Bears Franchise Direction: Everything's Awful/Things Aren't So Bad/Etc.

[G08]

Some Bears blogger is saying he was told Helfrich is a goner (no idea if he has sources or not so take this with a grain of salt).

Said he thinks it will be an assistant from KC to come in as OC. Based on that my guess would be their QB coach (and Chicago native) Mike Kafka.

I like the idea of Trubisky getting a different QB coach at the very least. He's lost that particular comfort - and in fact, should probably be as uncomfortable as possible next season. In all likelihood 2020 could be The Last Ride for several Bears players and coaches, not to mention Ryan Pace (he'd only be fired if the wheels fell off in a horrid way, I'd imagine). If Virginia McCaskey dies in addition to the 2020 team being a crushing failure, things could get very, very weird for this franchise.

Yeah, I don't care that he and Ragone are buddies, that isn't the point of your QB coach.

If the move is Mike Kafka as OC and John DeFilippo as QB coach next year I'm good with it.

[EricTighe]

I like the idea of Trubisky getting a different QB coach at the very least. He's lost that particular comfort - and in fact, should probably be as uncomfortable as possible next season. In all likelihood 2020 could be The Last Ride for several Bears players and coaches, not to mention Ryan Pace (he'd only be fired if the wheels fell off in a horrid way, I'd imagine). If Virginia McCaskey dies in addition to the 2020 team being a crushing failure, things could get very, very weird for this franchise.

Yeah, I don't care that he and Ragone are buddies, that isn't the point of your QB coach.

If the move is Mike Kafka as OC and John DeFilippo as QB coach next year I'm good with it.

Does it matter who the OC is? Nagy calls all the plays anyway.

Just wish Nagy
would quit calling timeouts when we are on defense going with a 0 blitz only to drop into prevent. Has happened 4 times so far this year that I can recall. Even though we did win the Denver game.

[Grizzled]

When we were winning last year, Club Dub was pretty awesome to see and I was happy that my team finally became a place players wanted to be. That said, if they win in Minnesota and have a Club Dub (which they will if they win), it will be just a sad and pathetic display of celebrating mediocrity.

celebrating mediocrity is what every Bears fan since about 1965 has been doing with every game ticket or team item purchased ... we are loyal to a fault, and even when we're bitching about the team, we're still behind them to some degree and this organization has very seldom rewarded our devotion

yet here we are

Not exactly celebrating mediocrity but resigned to it. The defense will be more than competitive in 2020. The team either handles its offensive woes or we're looking at a major rebuild from GM on down.

[G08]

Yeah, I don't care that he and Ragone are buddies, that isn't the point of your QB coach.

If the move is Mike Kafka as OC and John DeFilippo as QB coach next year I'm good with it.

Does it matter who the OC is? Nagy calls all the plays anyway.

Just wish Nagy
would quit calling timeouts when we are on defense going with a 0 blitz only to drop into prevent. Has happened 4 times so far this year that I can recall. Even though we did win the Denver game.

I think it doesn't hurt having a "different" set of eyes on your offense. They may scheme defenses differently, bring fresh ideas to the run/pass game, etc.

At minimum, I want a QB coach to come in here who can give some tough-love coaching to Trubisky. I think the kid would benefit from that type of approach.

[BR0D1E86]

Going into next season I want the following:

-A new qb coach
-A new offensive coordinator who will actually call plays
-A new edge rusher to replace Floyd
-A new starting RG
-A new backup quarterback who could realistically challenge Trubisky

I expect to be real disappointed in most of these.

[BR0D1E86]

To summarize the season: bad offensive scheme being blocked poorly by a bad offensive line being bumbled by a bad quarterback.

[docc]

"The Bears were eliminated from the playoffs two weeks earlier, and the Vikings were locked into the No. 6 seed either way. It’s hard to get too down about 8-8 in Chicago, by the way. This was the Bears’ 10th-best record in the last 28 seasons.
Good grief...

[Hoog]

I was not in sync with this season from the start. The whole not playing starters in preseason really pissed me off then the loss to GB in the first game, a close win to a horrible Denver team, and the loss to the Raiders over seas just compounded things. I just never got into it. I do, however, think we are alright and can turn this ship around.

Nagy has more wins than any other coach in our history for their first two years at 20. He doesn't have a losing season and he is hopefully learning as he goes on. I do agree with MVP that he needs to make some coaching changes and he needs to be a better decision maker in game management BUT those are correctable, IMO.

