CJ Stroud

[Umbali]

So kind of curious. Does watching what Stroud has done and is doing today in the playoffs make your think Poles straight up fucked up passing on him?

Or do you recognize that most GMs may not have seen the talent just like most didnt see Mahomes talent.

If so is it situational? I mean I think Mahomes developed the way he did because of Andy Reid. He never would have developed the same way here.

Not sure why Stroud has done so well honestly. Nico Collins is balling out. I remember doing a dynasty draft and considering Dell and thinking he was iffy. I was wrong lol.

With the Bears we have to account for the fact that we didnt actually pass on Stroud for Justin. We passed on Stroud for Wright, DJ , Stevenson * i think* and then whatever we do with this years pick.

I personally dont think Stroud has the year here that he had in Houston.

Of course all of this leads us to this years decision. Fields vs draftee vs the haul we get if we trade back.

I sure hope Poles is playing 3d chess cus I am already confused on what to do.

if this needs to be in another thread, I wasnt sure which one lol.

drinking = free pass lol

[Heinz D.]

So kind of curious. Does watching what Stroud has done and is doing today in the playoffs make your think Poles straight up fucked up passing on him?

Or do you recognize that most GMs may not have seen the talent just like most didnt see Mahomes talent.

Poles "straight up fucked up passing on him". There's simply no other way too parse it. And we are fairly sure Poles preferred Stroud to Young, so, odds are, if the Bears had went QB, instead of trading the pick, it would have been Stroud.

And the Bears would be playing tomorrow.

All GMs saw the talent.

Stroud has shone since he first walked onto an NFL field. Justin Fields, in his third year (and second in the same offense) began the regular season with the most discombobulated, putrid game I've ever seen a professional quarterback play.

[thunderspirit]

I think Poles wasn't taking one of those QBs last year no matter what.

I have no idea which he thought was better — I personally was a lot higher on Stroud than on Young, for whatever that's worth — but this year was all about seeing what Fields could do with improved talent around him.

[IotaNet]

I think Poles wasn't taking one of those QBs last year no matter what. … this year was all about seeing what Fields could do with improved talent around him.

This.

I am not all surprised at what Stroud is doing. He was a STUD at tOSU … with amazing character and work ethic to boot.

Unfortunately, Poles HAD to figure out what he had in Fields. You also have to consider that Stroud wouldn’t have had DJ Moore or Darnell Wright.

Also … it would have been a tough decision (from a fan base/optics standpoint) to trade one tOSU QB for another.

[Hema2.0]

So kind of curious. Does watching what Stroud has done and is doing today in the playoffs make your think Poles straight up fucked up passing on him?

Or do you recognize that most GMs may not have seen the talent just like most didnt see Mahomes talent.

If so is it situational? I mean I think Mahomes developed the way he did because of Andy Reid. He never would have developed the same way here.

Not sure why Stroud has done so well honestly. Nico Collins is balling out. I remember doing a dynasty draft and considering Dell and thinking he was iffy. I was wrong lol.

With the Bears we have to account for the fact that we didnt actually pass on Stroud for Justin. We passed on Stroud for Wright, DJ , Stevenson * i think* and then whatever we do with this years pick.

I personally dont think Stroud has the year here that he had in Houston.

Of course all of this leads us to this years decision. Fields vs draftee vs the haul we get if we trade back.

I sure hope Poles is playing 3d chess cus I am already confused on what to do.

if this needs to be in another thread, I wasnt sure which one lol.

drinking = free pass lol

Most GMs didn't have a shot at Stroud, but Poles did, so questioning if they missed doesn't make much sense. But you should of DMd me. I could have saved you the heat thats coming your way for even mentioning Stroud like I received a while back. Unless of course people respect you more, than it may be ok for you.

[Heinz D.]

I think Poles wasn't taking one of those QBs last year no matter what.

Yeah...I think you're right about that. It was TOTALLY the wrong decision...but it's hard to fault Poles for making it.

I don't think he repeats his mistake, though.

Most GMs didn't have a shot at Stroud, but Poles did, so questioning if they missed doesn't make much sense. But you should of DMd me. I could have saved you the heat thats coming your way for even mentioning Stroud like I received a while back. Unless of course people respect you more, than it may be ok for you.

