Mitch Trubisky & General Quarterback Banter

[Grizzled]

Kind of a recap of QBs who might be available in FA or low-level trade:

Teddy Bridgewater: will want starter money (20M +);
Ryan Tannehill: might be available if Titans sign Brady; very good last season but not much careerwise, although anyone can look bad playing for Miami;
Jameis Winston: aka 'the turnover machine';
Andy Dalton: played with Bill Lazor, steady, dependable, not much more ceiling to achieve, might be available for a 6th or 7th round pick;
Tom Brady: umm, he's never coming to Chicago and the Bears would have to totally change their offense for him;
Phillip Rivers: not really suited to Chicago's offense;
Derek Carr: might be available via trade if Brady signs with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders;
Case Keenum: steady, took a Minnesota team to an NFC championship;
Alex Smith: not known if he can or should play again;
Taysom Hill: New Orleans is in love with him, wants to be a starter somewhere, only 13 passes in pro career

[wab]

Eli is a weird one because he's one of those dudes who is good enough to get into the hall, but also good enough to just miss it if his names was Bart Smith.

[IE]

Kind of a recap of QBs who might be available in FA or low-level trade:

Teddy Bridgewater: will want starter money (20M +);
Ryan Tannehill: might be available if Titans sign Brady; very good last season but not much careerwise, although anyone can look bad playing for Miami;
Jameis Winston: aka 'the turnover machine';
Andy Dalton: played with Bill Lazor, steady, dependable, not much more ceiling to achieve, might be available for a 6th or 7th round pick;
Tom Brady: umm, he's never coming to Chicago and the Bears would have to totally change their offense for him;
Phillip Rivers: not really suited to Chicago's offense;
Derek Carr: might be available via trade if Brady signs with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders;
Case Keenum: steady, took a Minnesota team to an NFC championship;
Alex Smith: not known if he can or should play again;
Taysom Hill: New Orleans is in love with him, wants to be a starter somewhere, only 13 passes in pro career

No Mariota? I thought he was almost most likely. I understand with Helfrich gone... but I still personally think he's a good option.

Out of all those maybe Dalton is a good fit everything considered. Keenum pretty good as well.

I really really like Carr - but won't he be in Teddy territory in terms of $$? Paying anyone starter $ would mean they made their mind up on 10.

[wab]

Kind of a recap of QBs who might be available in FA or low-level trade:

Teddy Bridgewater: will want starter money (20M +);
Ryan Tannehill: might be available if Titans sign Brady; very good last season but not much careerwise, although anyone can look bad playing for Miami;
Jameis Winston: aka 'the turnover machine';
Andy Dalton: played with Bill Lazor, steady, dependable, not much more ceiling to achieve, might be available for a 6th or 7th round pick;
Tom Brady: umm, he's never coming to Chicago and the Bears would have to totally change their offense for him;
Phillip Rivers: not really suited to Chicago's offense;
Derek Carr: might be available via trade if Brady signs with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders;
Case Keenum: steady, took a Minnesota team to an NFC championship;
Alex Smith: not known if he can or should play again;
Taysom Hill: New Orleans is in love with him, wants to be a starter somewhere, only 13 passes in pro career

Dalton and Keenum make the most sense, but Dalton has a wicked cap number. I could see Keenum following Shurmur back to Denver. As much as I'd love to say Alex Smith, I just don't know if he'll realistically play again.

There are a couple of other guys floating around out there that might be interesting.

UFA:
Jeff Driskel: Rocket arm with great mobility. Has shown some nice flashes in limited action.

Brett Hundley: Bounced around a little, but I was pretty impressed with him coming out of UCLA.

Trevor Siemian: Local guy and a very experienced backup.

Nate Sudfeld: Talented and comes from a similar offense, but might want to stay in Philly since Wentz is never healthy.

Potential cap casualties/guys in the last year of their contracts:
Matt Barkley: The Bills aren't in a pinch and don't have anything behind Josh Allen, but Barkley doesn't really fit what they do given his lack of arm strength - so they might want to find a backup with a different skillset. Crazier things have happened, but I wouldn't hate having him back in a Bears uniform.

RG3: I doubt that the Ravens will cut him, but he's expressed a desire to compete for a starting position again. They would save 2mil by cutting him, and might need that cash for Matt Judon.

Tyrod Taylor: Will he replace Rivers in the interim? He's got like an 8mil cap hit.


Side note: I don't want anything to do with Mariota. I just don't. He's going to get more money than he should and he's no better than what the Bears already have.

[IE]

Yeah you're probably right on MM.

Hey wab ... what about one of those Niner backups? We had talked about it earlier in the season. Do we think they'll be able to keep both Mullens and Beathard?

Edit: I looked. Beathard locked up through 2020. Mullens is ERFA.

[wab]

Yeah you're probably right on MM.

Hey wab ... what about one of those Niner backups? We had talked about it earlier in the season. Do we think they'll be able to keep both Mullens and Beathard?

Edit: I looked. Beathard locked up through 2020. Mullens is ERFA.

