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A QB plan for the Bears...

torbee

HR King
Gold Member
Now that Dumb and Dumberer have been ditched, it's time for the Bear's brass to get smart (hah!)

My proposal: I believe Justin Fields has the potential to be a franchise QB -- he has the physical tools. What he lacks is polish, experience and veteran savvy. So you could just name him starter and work through those growing pains and hope he develops into a stud, Top 10 type QB. But that leaves a lot to chance -- and you better pray you get a good new coach, good new OC and good new QB coach that surround him with the tools he needs. What I think would make more sense is to look for a free agent QB that has similar attributes to Fields, but is at the tail end of his career. Sort of do for Fields what GB did by having Aaron Rodgers sit back and learn from Brett Favre. The good news is -- Russell Wilson -- whose game is similar to Fields -- is a free agent this year and very likely may be looking to leave Seattle. I think having Fields sit behind Wilson for a full season would be absolutely beneficial to his ongoing development. The hard part would be selling Fields on accepting a backup role for a season or two. But I think this scenario would create the absolutely ideal situation for getting the most out of Fields long-term, and helping the Bears be competitive for playoffs and a run at a Super Bowl.
 
If Wilson wants out Seattle would be wise to trade him to the crappiest team on his list for as many first round picks as possible. I wouldn’t want Fields or any other QB on potential.
 
Regardless of who plays QB the bears need to upgrade the OL badly. I think the defense is serviceable. Young QB’s need solid protection and good short field pass catchers. I’d like to see the bears land a few solid TEs to give Fields some big targets to pickup first downs rather than him scrambling fir his life.

The WRs need a complete overhaul. Mooney has the most upside and ARob is probably gone.
 
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Good plan...except Wilson isn't a FA

And the bears don't have a first round pick this year to trade.

So they would be about last on the Seattle list.

But, solid plan otherwise
 
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Bummer -- I could have sworn they said he was a FA on the broadcast yesterday. Must have misunderstood.
There were rumors of him being traded cause Seattle needs a reset. If Carroll leaves/fired, would they trade Wilson for a boat load of pick to do the said reset? That's the thinking. But, since the Bears don't have a pick this year Seattle won't trade with them. If the Bears did, they would be very high on the list. The two NY teams are probably top on the list now. Both with multiple top 10 picks and Wilson gets to play in the NYC market.
 
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Regardless who the coach is, the administration needs to identify the 5 or 6 best GMs and those that have proven they are the best at identifying draft needs and who to draft. Then PAY them to join the Bears.
 
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If Wilson wants out Seattle would be wise to trade him to the crappiest team on his list for as many first round picks as possible. I wouldn’t want Fields or any other QB on potential.
Well the Bears dont have a 2022 first round pick, and depending how the 2022 draft pick goes they may not have a 2023 or 2024 either. They like to trade those like candy.
 
Jay Cutler was a good quarterback. He was also a tremendous doosher. But from a pure talent standpoint, likely the best to ever wear a Bears uniform (low bar, I know.)
I don't think he was better than Sid Luckman, Johnny Lujack, or Billy Wade.
 
I usually agree with you Torbee, but this is a terrible take. The biggest advantage a team can have in the NFL is a top 10 QB on a rookie contract. The Bears need to dump Dalton/Foles, upgrade the OL, make a few value signings in free agency, and get younger on defense.
 
I usually agree with you Torbee, but this is a terrible take. The biggest advantage a team can have in the NFL is a top 10 QB on a rookie contract. The Bears need to dump Dalton/Foles, upgrade the OL, make a few value signings in free agency, and get younger on defense.
I would not sign a vet QB for a lot of money, agree those other areas are more important. I'm just saying that a talent like Fields could likely benefit from mentoring under a similar style QB with proven success. Maybe that's impossible these days in the NFL, but I attribute much of Rodgers' success to his tutelage under Favre and the fact he wasn't thrown to the wolves early. If it's impossible, it's impossible. Just saying it would be helpful.
 
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Ryan Pace did that. He's no longer there.
Agree

2021:
  • Chicago trades 2021 first-round, 2021 fifth-round, 2022 first-round, and 2022 fourth-round picks
  • New York (NFC) trades 2021 First Round (#11) (Justin Fields)
2020 and 2019:
  • Chicago trades 2019 first round pick, 2019 sixth round pick, 2020 first round pick, 2020 third round pick
  • Oakland trades Khalil Mack, 2020 second round pick, 2020 conditional round pick
2018:
  • Chicago kept their 8th overall pick (Roquan Smith)
2017
  • Chicago Trades 2017 first round pick #3, 2017 third round pick, 2017 fourth round pick, 2018 third round pick
  • San Francisco Trades 2017 first round pick #2 (Mitchell Trubisky)
Don't forget in 2015 they drafted Kevin White #7 overall and has since played in 23 games with 27 total touches and 0 TD's.
 
at this point, get a competent coach in there and roll with Fields. He’s got the potential, and it’s not like sitting him now is going to help, he already has been thrown into the fire
Yep. Fields was clearly not ready. The GM should have had an initial plan to not play him year one at all.

Instead, he has now played and needs to be the starter going forward. I was pretty high on him but man he looked pretty bad at times.
 