Stroud should have been a Bear. We should be in the playoffs.

Folks were hostile to this notion? Seriously?

[Teddy KGB]

So kind of curious. Does watching what Stroud has done and is doing today in the playoffs make your think Poles straight up fucked up passing on him?

Or do you recognize that most GMs may not have seen the talent just like most didnt see Mahomes talent.

If so is it situational? I mean I think Mahomes developed the way he did because of Andy Reid. He never would have developed the same way here.

Not sure why Stroud has done so well honestly. Nico Collins is balling out. I remember doing a dynasty draft and considering Dell and thinking he was iffy. I was wrong lol.

With the Bears we have to account for the fact that we didnt actually pass on Stroud for Justin. We passed on Stroud for Wright, DJ , Stevenson * i think* and then whatever we do with this years pick.

I personally dont think Stroud has the year here that he had in Houston.

Of course all of this leads us to this years decision. Fields vs draftee vs the haul we get if we trade back.

I sure hope Poles is playing 3d chess cus I am already confused on what to do.

if this needs to be in another thread, I wasnt sure which one lol.

drinking = free pass lol

So to answer this question, what I've learned is that there are two types of fans who get into these types of discussions or arguments.

The first is the fan who actually watches the game and can understand it. They can break down what happened and look at more than just the quarterback. They can look at the wide receiver, the offensive line, the play call, Everything.

Then you have the majority of fans. These are people who don't truly understand the game but instead look at a result and base their entire opinion around the result without understanding the mechanics and reasons behind that result. They will often grab stats to try to bolster their claims when the reality is stats will only ever tell a part of the story because what happens on the film absolutely matters.

Why do I say all this?

Because it's the people in the latter category who thinks Stroud is football Jesus and somehow elevated a completely shitty team to playoff contention simply by being a good quarterback. And further emotionally they will use that leverage to argue that the bear should take a quarterback with the first overall pick in this draft.


But let's really look at the Texans. Yes they had a terrible record last year. They took CJ Stroud and I will take nothing away from him. He is a really good Prospect.

But I would challenge anyone to dig deeper. Despite their record last year, the Texans had a really good offensive line this year. They also had an excellent offensive coordinator. On top of that, it appears one of their wide receivers is coming on and is a legit number two wide receiver at a minimum given how wide open he was in this playoff game, because scrubs who are trash don't get that open. And a quarterback who is good doesn't always get his receiver that open. Sure they sometimes throw Guys open but most of the time it is actually the play call and play design which is the domain of the offensive coordinator.

Everyone wants a simple solution so they can just point at one thing and say aha! But the truth is football is a team game and it is entirely dependent on all the pieces.

It's something common fans don't understand because they just look at the results but someone like Ryan poles knows how football teams are put together and understands just how important everything fits. Which is exactly why Luke getsy no longer has a job and why they called his ass out in the press conference.

My point being, CJ Stroud ended up in a fantastic spot for him with more around him than those who want to use his case for their own personal arguments give credit for...

[Hema2.0]

So kind of curious. Does watching what Stroud has done and is doing today in the playoffs make your think Poles straight up fucked up passing on him?

Or do you recognize that most GMs may not have seen the talent just like most didnt see Mahomes talent.

If so is it situational? I mean I think Mahomes developed the way he did because of Andy Reid. He never would have developed the same way here.

Not sure why Stroud has done so well honestly. Nico Collins is balling out. I remember doing a dynasty draft and considering Dell and thinking he was iffy. I was wrong lol.

With the Bears we have to account for the fact that we didnt actually pass on Stroud for Justin. We passed on Stroud for Wright, DJ , Stevenson * i think* and then whatever we do with this years pick.

I personally dont think Stroud has the year here that he had in Houston.

Of course all of this leads us to this years decision. Fields vs draftee vs the haul we get if we trade back.

I sure hope Poles is playing 3d chess cus I am already confused on what to do.

if this needs to be in another thread, I wasnt sure which one lol.

drinking = free pass lol

So to answer this question, what I've learned is that there are two types of fans who get into these types of discussions or arguments.

The first is the fan who actually watches the game and can understand it. They can break down what happened and look at more than just the quarterback. They can look at the wide receiver, the offensive line, the play call, Everything.

