BearFan2000

Honestly, I think this is the right thing to do. If they were to come down with a judgment less than a week before the draft involving picks, would punish the Falcons and Eagles, but, the ripple effect on the rest of the league's draft boards would be unfair to the rest of the league. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't involve draft picks in next year's draft and/or other consequences for the upcoming season.

This last week or so it's been hard to contain my excitement. I don't remember being this stoked for an NFL draft in a long time. I was originally in the keep Justin camp for multiple reasons. I will always have high respect for Justin, I wish him well, and believe that in the right system he can excel. After the trade I felt like a huge weight was lifted because now we knew 100% we were going to draft a QB. Part of me was bummed about the trade, but the greater part of me was glad that situation was resolved and we could move on. I've since embraced the true rarity of the situation we find ourselves in. #1 overall pick in a draft where the is a clear consensus #1 QB in the draft, we also have a 2nd top 10 pick, and we have the offensive roster to provide a unique ideal landing spot for a QB touted as highly as Caleb is. This draft represents the potential to be a franchise altering draft. For us long suffering Bears fans this could be the first step towards the Bears not only returning to glory, but having sustained success like we haven't seen since the 80's and hopefully do what those teams failed to do and win multiple super bowls.

Agree with this. I'd rather stay put at #9 or move down a little if multiple guys we like are there at #9. If we did trade up I'd rather do it for a potentially generational talent at a position of higher need. Moving up to get MHJ especially if it requires our next years 1st, to me is too rich a price to give up for what would be essentially a luxury pick. Like you if we did move up at all I'd rather it be for someone like Alt. Let's say for the sake of argument 4 of the top 9 picks will be QBs. That leaves 4 non quarterbacks taken ahead of us at 9. Likely at least 2 of those 4 would be WR's (MHJ, Malik, or Rome). Alt will be in there some where along with possibly Turner or Bowers. We could stay at 9 and possibly end up with one of the top 3 WR's, Turner, Fuaga, etc. Moving up for Alt would cost us less because we wouldn't have to move up as high.

Taking Caleb at #1 seems inevitable at this point. I would be surprised if Poles did anything but stay put at #1 and take Williams. I've had my concerns about him. I was in the keep Fields camp but at the same time for me it always boils down to what's best for the team and wanting to see the Bears succeed. I could see both sides of it of the trade or keep discussion. Poles did what he felt was best for the teams future, and Justin's as well. What I think it boils down to is Justin at 3 years in still represents potential, all the talent in the world, but results haven't been there, and on the other hand you have the #1 overall pick that we can use to take Caleb Williams who represents potential but also resets the QB contract clock. Either option has both potential to succeed or fail. So I believe it came down to do we stick with Fields for year 4 and see if he turns the corner and becomes what we've hoped he would? Do we trade him, and draft a Rookie with the first overall pick who has the potential to be that franchise QB we've been looking for. What's different for the Bears this offseason than other teams in the past with the #1 pick is that we weren't desperate for a QB where we would feel the pressure to take one regardless of whether there was a consensus #1 or whether there was a group of meh. Both options were on the table for us. Poles made a point to upgrade the talent on the offensive side of the ball so that whether we kept Justin or drafted Caleb whoever was the QB1 next year they would have better talent and coaching around them to succeed. Now that it's all but a done deal baring something damning coming out our QB1 next year will be Caleb Williams. I've had my concerns about him and I know I'm not alone here on the board. But good or bad we aren't there in meetings with him, we weren't there on the sidelines with him, or in the huddle. Sometimes red flags turn out to be red herrings. What I do know is there is a lot about this situation that is unique. Usually a consensus #1 like Williams goes to a team that is really bad, and were it not for last year's trade he'd be a Carolina Panther this coming season. I can't think of a better landing spot than what we have here in Chicago to start a career. He is set up to succeed here. He's not walking into a situation where he has to be the hero, he will be surrounded by proven talent. Something we've not been able to say about any Bears rookie QB who was drafted to be the franchise guy.

Poles is both in an enviable position and an unenviable position. Enviable because I’m sure 31 other GMs would love to be in a position to either take a QB like Williams or Maye and trade JF, trade the #1 for a haul and surround JF with more talent, or even traded the #1, and use our other 1st to acquire a QB to sit behind Fields and or compete for the starting job, etc. Literally so many options he could pursue. It’s also unenviable because what he decides to do and how that decision plays out will either make or break his future. I can only imagine the pressure and I am so glad I’m just a fan hoping that whatever he decides works out for my team. I can have all kinds of opinions on what I might do without consequences.

