2 hours ago, jason said:

For being so hyped and “generational,” for throwing away Fields, there js zero doubt that Williams better produce immediately. And ten wins is a must. Without each, it’s a disappointment.

Williams doesn’t have to go for 4K and 30TDs, but for the drastic turn this franchise is about to take, there is VERY little room for excuses.

Never thought I’d say this but we just need Caleb to do what Geno did in Waldrons offense.  In that light it sure doesn’t seem like a high bar.  

3 hours ago, jason said:

For being so hyped and “generational,” for throwing away Fields, there js zero doubt that Williams better produce immediately. And ten wins is a must. Without each, it’s a disappointment.

Williams doesn’t have to go for 4K and 30TDs, but for the drastic turn this franchise is about to take, there is VERY little room for excuses.

That's a tad critical for me.  My full expectation, keeping Justin, was to win ten games. Now, that we will have Caleb pulling the trigger, I expect a little less.  Growing pains, regardless of talent, definitely happen.  However, I'm expecting 12-13 wins next year, even with our division being on the rise.

I've been curbing my enthusiasm since the end of the season.  But, I can't help it, to orange and blue in the veins are pumping now!  I'm mega pumped!  We've never had this in the draft to my memory...1st overall with it being a QB that has the serious potential to be great!  Add another high pick that could land us any one of many position that could help...WR, DE, DT, OL, TE...any of those picks would help.  Some maybe more than others, but I just feel whatever we get at 9 will be a blue chip.  If we trade down, then that's good too!  Maybe not a blue chip...but probably multiple contributors!  Give our lack of depth, etc...that's not a bad option.  Bottle of Lagavulin 16 will be on hand Thursday!

On 4/22/2024 at 8:58 AM, Mongo3451 said:

That's a tad critical for me.  My full expectation, keeping Justin, was to win ten games. Now, that we will have Caleb pulling the trigger, I expect a little less.  Growing pains, regardless of talent, definitely happen.  However, I'm expecting 12-13 wins next year, even with our division being on the rise.

My expectation is 10 wins.  But, my greater hope is that no matter the win/loss (which losses can also be just attributed to defense), is the Caleb looks the part.  Not just flashes.  But some consistency.  I'm waiting on the mistakes.  They'll happen.  But, I want to see a prolific passer.  All the signs point to that.  

3 minutes ago, madlithuanian said:

My expectation is 10 wins.  But, my greater hope is that no matter the win/loss (which losses can also be just attributed to defense), is the Caleb looks the part.  Not just flashes.  But some consistency.  I'm waiting on the mistakes.  They'll happen.  But, I want to see a prolific passer.  All the signs point to that.  

I remember reading, shortly after his signing, a critique of our new OC by a Seattle fan. His complaint was that he liked to push the ball downfield too much, going for big plays and that it wasn't a balanced offense. There were too many passes and not enough runs.

If this critique holds any truth (and I can't confirm if it does), it could make for an interesting dynamic. Caleb's 'hero ball' mentality, combined with the talented WRs/TEs at his disposal, could potentially give us a high-scoring offense. 

50 minutes ago, madlithuanian said:

My expectation is 10 wins.  But, my greater hope is that no matter the win/loss (which losses can also be just attributed to defense), is the Caleb looks the part.  Not just flashes.  But some consistency.  I'm waiting on the mistakes.  They'll happen.  But, I want to see a prolific passer.  All the signs point to that.  

I agree with this. I want to see him consistently make plays, and I know he will make a few mistakes too.

I've used the word "flashes" but youre right, it should be more than just a few isolated flashes, what I really meant was a lot of damn good QB play, and some rookie mistakes.

?

1 hour ago, madlithuanian said:

My expectation is 10 wins.  But, my greater hope is that no matter the win/loss (which losses can also be just attributed to defense), is the Caleb looks the part.  Not just flashes.  But some consistency.  I'm waiting on the mistakes.  They'll happen.  But, I want to see a prolific passer.  All the signs point to that.  

I don't think I'd be mad at that!  Doing what we've been doing for decades hasn't really worked!

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.   

1 hour ago, BearFan2000 said:

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.

Excellent post and you captured my feelings very well too.  Better than I could have said it.  

