You are Kevin Warren: Do you Fire Ryan Poles?

[G08]

Well I think the jury is still out on whether Poles deserves to be fired. I wouldn’t say anything was certain.

He didn't deserve to be fired last year when all of this was happening (or not happening - depending on who you believe).

This exchange made me wonder what the board would do if they had the power.

[G08]

I put 'no'.

He's overhauled the shit-show that was Ryan Pace's tenure. We have the following players signed through 2026:

Montez Sweat
Tremaine Edmunds
Jaylon Johnson
Cole Kmet
DJ Moore
Caleb Williams
D'Andre Swift
Darnell Wright
Rome Odunze
Tyrique Stevenson
Gervon Dexter

We are also flush with draft picks (four in the top 75 at this point in time)

He has his whiffs: Chase Claypool, Nate Davis, passing on Jalen Carter (maybe?), Matt Eberflus/Luke Getsy/Shane Waldron


To me, I give him one last shot to nail the head coach hiring with the expectation that we are competitive in 2025, 2026 the absolute latest.

[Otis Day]

Not yet. I would put him on blast and warn him that if the OL is not drastically improved for next year, he will be gone.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

No. By all accounts Poles was ready to fire Eberflus after the Patriots game. Now rumor has it that it was Eberflus that wanted Waldron. Poles has made some trade blunders, but he's got this team in a good position talent and draft capital wise. He's tied to Caleb Williams, and he is well aware of that. You have to let him see that through.

[dplank]

I voted yes, but I'm very much conflicted on it. He's done a lot of good, and he's had a lot of misses, and I recognize that all GM's will have misses so I get that. Unfortunately we don't have full insight into who wanted to do what last year as it pertains for Flus, just reporting, but my belief is that Poles wanted to stick it out with Flus. I give no points for wanting to fire him after the Pats game - that's too late and he missed a great opportunity to upgrade at HC this past offseason. He failed to align his new QB with a new HC and that's a cardinal sin IMO. And for that reason primarily I voted yes. The other reason for me is that I don't believe he has followed what I believe the correct blueprint for building a team is - build the lines FIRST then add the flashy players. He did the exact opposite. I also think he got REALLY lucky to get that #1 overall pick that he turned into a kings ransom - nice job on the trade and all but that was a gift that fell into his lap.

Points in his favor are his youth and the hope that he grows on the job, and his dedication to building through the draft is the right move - he just hasn't targeted the LOS as much as he has needed to.

So it's a tough call for me, borderline coin flip. But gun to my head I'd move on as I don't trust his evaluation of coaches and we have to get that right this time.

Folks keep posting all the names of the guys he has acquired, and I just ask myself "so what?" "What have the results been?" They've been awful, because he did some flashy stuff that impressed some fans, but the reality is he failed to build the team the right way and the results are what they are. 4-8 in Y3 of a rebuild is a failure.

[UOK]

Depends on the coach candidate. If it's a "holy shit I can't believe we might actually get this guy" coach, you gotta weigh that decision heavily.

[wab]

What makes Poles a great human also hampers his ability (at times) to be an effective GM. I'm still on the side of keeping him as GM, but I could be convinced to turn things over to Cunningham depending on how the coaching search goes.

I think there is also something to be said for marrying Coach/GM contracts.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

You don't get to be a stable and successful team if you keep firing folk every couple of years. Unless it's a complete disaster like the Emery era you have to have a bit of patience. That's obviously hard for us fans when it's been so bad for so long.

Poles is young and he's only been in the role for 3 years. It takes a year for a GM to get his choice of staff in place and his processes established. He should get another shot at a head coach and the chance to see if he can bring his rebuild to fruition albeit a little later than hoped and expected.

Poles inherited Fields. Caleb is his QB and he shows promise in his first season. Firing Poles before we see what Caleb becomes wouldn't sit right with me.

My biggest concern is that Poles is being undermined by Warren and won't be allowed to make decisions for himself.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Not yet. I think the next coaching hire will determine Pole's legacy here in Chicago. It is too easy for Poles and others to write off Eberflus as ownership's pick (regardless of whether or not Poles was 100% behind it) because of the timeline of the hiring.

I don't know that I think any of the candidates out there would merit choosing their own GM. Maybe Bill Belichick - but Poles is connected to Scott Pioli and would likely get a recommendation from his old mentor and good friend of Belichick.

[Z Bear]

My biggest concern is that Poles is being undermined by George McCaskey and won't be allowed to make decisions for himself.

Fixed it for you, that is the real problem since he was the one who would not let them fire Flus after the Patriots game.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

My biggest concern is that Poles is being undermined by George McCaskey and won't be allowed to make decisions for himself.

Fixed it for you, that is the real problem since he was the one who would not let them fire Flus after the Patriots game.

