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Let me preface everything I am about to say with saying that Mitch was bad. He simply was not a good QB, so everything looked worse.
The plan to develop, pick, and support Mitch was TERRIBLE. Looking back it was comically bad and I am sure it contributed to him busting out as hard as he did. This is important because we simply cannot afford to make the same mistakes with Justin.
1. The Veteran Bridge
Mike Glennon was a horrendous football player that for some reason Pace paid and thought could hold down the job while the rookie got ready. Instead he shit down his leg and needed to be replaced after 4 games. This rushed Mitch on to the field, clearly before he was ready to play. Who knows what this did to his development long term, but I am sure it cannot be positive.
Dalton isn't good, but he is 100x better and more accomplished than Glennon. The bar that Dalton provides for Fields to get over is an "actual NFL QB" and not the guy you start when you want the #1 pick. Being better than Dalton means you are an NFL QB. Being better than Glennon means you have a pulse.
2. The Trade Up
The trade up for Mitch was born out of panic. All the talk was that Glennon was a smoke screen for drafting a QB and Pace still traded up 1 spot for a the QB he wanted. The picks he gave up were not high picks, but they were 3 mid round picks that the Bears needed to add depth to the offense that was talent devoid. When you trade up and miss it hurts you way more. I would say the trade up and where they picked Mitch was really poor value.
The trade up for Fields feels different, 1. it was necessary to land the player. 2, it was in my view not a major over pay for the distance that needed to be cover. 3, it has been confirmed that other teams were on the phone with the Giants. 3, The value of the player was tremendous. Fields was a consensus top 10 player in the draft that was secured at 11.
3. The Player Evaluation
The entire evaluation of Mitch was a mess. Pace went rogue and did not involve the entire organization. The coaches were famously left totally in the dark, and it was clear that dissenting voices were phased out. It also appears that Pace was seduced by a Jim McMahon dinner reservation and an old beat up Camry. He seem to miss the years as a backup, the 1 year as a starter, the no big games or big wins. The pinnacle of Mitch's time at UNC was an up and down performance in the Sun Bowl.
With Fields we have a guy who started for 2 years at Ohio St, was one of the biggest recruits in the country, played in big games, against big time teams, and on big stages. The resumes when you put them beside each other could not be more different. The biggest game of Mitch's life was when he played the Lions, that will not be the case with Fields.
4. The Following Picks
Following Mitch, even after losing draft capital for the move up, Ryan Pace picked a soft developmental TE from a technical school in Ohio who looked good playing against future gym teachers. Shaheen provided nothing to Mitch or the offense and was a borderline liability when he was on the field. After Shaheen, Pace picked Tarik Cohen, a good player, but a gadget guy who does not impact the offense every play.
After picking Fields Pace did not get cute or try and be the smartest guy in the room. He picked to enormous ass kickers from major conference teams who have pelts on the wall against top competition. At a minimum Jenkins will impact every snap, baring health, of the 2021 season. There was nothing cute or overthinking about these picks. Draft a QB, draft guys who will kill to protect him.
5. The Coaching Staff
The year Mitch was drafted it was to play for a checked out defensive coach in John Fox and an OC who only gets OC jobs because he knows Adam Gase. It was also a coaching staff who didn't want him, who were more concerned about their jobs than Mitch's ideal development, and who just sucked on the offensive side of the ball.
You cannot like Nagy and he has earned some of that, but the Bears have actual coaches on the staff that have worked with QBs and improved them. Flip with Carr and Wentz. Lazor with Dalton and Tannehill. This coaching staff has more job security, more invested in Fields, and better coaches on it for this development task.
6. The Supporting Case
Mitch rolled out onto the field and his #1 WR was Kendall Wright, who was out of the league after the Bears, and his #2 was a mid season trade for Dontrelle Inman who was a journeymen. His TEs were Dion Sims and Adam Shaheen who were both terrible. The OL was solid, but he was throwing passes to the worst WR core in the NFL. How you could draft a QB into that situation is beyond me. It is negligent.
To compare Fields weapons to Mitch's is comical. Fields has 4 WRs who would have been the unquestioned #1 WR on that team. His line is on par or better, depending on Jenkins development. In the backfield he has a more dynamic player in Montgomery, and at TE, say what you want about Kmet, he is significantly better than Sims and Shaheen.
Reflecting on the Mitch plan, pretty much the entire thing was a complete disaster. Comically bad plan and execution. The Bears need to avoid these pit falls with Fields.
