24-25 NFL Thread

[Ducksnort]

9 straight losses. Why did I choose to be a fan of and care only about the 2 worst teams in professional sports.

[SoxAce]

I should've stayed a Dolphins fan after Marino retired.  Although that's not saying much either at this point but at least they've been a better runned organization. 

[Tony]

Discussion was had here a few weeks ago...but if they don't spend the entire offseason investing in the trenches, 2025 will look exactly like 2024. 

Football has evolved over the years, but at the core, the thing that has stayed the same is needing to be strong in three positions to win....QB, OL and DL. 

Can't go far without a QB, that's obvious, and I think the Bears have it. 

Having a good QB doesn't mean much (see 2024 Bears) if he's got 1.5 seconds to throw on a lot of plays. Run game doesn't work either. Things just don't work without it. 

And I don't care how much you invest, or how talented your CB's, S, LB core is...if you can't generate a sustained pass rush, any secondary is going to get cooked if the QB has 4 seconds to throw the ball. 

Don't think it's possible to totally fill both sides of the ball in one offseason, but it's all I would be focused on. Only way they'll win. 

[Flash Tizzle]

I just can’t watch teams lay down against Washington. Dumb decision after dumb decision. Lucky play after lucky play. 5 turnovers and they still win. Wide open pass by Philly that should have finished the game….dropped. Obvious false start by Washington on the last drive ignored. And one-read Daniels doesn’t impress me the way people have propped him up. I give Kingsbury all the credit though, scheming for his QB - a ton of lob passes to wide open receivers.

Edited 20 hours ago by Flash Tizzle

[Milkman delivers]

28 minutes ago, Flash Tizzle said:

I just can’t watch teams lay down against Washington. Dumb decision after dumb decision. Lucky play after lucky play. 5 turnovers and they still win. Wide open pass by Philly that should have finished the game….dropped. Obvious false start by Washington on the last drive ignored. And one-read Daniels doesn’t impress me the way people have propped him up. I give Kingsbury all the credit though, scheming for his QB - a ton of lob passes to wide open receivers.

Whatever gets Detroit home field advantage.

[PaleAleSox]

5 hours ago, Chisoxfn said:

I have no rational for this - but I see the Bears breaking their losing streak today. 4 TD game for Caleb! 

At least Caleb looked good.

[PaleAleSox]

41 minutes ago, Tony said:

Discussion was had here a few weeks ago...but if they don't spend the entire offseason investing in the trenches, 2025 will look exactly like 2024. 

Football has evolved over the years, but at the core, the thing that has stayed the same is needing to be strong in three positions to win....QB, OL and DL. 

Can't go far without a QB, that's obvious, and I think the Bears have it. 

Having a good QB doesn't mean much (see 2024 Bears) if he's got 1.5 seconds to throw on a lot of plays. Run game doesn't work either. Things just don't work without it. 

And I don't care how much you invest, or how talented your CB's, S, LB core is...if you can't generate a sustained pass rush, any secondary is going to get cooked if the QB has 4 seconds to throw the ball. 

Don't think it's possible to totally fill both sides of the ball in one offseason, but it's all I would be focused on. Only way they'll win. 

First three picks need to be 2 Oline and 1 Dline guy. Would prefer OL, DL, OL but whatever order works. Hopefully it isn't Poles picking. Would like the third pick to be a center.

[Lip Man 1]

Bears will end the year losing 11 straight games.

McCaskey ownership in full effect. 😆

[MexSoxFan#1]

25 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Bears will end the year losing 11 straight games.

McCaskey ownership in full effect. 😆

At this point, better draft positioning. Just want to see Caleb finish strong.

Edited 19 hours ago by MexSoxFan#1

[SoxAce]

38 minutes ago, MexSoxFan#1 said:

At this point, better draft positioning. Just want to see Caleb finish strong.

SOS will screw them unless a couple of teams get 5 wins. If Jacksonville beats Vegas today (losing so far) and Tennessee next week, that'll help. But I don't see any other team in the top 10 winning 2 games.

[Chicago White Sox]

2 hours ago, Tony said:

Discussion was had here a few weeks ago...but if they don't spend the entire offseason investing in the trenches, 2025 will look exactly like 2024. 

Football has evolved over the years, but at the core, the thing that has stayed the same is needing to be strong in three positions to win....QB, OL and DL. 

Can't go far without a QB, that's obvious, and I think the Bears have it. 

Having a good QB doesn't mean much (see 2024 Bears) if he's got 1.5 seconds to throw on a lot of plays. Run game doesn't work either. Things just don't work without it. 

