I was a bit premature in the shoutbox and gave up on the team based on past performance. Have they turned a corner? Maybe but the biggest test is next week in Cleveland. We have to neutralizalize Okoronkwo so we can chip block Garrett on passing down, tall order. I think we can shut down their O & Sweat will feast.
+1 I so agree with you, Chuck. And I would add that if the Bears can also add an elite WR in this draft like Marvin Harrison Jr, then if for some reason we do move on from Fields down the road, then this offense is 100% set for success for the next QB1. It's win/win as far as I can see. From reading up about this upcoming draft it sounds like it is a very good one for WRs. If it is, then I'd be fine drafting a 2nd WR in the mid-rounds too. But get that Harrison kid no matter what. If that guy stays relatively healthy during his NFL career then he is a lock for a Hall of Fame level career - think Walter Payton and Gale Sayers, but at the WR position. Sayers & Walter were both top-5 picks... in fact, both taken at #4 (Walter in 1971 and Sayers in 1965) - and they gave us incredible seasons - Walter was still a good player when we won our only Super Bowl with the #2 scoring offense that year as well as the #1 defense.
The game has changed a lot since those days and now the passing game makes or breaks a team.
I 100% agree with you about the run game taking some pressure off of the QB... saving wear and tear on Fields' body. Totally agree. But get that Harrison kid to team with DJ Moore and Kmet. That will be a lethal offense that will pay off in a SB win. That's the cherry on the sundae I think. I don't want to see a trade down this draft with that top pick. Use it. Use it to get MHJ. Again, think of it as the WR equivalent of the Sayers and Payton drafts. And as an aside on this, we had two 1st round picks in that 1965 Sayers draft. We went defense with the other top-5 pick and drafted Dick Butkus. I would like to see that "one two punch" offense and defense in THIS draft. Get an elite WR and the best DL guy though, this time. Again, the game has changed so much since 1965... get the MHJ kid at all costs. He (I believe) is the key to championships here in Chicago as we move forward.
Harrison is a no-brainer for the first pick, but have you any candidate(s) yet for the second?
If available, I want Latu (DE) or Newton (3-Tech). Of course, Poles never drafts what I want, so I’m not hopeful about getting either of them.
Latu has some VERY serious health concerns. He was medically retired for a bit due to neck injuries...so any team drafting him is going to have to really dig in to those medicals...and any team taking him in the top 10 better do it 3 times over!
Harrison is a no-brainer for the first pick, but have you any candidate(s) yet for the second?
If available, I want Latu (DE) or Newton (3-Tech). Of course, Poles never drafts what I want, so I’m not hopeful about getting either of them.
Latu has some VERY serious health concerns. He was medically retired for a bit due to neck injuries...so any team drafting him is going to have to really dig in to those medicals...and any team taking him in the top 10 better do it 3 times over!
If I were Latu, I would make sure to have all my medical records available to teams that invite me to interviews. That should resolve the issue, if there is no issue.
Latu has some VERY serious health concerns. He was medically retired for a bit due to neck injuries...so any team drafting him is going to have to really dig in to those medicals...and any team taking him in the top 10 better do it 3 times over!
If I were Latu, I would make sure to have all my medical records available to teams that invite me to interviews. That should resolve the issue, if there is no issue.
He doesn't need to. Teams will have access to all that and they will do their own exams as well.
If I were Latu, I would make sure to have all my medical records available to teams that invite me to interviews. That should resolve the issue, if there is no issue.
He doesn't need to. Teams will have access to all that and they will do their own exams as well.
I know. I’d still take it all with me to the interview in case questions come up. He won Lombardi Award and had 13 sacks. Unless something comes up that we don’t know about, JABF is right that he’s probably gone before Bears draft. I am not losing sleep over it. I’d be excited to get Johnny Newton.
Why did last year and this the Bears started the season as if everyone on the team played like they had only read about football in books?
"The Legends foretold of a game with an oval ball, and on occasion some of the bigger guys will have to physically stop their opponents from reaching the leader, who holds the oddly shaped ball, without using their hands,"
For once I would like the Bears to walk out onto a field IN SEPTEMBER and look like they belong out there.
OMG you read my mind. I'm so frustrated it took THIS LONG to finally play decent ball. We have a laughably weak schedule this season and could/would/should be sitting at 7-8 wins right now if Fields/Flus/getsy hadn't been so bad early on.
Why did last year and this the Bears started the season as if everyone on the team played like they had only read about football in books?
"The Legends foretold of a game with an oval ball, and on occasion some of the bigger guys will have to physically stop their opponents from reaching the leader, who holds the oddly shaped ball, without using their hands,"
For once I would like the Bears to walk out onto a field IN SEPTEMBER and look like they belong out there.
OMG you read my mind. I'm so frustrated it took THIS LONG to finally play decent ball. We have a laughably weak schedule this season and could/would/should be sitting at 7-8 wins right now if Fields/Flus/getsy hadn't been so bad early on.
