jason

Notice I never said his players didn't love him. They did. I think Lovie is likely a great man, in terms of fellowship, and he's able to get players to buy into his program. But it's a helluva lot easier to do when you walk into a ready-made defense with Urlacher, Briggs, Tillman and several other solid players.

I see what you're saying, but I think FOMO kicks in at that point. Teams who want Player X would be worried that another team has that same QB as #1 above all others, and terrified a rival would attempt to trade in front of them to steal their guy.

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!😆😆😆😆 That's such a horrible contract. If you compare what he did/does to Sanborn or a dozen other lower round draft pick LBs, there is a difference, but not a difference that makes such a contract remotely acceptable.

Any properly functioning franchise has the GM and HC tied at the hip. They should have very similar philosophical approaches to team building. If a GM provides the picks and the HC chooses to play clock-control-offense, then the HC isn't doing his job.

He wasn't the scapegoat. He was the source of most problems. He was horrible at game management, horrible at clock management, ignored offense, ignored offensive line even more, subpar at drafting (we all know he was involved), thought he was smarter defensively compared to his DC, made nearly no game time adjustments, and only succeeded because he walked into a defensive roster that had a perfect-fit-once-a-generation-talent HOF'er (Urlacher) playing alongside another defensive stud who is a fringe HOF candidates (Briggs) and a uniquely skilled DB (Tillman) perfectly suited for the bend-don't-break-emphasize-turnover philosophy. And if it weren't for the fluky 2006 season (Devin Hester selection & 5 return TDs, the "crown their ass"-game, etc.) then Lovie likely would have been fired even earlier.

If that happens, someone call my wife and tell her to take me to cardiology.

😄 Likewise. It finally happened. Although, that's only part of my dream: Tankathon GM trades down and stockpiles picks like the '90s Cowboys GM drafts 99% from dominant programs in major conferences (i.e. no Trubisky types) GM focuses draft/FA strategy on OL/DL. The cornerstone of the team. It's time to pick/acquire these positions until there are zero holes. GM deprioritizes LB & RB in draft. Those dudes can be found later way more often. **Cough** Kwiatkowski **Cough** Sanborn GM tells HC to join the 21st Century and prioritize passing & pass blocking. I love watching Fields take off, but I'd rather see him around for 15 years throwing for 4K a year.

I like him a lot, but all the whispers about being better suited for OG (i.e. short arms) worry me. I'd honestly rather pass on him, get more picks, and get Paris Johnson.

I hate the idea of giving up on yet another TE. And, yes, I'm including Shaheen; that cat never even got a real chance...just thrown into a messy mix. Kmet is doing very well. Drafting another TE to actually compete would be counter-productive in several ways. It's not remotely a need. This roster is barren, and y'all want to draft a TE because Kmet is not producing like Gronk, even though the Bears have the worst passing offense in the NFL? Kmet is not underperforming; he just lacks targets. Kmet got about 80 targets each of the last two years, and Kelce averaged about 140 targets each of the last six years. Bump Kmet's targets and stomp into top 5 TE in the league territory. Kmet is better than you think. Of the top ten TEs by targets, he is third in catch percentage (.724) behind Engram (.744) and Njoku (.725). It would take reps away from Kmet who is building familiarity and cohesion with the franchise QB. It would insert a rookie into the mix to "figure things out" (see Shaheen's entire career) It creates a multi-headed TE scenario which almost never works other than Gronk and Hernandez (see the last ten years of Chicago Bears football trying out multiple headed monster TE scenarios. Y'all remember Evan Rodriguez?) It wastes draft capital on a team in desperate need of just about every other position. Just say no to drafting another TE.

Love the trades, but don’t love the draft. That’s 100% the strategy that should be used.

And then trade back again and stay mid first round. If this hand is played correctly, it could be franchise changing.

That was the best thing Lovie Smith has ever done for the Chicago Bears! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

I don't like any mock that ignores OT and/or OG. There absolutely, positively has to be more OL focus if the Bears are going to protect their franchise player.

If Poles were smart, he'd use 2 of the first 3 on OL. There is nothing more important in this franchise than Justin Fields. He needs to be protected at all costs.

I'm not against winning, obviously. I'm opposed to a team that's perpetually around .500. I just think this team is too far away to use one draft, even if there are a few really good FAs. This team needs two drafts with early picks, or some amazing trade down scenarios this year that stockpile picks. Otherwise, there is just enough improvement to become mediocre and get a default draft pick in the mid-teens.

This team sucks in multiple areas, but has enough talent to surprise opponents. Several games were close. A few breaks here or there and this team is easily around .500. However, being around .500 every year is eventually what got Lovie fired. Nobody wants that again. So, the team needs to pull off a Herschel Walker trade IMO. But how much is too much? On the PFF Draft Simulator, I got the following: #2 for Detroit's #4, #18, #49 (2nd) #4 for Pittsburgh's #13, #33 (2nd), and a 2024 RD2 pick #13 for NYJet's #17, #48 (2nd) That's two 1st round picks and a whopping four 2nd round picks, not to mention the extra pick in 2024. This is the draft I ended up with even though I spent very little time analyzing. After looking at the possibilities and the players available, I want the Bears to trade down 2-3 times into the middle of the first and stock-pile picks. There are 7-8 starters in this bunch. 1:17-Paris Johnson, T, OSU - Suddenly Justin Fields' best friend 1:18-Jordan Addison, WR, USC - Prototypical slot burner 2:33-O'Cyrus Torrence, G, UF - Many say he's the top G; starts immediately 2:48-Will McDonald, DE, ISU - Very sudden, great energy 2:49-Mike Morris, DE, UM - Boom/Bust 2:56-Gervon Dexter, DT, UF - Slow off the snap, but basically an anchor 3:65-Bo Nix, QB, OU - Firm believer in QB every year, and Nix has pedigree/upside 4:97-Daiyan Henley, LB, WSU - I really like this guy. Versatile, inside or outside IMO 5:129-Olusegun Oluwatimi, C, UM - Cool name; Outland/Rimington Trophy winner 5:143-Henry To'o To'o, LB, UA - Sort of shocked he was here; this is suspect (huge steal obv) 6:161-Deuce Vaugh, HB, KSU - Dude is explosive, regardless of size 6:181-Starling Thomas, CB, UAB - BPA and a CB to boot 7:193-Ryan Greenhagen, LB, Fordham - My favorite sleeper of the draft, had 30 tackls against Nebraska.