Pace is going to need to step up his game and get a quality olb opposite Mack and build better depth all around. Injuries really hurt us again on the lines and LB. He is going to need to work the draft and FA really well so we can get back on top in our division.

As for Trubisky, it doesn't look like he is going to be a true "franchise guy" but he is only the second Bear QB with successive 3,000 yards passing and I believe he is still on the plus side of TD to interceptions so those are huge pluses. I think he is capable of being a playoff and possible superbowl QB in the future. The issue with him is the next move contract wise for the Bears. Not sure where to go here. Probably a fifth year but no extension is my preference.

Overall, I think with a few moves we can get right back in it. We were spoiled that first year of Nagy so this year really got taken hard by everyone. Lets see what we do in the off season and hope Nagy learned over this season.

[G08]

@Hoog

I think they're going to have to rescind Floyd's offer... $13M makes him the 6th highest paid OLB in 2020, which is absurd. Rescind it and tell him to go find the best offer he can in FA and if we can't match it, say goodbye.

[Hoog]

G08, saw you were on this site and other familiar names so jumped in. Thanks for the welcome.

I am all for recinding Floyd. He has been a huge disappointment and isn't worth the $13m. I agree with the plan to let him see what he can get then match or let him go.

[Otis Day]

Let his skinny ass, no sacking self hit the bricks. Not even sure I would pay him $6 mil.

Hoog welcome to the site. It is a great place.

[Moriarty]

Let his skinny ass, no sacking self hit the bricks. Not even sure I would pay him $6 mil.

Not sure I would pay him 3M

[BR0D1E86]

Let his skinny ass, no sacking self hit the bricks. Not even sure I would pay him $6 mil.

Not sure I would pay him 3M

I was trying to put a figure in what I'd pay him. It's somewhere South of 5, probably between 2.5 and 3.5. Or he can piss off.

[G08]

G08, saw you were on this site and other familiar names so jumped in. Thanks for the welcome.

I am all for recinding Floyd. He has been a huge disappointment and isn't worth the $13m. I agree with the plan to let him see what he can get then match or let him go.

I think you'll fit in well here my friend!

Yeah I just can't fathom paying him that much money. I'd rather use that allocated money to upgrade at G and TE.

[mmmc_35]

I'd play floyd 5 mil. He is good in coverage and is average at best.

Approxinate 5 million dollar 3-4 OLB

Kyle Van Noy
Anthony Chickillo
Clay Matthews

[cblaz11]

Floyd seems like a great teammate, he does some things well, but I’m at the point where I’m ready to move on. Offer him 4-5 mill per year, if he balks, move on.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

G08, saw you were on this site and other familiar names so jumped in. Thanks for the welcome.

I am all for recinding Floyd. He has been a huge disappointment and isn't worth the $13m. I agree with the plan to let him see what he can get then match or let him go.

I think you'll fit in well here my friend!

Yeah I just can't fathom paying him that much money. I'd rather use that allocated money to upgrade at G and TE.

Yeah, money will be tight this year. If you can let him go, and resign him for $5M, then do it. If Pace picks up his option, I give up.

[Hoog]

Thanks for the welcome, much appreciated. I think everyone is right on the nose for the right around $4M for Floyd. He hasn't really been much more than just above a back up to this point. Last year, a lot of Bears fans wanted Shaq Barrett or Markus Golden for around that money as back ups. Boy I think Pace regrets not signing one. Even resigning him at the $4M we still need some help there. As pointed out, we are going to need to address the right side of our OL as well which will cost some money to do so saving some at OLB will help. I am waiting to see what Juniors come out in the draft to see if there is some help at both those spots in the second round.

[UOK]

Reminder that this team won 8 games.

[IE]

That's crazy, UOK. I mean simply crazy. And they could have won a couple more without changing that data much & be in the playoffs. But what a pretender they are. Playing the Bears in the wildcard round would be like getting a bye.

Something drastic needs to happen on offense. I'm convinced that means getting Nagy as far as possible from actually calling plays or constructing a game plan. The reason I've concluded he needs to go is he has demonstrated an ego that I believe will not allow him to do what he needs to do. He's become so predictable to other teams that the Bears can only be successful when they go full "Not Matt Nagy". So then... why wouldn't the team want to go 100% NMN?

On Floyd I think almost everyone is on the same page (except for Marshall, who I'm prettty sure wants him "suicided"). He's really not worth more than $5MM tops. So given Pace's ability to find players in later rounds and good FA moves... he's actually pretty disposable I think. I'd even bet money that 44 could step in at OLB and perform far better. I'm not suggesting it. I'm just saying that's where we are.

