2022-2023 NFL Season

[DegenerateDish]

I’ve watched most of Falcons/Panthers, unreal this entire game. Wow, what an awful penalty.

[tower912]

Total Lions move by the Panther WR.

[WhiteTrash]

What happened to their defense?  Or is it just that bad?

I think the Bears D is good (not very good, not great). I think they have managed the games, up till today, to keep the games low scoring and somewhat close. Also, they traded a good player this week.

Everyone knows they are in tank/rebuild mode, but even with only three wins, they maybe ahead of schedule.  (I say maybe because nobody would be shocked if they lose out)

[PGsHeroes32]

Vikes D is hanging by a thread in most games.

But winning.

[Uncle Rico]

Vikes D is hanging by a thread in most games.

But winning.

That’s good enough in today’s NFL.  The rules are so skewed towards offenses, it’s hard to be great on defense every week.  Just be good at tackling and avoid procedural penalties is a great way to PLU defense nowadays

[MU82]

I’ve watched most of Falcons/Panthers, unreal this entire game. Wow, what an awful penalty.

It was a very exciting game ... but when you're a fan of the team that ultimately loses, your perception gets skewed.

In a span of 10 seconds at the end of regulation, it went from "There is no way we can win this game" to "There is no way we can lose this game." A friend and I were watching at a local sports bar, and it was wild in there.

As for the penalty ... it's not like the helmet-removal rule is new. It was a selfish and idiotic act by D.J. Moore, and it ruined an amazing play he made on that ball, which also was thrown incredibly well. (BTW, Moore, who is a very good receiver, dropped a much easier 4th-down pass right in his hands to end the previous possession -- a drop that at the time seemed to have ended the Panthers' chances.)

Still, there's no rule prohibiting a kicker from making a long PAT. And certainly no rule prohibiting a kicker from making a 33-yard FG in overtime.

The Panthers obviously have to cut Pineiro, yet another Bears kicking bust. You can't keep a PK whom you can't trust to make a 30-yard FG with the game on the line.

Not that it matters. The Panthers didn't deserve to be in the playoff conversation anyway, and now they certainly won't be. Time to start thinking about which QB my guys will draft.

[Pakuni]

Roquan is a Raven.
Bears getting a 2nd and 5th back

[Jockey]

Roquan is a Raven.
Bears getting a 2nd and 5th back

In other words, the new Bears' brass considered him to be vastly overrated.

[Lennys Tap]

In other words, the new Bears' brass considered him to be vastly overrated.

?

I think a 2nd and a 5th is a pretty good return.

[Uncle Rico]

?

I think a 2nd and a 5th is a pretty good return.

Agreed.  Bears are positioning themselves well.

[DegenerateDish]

Great trade, don’t have to make a decision on paying Roquan, and the most valuable draft asset is as many second round picks as you can get.

[Pakuni]

?

I think a 2nd and a 5th is a pretty good return.

The fact they're dealing him is a failure. This is the kind of player they should be building around in hopes of turning into a contender during the latter years of Fields' first contract (which is a big part of why you trade two firsts to acquire Fields in the first place).
Trading Smith seems an admission that this team doesn't hope to compete in the next 3-4 years and they know Roquan doesn't want to be a part of the organization.

As for the return, meh. Off-ball linebackers aren't the most valuable commodity in the NFL, but a late second and a fifth for a 25-year-old Pro Bowler isn't much. I wonder if the might have done better trying a tag-and-trade in the offseason.

[DegenerateDish]

As for the return, meh. Off-ball linebackers aren't the most valuable commodity in the NFL, but a late second and a fifth for a 25-year-old Pro Bowler isn't much. I wonder if the might have done better trying a tag-and-trade in the offseason.

No, they would not have gotten more in a tag/trade in the offseason. The offseason market for him existed this past summer, and risking injury the rest of the season, to see him also walk, wasn’t worth it.

With as much under the cap as they’re going to be, they wouldn’t have gotten a compensatory pick for him walking either.

[Jockey]

?

I think a 2nd and a 5th is a pretty good return.

Lenny, I wasn't speaking about the return, as I agree with you on that point.

I was referring to them wanting to get rid of him (at a young age) rather than pay him. Unless, of course, he had told them privately that he would not re-sign.

[Pakuni]

No, they would not have gotten more in a tag/trade in the offseason. The offseason market for him existed this past summer, and risking injury the rest of the season, to see him also walk, wasn’t worth it.