And I don't care how much you invest, or how talented your CB's, S, LB core is...if you can't generate a sustained pass rush, any secondary is going to get cooked if the QB has 4 seconds to throw the ball. 

Don't think it's possible to totally fill both sides of the ball in one offseason, but it's all I would be focused on. Only way they'll win. 

We have tons of cap space, a top 10 pick, and two good 2nd rounders.  We should be able to materially improve both lines if Poles executes right.  Not saying we will, but it should be doable.

[caulfield12]

3 hours ago, SoxAce said:

I should've stayed a Dolphins fan after Marino retired.  Although that's not saying much either at this point but at least they've been a better runned organization. 

But even then they might have to blow up the whole thing with Tua Hill and McDaniel after next season...last year felt a bit like the White Sox 2020 season as they collapsed down the stretch and got run over by PC in the cold...and this year like the Sox 2022 season.

Lost too many key pieces on defense and the team salary structure became untenable without Tua on a rookie deal.

[caulfield12]

3 hours ago, Tony said:

Discussion was had here a few weeks ago...but if they don't spend the entire offseason investing in the trenches, 2025 will look exactly like 2024. 

Football has evolved over the years, but at the core, the thing that has stayed the same is needing to be strong in three positions to win....QB, OL and DL. 

Can't go far without a QB, that's obvious, and I think the Bears have it. 

Having a good QB doesn't mean much (see 2024 Bears) if he's got 1.5 seconds to throw on a lot of plays. Run game doesn't work either. Things just don't work without it. 

And I don't care how much you invest, or how talented your CB's, S, LB core is...if you can't generate a sustained pass rush, any secondary is going to get cooked if the QB has 4 seconds to throw the ball. 

Don't think it's possible to totally fill both sides of the ball in one offseason, but it's all I would be focused on. Only way they'll win. 

Saw the exact same thing with ND PSU Texas and Ohio State in cfb playoffs...teams that dominate line play, run the ball well and get pressure on the passer usually win.  Nothing complicated here, just sheer physical domination.

Hopefully next round will be much better games.

[Chisoxfn]

3 hours ago, Tony said:

Discussion was had here a few weeks ago...but if they don't spend the entire offseason investing in the trenches, 2025 will look exactly like 2024. 

Football has evolved over the years, but at the core, the thing that has stayed the same is needing to be strong in three positions to win....QB, OL and DL. 

Can't go far without a QB, that's obvious, and I think the Bears have it. 

Having a good QB doesn't mean much (see 2024 Bears) if he's got 1.5 seconds to throw on a lot of plays. Run game doesn't work either. Things just don't work without it. 

And I don't care how much you invest, or how talented your CB's, S, LB core is...if you can't generate a sustained pass rush, any secondary is going to get cooked if the QB has 4 seconds to throw the ball. 

Don't think it's possible to totally fill both sides of the ball in one offseason, but it's all I would be focused on. Only way they'll win. 

Caleb is growing though and is flashing a ton so while it’s been a tough year from win and loss perspective and not the year I expected they have some real building blocks and lots of picks and cap space. 
 

Picking right coach is huge but having Caleb should help any coach look better too and Bears should be able to get one of the top coaching candidates - whether Johnson or Vrabel. 

[Chisoxfn]

3 hours ago, PaleAleSox said:

At least Caleb looked good.

He played pretty good today. Could have had even more yards. Overall a pretty clean game. 

[Lip Man 1]

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2024/12/22/if-bears-were-auditioning-for-ben-johnson-he-saw-caleb-williams-not-much-else-maybe-thats-enough-detroit-lions

[Highland]

You can't have disappointments if you don't have expectations. Same for the White Sox.

[Kyyle23]

As shitty of a season as it has been, Caleb is about to be top five bears passing season ever.  Possibly top two if he really goes off

[bmags]

I think there was an obvious aspect to our defense falling off a cliff and it was our interior. It was very thin, and predictably injuries happened and it's very easy to run on us and then it's easy as hell to manipulate that and just open it all up.

However, it's amazing how ineffective this defense is without flus. It's like it only KINDA works with him as the playcaller. So again, why on earth is he your hire to bring as your key strategy. 

I'm sure it isn't a hot take now but when flus was fired I thought it was perfectly reasonable to keep poles. But the mistakes of his are the kinds that you should just really see the impacts of. I would say first choice is absolutely give ben johnson the keys, let him bring his gm, and give him a shanahan structure of team. I don't really have a second choice. 