[G08]

Does Pace have the balls on him to jettison yet another failed first round pick?

Should be fun to monitor.... ego vs what's best for the team.

[Otis Day]

Pitiful, pathetic, sad, ridiculous stat heard on the radio this a.m.:

NO Bears TE had 100 yds receiving FOR THE FUCKING YEAR!!!!!!!!! THE YEAR!!!! Not in a game, but the YEAR!!!!!!!!

Can't get much more sad than that.

[The Marshall Plan]

On Floyd I think almost everyone is on the same page (except for Marshall, who I'm prettty sure wants him "suicided"). He's really not worth more than $5MM tops. So given Pace's ability to find players in later rounds and good FA moves... he's actually pretty disposable I think. I'd even bet money that 44 could step in at OLB and perform far better. I'm not suggesting it. I'm just saying that's where we are.

I’m convinced that drafting Leonard Floyd fucked this franchise for almost a decade.

How quickly could the QB or OL situation get fixed with two 1st round draft choices and $25M in cap space?

All Floyd had to do was produce relative to his draft position.

[IE]

Dude... the team did not pay two first round draft picks for Floyd. That logic is twisted - fallacial. They used one on him, and he's JAG. The two picks were used to add a star to the overall defense and get them over the top. That worked last year. This year for many reasons it wasn't as good. But was good enough to make & win in the playoffs. I'd argue with the offense even being average this year, and the D would again be top 3 even without the turnovers from '18.

The top priority is keeping the D at the top. So whatever happens with Floyd, I'm fine with. But that includes him being back. And the D WAS the best D in the NFL last year with Floyd starting. I hate to break it to you.

The issue with Floyd is his projected cost. Not necessarily the player.

[The Marshall Plan]

We paid three 1st round draft choices and a 4th rounder for one pass rusher. The idea of drafting Floyd was to get a pass rusher. We got a fugazi instead.

If Floyd is a 10 sack per year guy, I don’t think Pace trades for Mack. We then have all those draft choices and cap room.

Floyd being on the defense last year is coincidental. That’s like saying Luc Longley was on the Bulls during their title run.

TMP Edit: And the first 1st round draft choice by the Raiders was used to get Josh Jacobs. I’m adding that to the tab of this shit show.

[Mikefive]

It's time for tough love with this team. The Trubisky hand holding needs to be over. The Leonard Floyd "he's our guy and we love him" grinning support needs to be replaced by a market offer that he may not like. Trey Burton needs to know that the best ability is availability and if he can't provide that, then we'll find someone who can. And Pace needs to tell his head coach that he wasn't hired to make the Bears offense into a fun video game. He was hired to help this team score and win, even if he doesn't like the way that is achieved.

Will it happen? Maybe to some extent. Maybe.

[The Cooler King]

If the Bears only offer Floyd 4-5M, he will easily beat that offer on the open market. He might double it.

He isn't worth 13M, but he will get a decent contract. I think he'd hit the market with a similar type of interest as Pernell McPhee did when the Bears signed him several years ago.

Preston Smith, got 4/52 (13 AAV) for 64 G, 13 Passes Defended, 4 Picks, 4 FF, 25 Sacks, 164 Tackles (104 combined), 29 TFL, 59 QB Hits
Floyd through 4 seasons is at 54 G, 9 PD, 1 INT, 1 FF, 19 Sacks154 Tackles (108 combined), 26 TFL, 44 QB Hits.
BTW Smith beat or exceeded all those stats this year, including 12 sacks (previous high was 8).

So he's clearly a step behind him statistically (notably on turnovers even moreso than sacks), but its not a severe difference top to bottom. Some team is still going to see some potential and the nice floor (good against pass and run) and jump at 7-9M for him. As long as the length and guaranteeds are reasonable, I'd be happy if it was the Bears.

[The Marshall Plan]

If the Bears only offer Floyd 4-5M, he will easily beat that offer on the open market. He might double it.

What's the phrase? "There's a sucker born every minute." - P.T. Barnum?

Hopefully the Packers sign him to a deal that size.

[Rakshir]

I'd be curious to know if Kevin Pierre-Louis can play outside, he's been playing with speed and intensity. He's been more noticeable when on the field then Floyd has.

[IE]

If the Bears only offer Floyd 4-5M, he will easily beat that offer on the open market. He might double it.

What's the phrase? "There's a sucker born every minute." - P.T. Barnum?

Hopefully the Packers sign him to a deal that size.

Well I hope that happens so we can hate him, together. He probably would have had 8 sacks against the Bears, though... lol