Shanahan got ultra conservative in the second half. He was calling the game not to lose. It's not like they were up by a lot, the Chiefs are not a team you can get a small lead on and just coast. The decision to take the ball to start overtime was a big mistake. With the overtime rules the way they are I would much rather put my defense out there, and see you get a stop, then all you need is a FG, or if they get a FG you know a TD wins it, and if they get a TD you know you need to score a TD to keep the game going. By taking the ball and having to settle for a FG you just set the Chiefs and Mahomes up to tie or win the game, and that's not a position I'd like to be in where now you have to hold Mahomes out of the end zone for even a shot at winning. Heard somewhere that the 49er's are claiming they didn't know the overtime rules. Which is dumb it was literally explained to them, and even if the rules hadn't changed the scenario that played out would still net the same result.

Winning consistently is the only way to get on the map when it comes to national sports media and rankings. We as fans know we are set up for a jump in that category. Even with the position we are in you have to admit from the outside looking in I can understand how sports media in general are more willing to hedge their bets that the Bears will find a way to screw it up and continue to be on the wrong side of the win column. Till you do it consistently against good and bad teams alike they won't buy it. Even as a fan I'm excited but in the back of my mind is that hope that they turn the Bears around. We've suffered long, and have the rug pulled out from under us enough that at least some level of skepticism is warranted. This is probably the most important offseason for the Bears in a long long time. Who knows if/when we'll ever be in this kind of position again.

It's truly heartbreaking to see how McMicheal has deteriorated from this horrible disease of ALS. Once larger than life, now barely living. He deserved this honor for a long time for the impact he had on the game! That makes me angry for him that only now when he's not got long left to live does he finally get in to the HOF. This will always to me be a too little, too late recognition. Props to Hester, what he did will likely never be repeated, especially as they continue to neuter the return game. He was electric, and made it look effortless. Teams literally tried to adjust their kicking game to avoid kicking it to him. He was a one man momentum swing. Who knows how much higher that record could have been had we not had the "make Hester our #1 WR" experiment.

Man what a collapse in the second half. Detroit absolutely blew it against SF. I was rooting for the Lions as I know their fan base has suffered a lot, even more than we have. This was probably their best chance to finally get to a Super Bowl and they collectively blew it. Going for it on 4th down, I know that's Campbell's style and his players know he's going to be aggressive on 4th down, but seriously, when things are going south, and your in FG territory trailing in a game you lead by 17, maybe start doing the smart thing and taking the points and not risk putting your opponent in great field position and continuing let them have the momentum. That said the players do have to execute, on one of the 4th downs they had an easy first down that was flat dropped. To me it just goes to situational football. They could not get the offense on track at all outside of one late last ditch drive which even though they got the TD, they blew it with that run play and needing to burn a TO. First half they pretty much had their way, and about everything they did was working. Second half their backs and receivers couldn't catch a cold. The plays were there to be made they just didn't make them. All in all a tough way to lose in the NFC Title game. A loss like that will either haunt Detroit or drive them to get back.

Here's the thing about Flus reportedly defending Fields. Breer states it "as he understands it". Breer wasn't in these interviews, context and what was actually said matters more than someone speculating on something someone else said. Let's be careful taking someone's assumption based on second hand information as fact. I'm guessing he may have asked some questions of some of the candidates that he then extrapolated from the answers he got. Truth is we don't know what was said or not said in the interview. His choice of the word "defend" could be to stir the pot because it implies Fields was attacked or disrespected in the interviews. Comments in the interview could have been constructive criticism or mention of things he would need to improve on. I highly doubt it went down like the candidates said "Fields sucks get rid of him" and Flus was like "no, you're going to keep Fields because of xyz. Keep in mind sports writers and media in general thrive on conflict, stirring the pot, and riling people up. Truth is Breer doesn't know, we don't know, only those in the interviews know the details and context of what was said or talked about. I have no doubt that everyone we interviewed has interest and ideas of how they would call an offense if we took Williams at #1. They probably also had to consider what their offense would look like if we kept Fields, traded the #1 and added talent with the haul we'd get for the pick. Because in reality both options are available to the Bears this draft season. It could also be that they went with Waldron because he had the best plans for either direction Poles goes in the draft.

There were multiple teams willing to give up a decent amount for Wilson, there was a lot of hype about him coming to Denver and turned out to be a disaster. If we go the vet route I'd rather look elsewhere than Wilson. Dude's on the back end of his career and his best is in the rear view.

When looking at these different big board mocks I wonder how many put Williams at #1 because they truly believe he should be the first overall pick or because they are simply following the hype. If we do move on from Justin and look to draft one I have my concerns about Williams.

