8 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

It’s why I think Poles is a loser…he hasn’t gotten the little things right either. Bad usage of draft capital in later rounds and with trades and just wasted picks. Too many luxury picks like two punters, Velus, the trades of picks for guys who don’t produce (Bates, Claypool, some other olinemen, Taylor from Seattle). 
 

A bust like Davis I could get - but given coaches warned him and he ignored - he gets no pass for that. 
 

Poles only plus is he got good value for the number one pick. Any GM could have done that - that wasn’t hard and involved no skill. When it comes to real moves he has shit the bed on all the little things including putting bad oline around Fields (and a year plus with shitty skill position talent) and than doing same with Caleb (from oline). And even getting Keenan - Mooney was in-house and impacted by Fields but he is crushing it in Atlanta. 
 

Look at Poles quotes at what went wrong - he was watching the camp and couldn’t see it. It’s not like this year Flus got shittier with the small details - Poles doesn’t know what to recognize. He is just as much a part of the problem. 

Poles carry responsibility for a lot of things that's happened but don't think his bosses are holding him responsible. I think if they were getting rid of him they would have already done it. So we have to hope he has learned from mistakes made. Ryan Pace totally screwed up here and went to work in ATL as president of football operations and seems to be helping them turn things around there. People learn from mistakes. The key is the coach choice.

2 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

I think if they were getting rid of him they would have already done it.

I understand that logic, but there are some scenarios, like what if they really want a coach like Johnson, and he says he will only take the job if you bring in his guy? Then i think Poles could be let go. ANd since you dont know which coach you want yet, and which Gm they might want, they could be keeping Poles around until they know those things, and cut him loose after that.

So while I agree if they were going to fire him for his performance in and of itself, they might have done it already, or in the next week, if they fire him to make room for a new guy, they might still hold on to him until the new guy is chosen and we hear who he wants?

14 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

 

This all day. A head coach is a lot more than a coordinator or a scheme. We need a head coach desperately. I cant say that Ben Johnson doesnt have those skills, but I just dont know. I know Vrabel does, but then you have to find the right coordinator to develop Caleb and hope he sticks around.

So either way there are unknowns. This is not an easy decision in my eyes.

I think right now I’m for the idea of Carroll as HC and maybe someone like Brown coming back as OC.  For some reason the offense ran a lot better when Brown was just doing OC duties.  

19 minutes ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

I think right now I’m for the idea of Carroll as HC and maybe someone like Brown coming back as OC.  For some reason the offense ran a lot better when Brown was just doing OC duties.  

He has some upside but not as a HC. Carroll, Gruden, Johnson or Vrabel would all be fine with me. No one knows how they will do until it happens. 

Vrabel has to be the front runner for the New England job now that they fired Mayo. Bears better get their shit together and fire Ryan Poles ASAP before Ben Johnson takes the Jags job.

On 1/5/2025 at 5:28 PM, Bears4Ever_34 said:

Vrabel has to be the front runner for the New England job now that they fired Mayo. Bears better get their shit together and fire Ryan Poles ASAP before Ben Johnson takes the Jags job.

Honestly, why would Vrabel consider going anywhere but New England?  He and Kraft already have a great relationship and he's a legend in the organization.  Vrabel knows there won't be meddling either. 

I'm still on the Ben Johnson, them Vrabel bandwagon.  Another reason to like Johnson involves Sean McVay.  McVay traded for Matt Stafford because he didn't think Goff could get him over the hump.  Goff is every bit of a franchise quarterback under Johnson.  I love that Johnson predicates his offense on play action.  It's literally the quarterback's best friend.  Johnson has a creative/innovative side on a level that most don't. 

For his offense to be as good as it is, there has to be discipline.  He's not afraid to get rid of people either.  His RB coach Duce Staley was a distraction, as seen on Hard Knocks.  He was always talking smack with Aaron Glenn.  Even though their running game was great, he was canned.  I just have a gut feeling on this one.

I'm very conflicted about this.

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2025/01/bears-expected-to-conduct-hc-interview-with-matt-campbell

On 1/6/2025 at 5:28 AM, Bears4Ever_34 said:

Vrabel has to be the front runner for the New England job now that they fired Mayo. Bears better get their shit together and fire Ryan Poles ASAP before Ben Johnson takes the Jags job.

Poles is doing interviews, he's not being fired. That was last weeks conversation. 

9 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

Honestly, why would Vrabel consider going anywhere but New England?  He and Kraft already have a great relationship and he's a legend in the organization.  Vrabel knows there won't be meddling either. 

Stories say that since Tom Brady is part owner of the Raiders now and that he and Vrabel are buds, he could be a front runner for Las Vegas.  Still part of the “Patriot Way.” 
 

I admit you make a compelling point about Johnson and his affinity to the play action.  Question I have is theor success more because of Goff or Johnson?  