Then you have the majority of fans. These are people who don't truly understand the game but instead look at a result and base their entire opinion around the result without understanding the mechanics and reasons behind that result. They will often grab stats to try to bolster their claims when the reality is stats will only ever tell a part of the story because what happens on the film absolutely matters.

Why do I say all this?

Because it's the people in the latter category who thinks Stroud is football Jesus and somehow elevated a completely shitty team to playoff contention simply by being a good quarterback. And further emotionally they will use that leverage to argue that the bear should take a quarterback with the first overall pick in this draft.


But let's really look at the Texans. Yes they had a terrible record last year. They took CJ Stroud and I will take nothing away from him. He is a really good Prospect.

But I would challenge anyone to dig deeper. Despite their record last year, the Texans had a really good offensive line this year. They also had an excellent offensive coordinator. On top of that, it appears one of their wide receivers is coming on and is a legit number two wide receiver at a minimum given how wide open he was in this playoff game, because scrubs who are trash don't get that open. And a quarterback who is good doesn't always get his receiver that open. Sure they sometimes throw Guys open but most of the time it is actually the play call and play design which is the domain of the offensive coordinator.

Everyone wants a simple solution so they can just point at one thing and say aha! But the truth is football is a team game and it is entirely dependent on all the pieces.

It's something common fans don't understand because they just look at the results but someone like Ryan poles knows how football teams are put together and understands just how important everything fits. Which is exactly why Luke getsy no longer has a job and why they called his ass out in the press conference.

My point being, CJ Stroud ended up in a fantastic spot for him with more around him than those who want to use his case for their own personal arguments give credit for...

Let me guess Teddy, you are the first type of fan and anybody who has a different opinion is one of the dumb common fans?

[Hema2.0]

I think Poles wasn't taking one of those QBs last year no matter what.

Yeah...I think you're right about that. It was TOTALLY the wrong decision...but it's hard to fault Poles for making it.

I don't think he repeats his mistake, though.

Most GMs didn't have a shot at Stroud, but Poles did, so questioning if they missed doesn't make much sense. But you should of DMd me. I could have saved you the heat thats coming your way for even mentioning Stroud like I received a while back. Unless of course people respect you more, than it may be ok for you.

Stroud should have been a Bear. We should be in the playoffs.

Folks were hostile to this notion? Seriously?

I mentioned that even though I understood why Poles didn't consider Stroud, it doesn't look good that he passed on him. The whole context was in regards to what Poles will do this draft. I considered that Poles job security could possibly be in jeopardy next year if he passed on drafting a QB this year, if that QB played anything like Stroud. Because that would be 2 years straight having the number 1 pick while staying with Fields. I was told that idea wasn't worth discussing because Stroud was never a consideration and therefore would have no effect on Poles, like my opinion was a waste of time for others. I can handle disagreement, but I don't handle others telling me my opinions aren't warranted.

[Otis Day]

The Bears were not looking for a QB this year. Why does this have to be brought up? It is a non subject. If they were looking QB and he drafted someone else, sure it is a topic. But he wasn't looking so this is a non issue.

[Hema2.0]

The Bears were not looking for a QB this year. Why does this have to be brought up? It is a non subject. If they were looking QB and he drafted someone else, sure it is a topic. But he wasn't looking so this is a non issue.

He had the number 1 pick, which means either he missed on his evaluation of Stroud (remember the I have to be blown away), or he chose what he thought was a better option. If you decide it's not worth discussing, just ignore it, but for some it seems, it's worth discussing.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

It's about phase of rebuild. Although Teddy KGB brings up good points. We were not in a position to take a QB last year. No way, no how. Honestly, nor are we this year. Poles is doing the roster rebuild the right way. He's cashing #1 picks into draft capital, and leveraging a rookie QB contract. Anyone who thinks that drafting CJ Stroud would have put us in the playoffs this year is a flat out meatball fan.

[Teddy KGB]

So to answer this question, what I've learned is that there are two types of fans who get into these types of discussions or arguments.

The first is the fan who actually watches the game and can understand it. They can break down what happened and look at more than just the quarterback. They can look at the wide receiver, the offensive line, the play call, Everything.

