Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2017 17:44:14 GMT -6
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune laid down his 13 reasons why and it's not a series of letters aimed at stirring the emotions of young adults. These thirteen reasons are ones Pace should mind Thursday when the clocks ticking and he's deciding on the Bear's future. Click here for the link or read on for the text: www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-bears-should-draft-quarterback-biggs-spt-0425-20170424-column.html
If not now, when?
The time to invest a first-round draft pick in a quarterback appears to have come for the Bears, who have not selected a passer in Round 1 since Rex Grossman in 2003. The Bears dealt two first-round picks to the Broncos in the 2009 Jay Cutler deal, a trade that proved to be too good to be true because teams don't deal away franchise quarterbacks.
It took the Bears longer than most to realize Cutler wasn't that player, and now here they are with the No. 3 pick Thursday night, staring down the opportunity to solve their never-ending issue — if they can pick the right quarterback.
North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky, Clemson's Deshaun Watson, Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes and Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer all offer upside. It's possible general manager Ryan Pace will have his choice of this group if the Browns (No. 1) and 49ers (No. 2) invest in other positions. Even if Pace has second pick among quarterbacks, the Bears are overdue to draft one.
Yes, the answer to the most vexing of questions for the Bears seems to be right in front of them. Have your doubts on this matter? Believe the Bears should hold off yet again on taking a quarterback? Here are 13 reasons to draft a quarterback with the third pick, one for each year since Grossman was taken 22nd.
1. The Bears solved their issue of a starting quarterback for 2017 by signing Mike Glennon, and his presence should allow a draft pick to learn the NFL game, something most believe all four of these prospects would need. Follow the money when it comes to Glennon. He's guaranteed only $2.5 million after this season, meaning the Bears above everyone else have questions about his long-term viability.
2. Signing Glennon was only the first step. It's possible he's better than anyone expects, but until the Bears know they have the kind of franchise quarterback to lead them out of the NFC North basement, where they've been for three straight years, they need to keep swinging. Using a late-round pick on a quarterback doesn't constitute much of an at-bat.
3. At the end of last season, when Pace announced the Bears would coach in the Senior Bowl, he said the team wouldn't be in the same position again. The best way to ensure the Bears aren't in the conversation to coach the Senior Bowl again, and thus avoid a very high draft pick, is to solve the quarterback dilemma.
4. It's fair to wonder if the Bears, in need of significant improvement this season, can afford to use the third pick on a player who doesn't figure to contribute from the start. But Chairman George McCaskey has consistently praised Pace for his communication skills. Provided Pace's plan is one McCaskey signs off on, drafting a quarterback could buy the regime more time as it seeks to build the right way. McCaskey pledged in January he remains patient and reiterated that last month at the owners meeting.
5. Not that you're ever overly concerned with what other teams do in the draft, but imagine the fallout if the Bears passed on a quarterback at No. 3 who becomes a superstar. I'm not talking about a player everyone else missed on such as Dak Prescott, who played so well for the Cowboys as a fourth-round pick last year. But if the Bears pass on a quarterback who becomes the savior for, say, the Jets at No. 6, it would be fair game to hold such a miss against the front office.
6. The Bears will be in position to fill a serious need on defense with the third pick. Say they take defensive linemen Solomon Thomas or Jonathan Allen or defensive backs Marshon Lattimore, Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker. They could get a building block for the future and improve to somewhere in the neighborhood of .500 this season. That would give them a pick around No. 16 in 2018 and leave them in no position to draft a quarterback.
7. You say wait for Jimmy Garoppolo. I say there's positively no telling what Garoppolo's status will be next March, when the Patriots could secure his rights with the franchise tag.
8. You say wait for USC's Sam Darnold. I say that's beyond risky because it's impossible to say how a young quarterback will fare in the coming college season. You never know where the Bears will be picking this time next year either. The Bears have been putting this off for too long.
9. Pace spent his entire career with the Saints before the Bears hired him in January 2015, and he knows better than most at Halas Hall what a legitimate franchise quarterback does for a team. Drew Brees has been the glue holding the Saints together for the last several years and was the reason they reached an NFC championship game against the Bears and eventually defeated the Colts in the Super Bowl.
10. The Bears explored a trade up with the Titans two years ago for the chance to draft Marcus Mariota, but a deal never got close. The Bears were very high on Carson Wentz a year ago. Pace has thought about pulling the trigger, and now he's in position to do it.
11. When he was hired, Pace said he ideally would like to add a quarterback every year, which doesn't necessarily mean drafting one. However, he's entering his third draft and has yet to use a pick on one. He knows the best chance to find one that hits is near the top of the first round. Getting the next Russell Wilson (Round 3) or Kirk Cousins (Round 4) is a long shot.
12. Moving on from the still-unsigned Cutler is the signal of a complete offensive reboot. The Bears need a bright prospect to change not only the fortune of the organization, but also the doubt that has built up among a frustrated fan base that showed how it felt in the second half of last season by leaving tens of thousands of tickets unused.
13. You say continue to build up a strong defense for a coach with a defensive background and wait a year. That's one way the Bears got themselves in this predicament.
