BearFan PHX

It's hard to say. Hendrickson is a superior player, but how many years does he have left in him? If he was 27 this would be a no brainer. So if you think he will decline, which is a good bet id say, then you probably go the way you say - a lesser DE one year deal. But if they think hes gonna be strong for 2 years and then have rotational value after that for example, you might do it?

If it is designated a post June 1st cut or trade, Kmet opens up $10M ($11.6M - $1.6M) And this is true if you do it this year, next year or the year after. Cut or trade him, and open $10M. If you Trade swift, with a post june 1st designation, you gain $8M in cap space. So there are some nuances in whether cut or trade them, and whether you use a post june 1st designation. But yes, there is potentially $33M of cap space with those three. YOu can also do contract stuff with players to open up cap space. If there is a stud player we want, we can trade for them, especially if one or more of those guys are part of the trade back. Like, Booker and Kmet for Trey Hendrickson for example. Im not saying we should make that trade - I dunno how may years Hendrickson has left. But if we wanted to, we could.

No thats fair, by stud, I should have said plus starter. We are in agreement i think.

it is always possible to open up cap room with extensions and strategic cuts. If they think Hendrickson is the answer, they will find a way to fit him under. But they have to truly believe in him, not just this year, but probably for a 4 year deal, and he is getting older.

yes. Hiring Warren seems to be the answer to McCaskey meddling. Would he have the juice now to decide something like firing Eberflus before last year? One hopes so, but these McCaskeys are a curse.

Fox was a real coach at least. In the end, he wasnt capable of putting together a modern offense, or apparently attracting a good OC, but these two were certainly better than the others.

I think the McCaskeys liked to hire people they felt they could control. People who showed deference. People who werent too confident or alpha. For a FOOTBALL team. Getting cold feet on people like McGinnis and Arians. It's pathetic. I think the hiring of Warren is supposed to be the end of their BS. We will see because Poles still couldnt fire Eberflus last year, and it is unproven whether Warren makes good decisions. Getting Ben Johnson was a really good move. Hopefully Johnson takes over the leadership role, and we dont need Poles for that anymore. Whether we got lucky, or what, we now have a real Qb and a real HC/OC, and for that matter a real staff and a pretty decent roster. We still need a few pieces, but if we dont sniff the playoffs this year, something is wrong.

I did forget Fox, and I thought "dont crap on Wanny, he wasnt THAT bad" but you know what? Youre right. We have been a joke for a LONG LONG time.

To me this was Poles biggest failure. Now Im reading more support for the idea that the McCaskeys simply said that he couldn't fire a guy with 3 years left on his contract. If so, that shields Poles from that decision, but then it calls into question why he agreed to Eberflus in the first place. I understand he was under ridiculous pressure, having just been hired and your boss has a guy picked out for you. Maybe its too much to hope that Poles would have put the brakes on at that point. I also read this week that Caleb was trying to get out of going to the Bears pre draft until he met with Poles, and that Poles, Warren and Cunningham all told Caleb that they knew the Bears were a shit show, and they were working to change that. If I read between the lines, it's its a hunch more than a fact, that Poles may even have said something about Eberflus and the future. probably something like "listen Caleb, either he is going to make it work here, or we will find you coaches that can" whatever it was, after that meeting Caleb texted friends that he could work with the Bears. So it's hard to triangulate Poles' part in this - whoever's fault it was, Eberflus was another in a long line of disasters. Maybe the last one(s?) a McCaskey gets to make? Moving forward things do seem to be progressing now. But look at this list: Eberflus Nagy Trestman Jauron Waldron Getsy Loggains Gase Kromer TIce Shea Shoop Crowton What. The. Hell.

? There definitely was a story that the coaches werent preparing him properly with film study. We are talking about it now. Waldron and Eberflus were TERRIBLE. And unprofessional. And inept. And in over their heads. Frauds.

Yes he is saying they never watched film with him. Thats why it's a big story.