[Kyyle23]

14 minutes ago, bmags said:

I think there was an obvious aspect to our defense falling off a cliff and it was our interior. It was very thin, and predictably injuries happened and it's very easy to run on us and then it's easy as hell to manipulate that and just open it all up.

However, it's amazing how ineffective this defense is without flus. It's like it only KINDA works with him as the playcaller. So again, why on earth is he your hire to bring as your key strategy. 

I'm sure it isn't a hot take now but when flus was fired I thought it was perfectly reasonable to keep poles. But the mistakes of his are the kinds that you should just really see the impacts of. I would say first choice is absolutely give ben johnson the keys, let him bring his gm, and give him a shanahan structure of team. I don't really have a second choice. 

Every game since Flus was fired seems like it has even more magnified Poles mistakes.  It’s weird because I really do believe he was railroaded into the Flus hire and I believe he should have been afforded the opportunity to hire his own guy,  but the things he has promised to do he simply has not done.  If QB was his focus it was quite the decision to send his prize out there this season behind this line.  
 

oh yea, the lynchpin OL that he HAD TO HAVE Ryan Bates went on the IR this weekend after playing I think less than a quarter this season.  My dude Poles was an offensive lineman his entire life and it feels like he has never seen one ever 

[Tony]

16 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Every game since Flus was fired seems like it has even more magnified Poles mistakes.  It’s weird because I really do believe he was railroaded into the Flus hire and I believe he should have been afforded the opportunity to hire his own guy,  but the things he has promised to do he simply has not done.  If QB was his focus it was quite the decision to send his prize out there this season behind this line.  
 

oh yea, the lynchpin OL that he HAD TO HAVE Ryan Bates went on the IR this weekend after playing I think less than a quarter this season.  My dude Poles was an offensive lineman his entire life and it feels like he has never seen one ever 

So was Ian Cunningham. How insane is it that the two football brains running this thing are two former OL's, and they missed the mark SO badly on that specific position? 

[bmags]

25 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Every game since Flus was fired seems like it has even more magnified Poles mistakes.  It’s weird because I really do believe he was railroaded into the Flus hire and I believe he should have been afforded the opportunity to hire his own guy,  but the things he has promised to do he simply has not done.  If QB was his focus it was quite the decision to send his prize out there this season behind this line.  
 

oh yea, the lynchpin OL that he HAD TO HAVE Ryan Bates went on the IR this weekend after playing I think less than a quarter this season.  My dude Poles was an offensive lineman his entire life and it feels like he has never seen one ever 

I just feel like we've really wanted to believe he was railroaded into Flus but just zero evidence of it. Unless the railroading was by Trace Armstrong.

The lucas patrick/ryan bates experience is just so frustrating. It's sorta good to be patient, but you also have to realize you don't have unlimited time to build.

[Kyyle23]

5 minutes ago, bmags said:

I just feel like we've really wanted to believe he was railroaded into Flus but just zero evidence of it. Unless the railroading was by Trace Armstrong.

The lucas patrick/ryan bates experience is just so frustrating. It's sorta good to be patient, but you also have to realize you don't have unlimited time to build.

The hiring process for them was 2 weeks in which their consultants went over coaches and GMs, they hired Poles and 3 days later flus was the guy.  Just hard for me to believe in 3 days Poles was like “this is my guy”

staying with him after last season though, it’s killer.  It counted on one thing, flus becoming something he had never shown us that he could do, be the team CEO that he talked about.  He put on a defensive show at the end of last season against some bad opponents and they still lost games they should have won.  Just damning “evidence” of him getting better 

[bmags]

36 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

The hiring process for them was 2 weeks in which their consultants went over coaches and GMs, they hired Poles and 3 days later flus was the guy.  Just hard for me to believe in 3 days Poles was like “this is my guy”

staying with him after last season though, it’s killer.  It counted on one thing, flus becoming something he had never shown us that he could do, be the team CEO that he talked about.  He put on a defensive show at the end of last season against some bad opponents and they still lost games they should have won.  Just damning “evidence” of him getting better 

It's hard to believe, yet there has been tons of reporting that they offered him to open up the search, start over, interview whomever he wanted, yet he really liked flus. And he fired flus and it would have been a great time for him to save face and plant the "I never wanted him" but...he hasn't done that. Everything has been " he hired and really wanted flus"

[Kyyle23]

3 minutes ago, bmags said:

It's hard to believe, yet there has been tons of reporting that they offered him to open up the search, start over, interview whomever he wanted, yet he really liked flus. And he fired flus and it would have been a great time for him to save face and plant the "I never wanted him" but...he hasn't done that. Everything has been " he hired and really wanted flus"

I never heard that they offered to reopen it