Yeah, it's discouraging. It just killed us to have both coordinators fail. Alan Williams bit the dust right out of the chute. Getsy has really struggled too. The OL injuries in the beginning of the season hurt too. Eberflus got the D going but it took while and the addition of Sweat. The OL got healthy and it has made a difference - especially for Fields. But the weak link is Getsy. He just doesn't seem up to the job. Maybe if the Bears can bring in two solid coordinators, and go into the 2024 season with an offensive line upgraded at C and depth quality - maybe the season can take off game-1 with a strong season.
It sure is going to be interesting to see what happens in this off-season. I could see the "keep Eberflus & Fields" option. I could also see the "New HC & draft a new QB" option too. I just want the team to get it right this time no matter which path they take from here. Rambling, I do think this upcoming Browns game will give us some good additional info (could be good or bad) about Fields.
OMG you read my mind. I'm so frustrated it took THIS LONG to finally play decent ball. We have a laughably weak schedule this season and could/would/should be sitting at 7-8 wins right now if Fields/Flus/getsy hadn't been so bad early on.
Yeah, it's discouraging. It just killed us to have both coordinators fail. Alan Williams bit the dust right out of the chute. Getsy has really struggled too. The OL injuries in the beginning of the season hurt too. Eberflus got the D going but it took while and the addition of Sweat. The OL got healthy and it has made a difference - especially for Fields. But the weak link is Getsy. He just doesn't seem up to the job. Maybe if the Bears can bring in two solid coordinators, and go into the 2024 season with an offensive line upgraded at C and depth quality - maybe the season can take off game-1 with a strong season.
It sure is going to be interesting to see what happens in this off-season. I could see the "keep Eberflus & Fields" option. I could also see the "New HC & draft a new QB" option too. I just want the team to get it right this time no matter which path they take from here. Rambling, I do think this upcoming Browns game will give us some good additional info (could be good or bad) about Fields.
I don't know what's gonna happen with the coaches but I sure hope Glus learned some hard lessons from this season going forward.
You can't turtle up and sit all your starters in August. Preseason games don't matter in the standings but they matter in getting the team tuned up for opening day. You could see the team looking rusty in PS last August and that was backed up by TC reports which consistently said that the pass O wasn't exactly looking like a well oiled machine.
Can't come in playing like garbage in September again. That week 1 crapfest vs Green Bay at home was an utter embarrassment. I was there and the team was boo'd off the field in the 3rd Q of the opening game, it was that bad of a performance on both sides of the ball. Completely unprepared and unready. Week 2 in Tampa was another winnable game blown and they was zero excuse to lose at home to Denver week 4 either.
If Flus & Getsy want to receive credit for the improvement we have seen the last month or so, well then they also own that awful 1-5 start against mostly mediocre opponents. If they had done their jobs better back in August and September, they wouldn't be sweating them right now.
Yeah, it's discouraging. It just killed us to have both coordinators fail. Alan Williams bit the dust right out of the chute. Getsy has really struggled too. The OL injuries in the beginning of the season hurt too. Eberflus got the D going but it took while and the addition of Sweat. The OL got healthy and it has made a difference - especially for Fields. But the weak link is Getsy. He just doesn't seem up to the job. Maybe if the Bears can bring in two solid coordinators, and go into the 2024 season with an offensive line upgraded at C and depth quality - maybe the season can take off game-1 with a strong season.
It sure is going to be interesting to see what happens in this off-season. I could see the "keep Eberflus & Fields" option. I could also see the "New HC & draft a new QB" option too. I just want the team to get it right this time no matter which path they take from here. Rambling, I do think this upcoming Browns game will give us some good additional info (could be good or bad) about Fields.
I don't know what's gonna happen with the coaches but I sure hope Glus learned some hard lessons from this season going forward.
You can't turtle up and sit all your starters in August. Preseason games don't matter in the standings but they matter in getting the team tuned up for opening day. You could see the team looking rusty in PS last August and that was backed up by TC reports which consistently said that the pass O wasn't exactly looking like a well oiled machine.
Can't come in playing like garbage in September again. That week 1 crapfest vs Green Bay at home was an utter embarrassment. I was there and the team was boo'd off the field in the 3rd Q of the opening game, it was that bad of a performance on both sides of the ball. Completely unprepared and unready. Week 2 in Tampa was another winnable game blown and they was zero excuse to lose at home to Denver week 4 either.
If Flus & Getsy want to receive credit for the improvement we have seen the last month or so, well then they also own that awful 1-5 start against mostly mediocre opponents. If they had done their jobs better back in August and September, they wouldn't be sweating them right now.
That's a good point. I do hope Eberflus learned from it all. I think a big part of the problem was that when you turn over a coaching staff and bring in rookies at both coordinator positions and the HC too, well, that is a ton of inexperience there. And on top of that the Bears hired a 36 year old rookie GM too. It doesn't mean they can't learn and get better. Maybe they can. Maybe they can't. But there is a significant learning curve for each of those positions. And the cumulative effect of having all of them rookies and inexperienced people trying to lead the team... well, it was bad for the Bears for sure. It does seem like Eberflus has made adjustment and he has certainly helped the defense. Poles could be okay as GM, but he did make a few bad mistakes (we've discussed them to death here already on the messageboard).