Yeah I agree, and also about knowing things by week 4 too. I do know that coaches dont watch tape with the players every time they watch tape. Like when they come in early, or leave late. But it's important that coaches watch tape with the QB relating to the weekly install each week. Even if a lot of it is the QB coach. But even still it can come down to Case and Caleb (and Tyson!) watching it together too. I think the Bears (and most or all NFL teams) have tremendous digital support staff. They can dial up plays that fit any filter immediately. "Show me every 3rd and more than 6 of the Vikings Defense for the last 4 weeks" for example. I would be shcoked if they didnt also have cutups digitally related to different concepts in the playbooks. So a player should be able to know that play X attacks middle zones, and then look at 2nd and 3rd down zone coverages from that defense to look for keys. My guess is that these cutups are already attached to the plays for that week. For a coach not to go through THAT with the player is incredible. There are some real clowns in the NFL. And we've employed a lot of them.

If you look at the feet, everyone needed three steps to break down, but he only needed two. He breaks at the top of his route like a twitchy WR. incidentally, this is what Keenan Allen did so well in his career, and what Kmet cant do. This is that twitch at the top of the route that gets guys open.

I am just floored that our coaches didnt watch film with Caleb. That's malpractice and it's stupid! I mean, it's your dream job in the NFL; head coach and Offensive Coordinator, and you have the first overall pick. How you do in that situation is gonna determine your NFL future. What in hell did you have to do that was so important that it didnt include hours of prep time for your QB? Explaining you offense vs. that weeks defense? It's INSANE. It is also true that QBs should watch a LOT more film than coaches have time for too. The QB coach should be there for some of it for sure, and if your team has a vet QB, it's their job too to teach the rookie how to watch film, and working together to find trends and such in the week's opponent. Case keenum is gonna be very helpful for Caleb in that way. And I think some people read all this to mean "oh you need help identifying cover 2?" and of course thats not it. It's about being clever and finding little tells and spacings in your opponent. You might think that in certain formations, the LB shades outside a bit more than average, and so you think "if I have Kmet on a slant on that play, like A, B, C & D in this weeks game plan, then I will be ready to expect that he will have superior body position inside" That's not football 101, it's noticing little details that give you small advantages in that week. It's the kind of thing where if you have multiple people looking at it, then each person sees different things. And the Coordinator is supposedly doing that too, scouting the opponents tendencies and matchups. So the game plan is supposed to have plays that are meant to exploit these expectations. So why in hell wouldnt you communicate that to your QB?? Show him the plays you have for the week along with some clips of WHY you chose them this week. What did the OC see? What will the QB look at? Sounds like Johnson is already doing a lot of that on the field. We dont have a weekly opponent now, so we are putting in the generic plays. BJ is explaining what each route is doing - how it gets open vs different coverages, or how it help put a defender in conflict, and how to read that etc. If you know WHY a play works, then it becomes a tool against defenses. If you just know the play and what to do, but not the reason behind it, then all you can do is read it in order, and not change your reads depending on what youre seeing, and how the play matches up to that. So yeah, BJ, Doyle, the QB coach and Keenum should be helping all of that and the film study all go together into one cohesive plan. Williams did pretty well last year without that, didnt he? Not to mention that we are hearing reports that multiple opponents coaching staffs actually laughed at us when reviewing our offensive tape for their defenses. Lining up in formations where you cause a couple players to be completely ineffective, running routes that dont compliment eachother, and making atorcious reads by the Ol in the running game. It should be really different this year. Is it possible we havent had a real football team here for decades? That we're gonna see something that looks tighter and more intentional than what we are used to? God dammit i am ready for it.

OK so here's a good one. Each of our running backs in a short pass drill. What you can clearly see here is how many steps it takes them to break their speed, and turn for the ball. So you see how they get off, break down, and then start up again and turn. Check out how efficient Monangai is. He is so strong it takes him fewer steps to break his route, and then his snap and turn is just lightning fast. You can just see the explosiveness. I'd also note the order they are doing the drill in - thats the current pecking order. Hilarious that Homer is above Monangai. Mon is coming for all of you! And I gotta say, if Monangai is a true stud, that's gonna make those trade downs and missed RB picks look that much better. Same with Trapilo. Hit on both of those, and any draft day criticism I have of the draft this year and the way Poles played the board vaporises. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1111420107694286

adam, incredible. Our passing woes are legendary. How can 5,059 be the franchise leader?! We have been so behind the curve, so backward. I sure hope it is our time now.