Then you have the majority of fans. These are people who don't truly understand the game but instead look at a result and base their entire opinion around the result without understanding the mechanics and reasons behind that result. They will often grab stats to try to bolster their claims when the reality is stats will only ever tell a part of the story because what happens on the film absolutely matters.

Why do I say all this?

Because it's the people in the latter category who thinks Stroud is football Jesus and somehow elevated a completely shitty team to playoff contention simply by being a good quarterback. And further emotionally they will use that leverage to argue that the bear should take a quarterback with the first overall pick in this draft.


But let's really look at the Texans. Yes they had a terrible record last year. They took CJ Stroud and I will take nothing away from him. He is a really good Prospect.

But I would challenge anyone to dig deeper. Despite their record last year, the Texans had a really good offensive line this year. They also had an excellent offensive coordinator. On top of that, it appears one of their wide receivers is coming on and is a legit number two wide receiver at a minimum given how wide open he was in this playoff game, because scrubs who are trash don't get that open. And a quarterback who is good doesn't always get his receiver that open. Sure they sometimes throw Guys open but most of the time it is actually the play call and play design which is the domain of the offensive coordinator.

Everyone wants a simple solution so they can just point at one thing and say aha! But the truth is football is a team game and it is entirely dependent on all the pieces.

It's something common fans don't understand because they just look at the results but someone like Ryan poles knows how football teams are put together and understands just how important everything fits. Which is exactly why Luke getsy no longer has a job and why they called his ass out in the press conference.

My point being, CJ Stroud ended up in a fantastic spot for him with more around him than those who want to use his case for their own personal arguments give credit for...

Let me guess Teddy, you are the first type of fan and anybody who has a different opinion is one of the dumb common fans?

You getting pre-offended marks you as the second type, that's for sure.


Anyone who wants a deeper understanding of this game and actually have a deeper insight should strive to be the first kind of fan. I won't say I am that fan, but it is the goal I shoot for.

If you aren't, and you are the second type of fan, then you're just a loser meatball bitch, plain and simple - by the way, I mean the royal you, not you specifically.

Those that are the second type of fan are dumb enough to out themselves when just given a little bit of rope to hang themselves with...

[Hema2.0]

Let me guess Teddy, you are the first type of fan and anybody who has a different opinion is one of the dumb common fans?

You getting pre-offended marks you as the second type, that's for sure.


Anyone who wants a deeper understanding of this game and actually have a deeper insight should strive to be the first kind of fan. I won't say I am that fan, but it is the goal I shoot for.

If you aren't, and you are the second type of fan, then you're just a loser meatball bitch, plain and simple - by the way, I mean the royal you, not you specifically.

Those that are the second type of fan are dumb enough to out themselves when just given a little bit of rope to hang themselves with...

Nah...I don't do absolutes in any relationship, spouse, friend or otherwise. So I will never categorize you on any topic. But you do whatever pleases you Teddy.

[Xee]

The Bears were not looking for a QB this year. Why does this have to be brought up? It is a non subject. If they were looking QB and he drafted someone else, sure it is a topic. But he wasn't looking so this is a non issue.

He had the number 1 pick, which means either he missed on his evaluation of Stroud (remember the I have to be blown away), or he chose what he thought was a better option. If you decide it's not worth discussing, just ignore it, but for some it seems, it's worth discussing.

I think the basis of this hypothetical is that Stroud would have had the same performance with the Bears coaches and offense and I don't see how that's a guarantee. What if Poles had drafted him and he didn't immediately excel like he has with the Texans? The media would be lighting Poles up for drafting a QB even though we know for a fact Stroud can play.

[Hema2.0]

He had the number 1 pick, which means either he missed on his evaluation of Stroud (remember the I have to be blown away), or he chose what he thought was a better option. If you decide it's not worth discussing, just ignore it, but for some it seems, it's worth discussing.

I think the basis of this hypothetical is that Stroud would have had the same performance with the Bears coaches and offense and I don't see how that's a guarantee. What if Poles had drafted him and he didn't immediately excel like he has with the Texans? The media would be lighting Poles up for drafting a QB even though we know for a fact Stroud can play.

