adam

After what Stroud has done in HOU, Fields is going to have to at least look comparable to him, coming from the same system in college (with some of the same WRs), for the remaining games. Anything less than what Stroud has done to this point, and they are going to move on from Fields. At this point, Williams feels too close to Fields in terms of what his strengths and weaknesses are. I think Poles will go with someone like Maye and trade Fields for a 2nd or a 3rd. Poles didn't think Stroud was good enough to replace Fields, and instead got DJ Moore, Wright, and potentially the #1 pick in 2024 for what could've been CJ Stroud. How would Stroud have looked on a Bears team w/o DJ Moore, Borom playing RT? I doubt he looks much different than Fields. So does Poles do that again? Add a 2025 1st rounder, and potentially another blue chip player comparable to Moore to move down 8-9 slots in the 1st round. Then he can draft 2 top 10 players while adding that blue chipper, while already adding Sweat. So from the 2023 opening day roster, he could add 4x blue chippers (2x draft picks, Sweat, traded vet) to go with (Wright, Moore) the year before. Then in 2025 he has 2x 1st rounders (AGAIN), and 2x 2nd rounders (potentially more). That could be 4 more blue chippers to go with the 6 other acquired ones, not counting any existing players already on the roster (Fields, Jenkins, Jones, Kmet, Herbert, J. Johnson, Gordon, Brisker, Edwards, Edmunds, Stevenson, Billings, Dexter, Sanborn).

We were talking about Jared Goff, which led me to Cooper Kupp. I don't think people talk enough about his 2021 season (or the fact that he has lived off of it ever since). He had 145 receptions, 1947 yards, and 16 TDs that year. That was basically 1000 yards more than his previous season where he had 974 yards. That one season is such an outlier, it is crazy. He has only had one other season over 1000 yards. He is also already 30 yrs old. So in 7 years, he has made one All-Pro Team and Pro Bowl, in 2021, that's it. 2021 is also the year the Rams won the SB. They basically rode him all the way there. Then in the postseason he scored 7 TDs in 4 games and averaged 8 receptions, 120 yards and 1.5 TDs per game. Crazy.

Mongo, come on man. Goff was 19-38, 50%, 229 yds with an INT and no TDs for a 57.9 QB Rating in that game and they scored a total of 3 pts. He has played in 6 playoff games, his passing yards are 259, 186, 297, 229, 155, and 174, a 216 yards per game average, like 50+ yards less than his regular season average. In those 6 games, he has never had more than 1 TD. He is one of the more overrated QBs in the league. He is something like 4-11-1 when he is sacked 4 or more times.

Goff? Like other QBs, he is great when there is no pressure, but if pressured, he is terrible. If an offensive mastermind trades you for another QB, you are the problem. Rams couldn't win with him and had to go to Stafford to get over the hump. Detroit is winning with Goff, not because of him. They beat KC opening day and have not beaten a winning team since. So I would not call the QB position a huge win for Detroit. I would take Fields over Goff.

Fields contract is going to be the issue. If a new QB is comparable to Fields, you are basically buying 3 extra years on a rookie deal compared to keeping Fields and having to pay him and gut the roster. The team's construct completely changes and you have to rely on the QB more than ever before. If Fields is not the guy now, he is not going to be when he is making $40M+ a year and the Bears have to play 3 more UDFAs. Fields has to literally be a game changer on his own for it to be worth keeping him. I think he has the potential, especially when he uses his legs, but unless he goes full Lamar/Vick mode, I don't think he will ever get there.

I would be curious to what people think about the two rosters. At what positions are the Lions better than the Bears? Right now, it seems like it would be the OL and DL. Outside of those two position groups, there is not a huge talent gap between the teams. In some cases, you could make a case for the Bears to have the better position group. On the OL, the Bears have two holes, Whitehair and Patrick. On the DL, it seems like it is a weakness at one Edge and one interior position. So out of 22 starting spots, the Bears are clearly inferior in 4 positions. That is not much considering how much different the performance has been on the season.