100% and of course that goes for every player on the roster, but for a first overall pick QB? Absolutely.

exactly. if this was still Eberflus, then I wouldnt be shocked if Williams was demanding a trade at this point. And that'd play poorly in the press, we'd all be mad, but I think it'd be understandable. I mean they didnt even watch film with him! I am still flabbergasted at that. How do you learn how to run an offense if they wont watch film with you and talk about how your plays work against different defenses your opponent plays?! It's CRAZY how bad Eberflus and Waldron were. But instead, it's Ben Johnson now, and I am pretty sure with the roster turnover, and the level of coaches that Caleb is VERY happy with the situation now. And all of this switches now, from external concerns to Caleb himself. The table is set, and it all comes back to how he plays now. Assuming we get the LT spot locked down, there are no excuses. And I expect Caleb to rise to the challenge, and the window for the Bears is now opening. And of course, we need to see it on the field! But the pieces should be in place.

it was from interviews with the author of the book, I think before the 2024 draft. It isnt a new statement from Caleb, just newly released to hype the book. As far as I know, he made peace with all of it before we drafted him. that's also what the book says, according to other excerpts this week. I agree if he said this now, that would be really dumb.

I have to give Poles points for being firm "We are going to draft you no matter what" The narrative was out there before the draft that he and his dad didnt want him playing in Chicago, and the book just expands on that, but youve got to figure by now Caleb and his dad are ecstatic about how it all turned out. Absolutely. Johnson sounds really good. Cant wait to see it on the field.

I don't blame Caleb at all. He was right. Eberflus and Waldron was a nightmare scenario. I mean they actually didnt watch film with him! To the point where the guy is fired by week ten. What an absolute shit show! And in the end, Caleb did it anyway. he was a man and took his situation, bad as it was. I've got nothing but respect for Caleb in this. People will try to say he was being arrogant, and not a team player. But knowing what we know now, Caleb was just right about it.

That's just what i get from having watched the games. In my opinion, he is a good player but not a great one, and he has not lived up to his potential. He HAS potential. if he improves a lot, then he will be great and all bets are off. But I haven't seen a great or special TE in Kmet.

Good ones - do you know what year they are from? Im not saying NEVER, Im saying not as a rule, not often enough. Anyway, one way or another, we will all see in time if Cole is on the team opening day of 2026. I just think it's more likely that he won't be.

Well what will happen to Kmet is definitely just my opinion - but that he has underperformed, and not put that kind of shaking a defender or making contested catches on tape is a fact. We can say he will (or wont) do those things better with better coaching and gameplan, but I never saw anything at the top of his route that was crisp or put fear in the heart of a DB or LB that was covering him? A TE is supposed to be a big guy who moves athletically. Hes a mismatch because he is a real WR, even if not a 4.4 speed, and he can use his big body to get open west coast style with body position, or with twitch at the top of his route (meaning, where he breaks) Kmet is big, but he hasnt really shown more athleticism for the position, in my opinion, than Wright would if he lined up at TE. Kmet is a big guy, but he isnt special running routes. All his catches are wide open in broken zones, or after Caleb is scrambling. I dont see Kmet as a threat in rhythm in the passing game.

OK, cool - it's just I usually say "thats why i think" or "it looks like" or some kind of qualifier. When you say "He is not going to be playing the inline TE role" it sounds like such a definitive statement, and it makes me think "well you dont know that" - I'll try to read those as opinion in the future. And in the case of Cole, I'm totally bendable. I do say hes a good player, and has a chance to play himself back into the light. It's not as definitive for me as it was when I started saying "Eberflus sucks 100% he needs to be fired" or something like that. THAT was just true, we all got there eventually.