Been thinking about Poles

It looks to me like Poles has a plan but is flexible within his plan.  He is not a guy to try and pound the square peg into a round hole.  The square peg this year is a very shallow draft as compared with most years.  I've heard this over and over again.  mpbears68 has mentioned it multiple times too, here on our messageboard.  The talent after 3 rounds this year is not much more than UDFA level talent in other years.  People say a lot of players stayed in school this draft.  But next year should be a banner draft year for talent... we will see a rebound.  Today I was watching one of the shows where an NFL guy was explaining just how brilliant the Chicago Bears Ryan Poles was to use THIS year's draft to get Montez Sweat for our 2nd round pick.  The guy said that as an edge rusher, Sweat is better than every single person in this year's draft.  Better.  And we got him for a 2nd round pick.  The 4th round this year will have pitiful talent by the time we get to that round... UDFA talent... and Ryan Poles got us a Hall of Fame level WR for our 4th round pick this year.  The guy said that move was brilliant by Poles.  So our 2nd round draft pick this year is Sweat.  Our 4th round pick is Keenan Allen.  Our 5th round pick is our OL center, Ryan Bates.  Bates is better than any OL we would draft in THIS YEAR's fifth round.  At least that is my take on it.  And we still have a 1st round #9 pick and a 3rd and 4th round pick.  We need to see this year's draft for what it is - it included Sweat, Keenan Allen, Ryan Bates.

And Poles got us the #1 pick in this draft, setting the table to get Caleb Williams who many many of the so called experts believe truly is a generational talent... Just got finished watching one draft evaluator tonight say there has not been a single QB drafted this talented since Andrew Luck was drafted way back in the 2012 draft.  That includes the Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud and Patrick Mahomes drafts.  Let that one sink in.

BIH, I'm thinking we could (could, not certain, but could) end up with a Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes level quarterback for the next 10 years or more.  I think this guy could very well be that good.  Could he bust?  Sure.  But I have the feeling that Poles is putting a lot more support in place for this guy than we have seen in the past.  And Caleb is just that special to begin with.  At the very least, Poles has put the team in a fantastic position in this draft... even if Caleb does bust, Poles will go down swinging.  In hindsight I believe it hurt him personally to walk away from Fields... but he knew in his heart that it was the best chess move to making the Bears champions.  He is swinging for the fences here with Caleb.  

If this draft was only those 3 guys.  Caleb, Sweat & Keenan Allen - that alone may go down as a draft for the ages I think.  Like one that NFL fans are talking about 30, 40 or 50 years from now.  But hey, Poles isn't done yet.  He still has that #9 draft pick and a 3rd and 4th round pick.  

I think that if we view "building through the draft" through that lens, then 2023 and 2024 have been off the charts incredible years.  Heck, throw in 2022 also.  Poles drafted some ascending talent in those two years of 2022 and 2023 (21 draft picks... and I looked over that list earlier this morning - and it is impressive.  At least I thought so.  This man has a plan.  But he is flexible within the plan.  He is willing to think things through like a chess master.  I absolutely love the guy's moves so far.  

I am working on settings up a match between Poles and Magnus Carlsen. I expect JABF will bet on Poles to win.

I think of it this way.  If I am the GM here with Caleb Williams coming here... and I don't want (yet another QB failure) and I am holding onto a 4th round pick in this year's draft - should I spend it on a 4th round wide receiver or Keenan Allen?  Call me crazy, but I am spending my 4th round pick on a rock solid veteran guy - arguably the best route runner in the entire NFL - to help my new QB succeed here.


They are good thoughts too.  I am just trying to view these draft picks in light of the situation presented to Poles this year.  He has a plan but is flexible (to some extent) within that plan.  I like that a lot.

I'm thinking we have the best young/new GM right now in the NFL.  He began his 1st GM gig here in late January 2022.  So 26 months ago.  The guy isn't perfect by any means.  He has made some mistakes along his own rookie GM learning curve.  But gotta say he sure looks like one brilliant sports GM to me.  Little by little we are beginning to see the national NFL people are taking notice of our GM situation with Poles here.  Kind of cool to see people (beginning) to take the Chicago Bears as something more than a league joke of a franchise.  It seems like all of the major sports outlets are talking about the Bears now - in a positive light.  Commentator after commentator are talking about the franchise as one to watch now.  

LOL, at the people who not that long ago wanted Poles fired.  riczaj01 has said for years now that the constant firing of people isn't how you build a solid franchise.  At some point you gotta have some stability and let these guys build something.  Poles is building something special here.  Very very very special.  This Caleb Williams is gonna be special too.  Fun to watch.