Same thought exercise, what if he does excel and instead of Houston, Chicago has a franchise QB and just won a playoff game?

[Teddy KGB]

You getting pre-offended marks you as the second type, that's for sure.


Anyone who wants a deeper understanding of this game and actually have a deeper insight should strive to be the first kind of fan. I won't say I am that fan, but it is the goal I shoot for.

If you aren't, and you are the second type of fan, then you're just a loser meatball bitch, plain and simple - by the way, I mean the royal you, not you specifically.

Those that are the second type of fan are dumb enough to out themselves when just given a little bit of rope to hang themselves with...

Nah...I don't do absolutes in any relationship, spouse, friend or otherwise. So I will never categorize you on any topic. But you do whatever pleases you Teddy.

If you have an actual argument against it, how about making it.

Its one thing to take some jabs, but if that is ALL you do - you're not making a strong case for anything other than you hate that I'm right.

[Hema2.0]

Nah...I don't do absolutes in any relationship, spouse, friend or otherwise. So I will never categorize you on any topic. But you do whatever pleases you Teddy.

If you have an actual argument against it, how about making it.

Its one thing to take some jabs, but if that is ALL you do - you're not making a strong case for anything other than you hate that I'm right.

You took the jabs. I'm not entertaining the conversation. It's right there for everybody to see.

[Hema2.0]

It's about phase of rebuild. Although Teddy KGB brings up good points. We were not in a position to take a QB last year. No way, no how. Honestly, nor are we this year. Poles is doing the roster rebuild the right way. He's cashing #1 picks into draft capital, and leveraging a rookie QB contract. Anyone who thinks that drafting CJ Stroud would have put us in the playoffs this year is a flat out meatball fan.

The Texans were literally a glorified Hail Mary "I can't believe that happened" play away from having the number 1 pick instead of us. They drafted Stroud and are in the playoffs, we have question marks about our QB still. Why is it that absurd?

[Toua77]

The Bears were not looking for a QB this year. Why does this have to be brought up? It is a non subject. If they were looking QB and he drafted someone else, sure it is a topic. But he wasn't looking so this is a non issue.

The chatter was smaller, but I definitely do remember some fans raising this exact scenario that's happening right now. That Poles needed to go into that draft with an open mind and give Young & Stroud fair evaluations if he believed they could be better than Fields long term. In totality I do think it's more of a hindsight viewpoint, I think most of us were cool with the trade down and running it back with Justin another year, but fair or not it's gonna be brought up A LOT, if Stroud keeps ascending (I'm not ready to count Young out either)

Between the extremes, I think there exists levels of a happy medium where Poles could've came to an evaluation that Fields, Young, and Stroud would all be good, if not similar players, so the trade down was worth it, but so far looking like a bust on that evaluation if we were hoping to come out of that with the most important position addressed. By sheer dumb luck the Panthers were absolute trash and we're in this position again. Life comes at you really fast. Poles could've stepped into some sort of Franchise changing, career defining moment before he even had a chance to get his bearings. He NEEDS to get it right, so bad. I don't envy his position.

[The Marshall Plan]

I think Poles wasn't taking one of those QBs last year no matter what.

I have no idea which he thought was better — I personally was a lot higher on Stroud than on Young, for whatever that's worth — but this year was all about seeing what Fields could do with improved talent around him.

We also don't know the full yield of the trade down.

Right now we have:

DJ Moore
Darnell Wright
I think the 23R2 turned into Tyrique Stevenson.
24R1 : #1 Overall
25R2

24R1 #1 Could then turn into another star player (Maxx Crosby?), a starting rookie WR2, 25R1 and 25R2.

Hypothetically then:

DJ Moore
Maxx Crosby
Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers
Darnell Wright
Tyrique Stevenson
25R1
25R2 - Carolina
25R2 - Las Vegas

The goal is to win a Super Bowl, not to get into the playoffs, beat Joe Flacco and then get your ass kicked by Mahomes.

In order to do that you need a team, not just a QB.

I don't think the trade down was a mistake at all. Quite the opposite. It was absolutely brilliant.

[German Bear]

In my opinion, trading the pick last year was the right way. We are not in a position to give a new QB a good environment. Bad OC, bad O Line and no WR1. When you then see that we have the #1 spot, you can only thank Poles.