Detroit coming back home after a last second win against the Chargers. Detroit has beat up on losing teams, and the Bears are a losing team. Outside of Fields coming back and playing lights out and the defense playing as good as they did against the Panthers, this one looks like it will be an ugly loss. 34-16.

I don't know about that site, it seems to only be doing a mock draft. For cap, the Bears have around $83M, but it would be close to $105M if they move on from Whitehair and Jackson.

It is going to be crazy interesting. I think all of that is on the table. My thought process is there is no way Poles can go into 2024 after having back to back #1 picks and not take a QB with either one (and potentially trading both). Right now it seems like NYG, ARZ, NE, GB, and potentially LAR could all be in the market for a QB in the top 8. Week 12 is massive for draft order with 6 of the bottom 8 playing each other. 3 teams are guaranteed a win and will bump themselves away from the 1st pick. The best game is NYG vs NE, one of those 2 win teams will have 3 wins. ARZ and LAR as well. One of those teams tacks on another win.

I guess it would depend on where their pick ends up. If they keep winning, it may be around pick 6 or 7. Right now at #2, really no incentive to move up one, losing the extra 1st and losing Kyler. That would be a crazy good move for the Bears, especially because they could still move Fields to ATL for their 1st.

The problem now is, if you get past the 3rd pick, you will miss out on MHJ. Maye and Williams are going 1 and 2, regardless of the order, then MHJ is basically a lock at #3. No one not picking a QB is going to pass on him. So for the Bears, can you afford to not only pass on a new QB but also a true generational talent at WR by trading the 1st pick? The Bears may have to stay at #1 unless the #3 team wants to move up. That would be the only move they could afford. Otherwise you take MHJ at #1. Then take DL at #5 or trade down from that pick.

Thank you Kyler! Huge win for the Cards and Bears. However, some new losers are popping into the conversation with GB and TEN now with 6 losses. 1. CAR 1-8 2. NYG 2-8 3. ARZ 2-8 4. NE 2-8 5. CHI 3-7 6. GB 3-6 7. LAR 3-6 8. TEN 3-6

The Bears have 7 games left, 3 against suspected playoff teams (DETx2 and CLE), but none of those teams are the elite (SF, PHI, KC, BAL). @ DET - this is probably a loss, Fields first game back, but it is after a mini-bye and DET is traveling back from a SUN game in LA. @ MIN - the Bears should've won the first game, now without Cousins, I think the Bears get back to 1-1 against them here. BYE vs DET - this would be the 2nd game after and extra break, if there ever was a game they could win, it is this one. I am going upset here. @ CLE - I am going with loss here, but the Browns offense doesn't scare me. vs ARZ - regardless of QB, this team is as bad as the Panthers. vs ATL - this team not that good, no real QB either. @ GB - I have them at best 4-2 heading into this game (7-9 overall). I think we see the Bears finally break through in Week 18, close out the year at 8-9 while still holding the #1 pick thanks to CAR. I feel DET is a little overrated. They beat GB, ATL, CAR, TB, and LVR, and lost to SEA and BAL. There signature win is beating KC opening night, but outside of that win, they haven't beat a team with a winning record.

Darn, NE did everything they could to not win that game. I can't believe IND is 5-5. Taylor missed a bunch of games, they have had 5 different QBs, and somehow they have 5 wins, beat BAL, TEN, and HOU, and lost to CLE by 1 point. If you could pick a roster between the Bears and Colts, it is hard to say you wouldn't pick the Bears.

I guess it is payback from last year. HOU somehow beat INDY in Week 18 gifting the Bears the #1 pick which allowed the trade to CAR. It worked out great for HOU as they drafted the right QB.

For a D2 UDFA, he has really impressed. His QBR is 51.1 which would be 20th in the NFL, just below Josh Dobbs and Derek Carr, and above Sam Howell, and Russell Wilson. He is a much better option than Peterman.