The three blind mice would be an upgrade from Getsy

This was my initial thought on this. Who brain is better to pick in evaluating Williams than the dude that worked directly with him. It's smart to interview Kliff. He would have insight into Williams behind the scenes beyond what we see on the field or off it. The interview serves a dual purpose. We all know this OC search centers around Fields vs Rookie (Williams, Maye, etc.). Which Coordinator has the best plan to solve the Bears offense in 2024. I'm sure he's listening to thoughts on both sides of that coin. Another thought I've had is it's possible we're not just interviewing to scout OC, but also offensive assistant coach candidates. Maybe there's a guy we liked but didn't feel he was the right fit at OC but think he'd make a good assistant in this guy or that guy's offensive staff. It could even be that some of the candidates we are interviewing are guys a candidate suggested we talk to that they themselves would have in mind as an assistant.

We knew Cunningham would likely leave at some point, it'd be nice if we could keep him another year but it's not really a surprise that he's getting offers.

Williams gives me a bit of a Manzel vibe.

Rivera is a name that popped in my mind as well for DC. Letting him go after the Super Bowl season was a mistake but I think it was an ego thing with Lovie. Ron knows this D and he was aggressive as well as creative in how he called it and tailored it to the talent we had. OC I like the idea of Reich, his experience would do well. I don't want another first time OC. I want someone who's done it before and understands how to setup plays and won't call plays like they think they are the smartest man in the room and think they can outsmart people rather than do what's smart. Someone who knows what it means to adjust as the game dictates rather than just be stubborn and keep calling what's not working.

I am hoping this is the case, and that the Bears open to what ever is best for the team and not already decided one way or another and thus only looking at OC's that are willing to accept conditions like that. We're in a unique situation where draft wise we can go either direction so keeping or moving on from Justin are equally possible outcomes. The smart thing is to look for the best candidates and find out what their plan or preference would be. Use that to inform your decision on which OC has the best plan and once hired it becomes about executing that plan. We are in year 2 of what was stated as possibly being a 3-4 year rebuild, and here after year 2 there's a lot of desire in the fan base to blow it up. Year 1 this roster was gutted and it showed. I don't think trading and Justin and drafting Williams is giving up on the rebuild necessarily. Rebuilding involves retooling and finding the best players you can at each position to keep improving the roster. If they do draft Williams that becomes part of the rebuild process in trying to improve the QB position.

I'm holding judgment on the offseason moves till it all plays out. I'm not going to assume the worst yet, not to say when the dust settles I'll like how this offseason shakes out I'll ultimately like what we did. On the surface here we know Getsy and offensive position coaches are gone. What was one of our biggest flaws overall this season? Offensive play calling and production. So I'm all for the move to get rid of Getsy, and I'm not sure we shouldn't have done that in season. So far this and that Flus most likely staying are the only moves we know for sure. As for Justin's future I'd say that now hinges on who the OC we bring in. This comes with some questions. Does the new OC come in with the premise that Justin is staying? Does the next OC determine whether you keep Fields or trade and draft a QB. Is Flus, Poles, and Warren already inclined to move on from Justin unless they are convinced a candidate can get the most out of Justin. Thing is we don't know any of these answers unless a statement is made which may not come till after the new OC is here. Random thought I've had concerning Justin and the draft. How much does this affect the value of the #1 pick. If we trade Justin prior to the draft the writing is on the wall and teams know we are inclined to stay put and take Williams at #1. And it could in theory increase the value as teams know they aren't just competing with each other for the pick but that they also have to offer enough compensation to convince us to move from the pick. If we are in fact planning on sticking with Fields is there benefit in letting other teams sweat it out not knowing while internally we let Justin know he's safe?

I think you're right that Flus probably does stay. Personally I'm not sure where I lean as far as what the right decision is. As a fan I'm tired of losing (especially to the insufferable cheeseheads). I'm also tired of this cycle we've been in where we hit the reset button every few years and wonder why we aren't building anything. Every time we hit reset we push back the expectation of this team having sustainable success. Part of our problem is when we have hit reset we generally haven't made the right decisions and simply replaced bad with bad. What Poles has to evaluate Flus on is if he feels the foundation he's built here is one he can build a winner on, or if a new foundation needs to be put in place. Again I feel like I'm not sure 100% where I lean on the whole thing, I've gone back and forth in my own mind what I think is the right way to go. At the end of the day I have to trust Warren and Poles to make the right choices and root for my Bears to become a consistent winner again. The GB loss has ended the season with a bad taste in our mouths. Right now it can be hard to look past that.

