Yep, totally agree here. And it's fine to disagree with the path we took here AND STILL MOVE ON as we have done. Moving on doesn't mean agreeing with what happened, it means accepting it's done and over with. A mere mention of my continued disagreement on this path isn't trying to coerce anyone into thinking anything different or rehashing a sore subject, I'm just not going along with any of the group think premises that stem from what I believe was a mistake to begin with. Pages aren't devolving into lengthy arguments about the subject, so people really just need to lay off when a counter opinion pops up - it happens and we are entitled to disagree.Yogi da Bear wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 10:09 am And you don't give up your prior starting QB, one with the potential of Justin Fields who is only making 6 mill for the season, for a future fourth round pick, let alone a sixth. I will die on this hill.
Bears were in a unique situation with Justin and the first pick of the draft. You don't simply hand the starter job to a rookie. I don't care if he's the first pick of the draft. Competition is NOT a bad thing. It's NOT going to throw the locker room into discord. If Caleb outplayed Justin and won the starter position fairly, their teammates would be able to see that. It certainly wouldn't be as traumatizing to the teammates who loved Justin as what they did in simply giving him away. Hell, the Bears traded a fourth of that same year for Nick Foles to compete with Trubiskey. When Peyton Manning came in, the Colts traded an aged Jim Harbaugh to the Ravens for a third and a fourth, of that same year.
Of those teams who started the number one draft pick as a rookie, how many dumped a promising young QB for a song in order to simply hand the reins over to the rookie? Like I said, the Bears were in a unique situation that they simply pissed away for nothing. Poles neglected the first rule of any negotiation--you have to be willing to walk away. Just stupid in my book.
But I'll let this go. Caleb's our starter now. I sure hope he doesn't get hurt (knock on wood).
I still supported Poles despite violent disagreement on Claypool. I still support Poles now even though I disagree with his handling of Fields. I've disagreed with Poles on a number of things, from Roquan to not drafting OL high in his first draft, to Carter vs Wright, to Claypool, and now with Fields. Poles has been right far more often than I have, and I'll own that each and every time and give him credit for being right. But he's not perfect, he can make mistakes and he will, everyone does. Time will tell on JF1, maybe he's the turd that many here seem to think he is - I believe he is going to turn out to be a damn good player.