Why Pace Felt Comfortable Letting Josh Sitton Go............

Why Pace Felt Comfortable Letting Josh Sitton Go............ May 22, 2018 12:32:32 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 12:32:32 GMT -6

May 22, 2018 11:19:29 GMT -6 brasilbear said:

May 22, 2018 11:01:04 GMT -6 riczaj01 said:

Sitton, like Cam was easily replaced in this years draft class, and that was by amateur know nothings doing mocks on this and other boards. People getting pissy about boarderline starting quality players when in fact those are exactly the type of players you let walk and replace w/draft picks. Of all that got lost only Jones was painful b/c he was a star on ST's, AND a quality backup at multiple positions; oh and healthy.

and the key word I think with Sitton is healthy as in:

(1) When he is healthy he is above average, when healthy (and yes I said ti twice because its the key)
(2) How much is lost in OL continuity when Sitton goes down mid-season and has to be replace versus how good is the continuity when a replacement (Daniels) plays all season.

Pace looked at #1 and #2 and decided that he would bet on season long continuity with a replacement (draft or FA) rather then Sitton playing 16 games. Even if Sitton ends up playing 16 games somewhere else, its still a good bet. And I'm not going to jinx Daniels by talking about a bad bet.

Teams do this type of calculus all the time. Z.Miller is a good example. He didn't play for the two seasons before the Bears signed him and then he missed all of his first season with the Bears. But they knew that when healthy he was going to be the best TE on the roster hands down. So he stuck were a lesser player might not have stuck.

You'll see this when Howard comes up for a second contract. RBs historicially break down due to usage. So the equation will be ...knowing about the historical break down of RBs is it worth it to give a second higher contract to a position where its easy (again literally easy because plenty of RBs taken in any round never live up too expectations) to find a replacement? That will be an interesting discussion on the board when it comes up.

Losing Jones makes it easier to envision a path for McManus and Bellamy to stick on the roster. I also agree that he was the critical loss. I'd also put Unrein in there but with the caveat that he (Unrein) should be (again that conditional should) be easier to replace in FA/draft as he was just a guy (even though he knew the scheme.)

Great post BB.

If we look at those core players and/or ST guys who've been replaced we can see Pace's plan unfold.

Burton replaces Zach Miller with Daniel Brown whose somewhat underrated in reserve and if anything we've gained ground rather than lost provided Burton stays healthy which Zach always struggled to do.

Jones was a tough loss both as a backup ILB and on ST but I believe Iggy will more than make up for him on ST and he has far more upside as a starting ILB. Jones was a talented player but as a play caller he was in over his head. He should be more at home as an OLB in a 4-3 or as an edge guy in a 3-4.

Unrein was one of those guys who always played above his pay grade but I believe Nichols has more to offer and so far I think we haven't seen all Bullard and RRH are capable of. Both are examples of guy held back somewhat by a lack of playing time because Unrein was a Fox favorite. Now the onus is on all three to step up and become key parts of the DL rotation.

And I also agree with you that Howard's future as our feature RB will become a point of discussion soon just as Forte was when his rookie deal was up. If Howard sticks he's gonna need to keep being and indispensable part of that offense just as Matt Forte did.

Replacing Sitton's $8 mil salary with a draft pick was pretty obvious. All we missed back then was just how many highly rated OG/OC prospects this draft had. Until just a few weeks prior to the draft we all focused on Nelson but then the second tier guys came into focus and it was apparent that most of them weren't far behind Nelson and then only because Nelson was such an anomaly as an OG. It was actually a very good draft for interior OL.

Quote

Remembering Dick Butkus

Countdown Clock

Chitown Bears Affiliates

Announcements

Recent Threads

Why Pace Felt Comfortable Letting Josh Sitton Go............

Post by brasilbear on May 22, 2018 12:18:01 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 12:32:32 GMT -6