2024 NFL Offseason and Draft Thread

[JWags85]

Fields isn't costing them wins, but he sure isn't earning them wins either.

I think thats probably the unfortunate best summation of him right now.  Despite him being up and down last year, there was a few times he was down right heroic and put them in a position where they should have won.  He hasn't done that this year.

That being said, I still want them to trade out of #1 cause of what Hards said.  They need a bunch more talent and can still take a QB in the first round while doing so.  Fairly certain if they trade down from #1, they can still get a Penix/Daniels at their other pick at #9.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I'm not sure they need "a bunch" more talent. If I were a Bears' fan I would be pretty optimistic about how this season ended. And if you feel that Williams or someone else is all that, they should go for it.

[tower912]

Chicago is in an enviable position.   I hope for their sake they don't end up with paralysis by analysis.
Can you win a SB with Fields? Y/N
Do you think one of the College QBs is demonstrably better?  Y/N
If you stick with Fields, is there enough talent at other positions in the draft to turn other weaknesses into strengths? Y/N

[Hards Alumni]

Walker got caught up in the wash the play where he got stuck on Moore, otherwise he had a fine game.

He gets torched every week in coverage.

[Jockey]

The Bears have always been risk averse. They have rewarded mediocre and sold losing to the fans. This has been a long term issue.

As Packer fans, we all hated the Love draft pick. The SB window was open and Gutey went after a guy who had no chance to play. Luckily for us, Gutey wasn’t afraid to take a risk. He did it again last year, taking 4 receivers in the first 5 rounds. Obviously positions of need, but still a huge gamble with other positions of need and an uncertainty at the QB position.


This is the year the Bears can make a bold move. Do they have it in them?

[Jockey]

He gets torched every week in coverage.

Good coaches work to get favorable coverages through a myriad of schemes. Happens to linebackers all the time.

That being said, Walker is just Blake Martinez, right now. Lotsa tackles - few of them meaningful. Not very good in zone pass coverage. But with a new DC, I think he has a chance to be pretty good.

[Hards Alumni]

Chicago is in an enviable position.   I hope for their sake they don't end up with paralysis by analysis.
Can you win a SB with Fields? Y/N
Do you think one of the College QBs is demonstrably better?  Y/N
If you stick with Fields, is there enough talent at other positions in the draft to turn other weaknesses into strengths? Y/N

Worse QBs have won Super Bowls.  Hell, the Bears went to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman.

[JWags85]

I'm not sure they need "a bunch" more talent. If I were a Bears' fan I would be pretty optimistic about how this season ended. And if you feel that Williams or someone else is all that, they should go for it.

Depends how you view “bunch” but I don’t think they are just a QB away from being a Super Bowl contender or top 3-4 NFC team

[Jockey]

Worse QBs have won Super Bowls.  Hell, the Bears went to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman.

One year flukes and game managers don’t make for a great team. Or build for the future. In fact, they do the opposite.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

As Packer fans, we all hated the Love draft pick.

Ahem.

The Packers used a similar value pick on Rodgers back in 2005.  The Packers were coming off a Wild Card playoff loss, and the time was ticking on Favre's career.  The next year sucked, going 4-12 in Sherman's last year, but they were in the NFC Championship Game two year after that.  And Rodgers had no impact in any of those years.

Moral of the story?  It doesn't matter if their window is right now.  Not every player has to be in that window.  Let's see what happens the right of the draft and the rest of the off-season.

I have no idea if Love is the guy or not.  I'm not smart enough to know if that's the case or not.  But Rodgers has 2, maybe 3 years left in a Packers uniform in my opinion.  If they feel *that* strongly about Love, it's not a terrible pick.

[MU82]

Instead of throwing another drink, Tepper throws GM Scott Fitterer out of the Panthers organization.

Rudderless.

[Jockey]

Ahem.

“Most of us” rather than “all”?   

[Jockey]

Instead of throwing another drink, Tepper throws GM Scott Fitterer out of the Panthers organization.

Rudderless.

