Bears Extend Poles

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, adam said:

ESPN is an absolute joke.

New Coaching Staff: Johnson, DC (name a bigger upgrade in the league in the last 5 years?)
New FA/Trades: Thuney, Dalman, Jackson, Jarrett (trenches)
New Draft Picks: Loveland, Burden, Trapilo (BPA)

There is no other team in the NFL that upgraded as much as the Bears did. It is still on paper, but that's what they are grading on. ESPN has the Bears as the 16th best offseason. They are smoking crack.  It is all clickbait now. 

ESPN hates Caleb too. 

Very true

[BearFan PHX]

Another perfect example of how the bloggers and talking heads are full of crap. ESPN is supposed to be a flagship - like a major source.

It's BS season, and all the hype is crap. Even if a team turns out to have a great year, what they say about them now has nothing to do with it.

The click farmers throw this gruel out there and the fan boys just lap it up.

But the reality is coming, and I think the Bears stand a good chance of being great, not in articles, but on the field. But it doesn't happen because of praise, it happens because of hunger, and dedication. hours of hard work and wanting it more than the other guy. In this sense, praise works against your team.

[adam]

1 hour ago, BearFan PHX said:

Another perfect example of how the bloggers and talking heads are full of crap. ESPN is supposed to be a flagship - like a major source.

It's BS season, and all the hype is crap. Even if a team turns out to have a great year, what they say about them now has nothing to do with it.

The click farmers throw this gruel out there and the fan boys just lap it up.

But the reality is coming, and I think the Bears stand a good chance of being great, not in articles, but on the field. But it doesn't happen because of praise, it happens because of hunger, and dedication. hours of hard work and wanting it more than the other guy. In this sense, praise works against your team.

Yeah, in some of these cases, it is just pure bias. The top 4 teams are west coast, and top to in CA.  

The Rams were #1, and their best move was retaining Stafford? Like seriously. I should've stopped there. The 2nd team was SF, and their biggest move was resigning Purdy.  This has to be random AI stuff, because it makes no sense. 

[adam]

I posed the question in a few different AIs and this is what they came up with:

   GPT - GEM - GROK
1. CHI     NE      PIT
2. BAL    CHI    CHI
3. WAS   LAR    LAR
4. PHI     DEN    NE
5. PIT     MIN    WAS

So top 2 in all 3 major AIs, which now crawl the web for some consensus (make less stuff up), but somehow the smooth brains over at ESPN think the Bears were 16th?

[BearFan PHX]

22 minutes ago, adam said:

I posed the question in a few different AIs and this is what they came up with:

   GPT - GEM - GROK
1. CHI     NE      PIT
2. BAL    CHI    CHI
3. WAS   LAR    LAR
4. PHI     DEN    NE
5. PIT     MIN    WAS

So top 2 in all 3 major AIs, which now crawl the web for some consensus (make less stuff up), but somehow the smooth brains over at ESPN think the Bears were 16th?

they are fools. OR theyre smart and looking for clicks not the truth? either way it's as trashy as the national enquirer. same with PFF.

but i dont care - the games are won and lost on the field, and Im so sick of winning the offseason. I used to love the hype, but it has gotten me sick so many times, I just cant anymore. I have no patience for it, whether its pro Bears or anti Bears. I want us to dominate - THAT will be fun.

[Stinger226]

39 minutes ago, adam said:

Yeah, in some of these cases, it is just pure bias. The top 4 teams are west coast, and top to in CA.  

The Rams were #1, and their best move was retaining Stafford? Like seriously. I should've stopped there. The 2nd team was SF, and their biggest move was resigning Purdy.  This has to be random AI stuff, because it makes no sense. 

Dont there broadcasts come with the East and LA? Constant bias.

[adam]

35 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

they are fools. OR theyre smart and looking for clicks not the truth? either way it's as trashy as the national enquirer. same with PFF.

but i dont care - the games are won and lost on the field, and Im so sick of winning the offseason. I used to love the hype, but it has gotten me sick so many times, I just cant anymore. I have no patience for it, whether its pro Bears or anti Bears. I want us to dominate - THAT will be fun.

Yeah, it is all hot takes now.

29 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

Dont there broadcasts come with the East and LA? Constant bias.

Yep, and it is pretty obvious.

[Mongo3451]

8 hours ago, adam said:

ESPN is an absolute joke.

