Lets start with the main man, he said a couple of interesting things, so give it a look
That clarified a lot for me as far as understanding the process the Bears are using to approach player acquisitions both in the draft and outside of the draft. I liked hearing from Poles their definition of the "value" term he uses a lot. If the cost exceeds value then the Bears walk away from a player. They are disciplined enough to do that. His overall press conference today reaffirmed that this is long-ball and not spending resources (draft or money resources) impulsively. There is advance planning here. I also kept hearing about analytics and scheme fit from Poles here.
This is not the drunken sailor impulse buying of shiny toys - it is a well thought out process, executing a plan with discipline. It's more than just the money. Fans look at a player and wonder why the Bears don't pay to get him. But it's more than that. A lot more.
Lets start with the main man, he said a couple of interesting things, so give it a look
Anyone whose followed what Poles has said these past two years should already have their answers as to why he's done what he's done. It's all about value and fit. Those are the singular factors that govern his approach to FA and the draft as well.
Orlando Brown wasn't seen as a fit. McGlinchey was but Denver was willing to bring more cash to the table than Poles was comfortable with so the value wasn't there. Instead he turns to two top ranked LB no one thought we'd be in play for. This should remind us of the 2022 draft when he took Gordon and Brisker who were good picks.
He knows what needs fixing but he's not locked into making one unit or position a priority over another if the player fit and his value are just not there. LB has always been a strong point of any great Bears defense. Last year we were weaker there than we'd been in the past. We aren't weak there any longer. Poles fixed that.
Other additions to the OL and DL may not be top ranked players but they represent an upgrade over players we started in 2022. They also represent good value and all are still in their prime playing years and can still ascend. Teams need blue chip players to win championships but the majority of any team is built around the guys who rank more as vet journeyman who come to play and do their jobs well.
Poles has been signing guys like that all along and I suspect he'll sign quite a few more before all is said and done.
