What The Hell Happened?

[wab]

And I hate to admit it, but I don't think I'm an Eberflus fan. He's "fine" but in the same way a gas station roller dog is "fine". I'm not going out of my way to get one, but if I'm there and I'm hungry, it'll do the trick well enough.

[karhu]

And I hate to admit it, but I don't think I'm an Eberflus fan. He's "fine" but in the same way a gas station roller dog is "fine". I'm not going out of my way to get one, but if I'm there and I'm hungry, it'll do the trick well enough.

I'm getting Billy Donovan vibes from him, and Donvan's given us the NBA's most depressing team. Of all things, I'm starting to wonder if the Blackhawks are the only team in town with a decent HC (Sox pending).

[wab]

And I hate to admit it, but I don't think I'm an Eberflus fan. He's "fine" but in the same way a gas station roller dog is "fine". I'm not going out of my way to get one, but if I'm there and I'm hungry, it'll do the trick well enough.

I'm getting Billy Donovan vibes from him, and Donvan's given us the NBA's most depressing team. Of all things, I'm starting to wonder if the Blackhawks are the only team in town with a decent HC (Sox pending).

I haven't mentioned it much because he seems like a swell guy and he hasn't really done anything to warrant me not liking him... I just really find myself wishing the Bears would have hired Dan Quinn instead. Like I think about it more than I really should.

[UOK]

The primary reason I'm okay with Eberflus is that his players respond to him positively, even when things are bad. He seems to have control of the room and of his staff. The message resonates.

I haven't seen him do anything necessarily bone-headed or needlessly stubborn, etc to poison the well, either. He's a great coach to set the course for the Bears to eventually return to being annually competitive. Will he eventually be what puts the team over the edge toward a Super Bowl? Who the fuck knows. But at least right now he's keeping things respectable.

[thunderspirit]

The primary reason I'm okay with Eberflus is that his players respond to him positively, even when things are bad. He seems to have control of the room and of his staff. The message resonates.

I haven't seen him do anything necessarily bone-headed or needlessly stubborn, etc to poison the well, either. He's a great coach to set the course for the Bears to eventually return to being annually competitive. Will he eventually be what puts the team over the edge toward a Super Bowl? Who the fuck knows. But at least right now he's keeping things respectable.

This is more or less where I am with Flus.

[karhu]

The primary reason I'm okay with Eberflus is that his players respond to him positively, even when things are bad. He seems to have control of the room and of his staff. The message resonates.

I haven't seen him do anything necessarily bone-headed or needlessly stubborn, etc to poison the well, either. He's a great coach to set the course for the Bears to eventually return to being annually competitive. Will he eventually be what puts the team over the edge toward a Super Bowl? Who the fuck knows. But at least right now he's keeping things respectable.

Yeah, he's doing all the essential things right, from what I can tell. And he's given Getsy full rein, just like he promised. I just wonder what happens when the team starts to turn the corner. When Ball went down and the Bulls needed a coach to re-shape their game a bit, Donovan didn't have any ideas (none that he put into play, at least). It's a ridiculously poorly constructed roster, yeah, but it's also the less than the sum of its parts, some of which are extremely expensive. Preaching hustle and unity is great when you're truly in the dumps, but the longer we stink on ice, the more I'm starting to wonder whether schtick like HITS might be as limiting as it is helpful.

Glad we're not stuck in the Nagy/Boylan rut, and I'm probably being unfair to Eberflus for being pre-hinked-out by Donovan.

[Grizzled]

The simplest explanation is usually the correct explanation.

The Bears can't:
1 - Protect the QB
2 - Rush the QB

#1 is a little quicker fix than #2.

Slight upgrades here and there, coupled with health, will address the protection issues. I saw yesterday that the Bears have had 8 starting OL combinations this season - the 2nd most in the NFL. Fix the center position and upgrade at RT and I think it'll be fine.

I truly believe that the secondary and LB positions are fine, but the Bears are going to have to sink some money and picks into the DL.