They can kiss my ass.  ESPN went from sports journalism and reporting to woke politics. They are anti white and anti conservative.  I only tune in when there is a game I want to see.

[BearFan PHX]

21 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

They can kiss my ass.  ESPN went from sports journalism and reporting to woke politics. They are anti white and anti conservative.  I only tune in when there is a game I want to see.

amen

[AZ54]

Did ESPN after alternatives?   Who was the better HC candidate we should have signed?   Better DC?  Better OC?  Better LG?   Better RG?    Better TE maybe they preferred Warren?

[Stinger226]

12 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

They can kiss my ass.  ESPN went from sports journalism and reporting to woke politics. They are anti white and anti conservative.  I only tune in when there is a game I want to see.

So true, the personalities that I like left. Rich Eisen, Dan Patrick, Collin Coward. Also lots of NFL personalities have been from both coasts and clearly can see bias in their broadcasts.

[adam]

11 hours ago, AZ54 said:

Did ESPN after alternatives?   Who was the better HC candidate we should have signed?   Better DC?  Better OC?  Better LG?   Better RG?    Better TE maybe they preferred Warren?

Nah, ultimately they hated the Dayo and Jarrett signings, and the Jackson trade. So those were so negative, that they weighed down on everything else. Jackson played some Center for the Rams and was not used the same way that he was in Detroit. Jarrett wasn't even a Wave 1 signing. So Dayo is the only question mark, but the 49ers can trade for Bryce Huff, who had fewer sacks than Dayo in 2024, yet their spin on that is much different: "San Francisco also made a win-win trade for Bryce Huff, giving up a Day 3 pick for the former Jets and Eagles pass rusher." So the Bears can't bet on Dayo's potential because the pressures are there, but the 49ers can trade for a guy and it is spun as a positive, lmao. 

Yeah not bias at all lol: "The 49ers suffered significant losses in free agency -- Aaron Banks, Charvarius Ward, Jaylon Moore, Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw -- but I thought most of these departures made sense for the team."

[Stinger226]

You are spot on. Poles made lots of changing over this last offseason. Law of averages will dictate a miss or two. But lets say Dayo only gets 7 sacks but high level of pressures? It that a miss, I think not. Jackson will absoultey upgrade RG, if he doesnt make the pro bowl, not a mistake.If Jarret is only 75% of who he use to be? I think we have to look at ths as a whole. Dexter and Sweat will play better because those players are there. The OL will take a giant step forward even if Jackson is just average. 

I think Poles has put together a winning team, no matter how each individual fails or succeeds.

[adam]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

You are spot on. Poles made lots of changing over this last offseason. Law of averages will dictate a miss or two. But lets say Dayo only gets 7 sacks but high level of pressures? It that a miss, I think not. Jackson will absoultey upgrade RG, if he doesnt make the pro bowl, not a mistake.If Jarret is only 75% of who he use to be? I think we have to look at ths as a whole. Dexter and Sweat will play better because those players are there. The OL will take a giant step forward even if Jackson is just average. 

I think Poles has put together a winning team, no matter how each individual fails or succeeds.

Also, it's a team game with individual stats. So there are numerous ways to measure success. If you just look at raw stat leaders, the only player that finished 1st in a standard category that played in the Super Bowl was Saquon, who led the NFL in carries and rushing yards.  Top Passing stats: Burrow and Jackson. Top Receivers: Chase, St. Brown, and Jefferson. Most INTs: Joseph and McKinney. Most tackles: Franklin and Baker. How about most sacks? Hendrickson (9-8 team) and Garrett (3-14 team).

Interestingly enough, of the top 4 teams, the ones that played in the AFC and NFC Championship games (BUF, KC, WAS, PHI), not a single one had a player in the top 10 in sacks. Fowler-WAS had 10.5, Sweat-PHI had 8.0, Karlaftis-KC had 8.0, and Rousseau-BUF also had 8.0. So one team, had one player with double-digit sacks and finished tied for 12th in the NFL. 

To extend this sack thought further, in the last 35 seasons (1990-2024), there have only been 3 players to lead the league in sacks and play in the SB. So 3/70 (4.2%), and only one player won the Super Bowl (Kevin Carter) - 1.4%. So that is so bad that you would actually prefer not to have the league leader in sacks on your team if you want to go to or win the Super Bowl. 

