Exactly. And my point was that FA does not seem to be they way he is doing it (and I understand). And as I mentioned, with limited draft capital (unless he trades down), I do not see him doing it in any short term venue, which means that his lower priced contracts start to expire as the timeline gets extended, so that makes it a losing race with draft capital. He has made some trades but typically these are fewer and far between and will not fill the pipeline.
That is the point I was trying to make.
The best GMs make smart moves in all three areas, not just draft. If you’re going to depend more on the draft than other GMs, then you need to be better than them in the draft. JABF says Poles is on a learning curve and will get better with more experience. Brax is the only guy he’s drafted so far who has performed significantly above his draft position. He needs more hits in rounds 3-5. And at the #1 he will miss on Carter, Stroud, and Harrison. That’s just fine if we are Super Bowl ready 2025-26. If not, Warren needs to take stock.
"The Chicago Bears welcomed six new players to start the 2024 league year.
They signed starters at safety and running back, a No. 2 tight end, a No. 3 safety, a No. 3 offensive tackle and a No. 3 (or 4) quarterback.
They satisfied their needs. They didn’t set the market at any position. No contract they handed out will preclude them from whatever they want to do next.
And let’s not forget, the Bears already made their biggest move of free agency. They re-signed the top cornerback available when they kept Jaylon Johnson in the building on a four-year contract."
He forgot to mention Bates: either a starting C or a swing iOL (LG/C/RG)
So, according to Hoge, all those GMs who acquired the free agents at the top of the free agent rankings the last two days are a bunch of “meatballs.”
No. David I am embarrassed by how pitiful the Bears fans are right now in full-blown chicken little, the sky if falling mode. We are a few days into FA. The draft hasn't even arrived yet. And people are wringing their hands and acting like idiots. LOL. Oh, the humanity of it all. Pure, 100% meatball stuff.
People need to get a grip (or maybe follow another sport that they could maybe understand better than football).
JABF will be the first to remind you that it all doesn’t have to get done in 2024.
+1 This is the 2nd year of the rebuild, after the tank/teardown year. We have not even had our draft yet. This GM just got us out of cap hell. Don't expect him to return there anytime soon. He is not wired that way. He seems to be a thoughtful, planful guy rather than an emotional over-reacting GM. He has a plan. He believes in the plan and has shared his high-level strategy with us from day-1 when hired here. He works the plan. He will stick to that plan. But yes, it is a multi-year plan. Good leaders do this.
Delusional fans on the other hand want it all and they want it all now.
They live in a fairy tale world (I am being kind here). Let's watch this 2nd off-season unfold, FA and the draft get completed - and see what the team looks like in regular season games. I 100% believe this team is going to be significantly stronger than last year's team. We will have our new franchise QB in place... if that thing alone gets done it has been one hell of a fantastic off-season. Arguably the best one since Sid Luckman was drafted in the 1939 draft, 85 long years ago...
So, according to Hoge, all those GMs who acquired the free agents at the top of the free agent rankings the last two days are a bunch of “meatballs.”
No. David I am embarrassed by how pitiful the Bears fans are right now in full-blown chicken little, the sky if falling mode. We are a few days into FA. The draft hasn't even arrived yet. And people are wringing their hands and acting like idiots. LOL. Oh, the humanity of it all. Pure, 100% meatball stuff.
People need to get a grip (or maybe follow another sport that they could maybe understand better than football).
I guess my comment about the Hoge comment is that a GM who buys a premier player in free agency is not necessarily a “meatball”. A lot of them have been doing that the last couple days.
And again.... in the draft he has 5 picks and a lot of needs. The first being a possible QB which limits his ability to trade down with the first pick. (But that is me - he may trade down and pick a different QB). That leaves him 4 picks and lots of needs. It is hard to gain using the draft like that. You can trade down with pick 9, but then he loses out on some important positions, and he has to hit on the others he traded down for. My point is I don't see much progress in FA (again, I understand his strategy in FA, so I get that), I see real challenges in his position in the draft, and I don't see trades as getting him too far up the river either.
You have mentioned using and being smart using all three tools, and I have said that I understand and agree, but do not see a clear path with FA progress and his options in the draft, given the needs and give and takes he needs to make there. Of course, as I always say, "we'll see what happens". I just see choppy waters.
JABF will be the first to remind you that it all doesn’t have to get done in 2024. He gives Poles til 2026 to be Super Bowl ready. I’m giving him 4 years, and I hope Warren is on that timeline.
If we get Odunze at #9 and Williams is immortal Mahomes 2.0, Poles doesn’t need to be genius GM to get there. Just fill a few holes on defense by 2025. That’s the optimistic scenario. We have all seen the alternative scenario for the last 30+ years.
I know David. My point on that was that given that more extended timeline, players are aging out and the needs (holes to fill) continue to grow. The life of an NFL GM
Isn't that a bitch? You do your job well and hit hit a performance kicker. Hey dud, congrats! BTW, if you don't lower your salary back down, we are going to fire you. Have a nice day.
JABF will be the first to remind you that it all doesn’t have to get done in 2024. He gives Poles til 2026 to be Super Bowl ready. I’m giving him 4 years, and I hope Warren is on that timeline.
If we get Odunze at #9 and Williams is immortal Mahomes 2.0, Poles doesn’t need to be genius GM to get there. Just fill a few holes on defense by 2025. That’s the optimistic scenario. We have all seen the alternative scenario for the last 30+ years.
I know David. My point on that was that given that more extended timeline, players are aging out and the needs (holes to fill) continue to grow. The life of an NFL GM
I agree. And that is why Bears need to be Super Bowl ready on a realistic timeline.
No. David I am embarrassed by how pitiful the Bears fans are right now in full-blown chicken little, the sky if falling mode. We are a few days into FA. The draft hasn't even arrived yet. And people are wringing their hands and acting like idiots. LOL. Oh, the humanity of it all. Pure, 100% meatball stuff.
People need to get a grip (or maybe follow another sport that they could maybe understand better than football).
I guess my comment about the Hoge comment is that a GM who buys a premier player in free agency is not necessarily a “meatball”. A lot of them have been doing that the last couple days.
And I do agree with that. Each team situation is somewhat unique. And I am not (and have not) been in agreement with every move Poles has done here. But we need to give this guy a chance to work his plan. He chose to not slap duct tape on the roster but rather decided to do the nuclear option on the roster - and this upcoming draft will be the 2nd draft since the teardown year. The plan may end up being good or a disaster or something in between. But let's watch this 2nd year of the rebuild unfold in its entirety (LOL, at least watch a few regular season games before we start leaping off the ledges). I'm being totally honest here, in that I find it demeaning and embarrassing to watch people over-react to every single microscopic move by Poles. I thought this morning that if these early off-season moves are THAT terrifying to people, they should probably not follow Bears (probably not sports of any kind). LOL, now if the team sucks during the regular season, then hey, everyone step aside because I'll be leaping out of the window too.