Understand what Tepper is, but as a Panthers fan, was it a deserved firing or just Tepper being Tepper?


Does the success of Stroud going to a terrible team cloud our judgment on expectations for a rookie QB? Did the GM in Carolina do enough to help Young out?

[MUBurrow]

Worse QBs have won Super Bowls.  Hell, the Bears went to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman.

Sure, but were the low end ones paid like T-10 QBs? Or were they on the cheap, which allowed for the rest of the roster to be stacked?

[Hards Alumni]

Sure, but were the low end ones paid like T-10 QBs? Or were they on the cheap, which allowed for the rest of the roster to be stacked?

Fields is due 6m next year, that's incredibly cheap at 2.4% of the cap.

[MUBurrow]

Fields is due 6m next year, that's incredibly cheap at 2.4% of the cap.

Right but they aren't winning the Super Bowl next year.  By the time the picks that they'd be receiving for the #1 grow a bit and the roster has a chance to be a Super Bowl roster, he'll be getting $20M+ for his 5th year option, or like $25-$28M/year on his extension.

[WhiteTrash]

Fields isn't costing them wins, but he sure isn't earning them wins either.

Not true. You can make a reasonable argument to stay with Fields and certainly the roster needs more talent (only year 1 of the rebuild) but to say Fields hasn't cost them games is dishonest. If Fields puts up say 23 TDs instead of 16, the Bears don't win more? Keep in mind the Bears have some of the fewest dropped passes in the NFL. But, I would agree that he is not the biggest reason for the loses.

I think your point that he doesn't 'win' games is also very true. The biggest reason, by far, for the improved play the last half of the season is the defense.

[cheebs09]

He gets torched every week in coverage.

True, but I don't think there's a lot of expectation he should be keeping up with DJ Moore.

[Hards Alumni]

True, but I don't think there's a lot of expectation he should be keeping up with DJ Moore.

No, of course not.  But he also fails in coverage against basically every TE and RB.

It's easily his weakest attribute on defense.

[WhiteTrash]

Right but they aren't winning the Super Bowl next year.  By the time the picks that they'd be receiving for the #1 grow a bit and the roster has a chance to be a Super Bowl roster, he'll be getting $20M+ for his 5th year option, or like $25-$28M/year on his extension.

Your also  making a big assumption he will stay healthy.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

IDK. It feels like sticking with a mediocre quarterback because "he doesn't lose games" and hoping for Dilfer-esque results is a very Bearsy thing to do. And that just hasn't worked for them in a long time.

[Hards Alumni]

IDK. It feels like sticking with a mediocre quarterback because "he doesn't lose games" and hoping for Dilfer-esque results is a very Bearsy thing to do. And that just hasn't worked for them in a long time.

I think a very Bearsy thing to do is to draft a new QB and fire the coaching staff.  Fill the needs and if a QB is around or you get a deal for Fields take it, obviously.

Either way, they're going to be fine since they've got two top 10 picks.

[DegenerateDish]

It might be time for CBS to move on from Romo. That was not good by any stretch yesterday.

[MUBurrow]

(I think) the math comes out to:

Williams/Maye + roster upgrades purchased w/ money saved by resetting the QB pay scale

vs

Fields + players picked with trading #1 + roster upgrades purchased w/ money saved on roster spots filled with those picks


I get that the latter is attractive because its way more stuff.  But you still have to hit on those picks too, and you aren't saving as much money as you are not having to pay a QB.  Oddly, I think the risk of variance is HIGHER sticking with Fields than drafting a QB.  If the Fields standard is "he's fine with a great roster around him,"  I think the odds are > 50%  that Williams or Maye would be able to also reach that standard by year 3, and I think the odds of providing that roster are higher resetting the QB pay scale than hoping to hit on the picks you get for #1.

[Lennys Tap]

Fairly certain if they trade down from #1, they can still get a Penix/Daniels at their other pick at #9.

I agree with trading down, but there is no way they get Daniels at #9. Wouldn’t shock me if he went #1. Penix? Maybe.