So...what happens next?

[EricTighe]

Ok, I am going to play Devil Advocate for all you people who think getting our QB is the right answer.

We got our QB one year. In fact, we traded up for him.

Remeber him...............?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Trubisky

[EricTighe]

Fields has more talent and leadership than any of these QBs in this draft. If you don't believe me look at the tapes.

Quit listening to dumb-ass Cowerd he doesn't know crap. Fields is the answer. We start over and we are screwed.

[Hema2.0]

Fields has more talent and leadership than any of these QBs in this draft. If you don't believe me look at the tapes.

Quit listening to dumb-ass Cowerd he doesn't know crap. Fields is the answer. We start over and we are screwed.

Big guy, it doesn't matter who we listen to. All that matters is what Ryan Poles decides. Maybe your message is directed at Poles, if so, give er hell!

[EricTighe]

Fields has more talent and leadership than any of these QBs in this draft. If you don't believe me look at the tapes.

Quit listening to dumb-ass Cowerd he doesn't know crap. Fields is the answer. We start over and we are screwed.

Big guy, it doesn't matter who we listen to. All that matters is what Ryan Poles decides. Maybe your message is directed at Poles, if so, give er hell!

Only place to vent.

KEEP FIELDS!

[Rusty Trombagent]

Is there an OC candidate out there who can fill in the missing bits of Fields's game or create an explosive offense without the things Fields still doesn't do well? Hrm. You'd need more sit routes by chipping TEs, some skinny posts or something to replace the slants and digs we've abandoned...but it would look substantially like what we've got now. I'm starting to think that we've underestimated the extent to which Getsy has already twisted his offense into a different shape. And over the last week or so I've started to believe that it'd be a waste to bring in a new guy next year to go over the same dance steps.

This has consistently been the source of my frustration this year. Any OC coming in is going to have to learn how to win with Justin, and the overwhelming "lets take Greg Roman off the scrap heap" sentiment I think is just a bad, knee jerk take. All season it's been EVERYTHING BAD IS GETSY'S FAULT to the point where it feels like a bit.

There was a good article in the Athletic a few days back about Getsy, a bit of a deeper dive giving a little bit better understanding of his own journey here, touching on things like the outside short passing game against the vikings.

https://theathletic.com/5164498/2023/12 ... mplicated/

[docc]

I think Fields is our QB and remains and improves. He is incredibly talented..works very hard and is a thorough competitor and will get better IF not restrained by a system. I do think Getsky has improved by taking the reins off his thoroughbred and learning what Fields can do.
However, I don't know the relationship between the two..Fields and Getsky. If Flus sees conflict in style or temperament, that would inhibit the progress..I lean to Fields greatly and Getsky can find a job he might be better suited to.

Trade down and load us with talent, and Fields will expload. Imagine another deep receiver to compliment Moore and a young quality DE to compliment Sweat..with still high picks available for us.

The crowd chanting..yelling "WE WANT JUSTIN" is not something I have heard for a sub .500 team...

He is and can be magic..

[otis]

Is there an OC candidate out there who can fill in the missing bits of Fields's game or create an explosive offense without the things Fields still doesn't do well? Hrm. You'd need more sit routes by chipping TEs, some skinny posts or something to replace the slants and digs we've abandoned...but it would look substantially like what we've got now. I'm starting to think that we've underestimated the extent to which Getsy has already twisted his offense into a different shape. And over the last week or so I've started to believe that it'd be a waste to bring in a new guy next year to go over the same dance steps.

This has consistently been the source of my frustration this year. Any OC coming in is going to have to learn how to win with Justin, and the overwhelming "lets take Greg Roman off the scrap heap" sentiment I think is just a bad, knee jerk take. All season it's been EVERYTHING BAD IS GETSY'S FAULT to the point where it feels like a bit.

There was a good article in the Athletic a few days back about Getsy, a bit of a deeper dive giving a little bit better understanding of his own journey here, touching on things like the outside short passing game against the vikings.

https://theathletic.com/5164498/2023/12 ... mplicated/

the athletic has a 12 month subscription for one dollar today fyi.