Indy playing NE this weekend, a potential win spot for NE. ARZ playing ATL, another possible win there to help the Bears. Both those games at home for NE and ARZ. Those would be 2 huge wins for the Bears and drop them back to #4 and lock them in more at #1.

Poles is the least likely to go anywhere, as he still hasn't had "his" QB. Flus is definitely on the hot seat. His wins have come against Davis Mills, Trey Lance, Bailey Zappe, Brian Hoyer, Sam Howell, and now Bryce Young. He has yet to even beat a league average QB. I can't speak to the locker room, but 6-21 is still a terrible record that few HCs survive. I think a lot will have to do with Fields. If Fields stays and they don't draft a QB, then Getsy is probably safe, maybe even Flus. However, if they draft a QB, they are going to bring in a new HC and OC to pair with them. That buys Poles a few more years. Regardless of what happens to Fields, Bagent will probably stick around as a cheap backup now that he got some starting experience.

With the loss, CAR is back at the top: 1. CAR 1-8, .510 SoS 2. ARZ 1-8, .538 SoS 3. NYG 2-7, .524 SoS 4. NE 2-7. .551 SoS 5. CHI 3-7, .476 SoS 6. LAR 3-6, .521 SoS Bears drafting 1st and 5th.

This felt like the Texans game last year. The Bears were playing a terrible team and needed a Roquan Smith INT to seal the win. It always felt like the Bears were one play away from losing this game. It is so hard to evaluate the team against a team like that, on a Thursday no less, and with a rookie QB. All I know is Carolina will have a new HC and QB by the time they are competing for anything. I thought the defense played better, but I still do not like the soft zone. Sweat looks legit, he was getting constant pressure which opened it up for others, exactly what he is getting paid to do. After seeing Bagent look less and less confident every game, it is clear that Getsy and the entire coaching staff need to go. The offense just looks so disjointed. No identity. Now the Bears get another mini-bye and 10 days rest before the Lions. I am sure Fields will be back for that one.

#1 is worth the most, so you want that at all costs.

players with over 100 snaps, and it's their PFF overall grades yes, overall for OFF and DEF

At the halfway point of the season, here are the top 5 and bottom 5 offensive and defensive players based on PFF Grades: Offense Top 5 (100 snaps): DJ Moore - 84.4 Khalil Herbert - 79.3 Teven Jenkins - 78.1 D'onta Foreman - 74.7 Justin Fields - 73.6 Offense Bottom 5 (100 snaps, worst first): Lucas Patrick - 44.1 Cody Whitehair - 45.1 Robert Tonyan - 46.5 Ja'Tyre Carter - 49.0 Larry Borom - 49.5 Defense Top 5 (100 snaps): Jaylon Johnson - 86.3 TJ Edwards - 81.0 Terell Smith - 70.6 Eddie Jackson - 67.1 Greg Stroman - 66.6 Defense Bottom 5 (100 snaps, worst first): Dominique Robinson - 37.9 Yannick Ngakoue - 41.0 Elijah Hicks - 47.1 Tyrique Stevenson - 47.5 Zacch Pickens - 47.8 The two best players regardless of snap counts were Noah Sewell and Jaylon Johnson. The two worst players regardless of snap counts were Josh Blackwell and a tie between Robinson and Homer. Any thoughts on these? I thought Billings and Kmet would be higher, neither made the top 5.

Looking ahead to the draft, some potential trade partners include: ARZ - multiple 1st rounders, need QB WAS - multiple 2nd rounders PHI - multiple 2nd rounders NYG - need QB DEN - need QB LVR - need QB ATL - need QB LAR - need QB

Now with the Sweat deal, I feel like Poles wants to trade down and recoup some additional draft capital. I can see them trading either one of those high picks and gaining an extra 1st in 2025 and potentially gaining back a 2024 2nd.