BearFan PHX

So we just hired Al Harris (not that one!) from the Cowboys to be defensive pass coordinator. Seems to me you wouldnt be hiring assistants until you had your DC in place. Given that no signing has been announced, I think this adds some weight to the idea that Dennis Allen is already decided and agreed, and we are waiting for Rooney Rule fulfillment. otherwise, youd figure if they had chosen a DC it would be announced. No reason not to except the RR, and it's unlikely they are going to saddle and incoming DC with a hire he didnt agree to. Then again, it would be so Bears to do that? Still I think this lends some credence to the idea that Allen will be our DC, especially since we arent hearing hes having more interviews anywhere else?

I agree - I wonder if they mean defensive passing game EDIT: yup, I went and looked on the Vikings website and their TEs coach is also listed as passing game coordinator, so I guess this is defense against the pass, and not a defensive / offense hybrid position?

I agree, and you actually have a coach, Flores, suing the NFL to stop the Rooney rule, well I mean, i think he is suing to say every Rooney Rule interview has to be a real interview, but how can you mandate that or police it? Affirmative action was just discontinued this week, maybe it's time. But yeah, winning is everything, and no one is going to pass over whoever they think the best coach or player is because of race.

I can understand when there once was a need for it. To get people who werent getting chances in front of decision makers, and to give them a chance to meet them and get their name out there. When there were no and then very few successful black coaches. But now, you have Brian Flores actually suing the league because the Rooney Rule interviews he got, he claims were not serious interviews, but just to satisfy the rule. Which is crazy because the intent of the rule was to get people who wouldn't have gotten an interview a chance to meet. And it's not like Flores didn't get a head coaching job either. He DID. Now there are lots of great coaches in the league, and some may even feel that having a black coach gives them an advantage in dealing with players, of which more than half are black. The real damage with affirmative action type hiring, college acceptance etc is that it does two things. 1) if the candidate was already qualified, then it demeans them and people may suspect that they got some extra boost when in fact they would have gotten the job on their own merit, or into that college etc and 2) it may promote people who are not qualified to positions over their heads where they will not succeed, and fulfill racist stereotypes of not being good enough. FWIW, most people of any color are not good enough to be head coaches in the NFL, myself obviously included. For example, a large percentage of black students who are admitted to Harvard with lower SAT scores than the average white SAT scores at Harvard eventually drop out, while Black students who did have competitive SAT scores, not surprisingly, perform on average at the same level as their other race counterparts. And of course exceptional individuals will come in any color, sex etc. If we want to take a look at the quality of schools in poor areas to provide better competitive outcomes, that's great. But taking an 18 year old kid, who has the SATs they have, and just pretending they are more capable than they are doesnt help anyone. helping kids achieve so that they can get those SAT scores is awesome, but creating false outcomes that arent based on reality is a terrible idea. I understood the need for it at one time, now I feel like it diminishes the excellent candidates, and makes others, like Flores, feel like tokens. In a league where owners would sell their own grandmothers to win (are you listening Bears? lol) I don't think racism is really an issue in the hiring of coaches anymore. The Rooney rule is not helping anyone at this point in my opinion.

i thought it was 2 for HC and 1 for coordinators, but i could well be wrong EDIT: just googled, so yes you are right. Hopefully this means Allen is coming to Chicago.

I guess we have asked to interview two other defensive coaches. The Rams' defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, and the Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones. Both candidates are black, and I haven't heard any more rumors about Dennis Allen interviewing anywhere else. Each of these guys is a legitimate candidate to interview (unlike, say, Eddie George) each coming from good defenses and being well thought of. But with the silence around Allen, I can't help but wonder if these are Rooney rule interviews. FWIW, for a coordinator's spot it only takes one interview to satisfy the Rooney rule, and also, the Vikings have not agreed to let Jones interview, at least not yet. Also Aubrey Pleasant hasn't interviewed yet either, so Jones could be a back upcontingency, or an attempt to get inside info on the Vikings too. All this to say that this silence doesn't mean Allen is out of the running, and maybe the Rooney rule is the reason for the silence/delay in the absence of info about Allen being active elsewhere?

Hmm - heavy on the back end, no experience with either on the DL.

yes, and Caleb will be downright dangerous if he grows like he should under Johnson. I think youre right that Caleb knows it, and wants it. And Johnson will not be shy.

I hear ya. Like I siad, I have no opinion on the players this year yet. I was just responding to the idea of taking LT in the top 10 generically, but yes over drafting someone is a big mistake, especially if they end up at OG.

yeah, like I said, I have zero opinion right now about specific players in this draft, and generically speaking, if it is as I read that there are no slam dunk top 10 OTs, then a trade down makes a ton of sense this year. Of course there is edge rusher to look at too, and if you are going to trade down, you need a team that wants to move up, but if a great WR or CB falls to #10, that seems like a good move for us to trade down there. Especially because, again speaking generically, good OL can historically be found in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

LT is a premium position. I'm not saying any LT in this draft class is worthy of a top ten pick, I havent done any of my research yet, but premium LTs often go in the top 5. They say QB, Edge, and LT are the three most important positions on the field. The QB because he is the QB, the edge because he tackles the QB and the LT because he blocks the edge from tackling the QB But Im not saying anything about this particular class, just the position.

yes, thats a big deal, ask Eric Bienemy. If he was sure he wanted to come here, he'd probably have signed already, so I think there is something to the idea he is looking elsewhere - but nothing is done until it's done, youre right about that.