100% agree with your assessment.

Was just thinking to myself yesterday... What if the Bears sign TWO top flight DL guys this offseason, an edge AND a DT? Is that even possible, considering it will cost $50M/year, even with all of our cap space, since we have so many other contracts to bring in?

What if the Bears could also sign a topnotch LT? It would cost about $22M per year. I think the top notch DT would be between $15 and $20M. There aren't any topnotch free agent DEs available this year nor wide receivers so there won't be big bucks spent on them.

[Arkansasbear]

And I hate to admit it, but I don't think I'm an Eberflus fan. He's "fine" but in the same way a gas station roller dog is "fine". I'm not going out of my way to get one, but if I'm there and I'm hungry, it'll do the trick well enough.

Come to town and get a "Dodger Dog" the best gas station roller dog I've ever come across. I've actually made a point to go and get one for lunch a few times.

[Otis Day]

Eebz is similar to Jauron. Nice guys, players really like them, players play for them, they are just not fantastic, dynamic guys. That is OK and can work. We just have to wait and see in the next couple of years when the roster is markedly better.

[TheWorldBreaker]

I’m trying to figure out how this season got so bleak.

Yes I know there was a thought going into this year that this was a throwaway year. The real fun is supposed to begin next season with the cap money and now with the added benefit of a first rounder that’ll either be 2 or 3 overall.

However the season started with us beating the 49’ers albeit in a monsoon but they played in the same weather.

Then we lose to the Packers. We’ve been doing that for years. Nothing special.

But then we respond by beating the Texans.

Now JF1 has his breakout season. He’s arriving. With the exception of the Jets game when he didn’t play the previous few weeks we were scoring 30 with regularity.

Yet we can’t beat anybody.

So I ask, what in the hell happened?

In my mind, the collapse began with the Giants game. We were humiliated and lost to a team that did rollout after rollout and we refused to adjust. Then they didn’t even field a QB for a lot of the game due to injury. We still lost.

In between the Giants game and now we’ve experienced everything from JF1’s breakout to a defense that cannot rush the passer at all to an offense that can score 30 but a defense that gives up 40. Not to mention a shit ton of bullshit calls / non calls that have cost us games.

I blame a combination of Poles for not fielding a team to Flus not being a good HC to Williams failing as a DC but then also the total lack of players.

It’s just maddening because we started off so good and now? It’s a cluster fuck.

The Bears have been screwed by bad calls this year. Fields crossed the goal line against the Packers. They also ignored a false start by the Packers in the end zone. Either call could have changed that game.

Pettis was pulled backwards by the arm in the end zone which was blatantly pass interference towards the end of the game against Washington.

The Detroit db was german suplexing Claypool and that pass interference wasn’t called which would have guaranteed they’d at least tied it. And it was especially egregious because on an earlier Detroit touchdown drive they’d called a horrific pass interference on Eddie Jackson.

There were multiple late hits on Fields that should have been called against Atlanta.

The game against the Jets was bleak aside from a couple of amazing catches because Fields wasn’t there to mask how terrible the team is. But the previous 5 or so weeks have the most entertaining Bears games in years despite only getting one win.

So I wouldn’t call it bleak, especially when Poles traded away two of the better defensive players and team captains during the season.

We knew this team was lacking in talent but the fact that Fields was able to put up nearly 30 points a game with such a talent deficient team is actually extremely encouraging.

I personally feel much better about the future of the Bears than I did at the start of the season.

[Burl]

Way too early for me to pass any judgement.
Remember how high we were on Nagy after year 1?

[wab]

100% agree with your assessment.

Was just thinking to myself yesterday... What if the Bears sign TWO top flight DL guys this offseason, an edge AND a DT? Is that even possible, considering it will cost $50M/year, even with all of our cap space, since we have so many other contracts to bring in?