3 hours ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

Stories say that since Tom Brady is part owner of the Raiders now and that he and Vrabel are buds, he could be a front runner for Las Vegas.  Still part of the “Patriot Way.” 
 

I admit you make a compelling point about Johnson and his affinity to the play action.  Question I have is theor success more because of Goff or Johnson?  

and if you have a dominant OL, any OC can use play action of course.

Connections and comrades are how most people get jobs in the NFL. Strangers are the acception.

For all his success in NE with Brady everywhere else McDaniels has been a failure.  I like Vrabel a lot but this would definitely make me concerned.  

 

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2025/01/mike-vrabel-heavy-favorite-for-patriots-job-josh-mcdaniels-in-mix-to-return-as-oc

"Before the New England job became available, Vrabel connections to Josh McDaniels emerged. The northeast Ohio natives and former Patriots coworkers have stayed close, to the point OC rumors regarding McDaniels are still coming out. Buzz indeed is connecting McDaniels to being Vrabel’s OC with the Pats or another team, Fowler adds."

I hope I am wrong, but I don't know if the Bears want to wait 5 weeks to hire their new HC once these other candidates start getting hired elsewhere. The worst case scenario is they wait for Johnson, everyone else gets hired, he decides to stay with DET and the Bears end up with one of worst candidates. 

26 minutes ago, adam said:

I hope I am wrong, but I don't know if the Bears want to wait 5 weeks to hire their new HC once these other candidates start getting hired elsewhere. The worst case scenario is they wait for Johnson, everyone else gets hired, he decides to stay with DET and the Bears end up with one of worst candidates. 

this is exactly how it's going to happen.. LOL  This franchise has the worst luck ever.. 

33 minutes ago, adam said:

I hope I am wrong, but I don't know if the Bears want to wait 5 weeks to hire their new HC once these other candidates start getting hired elsewhere. The worst case scenario is they wait for Johnson, everyone else gets hired, he decides to stay with DET and the Bears end up with one of worst candidates. 

This isn't going to happen. It just won't. Too many candidates out there that are with playoff teams. If you wait 5 weeks, fine thats a risk.  But waiting another 1-2 weeks is really only going to put Vrabel at risk (in my mind).  Now if they think Vrabel is their #1 - than they need to move fast. 

Now could a team settle and grab a guy like Kafka early - sure, but I don't think that impacts the Bears and when you look at past hiring cycles, there is ZERO correlation between the team that swings first in the hiring circle vs. the team that swings last.  

I'll also caveat that I think this is a really good class of coaching candidates, when I think of 3 really good fits on the retreat circuit (Vrabel, McCarthy, and Kingsbury), one older hall of fame coach (Pete Caroll) and than you have the bright OC's (Ben Johnson, Joe Brady, Bucs OC) and you have a really dynamic DC (Aaron Glenn).  

There are obviously other names I'm not listing - but that is a pretty good pool of candidates in my eyes.  

Also, we have something we havent had before - Caleb Williams. A lot of coaches are going to want to work with him.

Add in Riverboat Ron.  
 

don't think i want rivera for HC but certainly a possible DC.

2 hours ago, Lucky Luciano said:

don't think i want rivera for HC but certainly a possible DC.

yeah, I think a lot of these interviews are for possible coordinators too. i cant see us seriously considering Rivera for the HC, but maybe they are being kind and giving him some cred.

No interest in Ron. I think this is purely a favor to Ron. 

16 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

No interest in Ron. I think this is purely a favor to Ron. 

Apparently, to fulfill the Rooney rule, you must interview a candidate in-person for it to count. Rivera is scheduled to be the only candidate to interview in-person, so far, and I won't allow my mind to go to a place where they'd realistically hire him as the HC.

My guess is that they are prepping for in case DET were to lose next week, they could just get everything over quickly now. 

23 minutes ago, Bears4Ever_34 said:

Apparently, to fulfill the Rooney rule, you must interview a candidate in-person for it to count. Rivera is scheduled to be the only candidate to interview in-person, so far, and I won't allow my mind to go to a place where they'd realistically hire him as the HC.

My guess is that they are prepping for in case DET were to lose next week, they could just get everything over quickly now. 

Wouldn't Brown fulfill the Rooney rule? He's at Halas Hall and is interviewed for the job? Ron checks off some boxes: fans will like it, he's got experience.

2 hours ago, ChileBear said:

Wouldn't Brown fulfill the Rooney rule? He's at Halas Hall and is interviewed for the job? Ron checks off some boxes: fans will like it, he's got experience.

Fair point. I actually forgot about the Brown dynamic. Don't think he's interviewed for the job yet, weirdly, unless I missed something.

Ron Rivera would be a disastrous hiring for the Bears as a HC. Another defensive retread who can't hire coordinators. He's also publicly stated his support for Jayden Daniels over Caleb Williams. You can't put that genie back in the bottle.

If it's not a Rooney rule thing, then it's a useless "favor" interview, as DABEARSDABOMB previously stated.