All Activity

Rating drafts this time a year are totally worthless but it's a fan thing and sports journalists exercise. They literally picked no one i liked. I hope they did their job well.

We need to look at the overall off-season to see what Poles has accomplished this year. Got the best coach on the market and spent good money on assistants. Added to both lines with quality additions. Added contracts for Gordon and Jackson who were on last years. The draft gave us 4 quality players in the first 4 picks. 2 potential all pro types and 2 first year contributors. The rest of the draft gave us high risk high upside players. Dane Brugler has the most complete draft guide on the market. Well respected in football circles. We ended up with 4 top 100 prospects. Loveland -11, Burden-27, Turner -56, Trapilo -79 He had mentions of all our draft picks on his draft guide. I thought they were obscure but people were aware of them. Hiopolote 35th LB Zak Frasier 23rd CB Newman 22nd OG Monangai 20th RB. I think this were high ceiling high risk type picks. It's going to be 2 years before we can start rating this draft. Lots of people saying Monangai is a dark horse good RB that fits what the bears are looking for. We have a front row seat to a winning season whether fans think it still has problems or not. The off-season is not over yet, now rumors of Nick Chubb. It never stops. Enjoy the ride.

If the Bears didn't trade back with BUF, they could've had Scourton at 41 and then took Johnson or Skattebo in the 3rd. 1-Loveland 2-Burden 2-Scourton 3-Kaleb Johnson 5-Marcus Mbow It will ultimately come down to Trapilo and Turner for this draft for me.

Just looking through stats from last year, the Bears will have the deepest receiving group in the NFL. Whoever ends up as pass-catching TE2 will be the best TE2 in the league. Whoever ends up as WR3 will be the best WR3 in the league. Whoever ends up WR2 will be a top 5 WR2. Odunze had the most yards of any WR3 and the 2nd most receptions in the NFL last year. Allen had the 2nd most receptions as WR2, both on a terrible offense. If things go as planned, I think Moore will have over 80 receptions, Odunze and Loveland will have over 70, Burden over 60, and Kmet over 50. Add 30+ for RBs and another 10 or so for all others and that should put Williams near 400 completions. Williams had 351 last year and Goff had 390 with comparable weapons, so it checks out. Moore, Odunze, Burden > St. Brown, Williams, Patrick Loveland, Kmet > LaPorta, Wright Swift, Johnson < Gibbs, Montgomery I also think Moore will have 20+ carries (he had 14 last year) and I am sure Burden and Loveland will have a few as well. That may be why they didn't want to commit higher draft capital on a RB.

The Banks argument is mute, he wasn't available. When I mention a football pundit, you don't like that because I should think for myself. I combine everything I see and read to form an opinion. I get the impression you think your opinion is because you're great at looking at tape. Then on several occasions you referred to draft buzz ratings and what Phil and his dad said. That's not any different than what I do. Your opinion is a composite of everything you learn about a player. Same same

It's still just an opinion, don't get what you don't understand? Anything I see doesn't prove a conclusion. Anything you think is exactly the same thought process. It's just opinions.

I think in any draft you have a plan and back up plan. Most fans and journalists would be happy with Ersery at 39 and Kaleb Johnson at 41. I think they planned on trading back in a deep draft. Waiting until the the 4 th round wasn't getting you another 2nd round pick. Burden pick popped up and they couldn't pass it up. He literally could be the best WR in the draft. So that left 41 to trade back . I think Trapilo was next inline if Ersery was gone or they liked him better. He's a RT that will get the chance to try LT in the NFL. I'm guessing here but they next targeted Cam Skattebo in the 4th. He got taken so they got more picks and had Kyle Monangai as their next choice knowing he would be there late. This is not the year one player puts them over the top. They had certain players they wanted so they stuck to a plan. Their draft board isn't put together with what media and fans thought was the best players. They actually have their own scouting department. Belicheck said once if you pick who the fans want you will one day end up in the stands with them. ( Don't remember the quote exactly)

right, but youre listing conclusions that what happened in the draft tells us what the Bears thoguht, and I dont think that evidence is enough to support the claims, or in at least one case, the evidence disproves it?

well I cant PROVE it, but I think Poles thought Ersery would still be there after the trade back. I think he got too cute - correctly predicted no teams ahead of him would take Ersery, but failed to cover for the possibility that the Texans (or someone) would trade up for him. Thats where I think Poles got too cute. He is so focused on being disciplined and not reaching, but sometimes, straining for that extra 5th round pick isnt worth taking a chance on losing a guy you need. And that's *IF* they see Ersery the way I do, which I will never know if they did or not. But my guess is they traded down too far or too much. The prize for trading down was getting either Burden or Turner. You could have had either one and Ersery without the trade. But to get both, you had to downgrade Ersery to Trapilo. Again, depending on how they had Ersery and Trapilo evaluated, this either worked, or we got screwed by the Texans. And it felt like we made the same error each time with HBs, just missing big names each time. It felt like the year that Aaron Donald went one pick before us.

hahaha me too! As Ive said before, i think you are loyal to anyone on our team, and I am more like loyal to the team, and not specifically the players on it. Each way is good. Just dont worry if people are criticizing. Poles' feelings arent hurt by anything i say, and if any coach or player or GM does good things, I'll support those things, and Ill criticize the bad stuff. All hoping to make the team better. Also, believe it or not I dont dislike you. I just dont like when you say things are facts when they arent really proven. As you agree, most things are opinions and cant really be proved. But I dont want to argue with you in particular, I just dont like when you say some pundit says something so it must be right. i will be wrong plenty, so will you and so will the pundits, but my belief is that all of us have valid opinions in general? I dont care if some big shot disagrees with me, if i see what I see, then i know what i saw. But with most things, there isnt enough to see to KNOW. Only a few things every year for me that i feel I really know. Like I KNOW Banks is a good prospect, but couldnt possibly know if the Bears would take him or not.