With the right OC, I believe we could now offer the right environment for a new QB. If I decide to do this, I would also take into account that next year we will be at 7:10 again. OK with me if it's the QB of the future.

My feeling is that Fields is not the future of the Bears. I have (german) afraid that we'll make the giants' mistake. For me the question is new QB now or tank again and next year.

Fields currently no new contract and no 5th year option. If he breaks out in the first half of the season, you can still do that. But here he would have to bury all doubts

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

Here’s my take:
Poles to a risk, that’s what you have to do as a GM as there are always a number of uncertainties.

Only time will tell if he messed up. Maybe he did, Stroud has had a great year. But it’s only 1 year so far.

I think Carolina certainly messed up, but there again, maybe it’s the situation as mentioned above?

My question is - will Stroud’s success impact what Poles does with the #1 pick this year??

[artbest01]

Actually, imo, a nuanced view of Stroud acknowledges the fantastic job Slowik has done while also recognizing that the Texans oline is far from elite and that their weapons are average.

Stroud makes remarkably fast decisions, especially for a rookie. At Ohio State, it was obvious that, while he didn’t have Fields physical gifts, he was the far superior natural passer. One had to pause on the fact that, like fields, Stroud was surrounded by the best receiving corps in the country but, as we’ve seen thus far in Houston, the QB that tore through Georgias elite defense is who CJ Stroud is. Justin isn’t remotely close to being in his class.

Did Poles err in not taking Stroud? I’m willing to wait to see how this “shakes out” over time. I’ve guessed that Poles has been pointing to the 2024 QB class as a reason why he could wait and see how Fields progressed in 2023.


quote="Teddy KGB" post_id=366090 time=1705200202 user_id=1577]

So kind of curious. Does watching what Stroud has done and is doing today in the playoffs make your think Poles straight up fucked up passing on him?

Or do you recognize that most GMs may not have seen the talent just like most didnt see Mahomes talent.

If so is it situational? I mean I think Mahomes developed the way he did because of Andy Reid. He never would have developed the same way here.

Not sure why Stroud has done so well honestly. Nico Collins is balling out. I remember doing a dynasty draft and considering Dell and thinking he was iffy. I was wrong lol.

With the Bears we have to account for the fact that we didnt actually pass on Stroud for Justin. We passed on Stroud for Wright, DJ , Stevenson * i think* and then whatever we do with this years pick.

I personally dont think Stroud has the year here that he had in Houston.

Of course all of this leads us to this years decision. Fields vs draftee vs the haul we get if we trade back.

I sure hope Poles is playing 3d chess cus I am already confused on what to do.

if this needs to be in another thread, I wasnt sure which one lol.

drinking = free pass lol

So to answer this question, what I've learned is that there are two types of fans who get into these types of discussions or arguments.

The first is the fan who actually watches the game and can understand it. They can break down what happened and look at more than just the quarterback. They can look at the wide receiver, the offensive line, the play call, Everything.

Then you have the majority of fans. These are people who don't truly understand the game but instead look at a result and base their entire opinion around the result without understanding the mechanics and reasons behind that result. They will often grab stats to try to bolster their claims when the reality is stats will only ever tell a part of the story because what happens on the film absolutely matters.

Why do I say all this?

Because it's the people in the latter category who thinks Stroud is football Jesus and somehow elevated a completely shitty team to playoff contention simply by being a good quarterback. And further emotionally they will use that leverage to argue that the bear should take a quarterback with the first overall pick in this draft.


But let's really look at the Texans. Yes they had a terrible record last year. They took CJ Stroud and I will take nothing away from him. He is a really good Prospect.

But I would challenge anyone to dig deeper. Despite their record last year, the Texans had a really good offensive line this year. They also had an excellent offensive coordinator. On top of that, it appears one of their wide receivers is coming on and is a legit number two wide receiver at a minimum given how wide open he was in this playoff game, because scrubs who are trash don't get that open. And a quarterback who is good doesn't always get his receiver that open. Sure they sometimes throw Guys open but most of the time it is actually the play call and play design which is the domain of the offensive coordinator.