McCaskey wasn't the one sitting on the podium talking for 8.5 minutes before Poles got to speak and saying he was going to be heavily involved in the hiring of the next head coach before being forced by the press to say Poles will have the final say.

[wab]

Fixed it for you, that is the real problem since he was the one who would not let them fire Flus after the Patriots game.

McCaskey wasn't the one sitting on the podium talking for 8.5 minutes before Poles got to speak and saying he was going to be heavily involved in the hiring of the next head coach before being forced by the press to say Poles will have the final say.

Yeah, the whole McCaskey is a problem trope should have died after that press conference.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

My biggest concern is that Poles is being undermined by George McCaskey and won't be allowed to make decisions for himself.

Fixed it for you, that is the real problem since he was the one who would not let them fire Flus after the Patriots game.

Can’t believe I’m going to defend an owner here - but I’d need some convincing too if the guy who convinced me to give out a 5 year contract and reiterated that this was our guy 10 months ago now wanted to send 12-15 million of my money out the door (with more to come when the rest of the staff is released). I don’t know how many owners give their GMs carte-blanche but I’d bet the number is actually pretty low.

[Z Bear]

No it shouldn't....many have reported that Poles and Warren wanted Flus gone after the Patriots game but the McCaskeys would not let them. That is a huge problem when the owers are interfering with the football guys. I am not in the McCaskeys are cheap crowd, but they seem to have a loyalty to people they like regardless of the results on the field.

[Z Bear]

Can’t believe I’m going to defend an owner here - but I’d need some convincing too if the guy who convinced me to give out a 5 year contract and reiterated that this was our guy 10 months ago now wanted to send 12-15 million of my money out the door (with more to come when the rest of the staff is released). I don’t know how many owners give their GMs carte-blanche but I’d bet the number is actually pretty low.

I totally agree the McCaskeys should be consulted since it is their money, but when both your President and GM want to get rid of someone, you better have a better reason for keeping him than money when the results have been this poor on the field.

[Moriarty]

My biggest concern is that Poles is being undermined by George McCaskey and won't be allowed to make decisions for himself.

Fixed it for you, that is the real problem since he was the one who would not let them fire Flus after the Patriots game.

You can say that McCaskey not letting Poles fire Flus after NE is a problem, but it absolutely is not the most harmful one related to the GM/VP/Owner.

The problem with the worst impact is that Poles a) hired Flus in the first place, and b) resisted Warren's pressure to fire him between years 2 and 3.

[Moriarty]

My biggest concern is that Poles is being undermined by Warren and won't be allowed to make decisions for himself.

I find that a startling biggest concern, given that, if Warren had been more forceful and overridden Poles about Eberflus, this team would probably be 8-4 and on the way to the playoffs, with Caleb going forward with the same OC/scheme, instead of probably having 3 different ones in 2 years.

You don't get to be a stable and successful team if you keep firing folk every couple of years.

You don't get to be a stable and successful team if you're too scared to pull the trigger on mistakes until things go tragically, overwhelmingly, cripplingly wrong.

Unless it's a complete disaster like the Emery era you have to have a bit of patience.

Nearly everything about the coaching staff has been a complete disaster.
Eberflus, Waldron, Getsy, Alan Williams, David Walker
It's been an endless geyser of incompetence and embarrassment

Player acquisition evaluation is tough, because of the awful coaching, but "very mixed" is about the best you can say.
If Carolina doesn't suck enough to give us the first overall pick in 2024, where would this franchise be right now?

[artbest01]

IMO, we don't truly know who wanted to fire whom when. Did George actually tell Ryan Poles that he couldn't fire Eberflus after the Patriots debacle, only to be ok with it after the meltdown in Detroit? Maybe...maybe not. Regardless, Ryan Poles made an enormous blunder when he hired Matt Eberflus. He erred BADLY when he stuck with him and married him to the #1 overall pick. The instability around Caleb Williams BEFORE the end of his rookie season is the stuff of legend - OC is fired, passing game coordinator elevated to OC, 3 weeks later, head coach is fired, the new OC is elevated to interim head coach. Ryan Poles owns this disaster - it likely would get him fired in most NFL cities.

That said, I voted to keep him. He has stumbled - repeatedly - and his method of roster building vis-a-vis positional focus is suspect. However, he has cleaned up the mess he inherited, has drafted a QB who continues to grow and develop despite being surrounded by a coaching clown car and has the resources needed to bolster the trenches.

This HC decision is HUGE - if he and Warren get it right, they'll have a partner who will clearly articulate the personnel he needs and Poles will follow through. If Poles gets it wrong, he'll be jettisoned and destined to be a faceless player personnel guy for the rest of his career.