I've watched every NFL draft since the early 1980s. That is when I begin getting pumped up for anything NFL: training camp, preseason games, and finally, the season to start. I'm totally addicted. This year has taken on an even greater sense of urgency. Like everyone else, I don't think I have ever felt this excited going into the draft. Let the season begin! 134 days and counting!!

Does knowing what the 1st "gift" pick take away some of the anticipation?  I love draft weekend and it became a dedicated part of my life the year the Bears took McCown. What will make my #1 pick day is if the Bears can have Caleb Williams turn in the card for himself. 

On 4/22/2024 at 10:58 AM, Mongo3451 said:

That's a tad critical for me.  My full expectation, keeping Justin, was to win ten games. Now, that we will have Caleb pulling the trigger, I expect a little less.  Growing pains, regardless of talent, definitely happen.  However, I'm expecting 12-13 wins next year, even with our division being on the rise.

Perhaps, but if we all expected Fields to take another step and lead the team to ~10 wins, then replacing him means we should expect more. Otherwise, replacing him doesn't make sense. The word generational is thrown around a lot, and the rookie expectation is now incredibly high because of Stroud. As a result, Williams needs to be an improvement.

I have been hyped for every draft the Bears have had for decades.  I will watch, read, and do everything I have done for years but even more so.  Win record is not my gage for a good season this year.  Show me improvement in all areas of the team including coaching.  Give me something to hang my hat on going forward.  But no matter what, I will always be excited for every Bears season    

2 hours ago, jason said:

Perhaps, but if we all expected Fields to take another step and lead the team to ~10 wins, then replacing him means we should expect more. Otherwise, replacing him doesn't make sense. The word generational is thrown around a lot, and the rookie expectation is now incredibly high because of Stroud. As a result, Williams needs to be an improvement.

Having high expectations should be the hype but history tells us rookies have a learning curve. Poles has a building roster to make it easier for him but it comes down to him accepting the coaching and not trying to do much.

I'm sure fans in Carolina had high expectations for Bruce Young last year.

5 hours ago, jason said:

Perhaps, but if we all expected Fields to take another step and lead the team to ~10 wins, then replacing him means we should expect more. Otherwise, replacing him doesn't make sense. The word generational is thrown around a lot, and the rookie expectation is now incredibly high because of Stroud. As a result, Williams needs to be an improvement.

Fields was never leading any team to 10 wins. This is a whole narrative that's been proven false now. No one wanted him, no one traded much for him, and the team that did get him didnt exercise the 5th year option.

The real Fields in the real world is not a good NFL quarterback, and if Caleb leads us to 10 wins, that will be fantastic.

3 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

Fields was never leading any team to 10 wins. This is a whole narrative that's been proven false now. No one wanted him, no one traded much for him, and the team that did get him didnt exercise the 5th year option.

The real Fields in the real world is not a good NFL quarterback, and if Caleb leads us to 10 wins, that will be fantastic.

Your entitled to your opinions but it's based on a hypothesis, so it can't be proven. I think with better play calling and a better roster, he could have been a  top 10-15 QB. ( His last 7 games he was the 11th ranked QB) The lack of trade value has a lot to do with timing. Poles didn't  decide to trade him until well after the combine, after most spots were filled.

There are 2 reasons he's not here. We got lucky and got the top pick, if we didn't have a top 3 pick, he would still be here. Also having to pay him big money in 2025 and forward came in to play. He hasn't shown enough to get a big contract. 

I think he proves himself and becomes a starter in Pittsburgh. He's never going to be elite but obviously history tells us you don't have to be to win a SB. Poles choose Caleb because he can become elite and that doesn't automatically mean Justin is  a garbage QB.

All of this is my opinion and can't be proven until a few years have passed to see if it was accurate. 

I am super hyped, haven't felt like this for a draft in as long as I can remember. 

I am in Denver for a business trip this week and basically told my company that I am leaving the event at 5pm in order to make it back to the hotel with some beers in hand in time for the draft. 

10 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

Your entitled to your opinions but it's based on a hypothesis, so it can't be proven. I think with better play calling and a better roster, he could have been a  top 10-15 QB. ( His last 7 games he was the 11th ranked QB) The lack of trade value has a lot to do with timing. Poles didn't  decide to trade him until well after the combine, after most spots were filled.

