Post by JABF on Jan 3, 2017 10:53:40 GMT -6
This makes some good points. I thought it would be worth posting here.
LINK
Bears Face A Critical Off-Season
The Bears managed to do what you never want to do in a rebuilding process and that's go backwards. The fan base now wants head coach John Fox's head and the young general manager Ryan Pace is staring down some tough decisions. This off-season now becomes one of the most important in franchise history as the team's brass looks to get the train back on the tracks.
Where do you start if you are the Bears? Probably with the coaching staff. Firing Fox can be justifiable but keeping him makes sense too. Fox saw 19 players and over $64 million in salary go on IR. It's tough for any coach to succeed with that kind of turmoil. He also botched the quarterback and running back situations and has had an abundance of questionable game day decisions.
If you are looking for a fall guy, it should be offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. The first year play caller was promoted to appease Jay Cutler but Loggains struggled early to find his rhythm. Loggains did nothing to help Jay Cutler early on, failed numerous times to get the ball into the red zone and botched how Jordan Howard was used.
Give how poorly the special teams were this year, you can also say goodbye to Jeff Rodgers and nobody would be upset.
From there, Ryan Pace needs to prioritize the team's biggest needs/holes and aggressively attack them in free agency and the draft. Pace's biggest downfalls so far in his tenure is not drafting a young quarterback or finding an impact player in the secondary.
Make no bones about it, the Bears need to draft a quarterback in one of the first two rounds this year. More importantly, they need to not panic and reach for a guy just to take one. If one of the top quarterbacks isn't good enough to go third overall then don't do it. There are plenty of potential impact defensive players at the top of this draft.
Alabama defensive lineman Jon Allen, Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett and Ohio State safety Malik Hooker are all great fits for the Bears. It would not be a bad thing to take one of those guys in the first round and shoot for Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson or Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes at the top of the second.
Being aggressive means just that. Because the Bears failed to draft their future quarterback, they now have to get creative and be forthright in finding not just one option but maybe two.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor seems to be on the way out, he'd be a solid option in Chicago. Even if Taylor is on the roster, drafting a quarterback is a must. We don't know how the dominoes will fall but if Pace feels like a guy like Watson (assuming he grades out well with the Bears) will go before the end of the first round then it's his job to make a move to get back in there and draft him.
When was the last time the Bears had a safety you were proud to call your own? It has to be Mike Brown right? Look, if Kansas City's Eric Berry or Arizona's Tony Jefferson hits the open market then it's imperative the Bears come away with one of those guys. They will have the cap space, they just have to seal the deal.
When you have a talent issue, the last thing you can do is give away your own good talent for nothing. It would be wise for the team to come to an agreement with wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. The suspension and somewhat down year could mean he comes at a bargain.
Injuries are going to happen in the NFL. The best teams have adequate depth to handle key injuries. The Bears need to continue to build and develop the back end of their roster. The second stringers are not good enough. The draft and free agency can do wonders towards building a deeper team.
The Bears have to make a leap to at least eight wins next year. It's very realistic and a low bar to be honest. One things for sure, in the NFL we have seen teams go from worst to first in one year with some smart moves and a little luck of course. The Bears need all of that and then some in 2017 because if they have another year like the one they just went through then things are going to hit the fan.
Filed under: Chicago Bears
Bears Face A Critical Off-Season
The Bears managed to do what you never want to do in a rebuilding process and that's go backwards. The fan base now wants head coach John Fox's head and the young general manager Ryan Pace is staring down some tough decisions. This off-season now becomes one of the most important in franchise history as the team's brass looks to get the train back on the tracks.
Where do you start if you are the Bears? Probably with the coaching staff. Firing Fox can be justifiable but keeping him makes sense too. Fox saw 19 players and over $64 million in salary go on IR. It's tough for any coach to succeed with that kind of turmoil. He also botched the quarterback and running back situations and has had an abundance of questionable game day decisions.
If you are looking for a fall guy, it should be offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. The first year play caller was promoted to appease Jay Cutler but Loggains struggled early to find his rhythm. Loggains did nothing to help Jay Cutler early on, failed numerous times to get the ball into the red zone and botched how Jordan Howard was used.
Give how poorly the special teams were this year, you can also say goodbye to Jeff Rodgers and nobody would be upset.
From there, Ryan Pace needs to prioritize the team's biggest needs/holes and aggressively attack them in free agency and the draft. Pace's biggest downfalls so far in his tenure is not drafting a young quarterback or finding an impact player in the secondary.
Make no bones about it, the Bears need to draft a quarterback in one of the first two rounds this year. More importantly, they need to not panic and reach for a guy just to take one. If one of the top quarterbacks isn't good enough to go third overall then don't do it. There are plenty of potential impact defensive players at the top of this draft.
Alabama defensive lineman Jon Allen, Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett and Ohio State safety Malik Hooker are all great fits for the Bears. It would not be a bad thing to take one of those guys in the first round and shoot for Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson or Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes at the top of the second.
Being aggressive means just that. Because the Bears failed to draft their future quarterback, they now have to get creative and be forthright in finding not just one option but maybe two.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor seems to be on the way out, he'd be a solid option in Chicago. Even if Taylor is on the roster, drafting a quarterback is a must. We don't know how the dominoes will fall but if Pace feels like a guy like Watson (assuming he grades out well with the Bears) will go before the end of the first round then it's his job to make a move to get back in there and draft him.
When was the last time the Bears had a safety you were proud to call your own? It has to be Mike Brown right? Look, if Kansas City's Eric Berry or Arizona's Tony Jefferson hits the open market then it's imperative the Bears come away with one of those guys. They will have the cap space, they just have to seal the deal.
When you have a talent issue, the last thing you can do is give away your own good talent for nothing. It would be wise for the team to come to an agreement with wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. The suspension and somewhat down year could mean he comes at a bargain.
Injuries are going to happen in the NFL. The best teams have adequate depth to handle key injuries. The Bears need to continue to build and develop the back end of their roster. The second stringers are not good enough. The draft and free agency can do wonders towards building a deeper team.
The Bears have to make a leap to at least eight wins next year. It's very realistic and a low bar to be honest. One things for sure, in the NFL we have seen teams go from worst to first in one year with some smart moves and a little luck of course. The Bears need all of that and then some in 2017 because if they have another year like the one they just went through then things are going to hit the fan.
Filed under: Chicago Bears