What if the Bears could also sign a topnotch LT? It would cost about $22M per year. I think the top notch DT would be between $15 and $20M. There aren't any topnotch free agent DEs available this year nor wide receivers so there won't be big bucks spent on them.

I'm still of the opinion that Jones should remain the LT. I'd prefer they move Jenkins back out to RT and solve the revolving door there. Let Leatherwood compete with a draft pick at RG and move on. This assumes that Patrick returns at center, but they should still draft someone...ideally who can play center or guard to be the competition for Leatherwood.

There's going to be some fairly good defensive line options in free agency.

Edge:
Yannick Ngakoue
Jadeveon Clowney
Marcus Davenport
Clelin Ferrell
Samson Ebukam
Zach Allen

DT:
Javon Hargrave
D'Ron Payne
Dre'Mont Jones
Dalvin Tomlinson
A'Shawn Robinson
Jarran Reed
Trysten Hill

LJ Collier

[thunderspirit]

What if the Bears could also sign a topnotch LT? It would cost about $22M per year. I think the top notch DT would be between $15 and $20M. There aren't any topnotch free agent DEs available this year nor wide receivers so there won't be big bucks spent on them.

I'm still of the opinion that Jones should remain the LT. I'd prefer they move Jenkins back out to RT and solve the revolving door there. Let Leatherwood compete with a draft pick at RG and move on. This assumes that Patrick returns at center, but they should still draft someone...ideally who can play center or guard to be the competition for Leatherwood.

I concur that Braxton Jones should stay at LT, yeah. Then give him an offseason of weight work and see if he turns that athleticism into something more.
I'm also in favor of any combination that keeps Teven Jenkins on the field, whether it's at RG or RT.
I have a meh opinion of Alex Leatherwood, but guys don't start 41 games at Alabama by chance.
Cody Whitehair is probably going to be a cap casualty, but personally I'd keep him around.
Lucas Patrick is the starting C until someone takes it from him. I'd draft one, myself.

[The Grizzly One]

OK, I'm going out of character this one time.

First I'm not big nasty smelly Grizzly. My name is Jack.

This season was never really about winning. It was one for evaluation and attitude building.

You "usually" play to win the game, and I believe the team did. Management encouraged it but never made it the primary objective.

I believe this season was a success. Disappointing at times yes, but I strongly feel we are heading in the right direction. Now with Fields being beat-up and with all the injuries, the time was right and the trades were a smart move.

From here on out I think the smart thing would be to "protect" what needs protecting. Time to give all the guys a chance to show something but not get down about not winning. They should enjoy the moment of being NFL players. Fight hard, play hard. Let the managements "pre-game plan" take care of the record.

Great draft position is ready to fall in our laps at an important moment, with hopefully and finally, the right GM and staff to take advantage and lead us back to a glory we once had.

[The Grizzly One]

Way too early for me to pass any judgement.
Remember how high we were on Nagy after year 1?

Not me. I was waving the yellow flag by then. I didn't peg him "the genious" at that point. Instead I called him "Razzle-dazzle."

[Grizzled]

What if the Bears could also sign a topnotch LT? It would cost about $22M per year. I think the top notch DT would be between $15 and $20M. There aren't any topnotch free agent DEs available this year nor wide receivers so there won't be big bucks spent on them.

I'm still of the opinion that Jones should remain the LT. I'd prefer they move Jenkins back out to RT and solve the revolving door there. Let Leatherwood compete with a draft pick at RG and move on. This assumes that Patrick returns at center, but they should still draft someone...ideally who can play center or guard to be the competition for Leatherwood.

There's going to be some fairly good defensive line options in free agency.

Edge:
Yannick Ngakoue
Jadeveon Clowney
Marcus Davenport
Clelin Ferrell
Samson Ebukam
Zach Allen

DT:
Javon Hargrave
D'Ron Payne
Dre'Mont Jones
Dalvin Tomlinson
A'Shawn Robinson
Jarran Reed
Trysten Hill

LJ Collier

There's DE guys who would definitely help the Bears out. I think the delth at 3T is better, though, and the Bears should look at one of these guys. Might let them draft another position of need if they sign one in free agency.