[Stinger226]

I have to give you cudos for all the time you put in for deep dive facts. You dont get enough credit for that. With stats  our 4 DL sack totals for each individual is between 8-10 sacks. we have an excellent chance at a top 15 pass rush

[adam]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

I have to give you cudos for all the time you put in for deep dive facts. You dont get enough credit for that. With stats  our 4 DL sack totals for each individual is between 8-10 sacks. we have an excellent chance at a top 15 pass rush

It's rabbit holes. I look something up really quick, and it leads me to something else. Good for trivia, because it makes me remember stuff. Kevin Carter is now forever ingrained in my head as the last Sack Leader to win a Super Bowl. 

[BearFan PHX]

2 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

I have to give you cudos for all the time you put in for deep dive facts. You dont get enough credit for that. With stats  our 4 DL sack totals for each individual is between 8-10 sacks. we have an excellent chance at a top 15 pass rush

 

48 minutes ago, adam said:

It's rabbit holes. I look something up really quick, and it leads me to something else. Good for trivia, because it makes me remember stuff. Kevin Carter is now forever ingrained in my head as the last Sack Leader to win a Super Bowl. 

no doubt, adam is awesome with his contributions - love all those stats.

seriously, I think this board is the best place for Bears content. it beast the hell out of ESPN and all those types. I learn more here.

[adam]

I also see a lot of detractors bringing up the Bears record with Poles, and they are not wrong that his record is bad, but I think his biggest mistake was keeping Flus an extra year. Flus cost the team at least 7 games over the last 2 years. There were probably more, but that's why we should expect a quicker turn around. This is not a 5-win team, and they just added the best coaching staff possible.

I think his true eval starts now, because if Johnson flames out as the HC, or Caleb is a bust, then that is the nail in the coffin for Poles career as an NFL GM. 

[Stinger226]

32 minutes ago, adam said:

I also see a lot of detractors bringing up the Bears record with Poles, and they are not wrong that his record is bad, but I think his biggest mistake was keeping Flus an extra year. Flus cost the team at least 7 games over the last 2 years. There were probably more, but that's why we should expect a quicker turn around. This is not a 5-win team, and they just added the best coaching staff possible.

I think his true eval starts now, because if Johnson flames out as the HC, or Caleb is a bust, then that is the nail in the coffin for Poles career as an NFL GM. 

Yes yes and yes. When he walked in , he said it will take 5 yrs to be a consistant winning team. People wanted him gone last year. We are in year 4 and will be a winner this yr and complete for the SB in 26. I think people underestimated how big of a job he had to do wasting his first two yrs to correct major problems. He made  lots of mistakes along the way but with a bad coaching staff and a rookie QB we easily could have had a winning record. last year. Of course he was responsible for keeping Flus, but was it worth one for year to get the best young offensive mind in many yrs:  to have a chaotic season? The future will anwer that question.. If perfection is always demanded and we have short term falilure to give us a bright future, we are one yr away from nobody talking about that. A yr is not to long to give a bright future to our fans.

[Mongo3451]

Something worth noting.  In year one of Poles, we had the benefit of drafting from the scouting from several teams, while having little money for free agency.  Result, decent draft.  Secondly, Poles pulled a rabbit out his hat when he swindled Carolina.  In that trade, you could easily see that Carolina was gonna be terrible the following year.  Result, first pick again.  This year, Poles had the benefit of several teams scouting, again.  Result, rebuilt OL, DL and what seems to be another solid draft.  The slow and steady approach had built depth.  

We now have proven leaders on both sides of the ball and they come from the trenches!  The psychological standpoint of this is huge, because nobody is going disrespect Thuney and Jarrett.  We may have also improved at every position on the coaching staff.  We already have seen the staff ripping players on the small details, in live practice, not a letter in their locker.  They are not being coached to be choirboys.  They are being coached to be the predators they were born to be.  It's what we've been craving since Ditka.  

I'm starting to believe that Virginia passing may be a blessing to the franchise.  Has there been a time, when she was living, that they spent for a great new coaching staff? 

We need to embrace this new, post Virginia era.  We need to encourage fans, at the games and in public, to keep their spirits high and not be so damn negative when things aren't perfect.  That's one of the reasons I stopped going to home games.  The fans simply made me sick.  The players hear that crap and after awhile, they start letting it creep in.  I swear that's why we haven't had a real QB since Mac.  It never got to him because he truly had no F's to give since the day he walked in the door.  Caleb seems like that type of guy too.  Time to execute...