With as much under the cap as they’re going to be, they wouldn’t have gotten a compensatory pick for him walking either.

I'm not understanding you here. Why do you think they would have let him walk this offseason?

[Jockey]

Great trade, don’t have to make a decision on paying Roquan, and the most valuable draft asset is as many second round picks as you can get.

More picks - especially in the 2nd - 4th rounds is definitely a recipe for success.

[MU82]

More picks - especially in the 2nd - 4th rounds is definitely a recipe for success.

Only if they're used correctly.

[JWags85]

I'm not understanding you here. Why do you think they would have let him walk this offseason?

They didn't think he was worth $100MM like he thinks he is  and/or the relationship underlying a long term deal was too strained after the offseason.

I think Poles likes Smith, as many do, but realizes that a big payday (overpay or not) for an off ball LB isn't the best use of funds for a team with as many holes as the Bears.  Jockey deeming it "vastly overrated" may be a bit harsh, but I think the Bears and Smith are clearly split on his contract valuation.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Yep. Maybe they don't trust Fields. IMO, they shouldn't.

Yet he had another really nice game yesterday and may be turning the corner. 

[DegenerateDish]

I'm not understanding you here. Why do you think they would have let him walk this offseason?

They weren’t going to tag him, he wasn’t going to play under the tag, both sides knew very well where the other stood. Roquan/Bears relationship was over after this season. It made all the sense in the world to move him based on that knowledge.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

The fact they're dealing him is a failure. This is the kind of player they should be building around in hopes of turning into a contender during the latter years of Fields' first contract (which is a big part of why you trade two firsts to acquire Fields in the first place).
Trading Smith seems an admission that this team doesn't hope to compete in the next 3-4 years and they know Roquan doesn't want to be a part of the organization.

As for the return, meh. Off-ball linebackers aren't the most valuable commodity in the NFL, but a late second and a fifth for a 25-year-old Pro Bowler isn't much. I wonder if the might have done better trying a tag-and-trade in the offseason.

A whole lot of hyperbole in here, IMO.  They could not come to an agreement with Smith and it was pretty clear they weren't going to pay Smith what he and Saint Omni wanted.  So instead of going through a repeat you move the player for assets.  They certainly weren't getting a 1st rounder for an offball linebacker who wants to be paid $20 million+ per season. 

Quick turnarounds happen all the time in the NFL.  Trading him in no way concedes that they don't hope to compete in the next 3-4 years.  If Fields is the real deal, and things are looking better recently, there's no reason not to expect a competitive team by the 2024 season with all of the financial flexibility and a full allotment of draft picks. 

[Jockey]

Only if they're used correctly.

Maybe.

I read a study that teams with the most picks over the years tend to have the best drafts. The obvious reason being there is a bigger margin for error. Thompson used this strategy in GB often trading down to acquire more draft picks. And until his last couple years when he started to lose it mentally, it was generally successful.

One caveat that I can think of might be that GMs who are smart enough to stockpile picks might also be smart enough to use them better.

[MU82]

Maybe.

I read a study that teams with the most picks over the years tend to have the best drafts. The obvious reason being there is a bigger margin for error. Thompson used this strategy in GB often trading down to acquire more draft picks. And until his last couple years when he started to lose it mentally, it was generally successful.

One caveat that I can think of might be that GMs who are smart enough to stockpile picks might also be smart enough to use them better.

That’s fair. We’ll see!

[Pakuni]

They weren’t going to tag him, he wasn’t going to play under the tag, both sides knew very well where the other stood. Roquan/Bears relationship was over after this season. It made all the sense in the world to move him based on that knowledge.

Trading away building-block type players in their prime because you think it's going to be difficult to sign them rarely works out in the NFL. (see: Raiders and Khalil Mack).
And players who threaten not to hold out under the tag  -  pretty much every player who's ever been tagged and not named Kirk Cousins - rarely follow through on that threat. Good organizations use the tag as leverage for a long-term deal.
The fact the Bears felt compelled to make this trade is an organizational failure.

[tower912]

Maybe.

I read a study that teams with the most picks over the years tend to have the best drafts. The obvious reason being there is a bigger margin for error. Thompson used this strategy in GB often trading down to acquire more draft picks. And until his last couple years when he started to lose it mentally, it was generally successful.

One caveat that I can think of might be that GMs who are smart enough to stockpile picks might also be smart enough to use them better.

None of those rules apply to Detroit