There are 2 reasons he's not here. We got lucky and got the top pick, if we didn't have a top 3 pick, he would still be here. Also having to pay him big money in 2025 and forward came in to play. He hasn't shown enough to get a big contract. 

I think he proves himself and becomes a starter in Pittsburgh. He's never going to be elite but obviously history tells us you don't have to be to win a SB. Poles choose Caleb because he can become elite and that doesn't automatically mean Justin is  a garbage QB.

All of this is my opinion and can't be proven until a few years have passed to see if it was accurate. 

yes, but the GMs in the league share my opinion based on what they did and didnt do to get him. Hes not even a starter anymore.

49 minutes ago, adam said:

I am super hyped, haven't felt like this for a draft in as long as I can remember. 

I am in Denver for a business trip this week and basically told my company that I am leaving the event at 5pm in order to make it back to the hotel with some beers in hand in time for the draft. 

Nice! This is definitely a watershed moment for our team.

47 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

yes, but the GMs in the league share my opinion based on what they did and didnt do to get him. Hes not even a starter anymore.

32 teams didn't need QBs so I'm not sure how 5 GMs constitutes the theory no one wanted him.  Everything is not absolute. GMs acquired QBs before Poles decided to trade him. Timing is everything.

He is on a team and will be starting  sometime this year .  You can watch first hand him prove your opinion wrong.  There again, im not saying he's an elite QB but definitely a starting caliber QB in this league. We can only have opinions on what might happen, so it has yet to  be determined.

10 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

32 teams didn't need QBs so I'm not sure how 5 GMs constitutes the theory no one wanted him.  Everything is not absolute. GMs acquired QBs before Poles decided to trade him. Timing is everything.

He is on a team and will be starting  sometime this year .  You can watch first hand him prove your opinion wrong.  There again, im not saying he's an elite QB but definitely a starting caliber QB in this league. We can only have opinions on what might happen, so it has yet to  be determined.

Fields is trash, youll figure it out at some point.

And dont get me wrong, he (like Mitch Trubisky) seems like a really nice guy. He's not a trash human being, but he is a trash NFL QB. I truly dont understand the love for this guy as a player. He's awful.

17 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

Fields was never leading any team to 10 wins. This is a whole narrative that's been proven false now. No one wanted him, no one traded much for him, and the team that did get him didnt exercise the 5th year option.

I believe Fields would get us 10 wins, this year.  A lot of that has to do with the huge haul we could have received from trading the one.  However, I think that's his limit.  I honestly feel the same way about Hurts, Lamar, Mayfield, Cousins and Murray. (With Justin being at the low end of them)

50 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

I believe Fields would get us 10 wins, this year.  A lot of that has to do with the huge haul we could have received from trading the one.  However, I think that's his limit.  I honestly feel the same way about Hurts, Lamar, Mayfield, Cousins and Murray. (With Justin being at the low end of them)

fair enough. I would counter that Fields is worse than those other QBs, but given the event that about to unfold, i will leave it be

I cant wait for Caleb Williams. I am so excited for our future. We have waited for 40 years, wandering in NFL desert, to be relevant again, and we have never had a QB like Williams in franchise history.

We are the only franchise in the league to have never had a 4,000 yard passing season in our history. And we are about to get a guy that could potentially be one of the best ever.

We are looking at super bowls, and Packer dominance. A long time coming, and I am SO ready for this next chapter!

57 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

I believe Fields would get us 10 wins, this year.  A lot of that has to do with the huge haul we could have received from trading the one.  However, I think that's his limit.  I honestly feel the same way about Hurts, Lamar, Mayfield, Cousins and Murray. (With Justin being at the low end of them)

I don’t know that 10 wins is his ceiling but the way I made peace with the whole thing is his value is based on his dynamic play making in the run game and that makes him WAY more susceptible to injury.  His ability to check down quickly enough for an NFL QB has also got to be questioned after this many years.  Coaching?  Maybe.  Lastly, our new OC had to have chimed in on this and we’ve got to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.  

All this said, I still feel Fields wasn’t given a fair shake, one that he would have gotten elsewhere in the league if we didn’t draft him.