A lot of stuff you hear in the pre-draft process is smoke. One thing I've consistently heard is Pace is driving to fix the quarterback situation. Believe it. He can't go through three years after riding out two seasons with Cutler and have his only big swing at a quarterback be Glennon.
If not now, when?
The time to invest a first-round draft pick in a quarterback appears to have come for the Bears, who have not selected a passer in Round 1 since Rex Grossman in 2003. The Bears dealt two first-round picks to the Broncos in the 2009 Jay Cutler deal, a trade that proved to be too good to be true because teams don't deal away franchise quarterbacks.
It took the Bears longer than most to realize Cutler wasn't that player, and now here they are with the No. 3 pick Thursday night, staring down the opportunity to solve their never-ending issue — if they can pick the right quarterback.
North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky, Clemson's Deshaun Watson, Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes and Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer all offer upside. It's possible general manager Ryan Pace will have his choice of this group if the Browns (No. 1) and 49ers (No. 2) invest in other positions. Even if Pace has second pick among quarterbacks, the Bears are overdue to draft one.
Yes, the answer to the most vexing of questions for the Bears seems to be right in front of them. Have your doubts on this matter? Believe the Bears should hold off yet again on taking a quarterback? Here are 13 reasons to draft a quarterback with the third pick, one for each year since Grossman was taken 22nd.
1. The Bears solved their issue of a starting quarterback for 2017 by signing Mike Glennon, and his presence should allow a draft pick to learn the NFL game, something most believe all four of these prospects would need. Follow the money when it comes to Glennon. He's guaranteed only $2.5 million after this season, meaning the Bears above everyone else have questions about his long-term viability.
2. Signing Glennon was only the first step. It's possible he's better than anyone expects, but until the Bears know they have the kind of franchise quarterback to lead them out of the NFC North basement, where they've been for three straight years, they need to keep swinging. Using a late-round pick on a quarterback doesn't constitute much of an at-bat.
3. At the end of last season, when Pace announced the Bears would coach in the Senior Bowl, he said the team wouldn't be in the same position again. The best way to ensure the Bears aren't in the conversation to coach the Senior Bowl again, and thus avoid a very high draft pick, is to solve the quarterback dilemma.
4. It's fair to wonder if the Bears, in need of significant improvement this season, can afford to use the third pick on a player who doesn't figure to contribute from the start. But Chairman George McCaskey has consistently praised Pace for his communication skills. Provided Pace's plan is one McCaskey signs off on, drafting a quarterback could buy the regime more time as it seeks to build the right way. McCaskey pledged in January he remains patient and reiterated that last month at the owners meeting.
5. Not that you're ever overly concerned with what other teams do in the draft, but imagine the fallout if the Bears passed on a quarterback at No. 3 who becomes a superstar. I'm not talking about a player everyone else missed on such as Dak Prescott, who played so well for the Cowboys as a fourth-round pick last year. But if the Bears pass on a quarterback who becomes the savior for, say, the Jets at No. 6, it would be fair game to hold such a miss against the front office.
6. The Bears will be in position to fill a serious need on defense with the third pick. Say they take defensive linemen Solomon Thomas or Jonathan Allen or defensive backs Marshon Lattimore, Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker. They could get a building block for the future and improve to somewhere in the neighborhood of .500 this season. That would give them a pick around No. 16 in 2018 and leave them in no position to draft a quarterback.
7. You say wait for Jimmy Garoppolo. I say there's positively no telling what Garoppolo's status will be next March, when the Patriots could secure his rights with the franchise tag.
8. You say wait for USC's Sam Darnold. I say that's beyond risky because it's impossible to say how a young quarterback will fare in the coming college season. You never know where the Bears will be picking this time next year either. The Bears have been putting this off for too long.
9. Pace spent his entire career with the Saints before the Bears hired him in January 2015, and he knows better than most at Halas Hall what a legitimate franchise quarterback does for a team. Drew Brees has been the glue holding the Saints together for the last several years and was the reason they reached an NFC championship game against the Bears and eventually defeated the Colts in the Super Bowl.
10. The Bears explored a trade up with the Titans two years ago for the chance to draft Marcus Mariota, but a deal never got close. The Bears were very high on Carson Wentz a year ago. Pace has thought about pulling the trigger, and now he's in position to do it.
11. When he was hired, Pace said he ideally would like to add a quarterback every year, which doesn't necessarily mean drafting one. However, he's entering his third draft and has yet to use a pick on one. He knows the best chance to find one that hits is near the top of the first round. Getting the next Russell Wilson (Round 3) or Kirk Cousins (Round 4) is a long shot.
12. Moving on from the still-unsigned Cutler is the signal of a complete offensive reboot. The Bears need a bright prospect to change not only the fortune of the organization, but also the doubt that has built up among a frustrated fan base that showed how it felt in the second half of last season by leaving tens of thousands of tickets unused.
13. You say continue to build up a strong defense for a coach with a defensive background and wait a year. That's one way the Bears got themselves in this predicament.
A lot of stuff you hear in the pre-draft process is smoke. One thing I've consistently heard is Pace is driving to fix the quarterback situation. Believe it. He can't go through three years after riding out two seasons with Cutler and have his only big swing at a quarterback be Glennon.
If not now, when?