[dplank]

Getsy is a first time OC and play caller. It sure looks like both he and Fields are learning how to pair well with one another and help make each other successful, vs less successful. I've heaped plenty of blame on Getsy, but my pivot on him started 3 weeks ago after we beat the Lions (again, lol). And even moreso after the Cleveland game, which I really feel folks around here were just dead wrong to shit on his and Fields performance against the best D in football - drops killed that game, and neither Fields nor Getsy can do anything about that. Hell, they happened again yesterday (Scott being the latest, Mooney before him, Tonyan before him, VJJ always). Other than Mooney and Kmet, we don't have a reliable pass catcher on the team.

We poured resources into the defense last off season. This offense badly needs a C, another IOL, and a WR. Poles has done an outstanding job, so we no longer need mass volume. We need to keep adding young players so we aren't forced to overpay aging vets, and we need a couple pieces on offense to finish off that group and WATCH OUT NFL.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Getsy is a first time OC and play caller. It sure looks like both he and Fields are learning how to pair well with one another and help make each other successful, vs less successful. I've heaped plenty of blame on Getsy, but my pivot on him started 3 weeks ago after we beat the Lions (again, lol). And even moreso after the Cleveland game, which I really feel folks around here were just dead wrong to shit on his and Fields performance against the best D in football - drops killed that game, and neither Fields nor Getsy can do anything about that. Hell, they happened again yesterday (Scott being the latest, Mooney before him, Tonyan before him, VJJ always). Other than Mooney and Kmet, we don't have a reliable pass catcher on the team.

We poured resources into the defense last off season. This offense badly needs a C, another IOL, and a WR. Poles has done an outstanding job, so we no longer need mass volume. We need to keep adding young players so we aren't forced to overpay aging vets, and we need a couple pieces on offense to finish off that group and WATCH OUT NFL.

There were passes thrown in yesterday’s game that we haven’t seen much of all season. Passes to the middle of the field, that crossing route to Moore, the gorgeous dime to the back of the end zone. If THAT was a sample of Getsy’s growth and development as a play caller? Then I will back off of Getsy as well. I understand that growth happens through adversity, and realistically this is year 1 of the Eberflus era. Last year was a year down. How we play against the Packers in Lambeau next week is going to tell us a lot.

[dplank]

Getsy is a first time OC and play caller. It sure looks like both he and Fields are learning how to pair well with one another and help make each other successful, vs less successful. I've heaped plenty of blame on Getsy, but my pivot on him started 3 weeks ago after we beat the Lions (again, lol). And even moreso after the Cleveland game, which I really feel folks around here were just dead wrong to shit on his and Fields performance against the best D in football - drops killed that game, and neither Fields nor Getsy can do anything about that. Hell, they happened again yesterday (Scott being the latest, Mooney before him, Tonyan before him, VJJ always). Other than Mooney and Kmet, we don't have a reliable pass catcher on the team.

We poured resources into the defense last off season. This offense badly needs a C, another IOL, and a WR. Poles has done an outstanding job, so we no longer need mass volume. We need to keep adding young players so we aren't forced to overpay aging vets, and we need a couple pieces on offense to finish off that group and WATCH OUT NFL.

There were passes thrown in yesterday’s game that we haven’t seen much of all season. Passes to the middle of the field, that crossing route to Moore, the gorgeous dime to the back of the end zone. If THAT was a sample of Getsy’s growth and development as a play caller? Then I will back off of Getsy as well. I understand that growth happens through adversity, and realistically this is year 1 of the Eberflus era. Last year was a year down. How we play against the Packers in Lambeau next week is going to tell us a lot.

I'd love to go up there and kick their ass, but this season is a success regardless of next week's game IMO. We have turned the preverbal corner and next season should be a blast.

[karhu]

There were passes thrown in yesterday’s game that we haven’t seen much of all season. Passes to the middle of the field, that crossing route to Moore, the gorgeous dime to the back of the end zone. If THAT was a sample of Getsy’s growth and development as a play caller? Then I will back off of Getsy as well. I understand that growth happens through adversity, and realistically this is year 1 of the Eberflus era. Last year was a year down. How we play against the Packers in Lambeau next week is going to tell us a lot.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around all that, but to my mind it's got to be a combination of a few things:

- Getsy finding a way to address the middle of the field--not the way he'd planned, and probably not in a way that's sustainable, but the way that works for his personnel right now.