Yes there are way more options than I listed. I just picked 3. If you keep Flus, fire Getsy, keep Fields and draft a prospect, the OC becomes the most critical move. You can't bring in another OC who wants to turn Fields into a pure pocket passer. It has to be a guy who can tailor the offense to Fields' strengths rather than square peg in a round hole. Getsy has proven to be stubborn, and suffers from smartest guy in the room syndrome. He tends to try and get cute rather than do the smart thing and it fools no one. He's had games where he has done a better job with his play calling but, if he stays do you get the that guy or the guy who thinks a screen pass on 3rd and long is a high percentage play?

Karma has definitely swung our way draft wise. We have been in an unprecedented position to have the #1 overall pick two years in a row, and the possibility to get a haul for that pick two straight years (including potential high #1's in 2025 and 2026). We have a roster full of talented young players and vets that can be added to with an abundance of draft capital to add to it. Much better than where we were when Pace was constantly mortgaging the future on a bogus bag of magic beans. And we had very few draft picks, and gaping holes in the roster. Then having to overspend in FA to fix bad drafting. Just typing this reminds me of how ugly those days were lol

Reality is as I mentioned in a different post is that whatever we do has risk/reward. I'll support whatever Poles decides, I know he's got a lot of tough decisions to make, and I'm glad I'm not in his shoes. As a fan it's hard because we all want the same bottom line, we want the Bears to become a consistent winner. If that happens we know the right choices were made regardless of a QB being drafted by other teams being successful, or trading our QB and he becomes successful elsewhere, or coaching changes or non changes, and so on. At the end of the day you can't let all the "what if's" dictated your decision, because they don't really matter, all that matters is what you do, and the things you can control. We all want the same thing, we're never going to 100% agree on how to get there. For us the offseason has begun and so the speculation part of the offseason has begun as we end another season on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

This is a very unique situation we are in where none of us really know what Warren and Poles are planning, or thinking of doing with the staff, with Fields, the draft etc. There are so many scenarios that could play out this offseason, and all of which have their own risks and potential rewards. Run it all back, keep Flus, Getsy, Fields, et al. Possibly add a DC (Riviera?) that knows the cover 2 scheme. Trade the #1 overall pick and either target MHJ or see what hall you can get for the pick to build around Fields, and upgrade both lines. Maintain continuity and see if next year with added talent and another year in the system puts us where we want to be. The risk being the potential to miss out on better coaches to get more out of the talent we have, and possibly watching a QB or two we pass on becoming the next big thing. Keep Flus, fire Getsy, trade fields, draft QB #1 overall or even trade down a spot or two but still take QB with our top pick. This would be a soft reset on the offensive side of the ball. We use our remaining draft capitol and FA to build around the young QB. OC choice would be critical, and would need to be someone who can develop an offensive system around the new QB. Also targeting a solid vet QB in FA would be key as well to help mentor the rookie. We enter next season knowing the offense will likely struggle early. Clean house. Flus gone, Getsy gone, etc. Hire new HC, who brings in his own DC, and based on whether he thinks can get the full potential out of Fields or wants to draft a new QB means we either trade the #1 pick or use it on a QB. This would likely either be decided based on who the new HC has in mind for the OC or who he brings in as the OC. As deflating as yesterday's loss was, there has been growth this season as a team. Is it enough to run it all back next year and give this group one last chance to either prove they can take the next steps and get us over the hump? Three things were obvious to my eyes watching that game. One was on defense, there was no aggressiveness in the play calling or scheme, we didn't attack the line of scrimmage and we played soft in the back end. We made Jordan Love's job easy and made him look like an All Star QB (which of course the broadcasters spared now time in gushing over him). There were WR's and TE's running free all over for easy pitch and catch all day. Two Getsy reverted to bad play calling, trying to be cute (example 4th and 1 starting in shotgun then running to the line to nearly botch a QB sneak that we probably made by the thickness of a credit card). He has been too inconsistent all season long. The majority of the season he's been playing checkers against DC's playing 3D Chess. The players themselves didn't show up. Defensively we didn't cover well, we didn't tackle, we didn't get after Love, we didn't stop the run. Offensively.... what offense? The effort wasn't there. We coached and played like a team whose head was already in the offseason and didn't really care if we won or lost. Contrast to GB who played like a team whose post season was on the line. They came to play, and we didn't. Where do we go from here who the hell knows. The positive is we have options, we have the #1 and I believe the #9 in the first round. So we have two top 10 picks that we can either use or trade to increase our draft capital to put us in a position to really shape this team for the foreseeable future. We have a roster that has a lot of good talent on it young and old. This would be a coveted landing spot for a HC to come into. With this roster, draft position, and cap space, this is a team that could see a sustainable jump to become a perennial playoff caliber team if done right.

Thing is whether we hit the aready worn out reset button and blow it up again will this franchise ever get it right. We are eternally cursed.