[wab]

The people who want to blame the McCaskey family for everything including the price of gas will never waver. To these people the McCaskey family still throws nickels around like manhole covers and will never do anything right until the team is sold or they are forced into changing when Ginny passes.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

My biggest concern is that Poles is being undermined by Warren and won't be allowed to make decisions for himself.

I find that a startling biggest concern, given that, if Warren had been more forceful and overridden Poles about Eberflus, this team would probably be 8-4 and on the way to the playoffs, with Caleb going forward with the same OC/scheme, instead of probably having 3 different ones in 2 years.

Warren wanting to get rid of Eberflus is pure speculation. There are all sorts of such suggestions flying around at the moment around what different folk did or did not do.

Ultimately you have to ask whether you want the GM in charge of football operations or not.

If the president is going to insert himself into football decisions then the GM cannot do his job.

This HC decision is HUGE - if he and Warren get it right, they'll have a partner who will clearly articulate the personnel he needs and Poles will follow through. If Poles gets it wrong, he'll be jettisoned and destined to be a faceless player personnel guy for the rest of his career.

And there we have it. If Poles and Warren get the next hire wrong Poles will be jettisoned while Warren remains happily ensconced in his big office counting his millions.

[southdakbearfan]

He’s cleaned up the previous regimes mess, and yes he has had some misses with draft and trades, but think of the previous regime. They rarely ever missed because they blew multiple years capital on one or two “swings” so much so it didn’t matter if it was a grand slam because it created so many other holes without resources to correct. You can’t miss if you ain’t got a swing!

He appears to have the QB. He gets to choose another coach. Unless this thing goes dumpster fire tits up next year he will be here 2 more seasons at least IMO.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

Still think the jury is out and as UOK said - the next coaching hire will weigh heavily.

He said he’d take back the North, we’re going to be 4th place for each of his 3 years so far and this year we are a long way short.

He's got to make some progress with that.

[wab]

The Bears weren't winning the North in 2022.

[G08]

My biggest concern is that Poles is being undermined by Warren and won't be allowed to make decisions for himself.

Your biggest concern is that Poles IS being undermined by Warren? Or MAY be undermined by Warren?

I ask because I haven't read or heard anything indicating he is being undermined. Warren certainly felt the need to flex during Monday's presser, but I did not get the impression Poles had been neutered.

Poles certainly looked dejected, which I can understand if you believed him when he said how much he respected and appreciated Matt Eberflus. Poles seems to be a geniune and sensitive dude -- I'm sure cutting certain players and firing certain coaches weighs heavily on him (remember Hard Knocks?).

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

The Bears weren't winning the North in 2022.

Or 2023

Or 2024

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

My biggest concern is that Poles is being undermined by Warren and won't be allowed to make decisions for himself.

Your biggest concern is that Poles IS being undermined by Warren? Or MAY be undermined by Warren?

I ask because I haven't read or heard anything indicating he is being undermined. Warren certainly felt the need to flex during Monday's presser, but I did not get the impression Poles had been neutered.

Poles certainly looked dejected, which I can understand if you believed him when he said how much he respected and appreciated Matt Eberflus. Poles seems to be a geniune and sensitive dude -- I'm sure cutting certain players and firing certain coaches weighs heavily on him (remember Hard Knocks?).

I remember him whining about telling Ogunjobie that he’s not getting his contract.

At that point I thought, man this kid is going to have to grow up. It’s a business, you don’t owe him a contract.

[wab]

The Bears weren't winning the North in 2022.

Or 2023

Or 2024

Man, context and nuance isn't really a thing around here lately.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

Or 2023

Or 2024

Man, context and nuance isn't really a thing around here lately.

Where was the context and nuance when Ryan Poles confidently stated “we’re going to take back the North and we’re not giving it back”?

In sports you live and die by how you perform against expectations. He shouldn’t proclaim such things if he’s going to do the exact opposite.

Before Poles, the last time we were 4th in the North was 2017/8.

[LacertineForest]

Man, context and nuance isn't really a thing around here lately.

Where was the context and nuance when Ryan Poles confidently stated “we’re going to take back the North and we’re not giving it back”?

In sports you live and die by how you perform against expectations. He shouldn’t proclaim such things if he’s going to do the exact opposite.

Before Poles, the last time we were 4th in the North was 2017/8.

The Bears could be 8-4 right now and still be 4th in the North. That is definitely not true of the pre-Poles years.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

Where was the context and nuance when Ryan Poles confidently stated “we’re going to take back the North and we’re not giving it back”?

In sports you live and die by how you perform against expectations. He shouldn’t proclaim such things if he’s going to do the exact opposite.

Before Poles, the last time we were 4th in the North was 2017/8.

The Bears could be 8-4 right now and still be 4th in the North. That is definitely not true of the pre-Poles years.

if we were 8-4 I imagine a lot of conversations would be different, but we’re a long way off 8-4