LOL

amen. look at us agreeing all the time

well he is getting a second interview at Seattle, so it's unclear at the very least. Too bad, because after what i saw from the Lions, I really trust Fraley. A great OL coach is necessary, and hopefully Ben Johnson can identify a great one and persuade him to come here.

I like everything Johnson said in the interviews, but I am also seeing why I (wrongly!) thought he wasnt alpha. Im not saying he isnt, because i now believe he is intense and demanding of his players, and alpha in those situations, but sitting down talking interviews, he does have a gentler more corporate vibe. And thats fine. It doesnt make me think less of him, its appropriate and fine. It's just that he doesnt always exude that leadership vibe the way he did when he was talking to Halas Hall for example. You meet Vrabel in a gas station, and youll know his meatheaded competitiveness instantly. Johnson seems to turn it on when it's needed, which is probably even better. but it's why I think I didn't see it early. Anyway, I'm excited to see where he can take us. I hope he, Poles and Fraley (if we land him!) are able to identify OL talent and fix our front quickly. Cant wait to see what we look like.

yes! my worries about him being too cerebral and corporate seem to be completely wrong. I loved him saying that. It's true that he isn't a meathead like Vrabel or Campbell. You can see their control coming a mile away. But Johnson has a McVey or Shanahan kind of alpha, and that was harder to see based on all the YouTube videos I could find etc. But now, it is much easier for me to see who he is. I am extremely happy. what a great time for us.

sanity speaking.

he did, and my worries were more with his style of toughness, which I am happy to say, the more I hear and see, the more I am convinced arent going to be a problem. No one can predict the future, but this sure does look like a home run.

This is all well said. I do think that Johnson, and if he brings the OL coach from the Lions to be the OC here, will be able to help Poles identify the right talent. That's in the draft, in free agency, and as much as it scares me, from our current roster. Lots of OL players that have sucked for us have gone on to become good players on other teams. Maybe someone we have will be identified and developed. One thought, and Im not saying this is a good idea per se, but if Johnson does then it is (lol) might be to move Wright to LT. I dont want to debate that here, because I would be debating against it myself, Im just noting it as the kind of thing that incoming professionals might see. Or maybe Bill Murray is excellent. etc etc. From my standpoint, Wright is good at RT and the rest suck. But players Ive been happy to see go have gone on to be good elsewhere, so if the incoming guys identify someone we already have, then great. But either way they will help find players in free agency and the draft too. Also, I would recommend using this draft value chart rather than the Jimmy Johnson one. It has been derived from all the trades that were accepted since the JJ chart came out, and better fits the actual league and what they do? https://www.drafttek.com/NFL-Trade-Value-Chart-Rich-Hill.asp?RequestTeam=chi

I think this is all very well said. I agree with everything you said about Caleb. I'd add this too - the playoffs showed how interceptions can send you home. That Caleb threw so few of them, even though he was also maybe over careful with the ball, says a lot of good going into the future. I also think that he was seeing perfect textbook zones in practice, and that in games the defense was looking more chaotic. With a new DC, and hopefully that is Allen, Caleb will see a lot more dirty looks in practice and that's gonna help too. But more than anything, a real OL, a run game and Johnson's guidance should elevate him far beyond what we've seen this past season. It's a good time to be a Bears fan.

for sure - he was soooo corny, and he didnt hold anyone accountable.

Oh for sure, time will tell. Right now the Commanders are kicking our ass. No doubt about that! I also think the Commanders would have taken Caleb if they had the #1 pick as well. But the future needs to be won, there are no guarantees, and until Caleb does it, he hasnt done it, thats for sure. Hopefully Johnson shows us what is possible.

Totally agree. Here's a highlight film of Daniels' big plays against the Lions. Watch his head. He doesn't look off safeties, he doesn't turn his head to make second reads. Kingsbury has given him an amazing system that works. I assume Daniels is making presnap reads, because eveyone is always so open. But you see him lock in on the WR he is going to throw to. The one exception (and I saw 2 in the whole game) is at 1:28 when he comes to Ertz at the goalline for the touchdown. Here he definitely makes a second read. But 90%+ of the time, he is throwing to his first read. And it is working. All I'm saying is that Kingsbury is doing a great job, and I haven't seen Daniels look off safeties or make reads like most NFL QBs have to do, and that makes me wonder where Daniels would be without Kingsbury. THe film is only a couple minutes long, so it's an easy watch. You have to click on the "watch on youtube" link tho - it wont play here embedded.

That's what I thought - good news! Also to our other thread about Daniels - I've been happy here to say I was wrong about my worries about Johnson as new info has come in!