- The WRs (well, at least the ones named DJ Moore) making good reads on what seem to have become option routes.

- Fields trusting himself to rip it on routes not affected by the sideline. I'd honestly started to wonder if his style of visual processing doesn't require a boundary, maybe as a reference point for identifying the location and trajectory of moving objects. Where's Oliver Sacks when you need him, eh? Well, the next-best thing might be a largely stationary target, and we somehow gave him a few of those in the middle of the field when and where it counted.

[Rusty Trombagent]

I'm really curious too about a few of those crossing routes, because to my brain they seemed like they were on a delay. Like Justin was sitting back there for 2-4 seconds looking around before he let it rip on short crossers to DJ Moore... and it seemed like it was by design to give guys a bigger cushion over the middle to make Justin more comfortable.

Next gen charts arent out for week 17, that'll be the place to start to see if those routes have any kind of extra hitches to them to drag em out.

[The Marshall Plan]

I'm really curious too about a few of those crossing routes, because to my brain they seemed like they were on a delay. Like Justin was sitting back there for 2-4 seconds looking around before he let it rip on short crossers to DJ Moore... and it seemed like it was by design to give guys a bigger cushion over the middle to make Justin more comfortable.

Next gen charts arent out for week 17, that'll be the place to start to see if those routes have any kind of extra hitches to them to drag em out.

Next Gen Charts are like totally the Old Paradigm.

I’ve evolved to Next Next Gen Charts.

[Rusty Trombagent]

yeah i've heard most nfl insiders are using those now

[dplank]

There were passes thrown in yesterday’s game that we haven’t seen much of all season. Passes to the middle of the field, that crossing route to Moore, the gorgeous dime to the back of the end zone. If THAT was a sample of Getsy’s growth and development as a play caller? Then I will back off of Getsy as well. I understand that growth happens through adversity, and realistically this is year 1 of the Eberflus era. Last year was a year down. How we play against the Packers in Lambeau next week is going to tell us a lot.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around all that, but to my mind it's got to be a combination of a few things:

- Getsy finding a way to address the middle of the field--not the way he'd planned, and probably not in a way that's sustainable, but the way that works for his personnel right now.

- The WRs (well, at least the ones named DJ Moore) making good reads on what seem to have become option routes.

- Fields trusting himself to rip it on routes not affected by the sideline. I'd honestly started to wonder if his style of visual processing doesn't require a boundary, maybe as a reference point for identifying the location and trajectory of moving objects. Where's Oliver Sacks when you need him, eh? Well, the next-best thing might be a largely stationary target, and we somehow gave him a few of those in the middle of the field when and where it counted.

Could be as simple as the offense is getting closer to full implementation. Getsy said recently that you don’t have all the options / solutions to everything the defense throws at you until Y3. Maybe this is natural evolution of Getsy the play caller, Fields the QB, and the offense as it nears Y3.

[The Marshall Plan]

yeah i've heard most nfl insiders are using those now

WE SIMPLY CANNOT ALLOW A NEXT GEN CHARTS GAP!!!!

[Z Bear]

YA no....Getsy fucking sucks as a play caller for Fields and needs to be shit canned. You cannot go into next seaons with Getsy as OC and Fields as QB. I am tired of toss sweeps to WRs on short yardage situations when you have one of the best running games in the league. I am tired of the shitty screen game Getsy runs. No quick slants, no putting players in positions to succeed. You have to make a decision betweeen Getsy and Fields and I am leaning hard towards Justin right now.

[UOK]

As much as we don't like it, it's almost a certainty that the Bears are going to bring back 90% of their personnel next season.

Chances are good that Frank Reich will get brought in in some capacity and be sort of a sounding board/quick replacement for Getsy if the team is in need of a jolt next season. I would be shocked if Phil Snow wasn't named defensive coordinator and Flus continues to call plays next season.

So because I foresee Getsy and co. all returning, I feel like it would take a very, very bad performance from Justin Fields against the Packers and/or an insanely lopsided offer in trade for Fields not to be the Bears starting quarterback next season.