[TheWorldBreaker]

What if the Bears could also sign a topnotch LT? It would cost about $22M per year. I think the top notch DT would be between $15 and $20M. There aren't any topnotch free agent DEs available this year nor wide receivers so there won't be big bucks spent on them.

I'm still of the opinion that Jones should remain the LT. I'd prefer they move Jenkins back out to RT and solve the revolving door there. Let Leatherwood compete with a draft pick at RG and move on. This assumes that Patrick returns at center, but they should still draft someone...ideally who can play center or guard to be the competition for Leatherwood.

There's going to be some fairly good defensive line options in free agency.

Edge:
Yannick Ngakoue
Jadeveon Clowney
Marcus Davenport
Clelin Ferrell
Samson Ebukam
Zach Allen

DT:
Javon Hargrave
D'Ron Payne
Dre'Mont Jones
Dalvin Tomlinson
A'Shawn Robinson
Jarran Reed
Trysten Hill

LJ Collier

Jack Conklin will be a free agent and would be a major upgrade. I definitely think they should pursue him.

Jenkins has been excelling as a RG, so I don’t think they should mess with what is working. Leatherwood was not good on the right side with Oakland but was elite in college on the left side. So I’d have him compete with Whitehair if he’s even here next year.

Braxton Jones has shown some promise and is a good run blocker but I don’t think he’s earned the job. Not when you have a franchise QB. They should definitely bring in some competition for him whether through free agency or the draft.

And I don’t think you can rely on Patrick after the season he’s had and him being on his last year next year. Based on the potential free agents, I would predict that they’ll draft someone for that though.

I wouldn’t be surprised or mad if there were four new starters on both the offensive and defensive lines next year.

[wab]

I think if you are expecting 8 new starters across both lines, you are going to be disappointed.

[dplank]

I like that list of DTs, multiple players there that would be great here (if they make it to FA). Not liking that DE group.

[RichH55]

I'd actually add JJ Watt to the list as well - because I think we can make a major jump next year

[wab]

I thought about Watt but I wasn’t sure how he’d fit.

[RichH55]

I thought about Watt but I wasn’t sure how he’d fit.

I think at this stage - with him being able to lineup in various places - and the Defensive mindset being rotating lots of Lineman - He could be rather useful if used like that

[malk]

There was mention of Flus and I just don't think we've got enough to go on with him. The defensive line has been really bad, outside of some flashes from Jones they've been winning almost no battles and that throws off any ability to judge Flus' ability to make chicken salad from chicken shit. That's probably my biggest regret this season, I really hoped we'd have enough there not to be awful and then we could at least see flashes. Still, we aren't the worst defence in the league and if you look at teams that aren't expecting to be good on defence, that then lose their best two players... well we could be worse.

I don't think Poles did a particularly good job shopping in the bargain bin. The lack of diamonds in the rough is really being spotlighting now that the handful of "name" players we had are/were injured.

Of that bargain bin group...

Yeah,

Pringle
Muhammed
Morrow
Patrick
Jones
ESB

Not a single one that anyone is eager to see return next year. A shoulder shrug is the best case for them.



(Remember preseason when I was insistent that midround comp pick(s) were worth more than veteran stopgaps?)

I didn't love the shopping that Poles did at the time but he's also been pretty unlucky that Pringle and Patrick have been injured.
Morrow has 9 TFL which is pretty good and he's been solid enough.
Jones has 8 TFL and 5 QB hits on a bad line.
ESB is vet min depth so meh.
Muhammad has been really disappointing.

I wouldn't mind seeing any of them come back/stick around. Well, ESB would be a bit of waste of time given he doesn't do much other than block. Muhammad is fairly cheap for an Edge "rusher" but can be cut for 500k. But Jones could tick up with better players around him and Morrow I like as a solid cheap starter in a non glamorous position.