Bingo. Upgrading the team enough to perpetually be 9-7 or 10-6 with a 1st / 2nd round playoff exit is short-sighted. The Bears need a lot more players than just one or two. It's time to play chess instead of checkers and think a few moves ahead.

Answering other than "TRADE DOWN" is insanity, especially after watching the Lions dismantle the Bears.

I don't think HOF status relates to that series necessarily. If someone has an interesting story, then that's all that matters. Edelman is 5-foot-nothing, looks like the least intimidating guy to ever lace up cleats, played QB at a community college before playing QB at Kent State, and proceeded to absolutely take wet, corn shits on NFL DBs for 6-7 years of a 10+ year career as a receiver.

As always, for the past 30 years or so, this franchise ignores the OL. They think a bunch of Sam Mustiphers are good enough as long as a few talent positions are good. Wrong. Wrong as it has been for decades. And this year there is the added bonus of no DL either. Trade down from the #1/#2. Trade down again. The one player are #5 or #10 isn’t enough. Stockpile picks. A bunch of 2nd and 3rd rounders would be great after a late 1st rounder. Draft OL, DL, and WR over and over again.

I was at the game. Takeaways: 1. Fields is exciting. It feels like when Hester used to get the ball. The stadium gets energized. 2. Fields missed seeing multiple open receivers. Either he is still struggling with reading defenses, or they were further down the line of progressions. 3. Holy crap is this DL bad. Most GB games I’m convinced they get away with a ton of holds, but they really didn’t need to today. Still saw a few that should have been holds, but primarily the DL had no prayer. 4 Montgomery is still one of the most underrated RBs in the league. He’s making chicken salad out of chickensh*t. OL still a need. 5. The Bears have the #2 pick, and now more than ever I think they need to trade down. This game was near perfect: basically won the whole game, should have, then lost. The Bears need so many positions, and trading back to hopefully pick up another 2nd and more could be huge since the team needs are essentially everything except QB and 2-3 other spots. **Love Sanborn. He was involved in everything.

Several times during the Lovie years, we saw pointless wins that allowed the team to misleading hope, while simultaneously submarining any chance of stockpiling draft capital that helps build franchises. The team has hovered around .500 year after year since 2000. Since 2000, believe it or not, the team has an average of 7.9 wins per season. Of the 22 seasons, 12 have been +/- 2 wins of .500. That's treading water; it's not building a franchise. For 30+ years I have heard about how the meaningless wins help in some way, whether it be cohesion, camaraderie, or confidence. But for the Bears, that doesn't appear to hold true. That's why I think this year is so perfect. The team is deceptively better than their record and stats show. They are hanging in games, showing true offensive spark, and all the while losing. Theoretically, this should bear fruit and build the franchise, which is a refreshing angle the Bears really haven't shown for 20+ years. It's also probably creating a desire in players, because they realize they are closer than others believe. Side note: There have been a few anomalies during the last 22 years. 2002: A 4-12 season gave the Bears the 4th pick, and they traded back to pick Michael Haynes🤢 and Rex Grossman😑. Ignore that many others called for a WR or OL for Shoop's horrible offense. Hey, at least the Bears got Tillman🥜 and Briggs. 2005: The team was starting to turn into a monster because of a collection of defensive talent. Looking back, we didn't realize what we had. Urlacher, Briggs, Tillman, Brown, Harris, Hillenmeyer, Vasher, Ogunleye. Wow!😲 2006: That collection of players all fit together to build a historic defense, and a wild card pick in Devin Hester turned into the best returner ever🐐. Truly magical season, but misleading because absolutely everything went right that season, and collapsed afterwards (i.e. 7-9, 9-7, 7-9). 2010: The Julius Peppers boost🙄. His signing was thought to be the difference maker, and there was new life on defense. Then that NFC Championship game against GB took our soul. 2018: Nearly a 2006 repeat in terms of magic. We all knew it was a fluke because of Nagy's flaws, but it was an incredible ride. The Khalil Mack trade! Roquan Smith was a great pick. Eddie Goldman played 16 games for the only time of his career. Prince Amukamara played arguably the best season of his career. Kyle Fuller and Eddie Jackson had 7 INTs & 6 INTs, respectively, and the only All Pro seasons of their career. Again, unsustainable fortune like 2006.

I'm a huge fan. There is a little HS team in AL called Fyffe that's been crushing teams for years by running the Double Wing. The offense comes from Tim Murphy, who is a legend in many ways. It may not 100% translate to the NFL because of player speed, but I think there are too many prima donna, soft tackling players in the NFL more concerned with trying to punch the ball or strip it versus plugging a hole 75 times a game just in case the back that slams into that hole every play has the ball. https://www.al.com/sports/2018/12/forget-the-fun-n-gun-fyffe-wins-with-fun-to-run-offense.html

So essentially the Bears traded Roquan for Claypool, and got a 5th round kicker. I feel like overall that’s a loss because I feel like Claypool is good (not great) and Roquan is elite.

That's one of the several reasons why it makes so much sense to trade back. Especially this year.