The plan to develop, pick, and support Mitch was TERRIBLE. Looking back it was comically bad and I am sure it contributed to him busting out as hard as he did. This is important because we simply cannot afford to make the same mistakes with Justin.
1. The Veteran Bridge
Mike Glennon was a horrendous football player that for some reason Pace paid and thought could hold down the job while the rookie got ready. Instead he shit down his leg and needed to be replaced after 4 games. This rushed Mitch on to the field, clearly before he was ready to play. Who knows what this did to his development long term, but I am sure it cannot be positive.
Dalton isn't good, but he is 100x better and more accomplished than Glennon. The bar that Dalton provides for Fields to get over is an "actual NFL QB" and not the guy you start when you want the #1 pick. Being better than Dalton means you are an NFL QB. Being better than Glennon means you have a pulse.
2. The Trade Up
The trade up for Mitch was born out of panic. All the talk was that Glennon was a smoke screen for drafting a QB and Pace still traded up 1 spot for a the QB he wanted. The picks he gave up were not high picks, but they were 3 mid round picks that the Bears needed to add depth to the offense that was talent devoid. When you trade up and miss it hurts you way more. I would say the trade up and where they picked Mitch was really poor value.
The trade up for Fields feels different, 1. it was necessary to land the player. 2, it was in my view not a major over pay for the distance that needed to be cover. 3, it has been confirmed that other teams were on the phone with the Giants. 3, The value of the player was tremendous. Fields was a consensus top 10 player in the draft that was secured at 11.
3. The Player Evaluation
The entire evaluation of Mitch was a mess. Pace went rogue and did not involve the entire organization. The coaches were famously left totally in the dark, and it was clear that dissenting voices were phased out. It also appears that Pace was seduced by a Jim McMahon dinner reservation and an old beat up Camry. He seem to miss the years as a backup, the 1 year as a starter, the no big games or big wins. The pinnacle of Mitch's time at UNC was an up and down performance in the Sun Bowl.
With Fields we have a guy who started for 2 years at Ohio St, was one of the biggest recruits in the country, played in big games, against big time teams, and on big stages. The resumes when you put them beside each other could not be more different. The biggest game of Mitch's life was when he played the Lions, that will not be the case with Fields.
4. The Following Picks
Following Mitch, even after losing draft capital for the move up, Ryan Pace picked a soft developmental TE from a technical school in Ohio who looked good playing against future gym teachers. Shaheen provided nothing to Mitch or the offense and was a borderline liability when he was on the field. After Shaheen, Pace picked Tarik Cohen, a good player, but a gadget guy who does not impact the offense every play.
After picking Fields Pace did not get cute or try and be the smartest guy in the room. He picked to enormous ass kickers from major conference teams who have pelts on the wall against top competition. At a minimum Jenkins will impact every snap, baring health, of the 2021 season. There was nothing cute or overthinking about these picks. Draft a QB, draft guys who will kill to protect him.
5. The Coaching Staff
The year Mitch was drafted it was to play for a checked out defensive coach in John Fox and an OC who only gets OC jobs because he knows Adam Gase. It was also a coaching staff who didn't want him, who were more concerned about their jobs than Mitch's ideal development, and who just sucked on the offensive side of the ball.
You cannot like Nagy and he has earned some of that, but the Bears have actual coaches on the staff that have worked with QBs and improved them. Flip with Carr and Wentz. Lazor with Dalton and Tannehill. This coaching staff has more job security, more invested in Fields, and better coaches on it for this development task.
6. The Supporting Case
Mitch rolled out onto the field and his #1 WR was Kendall Wright, who was out of the league after the Bears, and his #2 was a mid season trade for Dontrelle Inman who was a journeymen. His TEs were Dion Sims and Adam Shaheen who were both terrible. The OL was solid, but he was throwing passes to the worst WR core in the NFL. How you could draft a QB into that situation is beyond me. It is negligent.
To compare Fields weapons to Mitch's is comical. Fields has 4 WRs who would have been the unquestioned #1 WR on that team. His line is on par or better, depending on Jenkins development. In the backfield he has a more dynamic player in Montgomery, and at TE, say what you want about Kmet, he is significantly better than Sims and Shaheen.
Reflecting on the Mitch plan, pretty much the entire thing was a complete disaster. Comically bad plan and execution. The Bears need to avoid these pit falls with Fields.