Here's how I see it:

1. Fields has proven over the course of this season that he can lead an offense to reasonably consistent 30+ point games, even against impressive defenses. A rookie, no matter the caliber, is untested against the NFL and will require a year or two to grow. This is also likely to be messed up if you fire the offensive coordinator either mid-or-postseason 2024. Fields is a top 15 quarterback, and that's got value. You can win a title with that. Bagent is nothing to sniff at as a backup, and you've got another year or two of bottom-dollar support from him as a guy who can go .500 if things fall apart. The other issue is if you dump Fields and draft a rookie, you have to sign a veteran QB like Mayfield to be his mentor/safety net. This essentially wastes Tyson Bagent and requires overinvesting cap space in a decent backup QB (the value of which is skyrocketing).

2. Fields is uniquely the most athletic quarterback in the NFL both in size, speed, and ability to compensate for a mediocre offensive line. The line is still a developing unit both in sculpting existing personnel and cultivating young players to be anchors. Bringing in a rookie in tandem with a line still in transition is a major concern.

3. The Super Bowl window of the athletic primes of guys like Sweat, Moore, and Johnson (assuming he's re-signed) are the next 2-3 years. The Bears have a unique cap situation right now to bring in a couple big names while having the luxury of draft capital to swell the bottom of the roster with young talent that gets to develop playing with some of the best in the league.

[thunderspirit]

I still expect the Bears to move on from Fields and draft a QB. (This is not my preference, merely what I expect to happen.)

I also expect them to keep Eberflus, which is absolutely not the best thing to do when bringing in a rookie QB (and if you're keeping Flus, you should keep Fields).

[Mikefive]

Those of you who complain that you haven't seen crossing routes or routes to the back corner of the end zone must not have been watching the games. They're both there.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

After watching the UW vs. Texas game last night, the path forward is clear. Trade out of the #1 spot, and draft Odunze. He is just as good as MHJ, and we can get him at pick 6-10 instead of having to spend a #3 pick on a WR.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

yeah i've heard most nfl insiders are using those now

WE SIMPLY CANNOT ALLOW A NEXT GEN CHARTS GAP!!!!

Greatest parody of modern civilization ever. Thank you Stanley Kubrick.

[dplank]

Those of you who complain that you haven't seen crossing routes or routes to the back corner of the end zone must not have been watching the games. They're both there.

Those plays take more time to develop, and early in the season we were unable to pass protect well enough to hit them, and when we did protect well enough Fields seemed to not see / throw it. The entire operation has improved, from the OL play to the WR play to the QB play - and it takes all 3 for it to work.

[dplank]

As much as we don't like it, it's almost a certainty that the Bears are going to bring back 90% of their personnel next season.

Chances are good that Frank Reich will get brought in in some capacity and be sort of a sounding board/quick replacement for Getsy if the team is in need of a jolt next season. I would be shocked if Phil Snow wasn't named defensive coordinator and Flus continues to call plays next season.

So because I foresee Getsy and co. all returning, I feel like it would take a very, very bad performance from Justin Fields against the Packers and/or an insanely lopsided offer in trade for Fields not to be the Bears starting quarterback next season.

Here's how I see it:

1. Fields has proven over the course of this season that he can lead an offense to reasonably consistent 30+ point games, even against impressive defenses. A rookie, no matter the caliber, is untested against the NFL and will require a year or two to grow. This is also likely to be messed up if you fire the offensive coordinator either mid-or-postseason 2024. Fields is a top 15 quarterback, and that's got value. You can win a title with that. Bagent is nothing to sniff at as a backup, and you've got another year or two of bottom-dollar support from him as a guy who can go .500 if things fall apart. The other issue is if you dump Fields and draft a rookie, you have to sign a veteran QB like Mayfield to be his mentor/safety net. This essentially wastes Tyson Bagent and requires overinvesting cap space in a decent backup QB (the value of which is skyrocketing).

2. Fields is uniquely the most athletic quarterback in the NFL both in size, speed, and ability to compensate for a mediocre offensive line. The line is still a developing unit both in sculpting existing personnel and cultivating young players to be anchors. Bringing in a rookie in tandem with a line still in transition is a major concern.