Everyone wants a simple solution so they can just point at one thing and say aha! But the truth is football is a team game and it is entirely dependent on all the pieces.

It's something common fans don't understand because they just look at the results but someone like Ryan poles knows how football teams are put together and understands just how important everything fits. Which is exactly why Luke getsy no longer has a job and why they called his ass out in the press conference.

My point being, CJ Stroud ended up in a fantastic spot for him with more around him than those who want to use his case for their own personal arguments give credit for...
[/quote]

[Arkansasbear]

I think Poles wasn't taking one of those QBs last year no matter what.

I have no idea which he thought was better — I personally was a lot higher on Stroud than on Young, for whatever that's worth — but this year was all about seeing what Fields could do with improved talent around him.

We also don't know the full yield of the trade down.

Right now we have:

DJ Moore
Darnell Wright
I think the 23R2 turned into Tyrique Stevenson.
24R1 : #1 Overall
25R2

24R1 #1 Could then turn into another star player (Maxx Crosby?), a starting rookie WR2, 25R1 and 25R2.

Hypothetically then:

DJ Moore
Maxx Crosby
Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers
Darnell Wright
Tyrique Stevenson
25R1
25R2 - Carolina
25R2 - Las Vegas

The goal is to win a Super Bowl, not to get into the playoffs, beat Joe Flacco and then get your ass kicked by Mahomes.

In order to do that you need a team, not just a QB.

I don't think the trade down was a mistake at all. Quite the opposite. It was absolutely brilliant.

Plus a 4th this year from the Eagles.

[Arkansasbear]

If we could have draft Stroud, fired our coaches and hire Ryan as our HC and bring in their offensive stafff. Sure. But without all those other pieces you can’t guarantee the same results.

You also take away Moore, so where does that production come from?

All draft / trade questions IMO need to be evaluated about 5 years afterwards.

Interesting endeavor but no real on the bones yet.

What happens if we draft a a QB this year and we have a run like the Pats with him, or we trade down get more players and Fields leads us to 5 Suoer Bowls while he is here?

Did Poles screw up by not taking Stroud?

[dplank]

As great as as Stroud has been, I wouldn’t call it a screw up by Poles at all.

First, there’s no way to predict how good he’s been, it’s exceedingly rare for a rookie to play like this. Kudos to Stroud, he’s been absolutely great. But leaguewide GMs were split on him vs Young, if anything it leaned Young. That highlights how hard it is to project these guys.

Second, even knowing how well he’s played with hindsight, I’m still not sure Poles got it wrong. If we are using hindsight with Stroud then we use hindsight for the trade also. So it’s Stroud vs DJ Moore, Darnell Wright, Tyreke Stevenson, the #1 overall pick in 2024, and a 2nd round pick in 2025. As good as Stroud is, I still take the haul Poles got I think.

[Hoog]

Being a Michigan fan, if you would have asked me after their runs at OSU if I would take Fields or Stroud for the Bears, I would have said Fields with no hesitation. Stroud looked hesitant and unenthused. Fields looked exciting.

Watching Stroud now is infuriating. He is calm, reads defenses well, and improvises outstanding. Everything I wish Fields could do.

[Teddy KGB]

Being a Michigan fan, if you would have asked me after their runs at OSU if I would take Fields or Stroud for the Bears, I would have said Fields with no hesitation. Stroud looked hesitant and unenthused. Fields looked exciting.

Watching Stroud now is infuriating. He is calm, reads defenses well, and improvises outstanding. Everything I wish Fields could do.

Give it a year - all the guys that have been reached out to for the new OC are from the same playcalling tree as Getsy but with tons more experience and far better scheme concepts.


You'll see quick next year that Getsy plus the O line were the real inhibiting factors.

[Grizzled]

Poles totally failed to give Fields any needed pieces on offense in '22 to see if he could succeed except for a sop, Braxton, in the 5th. No WR. No TEs. Since Fields has been drafted, the #1 mission of the Bears should have been to develop Fields and see if he is a guy who can be the guy going forward. If Poles had given Fields weapons in '22 and he had a miserable year, then Poles could have evaluated if he needed a new QB in '23. Failure in this regard from Poles and it could bite the Bears yet again in the '24 draft depending on what Poles does.