I had considered Mullins, but given his ERFA status and the fact that he's their primary backup to Jimmy, I doubt he leaves.

I was kind of hoping the Bears would make a move for Beathard when Mitch got hurt, and I could see them trading or cutting him. I'd be willing to send one of the 5th round picks to them though.

[BamaBear09]

Dalton and Keenum make the most sense, but Dalton has a wicked cap number. I could see Keenum following Shurmur back to Denver. As much as I'd love to say Alex Smith, I just don't know if he'll realistically play again.

There are a couple of other guys floating around out there that might be interesting.

UFA:
Jeff Driskel: Rocket arm with great mobility. Has shown some nice flashes in limited action.

Brett Hundley: Bounced around a little, but I was pretty impressed with him coming out of UCLA.

Trevor Siemian: Local guy and a very experienced backup.

Nate Sudfeld: Talented and comes from a similar offense, but might want to stay in Philly since Wentz is never healthy.

Potential cap casualties/guys in the last year of their contracts:
Matt Barkley: The Bills aren't in a pinch and don't have anything behind Josh Allen, but Barkley doesn't really fit what they do given his lack of arm strength - so they might want to find a backup with a different skillset. Crazier things have happened, but I wouldn't hate having him back in a Bears uniform.

RG3: I doubt that the Ravens will cut him, but he's expressed a desire to compete for a starting position again. They would save 2mil by cutting him, and might need that cash for Matt Judon.

Tyrod Taylor: Will he replace Rivers in the interim? He's got like an 8mil cap hit.


Side note: I don't want anything to do with Mariota. I just don't. He's going to get more money than he should and he's no better than what the Bears already have.

Dalton could end up being a cap casualty as well, he has no dead money left on his deal, if they cut him they clear 17.7m off their cap. Just depends on how willing they are to start Burrow next year.

Keenum will probably be the guy, if Dalton isn't cut...

Driskel may be an option, he has some familiarity with Lazor in Cinci...

Hadn't thought about RG3, could be an interesting option to kick the tires on...

[wab]

I like the idea of Driscoll. He kinda has that Taysom Hill thing about him. Plus he's got enough overall talent to give all the Bears fans who love them some Bears backup QBs something to hitch their wagon too.

[AZ_Bearfan]

I just cannot get behind signing a QB named Beat-hard. It would be like signing a kicker named Blewitt.

[The Cooler King]

Eli is a weird one because he's one of those dudes who is good enough to get into the hall, but also good enough to just miss it if his names was Bart Smith.

The NFL hall is relatively open compared to say, the MLB Hall. So it's not absurd that he could get in, but it will be on the basis of his postseason accomplishments. I have mixed feelings on that. In a team sport, but a Hall really meant for individual accomplishments, how do you balance those? He very clearly benefited from his surroundings in ways that more talented passers didn't. But the game also isn't just played on paper and recognizing post season is a good way to recognize what actually happened. Basically I don't think lack of post season success should hurt a guys resume. But I'm on the fence how much it should help a guy.

[AZ_Bearfan]

Only like 11 other QBs have won more than one Super Bowl. It's a pretty small list and will be more than he needs to get in the HoF.

[Ormazd]

This made me wince, but it's funny.

https://sports.theonion.com/victorious- ... 1841420779

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Only like 11 other QBs have won more than one Super Bowl. It's a pretty small list and will be more than he needs to get in the HoF.

Tell that to Jim Plunkett.

I met him before the London game. I kinda hurried past him because Peanut was sitting to his other side. I felt a bit guilty for being rude, but he understood!

[Grizzled]

The list was just a preliminary of guys who came readily to mind. Mariotta has the same agent, they try to steer their guys to different teams. Dalton can be cut by Cincy and owed no money but if obtained in a trade, he is due $17M.

[UOK]

The list was just a preliminary of guys who came readily to mind. Mariotta has the same agent, they try to steer their guys to different teams. Dalton can be cut by Cincy and owed no money but if obtained in a trade, he is due $17M.

Via the Bengals Director of Player Personnel, Duke Tobin:

[G08]

Not sure what the trade market is for a 32 year old QB who has a $17.7M cap hit in 2020. Maybe the Bengals eat some of that money, but still... force their hand and let them release him.

[Grizzled]

The Chargers, Panthers, and Bucs will be looking for a starter next year. The Bears maybe so. A backup can’t make 17.7 M so if they trade for him, it’s to be the starter. Cincy can keep him as a mentor until Burrow is ready to start.

[Drone7]

Burrow looks good and tough enough to start from Day 1. They are returning a couple injured OL and AJ Green so it's not as bad a situation as their record shows for a rookie to step into.

I think they want to get something for Dalton in the offseason, but won't keep him strung along as a bridge starter for that cost now that he is out of guaranteed money.

[IE]

Won't they have an serious interest in a trade of Dalton to at least split as much of that cap hit as possible with another team? Like G said nobody wants that hit. So shouldn't it be a buyer's market for him?

They're saying they want to be fair to him. But I'll guess the money will talk louder than their love for Andy. Maybe he would have some input though, and I'd think Chicago would be a top preference.