The reality is team parity in the NFL is closer than many think it is.

The difference is the good teams find a way / big deep when the need to / whatever you want to call it. This team simply can't get over that last hump.

Look at the loses we've had:

Green Bay - as you said, it simply is what is and don't get it

Giants - We laid an egg as you pointed out

Vikings - This was set up to be Fields' moment and Smith-Marsette fumbles it away on a bone-headed play (granted if he had gotten free and taken it the house, we'd be saying something different about him)

Washington - Again set up to be Fields' coming of age moment and a poor play at the goal line

Dallas - We are setting up the game to be great, fumble return for a TD and it falls apart

Phis - third time we are put in a spot for Fields to take the spotlight and ESB has the ball go through his hands.

Lions - Defense pisses away Fields' taking the game over and lets them score late. Fields again is primed to take the stage and we fail - again.

Falcons - Poised yet again to have "the game" for Fields and he throw a pick

I know we are what our record says we are, but I think we are a much better team than our record shows.

I hate to keep coming back to it, but we have also gotten some unbelievably bad officiating this year. Both calls and non-calls at key moments.

At least until last week Fields made the games worth watching. If he is back under center, I'll make an effort to watch the remaining games, if not,. if I see them great, if I don't great.

This is pretty much where I'm at as well. We're not good enough to overcome getting poor calls from the refs or the occasional brain farts or high variance poor plays. And that's fine for now. We've been close enough in many games that we could, even with this roster, be a bit of lucky season away from being on the bubble for the playoffs.

If you look at the 2022 predictions thread, a number of us correctly predicted such a season.

Nothing "happened". The talent wasn't there to begin with.

This I just don't agree with. The predictions were based on a team with Quinn and Smith but even so, of the teams that are around .500 we're a lower end one. If this had been a lucky season we might have snuck into the playoffs weird as that sounds at 3-9.

It still sucks that this was a wasted year. Makes it hard to invest any emotional energy into the team. Looking forward to what the team does in free agency and the draft when there are still 5 regular season games left... is pretty depressing.

I get this feeling, and my motivation is waning but I don't think it's a fully wasted year. Fields' development is obviously the big factor but there are other things to like despite being an under talented team on paper. Per game we're 4.5 points behind the opposition which isn't awful given the issues outlined. Being the 30th ranked defence obviously isn't good but it isn't the situation where we're so far off the bottom of the rankings that it needs an insane overhaul. My (potentially irrational) issues with Jackson aside the secondary is fine, the linebackers are fine and the d-line is pretty shit. But get one good player and two decent players and that d-line turns around and that might even be enough in itself to lift us to a (lower) middle of the pack D. If we can bring in one great and two good players on the D line then we might start to see this defence fly.

We've really got to tank now though lol! Strength of schedule is going to screw us in the draft but only the Detroit and Green Bay games seem winnable. Much as it pains me, rest Fields for Green Bay and then Flus needs to make some, um, questionable calls against Detroit to secure us the #2 pick.

Because God damn, if we can trade out of the second pick and go into the off season with the cap space we have. Man, that's something to salivate over!

[Rusty Trombagent]

The primary reason I'm okay with Eberflus is that his players respond to him positively, even when things are bad. He seems to have control of the room and of his staff. The message resonates.

I haven't seen him do anything necessarily bone-headed or needlessly stubborn, etc to poison the well, either. He's a great coach to set the course for the Bears to eventually return to being annually competitive. Will he eventually be what puts the team over the edge toward a Super Bowl? Who the fuck knows. But at least right now he's keeping things respectable.

This is more or less where I am with Flus.

We all knew in our hearts that this was a dreaded rebuilding year, so I'm right there with you guys in agreeing that he's got the force of character to keep the ship afloat, but also this coaching staff has shown CONSISTENTLY that it's both willing and capable of making halftime adjustments, and to me, that's something we havent seen here in a long time. A LONG TIME!