3. The Super Bowl window of the athletic primes of guys like Sweat, Moore, and Johnson (assuming he's re-signed) are the next 2-3 years. The Bears have a unique cap situation right now to bring in a couple big names while having the luxury of draft capital to swell the bottom of the roster with young talent that gets to develop playing with some of the best in the league.

Very good summary UOK, agreement across the board here

[Mikefive]

Here's something to think about. We trashed the coaching staff for going conservative in games--running clock and not appreciably trying to score on offense and allowing the underneath, middle of the field stuff on defense which allowed teams to easily march back down the field and get back into the game. "Playing not to lose!" many of us decried, including me. You play to win the game!

Fast forward to this offseason and the QB conundrum. Fields is certainly a legit starting NFL QB, but one who has flaws in his game. After 3 years, he definitely needs to improve further. Will he continue to grow? Probably. But will he ever be able to get the ball out of his hand consistently quickly to regularly punish defenses that blitz him from all angles? Unknown. Still, we know what his floor is and he's the safer choice, even with his warts.

OTOH, the Bears' scouting staff likely has a favorite. It may be Williams, Maye, Daniels or one of the others. For the purpose of this discussion, I'll assume it's Williams. The scouting group will have to contemplate the Williams' ceiling which may very well be higher than what Fields has shown. The other end is the possibility for Williams to bust out as a number of high R1 QBs have done in recent memory.

If Poles is afraid to take Williams because of the bust possibility, despite that his ceiling in theory is higher than Fields, isn't sticking with Fields just playing not to lose? Wouldn't going with the higher ceiling guy... particularly if you get him cheaper for more years... be playing to win?

[Mikefive]

Those of you who complain that you haven't seen crossing routes or routes to the back corner of the end zone must not have been watching the games. They're both there.

Those plays take more time to develop, and early in the season we were unable to pass protect well enough to hit them, and when we did protect well enough Fields seemed to not see / throw it. The entire operation has improved, from the OL play to the WR play to the QB play - and it takes all 3 for it to work.

Agree completely. But blaming Getsy for not seeing those routes just isn't accurate.

[Hema2.0]

This is going to be the craziest off season that many of us will ever witness and I'm all for it.

[Yogi da Bear]

WE SIMPLY CANNOT ALLOW A NEXT GEN CHARTS GAP!!!!

Greatest parody of modern civilization ever. Thank you Stanley Kubrick.

And Peter Sellers.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

Black Monday Poles turns over his Eberflus card - yes or no - after that I'm blind as a bat.

[Arkansasbear]

Here's something to think about. We trashed the coaching staff for going conservative in games--running clock and not appreciably trying to score on offense and allowing the underneath, middle of the field stuff on defense which allowed teams to easily march back down the field and get back into the game. "Playing not to lose!" many of us decried, including me. You play to win the game!

Fast forward to this offseason and the QB conundrum. Fields is certainly a legit starting NFL QB, but one who has flaws in his game. After 3 years, he definitely needs to improve further. Will he continue to grow? Probably. But will he ever be able to get the ball out of his hand consistently quickly to regularly punish defenses that blitz him from all angles? Unknown. Still, we know what his floor is and he's the safer choice, even with his warts.

OTOH, the Bears' scouting staff likely has a favorite. It may be Williams, Maye, Daniels or one of the others. For the purpose of this discussion, I'll assume it's Williams. The scouting group will have to contemplate the Williams' ceiling which may very well be higher than what Fields has shown. The other end is the possibility for Williams to bust out as a number of high R1 QBs have done in recent memory.

If Poles is afraid to take Williams because of the bust possibility, despite that his ceiling in theory is higher than Fields, isn't sticking with Fields just playing not to lose? Wouldn't going with the higher ceiling guy... particularly if you get him cheaper for more years... be playing to win?

But how long does it take Williams to reach that ceiling? What impact does moving off of Fields have on the locker room? Does William cause them to regress next year and miss a playoff run or two? Like I said somewhere we are all playing checkers and Poles has to master 3D chess to get this right.