jason

LOL. Freudian slip. Probably because they never did for Fields what they should do for Williams.

No. The Bears can go without a 1st round WR with other holes to fill and a draft deep in WRs.

I’m 100% fine with drafting what you believe to be an all pro OG in the first round. I pay car, property, and life insurance. Same concept. You get insurance for the things that are most important. And if the insurance costs more than you’d like, you accept that since it protects the thing that’s actually important, and worth FAR more than what you’re paying on insurance. If Fuaga comes into camp with cauliflower ears, a neck as thick as his head, and a willingness to bite off an opponent’s testicles to save Williams, then IDGAF that an OG is drafted in the first. The message should be universal: PROTECT WILLIAMS (not Fields) AT ALL COSTS

I would LOOOOOVE that. The Bears need to protect Williams at all cost. OL must be addressed EVERY SINGLE YEAR until he’s virtually untouchable.

Agree. I don’t want to hear any BS about being a rookie since he’s so generational and far superior to everyone else in the draft. Furthermore, you don’t drop Fields for 50 cents on the dollar when he showed significant improvement despite being on an offense with several noticeable holes, UNLESS the guy you’re getting is a drastic improvement. Add in the changes and improvement, as well as another first round impact player, and anything less then 10 wins is a disappointment.

This is why the Bears should draft all offense this year. Focus absolutely everything on protecting the franchise player and providing him with superior weapons.

Preach. The OL sucked and there was only one pro WR. I’m tired of people acting like one move is enough for the offense to succeed. There needs to be a perpetual, yearly attempt to improve on offense, to make the franchise player as comfortable as possible, to give him the best OL and WRs in the NFL. Anything else is putting donut tires on a Lambo.

Third “time” in a row. They didn’t go all in with Trubisky, and Trubisky was a bust. They didn’t focus on offense with Fields, and he never reached potential. If they don’t transform the organization from a defensive-minded franchise to an offensive-minded franchise, where they focus on offense like Lovie focused on his drafting safeties, then Williams or any other rookie QB will be a bust.

Honestly, at this point if the Bears aren’t focusing 99.99% of the draft on protecting Williams and providing him with weapons, then it’s going to be the same thing for the third time in a row.

I don’t think I believe that. I think it has more to do with Poles getting “his guy,” and not the guy from the previous regime. Or probably it’s about finances? Or maybe even the whole Williams is a “can’t miss, generational”-prospect (which I don’t believe). We also don’t know what other teams contacted the Bears, but there is no way he’s thought of lower than some of the scrubs who have been signed.

Hell no. Calm down Kevin Costner.

Horrible value. Better to keep him as insurance, and see if the new QB can beat him out.

I don’t buy that. All the draft pundits change their minds after getting their panties moist during the regular season. By the end of the year they’ll have 3-4 they think are “sure fire starters,” and maybe one that’s a “generational talent.”

My opinion on this is, it paints a pretty clear picture that Fields stays as QB. Allen counts for $23M against the cap (correct me if wrong) Guess who's an UFA after 2024? Keenan Allen Teven Jenkins Larry Borom Khari Blasingame Fields has one more year under rookie numbers before a huge payday After the trade the Bears have FOUR PICKS in the 2024 draft, which doesn't fit Poles' message of building through the draft 1.1 1.9 3.75 4.124 Everything above points to a make-or-break year for Fields in 2024, where they'll trade the #1 pick, acquire more than 4 measly picks, load up on talent, likely add starters at OL and WR, then say to Fields, "Time for you to earn your next contract and take us deep into the playoffs." If Fields fails, then the draft talent is there in 2025 with a year of experience, Keenan Allen's money is off the books, they'll have extra picks from this year's trade, at least the offensive side of the ball is wiped clean, and it'll be time for the inevitably new coaching staff to draft for their future.

YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS

That’s all fair, but I just don’t think it’s a sure enough bet to go for Williams. He has numerous red flags, his teammates apparently didn’t like him, he was significantly worse against good competition, he held the ball longer than Fields, his teams didn’t win in a weak ass PAC12, he often ignores his check downs for home run balls, multiple people think the LSU kid is better, the “experts” and “pundits” aren’t in unison on him, and I hate the idea of starting over yet again. Mark my words: If the Bears draft Williams, the overall team morale will suffer because the locker room wants Fields (shades of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson), his development will be hampered by a horrible pass-blocking OL, he will underperform, the HC will get fired, they’ll burn through a window where FA talent wants to come to Chicago, that will lead to a drop in team quality, and the Bears will be back in this same position in 2027.

????

Neither of our scenarios is guaranteed. You increase odds by creating a good team that consistently makes the playoffs and threatens for the SB every year. It’s more realistic to build a team, create the culture, sustain excellence, and get to the big dance a few times a decade if you’re lucky. Otherwise you’re making “very good” the enemy of “perfect,” and ruining a good team every 4 years in search of virtually unattainable perfection.

Disagree. You’re making it like there is one lottery ticket. The #1 might be the Powerball winner, but the odds aren’t great. Having multiple tickets increases the odds of hitting that Powerball. And even if you don’t hit the Powerball, which is extremely rare anyway, having multiple tickets increases the odds of getting a few of those million dollar tickets. Several of the million dollar tickets can deliver the win.

Your analogy is understood, but not ideal. More picks means more chance at success. It’s fact. Take it to the extreme and give a team every first round pick. They’d certainly have several successes and some busts. But if 10 first round picks every year are all pros, odds are better of getting one if you have more picks.

Thanks. I was going to post this. Dude had pressure roughly 50% of drop backs. League average is 35%. No wonder his accuracy isn't perfect. No wonder he holds onto the ball sometimes. Side note: I would argue some of the stats are skewed because Fields is able to run and evade the pressure. Trade the #1. Stockpile picks. Build around the team leader.

Short answer: More high picks means better odds of more positions being filled with potentially better players. Long answer: Grabbing a QB at #1 means less day 1-2 picks, less future draft capital, and gambling three years of the franchise on a 50/50 roll of the dice who has numerous red flags and is not the unanimous best QB of the draft class, while filling other positions with known lesser quantities (it’s pure salary cap math at that point). Additionally it means trashing a QB who, while he may not be on track for the HOF at this point, is solid, electrifying at times, and appears to be a clubhouse leader with near universal support, despite the glaringly obvious team issues hindering his potential progression (coaching carousel, bad OL, bad offensive weapons until DJ).

The ferocious debate on this kills me. There are people from every level - former GMs and personnel people all the way down to garden variety fans - who have differing opinions on Williams. Highly respected people thought Fields was a can’t miss prospect. Well, his detractors now say that was a mistake while simultaneously believing in the same “experts” who are already putting Williams in the HOF. The fact is, however, that ANY AND EVERY college QB transitioning to the NFL is an unknown. Meanwhile, Fields supporters aren’t going off of unknowns. We have seen his glimpses. The arm strength. The spectacular play ability. The incredible running addition. The obvious rapport and leadership with teammates. And we have also literally seen him play behind a subpar OL, with multiple train wreck coaches at varying positions, and a single WR who opponents fear. Given all the red flags, and complete unknown, the smart play is to go with what we know and build a team, not take another risk and keep a team full of holes.

I’d argue the proof is questionable. Multiple people have broken down and shown where he has serious flaws reading defenses and holding the ball forever. But since he played in the weak ass PAC-Whatever, every team pretty much gets 30 points by default. And that doesn’t even touch on the topic of why he has huge stats against bad teams, but his production drops when he plays decent-good teams. Arm talent? Sure, elite. Big plays? Yep. Game play question marks? Also yes.

I would do research before asking stupid questions about circumventing the CBA and having ownership in a team. I’d also advise my son to take part in medical, and participate in the combine. I also would have told him to skip the nail polish and Cam Newton outfits. To me those are all red flags. You can dismiss them at your discretion, but where there is smoke there is fire. He and his camp are doing almost everything wrong when it comes to the extracurriculars, and that should be concerning to the Bears, because either he actually is a huge risk, or his camp is attempting to throw the Bears off the scent. Either way, it’s an issue.