It should be a matchup nightmare for sure.

Imagine a DC trying to cover Burden, DJ Moore, Rome plus Kmet and Loveland. Someone is wide open every play. Now does Caleb find that player is the question.

I think he makes the roster and DA uses him n blitzing situations.

I'm giving an opinion in what happened in the draft to suggest results. I mentioned several times, no one knows the truth.

My reference was to not taking Ersery with pick 39 or 41. I thought they would draft one later to compete but not be ready until 26. You do admit he's a RT that they probably change to LT. That doesn't scream day 1 starter. There is no way they change Wright to LT. Why Create two Question marks. If Tripoli is super T, they will just plug him in at LT.

It might be they like this guy as a RT prospect and have doubts on Jones and think Wright can play LT so this becomes the combo. I don’t love it but I like our new oline coach so I’ll trust what he figures out.

They drafted an OT in second round. They had no LT prospects available at 10. We literally have no idea whether they would have taken Banks if he was there - my guess is they would have, but either way - when you take a guy in 2nd round I’m presuming it means they liked the prospect they are getting and also see them pushing the incumbents. You don’t take people in 2nd round if you don’t think they have a shot at making an impact this year or the following year.

With all this back and forth we are in alignment on a lot of things. Tape is the most important tool scouts use. We do need to address LT but,they did as I thought and drafted someone to be in the mix in 26 , not this year. I think Braxton plays this year, they offer him a contract but someone gives him 20 mil and he plays somewhere else. So next year Kiran or Tripoli will be our LT. RB needed another addition but never thought Jeanty was in the mix. I thought Skattebo or Brashard Smith would be drafted later to share carries with RJ and Swift. So it all come down to our opinion on the urgency of those positions. I also respect your opinion more than it might show. I don't always agree but you have been spot on with some you have been stubborn about. I loved Fields more so because ( he was our QB) at the time and if he succeeded that meant the Bears are winning. As soon as Poles choose Caleb, he's our new QB to rout for and has a lot of talent . You were right about Flus, at the time I thought with drafting Caleb we could overcome his deficiencies but the calamity of our OCs doomed the success and after the Washington game. He lost the team, my time to start agreeing with you. We align on a lot of things but our dislike for each other prevents us from showing it. Our next argument is Poles that is on going. He has made a lot of mistakes but has us in a good spot now. New GMs learn on the job and I think he is. When we're in a SB, we will be arguing about what play should have been called. I look forward to that.

Johnson said there is no depth chart yet. Everyone competes for their position. Who plays L or R will also be examined. They might look at Darnell as LT, but I think they are best to leave him.

It would be great to see the board so we could understand the process. I did hear Ersery didn't have the lateral movement to fit the Bears needs, so I don't think he was a must and prompted the trade down. Luther Burden wasn't even expected, but after Judkins and Henderson were taken it was a no brainer. If they were, I don't think the Bears trade Buffalo, but we will never know. The trade gave the Bears an OT and DT. What the draft may he looked like if Henderson was available. 1 Loveland TE 2 Henderson RB 2 JT Tuimoloua DE 4 Jalen Royals WR 5 JJ Peques DT 7 Holin Pierce OT

Banks was already gone. How did my narrative die? We cant know what they would have done. But they DID spend a 2nd rounder on LT so they must think they need something - even if its more competition? They didnt take a OG or OC? So they felt LT was something that needed addressing. With a high pick. No matter who ends up starting, they did what they did, taking an LT. Youre not making any sense.

I didnt say *I* have to see tape - you just talked about how important it is to see it yourself, and so when I "wept a tear of joy" it was because you were finally agreeing and saying youd look at the tape - so how do i think other people dont? I was saying i hope you DO! I think people look and we all have opinions, and I dont think anyone's opinion is fact, just another opinion, whether its me or you or some pundit. But occasionally I will see something so clear that i am shocked anyone else looks at film and thinks something different. It's only like 1 or 2 "facts" a year. Not everything at all. Most things are murky.

I agree. I am not saying I'm right, I'm saying you cant say you're right either so how can you list things we now "know?" Just because Im saying you dont know factually doesnt mean Im saying I do.

At pick 39 they really didn't need a WR but the talent was so good they couldn't pass it up. At that time Ersery was still available, if LT was so important, why not take him there? At 41 , we traded back and Kaleb Johnson was still available at 56, we didn't take him. At 132 we took a LB and at that time only 8 RBs were off the board. Brashard Smith, jaydon blue and Devin Neil were still available. At pick 195 Smith and Martinez, Ollie Gordon were all available, we waited until 233 to take a RB. Does those decisions show a heavy need for LT or RB? I think not. Instead of Ersery they took a RT later in the round. I'm not saying he can't play LT, but changing positions doesn't sound like a first year starter. I think their draft decisions tell a story about what they thought were big needs on the team. LT and RB didn't appear to be at the top of the list.

Exactly. We're carrying 4 OTs on the roster right now with 1st Rd pick, 2nd Rd pick, 3rd Rd pick (albeit a late 1st/2nd Rd grade), and a 5th Rd pick. There was chatter that Kiran could play inside but that is not why he was drafted. That's two years in a row with significant draft capital toward fixing LT. We have to assume the team is happy with Darnell Wright. Something is going to give I just don't know when. OTAs and snaps at LT will give us our first insight. Braxton will be on the sidelines. Whatever they try first is what they feel gives them the best option to succeed. If they are splitting first team snaps out of the gate then it's a wide open competition. Do they even try Darnell at LT early this offseason?