I like you Torbee but that is laughable. Foles is the backup next year and FIelds is getting the keys to the car. You build around him during his rookie deal.
 
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I would not sign a vet QB for a lot of money, agree those other areas are more important. I'm just saying that a talent like Fields could likely benefit from mentoring under a similar style QB with proven success. Maybe that's impossible these days in the NFL, but I attribute much of Rodgers' success to his tutelage under Favre and the fact he wasn't thrown to the wolves early. If it's impossible, it's impossible. Just saying it would be helpful.
Even if Wilson was available, you’re not getting him for cheap, and you still have Foles under contract as well. Also, it’s well known that Favre was not a mentor to Rodgers. Higher priority is getting more weapons around him, and either hope the line improves (they were decent at times) or find some cost effective replacements. Too many holes to go big at one spot. Need to upgrade the secondary, a #2 LB next to Roquan.
Yep. Fields was clearly not ready. The GM should have had an initial plan to not play him year one at all.

Instead, he has now played and needs to be the starter going forward. I was pretty high on him but man he looked pretty bad at times.
I put his struggles as much on the coaches as anything. They clearly had no idea what to do with a mobile quarterback, and to be honest we saw that with Trubisky previously. What they did to Fields in the Cleveland game was coaching malpractice and should have gotten them fired then.
 
Make Fields #1 and sign Tyrod Taylor as a back up. He is a pro's pro and would be a great mentor.

Tyrod is a pretty good one for this spot.

For whatever reason, the old days of sitting a top drafted QB for a year or two are over. Probably because there's nothing more valuable in the league than a QB on a rookie deal. And you have to make a decision one way or another after 4-5 years, so you want more than 1-2 years of information to go on.

And the cost of getting a guy like Russell Wilson...that's a move for a veteran team willing to mortgage the future for one last shot, there's no point in a garbage team taking him. And even if he was a free agent, it's hardly worth the cap hit for a cruddy team.

If a guy seems like he might have the chops, I think you have to just commit to him, and do everything you can to build around him and give him the tools around him. Try to beef up enough to win some games that he doesn't have to win them for you.

Then after 3-4 years, you either figure out you've got your franchise QB (Bills) or don't (Darnold) or probably don't (Browns). If you don't, you draft another QB, and start again with a QB on a rookie deal for another few years, and keep trying to build up the rest of the team.

There's just not really a place for an expensive veteran QB as part of a rebuild.
 
Tyrod is a pretty good one for this spot.

For whatever reason, the old days of sitting a top drafted QB for a year or two are over. Probably because there's nothing more valuable in the league than a QB on a rookie deal. And you have to make a decision one way or another after 4-5 years, so you want more than 1-2 years of information to go on.

And the cost of getting a guy like Russell Wilson...that's a move for a veteran team willing to mortgage the future for one last shot, there's no point in a garbage team taking him. And even if he was a free agent, it's hardly worth the cap hit for a cruddy team.

If a guy seems like he might have the chops, I think you have to just commit to him, and do everything you can to build around him and give him the tools around him. Try to beef up enough to win some games that he doesn't have to win them for you.

Then after 3-4 years, you either figure out you've got your franchise QB (Bills) or don't (Darnold) or probably don't (Browns). If you don't, you draft another QB, and start again with a QB on a rookie deal for another few years, and keep trying to build up the rest of the team.

There's just not really a place for an expensive veteran QB as part of a rebuild.
Sitting a rookie qb for his entire rookie season was never as prevalent as people like to think. Mahomes sat as much because Alex Smith played well enough Reid could be patient with Mahomes, but prior to that the last rookie 1st rounder who sat his entire first year I can recall is Palmer, and I’m not sure who the last one you could name was prior. The trick is to get them out there so they can take their lumps, learn the pro game and improve…without destroying their confidence. See Carr, David. Texans threw him out there on week 1 and did their best to kill him. Remain convinced a better plan and he turns into a solid pro.
 
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For whatever reason, the old days of sitting a top drafted QB for a year or two are over.
Umm, Trey Lance just basically sat this season sans a game or two.

Mahomes just did it a couple years ago as well.
 
Umm, Trey Lance just basically sat this season sans a game or two.

Mahomes just did it a couple years ago as well.
In both cases you had established starters who played well enough they didn’t get benched. Had either Jimmy or Smith struggled consecutive games, the pressure to start them would have been immense.
 
In both cases you had established starters who played well enough they didn’t get benched. Had either Jimmy or Smith struggled consecutive games, the pressure to start them would have been immense.
Right but my point remains. First round QBs do still get sat for their first year.

Is there any data to show this happens more often than it did at some point in the past? It's always situational and FTR, I actually prefer them to sit a year. It seems like some of the best (Brady, Rodgers, Mahomes) sat a year or more whether planned or not.
 
Justin Fields started every game he was available after Dalton went down. Toward the end they just played whoever happened to not be hurt that week. Upgrading the offensive line should be the Bears #1 priority this offseason. But... with Fields having that many starts under his belt there's no chance he goes back to being QB2 next year. Get used to the fact that Justin Fields is the Bears starting QB. They will go after a solid backup (#pleasegodnotdalton), possibly someone who can help mentor Fields, but someone who will ride the bench.
 
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