Matt Ryan
6. Aaron Rodgers
7. Tony Romo
8. Drew Brees
9. Ben Roethlisberger
10. Joe Flacco
11. Carson Palmer
12. Stafford
13. Schaub

I think this is where Cutler enters with late era Hasselback, Andy Reid era VIck, Cutler, 

2011 is where Newton enters too, so he'd be 14. 

[Tony]

6 hours ago, Milkman delivers said:

For sure, but I don’t think many teams had a Manning or Brady. Those are best of all time contenders, so every team would want them. But yes, the Bears take it to an extreme by almost never having anything better than a league average QB.

 

Manning -Colts

Brady - Patriots 

Mahomes - KC 

Favre/Rodgers -GB

Montana/Young - 49ers

Marino - Dolphins

Elway - Broncos 

Brees - Saints 

Big Ben - Steelers

Aikman - Cowboys 

Warner - Rams 

Wilson - Seahawks 

McNabb - Eagles 

Rivers - Chargers 

I’m not even going to get into the 60’s/70’s which would expand this list, but you’re talking at least half the league. For as long as the Bears have been around, it’s an embarrassment what they have subjected fans to. Justin Jefferson would be the Bears all time leading WR at this point in his career….He’s 24

[Chisoxfn]

10 minutes ago, Tony said:

Manning -Colts

Brady - Patriots 

Mahomes - KC 

Favre/Rodgers -GB

Montana/Young - 49ers

Marino - Dolphins

Elway - Broncos 

Brees - Saints 

Big Ben - Steelers

Aikman - Cowboys 

Warner - Rams 

Wilson - Seahawks 

McNabb - Eagles 

Rivers - Chargers 

I’m not even going to get into the 60’s/70’s which would expand this list, but you’re talking at least half the league. For as long as the Bears have been around, it’s an embarrassment what they have subjected fans to. Justin Jefferson would be the Bears all time leading WR at this point in his career….He’s 24

Its like Tom Brady. Tom Brady post 40 would be the greatest QB on the Bears by far - and no offense to Walter Payton, he would have also been the best offensive player in franchise history (just counting his stats from the moment he turned 40).  

[bmags]

Hell for the seahawks Matt Hasselback would be an all-time bear. We definitely win the super bowl in 06 with him.

But anyway, I do get some of the angst where it Bears have been chasing the QB a lot recently and spending a lot of assets on it where maybe we end up like the Stafford lions or now...herbert chargers.

But that's the nice thing about this year, we don't have to chase! It's just being handed to us. Yeah, maybe not the worst thing you go Fashanu/Marvin Harrison and go another year with Fields under Ben Johnson or shane waldron. But it could also be the slingshot to a new era.

[Milkman delivers]

3 hours ago, Tony said:

Manning -Colts

Brady - Patriots 

Mahomes - KC 

Favre/Rodgers -GB

Montana/Young - 49ers

Marino - Dolphins

Elway - Broncos 

Brees - Saints 

Big Ben - Steelers

Aikman - Cowboys 

Warner - Rams 

Wilson - Seahawks 

McNabb - Eagles 

Rivers - Chargers 

I’m not even going to get into the 60’s/70’s which would expand this list, but you’re talking at least half the league. For as long as the Bears have been around, it’s an embarrassment what they have subjected fans to. Justin Jefferson would be the Bears all time leading WR at this point in his career….He’s 24

No argument that it’s embarrassing. I consider them to be an embarrassment of a franchise entirely.

[scs787]

22 hours ago, bmags said:

Hell for the seahawks Matt Hasselback would be an all-time bear. We definitely win the super bowl in 06 with him.

But anyway, I do get some of the angst where it Bears have been chasing the QB a lot recently and spending a lot of assets on it where maybe we end up like the Stafford lions or now...herbert chargers.

But that's the nice thing about this year, we don't have to chase! It's just being handed to us. Yeah, maybe not the worst thing you go Fashanu/Marvin Harrison and go another year with Fields under Ben Johnson or shane waldron. But it could also be the slingshot to a new era.

This QB class looks ridiculously deep. CBS has 12 QBs in their top 80. 

 

Depending on how well Williams does in this toughhhhh stretch of games coming up, I think I may consider looking at taking a QB in the 2nd round and making it a legit QB competition between that guy and Fields under a new head coach. 

[Kyyle23]

Poles should be fired on the spot if he drafts a qb second round and has a lottery pick or two.

[baseball_gal_aly]

Bears fans are not stupid and know what an actual franchise QB looks like. We have seen the Packers have one for basically 3 decades. 

We are getting to the point where there is nobody alive that remembers the last time the Bears had a top of the league QB.

And Cutler was arguably a bottom 1/3 QB when with the Bears. I remember having arguments with my friends where they'd take 20+ qbs over Cutler, and that was just one year.