It's kind of funny how the NFL has swung to the idea of your coach needs to be a coordinator running one side of the ball while also running the team kinda vibe. I could see being nonplussed with Alan Williams right now, but it feels way to early for me to Vibe Check Flus. This time next most definitely we'll have a pretty crystal clear picture of what his ceiling is as a coach. Right now? Ehhhhh...

[dplank]

The primary reason I'm okay with Eberflus is that his players respond to him positively, even when things are bad. He seems to have control of the room and of his staff. The message resonates.

This was also true of Matt Nagy tho. And as it became clear as day that he wasn't a good coach, but the players continued to play hard, I came to realize that it's less about the coach than it is about character of the players themselves.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

The primary reason I'm okay with Eberflus is that his players respond to him positively, even when things are bad. He seems to have control of the room and of his staff. The message resonates.

This was also true of Matt Nagy tho. And as it became clear as day that he wasn't a good coach, but the players continued to play hard, I came to realize that it's less about the coach than it is about character of the players themselves.

Good points by both, it shows what a tough job it is to evaluate these guys.

Flus is Poles’ guy so I’m ok with it. I feel Poles is ruthless and if Flus wasn’t cutting it, Poles would move him on rapidly.
The HC sets the tone. Flus has certainly done that in the organisation. That’s the best thing so far. The HITS principle works for me. Simple but also important.
As I go through life I realise it’s the people who do the simple things perfectly who get the best consistent results.

[Teddy KGB]

You answered your own question...

Yes I know there was a thought going into this year that this was a throwaway year.

Nothing has changed.

What is different is that we found out we finally have a franchise QB and that made you IMPATIENT.

Those of us paying attention knew the team was mostly ass top to bottom.


Everything that happened is what those of us paying attention expected to happen.


Its logic vs emotion.

Seeing Fields made you emotional. You have forsaken logic to cater to an emotional need, which is why you feel burned.

Come back to logic, and wait until next year.

[dplank]

I think we'd have ended up with 6-7 wins had we not traded Quinn and Roquan away. There was a clear, blatant falling off a cliff after those moves that took our kinda mediocre defense and turned it into Mel Tucker level stuff.

This talent evaluation was, and is, exactly what we all thought of this roster (and all the national media also) - ass. Bottom 3 talent at WR and OL. A new staff implementing new scheme's on both sides of the ball. IMO it makes Fields progression all the more impressive given those circumstances. He struggled early on, which is to be expected given all the above, but once the offense started to gel a bit into the new scheme, his pure talent started to win the day and he absolutely exploded on the scene.

[Arkansasbear]

I think we'd have ended up with 6-7 wins had we not traded Quinn and Roquan away. There was a clear, blatant falling off a cliff after those moves that took our kinda mediocre defense and turned it into Mel Tucker level stuff.

This talent evaluation was, and is, exactly what we all thought of this roster (and all the national media also) - ass. Bottom 3 talent at WR and OL. A new staff implementing new scheme's on both sides of the ball. IMO it makes Fields progression all the more impressive given those circumstances. He struggled early on, which is to be expected given all the above, but once the offense started to gel a bit into the new scheme, his pure talent started to win the day and he absolutely exploded on the scene.

I don't know about the 6-7 wins with them. Quinn wasn't doing much with us and I think has basically been benched in Philly (at least getting very limited snaps) and I don't think the play of Sanborn has been a reason we are losing.

[Moriarty]

This talent evaluation was, and is, exactly what we all thought of this roster (and all the national media also) - ass. Bottom 3 talent at WR and OL.

Now wait a minute

This off/preseason there were lots of fierce arguments had about:

• The national media being biased against the Bears or just trolling Bear Nation with "ridiculously low" expectations (which are actually turning out to be too high)
• "You can't say this is a bad WR group. You don't know that."
• "The OL must be good enough. Because if it weren't good enough, Poles would have done more about it. But he didn't, so therefore what they have must be fine."