To me, a move for Dalton would be a "win now" move. He'd win the starting job. I wouldn't think that would be the end of Mitch in Chicago either. I don't think there would be much market for him at this point, so it might be good for him to extend for solid backup money and then have the opportunity to start again in the next few years. Might be good for him.

[dplank]

I'd love to get Dalton, I think he'd do really well in Nagy's offense and could be an "Alex Smith" type addition for our franchise aka what Smith did for KC. At this particular moment with the franchise, I view almost all moves as "win now" moves because we're in our window now with our talent on defense and it won't last forever.

[Grizzled]

This made me wince, but it's funny.

https://sports.theonion.com/victorious- ... 1841420779

The Onion, still killing it with their satire.

[G08]

I'd love to get Dalton, I think he'd do really well in Nagy's offense and could be an "Alex Smith" type addition for our franchise aka what Smith did for KC. At this particular moment with the franchise, I view almost all moves as "win now" moves because we're in our window now with our talent on defense and it won't last forever.

That's a great fucking point, actually.

[thunderspirit]

This staff they've assembled (Nagy, DeFilippo, Ragone, et. al.) is Trubisky's chance to develop. They've made sure to give him everything he might need. If he doesn't improve, they'll be greased lightning changing it.

What they say right now about commitment to Mitch as the starter, blah blah blah, doesn't mean a thing. It's what they do, not what they say, that matters and will tell you exactly how they feel.

[southdakbearfan]

About the only potential qb that would interest me is Carr.

Dalton has done nothing at all with some good teams besides choke.

[Grizzled]

When Andy Reid took the KC job, they traded for Alex Smith from SF and got him for a 2nd round pick. Smith was available because, although he took SF to the NFC championship game, they had moved on to Colin Kapernick, who took them to the SB. Smith played several very good years for KC, taking them to an AFC championship and being All-Pro at least one year but KC dealt him to Washington for a 2nd in Mahomes' second year. The Bears need to address QB in the same way, realizing when someone isn't the 'one' and moving on.

[dplank]

Yes, as someone posted before...clinging on to the bad pick is more damaging than missing on the pick to begin with. Evaluate fairly and consistently, trust your updated evaluation as it reveals more about the player you drafted than you knew when you drafted him, and act decisively. This is what good organizations do.

If they start Trubisky next year w/o any real competition for the job then they are saying that their up to date evaluations really do have them believe he's our franchise QB. They know a lot more than any of us do. If they are right, great! But if they are wrong, they would both (Pace + Nagy) deserve to get canned. That's assuming of course that ownership is evaluating the football leadership team appropriately as well...lol.

[G08]

If they start Trubisky next year w/o any real competition for the job then they are saying that their up to date evaluations really do have them believe he's our franchise QB. They know a lot more than any of us do. If they are right, great!

But if they are wrong, they would both (Pace + Nagy) deserve to get canned.

The ending is where you lose me. Pace and his staff put in hours upon hours of work evaluating the draft and decided Trubisky was their guy. They also said that he was the least experienced and would need time to develop.

The fact that he is behind in his development shouldn't be a surprise to anyone if they are being honest.

Now, if they preemptively decide to bench him because he isn't setting the world on fire year through 2 years in this system, I would argue they didn't give the kid enough time to develop and for that would deserve to get fired.

I'll post this again since we have new members that may not have seen it initially:

Trubisky has 29 games of experience in this offensive system, here is how he compares to his cohorts:

Trubisky: 64.7% / 6361 yards / 41 TDs / 22 INTs / 6.7 YPA / 88.7 rating

Wentz: 61.51% / 7078 yards / 49 TDs / 21 INTs / 6.76 YPA / 88.8 rating

Smith: 62.57% / 6267 yards / 41 TDs / 13 INTs / 6.76 YPA / 91.3 rating

Foles: 61.74% / 7050 yards / 47 TDs / 17 INTs / 7.66 YPA / 94.8 rating


Here's Mahomes so everyone can see how he's a unicorn: 65.8% / 8987 yards / 73 TDs / 17 INTs / 8.63 YPA / 109.5 rating

Does this mean he'll explode in year 5 like Alex Smith? Or will he put up a 100+ rated season in year 3 like Wentz? Be a Super Bowl MVP like Foles?

No fucking idea. None. BUT... if you look at where he is in his development in this offense compared to these other QBs, he is right on par.

[Drone7]

Hours and hours. Actually, years.

And they botched it.

Their job was to identify and obtain the best 2017 QB and they not only failed, but surrendered value to take the distant third best on a trade-up.

[wab]

Hours and hours. Actually, years.

And they botched it.

Their job was to identify and obtain the best 2017 QB and they not only failed, but surrendered value to take the distant third best on a trade-up.

Revisionist history is strrrrrrrong.

[Drone7]

Who's revising?

I told friends at the time of the draft that Pace had botched the pick and magnified the error with the trade-up. And it turned out even worse than I imagined, so I'm not giving myself much credit for foresight.